>>281531961

Long Ring Long Land: 8/10
>After the grand adventure that is Skypiea, it manages to be a bit of a breather full of comedy, but it's actually not only surprisingly relevant to the story (the chance to lose crew members) and setup for Water 7, but it also manages to subtly showcase us something that's about to be relevant: Even after two monstrous Logia users, a weakling with weird abilities can give you a run for your money, and be a threat you may just lose to if you don't take them seriously

Water 7: 10/10
>The best arc up until this point, Oda once again switches gears and almost changes the genre by making this a suspenseful mystery with a lot of moving parts. One half of what I consider to be the peak of pre-timeskip One Piece, W7/EL is seen as a defining arc for good reasons.

Enies Lobby: 10/10
>The action-filled payoff and conclusion to the mysteries and questions laid in Water 7, like Loguetown and Alabasta before it, it again expands the scope of the world and the powers that be in a way that makes the crew feel, in a good way, a small fish in a big pond, making big moves and gaining the attention of the bigger fish.

Thriller Bark: 8/10
>The only real downside is the Skypiea Syndrome, it's between amazing arcs and often overlooked by many, but Thriller Bark, like Skypiea, is a great adventure and in many ways a return to form. Brook's backstory remains as the most harrowing of all the Strawhats, and I love his character. Feels a tad separated from the rest of the story, as if there's no "intention" to it, but Kuma and Lola ground it when going forward. In addition to current theories about TB being God Valley

Sabaody: 10/10
>This is what the story really needed, Luffy and the crew started making waves and now is the perfect time for the world around to react to them, and make them and the reader understand what they're up against. The end of the arc is an unpredictable gut-punch, and an effective one.