Joe is stopping nearby – it's only to be expected (7)

I believe the answer is:

logical

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'only to be expected' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'joe is stopping nearby' is the wordplay.
'joe' becomes 'GI' (GI Joe).
'is stopping' means one lot of letters goes inside another (stopping can mean blocking a gap).
'nearby' becomes 'local' (I've seen this before).
'gi' put within 'local' is 'LOGICAL'.

'it's' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for logical that I've seen before include "Well-reasoned" , "Deductive" , "According with reason" , "Well thought out" , "In accordance with reason" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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