19
Day 19 of Survival: Quickly Save Mr. Corason! He…
There are many people named Garp, but if we’re talking about the most famous one, it would be Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.
If this isn’t the case… thinking about where he encountered Wendy, Loguetown… the only Garp who should have been in Loguetown at that time would be that one.
As for the content of the letter, there aren’t any issues at the moment.
Since this is just an unfinished letter, Wendy only wrote the beginning, which simply described her current situation in straightforward terms.
Explaining to a renowned Vice Admiral that she’s in a pirate crew that’s on the wanted list…
Although Doflamingo didn’t doubt Wendy’s loyalty and usually indulged and tolerated her enough, he still frowned at this moment, feeling somewhat suspicious.
He didn’t believe Wendy would actively betray him, especially since nothing had happened all these years… but there was indeed a traitor in the family. And this traitor was most likely…
…It better not be you, Rosinante.—Doflamingo muttered to himself.
On the other end, Corazon sat in a small boat, putting down the Den Den Mushi with a heavy expression, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
—Doffy must know about my betrayal by now… Is he already impatient?
—Is this a test, or has he long wanted my life?
Corazon didn’t have clairvoyance or mind-reading abilities to hear or see Doflamingo’s thoughts; he simply understood the Op-Op Fruit and understood Doflamingo.
He knew Doflamingo’s purpose in seeking the Op-Op Fruit was for its ability—it’s said that an Op-Op Fruit user can perform the “ageless surgery,” granting someone eternal life. However, once this surgery is performed, the ability user themselves will die as a result.
Doflamingo also knew this, choosing to have him eat the Op-Op Fruit… was already a decision made, designating him as the sacrifice.
For the past half year, he had been drifting at sea with the seriously ill Law, searching everywhere for doctors to treat him… but with little success. These quack doctors would panic upon hearing it was Plumbum Disease, immediately treating them as contagious patients. He felt guilty each time for hurting Law’s feelings during these medical visits, deeply empathizing with the child’s suffering.
Fortunately, there’s finally a lead on the Op-Op Fruit…
“Law, don’t worry, we have a lead on the Op-Op Fruit now. You can be saved.” Corazon reassured him, while inwardly resolving to seize the Op-Op Fruit ahead of time.
He was already a Devil Fruit ability user and couldn’t consume the Op-Op Fruit.
But by obtaining the Op-Op Fruit and having Law eat it, Law would be able to heal himself! Law would be saved!
With a grave expression, Corazon made his decision: “I estimate Doffy already knows about my betrayal… Therefore, we must move faster to snatch the Op-Op Fruit!”
After saying this, he made another call, contacting his adoptive father and superior, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, to inquire about the transaction details regarding the Op-Op Fruit.
Doflamingo said those pirates who obtained the Op-Op Fruit intended to make a deal with the government—this information was likely accurate, so the Marines must know something about it…
Law watched his actions with a dazed expression.
Over the past six months, he had been genuinely moved by Corazon’s relentless efforts to seek medical treatment for him, despite all hardships. He had come to accept this man whom he initially regarded as an eccentric… He knew Corazon was purely sincere, acting out of simple kindness to help and save him, which was why he had undertaken all these endeavors.
But… who was Mr. Corazon calling now? The Marines? Was Mr. Corazon a Marine?
He knew that his family, his friends, everyone from his hometown… had all been gunned down by government-dispatched troops.
If Mr. Corazon was a Marine… then wouldn’t that mean…
His severely ill mind overloaded from grappling with these questions, and his body gave out, causing him to collapse.
When he awoke again, they were amidst wind and rain, with Corazon navigating a small boat through the waves.
Burning with fever, gasping for breath, he weakly asked, “Mr. Corazon… are you a Marine?”
Corazon looked at him, and after a moment, responded firmly in the negative.
Law showed a relieved expression and smiled.
“Never mind the Marines for now! Once you obtain the Op-Op Fruit, you’ll become an enemy to both the Marines and pirates. You need to be mentally prepared for that.【1】” Corazon spoke in a serious tone, then hesitated briefly before adding, “And… within the Donquixote Family, you can trust Wendy. She won’t harm you. If necessary, seek her help—she should lend you a hand.”
That strange woman…?
Moved by Corazon’s influence, Law had shed the initial layer of hatred-coated thorns. He thought carefully, then nodded somewhat uncertainly.
Although Miss Wendy was odd… he had never sensed any malice from her. She had even treated him once. Even when he occasionally spoke rudely, she didn’t mind. From what Baby 5 and Buffalo said, it was clear that despite being part of the Donquixote Family, she didn’t carry any “evil” traits. On the contrary, she seemed like a good person.
Corazon’s tense expression relaxed slightly, but his inner worries didn’t diminish.
He had to seize the Op-Op Fruit before the Marine transaction and before Doflamingo appeared…
Things progressed smoothly. Relying on information obtained from the Marines, he managed to learn the transaction location and personnel in advance, secured the Op-Op Fruit, and successfully had Law eat it first.
