I have a hard time seeing it.
The scene from this chapter seemed like an explicit parallel to Whitebeard vs. Akainu in MF:
It was a short-lived victory. Akainu ended up getting his way in the end. I believe this situation will end similarly.
Kuzan is essentially being re-introduced as a brand-new antagonist here. It would not follow Oda's traditional narrative style for a new antagonist to be defeated in their first showcase. Especially not against a character who most people would agree does not serve a huge purpose in the story.
Even if Kuzan's faking it, Oda still needs to sell the idea that he's dedicated to Teach, at least for now. Maybe later it'll be revealed that Kuzan and Garp were accomplices the whole time.
With that being said, it's Oda. He had a perfect opportunity to give Teach some major hype, and chose to have old Rayleigh shit all over him. So who's to say that he won't let old Garp do the same.
The scene from this chapter seemed like an explicit parallel to Whitebeard vs. Akainu in MF:
It was a short-lived victory. Akainu ended up getting his way in the end. I believe this situation will end similarly.
Kuzan is essentially being re-introduced as a brand-new antagonist here. It would not follow Oda's traditional narrative style for a new antagonist to be defeated in their first showcase. Especially not against a character who most people would agree does not serve a huge purpose in the story.
Even if Kuzan's faking it, Oda still needs to sell the idea that he's dedicated to Teach, at least for now. Maybe later it'll be revealed that Kuzan and Garp were accomplices the whole time.
With that being said, it's Oda. He had a perfect opportunity to give Teach some major hype, and chose to have old Rayleigh shit all over him. So who's to say that he won't let old Garp do the same.