Straw Hats-Less Arc.

Darth

So, in some recent discussion the idea came up of a arc without Straw Hats. I'm actually curious if people would be interested in the idea, and why. Or why not.

So, Arlong Park, a question to you: Would you guys enjoy arc without Straw Hats, and instead focused on one of the other groups, and side characters, be it Marines, like Coby, Smoker, and Admirals, Supernovas, like Eustass Kid, or our brand new Yonkou, Marshall D. Teach "Blackbeard"? Please, include your reasoning in the posts below; I'm interested in why people think this option is vailable. Or not.

Light Bro

Sorry but not really. I can always go a few chapters zig zagging the events of the world but an entire arc?

Darth

@Light:

Sorry but not really. I can always go a few chapters zig zagging the events of the world but an entire arc?

See, but what I'm really interested in is: why? I'm not stomping on your right to have a opinion, I just seek to understand why do you have it.

MasterKingJC

Depends on how long the arc is.
If it's 10 chapters or more, no thanks. The Straw Hats (and mostly Luffy) are the central focus of the story. When you lose that, it's not as engaging.

Warp Predator

Yes, and immensely. SH will be there till the very end, and they will obviously take the crown for being main characters.
An arc without them could be really interesting because of fresh and exciting side characters who are not limited by SH morals, patterns and plot armor.
There are 48 years of arcs centered around SH already. One without them (and without Luffy, co MF doesn't count) won't hurt (and the longer it is, the better).

choperman

actually that would be kind of cool, I'd really love to see a meeting with the big's of the new world, with some long standing repercussions…. still I'm not sure how long something has to be to be an arc, a few chapters of the bigs of the world talking might be cool, but I can't imagine an arc

I'd need to know some facts first:

who would be the central characters be, what would be the motivation from a storyline standpoint be, what are they trying to get across, how long does it last etc etc

it's been said a million times before, anything can be done well, even crazy unorthodox ideas that sound stupid at first (like superior spiderman), as long as the writing team is capable, in this case the writing team is oda who I have faith in....

but it's kind of the exact opposite of what one piece is, a huge thing you notice if you reread one piece is how much the character's really run into the plot, and start to change the entire world (little by little), but without even trying to, it's a little crew (the straw hats) who go to island to island looking for fun and adventure and some how get sucked into the events that are transpiring on the island. the only reason they went out of there way to stop crocodile and risk their life doing so was because through a series of unpredictable events (to them) they became good friends with vivi, vivi good, crocodile mean to vivi, crocodile bad, must be stoped

bad guys cp9 frame us for murder.... okay we could go to next island... but they took our nakama

they don't mean to unbalance the system of the shichibukai by beating them, or to severly hurt the name of the world government by destroying eneis lobby, even the events that are unfolding now they either fell into them, or went along with laws plan, just cause Luffy likes the idea of an alliance

there's a reason the most time we get away from the straw hats are a few chapters after some big event they just took place in to show us the consequences to their actions, so although Oda could do it, I find it highly unlikely

EDIT: my writing might not be to great right now,I apoligize if that's the case, kind of tired

Vectorkov

I would like a brief but impacting arc about the marines and/or revolutionaries for a change of pace and scenery.

Living without Robin would be tough though. I only ever had to marathon Amazon Lily, Impel Down and Marineford so I never had to endure those arcs on a weekly basis.

Kfunk

Yes, i would
Straw hats are boring and an arc without them focused about the kid's alliance (for instance) would greatly please me.

Light Bro

@Darth:

See, but what I'm really interested in is: why? I'm not stomping on your right to have a opinion, I just seek to understand why do you have it.

I just don't think it would work. We can learn enough of the antagonists and allies in their respective arcs. Giving them their own arcs and seeing them "off-the-clock" too much would make them too likable and relateable. Oda simply doesn't work that way. He gives them focus when it's needed for the plot.

But like I said I do love those moments when Oda shows what's going on around the world and what the different parties are doing. It's just that giving it more than a few chapters would probably make things boring pretty soon.

