One Piece: The Salted Fish Fruit

"Uh! Is this really the same fried egg that Mabi made?" Everyone broke out in a cold sweat.

"Smack! Smack!" The sound of food being chewed.

"This is delicious, it's pretty good," Luffy replied, eating the black solid food in front of him one bite after another.

"Uh!" He really is a captain unlike any other.

"Eat it!" While Zoro was struggling with the food in front of him, Nami pulled open his mouth wide and stuffed the food in, then forced his mouth shut and swallowed it.

"Ah! Spicy!"

"Gulp, gulp!"

"Comfortable!"

"Is it really that bad?" Apis asked, seeing Zoro's expression, and then took a bite herself.

"Ugh! It's so spicy! I definitely added salt!"

"Gulp, gulp!"

"This food was made for us by Miss Apis herself, so we can't waste it!" Sanji said seriously to the group of people who looked miserable, and took the lead in picking up the plate and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Ugh!" I forced myself to suppress the urge to vomit and swallowed it down.

"Sanji-nii-san!" Apis looked at her with teary eyes.

“It’s delicious!” Sanji said with a smile.

"Eat up! Eat up! We can't waste food."

"Ugh!" The few people who had forced themselves to swallow their words were now envious of Mabi, who was sleeping in the cabin and didn't have to go through this kind of pain.

······

"Eric! Is that pirate ship over there the one that's been collecting that little girl?" The man with the golden hook, wearing a long hat with a skull on it, asked the purple-haired man in a suit and glasses next to him.

"Yes, Captain Jim. Judging from the flight path, they are heading to that little girl's island. They haven't docked yet, so they must be on that ship," said Eric, the user of the Air-Blade Fruit who had fought Luffy and the others before.

"Good! If you can catch that little girl, I'll give you 50 million Berries. I've never seen a Devil Fruit user who can communicate with animals, even on the Grand Line! Men, attack! This is Garp's hometown. He absolutely won't allow any powerful pirates to appear in the East Blue. Whoever is slow will have to face that old thief Garp."

"Attack! Kill them!"

"Yay! Little white tiger! Whether you're royalty or not, you'll find out soon enough. As long as the news of your presence reaches Tiger Island, your people will come running to rescue you. Haha, the legendary tiger skin, as soft as white clouds, is something that can't be bought for millions of Berries on the Grand Line, and now I'm slaughtering them one by one."

"Roar! Roar!" The two-foot-long white tiger cub roared under his threat and began to bite at the bars that bound it, but it went limp and powerless in the cage as soon as it touched them.

······

"Zoro! Sanji! Pirates!" Usopp, standing atop the watchtower, shouted as he spotted a pirate ship sailing in the distance.

"Are you coming this way?" Zoro asked, putting down the barbell and wiping his sweat.

"Let me see!" Usopp picked up the binoculars again to look, since encountering ships on the sea was a common occurrence and didn't necessarily require a fight.

"Aaaaaah! They're coming this way! Prepare for battle!" Usopp shouted as the pirate ship drew closer.

"Haha! A fight's about to break out!"

"Usopp, how many enemies are there? Prepare to fire!" Nami ordered as they exited the ship's cabin.

"Abis, go to the cabin and wake Maby up."

"Okay!" Sensing the serious expression on Abis's face, she quickly ran downstairs to wake up the sleeping Mabi.

"Sister Mabi, Sister Mabi, another battle is about to begin!" Apis cried out, shaking Mabi's hammock desperately.

"Relax! Relax! Apis, don't get excited." Mabi stood up, lifted the petite body of the other woman and placed her in front of her, saying. They had already agreed that she would only be woken up if there was a battle, and since there was no sound, the battle probably hadn't started yet.

"It's too dangerous outside, Apis. You should stay in the cabin," Maggie said, patting her head as she hugged her.

"But I also want to fight," Apis pouted and muttered.

"Haha! You're still growing, we can talk about that when you're older. Fighting isn't for kids. The Whisper-Whisper Fruit isn't without its fighting power. If one day you can communicate not only with living beings, but with all things in the world, then you'll be able to fight and protect your family." Maggie laughed, then put her down and turned to leave.

"Communicating with all things in the world? I will definitely do it, and I will do it to help you." Apis looked at Mebius's firm figure and made up her mind.

"Gum! Gum! Balloon!" Luffy jumped up and inflated his belly to deflect the incoming projectiles.

"Bang! Bang!" Sanji and Zoro each deflected the cannonballs that were heading towards Merry.

