A poor attempt at deflection, considering the fact that you didn't answer my question at all. Maybe because you couldn't?
Also, why even bring Mihawk into this discussion when we do not know yet if he had ties to Wano at this point of the story?
Besides, obviously Mihawk's student hype translates into Mihawk's hype by association. An acknowledgment toward Zoro is thus an acknowledgment toward Mihawk. Even if Mihawk never interacted with any Wanonese, the fact that Zoro needed his accomplishments in Wano to be a worthy contender for the WSS title should speak volumes about Mihawk.
Now stop this little deflection and try to answer my question. If you can't, then admit there is no other way for Zoro to be acknowledged in Wano other than by Kaido himself and therefore ZKK.