One Piece: The Salted Fish Fruit

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On the distant, boundless sea, a transparent sphere appeared and gradually broke apart! A light, teasing voice came from within.

"Ouch! What a troublesome brat! He can still instantly increase his combat power dozens of times. He was accidentally knocked into the sea, which caused him to weaken and faint. He was only brought to the surface with the help of Vegapunk's emergency life-saving device!"

"Moshi moshi!" He casually opened the wristband on his arm, revealing a perfectly intact black Den Den Mushi that was still fast asleep inside!

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"Rayleigh, is he the only crew member left behind by Little Monkey? That bastard didn't even come out to help at this time!" Shakky asked as she set up the bed and let the boy behind Rayleigh lie down.

"No, he stopped Kizaru's attack on the Straw Hat crew entirely on his own!" Rayleigh replied, picking up the blanket and straightening it.

"Phew! Luckily, I'm in good physical condition, otherwise I would have been unharmed despite my skin being ripped all over!" Mabi said slowly as he carefully examined her body, then looked at the red scabbard lying next to her.

"You old bastard! If you don't come out now, I'll throw your body into the latrine!"

"Haha! Little Xiaqi, you're still so cute after all these decades!" A slightly aged yet flippant voice echoed in everyone's minds.

Chapter 173 Secrets

"Phew! Old man, you've finally decided to come out!" With Xia Qi's soft sigh, a faint smell of tobacco filled the air, and a phantom soul dressed in white robes emerged from the red scabbard in front of Xia Qi, teasing her.

"Little Xiaqi, it's been so many years since we last met, have you missed me?!"

"Hey! Hachi! Here! Tie it to a rock and throw it into the latrine." Looking at the soul in front of her, Xia Qi picked up the long knife and threw it to Hachi, who was stiff all over with wide eyes and an incredulous expression, and ordered him.

"Oh! Ah! What is this?" The creature instinctively caught the object thrown at it and exclaimed loudly as it stared at the illusory soul in the air.

“Just an interesting soul!” Shakky explained, then gestured again for him to discard it.

Seeing the illusory soul about to enter the environment where its host was located, it suddenly cried out, "Ah! Don't throw it away! Little Xiaqi, so many years have passed, and you haven't changed a bit!"

"Xiao Ba! Continue!"

"Wow! Little Xiaqi, you're really going to attack this old man! Don't blame me for being impolite!" The long sword that was residing in it was threatened and floating in the air. The soul then lunged at Xiaqi, who was being held in its arms, baring its fangs and claws.

"Is it comfortable? Can you let go of my body? I'm still your uncle!" The white-robed soul, rushing towards Xia Qi, hovered behind her, its two illusory fists slowly pounding and fawning.

"Hehe! Gallup, you're still the same as always!" Rayleigh laughed as he lay half-reclined on the bar with his arms behind him, watching the scene before him.

"Hey! Isn't this Rayleigh, kid? It's been so many years since I last saw you. You've become an old man, and you look about the same age as me!" Upon hearing this voice, the illusory soul floated in front of Rayleigh and laughed.

Then he stared into Rayleigh's eyes and said, "What exactly happened to that brat Roger? I only heard from my apprentice that Roger's death caused chaos on the entire sea. What happened to you guys after my death that you had to go to such lengths? Don't tell me you don't know that that brat Roger wasn't an idiot!"

"A scheme? We did guess a bit. From the information Roger read from Laugh Tale after we logged in, we knew we didn't have much time left, which is why we tacitly approved of Roger's actions!" Rayleigh replied with a slight smile.

The illusory white-robed soul paused for a moment before speaking in a deep voice: "Time is running out? Is that legend true? Is it really time to wage the final battle in this era?"

"It's true! Brother Mabi is your apprentice, so let him grow up as soon as possible. His current strength is not enough to withstand the ravages of the upcoming battle."

"What are you talking about! Can you tell me?" A faint, ethereal white soul slowly floated out from Mabi's arm and asked anxiously.

"Who are you? How many souls are hidden inside this kid?" The white-robed old man floating in the air looked at the newly emerged soul with surprise.

“Me? I am a soul that survived by chance more than eight hundred years ago! I am also an ordinary employee of the kingdom you speak of.” Nielko slowly revealed his identity to the two old men in front of him.

"Looks like I didn't expect that bastard would actually find an item inherited from that time while I was sleeping for the past few months. I guess I'm pretty lucky."

"Can you tell me? I also want to know what happened to my country. I was in a coma for more than 800 years until I woke up recently and found that my country no longer existed. I searched through various books but found no record of it."

"And of those countries I remember, only a few still exist in this world. Most have vanished from history or left no trace. I only learned about my country's battles and subsequent erasure by human intervention, leaving no trace of it ever again," Neilco pleaded, looking up at those who knew about his country again. The sense of bewilderment that had haunted him during his research within his arm guard resurfaced, awaiting their answer.

