One Piece: The Salted Fish Fruit

"You noob! You still know me? Since I came into this world, all I've ever known is being a lazy bum! If I hadn't been born from your soul, and if that body hadn't been yours to control, I would have taken it over long ago! You piece of trash, you even caused me to fall into the Yellow Springs, I despise you!" Hearing Mabi's question, the other person's anger exploded even more as he recalled Mabi's various actions.

"Three seconds!" Mabi ignored his insults. Her old, lawless personality was long gone; now she only wanted to protect the family she cared about.

After living in the new world for more than a decade, the desire to control the world that had once existed had long since disappeared. Otherwise, she would not have gone to the Marineford battlefield for the sake of Garp, since it was a world fortress that only the Four Emperors could barely conquer together.

If it weren't for the existence of a powerful weapon like a "comeback from the ashes," and only someone with combat strength comparable to a general entering the battlefield, they would die if they didn't flee.

But facts have proven that even if he increased his combat power tenfold, he would only be able to hold his own against the power that Steel Bone Kong had accumulated over a hundred years, and he would find it difficult to resist Observation Haki.

Predicting the timing is useless if you can't hit the target, no matter how strong you are.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Three seconds! Three seconds my ass! You're the one who made me lose those three seconds! I'll destroy your soul, and when I return to the real world, I'll be all alone. There's no weakling soul like this that can hold me back. I can communicate with that famous sword and step out of the Yellow Springs world all by myself." Mabi's words instantly enraged any man. A phantom soul chain materialized in his hand and began to bind Mabi.

"I'm not afraid of you!" The continuous insults also made Mabi angry. A long sword appeared in her hand, and the scattered soul power under her feet formed a physical body, giving her a foothold to run forward.

"That's enough, you two! Quiet down! If you exhaust your souls and have to fight your way back to the Underworld, you won't be able to get out!"

Gallup and Whitebeard suddenly appeared above the two men, pinning them firmly to the void.

"Don't stop me! I'm going to kill this weakling!"

"A shameful three seconds! You don't deserve to live!"

Long swords and whips flew through the air, but were tightly controlled by those above, making it difficult to attack their opponents.

"Damn it! Soul depletion leads to insufficient strength. If you don't want to live, then keep causing trouble!" Gallup roared as two soul arms emerged from his shoulders and smashed the heads of the two men. As time goes by, once the physical body is damaged, it can only reside in the scabbard. Without a physical body to rely on, the recovery of the soul will only become slower and slower. At this time, the two damned disciples were still causing trouble.

Fighting with yourself!

"Kuralalala! What a mischievous brat!" The white-bearded man, who was watching the commotion from the sidelines, chuckled.

"···"

The two, whose souls had been reunited, looked at each other and finally realized the truth under the violence: decades of soul manipulation skills were far beyond what two novices could withstand in a short time. They bowed down in admiration!

"I'm sorry, teacher!"

"Quickly communicate with the guardians and open the link between the two worlds! The Underworld is not a place you should linger in. Once your bodies are burned, you will be residing in that Blood Soul Wood scabbard for the rest of your lives." Seeing his two disciples admit their mistakes, Gallup breathed a sigh of relief and spoke earnestly. This was the first time he had seen these two disciples together. Although the arrogant disciple did not share his ideals, he was, after all, the successor who inherited his mantle.

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

"The two of you were originally together, and you need to communicate and protect the remaining soul power of you above at the same time! Weak Chicken Mei woke up later than you, which is why she couldn't communicate with the real world for three seconds. Now the two of you have dissipated and merged together again."

"Merge with him!" Mabi was speechless. Although it was a clone of her soul, it had a completely independent personality!

"Damn it! I won't associate with weaklings!" the other person roared back.

"Two idiots!" Gallup cursed under his breath, raising his hand to restrain the two, controlling their bodies to collide and shatter into one another.

"Teacher! You're being violent!" Maby cried out as she realized her teacher was kneading her, but Gallup, enraged, ignored her and simply shredded and fused the two together.

There's no need to reason with two hostile idiots at this point; just force them together.

The two merged together, and Mabi, as the dominant soul, immediately felt the distribution of soul power around her become more fragmented—a sensation similar to the increased perception during her transformation. The unruly bastard's bastardly chatter was gone; it seemed he was back to prioritizing his own soul.

In that instant, like the morning star shining in the dark night sky, a bright light shone directly in the depths of Maby's soul and appeared clearly in Maby's perception.

Is this the guidance?

Sensing the beam of light, Mabi opened her eyes and looked into the distance. She found that the beam of light appeared before her eyes like a halo of nothingness. When she waved her arm, she felt that it was as tough as a barrier and impossible to pass through.

"how?"

“Teacher, I’ve noticed!” Mabi replied, seeing the questioning look on her teacher’s face.

“It’s good that you noticed it. You need a strong Observation Haki to sense that location. That’s why I haven’t taught you that before. You were too young. I didn’t expect someone to teach you Observation Haki separately, which, combined with the Devil Fruit ability that doubles in size, even though the fruit didn’t come with your soul, doesn’t just disappear easily. Everything is hidden within your soul, and now it’s erupting to give you the ability to communicate with the real world.” Gallup nodded and explained, clarifying all of Maggie’s previous doubts.

