With Amon's current strength, anyone without advanced Armament Haki had no chance of injuring him.
Richie's transformed form looked fierce enough, but Amon estimated his combat level was only around the range of a thirty to fifty million berries pirate. Hurting him was impossible. Even so, the lion's concern still moved him a little. At least the Jar had not gone to waste.
"Brother Amon, he says he's about to attack. He wants you to be careful."
Richie also wanted to see how strong he had become after transforming. Once Lily relayed Amon's confidence that he would not be hurt, the lion finally lowered his stance and prepared himself.
"Come on."
"Wooo!"
The lion, now in Rengar form, sprang at him in a single bound.
That seemed to be his first skill.
Amon raised one hand and casually blocked the pounce. Richie was sent back at once.
"Not bad. Use the rest too."
His estimate had been correct. In that transformed state, Richie's raw power was somewhere around thirty to fifty million. Factoring in the follow-up skills and the stealth effect of the ultimate, his real combat level was probably closer to sixty million.
Not bad at all.
And the best part was that the transformation clearly scaled with the user's own strength. If Richie grew stronger later, the power of the form would rise with him.
After the lion had used all his skills, Amon opened his Observation Haki and easily traced his movements, then dealt with the rest in one smooth sequence.
The whole exchange was so effortless that Buggy and the others were left staring blankly.
Until now, they had assumed Amon was just an ordinary merchant, and that Lily was the only unusual one. But after watching him handle Richie so casually, every one of them swallowed hard.
He was far too strong.
That seemingly harmless shopkeeper was actually the strongest person on the ship.
It was a good thing none of them had thought about repaying kindness with betrayal. If they had tried anything, they would probably all be dead by now.
At the same time, Richie's transformed strength also left them deeply shaken, and that only made them more eager to open Jars themselves.
The first to go after that was naturally Richie's owner, Mohji.
His luck was quite good. He opened three items in one go: a Spirit Beast Pill, a Beast Tamer's Whip, and a Colorless Small Crystal Block.
The Spirit Beast Pill was something meant for pets. Once Mohji learned what it did, he fed it to Richie on the spot. The lion's strength immediately rose again, and Amon estimated that after transforming, Richie was now close to the seventy or eighty million berries range.
The Beast Tamer's Whip was an item used to connect more closely with beasts. Given Mohji's relationship with Richie, it was not especially necessary, but he was already more than satisfied just from getting the Spirit Beast Pill.
As for the final item, the Colorless Small Crystal Block, he handed it over to Amon after learning what it was for.
After Mohji finished, the next officer, Cabaji, opened a Jar as well.
Unfortunately, his luck was terrible.
Not only did he get only one item, it was just a worn-out weapon. His face darkened immediately.
By the time everyone was done opening Jars, Buggy's men had arrived with a new ship.
After a round of farewells, Buggy and the others finally parted ways with Amon.
"Mr. Amon, see you again!"
"If fate allows, we'll meet again, Mr. Amon!"
Standing aboard their new ship, Buggy and his crew waved as they left. Amon waved back.
"See you if fate allows, Buggy."
After saying goodbye to them, Amon resumed his course toward the entrance of the Grand Line. About half a day later, the Red Line finally appeared before him.
As he stared at the towering, mountain-like continent, Amon felt a surge of excitement.
At last, he was about to enter the Grand Line.
Compared to East Blue, the Grand Line was where the true vastness and splendor of the world of pirates began.
It was the place every pirate in the world dreamed of reaching.
The ship continued forward, and before long they reached the entrance to the Grand Line, Reverse Mountain.
The Red Line and the Grand Line formed two giant rings that crossed each other, and Reverse Mountain was one of those crossing points.
There were five waterways on the mountain. Four of them flowed upward toward the summit, connecting the East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue.
The fifth waterway carried all that water from the summit down into the Grand Line.
Four in, one out.
That meant anyone entering the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain had to ride the outgoing current, and the point where they emerged would be the true starting point of the route.
With Amon's strength and the sturdiness of the ship, he actually could have gone through the Calm Belt instead. But that would not have brought him to the beginning of the Grand Line, so he chose Reverse Mountain in the end.
Besides, Reverse Mountain was one of the great sights of the One Piece world. As a fan, skipping it would have been a shame.
There would be plenty of time to visit the Calm Belt later.
If he remembered correctly, the Pirate Empress's kingdom was near that area anyway. He could always go then.
The current Hancock should only be around twenty, still in the full bloom of youth.
Robin ought to be only seventeen or eighteen as well. He would not get to see the mature Robin of later years, but young Robin had her own charm.
Perona should be around that age too.
Not bad.
Seeing them in their younger years sounded quite worthwhile.
"Let's go. Grand Line, here I come."
The ship was already charging toward Reverse Mountain. Standing on the deck and watching it climb higher and higher along the impossible current, Amon felt his spirits rise.
Beside him, Lily was a little frightened. She clutched tightly at his sleeve, clearly afraid of falling.
Amon patted her back and gave her a small smile, calming her down.
Once she felt his reassurance, her tension eased. As long as Amon was there, Lily felt safe.
The ship moved fast. Before long, it carried the two of them all the way to the summit.
Then the vast path ahead opened before their eyes.
The ship followed the current and shot down at tremendous speed.
But just as they thought they were about to go straight through, a massive dark shadow suddenly appeared at the river mouth ahead, slamming its scarred head against the entrance again and again.
Looking at that enormous figure, Amon immediately thought of one creature.
The giant whale, Laboon.
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