Well I finally got around to rereading Skypea. Last time I read the arc was back in 2013, and after learning to appreciate the finer details of One Piece I have come to see this arc in a whole different light. Part of it helps that instead of just reading through the entire arc as fast as possible I actually took my time and read one volume an evening.
There is a lot I could talk about but I'll just say some general stuff for now and go into detail at some other point. First is the fact that the art and scenery in this arc is fantastic. From the town of Skypea to El Dorado the various areas that we see are unique and at close look have great detail to them. The contrast of the sky island to the actual land is very nice as well, and works even better with the sky island and parts of El Dorado mixed together. So many great panels and spreads that it's hard to choose a favorite one. Oda also did a real great job of really drawing the despair, not just with the peoples reactions but the scenes with lightning striking all over the island, as well as the giant ball of doom falling to the earth.
If there is one big things that I realized with this read through, it's that before I didn't understand the depth of the characters present, especially Wyper and Enel. Before they were ok characters in my book, but this read through I can see just how well done they were. Wyper isn't just a guy who has a grudge like it first looks like, and even then his actions are understandable. He's been raised in a tribe that has only known war for about 400 years, and as such has been raised to survive such a thing. His distrust of people and rage knowing the history is understandable. That said, we later find out that he has another deeper motive, wanting to fulfill the wish of Kalgara from 400 years ago, and we see that in the end he is an honorable man. This is no more apparent than when he stops arguing with the Straw Hats when he learns of Luffy's true motivations, willing to help out instead of being petty and trying to insist it's his right.
As for Enel, Oda did a real great job of building up his threat level and really made him seem like an actual God. With his Mantra and using his power he could hear everything going on, but even worse he could dish out punishment in an instant. This really gives an idea of a God, nothing like any character we've seen before or even since. Sure, there are others who are probably stronger than him, but his range is the biggest we have every seen. On top at that, Enel is a character who took out almost everyone he fought in one hit, and in the case of Sanji and Ussop only had to poke them to knock them out. Add onto his arrogance, readers just wanted him to get punched in the face. The best part is going we knew Luffy would be the only one to be capable of hitting Enel, and would be mostly unaffected by Enel's power. So when Luffy finally confronts Enel then hits him it's the most cathartic moment.
The climax is probably one of the best done ones in the series, especially with what the Bell represents and what it means when Luffy finally hits it for the first time in 400 years. Not only was it great to see Enel lose, but seeing each faction react to the ringing and knowing what it meant is pretty powerful. Not only that, seeing Cricket looking at the giant shadow Luffy in that pose really hit it home.
Add in the whole adventure aspect and the number of themes present in the arc, I now understand why this arc is well loved by many in this forum, and now I can put it near the top for me.
A few other highlights for me:
The friendship of Noland and Kalgara, and just the flashback in general.
The overall fighting. While it was shown to be chaotic, it flowed really well and the execution was great
Each of the crew members contributing in some way. Even if it wasn't winning a fight themselves they contributed in some way