20
Survival Day 20: Are You Going to Betray Doflamingo?
Law had originally come here following the instructions of the severely injured Corazon—to deliver the sealed document given to him to the Marines docked on this island.
He had spotted the Marines earlier, but due to lingering reservations and hesitation toward them… he then noticed Wendy warming herself by a campfire nearby.
The glow from the fire was exceptionally conspicuous in the darkness of the night.
Remembering Corazon’s assurance that Wendy could be trusted, and recalling the miraculous healing effect of her patting treatment earlier, Law immediately ran over to seek her help.
Wendy was also taken aback, surprised to see Law appear. Hearing his plea, she nodded readily, “Alright, take me there.”
This might be a new side quest… no, this looks like a main quest! I wonder if new plot developments will unfold?
Law wiped his face roughly with his hand and immediately led Wendy to the location.
When the two arrived, Wendy was momentarily stunned at the sight of the severely injured Corazon. She hurried over, circled him once, then pulled out the Honey Salve she had prepared for her own recovery and patted it onto him twice: “Corazon, what happened? How did you get so badly injured?”
“…Wendy?” Corazon looked up, dazed, feeling his physical condition improve somewhat abruptly. Realizing it wasn’t an illusion, his expression shifted, “Why are you here? Where are Doffy and the others?”
“Doffy and the others went looking for you. I was warming myself by the fire over there because it was too cold, and then Law came to me for help.” Wendy recounted the facts one by one, leaving Corazon utterly bewildered.
Learning that Doflamingo wasn’t with her, Corazon breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression soon turned serious: “Since it’s you, Wendy, perhaps it’s fate… Law, take out what I gave you earlier.”
Upon hearing this, Law produced the small sealed black scroll that Corazon had entrusted to him to deliver to the Marines.
“This… please give it to Mr. Garp.” Corazon said with utmost gravity.
He had originally intended for Law to hand it over to the Marines, ensuring it would reach the higher-ups directly… but Law disliked the Marines, and having consumed the Op-Op Fruit, he would inevitably become their enemy in the future… entrusting it to Law had been a last resort under the circumstances.
But Wendy, who had a good relationship with Vice Admiral Garp, was different. She could deliver it safely…
In this state of Starvation, she could only hold one item in each hand—no more, no matter how small the object. Such were the game’s limitations.
So, Wendy first set down her Walking Stick, planting it firmly in the ground while holding the torch. She then picked up the black scroll and instinctively stored it in her inventory to free her hands, followed by a curious expression: “What is this? Why give it to Garp? And how did you get injured? Did Law eat the Op-Op Fruit?”
She had many questions, firing them off in rapid succession, her attitude unchanged from before.
This sense of indiscriminate treatment lightened Corazon’s originally heavy mood, bringing a faint smile to his face. Just as he was about to speak, a figure emerged from the shadows. Under the moonlight, the silhouette stretched long, and the shadow cast by the tall figure seemed to envelop all three of them.
The newcomer wore a navy uniform and sunglasses.
Upon seeing the person, Law first frowned, then felt a surge of relief. Although he still harbored resentment and anger toward the World Government and the navy due to the events in White Town, he could distinguish between good and bad.
Law had likely already realized that Corazon was a navy officer, but Corazon’s identity as a navy officer did not conflict with the kindness he had shown him. Now, seeing the navy arrive, Law actually felt a sense of relief.
Wendy’s appearance meant that Doflamingo and the others had also arrived. If they could take Corazon away, then Corazon would be saved…
The newcomer strode over quickly, lifted his leg, and kicked Corazon, who was trying to stand up to shield Wendy and Law. Corazon was sent flying, crashing heavily into the stone wall behind him. The already dilapidated wall shattered under the impact. Blood surged up Corazon’s throat, and he coughed it out uncontrollably.
“What… what are you doing?!” Law reacted, his face filled with disbelief as he tried to rush forward, but he was stopped.
“Law! Don’t come any closer! Run!” Corazon, who had fallen to the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked up at the person before him, his expression turning grave. “It’s you…”
“Vergo?” Wendy stared wide-eyed at the sudden appearance, even circling around him twice. “Long time no see. What are you doing here? And why are you wearing a navy uniform? Did Doffy assign you a mission to go undercover?”
