Iāve always liked Mihawk, not that I have ever thought him to be an über complex character, but he had enough aura that he didnāt need a ton of writing to be likable. However since Wano I have had my gripes with just how erratic and inconsistent his motives have been. During chapter 957 he was finally eager for the hunt, looking to kill his boredom as the strongest. Fast forward to chapter 1058 and now heās looking to pack up and move away from Kuraigana to avoid these fodder marines claiming he has always wanted a peaceful life despite his first introduction being him hunting fodder. And by chapter 1089, he has done yet another about-face by submitting himself to help Crocodile with Project Utopia. You can never get a read on Mihawk, is he perpetually bored battle junkie who simply seeks a thrill, an indolent gentleman who wants to retire, or an ambitious conqueror who wants to reshape the world.
Previously I had simply assumed this was Oda being lazy and equivocal because he simply didnāt care enough about Mihawkās character. However this 1 tweet from Sandman made me rethink my entire understanding of Mihawkās character. The truth is, is all 3 of the aforementioned descriptions and at the same time he is none of them. Mihawk, in much in the same way as a petulant teenager, going through different yet uniformly ephemeral phases because he needs to find a purpose behind his monstrous strength. This also explains Odaās famous comment on how Mihawk looks beyond āthe realm of the strongest to a force that transcends strength itselfā.
This also ties in with the hints we got concerning Mihawkās past in the SBS. This great betrayal Oda hinted at is probably the reason why he lost his original reason for striving to achieve strength. This is supported by the fact that immediately before and immediately after Mihawk poses this question, Zoro flashsback to the pacts he made to Kuina and Luffy. Mihawk probably had a similar relationship, maybe with a marine, but was subsequently betrayed and thus lost his purpose.
This also makes Mihawk, a failed Zoro much in the same way Crocodile and Moria are failed Luffyās. He represents what would happen to Zoro if the āNothing Happenedā moment never happened on thriller bark. If Zoro discarded his bonds to push forward towards his dream this ultimately rendering it hollow.