With his Observation Haki now blanketing the entire royal palace, every corner of the castle fell within Amon's awareness.
"Well, that's interesting."
He had been on the verge of pulling it back when something caught his attention. Crocodile was already planning to move against him. Curiosity kept him listening as the Baroque Works agents continued their hushed exchange, oblivious to the fact that every word was being heard.
"So that's how it is."
He had wondered how Crocodile had even learned of his existence. Now he had his answer. The rain. Bringing water back to Alabasta had put him squarely on the man's radar. And as he listened further, it became clear that the drought itself had never been a natural disaster. Crocodile had engineered every parched, desperate day of it.
The two agents spilled everything without realising they had an audience, and by the time they finished, Amon had a fairly complete picture of the situation. He had disrupted Crocodile's carefully laid plans, and the man was furious. But moving openly against someone who had just become the kingdom's beloved saviour was a problem Crocodile couldn't easily solve. So for now, as long as Amon remained inside the royal palace, he was untouchable. The moment he left, however, he would be followed. And Crocodile already knew he intended to visit Rain Dinners.
Amon withdrew his Haki and smiled quietly to himself.
If Crocodile was sitting there waiting for him to show up, then perhaps he would take his time and stay in the palace a few extra days. He wasn't the least bit concerned about what the man might try. If anything, he felt like a cat that had spotted a mouse. No reason to pounce immediately when there was entertainment to be had first. He would get to Rain Dinners eventually. Robin was there, after all, and he had been looking forward to that.
With the range test done, he turned his attention to exploring the other functions of his upgraded Haki. He had heard that at its peak, Observation Haki could offer glimpses of the future, though when he reached for that sensation, he found nothing. Not there yet, apparently. Still, the idea intrigued him. Certain masters of martial discipline were said to achieve something similar at the height of their practice, not a literal vision of future events, but an acute, instinctive awareness of danger before it arrived. The autumn wind stirs before the cicada senses the cold. The ability to know, without thinking, that a particular path leads to harm.
He couldn't access that yet. But what he did discover in his exploration was something equally valuable.
He could use his Special Advanced Observation Haki to block others from sensing him. More than that, if their Haki was weak enough, he could suppress it entirely, rendering their perception useless. That was a find worth being pleased about. He activated the concealment at once. He had no interest in being monitored, no desire to have his movements or private moments broadcast to anyone with enough Haki to tune in. Even if what Observation Haki typically picked up was indistinct, blurry impressions of sound and image, Amon had never been in the habit of leaving himself exposed.
With the concealment in place, he quietly probed for any remaining functions he hadn't tried yet, found nothing new, and finally let the Haki settle.
All in all, a solid haul from the Jar. The Marine Six Powers were underwhelming given where he stood, but the Resurrection Coin was genuinely exceptional, and the Observation Haki upgrade had delivered more than he expected. The range alone had quadrupled, but the added functions were what really stood out, especially the ability to shield himself from detection. That one had uses in everyday life and in combat both. An opponent who couldn't read his movements through Haki was an opponent fighting half-blind.
He rolled his shoulders and glanced toward the window. Dawn had already begun to colour the sky outside.
Vivi was still dead asleep.
This girl, he thought. Sleeping so soundly beside a man she's known for barely any time at all. Not a single guard up. Wasn't she even slightly worried about what he might do?
He looked at her peaceful expression for a moment, and then a mischievous impulse got the better of him. He reached out and gently pinched her nose shut.
After a few seconds, Vivi began to stir in her sleep, brows furrowing, one hand blindly swatting at whatever was bothering her.
"Mmm... Karoo, stop it, let me sleep a little more..."
She had apparently forgotten entirely who she was sharing a bed with and assumed it was the duck being a nuisance. She knocked his hand away and settled back down.
Amon pinched her nose again.
This time Vivi woke up properly, lips pressed into an annoyed pout, clearly ready to give Karoo a piece of her mind. She opened her eyes and found Amon sitting there in front of her, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
"Up you get, little sleepyhead. Didn't you say last night you wanted to train with me? Early morning is the best time for it."
"Already? This early?" Vivi groaned. She was not, under normal circumstances, a morning person.
"If you'd rather not, I simply won't teach you."
He gave her a light pat to get her moving, then stood and stretched. "Morning meditation is good for developing spiritual energy. And today, I'll start teaching you about Observation Haki."
His own understanding of the ability had sharpened considerably with the upgrade, and there was no reason to keep that knowledge to himself. Paired with her magic, Observation Haki could prove useful for Vivi, and the training itself would strengthen her spirit energy at the same time.
"Mr. Amon, what is Observation Haki?"
Vivi tilted her head, the unfamiliar term catching her attention.
"Ah, I forgot." She was still young, and her strength was nowhere near the threshold where Haki would manifest naturally. He would need to start from the beginning.
He settled into an easy explanation, laying out the three types of Haki and the nature of Observation in particular. "Observation Haki is a power that heightens your awareness of everything around you. It lets you sense enemies beyond your line of sight, and at higher levels, even anticipate your opponent's movements before they make them..."