What I am saying essentially is that Zoro would be stronger than Rayleigh just by being the next PK rhm/first mate. As the new gen surpasses the old. If Zoro had no dream of his own, he'd still end up at the very least slightly stronger than prime Rayleigh. But Zoro has a strength goal that goes beyond that, and that is taking out Mihawk. So to me it makes sense to have Mihawk above prime Ray, not by much of course, since prime Ray is a monster in terms of power, because he represents Zoro's EoS goal and dream, whilst Ray is 'just' a benchmark/stepping stone.
"What I am saying essentially is that Zoro would be stronger than Rayleigh just by being the next PK rhm/first mate.As the new gen surpasses the old. If Zoro had no dream of his own, he'd still end up at the very least slightly stronger than prime Rayleigh"
he wouldnt have the same ambition so not necessarily ,he wouldnt even be a fit for n2 the crew . you forget the precedent made in the story when he was recruited.
the pk crew in their roles so to speak
strive to be the best at what they do .
chopper the best doctor
zoro the best swordsman.