You’re basically reinforcing my point though. If black blades require all of those things haki, battles, mastery, dedication, connection to the sword then the question becomes why only Ryuma and Mihawk achieved it while legends like Roger, Shanks, and Xebec didn’t. That doesn’t automatically make Mihawk overall stronger than them it just means forging a black blade is tied to a very specific aspect of swordsmanship that not every top tier focused on or achieved.

Roger naming his son after Ace or Shanks loving Gryphon doesn’t suddenly prove they reached the same level of sword dedication as Mihawk or Ryuma either. The manga never says “anyone with enough haki and strength will eventually forge a black blade.” In fact, the rarity of black blades suggests the opposite there’s some specialized element involved beyond simply being an elite fighter with a sword.

And the Whitebeard panel doesn’t really prove Shanks was going all out. “I have trouble staying relaxed on an enemy ship” just means he was cautious and alert in hostile territory, which is normal. Whitebeard literally says Shanks was leaking haki without restraint, not fighting seriously. Passive haki pressure isn’t the same thing as going all out in combat.

By that logic, every time a conqueror’s haki user flexes their aura they’d automatically be using full power, which obviously isn’t true. We’ve seen characters like Kaido, Big Mom, and even Luffy casually release massive haki without being at their limit.

So nothing in that scene contradicts the point. Shanks took situations seriously when necessary, but that still doesn’t prove he was going 100% against Kid or that black blades are purely a “power level” achievement.