One Piece: The Salted Fish Fruit

"It just flew over your head, why bother chasing it all the way? Cut through the air!" He brandished his long sword and slashed backward. An invisible crescent-shaped blade of air instantly formed in the air, tearing through layers of space and flying rapidly backward.

"Roar!" Without any visible movement, the fish's lips, concealed within the clouds, merely parted slightly, unleashing a deep, resonant roar that shattered countless clouds instantly! The force of the slashing attack was annihilated by this sonic wave! The area within a radius of over a thousand meters instantly vanished into nothingness, leaving only a massive fish head standing like a pillar within a circular space with a diameter of over a thousand meters! Its intelligent gaze was fixed on Mabi, who remained suspended in mid-air.

"Fine! I won't hit you anymore! Then keep chasing me! I don't believe you can keep up once we leave the Windless Zone!" Mabi looked helplessly at the other's straight body floating thousands of meters above the water, turned around and jumped away. As expected of the strongest creature group in the ocean that can withstand tens of thousands of meters of water pressure, even my slash that could cut through mountains and forge iron only opened a small wound, which was completely repaired by its powerful regenerative ability during the chase.

Looking down at the already boiling sea, Mabi felt utterly powerless. All sorts of sea kings had been awakened by her and surfaced to watch the spectacle, with some mischievous ones even spitting jets of water at her. There wasn't even a stationary space to launch her aircraft anymore; she could only rely on her ability to fly! And this was the air! Running required several times the effort of running on the ground. Imagining the tens of kilometers ahead, Mabi felt a wave of despair wash over her.

···

"I finally escaped your clutches, you beasts! Come on, chase after me if you dare!" Mabi stood panting on a wooden plank, her body bobbing up and down with the waves, cursing as she looked at the densely packed sea monsters on the calm sea ahead.

"Ah! Roar!" A sea king with a cat's head and a body hundreds of meters tall, which was nearby, saw Mabi's figure and leaped up, directly breaking through the boundary between the Calm Belt and the East China Sea. Its huge cat mouth gleamed with sharp fangs and frantically went down to hunt for prey under the influence of gravity.

"Damn it! You guys are ruthless! Run out of the Calm Belt and attack! Instant teleportation!" Seeing the gaping maw descending from the sky, Mabi didn't bother to reason with the Sea Kings who had been chasing her all the way. She directly tore through layers of space and teleported into the distance.

"Huff! Those damned sea kings!" Mabi leaned back in the yacht seat made from a wind-blown shell, letting it drift with the waves, gazing at the sky and panting, cursing the sea kings that had been causing trouble earlier.

"Where am I?" Mabi looked at the undulating sea and was immediately puzzled. She had fled in a panic to avoid being pursued. She waved her hand to unfold a sea chart and observed her position. Using the rudimentary positioning system made from the permanent magnet, she knew the island closest to the Grand Line. By comparing it with the calm zone, she could determine her location in the East Blue.

"Toran Island! A familiar island! I remember this island has some special plants, and the delicate and soft fibers are excellent materials for making clothes. I once had my uncle set up a fabric factory there, and the merchants would then transport the fabrics to various parts of the East China Sea for production. It seems that Uncle Simon was in charge here back then, but I wonder if he has left for other places over the years."

"It's good to have someone I know! News travels between the East Blue and the Grand Line is difficult, so it's hard to know anything about Apis's situation right now. We can ask them and quickly find out where that girl Apis is and get there as soon as possible." He put down the East Blue map, adjusted the compass to set the direction, and activated the Wind-Blowing Shell to turn the yacht towards the direction he wanted to find.

Three hours later!

Mabi walked briskly down a quiet street, watching the children playing and laughing in the roadside, the women talking between houses, and the drunkards shouting and making a scene in the bar—everything was unusually calm and leisurely.

This is all thanks to Garp! That guy just wanders around the East China Sea casually fighting monsters, which is how he brought peace to the East China Sea. It's a pity he didn't have time to enjoy it.

"We're here! I didn't expect that after all these years, this place hasn't changed much!" Mabi laughed, looking at the wooden carvings above the gate that resembled loose pieces of cloth.

"Young master, is there anything I can do for you?" The gatekeeper, who was standing motionless at the entrance, asked.

"Me? I'm here to see Uncle Simon. Please tell him that Maby needs to see me urgently." Maby replied, looking at the young man in front of her. Although she was in a hurry, it would be faster to have someone she knew find her.

