I really think we are at a crucial point in the manga where the main characters are becoming the strongest in their universe in order to conclude their quest. Who can stop zoro now that he can beat a yonko commander without much difficulty, while coming out of a fight against two yonkos. Who can stop luffy, now that he can stand up to the most powerful being without even his gear 2. You naively think that the admirals won't suffer the same fate but it's not the case
I really think the characters won't lose any more fights or suffer big defeats. Realize that we are 1000 chapters in, I think oda is tired of these developments, and those who love to see the heroes in trouble like in one piece pre timeskip should read recent jump shonens like ayashimon or sakamoto days. I really think that after 100 volumes oda wants to finish this manga, and luffy's absurd rise in power only confirms it. And despite everything oda does we won't feel any tension in the final war either because we know that zoro will beat mihawk, we know that luffy will beat akainu, we know that sanji will find all blue.One piece is a happy and festive manga compared to jujutsu kaisen or chainsaw man. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's its identity and why many people like this manga