"Usopp! Go fire the cannon! Snipe the enemy ship's bow from a distance and bombard it." Maggie saw that Usopp was also using his slingshot to detonate the incoming cannonballs, which was a waste of his talents. She was sending him to operate the powerful and long-range cannons.

"Alright!" He also realized that the few he had blown up were not very useful, so he crawled into the bow of the ship and started stuffing gunpowder into the gun to attack.

"Slash! Sever the air!" Mabi swung her sword and detonated a section of cannonballs in mid-air.

"What! Flying Slash! That's an ability that only appears in the Grand Line. How could it appear in the weak East Blue? Impossible! The opponent must be a Devil Fruit user. How could such a powerful swordsman appear in the East Blue?" The opposing captain was astonished when he saw Maple's aerial slashing ability. How could a strong person emerge without being tempered by the treacherous Grand Line?

"Minions, fire all the cannonballs you want. Once we're done, I'll take you to the Pirate King's hometown and rob him. That'll be enough to make us famous throughout the Grand Line."

"Oh my!" For a pirate, what could be more exciting than becoming famous throughout the world? It's enough to drive most people crazy.

Chapter 14 Lifesaving Skill! Salted Fish Thrust!

"Boom! Crack!" Despite everyone's desperate efforts to stop the other ship's stern from collided, the two ships still crashed together, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

"Sanji, bring Luffy back! I'll stop their attack!" Maggie shouted at Sanji. Luffy had just turned into a balloon and fallen between the two ships, but the powerful squeezing force still caused him to burst out and fall into the sea, where he could only wait to die. Sanji had to jump over and save Luffy.

"Yay! I didn't expect there to be such strong pirates in the East Blue who actually killed several of our brothers, especially those two cute little girls, they can help us warm our beds!" One of the pirates stuck out his tongue and licked the longsword in his hand, glancing at Maggie and Nami with a wicked smile. He didn't take the mere flying slash from before seriously and sent them flying with a single sword strike.

"Hahaha! Hahaha!..." Unrestrained and wicked laughter echoed around. As the region with the strongest control by the Navy, the East Blue was not a place where powerful pirates could easily emerge. The small pirates they encountered could only be bullied.

"Hehe! Mighty pirate, your powerful figure has been imprinted on my heart. I also wish to serve you. Please allow me to board your ship and serve you." Maggie exaggeratedly half-squatted and moved forward, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her black and white maid outfit making her even more alluring, as if she wanted to hold her in her arms and caress her.

"Eek!" Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and the others shuddered at the sight. After all, they all knew Maple was male. It wouldn't be a problem if she were a woman, but if she were a man! Eek!

"Haha! We'll definitely take good care of you, delicate woman." The other party laughed loudly, and seeing the trembling pirates below only fueled their desire to bully the weak.

"Salted fish..."

"Rubber! Rubber! Machine gun!" Before Mabi could finish speaking, she was interrupted by countless fists flying out from behind, forcibly stopping the ability she was about to use.

"Alright, it seems the captain's here. Letting you go is the only option left, a fight to the death." Maggie said in her original voice, speechless as she saw Luffy return.

"So you're a man!" the pirate with bulging eyes roared, completely shattering the image of delicate fragility they had just held in their minds.

"Who the hell said I'm a woman! Salted Fish Draw Sword Technique!" Mabi immediately unleashed a horizontal slash with a draw sword technique, but the opponent seemed to ignore Mabi's attack and continued to slash at Mabi's original position with his long sword.

"Pfft!" Only when blood splattered everywhere did the other party realize that he had been slashed. As for why he was slashed, he still did not understand even after he lost consciousness.

"Clang!" The two swords and the axe that broke through the crowd simultaneously clashed with Mabi, blocking her continued attacks.

"It seems you're not only a man, but also a powerful swordsman. Ordinary crew members have no power to resist you," the owner of one of the long swords said to Mabi with a sinister smile.

"Is that so? I agree with your first point, but I disagree with the latter. In my eyes, you are still just small fry and can't do any harm to me at all." Maggie laughed as she parried the swords and axes that were attacking her. From the direction of the crowd surging behind them, Maggie clearly judged that the other side was undoubtedly in a minor position. If she intercepted them, Luffy and his crew would be able to greatly relieve the pressure of the battle.

"Then let's try it!" The other person grinned sinisterly and instantly drew his sword to slash down at the legs, while the other person pulled down and swept the axe blade across the waist, their coordination extremely skillful.

"Cloud-Dispelling Palm." Mabi chuckled and instantly unleashed a powerful air vibration with her left hand, enough to block all kinds of attacks. As long as the force was not greater than Mabi's, it would be blocked and deflected by the air.

