I'll withhold my full thoughts on Wano once it ends, which should be soon. But it does disappoint me that even if G-5 shows up in Wano, it won't be in any major capacity. At best, they probably have a moment with the Straw Hats while bringing Vegapunk during the post-battle epilogue.
Oda seems more concerned with ending the Manga and checking boxes, from what I gather. He keeps on mentioning how the story is rapidly approaching its conclusion, and is thinking about ending Wano quickly. I do remember reading he enjoys drawing One Piece in large part for the goofier elements he can incorporate. That's probably expedited now that he's rushing the story more than before, and skipping parts that would be slower, but better develop the characters.
Oda seems more concerned with ending the Manga and checking boxes, from what I gather. He keeps on mentioning how the story is rapidly approaching its conclusion, and is thinking about ending Wano quickly. I do remember reading he enjoys drawing One Piece in large part for the goofier elements he can incorporate. That's probably expedited now that he's rushing the story more than before, and skipping parts that would be slower, but better develop the characters.
One of my favorite Pixar's rule of storytelling which I think Oda neglected is "What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?"
I think this is why Tashigi's character shines so much for me because she puts Mosshead out of his comfort zone and that applies to Nami, and even Sanji. One of the main criticism of Zoro is that he is just a generic and boring badass character. Here is the thing whenever he interacts with the Captain glasses its always entertaining. I mean there is rivalry, sexual tension, misunderstanding, mystery, frustration, respect, and comedy. The part where he carries her while getting lost is like a married couple arguing and getting lost on vacation in only two pages. Same thing when Nami is initially skeptical of trusting the Marines with the kids but Tashigi proves her wrong with a great nod to her past. I can't believe Oda cut that scene in favor of focusing on Kinemon and Momo who never really managed to win the fans despite receiving enormous screentime. I am not saying that Oda never does this because the Sanji and Robin moments in that arc were absolute great. However, its not as epic it could have because they don't interact enough in the TS and would have been amazing if Robin was involved in rescuing our cook on WCI.
Goofiness is an inherent part of the series but I think Oda went overboard with it in the TS. The body switch of PH is the ultimate epitome that ultimately lead nowhere and was played for cheap laughs and fanservice.