"Since you can communicate, quickly control the surrounding soul power to reach that passage. Only by relying on the power of the soul can you break through the link between the two worlds that you have observed and reach the vicinity of that guardian sword."

"Back then, my soul couldn't find its way out of my body because my scabbard separated from my body, which is why I could only reside in the scabbard."

"It's so simple, why can't anyone get out? There must be many people in the world stronger than me!" Mabi was immediately puzzled. Just by using soul power, there must be many more people stronger than her, so it's impossible that no one can't get out.

"What are you thinking? If you can't sense the location in the real world, no matter how strong you are, you can only use it in this world. Only with some special items and fruits can you see another world and get out!" Gallup shook his head and explained. Similarly, no matter how strong you are in the real world, it is difficult to open the door to the Underworld. His own school was also left by the founder to communicate between the Underworld and the real world, allowing the disciples of each generation to be resurrected once with their strong strength.

"Phew!" Mabi breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon hearing her teacher's explanation. She finally understood what her teacher meant by the urgency of the situation. Like Brook, she needed to find her own body, otherwise she would have to inhabit other objects.

Looking at her teacher's young face, Mabi imprinted this scene deeply into her soul, fearing that this departure would forever sever her ties with her teacher.

"Take care, teacher!"

"Go! Condense your soul and use all your strength to break through the gap that guides you; cross it and you will reach the real world."

"And be careful of the powerful figure in the Holy Land; he possesses the power to imprison time!" Gallup solemnly warned at the end.

"A powerful figure from the Holy Land? I understand!" In an instant, Mabi understood why she had come to this world. Sure enough, even the mighty Whitebeard could be beheaded in an instant if he was controlled by a superhuman control-type Devil Fruit!

"Kurara! Are you leaving already? Kid, if you can get out of here alive, take care of my children! After all, I've left them with a huge problem." The white-bearded man's facial muscles twitched slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up as if he wanted to smile but couldn't quite manage it.

“Blackbeard? I will kill him.” Mabi nodded as she looked at Whitebeard. The best opportunity to escape was interrupted by Whitebeard’s leniency, but as long as they sailed in the New World, they would face each other again sooner or later.

Seeing the relaxed expression on Whitebeard's face, Maby knew without saying a word that he was relieved.

With her eyes closed, she sensed the spatial barrier emanating from the light source. Her Observation Haki activated from within her soul, connecting with the soul power of the Underworld. The power gathered in her palm and gradually solidified into a long sword. At the same time, the gray soul power surrounding Mabi began to surge rapidly.

In an instant! A tornado seemed to be born in the entire Yellow Springs world, spiraling around a radius of several kilometers. At the center of the storm, Mabi held her long sword high, and countless souls swarmed around it.

At the same time, Gallup and Whitebeard exchanged a glance, each forming a familiar weapon in their hands, watching as the Soul Blade in Maby's hand gradually solidified.

Feeling that the longsword in her hand could no longer absorb any more soul power, Mabi's eyes suddenly opened, and a crystal-clear liquid shot out from her eyes.

At this moment, the soul power that filled his body rushed towards his arms, and at the same time, the long sword formed from the solidified soul power on his arms, as clear as a gemstone, slashed down instantly.

"Yellow Springs - Sky Slash!"

With Mabi's furious roar, the entire world was instantly engulfed in waves, and the tornado in the sky split in two, collapsing into two hazy masses of soul power.

at the same time!

A bright crescent-shaped blade, like a waning moon, hung in the sky. Accompanied by a terrifying suction force, it instantly spread throughout the world. Mabi in the sky vanished in a flash, and the crescent-shaped blade shattered into chaos.

"Looks like we don't need to help him, this bastard can handle it himself." Gallup laughed, dispelling the soul blade in his hand.

"Kurarara! You've taken on a fine apprentice. I sensed Roger's presence just a moment ago." Whitebeard looked in Mabi's direction, his eyelids twitching involuntarily, squeezing out non-existent tears.

"Children have their own lives, and we can't help them in this world."

"Let's go find that brat Roger. I'm going to kill him, the ringleader who caused chaos in the ocean!" Gallup said, his figure appearing in the distant world.

"Senior, wait for me!"

······

The real world!

Inside the cabin of a large, two-masted sailing ship with a dragon-headed prow, several nurses dressed in white were massaging an unconscious man covered in bandages below, trying to move his stiff body. Suddenly, they felt a chill emanating from their hearts, and their curvaceous bodies involuntarily shivered.

"What's going on? Why do I feel cold? This area is clearly a summer area!" A nurse put down the thigh she was moving and asked in confusion.

"You all felt it too! I thought I was the only one," another nurse replied, inserting the IV bag in her hand.

"The same power emanating from Maby's soul that her teacher possessed back then, even I, who have no physical body, felt a terrifying chill," Nielco remarked, hovering above a nurse's head as he looked down at the sleeping Maby.

