The moment the pill slid down his throat, Ace felt a warm current surge out from his limbs and bones, flooding every corner of his body. It kept washing through him, reforging and strengthening his muscles and bones. Under the effect of that warmth, it was as if every single cell in his body began to cheer and dance.
A strange, indescribable sense of comfort spread through him.
It was like a man wandering half dead through a desert for days, suddenly finding an oasis and drinking the sweetest nectar in the world. His whole body relaxed, inside and out, soaked in pure relief.
Garp and the others watched Ace's expression turn from tense to blissful after swallowing the Minor Rejuvenation Pill.
Everyone's eyes went wide.
Sabo was so stunned that he forgot he was holding an iron pipe. It slipped from his hand and clanged loudly onto the deck.
Under the stares of the group, Ace finally finished absorbing the pill's effects.
"Ho-ha!"
Feeling a large swell of strength rise within him, Ace threw a casual punch at the air in front of him.
As his fist drove forward, the air itself seemed to rip, a stream of force trailing from his knuckles. Under the influence of the pill, Ace's punches actually carried visible force.
He punched a few more times before finally drawing back his fists with satisfaction.
The others beside him, though, were completely dumbfounded.
Holy crap, he got this strong from just one tiny pill?
Luffy was the only one who did not look that shocked. He had already experienced the thrill of power skyrocketing in a short time.
The others simply could not wrap their heads around it.
"Ace, how do you feel? Is there anything wrong with your body?"
Garp stared hard at him, a flicker of genuine surprise flashing in his eyes. With his experience, he could clearly see the difference in Ace's strength from before and after.
What he feared most was that Ace had swallowed some kind of drug that simply forced his potential out.
"I feel like my whole body is overflowing with strength."
Ace answered, then threw a few more punches at the air, veins standing out on his arms.
"How about it, I did not lie to you, did I? That pill really is something that boosts a person's power. And there are plenty more miraculous treasures like that inside my jars."
Before this, Amon had not been sure how much the Minor Rejuvenation Pill would help Ace. Now that he had seen the results for himself, he struck the pose of a seasoned expert without hesitation.
"Mr. Amon, thank you."
Ace did not forget the one who made this possible. For someone like him, who usually kept his distance from others, true respect ran very deep once given.
"Hehe, get up, get up. I am just a merchant. What comes out of the jars depends entirely on your luck."
Amon quickly grabbed Ace and pulled him back up, as if to say there was no need to bow to him.
"And besides, you are thanking me too early. That flame behind you, that is the real main event."
"The main event? You mean the third item is even more incredible than the first two?"
The first two items had already left everyone feeling they had seen something unbelievable. Hearing Amon claim that the third item surpassed them both made their hearts race.
Each of them could not help imagining what might be hidden inside that strange blue fire.
But Amon was still speaking with Ace, so no one interrupted.
They wanted to see for themselves what the third treasure really was.
"Yes. The third item is extremely precious. Compared to it, a Devil Fruit is worth almost nothing. This flame is a hundred times more valuable than any Devil Fruit."
Amon was not exaggerating. The Magic Flame's power far outstripped simple abilities of the Flame Flame Fruit.
More importantly, this flame was not weakened by seawater. It would not render its host helpless the way Devil Fruit powers did.
That single trait alone already put it far above ordinary fruits.
"A hundred times more precious than a Devil Fruit. Just what kind of thing is that?"
No one knew better than Garp how precious Devil Fruits were. In the New World, even the most basic Devil Fruit could sell for hundreds of millions of Berries.
Now Amon was claiming that this flame was worth a hundred times more. Garp's eyes went round as he stared at the third item, burning with curiosity.
"Hehe, that is right. This is far more precious than a Devil Fruit. It is called the Magic Flame, a mysterious fire. It is the nemesis of all other fires in the world. Its temperature surpasses magma. At its peak, it can even burn seawater itself to nothing. Of course, that would be after it is fully developed."
Amon smiled and laid the third item out for all of them to see.
"Burn seawater itself…"
Ace repeated Amon's words under his breath, his hands clenching unconsciously.
His eyes were full of naked desire.
"Here, Ace. Take it. Develop it well. Do not let its power go to waste."
Seeing the longing in Ace's eyes, Amon gently offered the Magic Flame to him.
The items that came out of jars all carried a protective layer at first and were bound to accept a master, so Amon was not afraid of being burned.
"Mr. Amon, I am truly grateful."
Ace's hands trembled slightly as he accepted the flame, afraid that even the smallest mistake might damage it.
Once he had a firm grip, he bowed deeply, his forehead nearly hitting the deck.
In that moment, he had already placed Amon among the people he respected most in his life.
Seeing Ace like this, Amon nodded in satisfaction.
A person with a personality like Ace's, once he recognized someone in his heart, would stand by that choice for life. He was not the type to give shallow thanks and then forget.
"Hurry and form a bond with it. Just drip your blood on it."
After pulling Ace back up, Amon calmly gave him instructions.
"Alright."
Ace also wanted to see what the flame could do once it recognized him.
Following Amon's guidance, he bit his fingertip and, under everyone's gaze, let a drop of blood fall onto the Magic Flame.
Zzz, zzz...
As Ace's blood touched its surface, the flame gave off a strange glow. In the blink of an eye, it shrank into a streak of light and shot straight into Ace's body.
The moment the flame entered him, Ace's skin turned flushed red. Sweat poured from him like rain, and his expression twisted with intense pain.
"Ace! Ace!"
Seeing him suddenly doubled over in agony, Luffy and Sabo shouted his name in panic.
"What did you do to Ace?"
Garp's eyes hardened, and he fixed Amon with a glare, his posture ready to move at any moment.
"Gramps, I am fine. Do not make things hard for Mr. Amon."
Before Amon could speak, Ace cut him off.
His body felt like it was on fire from the inside, but he sensed that this reaction was normal.
The pain tearing through him did not feel like something that would destroy him.
It felt like the flame was cleansing his body, tempering his bones and blood, forcing his flesh to adapt to its presence so that he could truly command its power in the future.