More enemies, more difficulty.
Even with the mod update, it is undeniable that the late game is boring and I want to give several suggestions here, I know that Wynd and the team are dedicated, but the points and suggestions that I will mention are something that many players ask for, so let's go
Many grunts: 70% of the mod's NPCs are generic and boring, and my suggestion to change this is to divide and work with NPCs by dividing them into tiers:
Tier 0: the usual generic NPCs, the famous grunts, within the navy would be recruits.
Tier 1: NPCs that have a defined race and fighting style can use moves of their race, within their factions they are officers (brutes and snipers are in this tier) within the navy they can be from this 3rd class navy to Seamen
Tier 2: high chance of coming with haki. race skills, more advanced fighting style, they move differently. Skins are much more different and detailed. They can range from lieutenant to commodore in the navy. Pacifists, navy captains and pirates are included in this tier.
Tier 3: Fruits, advanced haki and all skills are included in this tier. Notorious pirate captains are in this tier and can reach the levels of a younkou in the navy. They can have the tier of rear admiral, vice admiral, admiral and fleet admiral. This tier must be insane with advanced haki and legendary fruits being used.
Spawn rate: as time goes by, the spawn rate of high tiers increases, making the game more difficult, this would help to improve the game.