Roronoa Zoro and Dracule Mihawk have a very complex relationship in One Piece, one that goes far beyond what one would typically expect from such a bond. Of course, Zoro wants to surpass Mihawk, who is the strongest swordsman in the series, and that said, you can assume that the two have clashed or will clash in the series. In this article, we will tell you about the nature of their relationship, and you will find out if Zoro will kill Mihawk in the future.

Mihawk views Zoro as his potential rival, and while he was able to easily defeat him the first (and so far only) time they fought, he saw a lot of potential in him and even agreed to train him during the time skip. Zoro views Mihawk as the only obstacle in his path to becoming the world's strongest swordsman, so a future clash is basically inevitable, but it is unknown whether Zoro plans to kill Mihawk or not.

The rest of this article will chronicle Zoro and Mihawk's relationship and explain the nature and history of their relationship. Zoro and Mihawk have fought once, but a rematch seems inevitable at some point in the future, which is why this topic is so important and why we've decided to dedicate an entire article to it. What will happen? Well, we'll see, based on our evidence, and we'll give you our honest assessment of the situation. Some spoilers will, of course, be present, so please be careful how you approach this article.

Zoro and Mihawk are (bitter) rivals and a new clash is inevitable, but we cannot know what the future holds for them.

One Piece fans will know that Dracule Mihawk is the strongest and best swordsman in the world. This former Warlord of the Seas is absolutely invincible when it comes to sword fighting, and we can only confirm that this is true; his rival, in the past, was Shanks, but when Shanks lost his arm, Mihawk no longer considered him a rival because he couldn't fight a disabled person, although it's debatable how much weaker Shanks was. Thus, when he first met Zoro, Mihawk told him the following:

"My name is Dracule Mihawk!! It is too soon for you to die. Discover yourself. See the world!! And become strong, Zoro! However long it may take… I will be waiting for you at the top. Strive with all your heart and mind to defeat this blade, ferocious one!!! Strive to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!!!"

– Chapter 52, One Piece manga

So, what actually happened at that moment? It actually refers to the events of the Baratie Arc, when Zoro and Mihawk first clashed. While the Straw Hat Pirates grapple with Creek and his men, Mihawk intends to complete what was interrupted a few days earlier: sinking the Dreadnought Saber.

As soon as Zoro recognizes him, he challenges him to a duel: Mihawk repels his opponent's three-blade attacks with a simple knife and, at the last moment, stabs him in the chest.

However, the member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is impressed by his rival's wit and grants him the honor of seeing his black sword in action. Zoro prepares to perform the most powerful technique, but Mihawk, with one blow, manages to shatter two of his swords, leaving only the Wado Ichimonji intact.

Zoro admits defeat and prepares to be stabbed by the enemy, showing him his chest as a back wound is a disgrace for a swordsman. Mihawk smirks and cuts him straight in the chest but holds back long enough to spare his life. Then, he challenges him to join him as the world's greatest swordsman. Shortly after, Mihawk decides the time has come to return to the Grand Line. However, Creek attempts to attack him, but the swordsman strikes his ship with his sword, cutting it in two.

So, as you can see, at this point, Mihawk and Zoro had established a certain relationship, which is however quite complex. Officially, the two are actually listed as enemies because Mihawk saw a lot of potential in Zoro, that is, he saw Zoro as his future rival, a replacement for Shanks. Of course, when the two first met, Zoro wasn't ready to be Mihawk's rival, but that's why Mihawk challenged him and told him to become better so that in the future, later on, they could fight on equal terms. And that's exactly what Zoro did.

Zoro's promise to his childhood friend that he would become the best swordsman in the world was his driving force, and to become the best, he would have to surpass the best, namely Mihawk. His defeat by Mihawk showed him the difference between them. Over the years, Roronoa Zoro worked hard to improve his skills and gradually improved, mastering more and more techniques and becoming more adept with each new battle.

In fact, when the group temporarily disbanded during the two-year time skip, Zoro went straight to Mihawk, asking the Warlord to train him. Mihawk initially refused, citing Zoro's failures as the reason for his refusal, but Zoro proved him wrong, confirming that he had improved in the meantime.

Realizing that Zoro was telling the truth, Mihawk eventually agreed and decided to train Zoro during the time skip, making him a significantly better fighter in the end; interestingly, one of Mihawk's tasks was to teach Zoro how to imbue his swords with Armament Haki, and to make him do this, Mihawk forbade Zoro from drinking alcohol during this time, that is, until he had completed this part of his training.

So, what does the future hold? In the meantime, Zoro has become even better than he was after Mihawk's training, and since he hasn't given up on his goal, a rematch between the two seems inevitable. Will it happen? Well, probably... we don't really know how Oda plans to resolve Zoro's story, but an epic duel between Mihawk and Zoro to determine the world's best swordsman definitely seems like the right way to go, as they are both ideal for such a duel.

Will Zoro kill Mihawk? Knowing Zoro, he won't do it unless he has to, and knowing Zoro, he'll try to find a way to avoid it. As we said, we don't know how Oda plans to resolve this rivalry, but we hope both come out alive in the end.