"Looking for Boss Simon? His family? Please wait a moment!" Upon hearing that they were looking for their boss, the other party immediately ran into a three-story Western-style building not far away to make the announcement. A short while later, a fat middle-aged man came running out.

"Young Master Mabi is a rare guest indeed! A rare guest indeed! I heard from my brother that you, this lazy bum, went to the Grand Line, didn't you? How come you have time to come back and visit!" He stepped forward, hugged Mabi tightly, and laughed heartily.

"Haha! Uncle Simon, you're as enthusiastic as ever. I'm back because of an urgent matter—a companion is in danger and I need to get her out of here," Maggie said, jumping out of his arms with a laugh.

"Come on! Come on! Let's talk inside. We haven't seen each other for years, so let's have a good chat! Since you got the news from the Grand Line and rushed back through the Calm Belt, it must be something important. I can tell you right away. If you need something very specific, I know quite a few people who can help you find out." The other person put his arm around Maggie's shoulder and pulled her toward a building not far away as he answered.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Simon!"

Haha! We even said thank you to each other!

...

"What? You mean the Sea King who was all over the East China Sea before? This is a big problem. This morning I heard from my employee that her child was delivering supplies to the Navy and said that she met the legendary Vice Admiral. I heard that they came for that girl and wanted to arrest her." Uncle Simon, sitting on the sofa, replied with a serious expression after hearing Maby's question.

"As expected of the Navy! They've arrived in the East Blue in just six days since I received the message! We can't let them get there first! They're all powerful beings capable of slaughtering Sea Kings! Apis's method of communicating with Sea Kings is no match for them. Uncle, please tell me the information as soon as possible, I need to find her quickly!" Knowing how things had developed, Mabi immediately felt uneasy. Now it was a race against time!

“Mabi! They are lieutenant generals! Top-tier experts in this world! You are still very young!” Seeing Mabi’s expression, Simon understood what Mabi was about to do and pressed his shoulder, unable to bear it.

"Hmph! Uncle Simon, there are some things I can't ignore. Back then, when we were trying to open up trade routes, we faced the possibility of being kidnapped by pirates, didn't we? My strength has improved a lot on the Grand Line, and I'm not as weak as you think! She's our comrade, and I have to rescue her. I can't let an eight-year-old child face this alone." Maggie remained unmoved. Although the middle-aged man in front of her was doing it for her own good and was worried about her, there were some things she couldn't ignore.

"You! Ugh!" Faced with Mabi's tough attitude, the other party was helpless and extremely angry!

"I can tell you! But you must be careful! Although I've known since you were little that your abilities are beyond the reach of ordinary people, you are facing one of the world's top experts!"

"No problem! Uncle Simon! I'll only save her, I won't cause any trouble!"

"I don't believe you!"

Chapter 142 Apis's Dilemma!

On a deserted island in the East China Sea, a thin figure swiftly darted through the sparse, overgrown forest.

"Uncle Long! Uncle Long! I found the herbs! Those monkeys said they use these herbs on their wounds when they get hurt!" A clear shout accompanied a figure rushing into a dark cave.

"Ooh!" A weak voice came from a ball of dark green fur in front of it. Looking at the small figure peeking out from the fur ball, the head showed painful self-reproach and made a series of uneven sounds.

"Ang, ang, ang..."

"Uncle Long, it's not your fault. If those evil navy hadn't forced me to control the sea kings, those two wouldn't have gone to destroy the warship! It's all thanks to you and Xiao Feng for taking me away. You and Master Long used to protect me, now I'll protect you!" The thin figure, wearing a tattered long dress, put down the herbs in her arms, put her hands on her hips, and spoke confidently to the dark green furball in front of her. Then she picked up the herbs on the ground, closed her eyes, forced them into her mouth, and chewed them, enduring the bitter taste of the herbs to keep herself from spitting them out. After chewing them, she spat them onto her palm and applied them to the deep, bone-revealing wound in front of her.

"Uncle Long, let me help you apply the medicine. With these herbs, I believe you will recover quickly."

Before long, she had smeared the deep, bone-revealing wound with a dark green ointment, filling the entire cave with a pungent herbal smell. Looking at the filled wound, the small, dusty figure suddenly smiled.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" A slight gust of wind blew as dozens of fruits of various colors tumbled through the air and drifted in from the cave entrance.

