Post timeskip yes. But pre timeskip, oda was able to have all the straw hats together and still have a sense of tension fill the air.
You mentioned how water 7 doesn’t happen if the straw hats went with Usopp, but at the same time, when the straw hats were united later in water 7 there was still tension, the Cipher Pol felt intimidating and like actual monsters prior to Ennies lobby.
You mentioned how water 7 doesn’t happen if the straw hats went with Usopp, but at the same time, when the straw hats were united later in water 7 there was still tension, the Cipher Pol felt intimidating and like actual monsters prior to Ennies lobby.
So really everything involving that still has something to do with the Strawhats splitting up. If the Strawhats leave with Usopp then his feelings of inadequacy are no longer an immediate issue
In Drum Island can you imagine how quickly they would’ve swept everything up if Zoro and Usopp were there to help? Or Little Garden with Sanji basically being nonexistent? During Baratie if Zoro’s healthy and Nami doesn’t leave they clean up Krieg and his crew in less than a chapter
In Skypiea Luffy sits inside the snake while Zoro, Robin, Gan Fall, and Wyper fight Enel because if they were all together the arc would be over in an instant
It’s the same with Camie. If Camie stuck with the Strawhats in Sabaody they never even need to go to the auction because she doesn’t get captured
People act like it’s a post timeskip thing when it’s not. Oda has always come up with artificial ways to split the Strawhats up to allow the plot to happen because if he doesn’t then they succeed easily
That’s a One Piece thing not a post timeskip thing



