@JonesDking:
Looking at the disappiontment at FI arc,I cant help but see that Oda set himself up for this.Heres why
1.High Expectations-ever since Arlong arc Expectations for Fi arc has kept growing.It was Odas fault for constantly hinting at it.This xpectations escalated after Marineford arc-Fans expected Fi to maintain that epicness-which is impossible.Oda had set himself to disappiont fans.
2.Making FI a testing ground- After the Timeskip,The SHs recieved a massive powerup.There was no way that the next arc thereforen would have them struggle gainst their opponents especially considering the loosing streak theyve all been on.So the arc villains of the first Post-ts arc were in for an easy defeat.That arc unfortunatley was NFP.Which will be very disappionting for some who are expeting epic battles.And esy victories mean a lack of suspense or true sense of danger.
3.NW Impateience- Theres also the fact that most fans just wanna get to the NW in other encounter Yonkous,Vas,SNS etc.So they really dont care about the arc.
Only way Fi could have been saved is if it occured before the Timeskip.Maybe make it the island where the SH seperation happens.
There are so many things wrong, that it wouldnt matter, if it had happened before the TS: the shitty villains, the weird pacing (which was way too fast at the beginning and way too slow during the final fights, where the SH essentially just one-shotted their opponents), the racism as central plot element (a lot of fans got bashed before FI, when they suggested that racism may be a theme there, because "oda dont recycle his plot"), the very over-simplified way the whole racism-problem will probably be solved, the way jimbei was involved/not involved in the arc/fights, that we dont have a map to know the scale or where the different locations are situated, the way some of the SHs got handled (with Robin/Nami dont getting their own fights against NFP lieutenants or the "funny stuff" with Sanji), that there were a lot of cardbox characters without any personality and many more.
This are just some flaws, which I remember off the top of my head. But for your points:
1.High Expectations: We had very high expectations before the Whitebeard War and despite some criticism and flaws, many consider it a very epic and satisfying arc. We all hope, that the New World will blow us away. If you write some high-quality story (for a shounen) you should assume that the expectations of your readers will rise too. So that shouldnt be an excuse and if oda was not sure, if he could fulfill this for the FI arc, he could have skipped it.
2.Making FI a testing ground: Sabaody Archipelago was some sort of testing ground too and it could be expanded, if oda had wanted to let all the SH show off their abilities there.
But even then, FI would have been fine. The first part (the journey under water to FI) was a good way, how FI could have been handled. Exploring, sightseeing, having fun with the crew, three different villains (NFP,VDD,Caribou) all three of them rather funny and no serious challenge. Just a arc for fun and adventuring, kind of like the first half of Skypia or Thriller Bark.
3.NW Impateience-: That is the only valid reason. Even if FI would have been epic, it would pale, because everyone would wait for the NW. Maybe oda could have delayed the arc one more time, letting the SHs float past, so we only see FI from the outside. There would still the fights with caribou and VDD under water. And later we will find out, that there are some potent undersea currents in the NW leading back to FI, so that "reaching FI next" would became some sort of running gag. I dont know, how this would have played out.