User blog comment:Sentomaru/Are Devil Fruits too common?/@comment-3125914-20121022115116

I think DF weren't that common in the beginning because East Blue is the weakest of the 4 seas. And usually people with DF abillities are very strong, so of course it's rare there.

After entering the Grand Line the number increases because the strongest people gather there. In the New World only the strongest of the strongest can survive, so of course most of them have DFs.

There are people who can be extreamly strong without a DF ability, but these cases are very rare.