The moment Luffy and the Straw Hats enter the Grand Line in One Piece, the series has been repeating the same story each time its characters land on a new island.
Ever since One Piece exploded in popularity, it’s been praised for unique storytelling that put in stark contrast with other popular manga like Dragon Ball which tends to follow specific formulas for their plots. Though Dragon Ball Super has recently attempted to fix its Goku problem, it’s still proven to be a barrier to many. However, on closer inspection, One Piece also has its own formula that it tends to follow. While Dragon Ball always has some type of alien wanting to take over Earth, for example, nearly every island that Luffy and his crew land on is beset by war or some major conflict that they must always resolve.
The only instance where this worked in One Piece, occurred in the Alabasta Saga. After One Piece’s faulty first 100 chapters, Luffy and his crew reach the Grand Line where they quickly get caught in the crosshairs of a villainous organization known as Baroque Works. At first, Baroque Works’ only purpose seems to be to terrorize the Straw Hats until their loftier goal is revealed, to overthrow the Alabasta Kingdom. The war’s buildup mostly worked but is weakened by similar events playing out in later chapters. Probably the most egregious of these instances transpires during the Sky Island saga. The island of Skypeia itself immediately presents a unique set of challenges for the Straw Hats that One Piece should have focused on exclusively. Luffy and his crew are trespassing after failing to pay a toll, and as a result, are targeted. Unfortunately, the story grows unnecessarily overcomplicated from there with the grievances between the Gorilleas and the new Kami Eneru soon erupting upon Luffy’s arrival.
While convoluted storylines can be effective, the story suffers when mangaka needlessly overcomplicate arcs that already had a strong premise. This is especially the case when it happens repeatedly, and the real focus is lost as a result. Ironically, Long Ring Long Land island in One Piece that many forget about could have actually become the best moment pre-time skip if it weren’t for the filler-esque battles. Everything that happens there only occurs because other parties just happen to be there, the least welcome of the two being the Foxy Pirates, as the confrontation eventually culminates in the most annoyingly over-cartoony battle. Regardless, the fact that there is no war on the island that Luffy and his crew don’t have to resolve makes the hated Long Ring Long Land arc probably one of the major highlights of the manga itself.
While diehard fans might not be bothered by the fact that there’s always a war on every island of the Grand Line that Luffy has to get ensnared in, for others it can be tiring. One Piece is an often imaginative and goofy series, for sure, but it does itself no favors when it repeats the same story every time Luffy and the Straw Hats visit another island.
