User blog comment:Kaido King of the Beasts/Chapter 806: Jacked Off the Island/@comment-9022101-20151105205827/@comment-2125188-20151108042859

He just went to hospital over 2 years ago to get his tonsils taken out. It was pretty minor but everyone overreacted and made a big deal out of it. There are some fans who are concerned about him smoking, but other than that, Oda's health problems aren't that bad.

I think what they're doing now is enough, taking 1 week off each month. If you give him a month off now, he will need another month off a few months down the line. Oda's health is a long-term thing that should be managed on a consistent basis, not just something you try and fix once and hope that the problems disappear.

If you read his author's comments and his scribble corner, it sounds as though he's got an adequate amount of free time on his hands and doesn't seem like he has any health problems that are that bad. Oda sleeps 3-4 hours everyday, not just days he works, but every single day.

The pacing in my opinion isn't bad at all in my opinion. Yes, it could be faster, but that's just One Piece. One Piece has never been a story that's fast paced, so a month break will do nothing. It's just the breaks that are making it feel longer.