I've been thinking about this lately...
...I am probably not a fan of arcs Post-Timeskip.
I didn't hate them and I did like a good chunk of them...it's just...there's a missing spark, I feel.
And I think its because it's become less about the adventure (with conflict sprinkled in it, mind you) and more about the state of the world.
And let me say this. Bleach dropped the ball, HARD, early. After Soul Society. Y'all have seen my complaints. One Piece...I hesitantly say it dropped the ball post-timeskip. I hesitate because...it wasn't a hard dropped...not really a drop, honestly. I guess, in a way, the direction it's going isn't necessarily bad. This is just an opinion of mine.
I feel that, when it comes to plot elements like Vegapunk, the Five Elders, Imu and the corruption...why not give these plots to the good marines who wanted to make the world a better place? Like Koby. Smoker. Tashigi. The members of Sword!
And, I get it! At this point, the Straw Hats had made enemies of the World Government many times and the people on high wanted to make examples out of them! It's the reason for the two-year timeskip because the Straw Hats just weren't strong enough for the New World yet!
And, with stronger characters, comes the higher stakes...did it have to put the Straw Hats at the epicenter of every world shaking event???
I feel it didn't.
Going into the New World could've felt like a redone of when they first entered the Grand Line. The New World is just tougher than Paradise! And it kinda did, actually! Like when they were entering the New World, they were even accompanied by a pod of Island Whales.
The Straw Hats shouldn't need an outside reason to go from Point A to Point B.
Like, back in the Jaya/Skypeia arc! They didn't go there because someone asked them to get rid of some douche with a god complex! They went up there...because the Log Pose was pointing up!
...
Now that I am thinking about it...did the crew ever use the New World Log Pose to go...anywhere????? Maybe a few times (something with the Totto islands, I think?), but 90% of the time, they've been railroaded by other forces.
Most conflict the StrawHats find themselves in during pre-timeskip was by happenstance.
I think in Post-Timeskip, they just heard a distress call from Punk Hazard and it snowballed and caught fire from there
I'm not meaning it got worst from there (or maybe it did, depending on your own opinions), I just took an opportunity for a joke XD
Back to the whole marines thing...Koby. Koby is...basically the Luffy of the Marines. Not in personality, but ambition. He wants to make the world a better place for everyone and the marines are needed for that. Not pirates. And the corruption of the marines, the World Government, is not making it possible for most of the world's population.
Why not give this plot to Koby Post-Timeskip? Have him gain a team (which could be Swords) to help combat against the corruption within against people like Sakazuki, the Five Elders, Imu!!!
I know One Piece isn't Koby's story. It's Luffy's. But, it can be a thing that Koby's plot is the B (or C) Plot while Luffy's is, obviously, the A-Plot.
Let Luffy have his adventure with the occasional dick bag he fights. Let Koby fight his way to free the symbol of justice of the corruption festering within!
Am I mad at Oda...not really. No. This series is as long as the animals on Long Ring Long Land. The man initially planned for five years. Also, I think the Final Saga (or Post-Timeskip) is being written with one whole plot story in mind. We are in endgame now and its been 30 freakin' years since the start.
This does feel like a logical direction to take, in all honesty.
Am I happy with the direction? ...Given with what I just said, not really...buuuut, like I said, this was a logical route for Oda to take...
Also, in comparison to my rage against what became of Bleach, Ha! My One Piece complaints are fucking tiny! XD
Plus...Nothing is really pissing me off and I'm still able to roll with it! So, that's a huge win for One Piece.
At least...in my opinion.
