Since Cobra had been the first to ask, Amon let him choose first. Pell would have to wait for the next one, which wasn't a problem. The Jars weren't going anywhere.
"That's fine," Pell said.
Cobra stared at the Jars for a long moment. Nothing about them gave itself away. He finally gave up trying to see a difference.
"I won't choose. Mr. Amon, pick one for me."
He wanted to borrow a little of Amon's luck.
"You want me to pick?" Amon blinked, mildly surprised, and was about to step forward when Vivi raised her hand.
"Mr. Amon, can I choose one for Father?"
"Of course."
It made no real difference who picked. Amon gestured for her to go ahead.
"Thank you, Mr. Amon!"
Vivi's face lit up. Karoo excitedly flapped his little wings beside her.
"You want to choose as well, Karoo?" Vivi bent and rubbed his neck. "Then you can pick the next one."
That settled him down.
Vivi moved toward the Jars and looked them over carefully.
"Father, what about this blue one?"
The last time she had chosen for herself, she had nearly taken this same blue Jar before switching to the yellow one at the last second. Choosing for Cobra, she reached for the one she'd left behind.
Cobra laughed warmly.
"If my precious daughter likes it, then that's the one. Mr. Amon, please open it for us."
Vivi carried the blue Jar over. Karoo looked faintly dissatisfied. The one he'd wanted was the Jar right beside it.
That got a laugh from everyone.
Karoo folded his wings and sulked where he stood.
Vivi hurried back to him, stroking his neck in soft, coaxing circles.
"Be good, Karoo. I'll ask Mr. Amon later if he can sell one to you too."
He cheered up immediately.
While the two of them were working that out between themselves, Amon tapped the Jar open.
A sharp crack, and two items fell out. One was a bottle of liquid. The other looked like a colorful picture album.
Everyone crowded closer.
"Hold on. Let me identify them first."
[Invisibility Potion]: An invisibility potion for objects. As long as this potion is applied to an item, it will become invisible. However, water will wash the effect away and make it visible again.
His expression shifted.
Invisibility potion. So that was also something these Jars could produce.
Useful enough, though the flaw was obvious. Anyone with Observation Haki could still track movement and breathing. Not everyone had it, of course, but it was a limitation worth noting. Still, a decent item.
He turned to the second object.
The illustrated album had a cover that looked suspiciously familiar. The moment he checked the description, his face twitched.
[Beautiful Girls Photo Album]: A photo collection of 108 beautiful girls. There is always one to suit your taste.
This belonged with Sanji, not Cobra. Then again, Cobra wasn't exactly without fault in that department either. Amon recalled more than one incident of the king looking where he shouldn't. Maybe he'd appreciate it more than anyone expected.
Even so, it was awkward enough that Amon held his tongue for a second longer than usual.
"Mr. Amon, how did it turn out?" Cobra asked, watching him stay quiet.
"Yes, what did Father open?" Vivi pressed, full of curiosity. She'd chosen the Jar herself and very much wanted to know what came out of it.
Amon gave a dry cough.
"The items are... fairly good. Let's start with this bottle."
He held up the invisibility potion first.
"What is that?" Vivi asked.
"It's called an invisibility potion. Apply it to any object and that object disappears from sight entirely. Very practical." He paused for half a beat, then adjusted his wording. "Especially useful for hiding valuables, or for scouting enemy positions."
With children standing right there, certain other potential uses were better left unmentioned.
He handed the bottle to Cobra.
To Amon it was a middling reward. But the moment Cobra heard the explanation, something shifted in his eyes.
If this were used on the poneglyph recording Pluton...
The thought took hold of him and wouldn't let go.
This was the real reason he'd come. He wanted something that could help protect the ancient weapon. And this potion was close to perfect for that. Hide the poneglyph itself from sight, and finding it would become incomparably harder.
"And as long as it isn't washed by water," Amon continued, noticing Cobra's excitement with quiet relief, "the invisibility can last permanently."
"Permanently?"
That pleased him even more.
He had worried it might wear off after some fixed period. If it could hold indefinitely, it was far better than anything he'd dared to hope for.
As a king, he had no desire to see a weapon capable of devastating the world dragged back into the open. As one of its guardians, he wanted Pluton to remain buried and unreachable. The potion made that far more possible.
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