THE NERONA MIHAWK THEORY.

The theory with regard to Nerona Family and Mihawk is actually rather interesting. The theory, in short, is that Dracule Mihawk could be somehow connected to the Nerona family in which Imu came from in the first place. However, the theory is also that Mihawk might not be a Celestial Dragon himself, being instead from another branch of the Nerona that remained in the "world below", while Imu and the rest of Nerona became the ruling power in Mary Geoise. I think that there are actually a large amount of odd things about Dracule Mihawk that make this theory surprisingly plausible. The first odd thing about Mihawk is his eyes. Mihawk has a pair of distinctive red and yellow-tinged circular eyes, and rather interestingly, Imu also has a pair of eyes that are very similar to his eyes. Obviously, there are multiple characters in One Piece which have distinctive eyes, so having eyes similar to Imu is not an immediate sign of Mihawk being somehow connected to the Celestial Dragon. However, Mihawk and Imu are two of the most famous characters in the series to have this unusual pair of eyes, and if Oda eventually reveals that this kind of eye is a sign of a certain genetic trait, then it could potentially become a very interesting piece of information that Mihawk and Imu share something unique. After that, we have the name of Mihawk himself, Dracule Mihawk. The name Dracule is obviously similar to Dracula, which comes from Dracul, which is related to dragon. Obviously, there is the immediate thought towards the Celestial Dragons when one thinks of a dragon in the context of One Piece. There is also a Japanese association between the word for dragon and Tenryūbito, the Celestial Dragons. The name Mihawk also has some interesting connotations. In particular, there is a Japanese phrase concerning hawks that take care to not reveal their sharp claws. The theory points to this characteristic being similar to Mihawk personally, as he is someone who could potentially be hiding the fact that he is descended from the royal Nerona family. As such, the name Dracule Mihawk could be seen as potentially being a sign towards Mihawk being somehow related to the concept of "dragons", with the Mihawk portion of his name perhaps being a sign of him not revealing his claws. Mihawk himself doesn't often talk much about who he is, and is seemingly uninterested in telling others about his past. Rather, he simply exists as one of the strongest individuals in all of One Piece world. On the matter of Yoru, Mihawk's sword, the theory mentions that in Japanese, the word literally means night. Night is a concept in which One Piece has frequently played with, the contrast between night/darkness and day/dawn. The World Government speaks of preserving their rule over the world, while the series itself is steadily approaching the idea of dawn. It is theorized that Mihawk representing night is perhaps a sign that there is intent behind his role within the series itself. There is also a suggested link between the Japanese word for Nerona (which could be related to sleeping), and the concept of night. As such, we see the line of Nerona > night > Yoru > Mihawk. If Mihawk is indeed somehow connected to the Nerona family, then the name of his best sword could be an interesting way for Oda to hint at his potential connections. I think that this is where the theory gets rather interesting. It is suggested that approximately eight hundred years ago, the Nerona family was possibly split into two branches. While the branch that Imu belonged to became the ruling power and became the Celestial Dragons, the other branch remained in the world below and continued to exist. This would perhaps explain why Mihawk seems so uninterested in the World Government. In particular, he has little reason to show any kind of loyalty to the World Government. He is already strong enough that he can ignore their summonings, and he has obviously displayed his disdain for the Celestial Dragons. Reminiscing about the human-hunting games the nobles play, he calls them the actions of foolish beasts. If Mihawk actually belonged to another branch of the royal Nerona family, that would explain many of his apparent distastes. It would explain, perhaps, why he is so uninterested in the Celestial Dragons and his disdain towards the World Government. Mihawk could have once potentially belonged to a branch of the Nerona family that was destroyed and pushed down by the branch with Imu, or perhaps Mihawk could be the last surviving heir of a former royal family line. This would completely change the perception of the character of Mihawk. This is perhaps the portion of the theory I enjoy the most. Looking at Mihawk's weapons, one sees that he has a rather distinctive style. His main weapon, Yoru, has a noticeable cross-shaped guard, and he also has the famed cross-shaped dagger. There is an old piece of folklore that connects the shape of a cross to shielding one from demons. If, in due time, it is revealed that Imu is indeed some manner of demon, Mihawk's weapons would suddenly take on rather interesting connotations. The theory suggests that potentially, the weapons of Mihawk all serve to represent him as the entity that counters Imu. Obviously, there is not a literal connection to Mihawk's weapons being provided by the World Government. However, Oda potentially making Mihawk's weaponry in this manner would make it such that Mihawk is not simply the strongest swordsman in the world, but rather that he is potentially an entity of his own. I think that the theory concerning the connection between Mihawk and the Nerona family is an interesting one, as it presents the rather strange possibility that Mihawk may be a living relic of the past that potentially predates the current World Government. It could be possible that he is potentially one of the few remaining pieces of the former royal family that has long since been overthrown by Imu and the other Celestial Dragons. If even a small amount of what has been suggested about Mihawk is actually true, then Mihawk would not simply be the ultimate swordsman for Roronoa Zoro to strive for, or one of the strongest fighters in One Piece world. Potentially, Mihawk could be one of the last remaining members of a royal family line, his existence being potentially connected towards the downfall of Imu and the Celestial Dragons in the future. Knowing Oda, I am not surprised that we have perhaps always been seeing Mihawk incorrectly, perhaps failing to notice that some of his features could be signs or hints of something larger than ourselves.

Thanks for Reading.

Chapter referenceChapter 1190 · page 10Mihawk is a Celestial Dragon and belongs to Nerona Family.