User blog comment:Joekido/One Piece Polling: Is the series declining? 70% said no/@comment-5398287-20160512054518/@comment-3507581-20160610005648

This. The first and foremost an One Piece fan must expect from a new arc is Story Impact: the sense that anything from previous arcs will be referenced in the current arc, and likewise if said current arc will lay some plot points to do do in the future.