Cyber-Robin

If it's the cover stories then yes. If not then no. We already had Impel Down and Marineford, and it's not like half the crew are getting major action these days anyways. However I would not be averse to an arc that removes Luffy, Zoro and Sanji from the front lines and has the rest of the crew get to do a bit more.

dwo

We already have the cover stories…

baby-boo

The idea is interesting, sure, and I do always love it when Oda shows us what's happening around the world. But at the same time, Oda showing us what's happening around the world is so interesting because he doesn't show us much. Makes it extra special.

The other sorta fact is that Oda has too many characters to juggle. Giving us an arc of Kidd, what, messing with Big Mom or Kaidou, would be wasteful. Could be done in one chapter. I'd rather have the Straw Hats arrive at the scene of the crime, being all like "Hey, there's Kidd!"

It's been Luffy's story from the start. It's been established as that type of story, just as Harry Potter is Harry story. We're too far into One Piece for me to think expect anything else.

Blowfish

Impel Down and Marineford are the closest you'll get to that.

Or just start over from romance dawn if you have the nads.

Skadi

Same as Warp Predator.

springsring

If Kid's alliance is targeting the Tea Party I'd like to have at least five chapters dedicated to solely them wrecking house.
Oh and if there's ever a Marine coup I'd happily follow that for ten or so chapter's but not too long.

Gizmo

I probably could, but I would miss the Strawhats. And that's more or less the actual point of this thread, right? Are you getting tired of following the Strawhats?

And to that my answer is no. The story could always use more screen time with the crew. A lot of the enjoyment in the series for me is going along the adventure with the Straw Hats and watching them interact and react to the people and events around them. It's also fun to watch a Strawhat have a big moment or watching their characters take a step in growth and progression throughout their journey when those moments arrive. Actually, just watching the crew hang out with each other can be pretty entertaining by itself. They're a fun group of people, and it's entertaining to me watching them on their journey.

Now, if the question was geared more towards seeing other characters, I wanna point out that we do, and quite often. Each arc introduces a new town with characters that we get to learn about and follow. Right now we're learning about Law's past with the Doflamingo family. We learned about the turmoil the Royal Family of Dressrosa went through the past 10 years since Doflamingo took over. Two major allies, Cavendish and Bartolomeo, have been given solid introductions and have been more or less part of most of the major events in the story. We even saw Bellamy again, witnessed his confliction with hurting Luffy after the two reached an understanding, and saw how Doflamingo betrayed him. And that's just Dressrosa.

As to seeing events or stories the Strawhats aren't involved in, the topic' already covered cover stories and the Marineford arc, so there's that. I won't deny the idea isn't intriguing to me. I can understand the various reasons why people would want to see different characters in the story, and that could be exciting, but I would be just as satisfied with chapters solely dedicated to the crew just sailing on the Sunny going about their normal day too.

Kishido

No… At least not without Sanji... I suffered enough :cwy:

Gore

@dwo:

We already have the cover stories…

But it is so limited.

I would like especially tto see the kidd alliance fighting against X emperor. Or another focus.

King Cannon

When future Straw Hat Jinbe has to be relegated to cover stories, you know the chances of a Straw Hat-less arc are almost nil.

And really, it makes sense. You won't see major players like the Emperors being taken down while the major focus of the story are nowhere involved.

Also, you can't just throw in an arc focusing in other characters and expect us to be invested enough in order to care. If it's to develop the characters, then you can do that when the Straw Hats are interacting with said character. Kid is practically unknown to us, so it's unlikely he gets his own arc unless he interacts with the Straw Hats first, but then that would be probably too late.

And really, the Straw Hats work because of their dynamics, as they're all quirky and different to some degree, and we love them because of that. Put somebody like Kid and Smoker in their place and suddenly you lose most of the humor potential, which is something Oda really values in his work, but people tend to undermine.

ciigan

No,
i barely survived Amazon Lilly, Impel Down and Marinford (Luffy is not enough)
SH are the main characters and they should always be main focus of attention.

