>>281532502

Fishman Island: 10/10
>The MOST underappreciated arc in the story, genuinely has some of the best social commentary of any manga I've ever read, and it has the single best analysis of racism I've seen in fiction, ever. The overtly colourful, fantastical and inviting world of Ryugu Kingdom is the setting for one of the most realistically depressing stories in One piece. It's ironic that a Japanese man is able to grasp the nuances of racism in the western world, especially in US, far more effectively than most actual real-life Americans, black or white. Genuinely a masterclass of dealing with actual, serious matters in a cartoonishly fantastical setting.

Punk Hazard: 8/10
>A setup arc that feels exactly like a setup arc. It's cool to see the other rookies come into play, and this is where we start to see the trend where Luffy starts to surpass old threats like Smoker. It's also the first arc that mirrors an old arc in many ways, something we'll see in EVERY arc going forward.

Dressrosa: 7/10
>A great arc, basically a "what if Crocodile succeeded before the Strawhats came" type of retelling of Alabasta. I don't mind the mirroring, since Oda gives us a different story with the same themes. But while it was clear it's more setup for future stuff, the entire gladiator arena thingy did feel like it was just stretching an already bloated arc further.

Zou: 8/10
>Short and sweet, has mirrors Skypiea in many ways, and acts as another setup arc. At this point it's clear that Oda's arc are growing so large that they NEED separate setup arcs to function. It's fine though, since they're generally worth the wait, but it does slow the story a bit.

Whole Cake Island: 9/10
>Aside from slight stretching (WEDDINGU CAKE) it's one of the best Post-TS arcs in One Piece, and Big Mom actually is a great character and feels exactly the kind of threat you'd expect from a Yonko, while still managing to be a funny character at times.

To be continued