User blog comment:DancePowderer/Favorite Arc Thematically/@comment-4889755-20190403222509

Water 7 and Enies Lobby together really hold that spot for me. A lot of it is about loss, and trust. Luffy just assumes these friends he's made will stay with him and nothing can come between them and him if he's strong enough. But is he? He and the rest of the crew have to push themselves both physically and emotionally to stay together.

It also is a huge turning point for the story, showing the reader/viewer "shits about to get a whole lot more serious". The story itself gets more intense as the characters are forced to become stronger and realize that shit aint gonna be that easy.