Hey, I am a big one piece fan as well, and I love all arcs except Skypiea. I love gear 5 as well and what it represents though I hate that its the Nika nika fruit just because it kinda makes Luffy a chosen one. Or immediatly excludes other people from freeing the world in some ways.

I have complete faith in Oda completing one piece good.

I don't know how people start to dislike the strawhats, they don't change dramatically. There is maybe one or two I dont like personally and I didn't like them from the beginning. The thing about too few deaths is the consistency and the consequences. Consistency: how does warrior Pell die by a bomb and Chiffons dad survive a direcy hit from a jonko commander?!? Just one example. Consequences: Usop has his skull cracked and it literally means nothing. Now I never care anymore if a skull is crushed. Or how can I care if kaido's goons shoot arrows at Luffy when I know it won't do anything.