To refer to the previous pages Thriller bark arc being boring; It had draggy moments yes but it was also (bar Enies Lobby with Fodder) the only time we've seen a proper Team battle(Upto then, lobby ), which really made the arc, for me anyhow, seem more worthwhile as a whole, a sense of camaraderie if you will, this is supposed to be a gang helping each other after all.
What I wouldn't find too pleasing is arc after arc of arrive at island , all members separated, fight individually, get back together, leave island. It's too structured, too formulaic and yes most manga stories of a similar vain do stick to said structure and people still read them too and great, good for them. I on the other hand, like how Oda has, since Alabasta, started to mess around with that old shonen cliché abit - swapping enemies now and again - not having (I dare say with a pinch of salt) 'Obvious' match-up's constantly - sometimes characters don't get a real 'match-up' at all – it's really a savy way of keeping peoples interest in a long running series like this, and you don't become the massive hit One Piece is today by doing what everyone else does. (and I am in no way saying no other manga writer has ever done this ever!)
The bits of exploration add to the sense of wonderment for us that the characters are experiencing, Remember it's their first time seeing this too, they're explorers and they are not there just looking for a fight, it's sort of world building in a way, a quite excellent way, and the art is top notch grade A stuff as has previously been addressed.
Also remember if someone would have said “bah other than insert major plot point that arc was complete filler grumble, grumble, something about back-story and flashbacks and people dying to start an argument” remember that sometimes… in fact most times it take a few hundred chapters for a seemingly unimportant snippet overlooked by all to become important in this story {nobody even mentioned Lolas mothers Vivre card}
By the way, and this is just a niggle I have and sorry to everyone else, the expression should be “Couldn't care less” - if you “Could care less” it would mean that you actually do care a bit about the thing you are talking about because the amount of caring you have for it could possibly be of a lesser amount, where-as couldn't indecates you are at the very lowest limit of caring and any less is actually impossible.