Creating a new iCloud mail account with an old Apple ID.

Hi all, I abandoned the .mac mail account associated with my Apple ID account years ago, but in this era of renewed focus on privacy, I wanted to move back to an Apple mail solution. Unfortunately, it seems like none of my devices will allow me to create a new mail account with my current Apple ID.

Is there a way to do this that I'm not aware of that doesn't require me to create a whole new Apple ID account? Any insight would be much appreciated. Thank you!