Oda not turn his brain off .
You looking at this from a power scale aspect when it more let me show VP luffy awakening .
So he can explain it to the other SH and explain some DF lore .
Like said before power scaling and fights will always take back seat to plot when Oda wants .
Does character also take a back seat? Because that action makes luffy look incompetent. Went g5, exhausted himself, didn't permanently defeat lucci, didn't protect sentomaru, and allowed seraphim control to switch hands.
Oda doesn't have a gun to his head. He could show lufffys awakening like you said AND have him actually be competent.