>>281531743

Little Garden: 8/10
>More of the fun absurdity of the series starts to show with dinosaurs and giants, and it's clear at this point that Oda is just unapologetically having fun, adding whatever he wants to the story, but it works. A whimisical and interesting adventure, that just adds fuel to the fire that is the threat of a Schichibukai looming in the background

Drum Island: 9/10
>While Nami's backstory was sad and amazing, this is where the emotional punches get nigh unbearable. And while Drum isn't the first arc to have social commentary (like Arlong Park with racism), it's almost surprising how direct Oda is being with the theme of access to healthcare here. Overall a very good arc.

Alabasta: 10/10
>The first BIG arc, Alabasta manages to actually fulfill the promises of the earlier setup arcs and is a grand adventure, our first step out of the comfy island-to-island adventrues into a grand story with great stakes. Crocodile not only defeats Luffy, but does so twice, and manages to feel like a threat in a way that no one so far has.

Jaya: 10/10
>An often overlooked little arc, Jaya is a culmination of what we've had so far with a mix of themes, emotion, comedy and adventure, it introduces us to Blackbeard in what I feel is genuinely the best main antagonist introduction ever. This arc got me excited for what is to come, if this was where the story started, it'd be just as amazing a start to an adventure than what we actually got. Reignited my passion and calmed my fears for what can Oda do to keep the momentum going after Alabasta.

Skypiea: 9/10
>Another big arc, a bit too long at times but genuinely THE best adventure arc. Amazing that Oda can make me care enough of Noland and Calgara, to the point that I was excited for their flashback when it began. While many hate Skypiea, I feel like it's just because it's in between Alabasta and Water 7, and people didn't pay too much attention to it before the Nika stuff happened.

To be continued