If Dressrosa was the New World's Alabasta counterpart then I hope Wano could be Skypiea's NW version. Isolated island with an overpowered overlord to which the population ows complete obedience. The spirit of exploration seems the same
I kind of feel that a stronger comparison can be made between Wano and Alabasta, myself…
The entire lead-up to battling Kaidou is reminiscent of the build up to Crocodile, with a couple of arcs (Punk Hazard/Dressrosa => Whisky Peak/Little Garden) dedicated to fighting his underlings, then heading to the source to take on the big man directly.
It's just not as obvious, given that the new Mr. 3 was freaking Doflamingo...