What I'm saying has nothing to do with the gap between Mihawk and Shanks or someone like Xebec. My point is that Oda never portrayed Mihawk as being above Shanks or larger than life figures like Whitebeard or Xebec during the war.
I see your point crystal clear, but you are willingly ignoring my point because I know you are smart enough to understand, Aokiji wasn't portrayed as "That close" to Aokiji on paper either, he was relegated to cheating to beat a YC2 and got tossed around by Marco while Akainu was portrayed as someone who can solo Whitebeard's entire crew.
But here is a thing tho, he did repeatedly portray Mihawk above Shanks
He spoon fed it to you through words again and again
Here is how Mihawk is introduced
This is how Mihawk's first meeting with Shanks on panel went
This is what Oda told us justification for Mihawk's Yonko Level Bounty
Even this "Sword skill" thing is Translator cope, in raw Japanese, he straight up says "Beyond Shanks"
This is one data book
This is another
When Oda is giving direct statement repeatedly not once
He hasn't even just given Mihawk the title and left it there, again and again he brings Shanks and paints him in inferior light to Mihawk in respective statements.
Mihawk's narrative and character conflict currently is that after Shanks lost an arm no one is strong enough to fight him.
So it is immature and childish approach to Manga to say Mihawk hasn't done what Shanks has done on panel.
Well no fucking shit, we haven't even seen Mihawk use conqueror's Haki or a named attack yet.
And Mihawk doesn't have a whole fleet, well now he does so if Cross Guild pulled up on an on-going war and Mihawk stopped Akianu, War is stopping as well.
3.6 Billion is not that far a threat level than 4 Billion.
