I think Shiryu is just an exception.
Lafitte is the Chief of Staff from the BBP, which is a "second in command position". But it was always a given that Shiryu was/is the 2nd strongest on the crew. His hype was tied to Magellan, who, at the time, managed to blitzkrieg the shit out of the entire crew.
Prior to BB getting the Gura Gura no Mi, I would EASILY put Shiryu above even BB himself.
Lafitte is the Chief of Staff from the BBP, which is a "second in command position". But it was always a given that Shiryu was/is the 2nd strongest on the crew. His hype was tied to Magellan, who, at the time, managed to blitzkrieg the shit out of the entire crew.
Prior to BB getting the Gura Gura no Mi, I would EASILY put Shiryu above even BB himself.
Lafitte's introduction is hype, he looks great and very reliable within the crew