Kizaru's expression left Amon a little confused.
He had just flipped through that book. It really was nothing more than a very ordinary children's science reader, talking about where light comes from, how it is used, and a few basic effects and principles.
In his previous life, stuff like that could be found everywhere. He had originally thought that after spending so many Berries and getting three utterly useless items, Kizaru would be furious. Instead, the admiral's face was full of surprise and delight.
Amon really could not understand it. What was so exciting about a kids' science book?
While Amon was puzzled, Kizaru was staring wide-eyed at that elementary-level science primer on light, his eyes practically glowing.
He looked like a man who had not seen a woman in over ten years suddenly arriving on a beach full of bikini models.
Truly terrifying.
He kept reading and giggling, that lecherous face of his making everything worse. If Amon had not already read the book himself, he would have thought Kizaru was looking at some kind of restricted, adults-only material.
The more he read, the more engrossed Kizaru became. Gradually, a feeling of sudden enlightenment spread through him.
Golden light danced at his fingertips, looking very similar to the motion he used when firing his laser beams.
"Cough, cough."
Watching Kizaru get carried away like that, Amon had to speak up. He was really worried that this idiot would suddenly fire a laser in the middle of his "experimentation." After all, there were still a lot of people on the ship.
Hearing Amon's reminder, Kizaru snapped out of it and quickly stopped moving his hands. His face, however, was still full of excitement.
"Sorry, Amon. The contents of this book are simply too wonderful. I got drawn in without realizing it."
"I really do not know which genius wrote this. It is simple and easy to understand, but it makes everything feel suddenly clear. It feels like a dam in my mind was just blown wide open."
"Oh? What do you mean? Are you satisfied with it?"
Amon still did not understand why this children's book had made Kizaru so happy, so he probed a little.
Kizaru hugged the thin book like a treasure.
"Very satisfied. Extremely satisfied. I never expected a jar to contain something like this. If I had gotten my hands on it earlier, I think I could have avoided so many detours with my Glint-Glint Fruit."
"Oh?"
Now Amon was even more confused.
Could it be that this bastard had actually found new inspiration for his Glint-Glint Fruit from an elementary science reader?
That should not be possible. The book was full of simple diagrams and childish examples...
But Amon had guessed right.
This little primer really had given Kizaru new insight into his fruit. The way it explained reflection, refraction, focus, dispersion and other ideas, plus some creative example experiments, gave Kizaru all sorts of inspiration.
What Amon saw as a cheap children's book, Kizaru saw as a god-tier manual.
"Thank you, Mr. Amon. From today on, Borsalino owes you a favor."
Kizaru bowed slightly to Amon, and even the way he addressed him had changed, becoming distinctly more respectful.
It was a rare moment of sincerity from him.
Originally, when Amon showed him the first two items, Kizaru had thought the jar merchant was playing with him, calling random items "treasures" just to save face.
Now he realized he had been the petty one. That book alone was worth far more than the ten million he had paid. The other two items were just extra.
This trip to the East Blue might have ended with him getting beaten up, but with such a harvest, he felt he had made a huge profit.
If Amon knew what Kizaru was thinking, he would definitely laugh out loud. Because yes, he had indeed been mocking Kizaru the entire time.
...
"Admiral Kizaru, sir, there is a call from Headquarters. They want you to take the Den Den Mushi."
Just as Kizaru finished expressing his thanks, a Marine at the bow shouted over to him.
"Oh, what a mood killer. They called already."
Kizaru sighed, then his body flashed and disappeared from sight again.
All right, Amon thought, this fruit ability really was convenient. It felt like instant teleportation.
Seeing Kizaru finally leave, the chefs on the ship all let out a collective sigh of relief.
Most of them had once been pirates. They were born with a deep fear of Marine admirals.
By now, Zeff had woken up from his faint. When he learned that so much had happened while he was unconscious, he was left full of complicated emotions.
He was especially moved when the chefs told him that Amon had fought Admiral Kizaru to a standstill. His respect for the jar merchant deepened even further.
On top of Amon curing his leg, there was now this display of overwhelming strength.
People of the pirate world were actually very simple. They respected the strong, sincerely and wholeheartedly.
Sanji had been equally shaken by Amon's power. He felt that what he had just witnessed would likely stay with him for the rest of his life.
Seeing the worship in Sanji's eyes, Amon could only smile helplessly.
Fine. Looks like he had gained another little fan.
...
Once all the jars were sold, Amon stayed at the ocean-going restaurant for a while longer, then finally steered his ship away toward his next destination.
Because the system had issued a new mission.
This time, the target location was Syrup Village.
The moment he heard the name, several familiar figures popped up in Amon's mind: Usopp, little Kaya, and the Going Merry itself all originated from there.
Even the Red-Haired Pirates' sniper, Yasopp, was from Syrup Village.
Back at the Baratie, almost all the chefs had gathered on the deck.
When they heard Amon was leaving, they all came out on their own to see him off.
At the front of the group stood the owner, Red-Leg Zeff. His leg had now fully recovered. He walked forward on his new leg, stopped in front of Amon and gave a small bow.
"Mr. Amon, thank you for everything you have done for our sea restaurant. I wish you a safe journey."
"You are welcome."
Amon smiled warmly.
In the end, his gaze fell on Sanji.
"Sanji, the All Blue really does exist. Work hard. When we meet again, I hope you will already have found your fabled blue sea."
With that, Amon jumped lightly into his little boat. He turned around and waved at the chefs lined up on the deck.
"All right, everyone, until we meet again."
On the deck, Sanji heard Amon's final words and almost burst into tears.
"Yeah... Mr. Amon, I will definitely find the All Blue."
"Goodbye, Mr. Amon!"
...
Sitting on his small boat, Amon took out his exclusive jar.
It was the reward from the system for selling the tenth jar at the sea restaurant.
This was his third exclusive jar.
The first two had both contained excellent things, so his expectations for the third were naturally high.
With a crisp clink, Amon knocked his exclusive jar open.
A burst of golden light flashed, then faded, revealing three items nestled inside.