However, he ended up shot multiple times, losing too much blood to continue.
“Thank goodness, Law, you’re saved. We managed to get the Op-Op Fruit before Doflamingo…”
“Mr. Corazon! Stop talking! Let’s find a doctor first… No, I’ve eaten the Op-Op Fruit now, so I am a doctor… Heal quickly! Hurry up and recover!… Damn it! Why isn’t it working at all?!”
“Who masters a fruit’s power completely right after eating it?… This isn’t magic.” Corazon smiled weakly, raising a hand to pat Law’s head. Then, he pulled out a lock-equipped object resembling a film reel from his pocket and handed it to Law, taking a deep breath. “I can’t move for now… Could you please give this to the Marines?”
There was a surveillance vessel to the southwest of this island. For the sake of the transaction and to capture the entire Donquixote Family in one sweep, numerous marines were stationed nearby.
And in his possession were the evidence of the Donquixote Family’s crimes and their next-step plans, which he had obtained during his undercover mission…
On the other side, Doflamingo led his family members as they approached the island where the Op-Op Fruit transaction was taking place.
He had already noticed the heavy marine presence here and was infiltrating quietly, avoiding alerting the main forces.
“Why do I have to come along to snatch the Op-Op Fruit?” Wendy followed by his side, frowning with a tone of complaint.
She was currently wearing a bearhide vest, a horned cap on her head, and a bright red Thermal Stone stuffed in her pack. All these measures were for warmth, and they were all props from the Hunger System.
This was one of the troublesome aspects—although she could wear clothes from this world, they had no effect on her beyond covering her body. Only the various clothing items and tools from the system itself provided benefits, including insulation like this.
The full set of winter gear she had on now was crafted by her using various materials. Fortunately, as a major smuggling organization, the Donquixote Family had no shortage of such basic materials.
The location of the Op-Op Fruit transaction was currently covered in ice and snow, bitterly cold.
And she was a fragile Hunger System user who would start losing health once she got cold and frozen.
Although she had several resurrection methods, and dying in the Hunger game was a common occurrence, every hundred consecutive days survived came with skin check-ins and resource rewards. Sometimes, with a bit of luck, there were even gift package sets. For these rewards, she had to strive to survive.
She had originally thought about staying on the ship, cozy by the fireplace, using the comfortable AFK mode to wait for this event to pass… After all, as a fragile character, the likelihood of getting caught in the crossfire during a group battle was too high.
Because of this, she directly summoned Abigail this time, having her float around her. She just didn’t switch to the angry auto-attack mode—because aside from Doflamingo, whom she considered a companion, everyone else was within the attack range.
Normally, Abigail would only counterattack after Wendy was attacked; but once Abigail became [enraged], she would automatically attack all creatures around except for Wendy and her companions, and it was an AOE group attack.
Doflamingo glanced at the white ghost floating around her, then at Wendy’s pale little face wrapped in the bearhide vest and horned cap, the heat from her breath as she spoke, the torch she had to hold because she needed a light source when it wasn’t a full moon… and how she suddenly stopped after walking less than a hundred meters, put away the torch, and started setting up a campfire to warm herself.
“I can’t… I’m too cold, let me warm up first…” Wendy shivered, growing warmer by the campfire. Only when her body temperature rose and the previously grayish Thermal Stone gradually warmed back to a bright red did she let out a long sigh.
Doflamingo gained a new understanding of her poor constitution and delicate fragility.
When he had heard Wendy say she couldn’t get caught in the rain, couldn’t be too cold or too hot, he had thought she was just being finicky… Now, it seemed her body was genuinely frail.
“Can’t we use a torch to keep warm?” Doflamingo asked.
Hearing this, Wendy also shook her head regretfully: “No, we can’t.”
Torches couldn’t provide warmth, only campfires could. She also thought this was a game bug – wasn’t a torch still fire?!
Doflamingo let out an almost imperceptible sigh, a pained expression flashing across his face. His slight suspicion toward Wendy diminished further as he made a decision: “Then warm yourself by the fire here before returning to the ship. Do you know the way back?”
At this rate of having to stop every hundred meters for Wendy to warm up by a fire, he doubted they’d reach their destination even by daybreak.
Besides, with Wendy’s ghost sister around, she could handle ordinary enemies.
Wendy nodded in response, watching Doflamingo leave. Just as she was about to return after warming up, she spotted someone running toward her.
Wendy froze for a moment when she recognized the person, then picked up the reheated Thermal Stone from the ground, grabbed her Walking Stick, and hurried over with torch in hand: “It’s you, Law. What’s wrong? Where’s Corazon?”
Law stumbled along unsteadily. When he saw it was her, he looked momentarily stunned before suddenly bursting into loud sobs: “Miss Wendy! Please save Mr. Corazon! He’s dying!”