oda really wasted his time...He could shorten the arc of dressrosa and Punk Hazard...And we could have known sooner and longer about Dragon and Shanks and bb and Admirals and so on.
Tbh, I think what he sees as an author is really overarching goal points. I still think we are getting a ton of characterization for Dragon/BB/Shanks etc, but all consolidated into a massive, sprawling war arc.
I actually also think Shanks will take One Piece before the crew gets to Laugh Tale, and it'll be central to the climax of the story.
The real question is what actually happens next though. I assume Elbaf is next and the last "signficant" arc before the end. But I hope Lodestar/Laugh Tale have some decent panel time to signify the end of the actual journey before things get hectic.
I just hope there is buildup to the climax. Shanks isn't meeting Luffy right now, which is kind of telling that there is at least more to the journey before we reach the climax
Edit: Even Pluton being in Wano is interesting, especially if we leave the country and it's not shown. Like....then it needs to be shown/used later