Kuina ran fast. She had barely left when she came back hugging a small tin, her savings inside. A little was from her father, but most had been earned by winning tournaments.
"Mr. Amon, here you go. Two hundred thousand berries. I'm covering Zoro's share too."
Kuina really did spoil Zoro a little. They clashed often and treated each other as rivals, training hard without pause, yet they were also good friends.
"Kuina, you can't…"
Zoro hadn't expected her to bring his share as well and was at a loss for words. He'd always viewed her as a rival; he never imagined she'd treat him this kindly.
"It's fine, Zoro. It's only a hundred thousand berries. Since Mr. Amon says these jars can yield good things, shouldn't we share if something great appears?"
"I believe if you had the money, you'd help me the same way," Kuina said with a smile.
"Thank you, Kuina."
With that said, Zoro didn't act stiff. And like Kuina, he was deeply curious about Amon's jars. They trusted Amon's word; a swordsman that strong wouldn't lie to them.
"Mr. Amon, please count it."
Kuina tipped the berries from the tin and held them out with both hands.
"Haha, no need. I trust you gave the full amount." Amon smiled. Kuina had left a good impression. Counting money was work the system could handle anyway; no need for him to do it himself. It had already tallied the sum—exactly two hundred thousand berries.
"Kuina, which one do you want?"
With the money taken, Amon's smile widened, selling the role of shrewd merchant to perfection. If not for his display of strength earlier, the two of them might have mistaken him for a swindler.
"I'll take the blue one." After a moment's thought, Kuina pointed to a sky-blue jar in Amon's bag. Something about it felt right.
"The blue jar, got it."
Amon reached in and lifted it free.
"Good luck, Kuina."
"Thank you, Mr. Amon." Kuina nodded and then stared, a little unsure, at the jar in his hands.
"Ahem... I forgot to mention—these jars have to be smashed open."
Back in Foosha Village, people had taken the initiative, so he'd gotten used to letting them do it and forgot to explain the rules. Awkward.
"Hehe, you really are interesting, Mr. Amon."
Kuina covered her mouth with a laugh, then extended her slender arm, took the wooden mallet Amon offered, and brought it down.
Clang.
The jar shattered. Three small items fell out.
"Huh? What are these?"
Before a system scan, the contents never displayed their true properties. Seeing three unassuming trinkets left Kuina a bit lost.
A hundred thousand berries for this?
"Don't rush. Let me take a look for you." Amon glanced at the puzzled Kuina and the craning Zoro and smiled. "We'll see what each one does."
He picked them up. The three items were a small vial of liquid, a thread-woven doll, and a teal-colored card.
Amon invoked the system scan.
In moments, the details appeared before his eyes.
[Primary Body-Refining Elixir]: A high-tech product from Planet Alpha, refined from nebular essence to enhance the human body. After use, it purifies the meridians and strengthens cells and organs, boosting physical power and growth potential.
Amon's heart leapt. He hadn't expected to actually pull a body-refining tonic. Even if it was only primary grade, it should reshape Kuina's physique so she wouldn't fall behind male swordsmen at the starting line.
Smiling, he checked the second item. With the very first draw already answering Kuina's core problem, his mood had brightened considerably.
[Substitute Doll]: An life-saving artifact. When the wearer suffers a fatal injury, the doll swaps places with them, taking the blow instead. Single-use. After activation, the threads unravel on their own.
A Substitute Doll? Perfect. Amon nearly jumped. This fit Kuina's situation like a key to a lock. By the story's course, she would face a deadly trial in a few days, and he hadn't known how to help. He never expected her luck to be this good—to draw a literal lifesaver. Heaven truly left a thread of mercy for her.
Already delighted with the first two, Amon looked to the third item.
[Shave]: One of the Marines' Six Styles. By striking the ground dozens of times in an instant, the user generates explosive rebound to move at high speed. Using this card teaches the beginner form of the technique.