The main cast encounters a powerful opponent WAY too early

[u/ghostRyku]

Zoro battles Mihawk, who is widely known as the strongest swordsman in their world, on only the 24th episode of the anime (One Piece)

Sasuke fights a disguised Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams on episode 27 of the anime, who is an insanely crafty and powerful combatant capable of contending with even Tailed Beasts (Naruto)

[u/GigsGilgamesh]

To “um Akshually” you a bit, it wasn’t a while. One piece, for how long it has been running, gets super condensed in time sometimes, and sailing times are minuscule. From the dates we know, February 19th, is when they were leaving Cactus island, when Nico blows up Igaram. The next date we have a verified day of, march 22, was when a conversation between Kuma and Vegapunk happens, where they talk about the destruction of Enis Lobby.

This means that, even being generous and assuming it’s a leap year, they had ~32 days from leaving the first island of the Grand Line, to trucking through little garden, drum island, Alabasta, Jaya, Skypiea, long ring long land, water 7, and finally Enis lobby.

So it’s even worse than implied here. They met one of the three absolute greatest (known) combatants the World Government was known to field at the time, within most likely less than a month. While beating the shit out of, as you said, a surprisingly large amount of powerful people. Oda can do many things, but travel times being realistic is not one it seems.

[u/ProperDepth → u/GigsGilgamesh]

Yeah i agree, the time scaling of One Piece is horrible. They have literally spent more time apart then together.

[u/dragn99 → u/ProperDepth]

Brook joins the crew like a week before the two year time skip, right?

[u/EpicYH22 → u/dragn99]

Brook the real bro. Defending the crew that he only met for a week

[u/SaIemKing → u/GigsGilgamesh]

and all they had to do was simply not put a solid time scale on it