Kasouya

Hmm i must say yes

the reason :
because I want to see a mini arc about enel and the space pirate, before enel come back to blue sea :ninja:.

and, I also want to see a mini arc / arc (not some 2 chapter flashback) about the void century, Just before SH reach raftle (or when the time is right, story wise:happy:).

for everyone/thing else, for now I'm satisfied with the cover page story.

Zar

It depends entirely on what characters its about and the length of the arc. If its relatively short, ~10 chapters and focus on a character/crew I like, then it would be worth it. If not, I'd rather stick with the strawhats.

Sander

I can imagine a lenghty flashback arc with Roger's crew or D or someone. Basically like the recently finished arc in Magi.

But an arc focusing on other people set in the present time? Nope, will not happen.

NER

Oda is just so good he can go all the way with no such thing as a Straw hats-less arc without us 1: us getting any bored of that 2: flashing out all the side characters and rivals you mentioned without breaking a sweat. but if he decide to pull it out then he will do it flawlessly and it will be interesting to see.

OneKey

I guess it depends on the length and character(s) but in essence, it's a no. The strawhats and especially Luffy himself is the heart of the series. I'm fine with seeing tons of other characters in the usual arcs and cover stories.

FelRes

Sure, as long as it's short and makes progress with the plot.

JaxSazz

@Darth:

So, in some recent discussion the idea came up of a arc without Straw Hats. I'm actually curious if people would be interested in the idea, and why. Or why not.

So, Arlong Park, a question to you: Would you guys enjoy arc without Straw Hats, and instead focused on one of the other groups, and side characters, be it Marines, like Coby, Smoker, and Admirals, Supernovas, like Eustass Kid, or our brand new Yonkou, Marshall D. Teach "Blackbeard"? Please, include your reasoning in the posts below; I'm interested in why people think this option is vailable. Or not.

I'm sure I'd appreciate it, but would it be a good thing ?
Eustass Kid would be very interesting but he and his crew lack character development so far. We don't know much about their past and besides 2 or 3 people in his crew, we care about no one.
It'd take Oda a lot of time to make it decent but it would probably just slow down the story for a fun, interesting arc that brings little to the actual story. I'd rather he invested that time in character development for the Strawhats.
It's better if he summarizes what happens to them. But still, I'd love a mini arc that would tell us about most big players in the New World. Like a chapter or two for each Supernova and Emperor. Maybe one or two about the Marines and the Revolutionary as well, but I'd prefer a full Revolutionary arc at some point in the story.
I just wish there were 4 or more Odas sharing a hive mind and two of them would work on the main story while the others would work on side stories. It'd be fucking fantastic. Same thing about Berserk.

EDIT : Why can't I vote ?

FrozenGlasses

I see it as interesting and with the way Oda always give nearly everyone a funny quirk, and much of them is designed uniquely, but also has coherent, real crew , i think it will be a good read. Seriously.

But really, the main protagonist in OP is the SH, so while this SH-less arc will cover important event(s) and the spotlight won't shine to the SH, i still see there is at least one member of the SH tagging along the way.

Kinda like marineford arc but instead of luffy and the major league players, lets throw..um, idk, Usopp, giants from Elbaf, and the marine force maybe?
Or scratch that, maybe sanji and HawKiddApoo against big mom and co?
Or Robin and the Revolutionist vs one big nation thats one of the axis of evil?

Why the SH need to tag along? They will be the one and only pirate king, so it make sense IMHO that they kinda almost in every major thing happened. And also to give them enough allies in the final war thats bound to happen.

I find it unrealistic that the SH will solve and defeat every world problem and big name themself, the other supernova will be crying of boredom. But if they just participate in nearly all the major event, IMO its plausible.

The story is leading to that road now IMO, slowly but sure. Luffy in marineford, now pirate alliance with Law, and i dont know whats next to come.

In short, no, i dont see a story arc without SH. A few chapters maybe, but not a single, full bloomed arc.