"So the legend is true? Is there really a Netherworld like the red-haired boss said, where the dead can be resurrected?" The nurses exchanged glances, and immediately saw the look of astonishment in each other's eyes.

“Probably, after all, our crew member Brooke is a dead man who came back to life.” Nielko nodded, staring motionlessly at the sleeping Mabe.

His soul disappeared, leaving him paralyzed and in a vegetative state. If Shanks hadn't intervened, he probably would have been burned at sea along with Whitebeard.

Currently, several nurses are monitoring the equipment and observing the patient's vital signs. The body is being massaged and nutrient solutions are being used to simulate human body movement in order to prevent muscle atrophy and collapse.

Sizzle! Sizzle! A silvery-white spatial rift appeared on Maby's arm, and the IV stand next to her broke instantly, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

"Mabi, he's back from the underworld!"

Seeing this, Neilco's soul soared in mid-air with joy. After all, spatial cutting must be used primarily with the Mabi Salted Fish Fruit; using it alone would only make it a spatial device with no other use.

This situation directly proves that Mabi's soul still exists!

Upon hearing Nielco's voice, the nearest nurse immediately pried open Mabi's eyelids to observe her. The moving pupils seemed to remind her that the sleeping person was about to wake up, and she immediately screamed.

"It's true! He's back from the underworld! Quickly, go and inform Boss Shanks!"

Chapter 212 Whitebeard's Funeral!

As Mabi opened her eyes, she gazed at the gentle sunlight around her and the brown wood grain above her head, and slowly exhaled.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong in the middle, unlike the previous small world that bound him. The Underworld only needs to open a passage, and the ethereal soul will be attracted by that famous sword, appear directly in the real world, and then be drawn back by its own body.

"Mabi, you're finally back! That's wonderful! No need to search for another host anymore." A hazy, gray soul appeared directly in front of Mabi as soon as he opened his eyes, revealing a joyful smile.

"Go away! Where is this?" Mabi pushed aside the huddled Neilco, straightened up, and observed her surroundings. The transparent IV bottle and several women in white nurse uniforms came into view, making Mabi realize that she was in the infirmary, and she spoke up.

"Where is this place, ladies?"

“Red Fosse!” one of the nurses looked up at Maby and smiled.

"Huh! Red-Haired Brother's ship? So it was Red-Haired Brother who saved me. Where are Red-Haired Brother and the others? I have to go and thank them properly. If it weren't for them, I'm afraid my body would have been thrown into the sea to feed the fish by the Navy." Mabi exclaimed in surprise when she heard that it was Red-Haired Brother's ship. She was about to stand up to thank Red-Haired Brother. Looking at the ship, which she hadn't been on for almost ten years, Mabi reminisced about the time she spent with them in the East China Sea.

“They…” Upon hearing Mabi’s question, the people around him looked dejected, as if they were unwilling to talk about it.

"We're attending the funeral of the white-bearded brat," Nielco replied for them when they didn't speak. Having been on the ship for so long, he had learned some things from them. They knew they were facing certain death, but they still went to rescue their child.

They are ready to die for their cause!

"The old man with the white beard?" Mabi understood their expressions upon hearing Nielko's answer. After all, for those who sail the high seas, countless life-and-death battles had made it impossible for them to give up, only the bond between comrades could keep them from abandoning each other. However, the old man with the white beard was one of the few fathers in the world who was full of love for his children, and even his enemies would surely feel sad and desolate at his departure.

Remembering the white-bearded man's instructions in the underworld, he lifted the corner of the blanket, got up, and jumped down. As a respected senior, he felt he should see him off. Since he had come, he would see him off.

As soon as one foot touched the ground, Mabi felt a sudden muscle soreness, her joints went limp and she lost all support, causing her entire body to lean forward.

"Little Mabi, slow down a bit. You've just woken up, but you've been lying in bed for half a month, and your muscles are having a hard time recovering." The two nurses beside him quickly grabbed Mabi's arms to prevent him from falling.

"Take me to pay my respects to Whitebeard." Seeing that she was conscious but unable to move, Maggie instructed directly.

"it is good!"

Upon hearing Maby's instructions, the nurse supporting Maby didn't say much and directly led her towards the door frame, one on each side. At the same time, the other two nurses, carrying the long knife Maby was leaning against the wall, casually took out a cloak hanging at the door and draped it over Maby's shoulders.

Through the empty wooden corridor, all the cabin doors were quietly open. There was no one there and no noise. Only the creaking of Maggie and the others' feet on the wooden planks echoed in their ears!

The blinding sunlight reflected off the deck and into Mabi's eyes. She blinked slightly to ease the discomfort, and smelled the salty sea breeze mixed with the smell of alcohol. Mabi let the two nurses beside her help her toward the steps of the ship's railing.

Stepping down the steps from the ship's side, Mabi looked down at the small island where tens of thousands of people had gathered. Everyone was staring at the towering tombstone in the center of the island, where dozens of figures stood recounting some of Whitebeard's past.