One Piece: The Salted Fish Fruit

"Hey! I'll leave it to you." Seeing Apis's affirmative tone, Luffy nodded and ran to the coral next to Maple, picked up the food that Maple had placed aside, and started eating.

Seeing Abis arrive from afar, Bai Xing immediately hugged the fish tail, leaned against the small pavilion, trembling and shrinking into a ball. Her tearful eyes looked timidly at Abis, who was only the size of her palm.

"Hello! Princess Shirahoshi!" Apis greeted the giant mermaid, who was several times her height, with a gentle smile.

Her childlike, sunny smile and tender, gentle voice gradually calmed her down. Sensing no malice whatsoever, Shirahoshi slowly peeked out from her large fishtail, timidly gazing at the green-clad girl before her.

“Princess Shirahoshi! Can Apis talk to you? After all, we both bear the title of Sea King.” Apis stood in front of her and said. Before she could answer, she took a few steps and tried to climb up her fish tail, but her smooth and dense scales made it difficult to climb, causing Apis to slip and fall to the ground several times.

"Yes, Lady Apis!" Seeing Apis's difficult appearance, the kind-hearted Shirahoshi reached out a hand to take Apis and gently placed her in front of her.

Feeling the warmth of the hand below, Apis bent her knees and sat directly on the soft palm. The black and white babydoll dress she had just bought from the fishman clothing store held her two little legs down. She raised her little face and looked at the mermaid Shirahoshi, who was completely different in size from her, with a slightly dazed look in her eyes. She slowly uttered the words that had been suppressed in her heart for a long time.

"Princess Shirahoshi, do you know? Just because my Devil Fruit ability is similar to the legendary Sea King, I was relentlessly hunted by the Navy and pirates. Uncle Dragon almost died during the pursuit. At that time, I hated my ability so much for having such a power! Later, when I learned that Sea King was a mermaid, I really wanted to find her and ask her why I had to suffer these hardships for her!"

At this point, tears welled up in Bai Xing's eyes again, and she quickly apologized.

"Lady Apis! I'm so sorry, so sorry! It's all my fault that you've suffered so much!"

Looking at the weeping Shirahoshi Apis, he raised an eyebrow. The first step of stirring up her emotions was complete, allowing her to vent a little. Next, he needed to talk to her and reach a consensus. As for his hatred towards her, Apis glanced in the direction of Maggie and Robin, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips.

"Relax! Relax! You don't need to apologize! Besides, that's all in the past. If it weren't for the fact that the title of Sea King was spread so widely throughout the world, letting Mabi and the others know about my ordeal in the East Blue, I probably would have been imprisoned by one of the pirates and forced to work for them for the rest of my life, or I would have been forced to wander the world. It was because of this title that I returned to the Straw Hat Pirates and became one of them, giving me the love and care of a new family." Apis waved her hand to stop Shirahoshi's crying and comforted her.

"Waaaah! Waaah! Lady Apis, are you not angry with me anymore?" Shirahoshi asked timidly in a low voice, her tears barely contained by the sound of a cat's whimper.

“Since I met Princess Shirahoshi, all my anger has vanished. After all, I still have Mabi and the others to protect me. But you've been confined to a small place like the Hard Shell Tower since you were little, unable to come out, while I can sail the seas with Mabi and the others.” Apis sighed with her soft little face. Such a delicate little girl made him unable to muster any resentment anymore, and all the grudges from the past in his heart disappeared.

"Really?" asked the timid Shirahoshi, slightly uncertain.

“Okay! From now on, the Sea King will be under my name, and Princess Shirahoshi can just be your princess! Anyway, we’re already enjoying being hunted down all over the world!” Apis nodded in agreement, then, as if remembering something, her eyes curved into crescent moons and she spoke again with a smile.

"Your Highness Shirahoshi, I've taken the blame for you from the Navy and pirates, but I don't know what kind of compensation you want to give me?"

"Huh?" Shirahoshi, who was holding Apis in her palm, suddenly opened her eyes wide and was at a loss for what to do.

Mapi snatched a seashell food box from Luffy's mouth and looked at Apis, who was perched on Shirahoshi's palm, as if a queen had descended upon the world. Shirahoshi, in front of her, looked like a forced girl, her eyes filled with tears and her face full of grievance, wanting to refuse, but under Apis's gaze, she had no choice but to submit to her clutches and nod in agreement.

"Wow! Those two seem to be having a good time talking! And who did Abis learn that scheming look from?"

"Hmm, women are such a hassle when they cry!" Luffy muttered as he swiftly snatched a piece of clam meat from Mabi's chopsticks.

“Same here!” Maby nodded in agreement.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

No sooner had they finished speaking than two hands appeared on their heads and slapped them across the head.

"Luo..."

"Eat yours." Maggie grabbed Luffy's chin and shoved the food, along with the shell food container, into his gaping rubber maw, then closed it again to prevent the food from spitting out.

Seeing Robin walk up to her with a smile after putting away his notebook, Mabi broke out in a cold sweat. She had been so focused on complaining that she had completely forgotten who Apis had been with for the past two years!

