@BatDan:
Okay, I want someone to tell me the good things about the Viz translation.
I've seen a lot of bad things, mostly 4Kids terms and really annoying censorship.
Yet I see all these white-knights going on about Viz being excellent, yet they never say why.
Convince me it's worth the money.
It's worth the money because the actual translations and dialogue are much more natural-sounding and flow better than any scanlation. If you can find it, I posted a line-by-line comparison of Viz vs. Stephen on the Mr. 1 fight in this topic, and aside from Zolo and a few attack names, they were pretty much identical. Heck, here's how they treated one of the more important Water 7 chapters:
! Chapter 363: Aqua Laguna
Ms. Golden Week's Big Plan, a Baroque Reunion, Vol. 5:
''The 'Yellow-Green of Friendship' Colors Trap - Give Us a Ride''
! Man: Oh no! It's that pirate girl… She's running down the stairs! Hey, come back! Stay on high ground!
! Nami: Huff...huff...
! Man: Whoa! She jumped down into the back alleys! Come back here right now! You'll be swallowed by the ocean!
! Chopper: (A sea anemone... A sea anemone growing out of a smokestack... A sea anemone?) ZOLOOO!
! Man: Hey, wait! Not the reindeer too!
! Paulie: Men, don't chase them! It won't do any good for more people to go after them. This is the ocean we're dealing with. You'd just get killed along with them. If anything happens, I'll go...but only me! I don't want any of you interferring!
! Nami: Huff...huff...
! Chimney: Pirate lady, you're so cool!
! Gonbe: meow meow
! Kokoro: What a stupid thing to do. It's too late for them. Look over there... The wave's already so close!
! Man: Oh no! They're gonna die! Nothing can save them now!
! Chopper: Huff...huff... Zolo! Can you hear me?! It's me!
! Zolo: Chopper?!
! Nami: Huff...huff... It's no good. This is as far as I can go. Huff...huff...huff...huff...huff... LUFFYYYY!!!! What do you think you're doing up there?! Huff...huff...
! Man 1: This isn't good! The wave's right on top of 'em!
! Man 2: Hey, pirate girl, give up and run!
! Luffy: Nya-Nyami?! Awe you bwehind me?! Mmrf! Nngh! Hey, listen, you'we not gonna bewieve thish! I got sent fwying by that pigeon guy and I flew wight in between these shings and got good and shtuck!
! Nami: Huff...huff... Would you quit playing around? This is so not the time!! While you were out here messing around, they took Robin away! Robin did it all for us! She's...she's planning to die... Do you understand?! Robin sacrificed herself...to protect us from a government attack!!
! Robin: I have nowhere to go and nowhere to return to.
! Nami: Even though she knew she'd be killed if they took her away!
! Luffy: Then Robin was…lying?!
! Nami: Yes!!
! Luffy: I'm so glad!!!
! Man: Look! Look at that wave! Wha...?! I knew it -- it's several times bigger than normal!
! Luffy: Don't worry! Heez...heez... We're not gonna let Robin die!
! Chopper: I can't get you out! How did you manage to get stuck in there, Zolo?
! Zolo: Ow. Ow. Ow. You're tearing me in half!
! Chopper: What are we gonna do?! The big wave's already super close!
! Zolo: Rrgh! Huff huff How should I know what we're gonna do?! Oh! Chopper, wait a second. Would you possibly happen to have my Kitetsu with you?
! Chopper: Huh? The sword? Yeah, I've got it. How did you know?
! Zolo: Oh, I know. When it's that sword, I know! There's something off about that sword. So you held onto it for me, huh? Thanks. Put it in my hand. Hurry!
! Man: Aigh! It's too late! They'll never make it! Climb to higher ground! Get higher!
! Kokoro: Hurry! Run away! You'll get swallowed up!
! Luffy: Grmff!
! Men: IT'S AQUA LAGUNA!!! AAUGH!
! Nami: What is that?
! Luffy: Urrrrg…
! Nami: Huh?
! Man: What the...?!
! Luffy: GRAAAAAAH!!!
! Man: Hey! He's busting up the city!
! Luffy: Let's go, Nami!
! Nami: Gah!
! Zolo: Gte back, Chopper!
! Chopper: Okay!
! Zolo: One Sword Style...Thirty-Six Caliber Phoenix!!
! Man: Aaaigh!!! Who are these people?!
! Zolo: Wha…what is that?!
! Chopper: Rumble... Jumping Boost!! Grab on!
! Zolo: Whoa!
! Man 1: Waaugh! The wave's destroying the back alleys!
! Man 2: Look! It's them! Amazing! They made it to the Great Bridge! There's no way the water will reach that far. They made it! You guys are awesome!! Way to go, Straw Hat!
! Luffy: Huh?
If you want, I could provide more examples.
And then of course then there's the fact that the art is in high-quality volume format, much better than any scanlation could ever hope to get.