Katzztar

After thinking, I had to vote no.
Usopp is my fave character, despite his faults (or maybe its because of them and he often rises above them?)
I remember I had trouble keeping interest in reading OP during Marineford, then even harder time in the ASL flashback.
They were interesting (esp the war) but I kept thinking "c'mon, I want to see Usopp already."

Childish to think that over the absence of just one character even when I liked some of the new characters in the war?
Yeah, I admit it and don't care.
So while there are many characters that are not Strawhats that I do like, and yeah I would like some side-stories of them, but I do not want an entire arc without the SHs.

MadieV

It really depends on the length of the arc and the characters involved. A short arc about important stuff that is needed for story progression is ok but i'm here mostly for the Strawhats and their interactions so i want to see their whole adventure without missing a piece.

FrozenGlasses

@JaxSazz:

I'm sure I'd appreciate it, but would it be a good thing ?
Eustass Kid would be very interesting but he and his crew lack character development so far. We don't know much about their past and besides 2 or 3 people in his crew, we care about no one.
It'd take Oda a lot of time to make it decent but it would probably just slow down the story for a fun, interesting arc that brings little to the actual story. I'd rather he invested that time in character development for the Strawhats.
It's better if he summarizes what happens to them. But still, I'd love a mini arc that would tell us about most big players in the New World. Like a chapter or two for each Supernova and Emperor. Maybe one or two about the Marines and the Revolutionary as well, but I'd prefer a full Revolutionary arc at some point in the story.
I just wish there were 4 or more Odas sharing a hive mind and two of them would work on the main story while the others would work on side stories. It'd be fucking fantastic. Same thing about Berserk.

EDIT : Why can't I vote ?

Eh idk but i see it like this : throw a SH crew to any major pirate crew with common (but not always sane) interest to unite them, and we will get the SH crew's character development along with that other pirate crew feels and quirks and whatever. That will lead us to care about them since we see it from the inside out.

Although yeah, the downside is time. If Oda really take that road, i just hope both Oda and me still alive to see Raftel.

desa

Sure. I would love to see that. Watching the supernovas justify their hype without Luffy around. Or the marines actually doing stuff and proving they are a major force. For the revolutionaries I suppose I could take a couple of chapters to see their worth , how they operate…

Vectorkov

@JaxSazz:

EDIT : Why can't I vote ?

http://forums.arlongpark.net/faq.php

For some reason I cannot create threads or vote on polls. Is there something wrong with my account?
- Due to a large volume of dupe accounts to sway polls, voting has been restricted from new members and guests. This applies to creating threads as well. These privileges are given to members on a case by case basis, revolving largely around activity and account age.

Jabberwok

Interesting concept, but neither feasible nor likely in my opinion. It would need to be fairly short, like Amazon Lily length or less, and focus on characters that we're already quite familiar with. It would also need to be plot driven and have the Strawhats mentioned by name to make clear yheir relevance. Here's why:

Length: the Strawhats are the heart of the story and featuring none of them for an extended period of time is a distraction. Flashbacks sometimes don't include any Strawhat, but they work because they are usually 4 chapters at most and flesh put a character or location that we care about. Anything too long creates the narration of another story rather than a look at a current event.

Familiar with the characters: If we want a short arc with interesting developments, the best way to pique our interest is to make a conflict between characters that have already been established. Let's imagine a conflict between a known character and a brand new one. If the character has just been introduced, their plot-relevance has also just been introduced and thus their importance will feel minimal. If they really are important, why haven't we heard of them before? Likewise, if they exist merely as a function for character development for the known character, what keeps that development from having occurred in proximity to the Strawhats? Finally, having a known fight and unknown clearly tells us who will win and drains drama and tension. On the other hand, a conflict between two established characters could definitely go either way. Look at Blackbeard vs. Ace. We'd been introduced to both of them, sure, we were rooting for Ace, but it clearly could have gone either way. And most importantly…

Plot driven: A side arc featuring no Strawhats must move the plot forward in a way that feels pertinent to the Strawhats. Ace vs. Blackbeard did that because we had a clear protagonist and antagonist who both clearly stated their motives towards Luffy (it also benefitted from a cool fight between powerful characters). By introducing the other Supernovas, Oda made it clear that many other pirates are having adventures at the same time. We don't hear about them because this is a story centered around the Strawhat crew, their interactions with others, and the upheaval they cause in the world. Any plot not featuring them must clearly affect them in some way, particularly if this goes on for more than one chapter.

