I didn't skip Skypiea but I watched it through one eye the first time (yeah, I binge-watched the anime first and just went to the manga after reaching the most recent episode). I was still a teen back then and I was eager to catch up to the most recent arc at the time, the overly-hyped Marineford Arc. I found it boring and uninteresting and wanted to get as soon as possible to the big fights.
Nowadays, it's one of my favorite arcs for sure. Probably the first and last adventure arc of One Piece, a lot of lore to think about, genuinely funny humour and some underrated characters along the way. A really nice arc overall.