One Piece: Mihawk’s True Heritage Makes Him a Rare Anomaly in the Series That Eiichiro Oda Might Soon Reveal (Theory)
Despite being serialized for over 25 years, One Piece is still shrouded in mystery and some questions remain unanswered. One of the many unexplored narrative threads is the lineage of the One Piece characters and how they play a major role in the series. The Will of D., the lineage of Akagami no Shanks, and the identity of Rocks D. Xebec are some of the mysteries that haunt fans to this day. However, one of the most noteworthy characters whose backstory is still unknown is the world’s strongest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk.
Since his first appearance in the Baratie Arc, almost nothing has been revealed about this mysterious swordsman. Once a Marine Hunter, Mihawk gained his reputation for hunting down Marines to kill time until he found a worthy rival. Mihawk considered Shanks to be his greatest rival as evidenced by their brief fight at the end of the East Blue Saga. Apart from this information, virtually nothing is known about Mihawk’s backstory. However, considering the swordsman’s age, as well as other factors, fans have narrowed down to two characters who could potentially be his parents: Silvers Rayleigh and Shakuyaku.
The Visual Appearance Of Silvers Rayleigh, Shakuyaku, And Mihawks Is Similar
While the visual appearance is not the most reliable source of predicting familial relationships in One Piece, it is a good start for a character like Dracule Mihawk. Mihawk bears a striking resemblance to two characters introduced during the Sabaody Archipelago Arc: Silvers Rayleigh, the former first mate of the Roger Pirates, and Shakuyaku, the former Empress of Amazon Lily.
Mihawk’s hair which is always presented as pitch black with sharp, pointed accents is similar to Shakuyaku’s hair. Both of their hairlines form a triangular point accentuated by their strong squared chins. Although these similarities can be attributed to the art style of Eiichiro Oda, several more factors point to a connection between the three characters.
Mihawk also bears a resemblance to Silvers Rayleigh, the former right-hand man of Gol D. Roger. Although Rayleigh’s hair is depicted as blond during his youth, his facial hair and eyebrows were black during his time with the Roger Pirates. This further lends to the idea that Rayleigh and Mihawk are connected. Moreover, Rayleigh’s facial hair style also suggests a connection between the two legendary characters.
While Mihawk’s goatee includes a single strip down the middle of his chin, Silvers Rayleigh sports five stripes of similarly arranged facial hair. These minor similarities in character designs may be chalked up to Eiichiro Oda’s art style, but fans have learned to hoard every minor detail about One Piece that can be used to figure out the puzzle of this series.
Dracule Mihawk’s Lineage Makes Him An Anomaly
Comparing the ages of Mihawk and his potential parents, the timeline aligns together. The official ages of Rayleigh, Shakuyaku, and Mihawk are 78, 64, and 44 respectively. This means that the pair would have been 34 and 20 when Mihawk was born if it is to be assumed that he is their son. Considering that they were both pirates at this time, it is possible that they met on the sea and had an encounter that led to Mihawk’s birth.
This aligns with Gloriosa stating that every Empress of Amazon Lily falls victim to the Love Sickness. It is entirely possible that Shakky abandoned her post as an Empress to raise Mihawk. However, if the theory of Mihawk’s lineage does stand to be true, it would make him an anomaly. Considering that Shakuyaku is the former Empress of Amazon Lily, it is expected that she would give birth to a female, as Amazonians only give birth to females.
Although the evidence connecting Dracule Mihawk to Silvers Rayleigh and Shakuyaku is circumstantial at best, if the theories do come true, it would raise questions about the nature of Mihawk’s status and whether he is truly an anomaly. Inadvertently, the world’s strongest swordsmen could be the key to some of the biggest mysteries in One Piece.
Read the One Piece manga on VIZ Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