The newcomer was none other than Vergo, the former Heart seat executive who had been sent on a secret mission shortly after Corazon joined the Donquixote Family.
Corazon hadn’t known what this secret mission entailed… but seeing Vergo appear here in a navy uniform, he naturally understood.
…This is terrible.—Corazon thought.
Why did it have to be Vergo who came… No, wait, Vergo coming alone… Could it be Doflamingo’s order?
“…Vergo?” Law was momentarily confused but quickly grasped the other’s identity—when Corazon was injured earlier and urged him to leave, he had mentioned the people in the Donquixote Family to watch out for, and Vergo was one of them, though Law had never met him.
Before Law could react further, Vergo grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.
“Rosinante.” Vergo called Corazon by his real name, his expressionless face furrowing into a frown, his tone heavy. “I never expected you to be the rat… Then again, you disappeared at eight and reappeared fourteen years later. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re Doffy’s younger brother, you would’ve been suspected long ago. You’ve betrayed Doffy’s trust in you.”
After saying this, he turned to Wendy, who stood motionless nearby, staring intently at the scene with a grave expression, unsure if she was frightened or something else.
“Wendy.” He called out to her, extending his hand. “Give me what Corazon gave you, and you’ll be fine.”
“Miss Wendy! You can’t give it to him…” Law barely managed to utter these words before feeling his breath cut off, the rest of his sentence strangled in his throat.
“Give it to him!” Corazon coughed twice and spoke up, “Vergo! This matter has nothing to do with Wendy! Wendy doesn’t even know what that thing is…”
Before he could finish, Vergo threw Law aside and delivered a heavy punch to Corazon’s face.
“So it seems that thing is indeed something very detrimental to our family.” Vergo turned his gaze toward Wendy. Compared to the coldness he had shown Corazon, his tone sounded somewhat gentler toward Wendy, though his expression remained stoic. “Wendy, hand over what they just gave you.”
Wendy’s expression gradually grew serious, hesitation appearing on her face as she found herself caught in a dilemma.
Just moments ago, she had been fully immersed in watching the main storyline unfold… only to realize she had become part of it herself.
So now it’s time to choose sides and determine different story paths? But without seeing the reward table for different routes, and with no clear indication of how the paths diverge, how should she choose? Which route allows for farming gameplay?
She wasn’t the type who enjoyed fighting bosses – she preferred more life-simulation oriented storylines…
“Wendy…” Seeing her hesitation, Vergo’s tone gradually turned colder, his gaze carrying a probing intensity. “Are you betraying Doffy?”
Wendy looked confused: “Does this count as betrayal?”
She hadn’t even made any independent choices yet, had she? Wasn’t she just following the storyline? Why was she being given extra scenes without her consent after her part was supposed to be over?
Even Vergo fell silent for a moment.
He had originally received contact from Doflamingo expressing suspicions about Rosinante, the second Corazon, and that Wendy might be involved… That’s why, after learning Wendy’s coordinates, he had been secretly observing from the shadows.
Then he had followed the clues and discovered Rosinante’s abnormal behavior… While he could confirm Rosinante was problematic, Wendy… he still couldn’t figure her out.
According to Doflamingo, Wendy might have been deceived without knowing what she was doing… Vergo had initially thought this was Doflamingo being overly indulgent and seeing Wendy through rose-colored glasses… But now it seemed Doffy might actually understand Wendy better.
He had never really understood what went through Wendy’s mind.
Like right now, she widened her eyes, appearing genuinely confused by the question, completely unaware of the situation’s gravity.
This was precisely why he could deal swiftly and decisively with Law and Rosinante, but found himself at a loss regarding how to handle Wendy.
Because, just like Wendy’s question suggested, he didn’t know what constituted proper handling either.
Meanwhile, Wendy had already made up her mind and declared resolutely: “I can’t give this to you. I can only give it to Doffy.”
…This shouldn’t count as betrayal, right? She was just too easily fooled by Rosinante’s deception.
Still, even if that were the case, causing all this trouble warranted punishment. But the specific punishment would depend on how Doffy decided to handle it.
“Fine, I’ll contact Doffy right now.” Vergo said, taking out his Den Den Mushi.