On the battlefield, Whitebeard faced Garp. Fierce upheavals erupted from time to time, shattering the surrounding ice and sending it flying. Accelerated by immense kinetic force, the fragments were several times more terrifying than sniper rounds, leaving a vast empty space around the two men that no one dared approach.
On the other side, Borsalino faced Marco. Two sleazy souls clashed endlessly, trading one shameless line after another. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought they were performing a comic double act.
Dragon and Jozu's violent clash was equally eye-catching. One was diamond capable of withstanding even the slashes of a top-tier Great Swordsman, while the other wielded Dragon Claw Fist, carrying a terrifying will that could shatter tyranny. Their battle displayed the might of Martial Arts to the fullest.
As for the battles between Thatch and Sakazuki, and between Vista and Kuzan, they were even more intense, as though victory and defeat would soon be decided.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates' highest-ranking division commanders were not far apart in strength and all belonged to the first tier, Marco and Jozu were still considerably stronger by comparison.
Yet Marco and Jozu were somewhat weaker than Kuzan and Sakazuki. They were at the level where they would be capable of fighting admirals in the future, but unable to contend with them for long.
In Longinus's view, if strength were quantified and Sakazuki and Kuzan were assigned a combat rating of 10, then Marco and Jozu would be around 9. Vista and Thatch would be somewhat lower, roughly 8.
Incidentally, Longinus rated his own strength at 8.5 to 8.8.
(PS: Since King had not yet ventured into the New World, he still had plenty of room to grow stronger.)
By that calculation, Thatch and Vista were naturally a full tier below Sakazuki