They are not the same thing, but Oda changes
visual cues all the fucking time. Stop pretending like if the visual cue for something isn't there, something doesn't exist.
We've seen no indication of that lightning EVER before the Oden flashback. It doesn't mean it was never used.
We don't even have basic hardening visual cues pre-TS, let alone lightning.
What are you gonna argue Yamato has "advanced CoC" but Whitebeard doesn't?