>>280090712
Well, it was sort of the "hook" for part one, to make it seem like no character is safe. But you can't sustain that type of "car crash" writing for very long, until you run out of established characters that people care about.
P2 is more slow-paced and lacks high-profile deaths, apart from one. Fujimoto also didn't really build a new "crew" to replace the old, but rather focused on just a few individuals, one of whom is basically two characters in one body.