"S... sugoi!"
While everyone else was staring in shock, the first to speak was Luffy.
Looking at the result of Ace's attack, his eyes were filled with stars, his arms waving wildly in excitement.
Seeing Ace become stronger made Luffy genuinely happy.
"So strong..."
Ace himself was stunned by his own power. He stared at his hands, which were still wreathed in blue-green flames, his face full of disbelief.
He had mentally prepared himself, but seeing that huge hole burned into the sea still left him shaken.
After a brief moment of shock, joy surged up to replace it, and his respect for Amon rose even higher.
"What terrifying flames, they actually burned seawater away completely..."
Forget the brats like Luffy. Even Garp, who had seen all kinds of storms on the seas, was deeply shaken by the power of Ace's fire.
The destructive force of the punch itself did not surprise him much. In the New World, and even among the Marines, there were plenty of people who could devastate the sea with a single blow.
But fire that could burn seawater itself... that was something he had never seen.
Everyone knew the sea was always the greatest enemy of Devil Fruit users.
Even someone as strong as Whitebeard would be weakened in the ocean.
Now he was seeing a flame that was not only unaffected by seawater, but could erase it. How could he not be stunned?
"Hehe, so? I did not lie to you, did I? These jars are full of treasures. Not a single one is empty."
Amon was shaken too, but he quickly recovered.
While everyone was still stunned by the power of the Magic Flame, he immediately slipped into salesman mode.
With Ace as a walking advertisement, the effect was incredible.
At the mention of opening jars, several pairs of eyes lit up.
Garp was the first to hurry over, laughing loudly.
"Hahahaha, these jars really are something. This old man wants to open a few as well. How much is one jar?"
After witnessing what had just happened, he could no longer hold back the itch in his hands.
He had seen Ace hand over only a small pouch earlier, so he knew the price Luffy had paid. Hundred thousand Berries for something that could produce treasure like this... in Garp's heart, that was worth opening a whole shipload.
"Hehe, Luffy and his friends pay one hundred thousand Berries per jar. But if you want to open one, Mr. Garp, it will be One Hundred million Berries each."
Amon smiled as he named the price.
He knew Garp was well traveled and would clearly understand the value of these jars, so he raised the price on the spot to slaughter him a little.
More importantly, this old man had tried to smash him several times earlier and had even hit him "by accident" just now.
His shoulder still hurt.
As a petty man by nature, Amon felt it was only right to take his revenge and line his own pockets at the same time.
Hundred thousand would go into the system as cost, and the rest... he would happily keep.
Later, when he reached other islands, if he met someone nice who could not afford a jar, he could choose to sponsor them using that extra money.
"You brat, you are hiking the price on the spot. For these shabby jars, you dare ask One Hundred Million Berries apiece!"
The smile on Garp's face faded the second he heard the price. He glared and yelled right away.
"Hehe, Mr. Garp, call it price-gouging if you want, but do you really not know the value of these jars? Besides, no one is forcing you to buy. I have not put a gun to your head."
Amon gave him a disdainful look.
'Old fossil, you still have the face to act offended?'
In the New World, even the cheapest Devil Fruit cost around one hundred million Berries.
His jars could produce things far more powerful than ordinary fruits. Selling one for a hundred million was perfectly reasonable.
If you opened something good, one hundred million Berries was not expensive at all.
"Hahahaha, this old man is just a little short on cash right now."
Being called out so bluntly left Garp a bit embarrassed. His cheeks reddened slightly.
These jars really were worth one hundred million.
"But it is fine. I will just borrow from an old friend."
Garp said that as he pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
...
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku was drinking tea and reading the day's newspaper, casually tossing a biscuit to the goat beside him.
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang.
He picked it up and saw that the caller was Garp.
"Hello, Garp. What is it now?"
Sengoku smiled faintly as he answered.
"Hey, Sengoku, lend me one billion Berries. I will pay you back next time we meet."
Garp was as blunt as ever. The moment the line connected, he went straight to begging for money.
"Pfft! Garp, you damn old lunatic, how much? Say that again!"
The instant Sengoku heard "one billion Berries," he sprayed tea out of his mouth, roaring into the receiver.
Marines passing by outside all turned curious heads toward his office.
Even the goat that had been quietly chewing biscuits stopped eating and looked up at Sengoku with a strangely human expression.
"Hahahaha, old friend, do not get so worked up. It is only one billion Berries. I will pay you back next time, I promise."
Being called a damned old lunatic did not bother Garp at all.
He just chuckled cheerfully and kept pressing the issue.
"Get lost! Last time, when it was thirty million, you said the exact same thing, and it has been three years. I have not seen a single Berry. Now you dare ask for one billion? Get as far away from me as you can!"
Sengoku's temper exploded.
Hearing that familiar laughing tone through the line only made him angrier.
"Hahahaha, Sengoku, you are far too stingy. It was only thirty million. It is not like I said I would never repay you. I am just a bit short lately. I really need one billion this time, it is urgent. I promise I will pay you back afterward. Worst case, I will go into the New World and bring you back a few big-shot pirates as collateral."
Garp and Sengoku had been friends for decades, and he knew Sengoku's temper like the back of his hand.
With that line, he was confident Sengoku would eventually give in.