I think he was referring to Roger because Shanks was in his crew and he said that it made him remember who gave him the wound. Not only the strength thing, but his crew also said that to not be taken out by Shanks's aura, all your senses had to be on guard. Now, WB at the time was drunk and angry, so I doubt his senses were at their best, showing he can handle Shanks's massive energy, which is impressive, even more if his senses WERE heightened, while he was drunk and raving.
Didn't Blackbeard steal the fruit kill his friend then ate it before escaping the whitebeards ship? No way to be sure but I would think that the minute he got the fruit he stuffed it into himself asap.
Well yes, but I think the topic was meant to discuss the strongest living character in One Piece. And Roger is dead. (SPOILERZ! OH NOEZ!)
Whitebeard is considered the strongest man in the world, and him and Roger would tie whenever they fought, so I think it's safe to say that Roger is stronger then anyone around now, unless that person is stronger then Whitebeard too, but at the moment, I don't think anyone is, though I do think that Luffy will EVENTUALLY become stronger then Whitebeard, though that's a different discussion. And we don't know how Roger was captured. I doubt it was brute strength. He probably got tricked somehow. We don't know who caught him and how he was caught, so we can't assume that Roger was overpowered, meaning that we can't assume that his captor was stronger then him, and therefore, the strongest person in One Piece.
Roger wasn't killed in battle, he was captured, so that would take some strength, or at least trickery. But you did use Whitebeard as the example... well, no. That person wouldn't be the strongest in the world. But Whitebeard is alive, assuming that Shanks didn't kill him. And I doubt that Oda-sensei would get rid of a character as important as Whitebeard (who is considered the strongest man in the world, and is a Yonkou, and one of the people who was arround in Rogers time, who even FOUGHT Roger MULTIPLE TIMES.) just like that.
, sorry then my mistake 