"Hey, can I try them on?"
"Of course."
Amon handed them over.
The moment Buggy got them, he pulled them on at once.
"Why can I still see my feet?"
Nothing had vanished yet, and Buggy immediately shot Amon a suspicious look, as though he had just been scammed.
Amon only smiled. "Try saying hide in your head."
The shoes did not activate on their own. The wearer had to will them to disappear. Otherwise, if someone's feet stayed invisible all the time, that would be suspicious in a different way.
'Hide.'
Following Amon's instructions, Buggy silently gave the command in his mind.
The instant he did, both the shoes and his feet vanished from sight.
At that moment, Buggy looked like a man with no feet at all.
It was actually a little unsettling to look at.
Then again, that was what these shoes had originally been made for, to scare people. It was only because Buggy matched them so perfectly that they became something extraordinary in his hands. In that sense, his luck really was absurd.
"Hahaha! You really can't see my feet anymore!"
"Chop-Chop!"
Buggy was overjoyed. He immediately used his fruit ability, splitting his body apart as it floated into the air.
"Captain Buggy's feet really disappeared!"
"Amazing!"
"Captain Buggy is the greatest!"
The Buggy Pirates erupted in excitement right along with him. The stronger Buggy became, the higher their own standing rose with him, so they were thrilled.
"Hahaha! From now on, nobody can ever grab my feet again!"
"This feels incredible!"
With his feet hidden, Buggy flew around in the air in pure delight.
"Hahaha! Boys, your great Captain Buggy is back!"
He was exhilarated. His fruit had always had that single glaring weakness. Now that it was covered, he felt as if he could finally soar.
Only after making a full lap around the ship did Buggy come back down, thoroughly satisfied. With another thought, he revealed the shoes again, and his feet reappeared.
Amon watched him with an amused smile. "Still think it's useless?"
"Not useless, not useless at all!" Buggy said immediately. "Thank you, this thing is amazing!"
Now that his biggest weakness had been covered, he could use his fruit ability much more freely. In his own mind, his combat power had gone up several times over just because of this one item.
Amon chuckled. "I told you the items in my Jars are worth far more than their price."
"Oh, right. Here, take this map fragment too."
As he spoke, he handed over the other item.
"This is the second treasure you got from the Jar. A fragment of a treasure map. Supposedly, it leads to some enormous treasure. Take a look for yourself."
Amon could not really embellish this one too much, so he simply let Buggy inspect it directly.
"A treasure map?"
The words alone were enough to make Buggy's eyes light up again.
In reality, his pirate crew had never really been built around robbing and looting. His original goal had always been treasure hunting. For years he had dreamed of finding a legendary hoard, but nothing had ever truly satisfied him.
And now he had opened a treasure map from one of these Jars.
He snatched it up at once and started examining it carefully.
"It really is a treasure map... but only a fragment. The first half is missing."
"Only the second half is here. And what's this big eye supposed to mean? Is the treasure hidden somewhere you can only see through it?"
Even incomplete, the map had already hooked him completely.
While Buggy was absorbed in studying it, Richie, the lion standing beside Mohji, suddenly padded toward Amon. He looked up with eager eyes and let out a series of sounds that none of the others could understand.
Before Amon could make sense of it, Lily spoke up from the side.
"Brother Amon, the lion says the Jars are really good. He wants to open one too. He's asking whether you'll sell him one."
Amon turned to her, surprised.
Because of her Telepathy, Lily could understand not only human speech but animal sounds as well. Seeing his confusion, she had stepped in to translate at once.
"Lily, you can understand what he's saying?"
Amon was delighted.
Lily nodded. "Mm. Lily can understand some of it."
Amon laughed. "That's perfect."
He immediately had her continue acting as translator.
"Tell him he can open one if he wants, but it'll still cost a hundred thousand berries."
"Okay."
Lily nodded and began chattering back and forth with Richie in a strange exchange no one else could understand.
The Buggy Pirates stared in disbelief.
A little girl who could talk to animals?
That was ridiculous.
Kirlia looked so much like a human child, especially in clothes, that they had all taken Lily for an ordinary little girl until now.
A moment later, Lily turned back.
"Brother Amon, he says he has private savings. They're in his stomach."
At the same time, Richie opened his mouth and spat out a large chunk of gold.
Then, with an oddly human expression, he pushed it toward Amon like an offering.
Amon clicked his tongue in admiration.
This lion really was something else.
As expected of a beast that had once dreamed of becoming captain, Richie had plenty of spirit.