What’s funny is that while this is an L, it’s not why this aggravates me.
1) We didn’t see GB’s full moveset — the dialogue about getting more serious before Shanks shows up implies this. GB didn’t use a bull attack (Fujitora has “raging tiger” , Aokiji has “pheasant beak”, etc), but he definitely has one.
2) GB says not today to Shanks.
1 + 2) imply that GB is still a future antagonist and being saved.
Here’s the problem. As a general rule of writing, you never want to dehype an antagonist before he actually gets focuse.
This is writing 101, and it bothers me a lot that Oda did this.
Now if Zoro or Sanji or whoever fights GB, literally no one will give a shit.