User blog comment:Samium/Luffy is so confusing/@comment-24769684-20161127234951

It's been this way throughout the series. He's simple minded and likes to party, but this simple mindedness gives him the leadership instinct to get his crew through tough situations. And both traits showed here, as pretty much no one else would think of entering a Yonko's territory to just ask a question.

Also, Oda's audience remains the same as it was 19 years ago: teenage Japanese boys. Many of them have grown, much of them still liking the series and some I would imagine dropping it. But that's not Oda's concern as his main goal is to write for teenagers and, if he retains those that grow up with the series, then that's great!