I don't quite agree that much on story. The only thing that has changed is the size and scope of most of these adventures in more recent arcs, but it still feels more or less the same, especially in terms of comedy and overall fun. I still laugh just as hard as during the early material, and the gag material is still as fresh as ever.
Now the more serious plot material, I can sort of get on board with but I was never one to really think it was perfectly plotted to begin with, but I can agree that the tendency to move from setpiece to setpiece without giving room to breath has been a bit more noticeable lately. In spite of some great moments like the Fisher Tiger flashback, Fishman Island could have used a few dozen extra panels to its benefit during its second half.
Tottoland differs quite a bit from Dressrosa though. Dressrosa had everything and the kitchen sink thrown in and an assload of characters being introduced, each with their own memorable moments (well except the Tontatta who aren't named Leo, Wicca or Mansherry). I still like the arc a lot. Even though it does not succeed in everything it tries, it does somehow manage to bring all of these elements together in a mostly cohesive way. It's main detriment is that the arc is simply too big and overstuffed–the only arc in the series to date I feel has this problem. Tottoland, however, feels almost like a stream-of-conscious adventure where one thing almost randomly leads to another. It definitely seems more loosely put together, but there are still some great moments in it in spite of it. Many of the new characters also seem less fleshed out compared to the bulk of Dressrosa's new faces. It's strange that Germa have gotten the better handling in this regard than the Big Mom Pirates. Of course the arc still isn't finished so there could be more of a special focus on individual Big Mom Pirate members in the future. The arc may still be young.
One thing Tottoland has lacked so far is flashbacks on par with Dressrosa. The Corozon, Child Doflamingo, Senor Pink, and King Riku flashbacks are all very solid and on par with what we have seen before and others like Kyros' and . So far, this arc has only really given us one full flashback--Sanji's--and while tragic and effective in its own right, it doesn't quite reach the levels that the best Dressrosa ones have reached. Though the arc may still be young.
The thing about the Firetank Pirates having a convenient seeming out-of-the-blue plan is notable, though it is too early for final judement. The convenience itself isn't much different than the Rolling Pirates appearing out of the blue to superpower Luffy in Thriller bark or the Tontatta conveniently unveiling a plan to overthrow Doflamingo. However both of their plans were a bit more organic to what we had seen earlier (shadow empowerment and Sugar's addiction to grapes) while the picture seems a bit more deus ex machina. Of course this will be forgiven if Mother Caramel turns out to be very significant and and even a major Big Mom flashback
@Shobu:
Still, Totland best arc reading it weekly since Impel Down to me, this feeling of weirdness is awesome.
Definitely an Oda strong suit. Plenty of strange surprises this arc.