The former Warlord of the Sea, Dracule Mihawk’s character arc, is much-awaited by One Piece fans. He is currently living his life as one of the founders of the Cross Guild, an organization that has put bounties on Marine soldiers and Admirals according to their power and their position in the Navy.
Fans are eagerly waiting for Mihawk to make a move so that they can finally get to see the full extent of Mihawk’s swordsmanship and his monstrous powers. Mihawk is one of the mysterious characters in One Piece, and not much is known about him except his nickname, The Marine Hunter, and the fact that he was a rival of Shanks.
There is a reason why Mihawk is called a Marine Hunter. Eiichiro Oda once revealed that Mihawk was betrayed by the Marines, which is why he holds a grudge against them. According to a theory, Mihawk turning into a Marine Hunter might be hinting at a massive betrayal by the World Government that he never forgot.
Eiichiro Oda Explains the Betrayal Faced by Mihawk
According to @pewpiece on X(Formerly Twitter), Oda once revealed in SBS volume 108 that Mihawk holds a grudge against the Navy because of something that happened in the past. However, he was tired of being chased by the Marines and beating them, which is why he chose to become a warlord and stay at peace.
Oda stated:
Mihawk is a person who holds a grudge against the Marines in the past and has experienced a great betrayal. In the sense of solitude, he’s just like Crocodile who doesn’t trust people and there’s a part of him getting tired with life. Being a member of the Seven Warlords means he won’t be chased by the Marines, that way, he will have peace, so that’s why he became a member, I think.
Although Oda explains the meaning behind Mihawk’s nickname as the Marine Hunter, he does not reveal anything about the betrayal that forced him to wreak havoc on the Navy of the One Piece world. There are multiple theories about Mihawk being a part of the Marines or a bounty hunter, but none of them accurately explain the betrayal.
One Piece Theory Suggests Mihawk Was a Part of the World Government
u/elcafesitodemiami posted a theory on Reddit that states that Mihawk was most probably an ex-Holy Knight, an order of knights who are the official law enforcers of the Mary Geoise. Mihawk’s personality indicates that he was most likely a Celestial Dragon and his powers make him one of the strongest characters, so it is easy to connect him to the Holy Knights.
At some point, he might be betrayed by the World Government for their selfish benefits, or he might get fed up with their way of dealing with things, which led to him leaving the Holy Knights and revolting against them by going on a rampage of killing Marines. And when things got out of hand, the World Government offered him the status of Warlord as a peace offering.
Mihawk being a part of a secret organization, as the Holy Knights explain, tells a lot about him. It gives a perfect explanation for his mysterious personality and also explains why Eiichiro Oda has decided to keep his backstory a secret. It will most likely be an important plot point during the introduction of the Holy Knights in One Piece.
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