"You didn't experience that battle?" the two asked in surprise.

“A battle? I asked Xiaotong, and he also said there would be a battle, but I don’t know what kind of battle it will be. I died in a sudden internal conflict!” Nielko replied.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Rayleigh immediately knew his origins: "Internal strife? It seems you died in a small-scale battle at the beginning of the war, and are unaware of everything that happened afterward. Since you were a warrior from that country, I can tell you about your people. Aside from a few whose bloodline still circulates in this world—the widely known D clan—your king's warriors from that time didn't completely perish..."

"Ring ring!" A crisp sound interrupted their conversation, and a man carrying a cross-shaped greatsword opened the door and walked in.

"Hey! What a rare guest! It's been a long time since you've been here!" Xia Qi smiled at the figure that appeared at the door, and then filled a bottle of wine from under the bar.

"Mihawk, it's been a long time!" Rayleigh stopped his conversation with Nielko and smiled as he looked at the figure that appeared.

"Senior Rayleigh!" the other person replied, looking around at the figure that was looking at him.

"Why does he look so serious? His sharp, calm eyes are just like someone I know." Gallup, the white-robed soul, observed for a moment and then rubbed his chin with his palm.

“Mihawk! He’s one of the two children you saved and entrusted to me in that desperate battle,” Shakky reminded him from the side.

"So that's how it is! The child from back then has grown up so much in the blink of an eye. What about the other one?"

"One of the Four Emperors! I never expected you to still be alive. I am very grateful to you for saving my life back then." Mihawk replied, feeling the scrutinizing gaze upon the soul gazing at the sky.

"Haha! Haha! It's nothing! That bastard Rocks actually tried to use two innocent children to declare his status. Although your status is not ordinary, I'm sure anyone who could have done it would have. After all, I remember Roger and Karp were following behind us too." Gallup laughed loudly, exhaling some illusory smoke.

"I was just about to ask Xia Qi how those two children were doing back then? I never expected to see your lives now. I am so gratified to see that you have grown up and not followed the path of your elders. I feel that my death was worthwhile."

The great war is about to begin! Based on what Doflamingo said in the original work—that the world is in chaos and war is imminent—and Vice Admiral Tsuru's statement, which is equally undeniable, Big Mom has been dormant for decades while collecting Road Poneglyphs, and Kaido is also preparing his forces! Personally, I feel that the high-ranking figures are not unaware of the impending battle and are actively preparing for it!

Chapter 174 Awakening! Searching for the Newspaper!

"Haha! Haha!" Hearty laughter echoed through the small bar as the group chatted. The group consisted of old friends who had known each other for decades, and they had endless topics to discuss.

"Ring ring! Ring ring!" A series of rapid knocks on the glass alerted the group, who were still chatting happily, that someone had arrived.

"Huh? Messenger bat! Mihawk!" Shakky, who was standing behind the bar pouring drinks for the group, immediately understood the bat's purpose when she saw it perched on the glass with a letter in its mouth, and called out to Mihawk.

"I'll do it!" Kemi jumped off the stool, her fishtail leaping as she ran to the door. She opened it and let the bat fly in and land in front of Mihawk, who then collected the letter.

"Squeak! Squeak!" Seeing the letter on its paws being taken away, the black bat squeaked twice, circled in the air, and flew out of the exit again to report back.

"The Navy is summoning the Seven Warlords of the Sea to wage war against Whitebeard!" Mihawk said upon seeing the information in his hand, a hint of amusement flickering in his sharp eyes.

Hearing his answer, Xia Qi exhaled a puff of smoke, took out a newspaper, and placed it on the bar for the group to read!

"Phew! A new newspaper just came in. It seems even Sengoku couldn't resist! Hopefully, he can use this opportunity to enhance the navy's prestige and strengthen its military!"

"Hehe! This year's newcomers with over 100 million in earnings have surpassed the total of the previous ten years. Once they enter the New World, you can imagine what kind of scene they will cause!" Rayleigh laughed, holding a wine glass.

"That brat Sengoku wants to go to war with that brat Whitebeard? They're all from the old generation, why don't they take a break! There aren't many newcomers left from back then, they've all grown old and died in battle!" Gallup's illusory soul lingered on the bar and answered.

"You're almost a hundred years old and still feeling sentimental here! Your giant friends are probably still in their prime, go find them!" Shakky retorted without hesitation.

"Those bastards, some of them over two hundred years old, are truly hateful!" Hearing this, Gallup, now only a phantom soul, gritted his teeth in hatred!

Seeing Gallup's expression immediately brought smiles to everyone's faces!

"Ha ha!"

"Ha ha!"

...

