I am going off of the new gen>old gen as it makes the most sense. Zoro in that case would just be a Rayleigh+ at EoS. Like if you take away his goal, and leave the rest as it is, it would be like that.
That's mistranslated by early translators.
It comes off as too demeaning in that translation. It's merely Luffy boasting about himself and what kind of crew he wants.
Both Mihawk and Rayleigh are figures that Zoro will surpass and strives to surpass. But Mihawk is so far designated as the peak of that, so he gets the benefit of the doubt over Rayleigh, in my opinion.
Yes, and that's what sets them apart from all the others and that's why they will be the best crew of all times, achieving what no one else could.