When Oda showed him, except for various cameo of Yonkou/big shots at the end of a saga, it was always for big implications.
The first promise of the Manga and the bet on a new Era; the dangerous meeting with WB; the end of the war after a clash with Kaido; the misterious meeting with the Gorosei.
The teasing is 23 years long, actually, but maybe that means we're going to see him involved or in a huge event or directly in a saga.
I don't like the hypothesis of his death by BB, not before him and Luffy met and fulfill his promise, Jesus it would be crap, like Zoro not fighting Mihawk.
He has to shine, in some ways, maybe we'll have a plot twist explaining all this "only because is you" thing (WG dog, many say), probably we'll se him doing what he always does, stopping others from making bloodbaths or targeting "that pirate".
Anyway, he has to shine and have lot of screen time, then draw what you want, Eichiro