I mean he shines but by not being the highlight. He uses the chaos around him to do some actions of his own, while not everyone necessarily notices his accomplishments.
For example, Sanji's biggest moment in Skypea was ruining Enel's ship when he arrived late to save Usopp and Nami. Did anyone know about that tactical move???
When Sanji closed the gate of Justice in Enies Lobby, and it saved the SHs from getting killed by all the giant ships surrounding them. Did the marines know that this was Sanji's doing???
Sanji in Alabasta doing Mr. prince, where Sanji first fooled Crocodile into thinking he was Mr.3 at Little garden, and got the eternal pose otherwise they would have stayed on the island for years until the compass adjusted in Nami's arms. THEN, in Alabasta, he used Chopper and made him go around punching people saying "I'm Mr. prince" making crocodile to go after Chopper, while Sanji fooling crocodile, and freeing his crewmates, which was crucial otherwise they died.
In otherwords, Sanji's biggest moments for me is not actually his Diable Jambe or defeating a strong opponent. It's usually those moments where he uses Luffy's presence and the SH's chaotic nature which draws great attention, to simply fade away and do his own thing which helps the SHs greatly later.
It's funny to mention it, but it's like Kuroko in Kuroko no Basuke if you ever watched the series hahaha.
So, in the same manner, I can see Scopper shining by being that kind of guy, appearing as a normal dude for people around, but he does his own thing without necessarily a fodder screaming on the sideline about how powerful he is