Time flew.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and before anyone was ready, it was already the day of parting.
Ever since that night when Nami blurted out that she was going to become Amon's wife when she grew up, she had been glued to him. At first Amon thought she was just joking, a childish vow that would vanish by morning.
Then Nojiko got "infected" too.
She declared she would go to sea with her little sister and follow Amon.
And Belle-mère, smiling like she was watching a comedy, actually agreed.
That was the moment Amon realized this was turning into a problem.
They were still too young.
No matter how much he liked the two little girls, there was no way he was taking them out to sea. He only told them he was going to travel around for a while, and that he would come back after he'd made a round of it.
Hearing that he would return, the two finally settled down.
...
During those three days, Amon sold another Jar.
This time, the buyer was Belle-mère.
That meant his performance count went up by one more.
Belle-mère's pull was… strange, but useful.
She opened a large amount of "Gold Kola" fertilizer, along with knowledge related to fruit tree cultivation.
Instead of hoarding it, Belle-mère brought it out and shared it with the villagers, openly saying it came from Amon.
With Gold Kola spread across the orange groves, Cocoyasi Village's trees changed fast. The fruit became better, the varieties improved, the harvest looked brighter by the day.
Fruit merchants began showing up on their own.
The villagers, who had been quietly worried about this year's yield, were overjoyed.
They insisted on throwing Amon another banquet.
Amon refused so hard it was almost rude.
He still remembered what happened last time, and he was not volunteering for another siege by those "enthusiastic" girls.
Seeing that he would not budge, the villagers finally calmed down.
...
Now, with Amon preparing to leave for the next place on his journey, the entire village came to see him off.
Many villagers cried the moment they heard he was leaving. They looked like they were sending away family.
Even though Amon had only been in Cocoyasi Village for a few days, the respect they felt for him came from the bottom of their hearts.
"Mr. Amon, may the winds be gentle on your voyage!"
"Mr. Amon, please take care of yourself. We'll miss you!"
"Mr. Amon…"
Amon stepped onto his ship and appeared on the deck. On the dock below, the villagers waved through tears, faces full of reluctance.
They did not want him to go.
But they also understood something clearly.
A man who could refuse even the Fleet Admiral's invitation was never going to stay in Cocoyasi Village forever.
So they did what they could.
They prepared the best orange tree in the village and offered it to him as a keepsake. Some even discussed setting up a monument for him, carving his story into stone so it would be passed down.
Amon waved from the deck.
"Alright. Go back."
He paused, then spoke with a light, clean tone.
"I had a great time in Cocoyasi Village. If fate allows it, we'll meet again."
His gaze shifted and settled on the two figures standing at the very front of the crowd.
Nami and Nojiko.
Amon smiled.
"Nami. Nojiko. If fate allows it, we'll meet again."
The moment they heard he was leaving today, the two had cried until their faces were wet and red, clinging to him, refusing to let go.
Now they were trying to hold it in.
Nami stared up at him from the dock, biting down hard, forcing the tears not to fall.
"Mr. Amon… don't forget our promise. You have to come back!"
Beside her, Nojiko's eyes were shining with tears too.
Amon nodded, steady.
"While I'm gone, smile through every day, alright?"
Nami's lips trembled.
Nojiko blinked hard, trying to keep her tears from spilling.
Amon held their gaze for a moment, then turned away, and the ship began to pull out.
He still needed to sell Jars to strengthen himself.
He also wanted to see this world properly, to walk through it with his own eyes.
Cocoyasi Village was a good place.
When he finished roaming the seas, he would come back.
...
Before leaving Cocoyasi Village, Amon had already decided on his next destination.
Loguetown.
In this world, it was famous. The town called the "City of Beginnings and Endings," located near the entrance to the Grand Line. It was the birthplace of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and the place where he was executed.
Loguetown had its own flavor.
Smoker was there.
That rooster-haired guy too.
Even Buggy the Clown seemed to be active around that area.
But before any of that, Amon planned to grind his swordsmanship and his physical techniques.
Garp and Sengoku's appearance had made his weaknesses clear.
His current strength was already comparable to an Admiral, but compared to the true monsters at the top, he still had gaps.
Recently, he had also felt something new. His martial techniques and sword techniques were starting to lean toward each other, like two rivers trying to merge.
This trip was the perfect time to force the fusion.
So he did it.
Amon closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the deck.
The sea wind brushed his sleeves. The ship's rhythm became his breath.
Time passed.
…
More Time passed.
When he finally opened his eyes, something had changed.
The moment his gaze cleared, a vast sword intent, like a surging river, poured in from every direction and flowed into his body without end.
His mind lit up.
Swordsmanship.
Martial arts.
Scenes, patterns, instincts, footwork, timing, angles.
Everything he had learned began linking together, connecting cleanly, then knitting into one.
When the last thread snapped into place and his understanding fully settled, the door that had only flashed in his mind before, the gate to a sword world, opened in silence.
Within that hazy, boundless realm, he saw sword aura descending like a glittering galaxy, cleaving roaring rivers in two.
He saw violent, dominating arcs of sword light, bright as rainbows, flattening cities with crushing force.
Mountains split.
The endless sea parted.
Even the sky itself was cut into two halves.
The vision held him for a long time.
Then Amon's fingers tightened slightly.
In his hand, an enormous sword aura condensed, terrifying in density, the air around it trembling as if it could not endure what was forming.