Warning: Contains spoilers of One Piece chapter #1052
For 25 years, One Piece has been the most successful manga in the world, sticking to the same overall narrative structure. By showing the Straw Hat Pirates enjoying their much-deserved rest and respite after Luffy's long and gruesome battle against Kaido, the latest chapter of the manga proved why this formula keeps working and there is no need to change it.
One Piece's story follows a very clear structure. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates, sometimes accompanied by temporary allies, arrive on one of the many islands scattered throughout the world of One Piece. There, they have a mission to complete, which usually includes liberating that country from some form of oppression or tyranny. This leads to a series of battles against powerful foes. After the dust is settled, the crew takes some time to recover, patch their wounds, and have a big feast with the natives to celebrate the victory. This downtime between adventures is also used by the author, Eiichiro Oda, to update readers about what is going on in the larger world, including major developments that usually have a big impact on the story. After that, the Straw Hats set sail again toward their next adventure.
The first part of the manga focused on Luffy recruiting the core of his crew. The structure described above really took form once the Straw Hats arrived in the Grand Line, and remained stable ever since. There have been variations, of course, but all the most important arcs in the series follow the same formula, including the Wano Arc, the longest one in the manga. Chapter #1052 showed the aftermath of the all-out battle against Kaido and his Beasts Pirates, which led Luffy and his allies to defeat two of the Yonko, One Piece's most powerful pirates in the world. The majority of the chapter focused on the little interactions between the Straw Hats that readers came to love so much, as Luffy and Zoro wake up after a week and are welcomed jubilantly by their comrades. Overall, the chapter transmitted a sense of relief, joy, and camaraderie, and it was just as good as the epic battle between Luffy and Kaido that just concluded.
Some critics of One Piece point out that the repetitive structure of the story is a flaw. However, from the point of view of someone who appreciates the series, it is clear why the formula keeps working after 25 years. These are characters that people have been following for decades: readers are emotionally invested in them, and while it is good and exciting to see them struggle, bleed, and overcome difficult battles, it feels even better to see them reap the fruits of their labors and enjoy themselves for a while. Also, these short periods of downtime allow Oda to focus on the personality of his characters and their relationship, something that can get sidelined in the middle of action and battles. This is important especially after new characters are introduced, such as the newest member of the Straw Hats, Yamato.
Finally, while One Piece found success in this formula of one island-one story/adventure, it is also true that there is a huge, overarching story that has been developing for 25 years, and that's where all the biggest mysteries and revelations of the series are. Readers were completely invested in the story of the oppressed land of Wano, but they also crave knowing what is going on in the world, what is Blackbeard up to, if Sabo is still alive, what happened to the Shichibukai, and so on. Overall, fans loved to see the Straw Hats take a bath together as much as they loved seeing Luffy beat Kaido, which proves that One Piece's formula is still working after 25 years.