"Scheming? Is that what Mabi meant? I don't understand." Robin smiled at Mabi with a smiling face.

"No! Definitely not! Absolutely not! Apis is petite and adorable, I'll go and kill whoever says that!" With that, Mabi drew her long sword and looked around for the non-existent enemy.

Jinbe's lips twitched as he stood to the side.

Keep acting!

"Hey! You're all here!" A strong voice broke the tense atmosphere.

"Franky, you're here! Have you found your elders yet?" Maggie seemed to see a glimmer of hope and quickly walked over, letting go of Luffy's fussy giant head.

"I'm not bad with directions! Boatmen are easy to find!"

"Cough cough! Mami, you bastard!" Luffy, finally spitting out the lunchbox, leaned on Sango and gasped for breath.

"You escaped a terrible fate," Robin said with a smile, and then discussed her discovery with Jinbe.

"Mabi? You're all here! Look at the herbs I picked. The local fish-men told me that these herbs are seaweed that even sea kings like to eat, and they can quickly replenish lost blood." Standing at Franky's feet, Chopper held up the green coral-shaped herbs in his hand and boasted.

“That’s pretty good. Fighting and bleeding are essential for us.” Maby laughed, grabbing the back of his neck and putting him on her shoulder as she sat down.

“Yes, yes! Sanji bled too much at the coffee shop and passed out. We need to pick more. There are a lot of unique plants in the sea that we need to analyze,” Chopper replied, sitting on Maggie’s shoulder.

"Hachi! Camie! They're over there! Let's tell them what happened in the Dragon Palace as soon as possible." Nami, who was crawling on Camie's back, saw Franky's tall figure in the distance and gave the order.

"I see them! Hachi, hurry and take Sanji to find Luffy and the others, the pursuers are almost here."

“No problem! Hody is hunting for humans, you need to leave Fishman Island as soon as possible.” Hachi, covered in bandages, carried the unconscious Sanji on his back and nodded.

"Don't worry! Leave these things to Luffy and the others. We're never afraid of being chased," Nami said confidently.

"Yo! They're all here! Looks like the show's about to begin." The chaotic scene from the distant fish-men, transmitted through Mapi's Observation Haki, was clearly transmitted to her mind. The new fish-man pirate crew that had been stunned by Merry's electric shock in Ryugu had regained their mobility and entered Fishman Island to declare their rule over the ordinary fish-men. Mia, Zoro, and the others gradually joined up and headed towards the Sea Forest.

After all, many people come here without a specific goal in mind.

The next step is to resolve the problem once and for all!

Chapter 225, Chapter Two Hundred and Twelve Arrives! Thunderclouds and Storms Clear the Way!

After Nami arrived and recounted what had happened at Ryugu Palace, the group discussed the matter further and waited for Zoro and the others to return with their ship.

During this time, Nami and Jinbe's previous grudges were resolved, just like the discussion between Shirahoshi and Apis.

"It's all decided! Let's get ready to go!" Mabi stood up from a coral peak, her hand on the long sword at her waist, and smiled at her ambitious companions.

"I really can't wait to use my new weapon!" Franky said, pointing to his nose as he changed his hairstyle. Chopper then excitedly stepped forward to ask what the new weapon was!

"Those Fishman bastards who dared to bully Coward Star, I will never let them get away with this! Jack, grow bigger! Let's go!" Luffy, who knew everything and was filled with rage, shouted first.

···

Gilkrud Square!

The densely packed crowd was interspersed with countless high-spirited fish-men and dejected human pirates, their noisy arguments rising and falling with each movement! Countless weapons gleamed sharply in the sunlight!

"Hahaha! A peace treaty? We don't need this piece of trash!" Hody Jones reclined on his coral chair, gazing at the furious fish-man citizens in the distance, a cruel smile on his face as he gestured with his hand, causing countless capsules to fall!

"Prepare for the execution! I want them to stand there and watch their king bleed, forcing Shirahoshi to appear!"

"Yes, Brother Hody!" the strange-looking fishmen standing to the side replied in unison, then picked up their weapons and went forward.

"You bastards of Fishman Street! Release King Neptune right now!" The fishmen, standing on the high platform and hesitant to strike, roared furiously, trying to stop their violence with words.

"Shut up!" A fishbone javelin was thrown from below and landed right in front of him, embedding itself deeply in the rock.

"Crack! Crack!" The rapid, intense cracking of the whip echoed across Neptune's body. Each crack was deeply etched into the hearts of the surrounding fish-men, causing them immense pain. However, the powerful fighting strength of the fish-man pirate crew prevented them from taking another step forward!

Someone, please save our king!

A blue-white plasma ball, tens of meters in diameter, had appeared in the sky at some unknown time!

The sunlight obscured the sky, leaving a dark shadow that stunned the new Fishman Pirates crew members below!

What is that?!

