After a burst of activity across the ship, the crew settled into their roles. Luffy hurried to take the helm, his eyes gleaming with excitement and determination. Usopp climbed up to the lookout perch, carefully inspecting his ammunition, making sure everything was ready for whatever might come their way.
Zoro, exhausted from their recent exertions, had already fallen into a deep sleep below deck. Even Sanji, who usually found every excuse to bother Nami, had given up for the time being. Instead, he retreated to the kitchen, engrossed in studying the various ingredients Leo had laid out for him earlier, intent on perfecting his culinary skills.
Meanwhile, at the bow of the ship, Leo and Nami sat facing each other, engaged in a serious conversation that cut through the bustling noises of the crew. The ocean breeze gently fluttered Nami's hair, but her eyes were fixed firmly on Leo's.
"Nami," Leo began softly, "the Celestial Staff I gave you has five levels of control. Right now, you're only at the first level. The main thing holding you back is your own physical strength."
Nami nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Among the several elemental magics, your affinity with the wind element is the strongest. Your connection to snow magic, on the other hand, is the weakest."
Leo's voice grew softer as he explained, "If you want to stand a chance against Arlong by yourself, it's best to strengthen your control over wind magic—at least to the third stage. At that level, you can manifest a cutting blade with the wind."
Nami's face fell slightly. "But physical strength... that's not something that's easy to improve."
Leo had just finished detailing the magic stages to her. The third stage corresponded to a novice magician, someone capable of controlling elemental forces independently. As for Leo, his magic was far beyond such straightforward categorizations.
It was important to remember that Nami had no inherent magic power of her own. Her magic depended entirely on the conversion circles Leo had inscribed for her. Every spell she cast came at the expense of her physical stamina. That was why reaching the third stage was so difficult for her.
"There is a way," Leo said quietly, locking eyes with Nami. "But because you don't have innate magic power, it's going to be painful."
Leo's expression grew pained. When he had first engraved magic patterns onto his own body, the pain had been unbearable. And for someone like Nami, who had no magical reserves, it could be even worse.
To engrave magic patterns, a person had to endure a kind of torment that few could bear. For Nami, this process would require an additional transformation array layered on top of the engraving. Could she handle such agony?
Leo hesitated to reveal the full truth.
Nami noticed his hesitation immediately. She was no fool. She knew that whenever there was a shortcut or a special technique, it usually came with a price.
She clenched her fists. "Leo, I don't care how painful it is. I want revenge. I want Arlong to feel real pain for what he's done."
Her voice was low but fierce, filled with a determination that burned brighter than the sun overhead.
"Just tell me what to do. I'll do whatever it takes."
Leo studied her face carefully. The fire in her eyes reminded him of his own struggles. Finally, he nodded and decided to tell her everything.
"There's no risk to your life," he said gently, "but it will feel like ants crawling all over your body — an unbearable, maddening sensation."
He took a deep breath and slowly stretched out his arm.
A dazzling display of magical patterns began to glow beneath his skin, intricate lines and symbols weaving together in a complex lattice that shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.
"Wow! What is that? It looks amazing!" Usopp and Luffy shouted simultaneously, their eyes wide with fascination.
If they weren't tied to their stations—Luffy at the helm and Usopp at lookout—they would have rushed over to crowd around Leo in an instant.
Ignoring their shouts, Nami's eyes were fixed on the glowing patterns beneath Leo's skin.
"Those are magic patterns," Leo explained. "They are the foundation of all magic."
"Even though I'm skilled with elemental magic," he continued, "without these patterns, I couldn't have stood toe-to-toe with the world's greatest swordsman."
Nami's eyes sharpened. "So... you want to engrave these patterns on me?"
Leo nodded slowly. "Yes. While there are other ways to improve your strength, most of those rely on external sources and don't truly belong to you."
"But magic patterns... once engraved, as long as there's a physical strength conversion magic array in place, they never disappear. They grow stronger with you as your own power increases."
Nami hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "It's going to hurt a lot, isn't it?"
Leo gave a firm nod. "Very, very painful. But once you get through it... Arlong will be just a minor obstacle."
Leo's voice was steady with conviction. When he first underwent this transformation, the magic patterns had been etched into his body. Since then, he had never fled from any fight, no matter how dangerous.
Although he didn't seek out conflict unnecessarily, his power was undeniable.
After a brief silence, Nami's voice was soft but resolute. "Okay, Leo. I trust you. Let's do it."
Leo gave a small smile, though his eyes were serious. "Take off your coat and lie down."
Nami scowled, glaring at him. "Hey! Don't you know the difference between men and women?"
Leo looked innocent, as if confused by the accusation. "I only said take off your coat. How does that make me a hooligan?"
Far away in the kitchen, Sanji had overheard Leo's command. His face instantly turned beet red. He burst out of the kitchen, eyes wide and heart pounding like a wild pig. "What are you thinking?!" he yelled, horrified.
Leo sighed in exasperation. "I said take off your coat, not your clothes. I don't want to see anything more than I have to."
Despite his words, Leo's preference leaned more towards the mature and intellectual Robin, rather than Nami's youthful figure.
Nami, blushing slightly, took off her coat and lay down on the deck as instructed.
Sanji, seeing there was no "show" forthcoming, muttered a disappointed "Oh..." and slunk back to the kitchen, glancing back longingly at the deck every few steps.
Leo crouched beside Nami, preparing her for the engraving process.
"It's extremely difficult to engrave magic patterns," he explained. "Because your physique is a weak point, most of the patterns I engraved on myself were designed to strengthen my body and enhance physical fitness."
"But you're different. Your physique has room to improve, but your affinity with wind magic is exceptional."
"It would be a shame to waste your potential by covering your body with physical enhancement patterns."
"Instead, I will focus mainly on engraving magic patterns related to the wind element, with a smaller portion dedicated to the physical strength conversion magic array."
Leo's hand glowed faintly with a pale blue light as he examined Nami's body carefully.
He felt a pang of regret. For reasons unknown, the people in this world could not cultivate magic power naturally. Their meridians were fully integrated with their physical bodies and could not allow magic power to flow through freely.
"So... stop talking nonsense and just hurry up!" Nami snapped, trying to hide the nervous tremor in her voice.
Leo chuckled softly. "Alright, alright."
He handed Nami a towel. "Bite down on this. It will help with the pain."
Nami took the towel in her hand, biting down hard. Leo then raised his magic staff.
The azure breeze began to swirl around Nami, lifting her gently into the air.
The air currents vibrated rapidly as tiny, shimmering lights appeared from nowhere, filling the atmosphere with an extraordinarily fresh scent.
Leo's staff shrank down to the size of a pen, its surface glowing with a milky white radiance.
"Ready?" Leo asked quietly.
Nami nodded, bracing herself.
A moment later, the magic patterns began to burn into her skin.
The pain was like fire, sharp and relentless, crawling beneath her flesh as if a thousand needles were pricking her from within.
Her muscles tensed involuntarily, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
But she gritted her teeth through the agony, the determination to defeat Arlong fueling her resolve.
Gradually, the glowing symbols and lines appeared beneath her skin, mirroring the intricate designs on Leo's arm.
The patterns shimmered faintly under the sunlight as they settled into place, becoming a permanent part of her.
When the initial wave of pain subsided, Leo lowered her gently back to the deck.
"Welcome to the world of magic patterns, Nami."
She blinked, breathing heavily, but a spark of power flickered within her chest.
Arlong's reign would soon come to an end.
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