@dirt:
Because they're not yet relevant to the plot. Oda has so many elements on his plate already that it would cause a huge lag in the manga for him to stop every time they think or reflect on their end goals.
Yanno, one of the criticisms of this thread. Which is how some arcs can tend to drag.
An update … on why they went out to sea ... Did ... did you need a reminder? Do you think this is the anime where Oda has to stall for time or something? Here. Lemme just copy and paste to remind you about why they went out to sea.
Luffy's dream - become Pirate King
Zoro's dream - become best swordsman
Nami's dream - map the entire world
Usopp's dream - become brave warrior
Sanji's dream - spy on naked women find All Blue
Chopper's dream - see the world
Robin's dream - find Rio Poneglyph
Franky's dream - dream ship must reach end of the Grand Line
Brook's dream - meet Laboon again
I'm not asking for what their dreams are. That's obvious, like you said. Just updates on their motivations when it's a goal that isn't just getting from Point A to Point B like Franky and Brook. Back in Arlong Park, Arlong made Nami's skills as a cartographer a big deal as to why he wanted her as his pawn. Not to mention that Nami made it her dream to chart the world, like you said. Is it really that difficult to see some progress or difficulties when it comes to cartography? The goal is distant and can't be achieved by the end of the series, we get that. But Nami's character ties with cartography were originally emphasized points of her character, things that would have been interesting to explore even in a minute fashion. When was the last time we even saw her chart a freaking map or make a major discovery about a map? Because the last time we saw map being drawn, it was actually by Pudding lol (not that I'm insinuating that Nami should know the route to Whole Cake, I'm just joking about the irony of the conversation topic). We see Nami interpreting and making sure they're on course there, which is cool, but that doesn't add anything to her character we didn't already know or see before in some fashion.
I'm only asking to see story circumstances where we see that element of her character brought in. You claim that it's not relevant to the grand scheme of the plot. And I agree, it's not at the moment. But so is Usopp's dream of wanting to become a brave warrior. Yet instead of Oda just relegating him to the sidelines towards only becoming a comedic relief character or having him always snipe safely from a distance to fulfill his crew role, we actually see challenges where Usopp overcomes his fears, uses his trickster attributes to his advantage, and gains new remarkable sniping feats (he even learned Observation Haki two arcs ago!). He isn't just saving Usopp's development for the final fight or epilogue where Usopp is suddenly a brave warrior of the sea.
Zoro's feud with Mihawk isn't central to the story either. Mihawk and the World's Greatest Swordsman title are only just a small bit of the world in influence and prevalence compared to the impact and lore of the Pirate King title among characters and Roger's past, along with the Void Century. Literally nobody else has made any note of the relevance or value of becoming the world's strongest swordsman besides maybe Vista when he clashed with Mihawk lol. Yet we constantly see Zoro not just fight battles, but develop his own techniques, overcome unexpected disadvantageous odds that amplify his capabilities as a swordsman (such as cutting steel), and even commit himself to training under Mihawk, the idol he's sworn to surpass, over the timeskip. He's not suddenly going to have his final fight with Shiliew/Mihawk and just have better technique than them just because, we actually get updates towards his strength and swordsmanship being improved, and even his relationship and teachings with Mihawk during Dressrosa.
It's very inspiring and entertaining to see Usopp and Zoro attain built-up credit towards their dreams, and I just wish that Nami would get similar treatment at least just ONCE outside of Arlong Park for her dream. And no, being a very good navigator does not somehow cover for a field as different and specific as cartography when it comes to making and interpreting maps. Giving attention to her cartography skills, especially in a pirate manga that is literally about exploring the ocean and having an adventure on all sorts of crazy surreal islands, is really not that hard or a time-waster. I'm not asking for half an arc dedicated to Nami narrating the intricacies of cartography Hunter x Hunter-style or even more than some of just one chapter, actually. I only think it would be beneficial for her character to deliver on her passion for cartography in some way.
