Well, if you don't know what the gap is, then you have no room to take credit for good performance too. Because they could be barely stronger for all we know. CP's best fighters are good enough to be the direct shields of the CDs, and the strongest of them were mentioned in the same breath as the admirals once, so the difference isn't astronomical.
And that is an assumption based on Carmel merely mentioning the CD in the same sentence as the Admirals ?
Cipher pol is literally the only force the Government has at their disposal next to the Admirals. It's only logical to assume that Carmel expects an abnormal strong warrior that isn't an Admiral in to become a CP0 member, it does not put them in relation in terms of power.
The only thing that Carmel directly confirmed in that sentence is that Fleet Admiral > Admiral.
Luffy used the same power to take out a number that he used to take out Doffy. Is the Number close to Doffy now? The rationale is about as inaccurate as it can get.
Let's wait to see if the fight went down the exact same. Lucci got up and could've retaliated but chose not to because he was outmatched. A world of difference from being knocked out and not getting up at all.
They will have to accept what? Most of us understand the admirals are among the best fighters up there with the likes of Kaido. I don't even get what you're trying to prove by bringing up Lucci in the same conversation as Kaido. You're doing what the Yonko fans used to do to the admiral fandom. This is actually worse than comparing the admiral to YCs.
Accept that Admirals are endgame material antagonists held back via plot because the crew is not ready to face them at this current point in time. Oda works his way up the ladder in terms of Government forces. First he lets Luffy beat the CP0 and after that the Admirals.
As for Lucci vs Kaido. Lucci does have Awakening confirmed, Kaido didn't. Whether drunken mode was his awakening or not is only our assumption which never really was confirmed.
And then we can open up the discussion of the Beast pirates treatment in terms of giving the calamities Awakening etc.