Well unfortunately I won't be able to get much or any One Piece reading done for another week. It takes 10 minutes to read a chapter online with the internet here, so not going to be good for getting farther in. Next time, I should probably read volumes, write down my thoughts, then over time just make comments on individual chapters/volumes. That way I can keep a discussion going while I'm away from home for work.
Any way, I thought now would be a good time to give my closing thoughts on the East Blue saga.
Personally, the East Blue saga is something that grows on you over time. I remember the first time going through it, I didn't care too much for it. It was good enough to keep my interest, but nothing that got me super excited. On my next read through, Arlong Park stood out with the rest just being good enough. After reading through it more and more times, a different arc left a better impression. Part of it comes from having matured a lot since 15/16 year old me started the series to 25 year old me now. I can look deeper into stuff, analyze how panels are played out, appreciate how the art works with the words to create an incredible scene. Before I would've only been able to say Nami asking Luffy for help was the most emotional scene of East Blue. Now I can say that, and point to the scenes leading up to that point showing how it built up to the emotional climax, talk about how the symbol of Luffy's hat makes an impact in the scene, and how everyone can relate to breaking down after pushing their hardest for so long.
While that is certainly important, there is another part, that is just as important, and that's looking at the scenes with the whole series in mind. Manga in some ways is like a large tapestry spanning a long distance. There are many images that can invoke certain feelings, and sometimes one part of the tapestry may not impress you at first. At first glance, you might just see the images, but if you take your time and continue to look at everything, and look at the details, you begin to appreciate the tapestry even more. You realize there is a story being told, and one image you glanced over all of a sudden becomes more intriguing. That's how I view One Piece, especially the East Blue Stuff.
Usopp's introduction story was the last one to actually get me impressed, which I only really came to like reading it again. To me, it's an arc that only becomes greater when I think about the whole story so far. Kuro becomes more interesting when he stands out due to having a much lower and different ambition. Having someone who is constantly fighting the urge to run away from a fight compared to the rest of the crew is refreshing. Sure, Chopper, Nami, and Brook are scaredy cats, but the will fight once the opportunity comes. Usopp has an active urge to avoid fights, and has to convince himself to continue the good fight. Over time, he gets better and even has a time where he throws away his fear for the sake of his crew mate. Usopps lies which seemed outrageous at the time have become sane by comparison to what they've gone through, and in some ways his lies have become true. As for other parts, I can appreciate the Nami stuff even more with the thought of Robins backstory and what everyone did to help her. Zoro's feats in the East Blue really help show why he is such a beast, which culminated into Arlong's surprise of how Zoro was still alive, and even more so by beating Hachi with the wounds he had. Sanji taking beating in his arc and getting up still showed his durability as well.
East Blue was the appetizer to what would become the main course. It gave us some ideas of what to expect, which would be built on. We learned about devil fruits, and we later got introduced to crazier powers and different types, such as Logia and Zoan. We got an idea of factions and conflicts between factions and races, which develop even more as we learn about the revolutionary army, independent countries, and the Yonko. We learn about how weak the straw hats are, and learn of even more powerful people they will have to eventually face, such as Admirals. We also learn that while individuals may fail at times, the important part is to learn from the failure, and use that to drive themselves to become better. We get a bigger trigger of this when the crew is taken out easily on Saobody, and everyone learns that they must become better. The biggest lesson that would come a constant thing is that anything goes in the world, and that the rarest chances can be met. Zoro met the man he wants to overcome early, which set precedent for the crew getting things on the slightest chance, such as surviving the knock-up stream and being saved in Saobody.
While there are scenes and arcs that stand out more, the East Blue in the end is a great saga, and still holds up. It allowed it to expand into this big world, and even though certain aspects are questionable to different people, has allowed it to maintain a good quality all these years.