One Piece: The Salted Fish Fruit

"What's wrong, Captain Zeff? Are there pirates attacking?" The sentry, upon hearing Captain Zeff's roar, immediately snapped out of his daze and cautiously stepped forward to ask. It was a well-known rumor in the restaurant that Captain Zeff had a bad temper every now and then at night; sometimes he would be furious, and sometimes he would be overjoyed, making him very difficult to predict.

“It’s alright! You guys keep watch.” Zeff replied, looking at them through the broken skylight, then glanced at Mabi, who was waving at him.

"Mabi, I wish you a safe voyage!" Zeff said quietly, then turned to the drinks Mabi had brought and picked them up to drink.

"Haha! The old man is still cold on the outside but warm on the inside." Mabi laughed as she watched the old man's retreating figure. She sat cross-legged on the floor, opened the oak box, took out a salted fish, chewed it, mixed it with wine, and drank it down before continuing her night watch. Under the night sky, there were no words, only the endless sea breeze blowing against Mabi's thin body. Mabi was already used to this life. Since coming to this world, she had spent more than ten years doing this day after day to protect Kaya and the others, just to give them a peaceful midnight. During the day, she would eat, drink, and sleep, and night was the only time Mabi would wake up.

Chapter 4: Nami Leaves and Familiar Faces

a few days later.

"Slash!" With a soft sound, a curved phantom flashed past and disappeared in the void before Mabi's eyes.

Mabi sheathed his longsword and looked at the pale dawn on the distant sea and the noisy floating restaurant. He couldn't help but smile. This was the real life at sea. After eating, he casually ordered breakfast and put it on Luffy's tab so he could continue working to pay off his debt. Then he headed towards the Going Merry.

"Nami! Good morning! This is a milk sandwich breakfast I brought you!" Maggie greeted Nami as she got up to exercise.

"Good morning, Mami! Thank you for bringing me breakfast. I really envy Kaya for having a boyfriend like you. She must be so happy." Nami stretched and took the breakfast with a smile. As she said this, a hint of sadness flashed in Nami's eyes, but she smiled again.

"Of course, she didn't even know who her boyfriend was, but he's a unique, albeit unambitious, man with dreams," Maggie replied with a smile when she heard someone mention Kaya.

"Yes! Yes! My dear Mr. Salty Fish, you should go back and catch up on your sleep." Nami advised, noticing the dark circles under Maggie's eyes that couldn't be hidden even with his cheerful smile.

“No problem! I’ll go catch up on my sleep right away.” Mabi naturally complied. Although she was on night watch, she still wanted to catch up on her sleep if she could.

"Luffy, get up and get to work! Pay off your debts and set sail as soon as possible!" Maggie came down from the cabin, walked to the hammock in front of Luffy, patted it, and shouted.

"Let's go to sea! Let's go to sea!" Mapi's actions seemed to have hit Luffy's sweet spot. He jumped up and ran to the sea restaurant to work as a handyman and fill his hungry stomach.

