Genuinely this is where the story is good. The feel of adventure, the heartfelt chapters and character moments, and the humor. All that’s missing is some reveals about the lore and we’ll have a very solid arc in Elbaf. As long as Oda doesn’t try to revert to writing a battleshonen cause that’s where he always fucks up
That's your way of enjoying the story, and that's not absolute, or even the truth. Everyone has their own way of enjoying the story, some because they like certain characters, some because of the world-building, some because of the mysteries, some even because of the agendas. And that's fine.
You know what's not fine? Acting like Logiko and trying to impose that everyone should enjoy the story the way you do, that everyone should share the cry of joy at the drama of some character they clearly don't care much about.