@Aohige_AP:
None of the time skips were awkward, or confusing. It never confused me ONCE.
Every time there was a chronology change, it was always either CLEARLY STATED or lead in and out by a border change.
It's not my problem that some people don't know how to read a manga.
Even Oda is human and misses every now and again. He's very, very good at what he does, but every now and again he does have pacing issues, (even he admits Skypiea took longer than he expected it to) or does something so completely out of left field that it hurts the suspension of disbelief. (like say, the hidden floor of Impel Down with the wild and crazy Okama party…) We usually forgive him because it IS his story and he he knows best in the long run, and because of the sheer passion and energy and overall cohesivness and quality, and the fact that when chapters are read in a large chunk, the little things fix themselves often.
And most of all, because over the years, he has implicitly earned our trust. We're willing to wait to see where he's going with something, and say " Well, this is awkward now, but I'm sure it'll rock when its all said and done in 50 chapters."
He's better than pretty much everyone out there currently, and his success is deserved, as his "peers" works become worse and worse. But, because he IS so good, we hold him, perhaps unfairly, to a higher standard.
At this point, the pace of this entire arc feels faster than usual, due to him cramming details into one panel that usually he would spend a page or two on, for example, Robin hearing about, locating and reading a poneglyph. Or not giving us a map of the city to get our bearings. The entire searching for Sanji's blood donors taking place off camera.
It isn't bad, but it is different from Oda's traditional style and pace, where he takes his time and shows everything and what everyone is doing, and that's a little jarring. He's experimenting a little with how he tells the stories, realizing the demands of the cast size means he shouldn't show that much detail, which is dictating how much he crams into a chapter, and the speed he is giving out information.
It IS different, and possibly NOT for the best. But we trust him to make it work all the same.
There was some extra confusion created over the last couple of chapters due to poor translation, and that isn't Oda's fault in any way. But this entire arc is moving at an incredibly fast pace, especially the exposition text block heavy 621, and that IS jarring. We trust in Oda to give us the complete goods before its all over, its just a little wierd to be thrown this far and fast without a guide, when he usually spends a bit more time on setting up the locales and getting us situated before going crazy.
@Aohige_AP:
So go write something that sells millions, instead of jerking off in forums about how uber you are.
That's a completely unfair stance to take, and you know it. Where you are, who you know, personality, and a lucky break make the difference between obscurity and success all the time. I am a professional writer… and most of my work goes into a company that has no circulation and very low print runs, so almost no one sees my work. If I were Japanese, and grew up in Japan, I would have tried for Jump and maybe never gotten past the front door, or maybe I'd be huge right now.
The "if you're so smart, why aren't you rich" card is a terrible one to play, because talent and skill DON'T always equal success. People with fantastic stories or acting talent can try for decades just to get someone to notice them, and the system just works against them. Famous painters and poets remain obscure until after they die.
Some people submit manuscripts to publishers, and it happens to not be that editor's thing, and it gets tossed aside. A few years later someone else takes over the editor's office, reads it, and realizes its a veritable hit waiting to happen.
Luck timing and location are involved in success, not just sheer talent and drive.
And yes, it IS fair to be critical. If you go to a resteraunt, and order a steak, and you're given McDonalds instead, you may not know how to cook a great steak yourself, but you can still know what one is supposed to be like. The audience is allowed to interpret and express an opinion. ESPECIALLY when they go out of their way to meet in a place like this, a board designed to discuss this very series, among others with similar mindsets.
They don't have the right to go up to Oda in person and say "Hey, this sucked." But they CAN communicate among their peers "You know, I think he's done better in the past, comparing current Oda to old Oda."