"Sleep!" Mabi lay down in the hammock and closed her eyes to sleep. The cabin, without the lights on, was perfect for sleeping.

~~~

"Snoring! Snoring!" Mabi, fast asleep, felt a tightness all over her body, so she shifted to a more comfortable position and slept soundly.

"what!"

"Bang!" Mabi was jolted awake by the dizziness. She realized that she had been attacked during the day. She hurriedly reached for the weapon on her leg, but then felt discomfort in her arm, as if it were tied up.

"Holy crap! What the hell?" Mabi stared at the wooden plank very close to her. Judging from the feeling of her head falling downwards, she could tell that she was facing the floor and her whole body was tied to the hammock. Looking around, she saw Nami sitting half-on the floor, holding a piece of rope and staring at her.

"Nami! What are you doing? Let me go! And your skirt is showing your underwear!" He immediately realized who had tied him up, based on the reason he was bound and the rope in Nami's hand.

"You bastard! What are you thinking about at a time like this?!" Upon hearing Maggie's reminder, Nami blushed instantly, steam rising from her forehead, and jumped up to give Maggie a good whack on the head!

"Put it down first and I'll talk to you properly!" Mabi immediately surrendered, facing the spot where she had fallen, a place she could ignore if she didn't want to look at it.

"I won't let you go!" Nami roared and stormed off.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" The sound of boots stomping hard on the steps.

"What the hell! Has the disaster not changed? I've already sent that guy Arlong to the Navy." Maggie muttered to herself, her hand moving directly towards the rope.

"Almost there!" Mabi felt she was in the right position and rubbed the ring on her finger against the rope, using the tiny serrations deliberately made on the ring to break the fibers inside the rope bit by bit.

"Oh!"

"Ouch!" Mabi's body slammed onto the hard floor after being untied, but her feet remained bound to the hammock. She bent over, her back circling as she reached down to untie the ropes on her calves.

"Nami!" Maggie called out as she stepped out of the cabin and saw Nami looking at pictures on the deck, placing her sword beside her.

"You! How did you untie me! I tied you up really tight!" Nami was startled when she heard Mabi's voice and hurriedly drew Mabi's red-sheathed sword, pointing it at Mabi.

"Hey! We're partners, what can't we talk about?" Mabi slowly walked over and sighed as she looked around at the calm sea in the distance. Since there was no trace of a floating restaurant, they had probably been sailing for quite some time.

"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll cut you down!" Nami cried out, her body trembling as she leaned against the fence. After all, she had witnessed Mami's power in the village of Syrup, where she had single-handedly defeated a legendary pirate. Now, she could only force herself to stay upright and not lose face.

"Nami! We've been together for so long, don't you know our abilities?" Maggie said, stopping at the tip of her sword.

"No! No! Don't force me! I really will hurt you." Nami cried, tears streaming down her face. She was very unwilling to hurt her companions with whom she had spent some time, but the thought of that fierce face gave her the courage to prevent Mami and the others from facing the vicious pirate.

"If you really want to hurt me and make me unable to fight, then cut me down. I have no defense right now, so hurt me and prevent me from facing the enemy." Mabi roared. He had already seen the wanted poster in Nami's hand. He didn't expect things to still happen. If he didn't let her vent now, she would explode sooner or later.

"Thud!" The longsword slid off and landed heavily on the deck. Nami slumped down, hugging her knees and burying her face in them, sobbing softly.

"Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Why are you forcing me! Why are you forcing me! He's a pirate who came down from the Grand Line! Why did I have to run into you! You'll only die and fail if you fight him!"

Mabi didn't answer, but squatted down and gently touched Nami's orange forehead, whispering something.

"Little sister, why do you need so much money? Are you having some difficulties? I'll help you solve them!"

Nami, who was still crying, suddenly trembled, raised her head, and stared blankly at Mabi, as if she had returned to a day five years ago, with the same actions, the same tone, and the same helpless scene, but she couldn't remember who he was.

"Brother! Can you help me get rid of the evil dragon?" Little Nami pleaded, squatting on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest.

"Don't worry! The evil dragon is just a small fry. Wait for my good news."

Three days later, news of the devastating attack on Arlong Park by the Navy, in which the pirate Arlong disappeared without a trace, reached Nami's ears, bringing a sense of relief and dispelling her pent-up emotions. However, she couldn't remember who had promised to help her defeat Arlong; she only knew that someone had helped her. But a few months later, Arlong returned and rebuilt Arlong's kingdom, even becoming friendly with the local Navy. After that, the Navy never interfered again, and Nami buried the matter deep in her heart. Now, Maggie has stirred it up again.

"Who are you! How do you know about this! I didn't tell anyone!" Nami pulled out three sticks from her bosom, joined them together, and pointed them at Mabi, yelling. No one but him knew about this.

"Ugh! What a pain in the ass. Why did I forget to remove the influence on her back then? You should know this little Nami, right?" Mami pulled a stick from her leg and threw it over. Nami caught it and unconsciously swung her arm out, locking the three sections together and transforming it into a 60-centimeter-long short stick.

"Why does this feel so familiar! Why did I forget who owned this! And why do you own it!" Nami put down the long stick in her hand and looked at Mami with tears in her eyes.

"Nami! I'm late!" Mami stepped forward and hugged Nami, apologizing.

"You're that stranger brother! Why did I forget you! You've made me never trust anyone again!" Nami leaned against Mabi and pounded his chest.

"It's me! I'm sorry, but my ability is really too annoying. People I don't want to erase will gradually forget my existence. They will only remember me as a person, but they won't remember any information about me." Maggie apologized. When she was only thirteen years old, her merchant ship was sailing near Cocoyasi Village when Nami, who was also thirteen at the time, sneaked into the cabin to steal. Nami caught her and asked her why. Under the pretense of protecting the little girl and the caravan, Maggie forcibly challenged Arlong, who was already an adult. She was beaten up and forcibly dumped Arlong at the Marine base. She held on until she reached the caravan's territory before passing out. When she woke up, she found that Arlong had been eliminated by a Marine impersonating him, so she didn't pay any more attention to it.

"Waaah! Mami, help me!" Nami, who knew everything, looked up and pleaded. Now that she knew everything, she knew that she could defeat the dragon five years ago, and her previous worries were no longer relevant.

“Okay!” Mabi nodded in agreement as she looked at the tear-streaked face.

Then she started being sarcastic: "I really miss that little thief cat from before, who would squint her eyes and enjoy being stroked on the head. Now that she's grown up, she's not fun anymore and she hits people all the time."

"asshole!"

"Bang!" The sound of a fist hitting a head!

"Turn back!"

"Okay! Big Sister Nami!"

Chapter 5 Attacking the Dragon

Maggie steered the ship, changing direction as Nami directed, in search of the location of the floating restaurant, Baratie.

"Ah! That's the Merry! The Merry!"

"Brother Usopp! Brother Zoro! We've found Sister Nami!" Johnny, acting as a sentry, shouted frantically at the people resting below when he saw the familiar ship.

"Oh, that woman is back." Zoro was puzzled. Based on Johnny's account, he figured she was probably heading towards Dragon Park, and given her abilities, she wouldn't be going in the opposite direction.

"Nami! Where is Nami?" Usopp jumped up and shouted. How was he going to explain to Kaya that Mami had kidnapped Mami?

"Nami, did you hear that? I think I heard someone calling you," Maggie asked, lying on the deck with a dried fish in her mouth.

"Really? I didn't hear it."

"Nami! Maggie!"

“I heard it this time.” Maby straightened up and looked around, just in time to see a small boat sailing vertically toward them.

"Hey! Usopp! Johnny!" Maggie greeted from her perch on the fence.

"Brother Mabi! What's going on here?" Johnny asked from the small boat. Why did you come back when you went to Dragon Park?

"Let's go back and pick up Luffy later. We'll talk about everything once we're all together," Maggie said, glancing at Nami who was silent beside her. After all, abandoning one's comrades would be immoral, no matter what happened.

"Haha! Zoro, when did you become a dumpling! You got bullied by that nobody!" Maggie laughed, pointing at Zoro's bandages. Although she knew what had happened, there weren't many people who would risk their lives for their dreams!

"You pervert! You're asking for it!" Zoro roared in fury, jumped up, and drew his Wado Ichimonji to slash at the enemy.

However, the pain from the wound interrupted the movement, causing the body to convulse and fall into the sea.

"Thump! Thump!" Seeing this, Mabi jumped over and, standing in mid-air, grabbed the sword and pulled Zoro up from the fall.

"Nami, quickly get the medicine. Zoro is injured and still has to run around." Maggie laid Zoro flat on the deck, pressing down on his body that was trying to move. She had provoked him earlier to make his fragile wounds reopen so they would be easier to treat later. After all, judging from the bandages on his body, they were just simple bandages. If left for too long, they would leave irreparable hidden injuries. Those special medicines that have been passed down from the Grand Line are pretty good and we can try them out.

"You pervert, don't touch me!" Maggie's hand landed on Zoro's body and he immediately shuddered. Although he knew Maggie was doing it for his own good, what he had experienced at the sea restaurant still sent chills down his spine.

"Stop messing around! Once you're healed, you can chop away as much as you want. There are plenty of battles waiting for you to show off your skills," Maggie advised. It was still a few days' journey from here to Cocoyasi Village, and Kaya's high-strength healing potion on the ship would be enough for Zoro to recover his fighting strength.

"Big Brother Mabi is amazing! He can do everything!" Johnny, standing beside him, almost knelt down and hugged his leg in awe.

"Mabi, are you a doctor?" Nami asked curiously from the side. From the moment they met on the ship, she found that Mabi knew a little about everything and could be said to be able to do almost anything.

“Ah! You mean this? It’s just a simple bandaging technique. It’s an essential skill for wounds that are often inflicted during battles at sea,” Mabi explained. After all, she had been fighting at sea since she was a child until the dragon was defeated, and then she stayed at Kaya’s manor. It was no big deal for her to be so skilled at treating external injuries.

"Alright Zoro, as long as you don't do any strenuous exercise these next couple of days, your wound should be almost healed!"

"Hmph!" He tilted his head to the side.

"Tsundere!"

"You pervert! I'll kill you!" But Mabi dodged it, having already moved aside.

