"Yasopp's friend?"
Usopp's mother, who had been lying weakly on the bed, suddenly gathered a bit of strength the moment she heard that someone had been sent back by Usopp's father. She lifted her head with some effort and looked toward Amon.
"Hello. I am a friend of Yasopp's, a jar merchant who sails the seas."
"This time I came to Syrup Village at his request. He heard that you were gravely ill and specifically asked me to come see you."
"At the same time, he hoped that my arrival could bring you some good luck and a bit of hope."
Feeling all eyes in the room turn to him, Amon calmly delivered the story he had prepared earlier.
...
"Hm? But how would Yasopp know that I am seriously ill?"
Usopp's mother was not as easy to fool as her son. In one sentence, she grasped the key point.
Hearing her question, Amon did not panic. He had already thought through all sorts of scenarios before coming in.
He stepped forward and said solemnly, "Just as I said, I am a jar merchant. It may sound unbelievable, but the reason Yasopp knows you are critically ill is because he bought one of my jars."
"From that jar, he learned that your illness had become life-threatening, so he entrusted me to come here. I know it sounds outrageous, but that is exactly what happened."
As he spoke, Amon took out one of his jars, placing it in his hand as proof.
"You are saying Yasopp learned of my illness from your jar?"
"Mr. Amon, it is not that I want to doubt you, but this is simply too astonishing."
"How could some ordinary looking jars reveal news about someone being gravely ill?"
Usopp's mother had not yet spoken, but the two neighbor women at her bedside could not hold back and immediately objected.
They felt that what Amon was saying was far too ridiculous.
"These are not broken jars. Every single one of them contains treasure. Believe it or not, that is up to you."
In truth, Amon was not very sure they would believe him either. It did sound a bit unbelievable.
His lie was also somewhat clumsy. There were plenty of holes if someone wanted to pick at it.
Maybe this was simply her fate. Even Amon did not know whether the jar would produce something that could save her. But as long as she opened one, there was a high chance.
...
"Mr. Amon, may I have a word with you in private?"
"Everyone, could you step outside for a moment? I want to speak with Mr. Amon alone."
Just as Amon thought this was going to fall through, Usopp's mother suddenly spoke up.
"Hm? Of course."
Although he was a bit surprised she would say that, Amon nodded right away.
Very soon, the others exchanged a few comforting words with Usopp's mother, then left the room and took Usopp out with them.
Once the room was empty except for Amon and Usopp's mother, she turned her tired gaze toward him and asked quietly, "Mr. Amon, have you really met Yasopp? I want the truth. You can think of it as fulfilling the last wish of a dying woman."
"Is that important?"
Amon did not rush to answer. Instead, he asked her in return.
"It is important."
Usopp's mother stared straight into his eyes.
"To tell you the truth, no, I have not met Yasopp," Amon said at last. "But I had no choice. Whether you believe me or not, I must still say this: as long as you let Usopp open one of my jars, there is a chance your illness can be cured."
He did not hide the fact that he had lied earlier. Since she had asked to speak to him alone, she must have had some way to tell whether he was lying. If he tried to keep pretending, it would only backfire. Better to be open.
"I believe you."
A faint smile appeared on her pale face.
"Perhaps you do not know, but I am actually a Devil Fruit user. I can sense the fluctuations in people's emotions. You are not lying."
A Devil Fruit user... so that was it.
No wonder she could tell he was not telling the truth before.
...
"All right, Usopp, you can come in now."
After getting the answer she wanted, Usopp's mother, Banchina, called her son back in.
"Usopp, there is a box under my bed. Help me take it out. There are some Berries inside. They are what your father left us when he departed. Take out one hundred thousand Berries and buy a jar from Mr. Amon. Perhaps then there will be hope for my illness."
During her conversation with Amon just now, she had already learned the price of a jar, and Amon had clearly told her that only Usopp could be the one to open it.
She did not understand why, but her senses told her that Amon was not trying to deceive her.
So she followed his instructions and told Usopp to buy a jar from him.
...
"Mr. Amon, can these jars really cure my mom?"
Usopp's hands trembled as he dragged the box out from under the bed.
Seeing the hope burning in the boy's eyes, Amon nodded.
"Of course they can."
In truth, what came out of a jar was a mix of luck and what the buyer desired, but he could not bring himself to crush the boy's hope.
"All right. Then I will open one."
Usopp took a deep breath and, following his mother's words, pulled out one hundred thousand Berries from the box.
"Good. Now, which one would you like?"
Amon opened his jar inventory, and several jars of different colors and patterns appeared before them.
"That green one. Green means hope."
Usopp pointed at one of the green jars and spoke firmly.
"Green, huh? All right. I wish you good luck, Usopp. And I wish you good luck as well, ma'am."
Amon took out the green jar and gave it a light tap.
With a soft clink, a wash of golden light flashed, and three items fell out onto the bed.
Usopp watched the things that had come out of the jar, his heart pounding.
"Mr. Amon, did it work? Did we get something that can cure my mom?"
"Do not worry. Let me check. There should be something."
Amon gave him a reassuring smile, then immediately activated the system appraisal.
Very soon, the attributes of the three items appeared before his eyes.
[Video Call Card]: A one-time consumable. After use, allows you to start a video conversation with someone.
[Thick Skin, Tough Flesh]: After learning it, your resistance to physical damage increases greatly. As long as the damage is not instantly fatal, your body recovers quickly.
[Life Elixir]: A future high-tech medical product. A miraculous potion that can cure any disease and restore the user to full health after drinking it.
Amon quickly finished reading through all three items. When he saw the description of the third, the tension in his chest finally loosened.
...
"Mr. Amon, how is it? Did we get something that can cure my mom?"
Seeing that Amon had looked through everything, Usopp stared at him with eyes full of hope.
The others in the room also turned to Amon, holding their breath, waiting for his answer.
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