Episode 24: The Gap Between Great and Greatest
"Frog in the well... know how big the world is." - Dracule Mihawk
Right away, Mihawk sets himself apart as a foe far different from any of the ones we’ve seen so far. It isn’t just his overwhelming strength, or his aesthetic being much more threatening than Buggy the Clown. After Zoro saw this man cut a massive ship into pieces, he challenges him to a fight, and we see his struggle, not only to survive, but to comprehend how wide the gap is between him and the greatest.
In my mind, the defining difference between Mihawk and the other villains we’ve seen is the challenge they represent. It’s the difference between a goal and an obstacle. That’s why it’s so devastating for Zoro to see how far apart the two of them really are. Not only does Zoro lose, but he loses to the man choosing to wield a sword so small Zoro refers to it as a toy. I love this fight because to me, I feel like it perfectly captures the struggle of improvement.
I have wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. I studied it in college. I took specific classes meant to broaden my abilities and expose me to different work. It might be rare, but sometimes I write something, and feel really proud of it. Then I pick up a book by an author like Maragaret Atwood, or Ruth Ozeki, and it can feel like the ground is opening up beneath me, suddenly faced with the gap between my ability and theirs.
But when Zoro is forced to face this gap as Mihawk stabs him, he doesn’t back down. It’s something that Mihawk takes note of. Zoro says that he can’t step back from Mihawk’s blade because of the promises he’s made. If he steps back, he’ll never be able to reach the point he is at now, so death is preferable. Zoro isn’t suicidal, but his ambition to be the greatest is so strong that death is easier to accept than defeat.
Given how much I’ve talked about Luffy protecting his friends, it might be surprising to see Luffy hold back Johnny and Yosaku allowing the lopsided fight to play out. Luffy knows something that Johnny and Yosaku don’t. It’s why he stops them from interfering in Zoro’s fight. It isn’t out of fear, as we see him leap into action when Zoro is cut down, but one wonders why he waited until Zoro was defeated?
Luffy has his own ambitions. Ambitions that Mihawk tells him will be harder to accomplish than Zoro becoming the greatest swordsman. It’s because of this ambition that Luffy understands the difference between defeating Mihawk, and becoming the greatest swordsman. If they were able to defeat him, Luffy knows that would be worse for Zoro than losing to Mihawk. If Zoro can defeat Mihawk with his swords alone, he will know he is the greatest. If Mihawk loses because his friends ganged up on him, he will never know if he accomplished his goal.
Mihawk represents the depth of power in this world, but he also shows the proper attitude for someone able to become the greatest of something. When he recognizes Zoro’s potential, he doesn’t attempt to cut him down before he can grow to be a threat. After he’s won, he says, “It’s still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk. Learn about yourself. Learn about the world and become strong! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this seat of the strongest and wait for you. Surpass this sword. Try to surpass me Roronoa Zoro.”
If one truly is the greatest, or even has ambitions to be the greatest, one should not look to quell challengers. Mihawk sees that Zoro could grow to be a formidable challenge, and he demands it from Zoro.
Despite the chasm between him and Mihawk, Zoro pledges to Luffy that he will not lose again, and recognizes Luffy as the King of the Pirates. I don’t know about you, but that gives me motivation to keep attempting to improve, even if the gap is formidable.
It also reminds us that the foes coming from the Grand Line are not the same as those that we have seen thus far in the East Blue. It’s a promise from Oda that the path for our heroes is treacherous, and paved with opponents that have come before them, and have grown to be monsters beyond the scope of what we’ve seen so far.