"Xiao Feng, you're back! And you brought me so much food! I love you so much!" Looking at the small, slender figure of the fruit floating in the air, she was overjoyed and immediately took one and popped it into her mouth to dilute the previous herbal taste. She lay down and leaned against the dark green fur ball to rest. The hat on her head opened slightly, and a strand of hair disappeared into the hat under an invisible force and closed again.

"Luffy! Mapi! Where are you? Apis misses you so much! I'll go to the Grand Line to find you after I settle Uncle Long down." She chewed on the crisp fruit and looked at the slightly floating scene above the cave, making soft sounds that gradually faded over time. A green ball of fur on her back extended a wing and gently covered her body to protect her body temperature.

···

"The last place they appeared was here? What a good hiding place! This is the famous sea graveyard in the East China Sea!" Mabi stood on the yacht, looking at the endless sea in front of her, comparing it with the skull and crossbones symbol specially marked on the nautical chart in her hand!

The area, spanning hundreds of kilometers, is filled with countless reefs and deserted islands. The impact of the waves further intensifies the region with numerous undercurrents and whirlpools. Any ship that ventures in will inevitably crash into the rocks that rise below the sea level, turning into marine debris. The only way to enter this area is by air or by relying on advanced naval technology to navigate the ocean currents.

"Haha! Haha! So the little girl you were talking about, Eric, is really here?" Just as Maby was about to come in, a burst of wild laughter came from behind.

"Yes, sir! The last place that little girl was seen was in this area. As long as we find her, her ability to control sea kings will surely allow you to ascend to the throne of the Pirate King!" A fawning and familiar voice immediately entered Mabi's ears.

"Haha! As someone who can control Sea Kings, how could I possibly give up!"

"Eric? It's that bastard again! Wasn't he knocked away by Luffy? He didn't die? Could it be that he leaked the news about the Thousand-Year Dragon again, causing Apis's disaster!" Upon hearing this name, Maggie immediately connected everything and coldly stared at the ship sailing in the distance.

There was a reason why Apis was being hunted before! Unexpectedly, the failure to confirm his death at the time led to another disaster.

"My lord, there are too many undercurrents in the sea ahead; it's far too dangerous."

"This is just a little current! Compared to the currents of the Grand Line, the Four Seas are quite calm! The Four Seas are indeed fragile oceans. They don't even have any decent fighting power to attack a town. It's a truly satisfying paradise!" Upon hearing the guide's words, the other party immediately felt amused and filled with contempt. The Four Seas are indeed the Four Seas. They're terrified of such a small environment.

Amidst his maniacal laughter, he suddenly felt a chill and instinctively swung his knife to block!

"Sever the Void!"

Boom! With a deafening sound, the entire ship tilted wildly backward amidst the terrifying explosion! The waves beneath the ship formed a bottomless chasm, blocking the water from flowing in from both sides.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The pirates, who were still performing their duties, immediately abandoned their crew members, drew their weapons, and rushed to the side under attack, forcibly pressing the raised ship's side back into the sea.

"Who dares to attack our Flame Pirates!"

"Boss! Boss! There's someone in the air!" A sharp-eyed person spotted the figure hovering in the air and shouted to alert everyone of the target's presence.

"Moonwalk! It's Moonwalk!"

"Flying Slash! Marine Moonwalk! He's a Marine officer! Kill him!"

"The navy arrived right after the robbery! The navy's control over the four seas is indeed incomparable to that of the Grand Line!" A burly man with a stubble beard and wearing a cloak covered in red flames stood at the bow of the ship and laughed loudly as he looked at Mabi hovering in the air.

"But we are pirates from the Grand Line! How can the mere Navy of the Four Seas possibly withstand us! Men! Fire the flamethrowers! Taste the weapons from the Grand Line!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! With three crisp explosions, three beams of fire shot out from the adjusted cannon barrels! The blazing beams of light flew rapidly toward Mabi, who was suspended in the air!

"Salted Fish Barrier!" Looking at the three pillars of fire, Mabi stretched out her palm and a barrier instantly formed, blocking the rapidly approaching pillars of fire!

Boom! As the pillar of fire made contact, a dazzling display of fireworks erupted in the sky! Mabi, who had been trailing behind, used the flames as cover and suddenly appeared in front of her opponent, wielding her sword in a sweeping attack!

"Robbery? The East China Sea is not a place for your audacity! Slash the Sky!"

