User blog comment:Sentomaru/Are Devil Fruits too common?/@comment-3171014-20121023010806

They were surprised about Luffy having a devil fruit because they were in the East Blue which is regarded as the weakest sea. As they got into the Grand Line they became more common and now they are all the way on the other half in the New World where all the strongest people are. Of course it has become more common as the series progressed.