2
Survival Day Two: What Is Your Relationship Now?…
Dragon stared at the still-beating, warm heart in his hand, feeling completely at a loss.
He had always been a decisive person. Throughout his life, there had been moments of confusion and dilemmas, but rarely had he felt both confused and trapped at the same time.
He really wanted to shove the heart back into its owner, but the person seemed perfectly alive without it. He couldn’t even locate the cavity to return it to, and on top of that, she had presented it to him as a “token of partnership” with such earnest expectation—it felt like he was being entrusted with something profoundly important. But if he accepted it… how was he supposed to keep it? No matter where he put it, it would feel bizarre!
Wendy had no idea that her gesture had completely bewildered her newly acknowledged companion. She only noticed the prompt from her game interface: 【You have requested to add Monkey D. Dragon as a companion. He has accepted your request.】
Satisfied, Wendy carefully instructed her new partner: “You must carry the Telltale Heart with you at all times. If I die unexpectedly, my soul will come to you, and you’ll need this to resurrect me.”
Dragon’s hand, still holding the heart, was genuinely starting to go numb, and the organ itself seemed to grow heavier by the second. There was no way he could hand it back now.
Before Dragon could even react, Wendy had already skipped off into the forest to gather more resources.
This time, Dragon didn’t stop her. He figured if bandits crossed paths with her, it would be the bandits’ misfortune.
Still… aside from bandits, there were other dangers in this area worth noting.
So he caught up with her and asked, “Have you been to the Uncertainty Terminal?”
Wendy stopped and turned back, a puzzled expression on her face. “What’s that?” she asked curiously.
Windmill Village was a small port town, bordered by Mount Colubo. Though both were part of the Goa Kingdom, the kingdom’s official territory lay at the center of the island. Between the kingdom’s outer wall and Mount Colubo stretched a vast garbage dump known as the Uncertainty Terminal.
It was a place where discarded trash and discarded people gathered—a chaotic breeding ground for disease and crime.
After listening to his explanation, Wendy’s face lit up with understanding. “So it’s a high-risk zone, right? Can we go mining there?”
Dragon fell silent as he watched her eager expression—the girl seemed even more excited now.
Not one to waste words, he simply reiterated, “That place is dangerous.”
“I know, but it’s fine. I have my sister with me,” Wendy replied matter-of-factly. Just like before, she summoned the white ghost he had seen earlier and introduced her enthusiastically, “Let me introduce you—this is Abigail, my twin sister.”
I know, it’s your Devil Fruit power—summoning spirits to fight… I just didn’t expect it to be your sister’s soul. —Dragon watched as the ethereal figure let out a soft, cheerful murmur and circled Wendy happily, though he maintained his composure.
“The people there are even more ruthless and unscrupulous than the bandits. If you’re after minerals… what kind of minerals are you looking for?” Dragon asked.
Wendy glanced at her inventory and replied, “I need gold nuggets and gears… I can take my time collecting gears since we’re not short on food right now, but gold nuggets are essential. I need them to craft the Science Machine.”
“Gold nuggets?” Dragon couldn’t help but feel somewhat exasperated at the word, thinking this peculiar girl seemed rather lacking in common sense. “You might find discarded gears over there, but something like gold nuggets would never be found in a junkyard.”
“You’re right… The terrain on this mountain doesn’t look like it has gold deposits to mine either.” Wendy looked somewhat dejected, then turned to him with curious eyes. “Dragon, where can I find gold ore then?”
Dragon wanted to say that on this island, the only places likely to have gold were either pirate ships passing through or the mansions of nobles in the Goa Kingdom… but he didn’t dare say it aloud.
Wendy’s fearless ignorance made him worry that if he mentioned it, she might just grab a spear and charge straight into a pirate ship or the royal palace.
So, after hesitating briefly, he simply replied, “If you really need gold nuggets, I’ll get them for you.”
Wendy treated him as a companion and didn’t stand on ceremony at all. She happily agreed before cheerfully running off into the forest again.
This time, Dragon didn’t stop her, secretly relieved—thankfully, despite her oddness, Wendy was still reasonable.
But… why was she picking up an axe to chop trees now? And why was she so skilled at it?
Remembering the clearing he’d seen on Mt. Colubo earlier and connecting it to the pile of wood near her home… Dragon suddenly felt he understood something.
Perhaps because they had entrusted their hearts to each other, their relationship grew much closer after that.
Wendy, considering him her companion, stopped hiding things and even actively shared… while Dragon began asking questions more freely, though the answers weren’t always helpful.
Dragon: “What do you need gold nuggets for? What’s the use of that Science Machine you mentioned?”
Wendy: “To unlock the Tech Tree! With the Science Machine, I can build lots of things, especially a backpack—my current inventory slots aren’t nearly enough!”
Dragon asked again: “Wouldn’t an ordinary backpack work?”
Wendy replied: “Only backpacks I craft myself have special effects! You know, because of my ability!”
Dragon pondered deeply: So with the Science Machine she can create things… Creating a second heart for resurrection, summoning deceased relatives to fight, producing bizarre technological artifacts… This Devil Fruit ability really does live up to people’s imagination of demons.
Wendy was calculating: Need tier-two technology to make an icebox… Damn, I wonder where to find clockwork mechanisms to get gears in this world.
