Yeah, but the point is, it's all of the higher ups. The Admirals and Vice Admirals. Lower soldiers, no matter their stance, have to follow command. Akainu was willing to blow Coby's head off for asking to save Marine lives. Soldiers who comply will simply get executed by the higher ranked Marines. Compliance is the same as complicity.
Weird to use an encounter from an unknown past. By that logic, Luffy also lost a lot of times against people who are considered fodder now. Shanks' growth rate >> Teach's growth rate, proof being that Yami + Gura Teach canonically stated that he is not ready to face prime Shanks. Case closed. And sure, even if your argue that base Teach > prime Shanks, it would only mean that base Teach is >> Aramaki.
See my answer above. It being all of the higher ranked officers makes it worse, since lower ranking officers have to fall to command. Those in the Marines who dictate the course, are ruthless and evil.