Amon and Luffy already had one round of jar-opening experience, so they managed to stay fairly calm. The others, seeing objects literally drop out of a shattered jar for the first time, were secretly amazed.
When the jar broke, three items fell out.
The first was a small bottle filled with bright red liquid.
The second looked like a cluster of blue flame, frozen into shape.
The third was a pill, giving off faint wisps of fragrance, as if it had soaked in herbs and spices.
The moment the three items appeared, everyone's eyes were drawn to them. Ace in particular looked both excited and nervous.
Seeing them like this, Amon decided not to tease them any further. He immediately called on the system to inspect their properties.
Bathed in the system's light, the attributes of the three items quickly appeared before his eyes.
[Strength Potion]: One-time consumable. After use, increases the user's strength by 30 percent for a short period of time. Duration ten minutes, no side effects.
[Magic Flame]: An extraordinary flame of terrifying temperature. Once absorbed, it can protect the heart and meridians from harm by other flames and is the natural nemesis of all fire.
[Minor Rejuvenation Pill]: A pill refined by immortals. After ingestion, it enhances the user's training effect. The stronger the user is, the weaker the effect.
When he finished reading, Amon was completely stunned.
Holy crap, Ace's luck was insane. He had actually pulled an extraordinary flame.
More importantly, Amon knew that in the future Ace would obtain the Flame Flame Fruit. Just imagining a Flame Flame Fruit user empowered by the Magic Flame was terrifying.
With this flame, Magma would no longer be able to suppress fire.
This was a huge stroke of fortune for Ace, a true twist of destiny.
"Mr. Amon, how is it?"
Seeing that Amon remained silent for a long while after inspecting the items, everyone could not help asking.
Ace stared at him with burning anticipation.
Noticing all their eyes on him, Amon chuckled.
"Hehe, Ace, your luck is really good. Everything you opened is perfect for you."
"First, this little red bottle. Inside is a miraculous potion that can temporarily boost your physical strength by 30 percent. The effect lasts for ten minutes. With this in hand, when you run into an opponent you cannot beat, drinking it can become a lifesaving trump card that lets you turn the tables. And it has no side effects at all."
Listening to his explanation, everyone felt it was hard to believe.
Something so small, just a little bottle of liquid, could increase a person's strength by 30 percent?
Among all of them, Garp had seen the most of the world.
He knew there were indeed substances that could temporarily raise a person's strength and unleash their potential. The Fishmen's Energy Steroids were one example. After taking them, power and speed soared, but the price was accelerated aging.
But a potion that could boost someone's strength by that much with no side effects at all... that was extremely rare.
If this thing were put up for sale on the black market, Garp felt that there was no way anyone would get it for less than tens of millions of Berries.
"A potion that can increase a person's strength by 30 percent for a short time is really precious. But how do we know you are telling the truth?"
Garp still felt the potion was almost too miraculous. He prided himself on having seen many strange things in his life, but this was his first time hearing of something like this. Naturally, he was doubtful of Amon's claims.
"Hehe, that is easy to verify. Just have someone drink it and you will know whether I am lying or not. But this potion is a one-time consumable. Once you drink it, it is gone. To waste something that can save your life at a critical moment just to test it would be a pity. Of course, it belongs to you now, so you can use it however you like."
Garp's skepticism made Amon feel a little annoyed, and his words became slightly less courteous.
"That is true..."
After being called out like that, Garp also felt that using up such a valuable trump card purely for testing would be wasteful.
Yet as Ace's grandfather, he felt it was necessary to properly investigate what was inside that bottle.
After all, Ace's identity was not ordinary. It was all too easy for people to target and use him.
Even if Amon did not look like a bad person, no one could say for sure.
"Hehe, Mr. Garp, I know exactly what you are worrying about. Whether what I said is true or false is actually very easy to prove. Ace got three items from this jar. That Strength Potion is not easy to test, but the other two are."
Seeing Garp fall silent, Amon knew he was worried that this might bring harm to Ace.
If Amon were in his shoes, he would worry too. Ace's background really did make him vulnerable.
"Oh?"
Hearing that Amon had a way to prove himself, Garp looked at him with interest, waiting to see how he would do it.
"Take a look at the second item. This is a pill called a Minor Rejuvenation Pill. It can enhance a person's training effect and overall strength. Once Ace takes it, we will see whether anything changes. If it does, that will prove I have been telling the truth."
As he spoke, Amon handed the fragrant pill to Ace.
The moment Ace heard that this tiny pill could increase his strength, his eyes lit up.
No one desired power more than he did.
He took the pill without hesitation and, under everyone's gaze, swallowed it in one go.
As they watched, Ace's body slowly began to change...