Shanks vs Mihawk : Who's the strongest?

  Yes, Shanks is a swordsman in the World of One Piece, but he is also the Captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, one of the strongest crews in the series. While Dracule Mihawk is a former Shichibukai and without any crew members! So who's the strongest? 

Since not much is provided in the way of us knowing just how formidable Shanks is physically, we can only piece together what we know. We are told that he has previously dueled Mihawk in the past, and the two shared a rivalry. But this changed when Shanks lost his arm to save Luffy, and we are told that Mihawk subsequently abstained from seeking out Shanks for their duels.

But even with the loss of an arm, strength is difficult to measure in the World of One Piece. As we see previously, during Shanks’ initial meeting with Whitebeard on the Moby Dick, he is able to clash with him using only one arm, with Whitebeard wielding his Bisento with both. The aftermath of this clash is uncertain, and we are not provided details regarding each one’s use of any Haki, but the point remains that even the loss of an arm may not as drastically affect a character’s strength to the extent that we might presume.

But in the World of One Piece, strength is more than just fighting ability, physical strength, or even bounty. Rather, it is the character’s resources, and the manner they oppose the World Government. Shanks is one of the Yonko presumably because of the strength of his crew; many are implied to be some of the strongest characters introduced yet, such as his First Mate, Benn Beckman being able to intimidate even the Admiral Kizaru, and his sniper Yasopp being regarded as the greatest marksman alive. We might also assume that as one of the Four Emperors, he has several fleets at his command, much as Whitebeard did and was able to draw upon during the Marineford War. These pale in comparison, however, to Shanks’ true strength, which is the precautions he takes in shaping the One Piece World.

As a Pirate, he knows not to underestimate the New Age of Piracy, risking his arm to save a boy whom he believes will herald in the new generations of pirates (a prediction which has undoubtedly bore fruit). He knows which actions/decisions will cause unwelcome changes to the Seas, as he did when he cautioned Whitebeard to not allow Ace to chase after Blackbeard, knowing full well the role Blackbeard would play in the future of piracy. So substantial of an impact is Shanks’ reputation of thoughtfulness that even the previous Fleet Admiral Sengoku is willing to respect his tribute to Whitebeard, and the Gorosei are willing to grant him an audience at Marineford.

Shanks true strength does not lie in his physical abilities alone, albeit them being entirely formidable even after the loss of his arm. Yes, Mihawk may be a stronger swordsman than Shanks, but in no way can he compare to Shanks as a Pirate and Yonko, laboriously fulfilling agendas that serve not himself, but the greater good of all the One Piece World and the New Age of Piracy.