WB was a relic of the previous era
I was being facetious to prove a point about strength. But he
was closest to the OP, "a true pirate," etc.
If the person who's synonymous with the great age
must be a rookie, then why not Teach? He injured Shanks!
I'm being sarcastic again. My point is that strength isn't a determiner for who can be synonymous with the great age. Maybe Shanks had more famous deeds, visited more places, flashed his winning smile, romanced more barmaids, had a cool crew, etc. Why assume it's due to strength unless you're just looking for reasons to argue PLs with Mihawk fans?