The "tWelVe" doesn't exist.
1) Smoker who's been tied to Kuzan since LRLL, isn't somehow not as important as him on account of a single spread.
There isn't a single good justification that explains why Kuzan would be there and not Smoker, if it's based on character "importance."
@ctizzie You're actually the worst sort of person, someone like Ben "yt" or not, shouldn't be micro-quarterbacked/criticized due to being privileged, when he's doing legitimately amazing work.
@ctizzie Nok-"yt" kid
Ben's a Gonzo journalist, he's dealt with police bullshit before, it's in his name; reckless, he pushes the envelope.
And anyway, this is isn't just amazing people who've had no experience/knowledge of the way police function or first hand experiences.
After WCI Luffy got the title 5th emperor, because barto and Cavendish spread information to journalists about the fleet's unity, strawhat has 2 areas of power, Wano and Fisman Island, have influence in the pirate world, while law and kid don't have all that
@Animencyclo Its a sorry state just how little impact Mihawk has in OP so far. People having to grab unto any people for upscale/narrative importance. No events tied to him like a God Valley or Rocky Port Incident, no clashes outside Shanks, etc.
@mylesjude2 Mihawk was in Marineford.
Mihawk had Baratie.
Mihawk met up with Shanks.
Mihawk had the aftermath of Marineford just like Shanks.
It's not bullshit at all, it's just you have a weird metric for measuring "importance" or when characters impact for specific scenes runs out.
@mylesjude2 Characters appear, they disappear, and then they come back; Mihawk is handled no different than Shanks, Dragon, or whoever else.
People are just invested in downplaying how Oda shows people in world perceive him and erasing the character content that has been done with him.
@mylesjude2 We literally only started getting genuine Shanks expansion post-Wano.
Whatever he had prior is akin to Mihawks appearances and Oda softening him with Perona and the shift in his dynamic with Perona.
People try too hard.
@mylesjude2 Of course, Mihawk anti's are always boxing their shadow construct of people claiming Mihawks more important than the literal protagonists mentor figure, which no one genuinely believes and isn't worth stating as a dunk/as if it's revelatory.
@mylesjude2 Not his interactions with Perona and other establishing content on his antisocial disposition and nature.
He seems like any iMpOrtAnt character in the OP world, that disappears for 100s of chapters at a time.