23
The First Day of Death: Three in One
The First Day of Death:
Death doesn’t carry any sense of pain. It’s like a sudden “biu”… Wendy’s soul detached from her body and transformed into a cartoonish white ghost, looking exactly like her sister Abigail’s spiritual form.
However, once entering the soul state of death, the world turns into a dim grayish-white devoid of color, which felt quite unfamiliar to get used to.
Wendy curiously circled around her own body, admiring her corpse—hm, aside from being dead, there didn’t seem to be any changes.
In the original Starvation game, corpses would turn into skeletons or small grave mounds. Probably to adapt to this world, her body didn’t instantly transform as if by magic, instead following the normal human death pattern of this world.
At this moment, the surrounding people seemed to snap out of their daze as if awakening from a dream.
But no one paid attention to Wendy’s soul. Although they looked identical, Wendy’s soul state as a player differed from Abigail’s—Abigail was visible to everyone, but only Doflamingo could see Wendy’s soul form.
However, when Doflamingo saw this ghost identical to Abigail—even the flower on its head was the same—he assumed it was Abigail and didn’t bother paying attention.
“Miss Wendy—” Baby 5 was the first to cry out uncontrollably, then immediately covered her mouth upon realizing her mistake, looking anxiously at Doflamingo.
But her heart couldn’t stop worrying: What happened? Did Miss Wendy betray Young Master like Mr. Corazon? How is she now? Will Young Master kill her?
The cannon fire continued as Vice Admiral Tsuru’s pursuing warships gradually closed in.
Doflamingo glanced at the white ghost floating before him, slowly lowered his gun, his expression cold and stern, his tone matching the external temperature: “Take Wendy! Let’s go!”
“Yes!” The group responded and began bustling about.
Some moved treasures while others handled docking the ship. Diamante noticed everyone else turning a blind eye and hesitantly went to pick up Wendy, then instantly startled by her icy, corpse-like body temperature… Wait! No breathing either! This was truly a corpse!
Although Wendy had mentioned many times that she couldn’t get too cold or too hot or she’d die… normal people wouldn’t take such words seriously.
After all, while freezing or heatstroke deaths do occur, no one would think someone could die just from staying in sub-zero temperatures for a few hours—especially when that person wore thick winter clothing and took great care to stay warm.
Even though Wendy collapsing right after saying those words looked alarming to anyone who saw it, nobody actually believed she had died just like that… Diamante suddenly felt the nearly weightless girl’s body in his hands become heavy as a thousand pounds.
After hesitating for a long moment, he steeled himself and stepped forward to ask: “Dofla… Wendy seems…”
“Take her away first.” Doflamingo replied in an icy tone.
Upon hearing this, Diamante silently retreated.
The group had set out to secure the Op-Op Fruit, but not only had they failed to obtain it—the crucial fruit had been eaten by Law, who then escaped; Corazon was executed as a traitor; and Wendy seemed to have turned against them… It was a devastating loss.
Even with the plundered treasures from the pirate crew that had been trading the Op-Op Fruit scattered around, the members of the Donquixote Family dared not show much excitement. Instead, they hurriedly wrapped things up as Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was pursuing them, drew nearer.
As they hastily departed with the treasures and Wendy’s body, one of the abandoned chests was pushed open. A boy in a felt hat wept bitterly, his cries heart-wrenching, but he did not look back or stop. With slow yet resolute steps, he walked in the opposite direction of the Donquixote Family.
Rosinante was dead, and the power of the Silence Fruit had faded. Yet, at that moment, the deafening roar of cannon fire drowned out his uncontrollable sobs, masking this slip.
He had gained his freedom and a means to survive; love had broken down the barriers in his heart erected by the events of White Town. But he had also lost the elder he respected most.
And there was more…
Law tightened his grip on the backpack he carried. It had been entrusted to him by Mr. Corazon when he hid him away. Inside were some survival supplies and… Wendy’s Telltale Heart.
[If anything happens to Wendy… you might need to help resurrect her.]
[But how can the dead come back to life…]
[This is Wendy’s Devil Fruit ability—she can have a second life. The heart that can resurrect her is in this backpack. I leave it to you, Law.]
At the time, Law thought it was because he had eaten the Op-Op Fruit, making him the only one capable of performing the resurrection surgery. But now he realized that Mr. Corazon, who had hidden him away, must have foreseen his own fate and thus made such a request.
