^Yeah, that was rather enlightening, wasn't it? In fact, I even remember learning from somewhere (pretty sure it was AP) years ago that a bunch of fans had dropped the series around the time of the Skypiea arc (supposedly they found it too boring and dragged out..... which is a shame that they felt that way about such an excellent storyline). But if those same fans were the ones who returned to it.... well, that's great to hear!
Though I'm definitely wondering how well-received the current storyline is over in Japan.....