Another thing Oda does to help manage the tone of this scene is have Zoro immediately show up to put Charlos in his place. He doesn't actually hurt him, but showing him up in the best way possible (Zoro asking if he's lost is beyond reproach) and almost cuting the guy in half shows that they're not as invincible as they've been presented thus far. They're scary in the way Spandam is scary, and just like Spandam couldn't go two chapters without scalding himself with his own coffee, Oda goes out of his way to show how pathetically weak these guys really are











