User blog comment:Hawkinz340/ I love One Piece, but.../@comment-10860731-20141007144045/@comment-3507581-20141007173409

Hmmm...

I read your post, and yes, it seems that Odacchi-sensei is taking his time with the climax.

One can argue, based on a mere hunch, that quality-wise, One Piece has decayed a little after the timeskip. HOWEVER, there're no solid arguments to support that. Firstly, remember the entire East Blue saga, in which the arcs were short and most of which ground-breaking plot twists were almost no present? That said, those arcs set the foundation for what One Piece what woulr become, such as the introduction of the Straw Hats, the Shichibukai, and seemingly subtle indications of a bigger plot such as Gaimon's Dialogue and Arlong's comptempt towards humans -which was further explored in the Fishman Island arc-.

Secondly, analyse the evolution of the series. The first six arcs or so were relatively lighter in tone, which were darkening with the Alabasta arc, and further. Also, take in consideration the fact thar most members of the Worst Generation weren't originally planned by Oda, but were conceived as a product of "Executive Meddling". Nobody expected these quirky characters to be so popular, and therefore earning more apperances after outside Sabaody Archipielago Arc. The best example is, judging by the rankings, Law, therefore being a crucial part in the Summit war saga, and the Pirate Aliiance saga, the latter further fleshing out Doflamingo as well, which until the timeskip seemed more than a "minor major character" (correct me if I'm wrong) and giving him his own arc a a main antagonist. Back to my first point, fans haven't expected Whitebeard in action until the Marineford arc, and Oda justified it for Newgate having a "story-breaker power" and giving his major participation a true meaning ti the series, which wast to rescue Ace and solidifying his kind-hearted nature, and for his death to mean an end to a relatively peaceful age and the start of a more chaotic one.

So, don't expect Luffy confronting Kaido and Big Mam in the same year, in the near future, if not given the right circumstances, plot elements and further motivations to do so. All the arcs in the New World should give us the sense of setting the foundtations for further arcs, and fans SHOULD already understand it. One can't expect going straight to the dessert without having the hors d' ouvre and main dish first.