"Haha! What kind of pirates are they if they don't allow robbery! Flame Blade!" Looking at Mabi's cold snort, the other party sneered and directly swung his sword to block. The red energy stone embedded in the hilt of the sword emitted a fierce flame that instantly covered both weapons.

"Then be prepared to die! Shatter the Void!" The longsword was suddenly raised! All the muscles in his body tensed up, and as he swung the seemingly slow longsword, all the power in his body was concentrated on the tip of the blade. After making contact with the opponent's weapon again, he poured all the power into it!

The flaming longsword was struck by Mabi again, and he tried to slash it away, but it was stuck firmly to Mabi's blade and he couldn't move. His face suddenly changed color, and the powerful force made it difficult for him to defend himself, with the weapon making a creaking sound.

The stalemate lasted only a moment before countless steel fragments erupted from his palm, making a rattling sound! The broken pieces of iron flew outwards with tremendous force.

"Wind Blades! Wild Dance!" Eric, who was nearby, saw the black figure attacking from the enemy and immediately swung his arm, forming countless wind blades at his fingertips. The swing of his arm directly enveloped the torrent of steel fragments in front of him.

"Clang, clang, clang!" The contact between the wind blades and the fragments caused a dense buzzing and impacting sound to resound throughout the entire ship!

"Damn it! You pirate from the East Blue, don't send them here!" Seeing the debris erupting towards them, the people on the armored platform immediately sought cover to avoid it!

"Step into the air! Slide through the air!" Feeling the opponent's weapon shatter, he suddenly stomped his foot, splintering wood chips and disappearing in an instant. At the same speed, his long sword swept across the opponent's astonished neck!

"Pfft!" A dull and insignificant sound rang out, and Mabi reappeared behind the other party!

Without hesitation, he turned around again and swept his long sword across the armored squad!

"Sever the Void!"

"Crack!" As the chaotic crowd ran around, the ship that Mabi had swept past could no longer withstand the movement of people. The entire ship broke apart with a cracking sound, and seawater rushed into the bottom and cabins.

"Ah! Why did the ship break apart?" Everyone panicked when they saw the ship break apart. Being without a ship at sea was tantamount to suicide.

"Where's the captain? Wasn't he fighting? Why did the ship break apart?!"

"There! Next to that Marine who can use Moonwalk! He wasn't shattered by the flame cannon!" Only a few seconds had passed from the eruption of flames to the splitting of the ship, and even their captain's head hadn't fallen off his neck! This meant everyone was still basking in the joy of victory! Now, the sudden splitting of the ship had everyone in a state of confusion and bewilderment.

"Eric!" Ignoring the chaos caused by the broken ship, Mabi stared intently at the purple-haired man who was running towards the lifeboat. She stomped hard on the slowly sinking ship, her figure disappearing and reappearing in the distance beside Eric. She swung her long sword and cleaved him in half at the waist!

"Wind Blade! Tornado!" The complicated battle amplified Eric's sense of crisis, causing him to fill the space around him with countless wind blades!

"Too late!" Sensing the abnormal airflow around him, those familiar with him knew that he was about to activate his ability and swiftly wielded their longswords.

*Swoosh!* The opponent's wind blade was useless when it came into contact with Mabi's close-range slash, shattering and cutting through her with a single stroke of her longsword.

"You!" Eric cried out in pain, his upper body tilting to the side. He hadn't even seen who the enemy was before he was plunged into endless darkness!

"Take off into thin air!" The figure disappeared again, and Mabi floated in the air, wielding a long sword. A phoenix-shaped storm formed directly from her arm and rushed downwards!

"Thirty-six kinds of troubles for the phoenix!"

Rumble!

Under Mabi's forceful suppression, the ship below was directly destroyed, and the pirates on it were forced into the sea by the strong wind pressure!

"Rest in peace, you who perished in the East Sea!" Mabi said silently, gazing at the supplies that had been covered in blood and were now submerged in the ocean. Then she turned and moved toward the graveyard.

...

Soon after, a warship reappeared in the area, and someone shouted as they looked down at the wrecked hull.

"Commodore Smoker! This is a pirate crew under attack!"

"Chaos's starting again! According to the sentries, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido's ships have entered this area! Several pirates from the New World have also entered this area at the same time!" Smoker said in a deep voice, puffing on his cigar and blowing smoke rings.