What I like about pipes it that it allows two ways to write chains of function calls. For calls that are more branch-like, the nested structure of standard function calls makes the most sense to me:

    article = create(author("John"), Page.article())

For cases where you're modifying data sequentially, the pipe structure makes it really easy to read:

    5th_prime = 0.. | filter(is_prime) | nth(5)

Having a way to write function calls forwards and backwards lets you choose whatever syntax feels most appropriate for the job.