I finally decided to reread One Piece from the beginning in color. My rating is completely pointless, though, as I've been reading One Piece since I was 9 and I still think it's a masterpiece.
Although I always hear that the beginning is pretty rough to reread, I actually enjoyed most of this a lot. I will be honest and say I skipped Coby and Alvida's introductions, cause I've read those chapters so many times and I'm not a big fan of them. I think
Zoro's introduction is spectacular, though. Sets up Coby and Helmeppo casually, the Marines as a if not corrupt then definitely doubtful organization and Zoro as an absolute badass.
Buggy and Nami introduction is awesome as well. Luffy shows off and Zoro is still insane. Buggy + Luffy is always great and Nami is pretty cool, but doesn't properly shine till Arlong's Palace.
Usopp's introduction is fine, but Oda really went hard on that "Boy who cried wolf" comparison. The Cat pirates are kinda cool, but quickly outshadowed. Actually immediately with Sanji's introduction. Not only does Zoro vs Mihawk really expand the world in a subtle but great way, but Luffy vs the Don is a great matchup really showing off how cowardly some pirates fight.
Although I think Arlong's Palace is where it all comes together. Previous chapters has been good at rapidly expanding the crew but their battle vs the Fishmen pirates is where everyone gets a chance to shine and their comradery is truly put on blast. It's also where Luffy gets his first bounty, setting in place a shounen classic: the power system. Shown off with another short but world-expanding arc in Loguetown which is pretty great.
Finally the strawhats enter the grand line and meet Laboon (and vivi i guess) which is a really cute short arc that obviously has a special place in any fan's heart. Sadly, though, this is where I think it all becomes sort of wobbly. Baroque Works is a really interesting concept, but just like I remembered as a kid it goes on FOREVER! I think it starts out pretty good with Whiskey Peak and Little Garden. I like Vivi and the Luffy vs. Zoro fight is incredible, but Mr. 3 and co is a pretty lackluster opponent. Luckily Choppers introduction is kind of a step up. I love Chopper, but I think Wapol is super annoying and not a threat at all, so the tension is really weird and it feels like Wapol should've been an enemy even before Arlong. He's just not threatening at all. Then comes what feels like 50 chapters of desert.
There are obviously also great moments like Ace's introduction (I would die for Ace) and Bon Clay is awesome but it goes on forever and everyone constantly has to yell at Vivi to chill the fuck out. It's all just a sandy blur from there with fun character interactions being the only positive thing about it. Thankfully the final fight vs B.W. is pretty awesome and I like Luffy losing over and over again but Crocodile not bothering to properly finish him off because he underestimates him. The fights aren't amazing, but they show off some of the less used strawhats pretty well. I especially remember the Usopp and Chopper team-up fondly.
The ending is fine and I like Vivi staying in Alabasta not because she's completely useless but because having a character tag along for a while without needing to join the crew is a really good idea. Especially cause this series relies really heavily on character interactions, so introducing nee people for the crew to interact with is always pleasant.
Although I loved this reread, I'm reminded why I can never introduce anyone to One Piece. The series is so consistently fun and the Characters are incredible, but I always laughing half because it's a great moment and half because it's like watching and old recording of you and your friends goofing around. I wouldn't exactly call it nostalgia, it's more like I know these characters so well that I can predict their reactions to situations without being able to remember the specifics of a chapter. I realize exactly when Luffy is about to say some stupid shit and I can immediately imagine how each crewmate will react to it. Sometimes it'd hard to tell if I've just sunk so many hours into One Piece that my brain has tricked itself into thinking I'm loving it, but then I remember impatiently checking the library every week as a kid hoping new volumes had shown up or if the one I wanted to borrow again had been returned.
I've reread this story countless times already, but I know this will not be the final time. 1000+ chapters might seem like a lot, but if these first 200ish is supposed to be the weakest then the rest is doubtlessly a masterpiece.