"Boss, thanks a lot. We really thought we were going to die out here in the middle of nowhere."
Lying on the deck, Buggy looked relieved. There was nothing around them, no island ahead, no ship behind. A little longer in the sea and they might really have ended up buried beneath it.
Amon smiled. "No need to be so polite. Though I am curious. From what I know, your crew should not have many enemies in East Blue. How did you end up in such a miserable state?"
That question made Buggy and the others grit their teeth.
"It was that bastard Mihawk!"
"We just happened to pass by him, and that lunatic split our ship in half with one slash!"
Their luck really had been terrible. Mihawk had been on his way back to the Grand Line, and they had chosen exactly the wrong moment to cross paths with him. Before they could even react, he had cut their ship apart in a single strike. If Amon had not shown up, they might all have died drifting at sea.
"Mihawk did it?"
Amon's expression turned odd.
If it really was Mihawk, then wiping out the Buggy Pirates was easy enough. But had he not gone to Shimotsuki Village? Why was he here instead?
Did that mean he had already taken Zoro and Kuina as disciples?
"Buggy, when you saw Mihawk, was anyone else with him? A boy and a girl around eight or nine years old, maybe?"
At that, Buggy's eyes narrowed at once.
"How do you know he had a boy and a girl with him? Don't tell me you're with him."
When Buggy saw Mihawk that day, the children at his side had stood out immediately. Mihawk usually traveled alone. That was why Buggy had gone closer in the first place, curious about the rare sight. Before he could even greet him, Mihawk had apparently mistaken them for attackers and sliced their ship apart.
Now Amon knew about the children too. No wonder Buggy was getting suspicious.
"Take it easy. I'm not with him," Amon said with a laugh. "I just saw him once from a distance before. He had a boy and a girl with him then too, so I got curious and asked."
That was enough for Amon to more or less confirm it. Mihawk had probably succeeded in taking both Zoro and Kuina with him.
If that was the case, then after entering the Grand Line, he would have to make a trip to Mihawk's island.
"Really? You only saw him once?" Buggy still looked doubtful.
"Of course. I'm just a Jar merchant. Why would I be mixed up with a vicious pirate like him? Besides, if I were with him, why would I save you?"
Amon spoke with perfect righteousness, and only then did Buggy relax. What he feared most was Mihawk suddenly returning. Buggy was not worried about being cut himself, thanks to the Chop-Chop Fruit, but if Mihawk destroyed this ship too, they would be finished for real.
"Mohji, did you get in touch with the others? Tell them to hurry over and pick us up."
"Captain Buggy, I already contacted them. The others will be here soon."
Mohji answered with his usual flattering tone.
"Good." Buggy finally settled down, then turned back to Amon. "This time, I really do owe you one."
Amon grinned. "No need to thank me. If you want to thank anything, thank these Jars. They told me there were people in the water to the southwest, so I came over."
That, of course, was not the full truth. The system had told him, not the Jars. Still, the Jars and the system came as a set, so saying the Jars had told him was not exactly wrong.
"You're saying these Jars told you we'd fallen into the sea?"
Buggy stared at the colorful Jars laid out on deck, stunned. For all his experience, he had never heard of a Jar that could tell someone where drowning people were.
Amon spread his hands. "The world is full of strange things. Look at Devil Fruits. Who could have guessed that such small fruits would contain such incredible powers?"
Buggy nodded slowly.
"That's true enough."
He had sailed with the Pirate King for a time. He knew better than most that this world was full of impossible things. Islands in the sky. An elephant larger than an entire country. Over the years, he had searched the seas endlessly for treasure. In some ways, Buggy really was one of the purest pirates around. Compared to him, the Straw Hat crew looked more like adventurers than pirates.
Amon saw the interest in his face and moved in at once.
"So, Captain Buggy, want to try opening one? I guarantee these Jars are full of treasures. Absolutely no loss."
Buggy was indeed tempted. Amon had made them sound mysterious enough that the urge to try one rose immediately.
"So, how much are these Jars?"
He was already planning to buy one and see whether they were really as magical as Amon claimed.
"Cheap. Only a hundred thousand berries each."
The moment Buggy heard the price, his expression changed.
"One hundred thousand for one? You're not trying to scam me, are you?"
Amon smiled without the slightest embarrassment. "How could I? These Jars are high quality and worth every coin. They're filled with treasure. A hundred thousand isn't expensive at all. Besides, with your intelligence, there's no way I could fool you."
"That's true," Buggy said at once, nodding in satisfaction. He had plenty of confidence in his own brains.
Seeing the look on his face, Amon knew the deal was basically done.
"I'm telling you, every single one of these Jars contains treasure. You might even open a treasure map. And if that happens, Captain Buggy, you'll make a fortune. Small money for big money. You can't catch a wolf without bait."
Buggy rubbed his red nose, clearly wavering.
"Fine. Then I'll buy one and try it. Let's see if they're really as amazing as you say."
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