Are you even aware of how editorial process words?
An editors decision is still canon because it happened manga, an editor though it would be appropriate, putting Shanks combat power into consideration, that he gets his arm taken off by a fish and Oda sanctioned it.
And you seriously fixated on that when
@Seraphoenix and
@Jo_Ndule has been constantly repeated "He got stalled by Vista", talk about hypocrisy.
And what do you mean no one went out of their way to explicitly say Mihawk is stronger than Shanks?
What does the world refer to Mihawk as? The STRONGEST swordsman in the world, and the world considers Shanks a swordsman as shown in Zoro's novel. How is that no explicit approval of majority of the world that Mihawk is stronger than Shanks, how can strongest swordsman not be stronger than a swordsman? Is he not strongest swordsman? Is the world lying regarding Mihawk's strength?
And you like to mention editor? What about an editor (or Oda himself) saying Mihawk is waiting for someone stronger than Shanks to come and give him a worthy fight? Is that not enough?
What about Mihawk calling Shanks one armed Has been who is too weak to fight him to his face?
How do you explicitly show somebody in fiction to be stronger than somebody? The amount of emphasis Oda and editors have put on Mihawk being stronger than Shanks in insurmountable.