Why the Pacific advance had to pass through more islands

Why not advance directly from Midway through Wake to Guam and then Japan?

Because bypassed Japanese forces could remain dangerous and the Allies needed a sequence of islands that supplied the right airfields and bomber routes.

Weak Japanese logistics did not make every garrison harmless if left behind Allied lines. The advance also had to seize islands positioned for air bases and bomber staging, so geography and aviation requirements shaped the sequence. Island hopping was therefore selective rather than a straight rush along the shortest map route.