User blog comment:MrAnimefan/Why Luffy gets tied up?/@comment-3242083-20110317143625

I think it is very awkward as well, but Oda simply has to rely on handicaps like that. Every shonen manga needs to find a way to show the differences in power, and starting with handicaps is a way to allow steady progression. Luffy was able to "beat" Decken even with his hands tied. Hodi jones defeated the rookie crew with his fishmen fangs alone. Zoro, on the other hand, seems to be able to defeat Hodi while underwater. The list goes on.

While I don't like the current method of "people suddenly being tied up", it is still better than the Dragonball powercounter or the complete mess that is Bleach, where the characters gain unknown powers in mere minutes, out of the blue.