Now that Kaido has recognised Zoro's latent COC, it's time to look back at some of the moments that foreshadowed Zoro's COC and by extension, Mihawk's.
Kaido and Mihawk both recognised Zoro's COC through an all-or nothing attack. Zoro's spirit or presence has been commented on by other characters such as Urashima and Monet, but these two top tiers stand apart for noticing something special about Zoro's attacks that carry the full brunt of his will.
Who better to recognise the use of Conqueror's haki than a fellow Conqueror themselves? Kaido realised something was up moments before the attack hit, but it was only after he absorbed Ashura that he realised that Zoro was unconsciously using the most advanced form of COC, the ability to clad his attacks in the power of the Supreme King.
Another indication of COC, foreshadowed since Sabaody Archipelago, has been a COC user's ability to tame animals. Luffy unconsciously manifested the most basic level of COC when he intimidated Duval's bull, and either Zoro or Mihawk managed to tame the Humandrills on Kuraigana island just like Luffy tamed the animals he trained with during the timeskip. Was it Zoro who tamed the baboons, Mihawk, or both?
During Marineford, Mihawk was also given a prominent reaction panel to Luffy's COC. The admirals and Luffy's family (Garp, Ace) made sense given that Luffy was showing himself as a massive future threat to the navy, but what was Mihawk doing there? His reaction shot is positioned directly in the middle, with a larger frame than Garp's and Sengoku's.
We know that clashes between conquerors become huge spectacles by virtue of the backlash produced by COC. WB and Shanks' clash and Big Mom and Kaido's longer duel both split the sky in dramatic fashion, matching WB's description of Shanks and Mihawk's duels that are still ringing in his ears decades later.
Oda has systematically debunked all the arguments downplayers use to assert that Mihawk doesn't have the qualities of a conqueror. Rayleigh spends his time drinking, gambling and pretending to be captured by slavers. Zoro happily serves under Luffy and Mihawk's membership of a group (Straw Hats or Shichibukai) has no bearing on his notoriety or his former ambition before Shanks lost his arm. We even have multiple Conquerors serving under the World Govt such as Sengoku, Hancock and Doffy. As one of the few characters to hold a World's Strongest title and the strongest member of his faction, Mihawk meets all the requirements to have COC. In fact, all faction leaders/strongest members have COC.
Marines - Sengoku
Pirates - Whitebeard, Linlin, Kaido, Shanks
Revos - Dragon
Mihawk has probably known the entire time that Zoro had COC, recognising the same qualities in Sanzen Sekai as his duels with another powerful swordsman, Shanks. Why Mihawk never brought up the possibility is a mystery, but there's a good chance he dropped hints to Zoro given that Zoro expressed knowledge of COC during FMI.
In my mind, Mihawk having advanced COC is a given, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Kaido and Mihawk both recognised Zoro's COC through an all-or nothing attack. Zoro's spirit or presence has been commented on by other characters such as Urashima and Monet, but these two top tiers stand apart for noticing something special about Zoro's attacks that carry the full brunt of his will.
Who better to recognise the use of Conqueror's haki than a fellow Conqueror themselves? Kaido realised something was up moments before the attack hit, but it was only after he absorbed Ashura that he realised that Zoro was unconsciously using the most advanced form of COC, the ability to clad his attacks in the power of the Supreme King.
Another indication of COC, foreshadowed since Sabaody Archipelago, has been a COC user's ability to tame animals. Luffy unconsciously manifested the most basic level of COC when he intimidated Duval's bull, and either Zoro or Mihawk managed to tame the Humandrills on Kuraigana island just like Luffy tamed the animals he trained with during the timeskip. Was it Zoro who tamed the baboons, Mihawk, or both?
During Marineford, Mihawk was also given a prominent reaction panel to Luffy's COC. The admirals and Luffy's family (Garp, Ace) made sense given that Luffy was showing himself as a massive future threat to the navy, but what was Mihawk doing there? His reaction shot is positioned directly in the middle, with a larger frame than Garp's and Sengoku's.
We know that clashes between conquerors become huge spectacles by virtue of the backlash produced by COC. WB and Shanks' clash and Big Mom and Kaido's longer duel both split the sky in dramatic fashion, matching WB's description of Shanks and Mihawk's duels that are still ringing in his ears decades later.
Oda has systematically debunked all the arguments downplayers use to assert that Mihawk doesn't have the qualities of a conqueror. Rayleigh spends his time drinking, gambling and pretending to be captured by slavers. Zoro happily serves under Luffy and Mihawk's membership of a group (Straw Hats or Shichibukai) has no bearing on his notoriety or his former ambition before Shanks lost his arm. We even have multiple Conquerors serving under the World Govt such as Sengoku, Hancock and Doffy. As one of the few characters to hold a World's Strongest title and the strongest member of his faction, Mihawk meets all the requirements to have COC. In fact, all faction leaders/strongest members have COC.
Marines - Sengoku
Pirates - Whitebeard, Linlin, Kaido, Shanks
Revos - Dragon
Mihawk has probably known the entire time that Zoro had COC, recognising the same qualities in Sanzen Sekai as his duels with another powerful swordsman, Shanks. Why Mihawk never brought up the possibility is a mystery, but there's a good chance he dropped hints to Zoro given that Zoro expressed knowledge of COC during FMI.
In my mind, Mihawk having advanced COC is a given, but I'd like to hear your thoughts.
