What was the point of Skypeia again? (One Piece spoilers)

[Simpler Simon]

It's been awhile since I've read this massive arc, and I can't seem to remember what connection it really had with Luffy's quest to become pirate king. All the previous grand line arcs were confrontations with Baroque Works, (except for the Drum Island arc with Chopper) and it led up to the final fight in Arabasta. Skypeia has nothing to do with that despite being much, much longer. It's not that Oda can't write self-contained adventures, but for such a massive arc was it supposed to do anything else?

[Go-chin]

Their boats guardian spirit, Usopp's dials, etc, etc.

[Mog]

It was the next stop on their compass and they had to go there so that it would calibrate to the next location. Other than that it was just coincidence that they got caught up in the entire ordeal.

[KuwabaraTheMan]

It gave more info Gol D. Roger as well, and had some kick ass fights and characters.


Wiper>j00.

And it also shows us the strawhats stealing from good natured citizens who did them no wrong.:evil:

[Keiichi]

What Kuwabara said plus I believe Robin found a polygyth that had some information she was looking for.

[Mog]

Oh, I thought you meant "Why?" they went to Skypeia, not what influence it had on the Straw-Hats and the overall story.

Well, they found out Gol D. Roger had been there and left a clue that Robin found in the gold city. (Or was it outside the gold city?) It "semi-officially" introduced a new crew member, the spirit of Going Merry. It gave Usopp some new tools. Luffy encountered another elemental fruit user besides his brother and discovered he was immune to lightning. The strawhats made a ton of money from the gold, though it was lost later.

I can't remember much more. Really, Skypeia had some build-up like Alabasta. Remember the monkeys and their salvage operation? And Bellamy? And the introduction of another Pirate God, who's name escapes me right now.

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Oh, I thought you meant "Why?" they went to Skypeia, not what influence it had on the Straw-Hats and the overall story.

Well, they found out Gol D. Roger had been there and left a clue that Robin found in the gold city. (Or was it outside the gold city?) It "semi-officially" introduced a new crew member, the spirit of Going Merry. It gave Usopp some new tools. Luffy encountered another elemental fruit user besides his brother and discovered he was immune to lightning. The strawhats made a ton of money from the gold, though it was lost later.

I can't remember much more. Really, Skypeia had some build-up like Alabasta. Remember the monkeys and their salvage operation? And Bellamy? And the introduction of another Pirate God, who's name escapes me right now.
I'm guessing your thinking of Donquixote Doflamingo, Bellamy's former captain. But Bartholomew Kuma was introduced around the same time as well.

[Mog]

I'm guessing your thinking of Donquixote Doflamingo, Bellamy's former captain. But Bartholomew Kuma was introduced around the same time as well.
Yeah, Doflamingo was who I was thinking about. He's got such a weird name that I always forget him. Anyway, he and Kuma were both introduced, and Doflamingo actually showed up and punished Bellamy for losing to Luffy. That has to bring more attention to Luffy, which was also shown in the Jaya arc at that meeting.

[Keiichi]

No thats Lucci the leader of CP9. We meet Bellamy way back during the Jaya story arc. He's the guy with spring legs. We're also introduced to Black Beard and his crew and White Beard.

[Simpler Simon]

Oh, I thought you meant "Why?" they went to Skypeia, not what influence it had on the Straw-Hats and the overall story.
Little from column A, little from column B actually.

I think my expectations, especially after the massive Arabasta arc, was that the series was going to start winding down soon - the element of the 7 officially sanctioned pirates had been introduced, and I figured it was now up to Luffy to take down the remaining 6 (Doflamingo, Mihawk(?), etc), and that the last of the 6 would clear his path to find One Piece.

Instead, we get sent into the sky to battle a self-proclaimed god who has no relation to the 7 whatsoever. The Straw Hat pirates really weren't there to do anything other than explore, and like Kuwabara said, do a little actual pirating and steal gold. Eventually there was a purpose (ring the bell, let the decendant know his ancestor's tale was true, save Skypeia) but it just seemed like such a long arc for something that's really a tangent in the overall quest. Davy Back was a sort of tangent as well, but it didn't take up 7+ volumes.

[Fatneck]

I think it was just a much needed adventure story. One Piece really doesn't a lot of these (manga at least), which is a shame. Because for pirates, searching for treasure is just as essential as sailing the seas and kicking in throats.

[O-chan]

I think it was just a much needed adventure story. One Piece really doesn't a lot of these (manga at least), which is a shame. Because for pirates, searching for treasure is just as essential as sailing the seas and kicking in throats.
You know, unlike in the anime which had a bunch of filler arcs, in the manga this arc came right after Robin's introduction into the Going Merry. Given all the stuff that went on at the end of the Davy Back Fight arc and the revelations in the current arc they Oda probably just made this arc so we could specifically get used to Robin as "one of the crew" before dealing with her backstory.

He kinda did a similar thing with Nami, but since Nami came in during the "forming the crew" aspect of the series it didn't seem as pointless.

Still I think Skypeia was a good breather after the intense Alabasta arc, since that arc was actually being built up from the moment they entered the Grand Line.

O-chan