"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit! It's that robot who participated in the Marineford War. Even Admiral Kizaru couldn't defeat him. Legend has it he's a member of the Straw Hat Pirates!" The dejected human pirates stared wide-eyed at the blue-white plasma ball in the sky! The tingling sensation from the lightning, combined with the fear from two years ago, instantly froze them on the ground, unable to move.

"Captain! That's a pirate crew that even an admiral couldn't defeat! We're finished!"

"Haha! Haha! Don't be afraid! The Straw Hat Pirates are legendary madmen! They even dared to destroy Enies Lobby! These fishmen will be slaughtered by them!"

The sight of the giant blue-white lightning ball in the sky filled the pirates below, who had witnessed the Marineford War, with despair! Some even stood up and faced the fish-men watching them, letting out a final, maniacal laugh!

As maniacal laughter erupted from a few, more and more human pirates seemed to realize something! Gradually regaining their composure, they stood up, their eyes filled with mockery as they looked at the fish-men who had captured them!

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Fishmen, your end is nigh! Your dream of conquering the world will never come true. No one who dares to provoke the Straw Hat Pirates ever ends well! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is one of the most powerful fruits in the world, something even an Admiral can't handle."

"Damn it!" The maniacal laughter instantly enraged the fishman in charge, whose explosive, fish-scale-filled knee slammed into his abdomen. The impact, with a force ten times greater than that of an ordinary person, created a chasm several meters long.

Despite the excruciating pain of his shattered bones, he leaned against the coral shelf with a smile on his face, as if the red and white bone fragments protruding from his skin were not his own.

"Fishmen! You will all perish with us!"

"Thirty million volts! Thunderous storm!" With a low shout, the blue-white plasma ball floating in the sky shattered instantly, and tiny hydroelectric currents spread throughout the entire square, reaching the living mechanical objects.

"What is that?! Lightning! How can they appear at the bottom of the sea?!"

As the lightning ball exploded, the murloc standing on the high platform in the square suddenly contracted its pupils, looking down at the murlocs in the square who had been electrocuted with fear on their faces!

"It's the Straw Hat Pirates! What are they doing here?" the male fishman holding his wife and child whispered.

"Princess Shirahoshi! That's Princess Shirahoshi holding her pet!" someone shouted.

"Those bastards from Fishman Island have kidnapped the King, and the Straw Hat Pirates have kidnapped the Fishman Princess! Today, we must wipe out the royal family!"

···

"Dad! Brothers! They got electrocuted too!" Shirahoshi, sitting at the bow of the boat with her fishtail coiled up, burst into tears as she saw her father and brothers among them. She tightened her arms around Chopper and Jack, who were in human form.

"Don't worry, Your Highness Shirahoshi, the voltage of Merry's lightning has been reduced. There won't be any major problems," Mabi, sitting cross-legged on Shirahoshi's head, reassured her. She had originally planned to simply unleash a 200 million-volt lightning cloud and be done with it. But considering that Shirahoshi's family was still alive, she had Merry put into a dazed state. With the fish-men's strong bodies and regenerative abilities, they wouldn't suffer much harm.

"But their heads have all gotten bigger!"

····

Feeling the strong wind blowing in her face, Meibi was speechless. Who told you your whole family to have such long, fluffy hair! Under the electric current, she instantly swelled up and turned into a big-headed baby!

"Hold on tight! We're here!" Franky, who was in charge of steering, shouted.

The ship's wings creaked and clicked as the four propellers suspended at the four corners of the hull rapidly retracted into the cabin, causing the previously airborne vessel to plummet downwards. The massive jet nozzle at the stern trembled, unleashing a powerful burst of cola gas. The force of the impact propelled the entire ship like a cannonball, hurtling towards the center of the plaza.

The fishmen in the distance, who had not yet recovered their mobility, could only watch helplessly as the giant ship descended from the sky!

"These bastards!" Hody, standing a little further away, stared at the square filled with motionless mermen, veins bulging on his forehead! The Dragon Palace had already inflicted heavy losses on them before, and now in this open space, they were dozens of times stronger than before!

With a heavy step, his figure instantly appeared in front of the Thousand Sunny, his thick arm reaching directly towards the keel!

"Gear Second! Retractable Rocket Launcher!" A figure flashed and a crisp sound rang out as Hody, who had been grabbing at the dragon bone, was launched out! Luffy appeared in his original position from within.

"We'll go start the machine! You guys handle the outside!" Nami, Chopper, and Usopp shouted excitedly as they ran towards the weapons bay! This little thing could be left to Luffy and the others; they wanted to go play with the new weapons first!

"Jinbe and Shirahoshi, the responsibility of persuading the people and starting a new Fishman Pirates is yours! The battle is ours!" Maple shouted as she jumped down from Shirahoshi's head and stood next to Luffy. At the same time, several figures landed on either side of Luffy, watching the Fishman gradually regaining his mobility.

Countless cruel and evil gazes emanated from their eyes, sweeping directly over the Straw Hat Pirates members surrounding the Sunny.

"asshole!"

"Straw Hat Luffy! Jinbe!" Hody roared furiously from a building in the distance!