Vivi has more character that 95% of the shit we've seen in the Post-TS
Oda was at his peak in Alabasta, IMO. Great setting, interesting characters, awesome quotes, cool fights scenes, creative use of Abilities, the progression felt natural, Chopper, Vivi, and Robin all added something unique to the Arc, the enemies were fun and still well liked years later, the resolution was amazing, the Marines had a ton of cool moments that showed that some Marines cared more about justice than the rules, Crocodile was the first "oh shit, this guy's strong" villain.
Oda is the GOAT when he's focused in on an arc. The further he spreads the arc, the worse his writing gets, IMO. I hope the month break helped him consolidate some things.