Some options you have to progress right now
1.Well you could kiss everyone ass and beg
2.Act all nice and friendly to get people to send you resources,depend on your guild for a while, and be to nice to piss someone off (aka Mugiwara
)
3. Figure out everything by yourself, rely on know one but yourself,operate on your own terms without know ones help, and use loans to progress a bit faster when u start. I did this for a bit, and I would most likely still would have that type of playing style if I did not piss everyone off in the whole entire freaking game. (I must warn you that you will progress a lot slower than others because you are relying 100%, and it is a good idea to lay low if you choose that path.) P.S. this is my playing style right now since I'm strong enough to hold my own.
4. Do a bit of 2 and 3 is what most players go with