For example, remember how during Skypiea, it was actually put together by the Straw Hats that Jaya and Skypiea were originally the same island? That was a great moment that aided the sense of adventure and flowed naturally. And it happened by comparing their maps together (in fact, I actually think it was Nami who did that lol, but I'm not sure. And regardless, nothing has happened like that with her character since then) and observing how Upper Yard was made of earth instead of cloud. That was a discovery made by cartography, by actually utilizing maps as plot point for finding treasure in a pirate manga. What is so bad about seeing that type of event again to compliment Nami's character in relation to cartography? It barely held up the arc at all and only enhanced its quality, unlike what you're saying about it causing a huge lag in the manga. Because fleshing out your main characters' assets is somehow just a waste of time, apparently.
Brook even got his own dream of seeing Laboon relevant again when the Straw Hats saw the school of Island Whales at the end of Fishman Island. And that was completely unnecessary to the plot and was basically just cool scenery (although it might play a role when Brook finally meets Laboon for all we know). I don't remember that causing a "huge lag" in the manga.
Now that the Road Poneglyphs and the need to find the way to Raftel are a thing though, it might be possible for Nami's cartography to be useful and relevant to the plot. But that doesn't need to be the only way or instance for Nami's cartography skills to be shown off and expanded upon, especially since that's most likely endgame material for when all four are found. And Nami playing a major role in that is still an if, even though it's a likely possibility.
But that's just referring to Nami's cartography passion, and I already talked a bit about Chopper wanting to be proficient enough to cure all sorts of illnesses earlier. Seeing Chopper, by himself I might add without the likes of Law and Caesar doing most of the work, cure some big illness or make a vaccine as plot point would be quite interesting and can prove to be relevant if it involves a major character. Like I said before, seeing Chopper help out on Zou was cool, but seeing his progress and struggles of helping the Minks would've been cool. But it's pretty much just a montage and the citizens being thankful, barely any memorable character insight and focus on Chopper's skills as a doctor. We see illnesses and poison all of the time in these series, even as recent as when Luffy ate that fish. I'm not expecting Chopper to fix every issue that pops up with those, especially since it would get repetitive and reduce tension. He's not a miracle worker. But not seeing him make any remarkable progress towards curing mysterious illnesses most of the time or at all besides applying standard medical knowledge is pretty underwhelming too. Chopper might have made his conviction/dream of curing any illness in a hysterical state, but his dedication to treating others with his medical knowledge and worrying for their safety has been a recurring trait of his character. Why not see that emphasized in expanding his medical prowess than just panicking or cleaning up minor/conventional wounds as usual? Especially when Big Mom and Roger's illnesses, as well as Doc Q specializing in poisoning and killing people through means of food and being perpetually ill for some reason, may become plot points he has to deal with in the future.
All-Blue is a completely different story as a whole sea that is supposedly a myth though. That is not similar to how Chopper and Nami's dreams are open-ended, something that major and contradictory to what we know about the oceans in One Piece factually NEEDS to be covered by the end of the series. And yet we've gotten jack on it, even from Sanji himself, after the Baratie. It's a bit concerning to see such a whimsical and big idea never be mentioned or elaborated again, and I'm hoping that future flashbacks we will see of Sanji during this arc can remedy the situation.
Do these three dreams seem irrelevant to the plot as of the moment? Sure. I agree with you on that. But I feel like you underestimate Oda's creativity to make them relevant in the plot of an arc if he's able to do so with at least four Straw Hats on a frequent arc-to-arc basis (Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Robin) when two of them aren't even that plot-dependent at all in the grand scheme of things. I'm confident that Oda will deliver on these in the future at some point, but you have to understand that hundreds of chapters, like I keep saying, not at all focusing on these major components of these characters is a bit awkward and concerning. Especially for anybody who is a fan of Nami, Sanji, and Chopper. I know that I would be bothered as a major Usopp fan if his bravery or sniper skills were not remarked upon at all for that long, but he's gotten major showcases of both of those attributes in spades during an arc as recent and cluttered as Dressrosa.
Please feel free to repost that list of the Straw Hat's dreams again for the fourth time whenever you would like though. If I needed a refresher, I'll drop by the One Piece wiki. I don't need updates on these goals and passions to be reminded that they exist, I want updates so that these characters' attributes can be properly acknowledged and taken advantage of for the story's benefit for both entertainment and depth. It's a pirate manga on the high seas. Cartography, curing enigmatic diseases, and finding mythical seas can only make the adventures and characters more interesting lol. Seeing characters struggle and endeavor with their dreams makes for some of the best moments they have in the series every single time. Especially when they tie into the motivations and tension behind their fights.
