Let me say one thing, I'm one of those advocating Pedro is still alive, and by no means I care for death to say "this is good"..... However, this arc SUCKS ASS
It's never about Plot armor for me...
My hatred for the arcs lately has been because Oda introduces a specific plot, with HUUUUGE potential, huge opportunities that can be used for that plot, and don't tell me that our own interpretation and expectation is NOT what Oda intended for... the problem is that the OBVIOUS ROUTE for that plot can ONLY GO THOSE DIRECTIONS....
So, by doing so, he hypes us, he makes us WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT AND WAIT to see how this will pay off.... then he completely ignores that plot and never goes back to it... and IFFF it was ever explained, he does it in freaking SBS... Yeah, what a cool idea honestly....
He constantly throws lines by certain characters implicating that something of the sort WILL HAPPEN, but then he completely ignores it
That's the TRUE difference in quality for me between comparing Pre-skip arc and Post-skip arcs, which made me enjoy Pre-skip more
Oda is the TYPE OF AUTHOR it seems that lately he's letting fans theories/expectations which HAS PROBABILITY of being RIGHT... to allow himself to get affected by it, so he either completely ignores it and never gets back to it.... OR he finds a different way to show the payoff, that NO ONE theorized EVEN THOUGH it was NOT his original plan, it was just him trying to do something the fans did NOT theorize.... thus, subverting expectations....
In other words, Oda ISSSS being like the directors of Game of Thrones in last 1-2 seasons... just relying on doing what the fans didn't see coming... regardless if it made sense. if the hints should be pointing other direction, if the foreshadowing is being ignored... doesn't matter, just do something to subvert the expectations
So, it's not really a WANO sucks issue.... It's a why Post-Punk Hazard, Oda has been writing this type of way!?
Cause I only feel that type of feeling since the beginning of Dressrosa