"They're all pretty good. More than worth the price."
Smoker's luck was actually only average, but Amon still gave the usual line. He needed to lure people into opening more Jars, after all.
Whether the draw was truly amazing or not did not matter for now. Praise it first. As for what happened later, that was none of his business.
"Mr Amon, hurry and tell us what Smoker got. I want to know."
Before Smoker could even speak, Tashigi was already blinking up at Amon with wide, curious eyes.
Smoker was no different. He looked at Amon with clear expectation, wanting to know exactly what he had pulled.
"Haha, alright."
Seeing Tashigi act cute like that put Amon in a very good mood.
Come to think of it, Tashigi did resemble Kuina somewhat, but their personalities were completely different. Kuina would never act spoiled the way Tashigi did.
So after being met with Tashigi's adorable pleading, Amon found it rather pleasing.
He immediately granted her wish, picked up the black card, and began explaining.
"This is called an Armament Haki Card. As long as you use this card, even if you've never come into contact with anything related to Armament Haki before, you'll automatically learn it."
Amon spoke calmly, but Smoker was utterly stunned.
"S-Sir... you're saying that after using this card, I can directly learn Armament Haki?!"
As a Marine officer, Smoker often came into contact with people who could use Haki.
Among them, Armament Haki was what he had always wanted to learn the most, because it was one of the most direct ways to deal with Logia Devil Fruit users.
The only problem was that his talent in that area seemed lacking. No matter how much he trained, he had never managed to develop it.
And now Amon was telling him that a single tiny card could make him learn Armament Haki.
How could he not be shocked?
What struck him even harder was Amon's indifferent tone, as though this was nothing unusual at all.
"Of course. I told you already, everything inside my Jars is treasure. The three kinds of Haki are only the basics."
In the world of One Piece, the three types of Haki were indeed powerful, but to Amon, they were just the foundation.
Most of the truly amazing things came from the countless worlds beyond this one.
It was a pity that Smoker's luck was only middling. It could not be called especially good, but it was not bad either. Just solid and ordinary.
"The three kinds of Haki are only the basics...?"
Smoker felt like his entire worldview was starting to crack.
In his eyes, Haki was already one of the strongest powers in the world, yet here, in Amon's hands, it had become one of the basic levels of reward.
No wonder a legend like Garp was so obsessed with these Jars.
"Here, take it. The way to use it is very simple, you just need to..."
As he spoke, Amon explained how Smoker should use the Armament Haki Card.
"I only need to hold it in my hand?" Smoker still found it hard to believe, but he followed Amon's instructions anyway. He clasped the card in both hands and said he wanted to use it.
The moment the words left his mouth, the black card turned into a streak of dark light and entered his body.
As that black light fused into him, Smoker suddenly felt a flood of knowledge appear in his mind, all of it related to the use and circulation of Armament Haki. At the same time, the dark light also strengthened and transformed his body, bringing it to the level necessary to wield Armament Haki.
"So incredible..."
Smoker was astonished as he felt the changes in his body.
He clenched his fist, now hard and solid, and felt as though it had become tougher than steel itself.
"So this is Armament Haki? It's incredible!"
At that moment, Smoker desperately wanted to test the power of his fists properly. Unfortunately, there was nothing around that was suitable for it.
"Mr. Amon, is Armament Haki really that strong?"
Tashigi, standing beside him, looked confused when she saw how delighted Smoker was.
She was only around 10 or 11 years old. She had no real concept of the three kinds of Haki yet.
"Of course. Armament Haki is one of the strongest enhancement methods in this world. It can cover the user's body in an invisible layer of armor. That armor does not just increase combat power, it also greatly boosts defense. If you don't believe me, try attacking Smoker and see for yourself."
"That's right, Tashigi. Use your weapon and strike me."
"Okay!"
Tashigi knew Smoker was a Logia user, so she was not afraid that her blades might truly hurt him.
Besides, she also wanted to see whether Armament Haki was really as amazing as Amon said.
Without hesitation, she drew the weapon she carried with her, a great grade blade Shigure. Her father had specially asked someone to forge it after learning that she wanted to practice swordsmanship. It was sharp beyond compare.
"Smoker, I am attacking now!"
After giving Smoker a warning, Tashigi gripped the sword with both hands and slashed toward him.
Clang!
The blade, which had originally been sharp enough to cut through almost anything, was violently knocked back the instant it struck Smoker's body.
Meanwhile, Smoker, who had taken the hit head-on, was completely unharmed.
"Wow, Armament Haki is amazing! I want to learn it too!"
Seeing that Smoker did not suffer even the slightest injury, Tashigi grew excited and immediately started clamoring to learn it herself.
"I don't really know how to teach you either. Why don't you buy a Jar from Mr Amon later and give it a try?"
Smoker had always treated Tashigi like a real younger sister. Seeing her insist so eagerly, he pushed the matter toward Amon.
After all, he himself had gained this Armament Haki in such a strange way that he had no idea how to teach someone else.
As soon as she heard that, Tashigi immediately clung to Amon, grabbing his sleeve with watery eyes.
"Mr. Amon, I want to open a Jar too!"
Looking at the adorable little girl, Amon's mood improved even further. He patted her on the head and said, "Alright, no problem. Once I finish explaining Smoker's other items, I'll let you open one."
He still needed one more person to complete his task, so if Tashigi wanted to open a Jar, he was more than happy to let her.