Holding a “sword” doesn’t make you a True Swordsman, it’s a lot more complicated than that from what we’ve seen so far AKA “a Sword with no skill is nothing but an iron bar”.
This also explains why Kaido and Big Mom, no matter how strong, can’t compete for “World’s Greatest Swordsman”.
Zoro: I’ve never seen such a graceful sword. Mihawk: There is no strength in a sword without softness.
Again, this is not something that is only brought up there. It is referenced again vs Mr.1:
And obviously, it is referenced in Wano:
We do not have enough information to truly come down on one side or the other, but it’s safe to say that the World’s Strongest Swordsman is not as if Kaido picked up a sword and just swung really hard until the enemy died.
There are also other things that are included here, there is an “idea” of a swordsman in the platonic sense where characters seem to know what is and what isn’t a swordsman, whether to refer to themselves as such, and so on.
So it does strike me as odd the notion that there is no “true swordsman” class other than holding a sword when there clearly is.
From what we know, the true Swordsman must have finesse, he must have the power to both protect and defend, and his sword must be unbreakable by being forged into a Black Blade. Only a true swordsman can be “The World’s Strongest Swordsman“. Zoro already has the first and second parts down. It is very likely the third one will happen in Wano. By the time Zoro leaves, he’ll be ready to face down Mihawk.
*Theory by GSMichaelson
