So one chapter settingup rules, next chapter their contest, then they go home? Right?
If you are Kubo, perhaps. What kind of writer would need to whole chapter to set up the rule.
To the marines there is no difference between the WBs or Teach's crew.
Sengoku respected WB. BB is someone to look down upon.
Teach may be the instigator of the war but its still the marines guilty of taking out Ace, Oars, and fodder.
At least it's because of duty, not personal gain like BB.
Taking out BB is a duty to the Marines, you can just consider they want to take out this new, dangerous criminal who just got WB's power first before dealing with WB pirates.
Even if you don't like it, Shanks could just organize the match after Teach left like in the manga. That did happen. We can just make the change from that.
Why wouldn't the Shichibukai interfere? I don't think Moria or Don Flammingo give a shit about some deal beign made, nor would every single pirate and marine on the field. All it takes is a single incident to ignite a further conflict. Doesn't really have to be a big player who makes a move. History and common sense should tell you that much.
There is only Doflamingo and Moria to worry about. Some strong Redhair pirate could be there to make sure they stay still.
Mano a Mano fights do not happen when one side(the marines) have plenty of fighters who can still go.
The Strawhat still had many fighters who can still go when Luffy challenged Aokiji.
People only watch their friends die when they have no other choice.
If they don't accept the deal then they have to deal with Shanks. That is not a good choice.
This is not watching their friend die. If he win they can gain 2 years of Shanks being inactive.
Nobody but Luffy could handle Enel or Lucci, Zoro never met Croc, and everybody was too beat to handle Arlong. Had they the option they would have grouped up. Luffy telling Franky to not interfere vs. Lucci goes back to his conversation with Blueno.
Those aren't formal duel at all.
Kizaru shot Marco in the back, they tricked Squado to stab WB, they allowed their own marines to die when they sent out th Pacifistas, Akainu kept going for Luffy even after he lost consciouness, they shot cannons at pirates swimming after Akainu melted the ice, Akainu killed a deserter, they were planning to execute Ace early, they had hidden back-up marines. WB attacked Akainu from behind. There is no honor in a war or no rules in a real fight.
A chaos of battle is different from a duel. When the two side agree to organize a duel, they must respect the rule.
Soldiers, pirates, and criminals do not have other priorities.
WB, Kuma are criminals, but have honors to protect.
They were winning with their manpower advantage. You're telling me you believe they'd throw away that advantage and equalize the situation with the WB for a duel. A compromise so that both sides receive no further damage.
Shanks came. Their advantage no longer existed. If Shanks consider their face and offer a deal instead of just plainly fighting them, of course they would gladly accept.
@Ryuksgelus:
Yes out of fear and respect. Oda was trying to get the point across that a fully healthy Yonkou has that much inflence in the world. How is that not a deal? Cut your losses or they'll grow exponentially when I get involved.
I refer you back to this.
http://www.mangareader.net/103-2636-4/one-piece/chapter-529.html
Again, Simple, Effective, and to the Point.
LOL, compare the Marines to those petty nameless pirate wrecking havoc in Fishman Island.
Doing a bidding of other out of fear for your life isn't honorable at all.
Someone threat our life to compel you to do what he said and you call that a deal.
What you're suggesting is illogical and serves absolutely no purpose.
Its purpose:
-Raise the excitement of the ending, reduce the anti-climax of the falling action.
-Maintain the tough image of the Marines and WB pirates and their allies, by not letting them simply do what Shanks said out of fear.
Like I said, what I suggested is just a possibility. Even if you don't like it, there still is various other choices for Oda. It's entirely possible to:
-End the war in a more satisfying way; less underwhelming, anticlimactic.
-Make Shanks look cool without sacrificing the faces the two sides.
-Still maintain the same force of both sides and the island.
There is nothing brilliant with how Oda handled the ending. He just called out a strong third party to solve the problem with words. It's too simple of a method, no much different from pressing the war-ending button.
"Whoo, the situation is now too complicated, there is three sides in the war and they all can still fight. How to end all of it? Ah, I still have a Deus ex Machina that is Shank to solve this problem. I will lay off his battle with Kaidou, ignore that he might be in bad shape after that battle to let him go to the war and just tell everyone to stop and they will stop. Simple"
This discussion has gone too far beyond the topic. All you are doing is try to find what is wrong with my alternative choice. Liking it or not still doesn't change the fact that the ending was anticlimatic and underwhelming, and I am not the only one who thinks so.
Some references I would like to quote, to give a grander view about the ending, as a more general opinion than mine from readers:
http://apforums.net/showpost.php?p=1542888&postcount=90
http://apforums.net/showpost.php?p=1542911&postcount=103
http://apforums.net/showpost.php?p=1543237&postcount=233
http://apforums.net/showpost.php?p=1540719&postcount=316