User blog comment:The Koromo/Things You Love in One Piece (That Everyone Else Hates)/@comment-3203286-20130822160647/@comment-25485316-20130822233917

It couldn't have been skipped because:

1. Montblanc Noland is important in the current arc. That flashback is also one of the best.

2. Expanded the world. Now you know that there are a whole bunch of islands in the sky, with various tribes and races. Also helped lead into the Enel Cover Story, which is definitely going to be important later.

3. One Piece is about adventure, and that's what Skypiea is.

Fighting a Logia is not a key point, and it wouldn't have mattered.