The problem is that Oda has maneuvered himself into a corner: He doesn't want to do some real lighthearted adventure arcs with a lot of gags anymore, but on the other hand he's also afraid of actually writing a more mature story with actual consequences (deaths etc.) for his characters.
That's what's annoying a lot of the older readers. He hyped up the New World to be this super tough place, where every little mistake can cause severe consequences, yet he uses even more plot conveniences than ever to make sure that nobody actually suffers any consequences (Ceasar's gas not killing the marines, Plot-Cake-Island, BM's amnesia, Law the deus-ex-machina man etc.).
So you get arcs where the writing is just not really coherent/believable anymore. You either write a more mature story with consequences or you keep your rather lighthearted pre-skip style. Pretending to go down the more mature route, while being afraid to actually kill off characters etc. is just bound to disappoint your readers.
That´s true, it contradicts each other.
Not that deaths necessarily elevate a story, but i can certainly underline possible consequences while emphasizing the severity of the situation.
Also that´s only one part of "maturity" and i think it´s unfair to reduce it to only that.
It´s definitely relevant, maybe even essential, for suspense purposes, also as another layer for the audience to feel, but it´s not necessarily influencing other things that can be classified as such.
Ultimately i agree to a certain extent though.
Who knows, maybe Pedro, Yasu and such were supposed to be signify that transition, even if it did not work so well, though i only believe it when i see it definitely.
[automerge]1608721568[/automerge]
Problem is... many fans who say that are the FIRST to go hating on Foxy arc... which is basically an arc for dicking around
Yep, OP fandom is not a homogeneous bunch. Some want only battles (which i never thought Oda did pretty well beyond the clash of ideals), some want other things.