Literally the only time Oda has decided to kill of an admiral it’s to hype the guy who had 3/4 of the Yonko on a leash
Yankers don’t get to claim this W. Rocks stands alone
These are my tiers so far
God Level = Imu/Joy Boy. Capable of taking over the entire world as a leader.
Pirate King Level = Roger/Rocks/Shanks/Akainu. Elite Top tier with a few top tier and a lot of high tier subordinates
Yonkou Level = Whitebeard/Teach. Top tier with high tier subordinates. Can fight Pirate King levels individually, but crew weakness holds them back.
Admiral Level = Kizaru/Mihawk. Individually a Top tier, but with weak subordinates.
Both Teach and Luffy are nearing Pirate King Level. If Buggy gets training from Mihawk, Buggy will be around Yonkou Level, probably a bit behind it.
Shanks is Shanks.
All this proves is that Rocks was above Yonkou level to begin with.