I'm very worried about that being the case too. Oda taking the most convenient and swift routes to deal with them, not having to worry about having to make them competent fighters, how they will fight, their unique styles and abilities, who they will fight and thus how and why, how they will face the SHs or not etc.
I've suspected Auger will kill Yasopp and Usopp will have to avenge him, finally unleashing his true bravery and the "wrath of a vengeful God", with the vendetta Auger will cause upon himself.
I think we discussed before
@Rottkins the idea of Usopp taking Yasopps gun after he dies and taking down Auger with it in a symbolically poetic revenge and evolution of Usopps character too. That one time the hero truly snaps, the one time the hero is driven beyond their own limits/beliefs ors whatever and does the unthinkable. Kinda like how when Batman snaps in some stories and actually kills the Joker for example. Or even Superman killing Joker in Injustice due to what he did ofc.
This could be why Oda has never let Usopp use a gun too. To make it more impactful when he does ofc, when has nothing left to lose, when he becames an orphan and hes no longer scared of dying but hes going to bring death to the one who took his father away from him instead.
At least I would love that anyway.
I really think Oda is gonna make us cry and grieve for the Red Haired Pirates soon, especially Shanks himself ofc, maybe him only but also for them if Shanks dies and we have to see them also grieving the loss of their beloved long time captain and f riend.
I really do not want this to happen, its been one of my biggest fears/nightmares of One Piece, that Oda has held off Shanks for this long and kept him a mystery because when his time comes to be in the spotlight, hes gonna burn like the biggest candle or firework and be taken from us as swiftly as he appears for us finally.
Its similar to the BS that Mihawk will die before facing Zoro again, I absolutely hate that idea and I will never forgive Oda if he does that too. But i've been very scared of that too since Oda had Zoro go to train with Mihawk for 2 years and thus it kinda spoilt their fated "rematch" and Zoro's "revenge" on him. Its kinda like if Luffy woke up at Marineford and saw Shanks and gave the Strawhat back there and then too or if Shanks was killed at Marineford somehow or at any point before now too.
This feels very apt right now tbh: