People call me biased or that Im baiting but objectively compare Shanks to Blackbeard while factoring this in:
- Blackbeard's #2 is a swordman
- Shanks' #2 is not
- Blackbeard currently has a reliance on DF powers and not Haki
- Shanks is basically Roger and really has no direct comparison to his Haki usage, as far as we've seen
Lets say Mihawk falls in Laugh Tale or right before it is a reputable fact, would you rather:
1. Shiryu, as he's been currently portayed (and I mean sneaking around and getting shoulder thrown by Garp), come after Mihawk to show something more impressive?
2. Shiryu (and Fujitora if he's Zoro's opponent), fall beforehand and have Mihawk exist alongside his rival Shanks while the latter fights Luffy for the PK seat?
People argue up and down and swear by the WSS title, but as far as Im aware, Shanks' ambition to find One Piece is something Mihawk does not have, which sort of implies the idea behind Haki anyway and what it signifies in the series.
And I mean, we have VERY clear definitions and allusions to this:
Then (no offence), you have Mihawk here:
Then you also have Blackbeard's portrayal in a similar situation to Shanks.....:
But me know nothing and I'm just a Shanks shill/fanboy/whatever. This is "why" people resort to the "Blackbeard kills Shanks" mentality even if its unfounded, because it's really the only excuse they have on this.
Edit: Even look at the fucking language Oda uses to show how Shanks defeats Kid vs how Blackbeard defeats Law:
If you want to get REALLY petty, it took Oda 2 chapters to resolve Shanks vs. Kid lol. He started Blackbeard vs Law 14 chapters before Shanks vs. Kid and still ended it afterwards.