With all that said, there are only a few characters I can see this sort of thing happening to, and they're all moral Marines (or ex-marines). I don't think Kidd could get a full arc against Big Mom or any other Yonkou because we don't know that much about Big Mom or Kaido and the other two are plot-protected. It's very possible we'll continue to get snippets of his alliance between arcs, though. No, the ones I see most likely to have their own little arc are Smoker, Garp, or Kuzan. We could see any of those three conflicting with other Marines, Supernovas, or Revolutionaries. In the case of Kuzan, we could see his interactions with Blackbeard as well. In each case we would see how their thoughts and actions are influenced by Luffy and the other Strawhats, and how that influence causes them to interact with the world differently.

Oh, and I guess Sabo doing something would be a possibility too.

Siranime

No, I definetly would not enjoy a Straw-hat less arc.I generally do not like arcs in media in general that don't include main characters in them.

GetsugaZoro

No, we got a lot of time with just Luffy so I dont want to not see the SHs for a long time anymore.

Rolands

Oda has created such a vast and beautiful world. Of course I would love for it to be explored beyond the viewpoint of a single crew. Besides, focusing on some new characters might be more interesting; I don't care as much about the Strawhats lately, perhaps because I'm already so accustomed to their personalities.

Darth

Interested in the poll thus far; I did not expected "yes" option to be ahead.

So, my piece of thought into the discussion: I would like Blackbeard centered arc and I would like Marine centric arc. Why, do you ask?

World-building.

And that is to say: Current Timeline world building.

Straw Hats are the void. They make other characters powerless by sole fact of being in the arc. Which is precisely why I think that arc without them can work, and would be an interesting idea.

Also… dedicating 80 or so chapters to two other groups of gigantic importance cannot be a bad idea from the myth arc point of view. And it's a mere fraction of a series span, to be honest.

Maju

as long as what is on page is interesting and/or fun,I'm ok with it..but looking at how many people were complaining during the B group at the colosseum that we were "just witnessing fodder fighting",I don't think it would work for the majority

I would like to see a "reverie arc" where we see some actual politics at work

Darth

@Maju:

as long as what is on page is interesting and/or fun,I'm ok with it..but looking at how many people were complaining during the B group at the colosseum that we were "just witnessing fodder fighting",I don't think it would work for the majority

Are we talking about filler arc about "Fodder" though?

I can easily see how people would think that, and with how easily executives were dealing with them thus far, they are not doing anything to fix that perception of them.

But Blackbeard and his crew, for example? Akainu, and his New Marines? Those are anything but "Fodder". Both groups have immense importance and immense power… as well as the problem of always playing second fiddle to someone.

Raph589

YES! Oh, yes, it could be one of the greatest things to happen to One Piece. Here's why:

1. Better world-building. Of course, Oda's world-building has always been excellent, but it seems like the world revolves around the SH too much. Almost every major event in One Piece's world was withnessed by Luffy, with or without his crew. Looking back on it, One Piece's plot seems like it follows Luffy's journey way too much. When has Luffy gone back on the grand line (except when kuma sent him to Amazon Lily, but that wasn't intended)? Then why is pretty much everyone else going back to paradise (I.E. Crocodile, Ace, Blackbeard) or even east blue (Arlong, Shanks, Garp, Mihawk) just to meet up with Luffy? It just sometimes feels like a video game in which Luffy is the main character instead of a series. Seeing a different character (I.E. Blackbeard) and what his crew does while Luffy is saving island after island might be cool.

