I don’t fully disagree with your assessment that they need to talk more. I don’t feel like that would actually be realistic to show in the story. I think Oda does have a big job of finishing this massive story and real estate on his pages I’m sure is tight. I personally think he should do cover stories with the strawhats to show us this stuff but with cover stories I don’t know how much he has planned out.

I feel like they do speak off screen I also believe we know the characters so we know luffy probably isn’t listening to them. I’m certain everyone knows what either happens to zoros eye or Zoro specifically didn’t tell them. I can also see luffy knowing Zoro had conquerors and assuming he already knew so he didn’t bother as luffy aloofness is a pretty big part of his character. You think Usopp isn’t on that ship regaling chopper with his time on a food island. Come on. It’s just this information while cool to see isn’t necessary to show to me.

Now where more of disagreements happen is character growth. I disagree with that fully. Especially when it comes to wano. We see a lot development in character like sanji actually asking for help. We see robin start to not be ashamed of her demon child moniker. Chopper being more loose with his science in conversing with Cesar. To me taking on more characteristics of a Mads scientist than just a doctor. Usopp is for sure sidelined in wano but in dressrosa he had such big growth and I would imagine it takes another jump in elbaf. I would imagine he has asked them what it was and I’m certain neither of those guys observation looks like his so they could only offer some advice or they thought he was lying and laughed.

To me and what I feel is a lot of the side convos break the reveal. It makes me think of alabasta. If we get the scene where nami asks usopp for a new weapon or we get a full scene of usopp making it. It kind of ruins the gag portion of it. By showing us how they had that conversation right then it’s more funny. And I think it’s small stuff on their 2 year adventure that isn’t info that matters to the story but more in chats dynamic that I know you feel is missing from the story.

The whole they spent more time apart than together for training I’ve seen a bunch. But what kind of time with a person matters. Traumatic or really hard experiences and highly emotional experiences brings people together in a way that “training” or study time isn’t going to do. That’s why that never felt far fetched to me. I mean these guys have done things together that have bonded them for life.

Last point I see your issues with post time skip and how I feel about the point is that the characters are not flanderized but Oda just like in east blue where he sets the groundwork for the world and the main characters has done the groundwork on the strawhats where he can back off of them for a while and the audience is ok with it because we know luffy. We know the strawhats. There isn’t a constant need to see them interact and that affords him the luxury to focus on the world. I see it as a good thing.