Honestly, what’s the point of hyping Mihawk up anymore? Oda had so many chances to give him meaningful solo battles, make him Blackbeard or Shanks’s first mate, or even establish him as the leader of his own faction. Instead, he sticks him in Buggy’s comic relief corner, paired with a haki-less fraud like Crocodile. Oda had plenty of opportunities to do something great with Mihawk—and he's wasted every single one.
It really feels like Oda’s more interested in using established characters to prop up new ones, rather than giving them their due. Just like he did with Roger, who now exists solely to hype up LOden and Nika. Even Elbaf, which was supposed to be Bum-Usopp’s big moment, turned out to be a complete letdown for him—just another setup to push Loki and Hajrudin.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Shiryu, or some new major immortal swordsman from Nika's era, shows up, kills Mihawk, and steals his title—only for that character to become the one Oda actually flexes as the real World's Strongest Swordsman.