Standing nearby, Kuina stared at Amon in shock. She hadn't expected sheer, projected intent to be that overwhelming. Even from outside the dueling space, a single glance made her chest tighten, and worry for Zoro crept in.
"Don't disappoint me, Zoro." Amon watched the boy locked inside his aura, eyes glinting.
He was tempering Zoro's heart for the sword. If Zoro didn't even dare to lift his blades, then his conviction to become the world's greatest swordsman was still lacking.
"Huh. Interesting. That's more like it." Just as Amon considered withdrawing his pressure, Zoro, smothered beneath that sword intent, actually raised a hand.
But the instant he lifted it, strength fled his body and he collapsed.
Under Amon's terrifying aura, that one motion had burned all his courage and strength.
"Not bad." Seeing Zoro fall, Amon drew back his intent. Instantly, Zoro felt his body go light. The mountain crushing him vanished.
"Zoro, are you alright?"
Kuina hurried over to help him up.
"I'm fine, Kuina. Sir, may I have your name?" Zoro stood and asked Amon solemnly.
"I'm Amon, just an ordinary merchant."
"Mr. Amon, thank you. Thank you for showing me the gap between myself and a true great swordsman. I'll work twice as hard from now on. One day, I will defeat you and become the world's greatest swordsman."
Zoro practically shouted it, afraid that if he hesitated he wouldn't dare say it at all.
"Good. That's the Zoro I recognize."
Amon nodded, clearly pleased with the boy's attitude. A swordsman should carry that forward-driving momentum. That is the heart of the blade.
"However, I think both of you still lack a little twist of fate if you want to become the world's greatest swordsmen. How about opening a Jar? My jars have everything inside. Very affordable, only one hundred thousand berries apiece."
The sudden shift into salesmanship nearly made Zoro and Kuina's eyes pop.
So much for the aloof master of the sword.
Hey, the tone is all wrong.
If they hadn't just witnessed Amon's terrifying strength, they would have taken him for a con man and chased him off.
"Hehe, you're really funny," Kuina said with a polite, slightly awkward smile.
"Haha, a person still has to make a living. But these jars really are special. Kuina, want to open one for fun? You might get a tonic that fixes your physical limitations. Your father's words were for your own good. Girls can become great swordsmen, but the natural strength gap makes the road harder. That might be why he said girls can't be the greatest, because the path is truly difficult."
"These jars can contain a tonic that fixes my body?" Kuina's eyes lit up.
No one wanted a solution more than she did. As she grew, she could feel her progress slowing.
"Of course." Amon nodded. The jarss definitely contained such items, it just depended on luck. "To be honest, most of my power came from these too."
"Your strength came from these jars as well?" Kuina's gaze shone brighter.
"Not entirely, but close enough. In any case, worth far more than the price." His own power had come from a personal, higher-tier set of jars, but the point stood.
Amon had another reason besides his mission for urging Kuina to open one...
In Zoro's memories, Kuina died shortly after her two-thousand-and-first victory. If fate had brought him here, maybe he could stop it.
He didn't know when the accident would happen, and he couldn't stay forever. If a jar could grant Kuina something that saved her life, perhaps the tragedy could be avoided.
"Alright, wait here. I'll go home for the berries. Zoro, do you want to open one too?" Kuina sheathed Wado Ichimonji and hurried toward the dojo.
On the way out, she remembered to ask Zoro.
As the dojo master's daughter with remarkable talent, she'd saved a decent sum over the years. One hundred thousand berries wasn't much to her.
"Uh, you go ahead, Kuina. I..." Unlike Kuina, Zoro came from a common family. He didn't have that kind of money.
"Hehe, I knew it."
One look at Zoro's flushed face and Kuina knew he was broke. She returned with two hundred thousand berries.
She liked Zoro, and she was more than willing to cover a jar for him.
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