If you don't care for the writing, that's your prerogative. I'd personally enjoy it more if the story, in particular its characters, had a level of consistency. If the scene plays out like it says it does, this really damages Luffy's character, whether you like it or not. Luffy is supposed to have learnt certain things along the way, but the past arcs are showing that he really hasn't
Oda can't have it both ways, he tries to pretend Luffy has become more mature and careful at times (like with Sabaody/Marineford), but then undoes it in scenes like this. The Mock Town bar scene is really strange if you compare it with this. Did his character regress?