@Demonicpoodle:
Okay, let's see here. I suppose we can include the sailing to Whiskey Peak as part of it. So what have we got here: drastically changing seasons, Nami's navigational skills being questioned while she's a very naturally talented and skilled navigator, general chaos resulting from that. Very similar to how they entered the "gates of hell" in the New World.
From your perspective, I guess I can see why it would be a bad thing that they were "welcomed" to an island on the Grand Line, the pirate's graveyard. But what I see this as is a delightful, silly twist on our expectations. Then we have a silly drinking situation that quickly turns into a match with death on the line and shows that you can't let your guard down for a second on the Grand Line, because who knows when you'll be betrayed.
The giant cactus backdrop with the moon is in general very foreign looking. Would this not fit the Grand Line?
http://i.imgur.com/x8xOX8Cl.png
You've got some things spot on, some things not. I have no problem with how the Grand Line was depicted as an environmental danger in the most part. The seas and beasts of the Grand Line during early BW saga were a lot more dangerous than the East Blue, though still hardly major threats. But to clarify, I have no problem with how the bounty hunters welcomed the Strawhats in, to kill and steal from them. It was a neat concept.
@Demonicpoodle:
Cannon bazookas are introduced. That's a crazy and dangerous weapon. "But it didn't hit Zoro! How can you call that dangerous?" It was a close call.
Is the utter ruination you're talking about from the fact that Zoro defeated 100 bounty hunters while only shedding a little blood at the end? That's really just supposed to play to Zoro's strength and not the Grand Line's/Baroque Work's incompetence.
Yeah, the bounty hunters being defeated so easily was a big part. The general idea of Zoro beating 100 bounty hunters doesn't bother me, but for it to be placed as the first impression people get of the enemies of the Grand Line? Zoro's strength doesn't need to be highlighted, what does need to be highlighted is the strength of the Grand Line that we've been teased about for so long. Such bigging up of Zoro's strength would be more appropriate at the end of the East Blue. I could see it being used as a message saying "Zoro can defeat 100 bounty hunters, the Strawhats are strong enough to head to the Grand Line now", or something.
@Demonicpoodle:
There's really a lot of purposeful goofiness in this nascent form of the Grand Line. Mrs. Wednesday gets on a duck that she claims can outrun a leopard, but it constantly runs the wrong way, sits when not commanded, etc.
"Isn't there anyone more competent?" Zoro says. It's almost as if it was intentional that the very first island of the Grand Island isn't extremely deadly, but that those are deeper in.
That island is the first impression we get of the Grand Line. I understand that deeper islands in will be more deadly, hence to build up to Alabasta, but it's a big let down to have not only the first enemies we see of the grand line, but the first enemies we see of the villain the crew will be fighting for the next 10 volumes, to be so easily defeated.
@Demonicpoodle:
Things again quickly turn on us with organizational fallout drama. Mr. 5 and Miss Monday look like they're here to do work. A booger can be deadly in the Grand Line. What a weird and dangerous place! The same person who said Zoro would need a tombstone is now groveling at his knees to him against these new foes.
Side note, Nami used to be entertaining as hell.
http://i.imgur.com/d5KdNqol.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/xD7qLQOl.png
Yup. These fancy new villains show up, and-
@Demonicpoodle:
I think what got you the most is how Mr. 5 and Miss Wednesday were defeated? That's the only thing I can think of. They were abnormal, yes, but our crew is even more abnormal and that was only number 5 of what Igaram said to be the "members of abnormal strength" (members 5 and above). Basically, probably the thought process Oda was using is here is that Luffy and Zoro defeated them like a bunch of dorks because "A MAN'S FIGHT MUSN'T BE INTERRUPTED."
At the end of this very short arc, they get caught up in a plot that proves to be much larger in scale than anything seen previously.
-they get casually one shotted. In a confrontation between Zoro and Luffy that was blatant fan service just so we could see the two butt heads.
A man's fight mustn't be interrupted is all well and good when you're not blasting away enemies from a sea of such fearsomness that someone like Don Krieg who Luffy had a lot of difficulty with ran away from.
Maybe I as expecting too much from the Grand Line. I haven't seen anyone else complain about early Barque Works for these same reasons, so maybe I was the only one expecting so much. But seriously, I can probably name up to 10 examples of the Grand Line being hyped up during the EB saga. More if I flicked through the volumes to find them all.