Chapter 47: Wind Element, Qingling

As a former member of the Sun Pirates, Arlong was no ordinary pirate—he was cunning, capable, and utterly ruthless.

In his younger years, he too once held dreams—grand fantasies about the human world. Perhaps that's why, when he rose to power, he chose to build the headquarters of the Dragon Empire in the style of the Sabaody Archipelago amusement park. It was an ironic mockery of the human dream, transformed into a symbol of his dominance.

Driven by ambition, Arlong led his fishman followers across East Blue, quickly conquering more than twenty villages. His campaign was brutal and swift. Once he had control, he secured it further by bribing the corrupt local officer, Colonel Mouse. The colonel, greedy and cowardly, became Arlong's loyal "umbrella," shielding his crimes from the Marine authorities.

With this arrangement in place, Arlong had absolute control. The villages were trapped under his rule, their pleas unheard and their suffering ignored.

Once his thirst for conquest was satisfied, Arlong turned to a more perverse form of indulgence. He lived a life of depravity, enslaving and abusing humans for his pleasure. As an extreme racist, this was the only way he could feel fulfilled—by watching humans crumble under despair.

Among the many humans he ruled over, one stood out: Nami.

Her talent for navigation was unparalleled. Arlong, recognizing her value, made her an offer cloaked in false hope—if she could raise 100 million Berries, he would let her village go. But even if she somehow succeeded, Colonel Mouse would always be there, ready to sabotage her efforts.

Today was another transaction day. Arlong sat comfortably across from Colonel Mouse, both of them laughing like old friends at a private joke. The table between them was stacked high with Berries.

Arlong shoved the stack toward him with a grin. "Here's this month's payment. Take it."

"Squeak, squeak, squeak… then I won't be shy," Mouse laughed in his usual shrill tone, his rodent-like face twisted in glee. Without hesitation, he scooped the cash into his arms.

Arlong, dressed in a garish floral short-sleeved shirt, threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Hahaha! No need to be so polite!"

Of all his actions in East Blue, forming this alliance with Colonel Mouse pleased him the most. A powerful umbrella that only required a modest fee? It was a steal.

"Well, business is concluded. I'll take my leave now," Colonel Mouse said, rising to his feet with a sly smirk. "Wouldn't want anyone to discover that a Marine patrol ship was docked here…"

"Hahaha, sure, I won't see you out," Arlong replied lazily, motioning for Octopus Hachi to escort him.

In his mind, Arlong was already thinking of Nami. She had been gone a long time—by now, she must be close to gathering the 100 million Berries. It would be amusing to crush her hopes when she returned.

---

Back on the deck of the Going Merry, Leo carefully removed the wand from Nami's arm.

Just moments earlier, after sailing the ship back to sea, he had engraved the symbol of Qingling, the Wind Element, onto the arms of Luffy and the others. Qingling, as he named it, resembled a small blue bird formed from wind and magic. Everyone agreed on the name, even though Luffy and Usopp had taken a beating during the process.

"Alright, the old marks are gone now," Leo said as he stepped back, satisfied.

Luffy, eyes wide with excitement despite the dark circles under them, floated in the air. "That's it? That's all it does?"

He had completely forgotten that Leo had just beaten him half to death for resisting the engraving.

On his left arm, a soft bluish-white glow shimmered. The spirit of wind—Qingling—circled around, resembling a tiny bird made of air, curiously flitting around its host.

The others also floated mid-air, their faces filled with joy and wonder. While they couldn't control it as smoothly as Nami yet, it was still magical.

Leo frowned. "What more do you want?" he asked gruffly.

The process hadn't been easy. Engraving Qingling into their bodies had drained more than 70% of his magic. Their rejection of the magic pattern had been far stronger than he anticipated.

Nami had accepted the engraving effortlessly, but these guys? Their bodies resisted violently. Except for Usopp, every one of them possessed a strange inner power that clashed with the Qingling imprint. The moment Leo began the process, their bodies nearly exploded from the backlash.

If he hadn't acted quickly to suppress and stabilize their energies using his own magic, things could've ended in disaster.

Thankfully, he managed to succeed. The Qingling spirit was now fused into their bodies. In magical terms, it was like they each had a resident apprentice-level wind spirit within them.

While not strong enough for combat, it granted useful abilities like levitation, enhanced mobility, and slight air manipulation. Nothing fast or combat-oriented, but it had potential.

More interestingly, everyone connected through Qingling could now vaguely sense each other's locations when within a certain range—a handy trick for teamwork.

"I'm curious to see what'll happen once you awaken Observation Haki," Leo muttered to himself, then raised his voice. "So listen up—this power isn't as strong as Nami's Qingling, so don't get cocky."

But Luffy and the others were still floating around like kids at a fairground, completely ignoring Leo's explanation.

Leo turned to look at them, only to see them giggling and tumbling through the air.

His eyebrow twitched. In a flash, several thick stress veins popped up on his forehead. His wand extended with a click, and he marched toward the group with an evil smile.

On the sidelines, Nami wisely covered her mouth and said nothing. She slowly tiptoed to the bow of the ship and gazed ahead, trying to hide her laughter.

"Hmm?"

In the distance, two familiar figures cut through the water, quickly approaching the Merry.

BANG! BANG!

Two loud splashes echoed as Shioyaki and Bisaro landed on deck with practiced agility.

"Nami, are these your prisoners?" Shioyaki asked, looking suspiciously at the unfamiliar crew.

From afar, they had assumed the ship belonged to enemy pirates who had wandered into Arlong's territory. If they hadn't spotted Nami, they would've sunk it without hesitation.

The moment the two fishmen landed, Luffy and the others tensed. Thanks to what Nami had suffered, they didn't have any goodwill left for fishmen.

"Oh, it's Shioyaki and Bisaro," Nami said, surprised. "Weren't Hachi and Moo supposed to be on patrol now?"

"Boss Arlong said someone important is visiting today," Bisaro replied with a blank, innocent expression. "So Hachi was called back to welcome them."

Shioyaki, however, was watching Leo and the others carefully. Something about them felt… off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but a sense of unease crept up his spine.

"They're not my prisoners," Nami said cheerfully, her voice filled with sincerity. "They're my companions."

"What!!?"

Both fishmen looked stunned.

Nami, once Arlong's most obedient navigator, was now calling humans her companions? Something was definitely wrong.

Shioyaki's brows furrowed further, and his hand slowly drifted toward the weapon strapped to his back.

Leo took a step forward, standing protectively in front of the crew. His eyes locked onto the fishmen, his expression calm but firm.

"Nami's with us now," he said, voice steady. "If you're looking for trouble, I suggest you leave."

Bisaro blinked, still unsure of what was happening. "Wait… are you serious?"

"You guys should go," Nami said softly, her smile fading. "Tell Arlong… the deal's off."

Shioyaki narrowed his eyes, scanning Nami's expression. It was no longer the fearful girl they once knew. There was determination in her gaze now.

A silence stretched between them, thick with tension.

Then, finally, Shioyaki snorted and stepped back. "Fine. But Arlong won't let this slide."

With that, the two fishmen turned and dove back into the sea, vanishing beneath the waves.

Nami let out a long breath. Luffy grinned and floated upside-down in the air. "That was cool!"

Leo lowered his wand. "Get ready. Things are going to get messy from now on."

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

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