2. A break from the straw-hats. I am starting to grow tired of them. Sure, they still have awesome moments but since the timeskip they sometimes feel like crappy archetypes that keep saying and doing the same things over and over again (Brook's jokes, Sanji's nosebleed, Chopper's helplessness, Franky's… weird things) and the only character that has had any kind of character development is Usopp (love you god usopp)

3. A deeper look into some character. Whoever this arc follows, we'll learn more about them and their motivations. I'm a big Game of Thrones fan and I like following many characters.

Sorry if this felt like ranting but I needed to get some things off my chest. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy following the Strawhats but this would be a welcome wind of change.

Aaronrules380

I don't like that this is a binary yes no poll. I wouldn't mind a 5-10 chapter break from the strawhats to cover an event like Reverie which has major implications for the world, doesn't have a reason for the strawhats to be there, and we already have a character who could work as the protagonist of that arc (In the case of Reverie this would be Vivi). But I sure as hell don't want a dressrosa length arc devoid of the main characters. Especially not one focusing on blackbeard or the marines, who are both sides we aren't really meant to like or root for. I don't want to follow a story focusing solely on the exploits of a group of people who I'm meant to despise

Robby

@Darth:

Also… dedicating 80 or so chapters to two other groups of gigantic importance cannot be a bad idea from the myth arc point of view. And it's a mere fraction of a series span, to be honest.

See, a short arc could happen. 5-10 chapters. The Jaya flashback for instance (though that was pertinent to the main plot). I fully expect a similar length Roger flashback shortly before we see One Piece to add emotional value and meaning to the treasure, and possibly the Reverie depending on where exactly it falls into the overall timeline.

But there is no way Oda is ever going to abandon the main cast for two years to focus on the marines or the Kidd pirates. That would be completely asinine.

King Cannon

@Darth:

Interested in the poll thus far; I did not expected "yes" option to be ahead.

So, my piece of thought into the discussion: I would like Blackbeard centered arc and I would like Marine centric arc. Why, do you ask?

World-building.

And that is to say: Current Timeline world building.

Straw Hats are the void. They make other characters powerless by sole fact of being in the arc. Which is precisely why I think that arc without them can work, and would be an interesting idea.

Also… dedicating 80 or so chapters to two other groups of gigantic importance cannot be a bad idea from the myth arc point of view. And it's a mere fraction of a series span, to be honest.

@Darth:

Are we talking about filler arc about "Fodder" though?

I can easily see how people would think that, and with how easily executives were dealing with them thus far, they are not doing anything to fix that perception of them.

But Blackbeard and his crew, for example? Akainu, and his New Marines? Those are anything but "Fodder". Both groups have immense importance and immense power… as well as the problem of always playing second fiddle to someone.

It's not a matter of importance or power, but investment.

You really think people would be interested in a long arc about the unlikeable Blackbeard? Or Mr. Unsympathetic Akainu? Hell, even Coby or Smoker probably couldn't hold our interest for that long, working for an organization that is frequently portrayed as negative and not being very fun characters.

Frankly, it's baffling that you don't see this. It's Luffy's story ever since chapter 1.

It could happen? Maybe it could, but it would still have something to do with Luffy or any of the Straw Hats anyway. Even Ace vs. Teach directly concerned Luffy.

Ouroboros

There are some merits to seeing other parts of the world in little snippets like Robby said. But what Darth wants is for the Marines and Akainu in particular to just completely take over the manga and become main characters. Which I find to be really stupid, because I'm not looking forward to watching Akainu sit at a desk everyday now that he's Fleet Admiral. Besides, one of the magical things about One Piece is going through all sorts of strange settings with the Straw Hats as our eyes into the world. It's much more enjoyable to me than watching Akainu fisting pirates constantly (which would get old really fast), destroying said mysterious islands until they're like his half of Punk Hazard, or worse attending meetings all day long.

