Knowledge was power.
That saying was even more apparent in a world where extraordinary powers existed.
The people of the East Blue were generally weak not because they were born with inferior physiques, but because they suffered from a lack of education.
They had never seen the wider world, nor did they know how to grow stronger.
But once talented individuals were allowed to witness a broader world and learn how to become stronger, they would naturally soar to great heights.
Just like the Straw Hat crew in the original story:
At first, they could barely hold their own against the Arlong Pirates, yet in only a few months, they grew powerful enough to crush the Shichibukai-level Moria Pirates head-on.
That leveling speed was practically on par with Garen, who had cheats enabled.
However, due to natural geographical barriers and the deliberate blockades imposed by various powers, knowledge was spread almost entirely through word of mouth between masters and disciples, relatives, and friends.
That was also one reason why everyone in the New World knew Haki while people in the East Blue had never even heard the word.
Fortunately, Garen appeared.
He broke the traditional powers' monopoly on knowledge and pioneered physical training education for all.
For countless young people who aspired to become stronger but suffered from having no one to guide them, Garen compiled the sea's first systematic and effective cultivation textbook:
"Swordmaster: From Beginner to Mastery"
This book recorded Soru and Geppo, the two most practical techniques of Rokushiki; the swordsmanship insights of the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk; and the secret Haki cultivation techniques that Nine Serpent Island had kept hidden for centuries.
The four names printed on the book—Garen, Garp, Mihawk, and Hancock—were all resounding names.
Yet among the four, Hancock had actually contributed the