Dragon was a man of his word, and moreover curious about Wendy’s ability, so he obtained gold nuggets for her. After all, with his capabilities, earning money through legitimate means wasn’t difficult—just capturing some bounties would suffice.
Then, he personally watched as Wendy instantly crafted a human-sized machine using gold nuggets, wood, and stones.
Wendy didn’t stop there; it seemed this was only the beginning. She bustled about busily, crafting… a pile of things that looked ordinary but were anything but.
After finishing all those items, Wendy even gave him a backpack.
Dragon discovered that the backpack felt almost weightless no matter how much he stuffed inside. It only had category restrictions, while its capacity seemed bottomless.
Dragon stuffed the “Telltale Heart” Wendy had given him inside, finally feeling relieved—at last he had a proper place to store it. Carrying someone else’s still-beating heart around with him every day just felt wrong no matter how he thought about it.
Yet all these anomalies pointed to the peculiarities about Wendy. After much hesitation, Dragon asked, “Wendy… is this ability of yours really from a Devil Fruit?”
“Yes,” Wendy replied without guilt, genuinely believing the world’s settings worked this way. “My fruit ability is the Don’t Starve Fruit. Though it seems powerful, the side effects are that I can’t stay in lightless darkness and I get hungry easily.”
Dragon pondered this—so her earlier “I’m afraid of the dark” meant this… and the frequent eating also had an explanation. It turned out she gets full easily but also hungry easily, rather than being unwilling to eat her fill all at once.
But… this ability…
“Wendy, have you had this ability from the beginning?”
“Huh? No, I only gained it after coming to this place.”
Dragon looked surprised. “…Came to this place? Then before that…?”
Wendy thought about her character background setting and replied, “I used to live in a large manor with Abigail. After Abigail’s accidental death, I came here to see her again.”
She sounds like nobility from a well-off family… possibly even higher status. In that case, that ghost might not actually be her sister’s spirit, but rather the materialization of Wendy’s longing caused by her Devil Fruit ability?—Dragon dismissed his doubts and stamped his approval on Wendy’s origin story.
This wasn’t unreasonable, as Wendy’s appearance, clothing, speech and manner… well, aside from the strange parts of her behavior, she still knew basic etiquette and occasionally uttered poetic phrases… A child like this couldn’t come from an ordinary family.
It’s just rare for nobility to be such a gentle and adorable young girl… perhaps related to her personal experiences. She seemed like someone who didn’t fit in with other relatives, so after gaining her ability following her sister’s death, she ran away from home.
Dragon’s gaze softened as he looked at her—Wendy was still so young, living alone like this couldn’t be easy…
Dragon specifically instructed Wendy on precautions for traveling outside and emphasized hiding her abnormalities from others.
Her ability was truly special, but also easily exploited. Just the fear of darkness alone was troublesome enough.
Wendy took her companion’s words to heart and felt quite pleased: It seemed her companion was planning to partner with her long-term! She’d gather some seeds later to see if they could cultivate a plot of land at home!
So, one week later, when Garp returned…
“Ah, you brat finally decided to come back?” Garp glared at his long-absent son while grumbling, nearly taking off his slipper to discipline the kid. But before resorting to that, he had other questions. “Where’s Wendy? Don’t tell me you scared the little girl away?”
Dragon maintained his usual indifferent attitude toward his Marine Vice Admiral father, especially since they’d previously clashed over him resigning from the Marine forces. “No. She went out this morning to collect petals.”
Garp snorted discontentedly, scanning their surroundings until he finally noticed something odd—huh? Why did the house feel… well, not quite like his own home anymore?
Dragon noticed his father’s confusion and kindly explained: “Wendy made all these. That’s the icebox, that’s the pot, those are storage chests… and that round device outside is Wendy’s second-tier Science Machine, called the Alchemy Engine. She said once she unlocks all the tech points, she can smash it to save space. Oh, and don’t touch that triangular roof platform with the clay pot outside—that’s her sister’s urn.”
Garp fell silent for a long moment, utterly bewildered, before finally managing a single syllable: “…Huh?”
Just then, Wendy returned.
The golden-haired little girl—wearing a pink wool coat, a rose tucked in her hair, and a beautiful flower crown—came in holding another matching flower crown. She ran up to Dragon and raised it with both hands: “Dragon, crouch down a bit. I’ll put this on you.”
Dragon complied, bending over with hands on his knees and lowering his head.
“This helps maintain sanity. You should wear it all the time. I’ll make you a new one when it breaks.” After placing the flower crown on him, Wendy turned and noticed the stunned Garp. “Oh, Uncle Garp, you’re back. Then the meatballs at home might not be enough. Wait, I’ll go get some more meat.”
With that, Wendy hurried out again in a whirlwind.
Dragon called after her: “Watch the time! Be back before dark!”
Garp watched this scene with wide-eyed shock, following Wendy’s departure before stiffly turning to look at his son—who stood over two meters tall—now sporting a delicate flower crown on his head. The sight was somehow painfully absurd.
After trembling for what felt like ages, he finally stammered out the question: “Wh-what exactly is your relationship now?”
Author’s Note:
Dragon: To mold is auspicious, we are to mold auspicious [dog head]