King Cannon

@Raph589:

2. A break from the straw-hats. I am starting to grow tired of them. Sure, they still have awesome moments but since the timeskip they sometimes feel like crappy archetypes that keep saying and doing the same things over and over again (Brook's jokes, Sanji's nosebleed, Chopper's helplessness, Franky's… weird things) and the only character that has had any kind of character development is Usopp (love you god usopp)

Dude, we spent 2 entire years with only Luffy around. This complaint doesn't make sense.

And half of them have been missing for +30 chapters.

Robby

Aside from that, the VILLAINS are better in small doses. Mysterious. Without their powers or doings clearly known. That way its a surprise when we finally see what they've been up to, along with all the other strawhats.

I mean, imagine if the Coby coverstory had bene full of dialogue, and we had learned then that the weird guy in the dog mask was Luffy's grandfather, dragon (who we hadn't even met yet) was his father, and Ace was only a technical brother and that he lost another brother along the way. WOuld have undermined a LOT of the later reveals and reactions and story moments.

Similarly, if you see a big bad doing his thing constantly, it loses its menace and threat value eventually.

(Also, I gotta assume anyone complaining about too much strawhats wasn't actually around for their two year break.)

Darth

@Ouroboros:

There are some merits to seeing other parts of the world in little snippets like Robby said. But what Darth wants is for the Marines and Akainu in particular to just completely take over the manga and become main characters. Which I find to be really stupid, because I'm not looking forward to watching Akainu sit at a desk everyday now that he's Fleet Admiral. Besides, one of the magical things about One Piece is going through all sorts of strange settings with the Straw Hats as our eyes into the world. It's much more enjoyable to me than watching Akainu fisting pirates constantly (which would get old really fast), destroying said mysterious islands until they're like his half of Punk Hazard, or worse attending meetings all day long.

Do I? Dedicating 40 chapters out of remaining 500 (At least, probably more, because Oda has a bad habit of trying to do too many things), is for you complete take over of the manga?

And for the record, I actually want to see stand-alone Blackbeard arc more then I want to see stand-alone Marine arc.

Well, 40 chapters might be a bit too much though. But 20? I would love to see 20 chapter arc dedicated to conflict between Blackbeard and Shanks. For example.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Robby:

Aside from that, the VILLAINS are better in small doses. Mysterious. Without their powers or doings clearly known. That way its a surprise when we finally see what they've been up to, along with all the other strawhats.

I mean, imagine if the Coby coverstory had bene full of dialogue, and we had learned then that the weird guy in the dog mask was Luffy's grandfather, dragon (who we hadn't even met yet) was his father, and Ace was only a technical brother and that he lost another brother along the way. WOuld have undermined a LOT of the later reveals and reactions and story moments.

Similarly, if you see a big bad doing his thing constantly, it loses its menace and threat value eventually.

Yeah, but if your villains are only effective when not on panel, and get wrecked every time they are on panel, then where is the menace and threat?

King Cannon

Really, we should be happy that cover stories exist in the first place.

@Darth:

Yeah, but if your villains are only effective when not on panel, and get wrecked every time they are on panel, then where is the menace and threat?

More reason to leave them off-panel.

Ouroboros

@Darth:

Do I? Dedicating 40 chapters out of remaining 500 (At least, probably more, because Oda has a bad habit of trying to do too many things), is for you complete take over of the manga?

And for the record, I actually want to see stand-alone Blackbeard arc more then I want to see stand-alone Marine arc.

Well, 40 chapters might be a bit too much though. But 20? I would love to see 20 chapter arc dedicated to conflict between Blackbeard and Shanks. For example.

Sorry for the blunt honesty, but that's the impression I get from how often I see you talk about Akainu.

I'm curious though, how would you imagine these top tier powers having their own arc? Blackbeard and Akainu are both in charge of large organizations, and from what we see they like sending out subordinates to do the work (like Fujitora and Burgess in this arc). Are we just going to watch them play metaphorical chess, or going on the battlefield themselves? Because I'm really having a hard time figuring out how to put in such powerful characters for more than a few chapters without completely destroying the story's tension.