Sea and Zephos (Jerk Disease) are providing an invaluable service to all in this thread.
It is why I allow this thread, revealing the truth, however awful and sad it may be, to continue.
In much the same way Shindler's List must be aired on television, unedited and commercial free, the tone and seriousness of the matter deserves that respect.
@chlj:
It's awful that Oda had to go through such means just to show the world his dreams… Jump is so... Bad.
If a manga is good then it deserves to have merit, not because the mangaka is Japanese, but because it is good...
The world blames men for going trough a certain path, without realizing that the world itself crafted such path without giving any choices.
It is a man's suffering, as well as his pleasures, that shape his life. Twins, one born to luxury, the other to poverty, could grow to become a famous concert pianist, while the other becomes a lowlife hoodlum, even though both share the same potential and blood. It is the sad fact of nature versus nurture, and the birth of most great tales.
Lord of the Rings would not have been nearly as good had Tolkien not experienced the horrors of war, or instance. A tragic, but honest truth.
It is also true that, once removed from rougher aspects of life and survival, and brought into comfort, a creator can lose their sense of art, urgency of life, and the stories they need to tell. This is why so many artistic geniuses have a greatl compelling first work, and then slide into decline within just a few short years.