"So, do you like the gift I gave you?"
Amon smiled as he watched them.
"Yes, very much. I love it. You are so good to me, sir."
Kaya could not keep her hands off Coco at all.
She had been lonely for so long that now, with such a cute partner suddenly by her side, she was so happy she almost did not know what to do.
Most importantly, her body was no longer weak. From now on she could go out and play with Coco, under the sun, in the wind, anywhere she wanted.
"Hahaha, as long as you like it, that is enough."
Moments like this made him feel that being a jar merchant was actually pretty good.
He was changing people's fates, bringing them happiness, one jar at a time.
...
"Mr. Amon, I really do not know how to thank you. If it were not for you, Kaya might have spent her whole life unable to walk freely. I truly do not know how we can ever repay you."
Kaya's father bowed deeply. His gratitude toward Amon was written all over his face.
"Hahaha, I like Kaya a lot as well. If you really want to thank me, why not let me stay here for one night? I noticed that there are no inns in the village."
When he had arrived earlier, he had used his Observation Haki to sweep the area.
Syrup Village was all residential. There was not a single place that looked like an inn.
If he did not stay here, his only choices would be to sleep rough outside or go back to the ship.
He was not interested in running all the way back to the harbor again after he had finally made it up here.
His ship was luxurious enough, but sleeping in the same place every night got boring. A change of scenery was nice.
And besides, he still had one jar left to sell.
...
"Of course. Not just one night, even if you wanted this entire house, I would gladly give it to you."
Kaya's father answered at once.
"Hahaha, no need for that. I am a traveling merchant. I will not be staying too long in any one place."
Amon chuckled.
He still had a lot of seas to cross and plenty of stories in this world that he wanted to see for himself. He was not about to settle down just yet.
"That is a shame."
Kaya's father sighed, then quickly thought of something else.
"Have you had dinner yet, Mr. Amon?"
"Not yet."
Amon shook his head. He had been running around ever since he landed and had not had a moment to sit down and eat.
"Merry, go and prepare dinner for Mr. Amon."
Kaya's father turned and gave the order.
...
"There is no rush. Actually, I still have one jar left to sell. Mr. Merry, would you be willing to buy this last jar from me?"
Amon smiled.
He still had not met the system's three-jar requirement for this place.
Merry was, after all, a named character in Syrup Village. The Going Merry itself would eventually be born from his designs and handiwork.
He was definitely qualified to count toward the system's quota.
"Me? I can buy one too?"
Merry had not expected Amon to offer him a jar, and for a moment he did not quite know what to do.
"Of course."
Amon nodded.
"Master... I..."
Merry was excited, but still turned to Kaya's father instinctively for confirmation.
"If Mr. Amon is willing to sell you a jar, then that is your good fortune. I am very happy for you. Go on, do not miss the opportunity."
Kaya's father smiled broadly.
After what he had seen, there was no way he would get in the way of Merry opening a jar.
To be honest, he himself wanted to open one too. But since Amon had not offered him one, he was too embarrassed to ask.
Amon was his daughter's life saver. He was not the type to reach out and grab more than he was given.
...
"Merry is going to open a jar too? That is great. I wanna see what kind of treasure he will get."
Kaya came trotting over happily with Coco in her arms when she heard that Merry was going to open one as well.
"Then I will not refuse, Mr. Amon. Thank you very much."
Merry took a deep breath.
...
"Mr. Merry, which one would you like?"
Amon accepted the Berries and gestured to the jars that appeared.
"Give me a white one."
Merry had always had a special fondness for white. He pointed at a white jar without hesitation.
"White, huh? All right."
Amon nodded and took the white jar out of the group.
"I wish you good luck, Mr. Merry."
He handed him the little wooden mallet.
Merry's heart was beating fast. He gripped the mallet and brought it down in one clean swing.
With a crisp crack, the jar shattered, and three items clattered onto the floor in front of everyone.
...
"Look, they fell out. Merry also got three, just like me."
Kaya clapped her hands in delight.
She thought Merry was as lucky as she was, getting three treasures at once.
"Haha, that is right. It seems Mr. Merry has pretty good luck too. Let me see what you got."
If he was going to act, he would act all the way. He did not want Kaya to realize he had been teasing her.
He picked up the three items and activated the system scan.
But when his eyes fell on a tiny model ship among the items, he froze for a second.
In his mind, one word exploded.
What the...
That little ship... its silhouette, its lines, its figurehead... that could not be...
The Going Merry?
The Going Merry was a name no Straw Hat fan would ever forget.
In the original story, after Luffy and the others defeated the Black Cat Pirates and saved Syrup Village, Merry had given the Going Merry, his beloved ship design, to the Straw Hat Pirates as a gift and expression of gratitude.
It was the Straw Hats' very first ship.
The Going Merry had carried them across countless waves and out of countless dangers.
It had a self-repairing ability, and eventually even awakened a ship's spirit. It was a legend among ships.
During the Enies Lobby incident, the Going Merry, already damaged beyond normal repair, had still forced its way back through the storm and the sea of justice to rescue the Straw Hats one last time.
In the end, too badly damaged to go on, it was finally given a Viking funeral, burning on the sea as Luffy and the others wept.
And now, in Merry's jar, a miniature version of that ship had just appeared in Amon's hands.