@King:
The problem still lies in the nature of Hancock's role as a character and their relationship.
Here's where your analysis has a big flaw: Yes, Hancock has been treated as a comedic character. But no, she's not a Buggy or a Bartolomeu. Neither Buggy nor Bartolomeu had terribly tragic backstories nor are haunted by horrible trauma that completely overtakes their characters and makes them live unhappy and in constant fear.
Hancock is layered, and she's been layered from day one. She is three characters in one: she's a fawning lovestruck schoolgirl failing to win Luffy's affections, yes. She's also a haughty and selfish empress who kicks puppies and roasts people, yes. Both are comedic aspects of her. But she's also a traumatized girl who's so scared of feeling vulnerable she had to hide herself under layers of deception, and that's a powerful story setup to happen.
Why wasn't it covered a decade ago? Because it was not the moment. But Oda seeded everything he needed back then. I invite everyone to reread Amazon Lily and Hancock's moments in Impel Down, now with the knowledge that the Warlord system was doomed to be abolished, and Amazon Lily was doomed to be invaded. Read Chapter 521, now with the warnings of Nyon, the wisest of the Kuja, on your mind. Rerad chapter 526 knowing that the description of what happens to every prisoner that enters Impel Down is foreshadowing to how Hancock's secret is being revealed to the world. In the same chapter, Luffy declares in no uncertain way: "Thank you for everything, Hancock! I will never forget this! I will pay this debt some day!"
When Luffy and Hancock parted ways in Sabaody, I was sure that Hancock was not being left behind, her story purpose fulfilled. Instead, I was sure her story arc hadn't even began by then. Hancock is a unique character in the entire series in the sense that she's the only friend of Luffy that did everything for him without Luffy saving/helping her first. And that's because that crisis was meant to happen later.
That's why I never gave up on her for over a dozen years. I knew her turn would come eventually, once the more pressing matters (like Marineford, timeskip, those pesky Yonko…) were settled and the story went back to the Celestial Dragons, slavery and the darkness behind the World Government.
I got assured that this story would come when Fishman Island flashback skipped over Fisher Tiger's most important feat. Because it wasn't the moment to show it in its full emotional glory.
I got even more certain when talks of Reverie started still in the last few chapters of Fishman Island, and even further when Fujitora's plot to dissolve the Warlord system became a running plot thread.
It became even more likely to me when we finally got to the Reverie, which was a call back to the darkness of the world, and it got linked to the Warlord's abolition.
Guess what spurred my full return to the forums (I was kinda absent all that time)? Chapter 956. That thing hit me right in the feels because I was predicting that huge raid on Amazon Lily a decade before.
We are still a long way before that story gets full speed. I'm really anticipating the next intermissions for now, I don't expect huge reveals, but small hints of the inevitability that is Hancock's capture and secret exposed. Even that recent thing about Sun God Nika, savior of slaves, bringer of laugh, is another hint of it happening.
And then she will be explored in full as the multi-layered character that she was always meant to be. She will be broken down to pieces and rebuilt over that story. That will be her character arc, set up over 500 chapters ago.
So yeah, she's a gag character, but she's not just a gag character. And gag characters can have depth, and powerful emotional moments. We saw it with Bentham, who was just a gag character as well.
Hancock will be the next Robin. And when Luffy finds out what happened to her, he will stop at nothing to repay his debt, because she's way more important to him than we were led to consider.
There's also the fact that Luffy is the only SH who even had actual interactions with Hancock, save for a brief Jinbe moment, so then you get the issue of characters fighting for someone they don't particularly know.
It doesn't matter. Once Captain says they are saving Hancock, they are saving Hancock, no matter how, where or why, and even that will be a powerful moment.
Plus, Jinbe has more of a relationship to her than everyone realises. He's one of the few people in the world that knows of how much she cares for Luffy. And he doesn't know she's a slave. Yet. I actually predict that both Jinbe and Robin will have deep importance in the Mary Geoise arc.