"Ouch! That really hurts. What happened after I turned over?" Mabi woke up feeling a stinging pain and sat up. With the help of the dim light, she found herself lying in a familiar bar, her body wrapped in dense bandages. Not far away, two figures, one big and one small, were lying together on the sofa, snoring softly.

"Nilco! Nielco!" Mabi called softly to the arm guard on her arm. Since her own personality had fallen into a deep sleep after the fall, but Nielco's soul was still awake, he would surely see clearly what was happening.

"Mabi, you're awake!" Nielco shouted as he rushed out upon hearing Mabi's call.

What happened after I lost consciousness?

"After you were unconscious?" Neilco asked, but still filled in the details about what happened after Maby and the battle that took place after he left, as well as what he knew about it.

"They were all swatted away by Tyrant 'Bear'? They all disappeared!" Maby's voice trembled.

“Yes! Rayleigh wanted to stop them, but he heard Kuma say that he sent Luffy and the others flying to protect them, since he believed that they were powerless against an admiral-level fighter.” Neilco recalled some of Rayleigh’s words and replied. As for the situation of his own country, he already understood some of it, and now was not the time to rush.

Phew! Still too weak!

Mabi threw off the blanket, grabbed the two long knives placed beside her, and, ignoring the blood seeping from the bandages on her body from the strenuous activity, forced herself toward the door.

"Mabi, what are you doing? You still have wounds on your skin and muscle fibers and you can't move!" Neilco yelled when he saw Mabi's actions.

"I can still move, so it's not a big deal! Wherever they are, I need to get them to let them know I'm safe and sound as soon as possible. It would be best to find a newspaper to publish a message that I'm still alive." Mabi answered, enduring the excruciating pain as she tucked the two long swords into her waistband and pulled the doorknob.

"Ah! What happened?" Hachi and Kemi, who were fast asleep, were startled awake by Nielko's voice and looked around. When they saw Mebius and Hachi standing up and walking, they shouted and rushed forward to help them.

"Hey! Maggie, why are you up? You need to lie down and rest right away."

"No need! Time is of the essence! The sooner the better!" Mabi opened the door and looked at the dim world outside. With the help of the light reflected from the surrounding floating bubbles, she could vaguely see the noisy scene in the distance.

"Trunk number thirty-two, there's a giant newspaper sign there. It's one of the largest newspaper offices on this island. They can deliver messages if you want." A gentle voice reached Mabi's ears. Turning around, she saw Shakky in a purple nightgown looking out a window.

"Thanks, Aunt Xia!" Looking at that gentle face, Meibi hesitated for a moment before slowly thanking her. She turned around and stepped down the steps below, making a sound like stepping on glue that instantly echoed throughout the empty and silent world.

“The ship is anchored near tree trunk number seventeen. You must need it too!” Rayleigh, dressed in white pajamas, called out from behind her.

"Thank you too, Grandpa Rayleigh! I'll have a drink with you when I get back!" Mabi waved her hand in thanks, holding a light shell telescope to illuminate a distant tree trunk to confirm her direction. She then summoned a motorcycle made of a wind-breathing shell, turned it on, and sped off towards the location she remembered.

"Rayle?" Hachi asked, puzzled, as he stood at the door watching Mabi's departing figure.

Rayleigh, who was also looking at Maggie's departing figure, replied, "Let him go! A man should always do something!"

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"Huff! Economic News Agency! Is this it?" Mabi's lips twitched as she panted heavily. Although she had a car to get around, she kept increasing the airflow to jump over the ravines between the tree roots, causing the car to bounce and blood to seep out from her bandages.

Mabi pulled the car back and looked at the dark night sky. It was the early hours of the morning, and most people were already asleep, leaving only the dim lights on both sides of the shops in front of the store and the shadowy figures of people marching in the distance, or the chaotic battle scenes taking place further away.

"Shock the air!" Looking at the building, Mabi didn't even bother to greet it and immediately swung her sword horizontally.

A powerful circular shockwave instantly formed on the blade, spreading into the wooden building and erupting with a thunderous roar.

Countless wood chips and branches erupted from this point, spraying outwards and causing an even louder roar. At the same time, several angry roars suddenly burst forth, echoing throughout the silent night sky.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! It's that blind pirate who actually invaded the newspaper office! Doesn't he know that this is a rule of all forces, and destroying a newspaper office will result in being wanted by all forces?"

Chapter 175 Threat! Publication! 'Tyrant' Bear's Commentary!

Mabi, her body wrapped in bandages, stood quietly in front of the broken door, watching several disheveled staff members rush down the stairs in a panic.

"Who are you? How dare you openly attack a newspaper office!" As they searched for the source of the explosion, they saw Mabi standing there. Her morning grumpiness, which had been aroused from her sleep, erupted.

"Straw Hat Pirates member, I want you to report that the Straw Hat Pirates have safely left Sabaody Archipelago!" Maggie said coldly, staring at the figures.