Now that Zoro has surpassed King and moved closer to challenging Mihawk, I want to take a moment to discuss everything Zoro vs. Mihawk-related that is yet to come.
Firstly, what further steps does Zoro need to take to reach Mihawk's level?
Next, when will the fight occur?
I personally think Zoro will fight Mihawk at the very, very end of the series. I know some people think it could be in Elbaf or even before the Straw Hats face the Blackbeard pirates, but I honestly don't see that happening. I envision Zoro vs. Mihawk will even be within the handful of the final chapters of One Piece, because I feel like all the build up for 1000+ chapters will have more meaning if it occurs that way. If Zoro went a whole arc or two being the WSS at the end of the series it would feel a little weird to me.
How will the fight go?
As I said before, I think it would be lame if Zoro entered the fight being clearly weaker than Mihawk and having to catch up during the fight. I fully expect a sky-split and a ton of CQC with fast-paced action. The fight doesn't have to be that long even. It would be really cool if they both performed their finishers as last resorts, both being fully exhausted, with Zoro's finisher breaking Mihawk's Yoru as a reverse of their original fight. It would be an unheard of feat of someone breaking a black blade, and it would mean that Zoro can beat Mihawk without having to kill him or inflict some permanent wounds on him because Mihawk wouldn't be able to fight as a "swordsman" without his sword anymore.
I have a lot more I want to say but this thread is already really long. What are your general thoughts?
Firstly, what further steps does Zoro need to take to reach Mihawk's level?
- He needs at least one or two black blades
- A lot of people think Zoro will only get black blades in the Mihawk fight. Personally, I would hate that. I think Zoro having a black blade would signal that he has finally become a worthy rival for Mihawk, capable of defeating him. I wouldn't want Zoro to enter the fight with Mihawk being significantly weaker and having to pull some crazy PU in order to win. I would prefer it to be a fight between two people of equal caliber. Maybe Zoro blackening his LAST blade against Mihawk would be a good way to conclude his journey to the top, but not his first.
- He needs better CoO
- I am not one of those people who thinks Zoro's CoO is bad. In fact, I think it is quite good based on this fight with King. His reaction time vs. King was incredibly impressive, and it allowed him to avoid taking any critical hits. IMO reaction time goes hand-in-hand with CoO. However, Mihawk likely has one of the best CoO in the verse considering his epithet and whatever the hell happened against Luffy in MF where Luffy saw his arms being chopped off. I really think this type of upgrade will come versus Shiryu due to his stealth and his DF.
- He needs to fully tame Enma.
- Based on this fight, it seems Zoro still has trouble wielding Enma without issue. This is evident by him saying his sword would "kill him" if he took much longer. If Zoro can tame Enma to Oden's level of mastery, he will be able to use En-Ou Santoryuu without any real constraints.
Next, when will the fight occur?
I personally think Zoro will fight Mihawk at the very, very end of the series. I know some people think it could be in Elbaf or even before the Straw Hats face the Blackbeard pirates, but I honestly don't see that happening. I envision Zoro vs. Mihawk will even be within the handful of the final chapters of One Piece, because I feel like all the build up for 1000+ chapters will have more meaning if it occurs that way. If Zoro went a whole arc or two being the WSS at the end of the series it would feel a little weird to me.
How will the fight go?
As I said before, I think it would be lame if Zoro entered the fight being clearly weaker than Mihawk and having to catch up during the fight. I fully expect a sky-split and a ton of CQC with fast-paced action. The fight doesn't have to be that long even. It would be really cool if they both performed their finishers as last resorts, both being fully exhausted, with Zoro's finisher breaking Mihawk's Yoru as a reverse of their original fight. It would be an unheard of feat of someone breaking a black blade, and it would mean that Zoro can beat Mihawk without having to kill him or inflict some permanent wounds on him because Mihawk wouldn't be able to fight as a "swordsman" without his sword anymore.
I have a lot more I want to say but this thread is already really long. What are your general thoughts?