~~~

"Phew! We've finally arrived!" The next morning, Mabi sighed as she looked at the floating restaurant in the distance. It was really annoying to encounter a sudden downpour and not be able to rest for a moment. Now she was so tired that she was fast asleep on the deck, but she was still forcing herself to follow the prescribed route to the floating restaurant.

"Get up! Get up! We've arrived. Let's grab some breakfast on the way." Mabi stopped the boat and woke up everyone sleeping on the deck.

"Hey! Sanji, what's wrong with you!" Maggie was the first to step forward and saw Sanji slumped in the doorway, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he looked up at the sky with a smile as he asked.

"Haha! Haha!" Hearing Maggie's voice and the decision she had just made, he burst into laughter, looked at his companions with whom he would be living from now on, and then stared at Nami, who was walking at the back.

"Beautiful Nami, we are now comrades. Please allow me to offer you my sincere love!" He threw everything else to the back of his mind and rushed straight to Nami.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" The chef, who was telling Sanji what he was saying in the restaurant to see his reaction, didn't expect that he would forget his colleague of several years as soon as he met a beautiful woman and start wooing his new partner.

"Damn Sanji! I worried for nothing!"

"Damn it! I'm going to kill him!"

"hateful!"

"Hahaha! My crew has come to pick me up! Hahaha! Sanji is going to be my chef from now on! Hahaha!"