@Greg:
I don't mean to sound rude but I don't see your point here. Are you trying to say that Oda should or shouldn't make the story for fans around the world?? Because I mean, if anything, this latest round shows that he works for his home team. And…I don't see anything wrong with that at all. I just don't like the move or circumstance in how he defeated Lucci based on his own previous finales, not comparing it to any other series.
I'm not saying he should/shouldn't write OP for fans around the world, I'm saying he's not. If it turns out that the world likes what he does (which is generally the case), that's well and good; the interests of the Japanese fans and the world fans are aligned. If say the world isn't too receptive of OP like the Japanese, that's not going to stop Oda from doing what he's doing all along; his primary focus is with the Japanese fans, as they are the fans most important (both emotionally and fiscally) to him. If the world likes what he writes, great, it's wonderful to hear they enjoy OP as much as his intended audience.
In 2002, Ken Akamatsu was asked something about Love Hina's popularity (in light of winning some award) and he was dumbfounded that his own personal experiences that he channeled in his manga (through Keitaro) were so relatable across cultural bounds. He hadn't written LH for an American audience, but it just happened to be popular with America; even today, he hasn't conformed his creative style to suit American tastes, he's just done whatever he wanted to do and what he thinks his Japanese fans will like.
Oda's departed from the norm before with Skypiea, which has had much better reception here in the West (and in Europe) than in Japan, where it contributed to a loss of the many fans who hopped onboard Oda's ship in the aftermath of Arabasta. Following Skypiea came Enies Lobby, which though fun/unique in and of itself was preceded by a very troubling W7 and DBF arc but signaled a return to the Arabasta formula of fighting (and popularity). The highest selling OP volume was #43, which in light of its relatively recent printing is quite extraordinary; I do not know if such was the case during Skypiea, the DBF and even early W7.
To connect the above paragraph with the former two, the "basics" as it is work, the Japanese fans like the basics, so…Oda sticks to the basics. There's nothing inherently wrong with that as Oda's use of the basics is extraordinary, but it does leave some readers outside Japan a bit unfufilled when said readers thirst/hunger for something different.