"What! A Devil Fruit user! First mate!" The other party's expression changed immediately when they saw Mabi's actions and their attack failed. As Devil Fruit users, even the weakest Zoan-type Devil Fruit was beyond their ability to fight. They could only call on the strongest member of their team.

"I'll do it!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" Mabi felt a shadow fall over the sky, and a thick, dark shadow swooped down from above.

"Sword Slash! Sky Tremor!"

"Straight punch! Cannon punch!" Mabi remained unmoved, directly slashing with the back of her sword in her right hand, creating a barrier in the air, while her left fist swiftly unleashed an invisible stream of air that enveloped her arm and struck directly at her opponent's knee joint.

"Boom!" With a deafening roar, invisible ripples formed from the point where Mabi struck the opponent, impacting everything around and creating a void.

"Ahhh! The first mate has made his move! Get out of here!" The surrounding pirates quickly left, leaving the area to them, upon seeing the six-meter-tall giant before them.

"Hehe! Didn't you eat, little reptile?" The other party grinned, holding a giant iron rod fixed in the air. The opponent's huge impact was directly resisted by Mabi by freezing the air, and the huge bombardment force, along with the air blunting plate, dissipated in the air.

“As you say, there isn’t.” Mabi laughed, suddenly stomping her feet and rushing forward, the blade slashing rapidly forward.

"Crack!" The sharp slashes only left white marks on the opponent's joints.

"Heh heh! Kid! I'm a Bone-Bone Fruit user. My entire body is covered in white bone armor, enough to withstand any attack. I'm from the Grand Line, and a mere flying slash can't do anything to me." The opponent laughed wildly as he saw that Mabi's attack had only left a trace.

"Really? If once isn't enough, what if it's twice, or even more times? I won't make the mistake of going berserk again when I encounter people with such high defensive capabilities like you." Mabi laughed.

"Since you're willing to be a target, then let me be your whetstone. Is your defense higher or the sword in my hand sharper?"

Maby made the first move!

"Slash! Shake the air!"

Mabi quickly dodged the dense barrage of clubs coming from her opponent, occasionally clashing with them head-on, creating chaotic energy that left gaps on the deck and sending wooden planks flying, disrupting the entire battle.

"So it's still no use? Without accumulating experience through numerous battles, it's impossible to defeat these pirates who have crossed the Calm Belt. Even if I disrupt the entire battle here, we'll be defeated sooner or later if this continues."

Maggie glanced around at the battle and saw that everyone was in dire straits. Even Luffy, the strongest fighter, was on the verge of collapse amidst dozens of swords and axes, his body covered in small wounds. Even with his rubber body increasing his body density, he couldn't withstand the powerful slashing force of the blades. Zoro's other two swords had already shattered in the battle, leaving him with only Wado Ichimonji, and his fighting strength was less than half. Facing an attack from more than ten people, if it weren't for the combat instincts he developed from his time as a pirate hunter, allowing him to instinctively avoid fatal blows, he would probably have already been defeated. Sanji, while protecting Nami, was covered in blood from the cuts inflicted by Eric's Wind Blade Fruit, but he was still fighting on. Usopp, the sniper, had already been taken down by the surrounded gunmen and lay on the ground, his fate unknown.

"Hehe! Pirates of the East Blue, you've really opened my eyes! To wipe out half of my crew with just six people, this feat is something to be proud of even in the Grand Line! With your abilities, you're destined to become famous throughout the world! But my greatest pleasure is killing rookies, so now obediently die by my hand! Hahaha! Hahaha!" The pirate captain, watching his crew fight from a high place, roared arrogantly. He hadn't seen such powerful rookies in a long time; it was simply too wonderful to see them die by his hand.

"Stop talking nonsense! I'll definitely beat you all to a pulp!"

"asshole!"

"We won't die at the hands of a nobody like you!"

Mabi shouted at the other party's arrogant appearance, stomped her foot and her body flew out, her long sword heavily piercing into a pirate in the distance.

"Salted Fish Technique! Salted Fish Thrust!"

Chapter 15 Resolute! Luffy's Praise!

"So disappointing! I just want to be a useless salted fish."

"Why come to the East China Sea! It's safer to be a salted fish than to come to the East China Sea!"

"Following the captain into battle is too dangerous. It's much more comfortable to be a lazy bum."

"Does anyone have a piece of salted fish that I can eat?"

"What's the point of living? It's better to be a salted fish, eating and sleeping comfortably."