Not necessarily. Like look at Pekoms and Pedro they went out adventuring got bounties. Chinjao and family lead the happo navy of the Kano country and they are outlaws/pirates. Sooner or later most high level sailors will cross path with idiot navy officers and end up in a conflict with them. It happened to Zoro. The whole Baratie incident with Lt Fullbody is just further proof.
What has any of the above got to do with this?
Those inevitably end up becoming outlaws/pirates in one piece world. Real pirates will attack your ship for loot and when you beat them your name start making waves and before you know you have a bounty.
The former is ultimately about how conflict with the Marines results in a bounty (which makes sense) while the latter is seemingly about how defeating pirates in self defense somehow results in a bounty, which makes zero sense and is the actual claim that I questioned.
Pekoms gets a bounty by being a member of a pirate crew? Makes sense.
Pedro gets a bounty since he and his crew hunted for poneglyphs, which is an explicitly forbidden action? Makes sense.
Chinjao gets a bounty through his consistent conflict with the Marines? Makes sense.
Zoro gets bounty due to petty Marine official? Makes sense.
Hypothetical individual gets bounty due to defeating a pirate in self defense despite living in a world where criminals are "Wanted dead or alive"? What?....
None of this changes the fact that Noland was not a pirate. Yeah, he
could have become a pirate but ya know, he didn't.
