The dude literally says he will be an Admiral in the future and yet they still clown on him lol. I'm convinced they just won't like a character if they can't immediately perceive them as a super strong top tier with a really cool fruit and design.
There is a limit to what people will stan for association purposes. Coby is that limit for most Marine/Admiral fans. He is a lame character with a lame design.
I don't care if he is Top 1 EoS, I am not stanning a boring bitch arse sassenach with such a bland design.
If Coby had a design equal to X Drake or Smoker, he would have a solid fan base but he doesn't so he doesn't. Lol.
Character design is king for popularity. To make a comparison between two similar and recent games, character design is a big reason why Concord collapsed while Marvel Rivals soared (that and gameplay).
If most people wanted to stare at aesthetic mediocrity, they would take a walk down a public street or look in the mirror for an hour.