The dead cannot return to life, but Miss Wendy’s Devil Fruit could resurrect her… It must have been the same reason she chose to follow Mr. Corazon in death shortly after he died.
Unaware that she had simply frozen to death, Law naturally assumed Wendy’s death was an act of sacrificial love. Wiping the tears from his face, his grief-stricken expression grew resolute, and he silently vowed—I will resurrect Miss Wendy!
Meanwhile, Wendy’s death had been confirmed.
Coincidentally, most of the silent onlookers had their thoughts stray in the same misguided direction—Eh? Was it sacrificial love?
It wasn’t their fault; the scene was easily misinterpreted.
First, Corazon sacrificed himself, shielding Wendy without regard for his own life. Then Wendy, who had always been obedient and attached to Doflamingo, suddenly rebelled—not only verbally confronting others but also taking her own life… Though the method was unclear, it was undoubtedly suicide. Combined with her final words…
—In such a situation, it really looked like sacrificial love!
“I never imagined their relationship was like this…” The young Baby 5 suddenly felt a sense of yearning, her eyes sparkling as she murmured, “Could I ever be needed like that too…”
“Miss Wendy is too foolish. Since Mr. Corazon was already a traitor, her obvious closeness would definitely implicate her.” Buffalo, equally young, spoke with an air of authority while reasoning to himself, “In the end, she was probably afraid of being executed by Young Master, so she took her own life to end it quickly, right?”
“Actually, Doffy wouldn’t have killed her…” Diamante sighed nearby, his expression somewhat melancholy, though it looked rather comical on his face. “Otherwise, he would’ve done it back then, not waiting until the end… Ah, whether it was a love suicide or not, Wendy was just too foolish!”
Though Diamante often found himself unluckily caught up in Wendy’s affairs, he actually quite liked her. He believed Wendy was very useful to Doflamingo, and he always prioritized Doflamingo above all else.
Yet precisely because of this, having noticed that Doflamingo didn’t want to kill Wendy and didn’t consider her a traitor, he felt particularly regretful.
Trebol chuckled twice and declared decisively: “How could it be a love suicide? That Wendy had no special feelings for Corazon whatsoever.”
He believed Wendy was heartless and self-centered, caring about no one except Doffy. If she had truly liked Corazon, there would have been signs earlier—not just suddenly appearing at the end. This seemed more like an act of defiance toward Doffy, with little to do with Corazon.
However, Wendy’s death was actually a good thing.
Trebol could see that Wendy didn’t fear Doffy like others did, and Doffy was too lenient with her. If not this time, conflicts would have arisen later. Rather than facing a potentially damaging betrayal in the future, it was better for it to happen now—getting rid of her was only beneficial for Doffy.
Still… he could also tell that Doffy was deeply displeased about this, so he wouldn’t risk speaking the truth and upsetting him now.
Back in the garbage dump, Trebol, Diamante, Pica, and Vergo—the four original family executives—witnessed Doflamingo’s Conqueror’s Haki and saw the qualities of a king in him, swearing loyalty and acknowledging him as their master. Trebol had presented Doflamingo with the Ito Ito Fruit, along with the initial power for revenge. He watched as Doflamingo’s rage made him stronger and stronger, climbing higher and higher…
As for now… the deaths of Wendy and Corazon could make Doffy even more determined.
Doffy would transform into the king he envisioned.
“Indeed… I always thought Wendy liked Doffy.” Pica joined the conversation, equally shocked by everyone’s discussion.
Among the four executives, these three had always remained steadfast.
The first Corazon, Vergo, went undercover. The second Corazon, Rosinante, was just killed by Doflamingo. Law, who might have been the fourth Corazon, escaped… And Wendy, who had always been a candidate for Corazon, took her own life afterward.
Pica couldn’t help but feel that the position of Corazon might be cursed.
“Speaking of that cane in your hand, is it Wendy’s?” Pica suddenly noticed the key point.
Trebol tightened his grip on the golden cane: “…No, Wendy made this for me earlier.”
Diamante mercilessly exposed him: “You’re lying! Wendy never willingly made anything for you! You just took her relic during the chaos earlier!”
Trebol attempted to justify himself: “This one is different from the one Wendy used!”
Diamante wasn’t fooled: “After Wendy died, this cane lost its previous extravagant appearance, I remember! What you’re holding is definitely her thing!”
Baby 5, who had always adored Wendy and enthusiastically served as her little helper by bringing tea, water, and holding umbrellas, watched this scene and suddenly felt overwhelmed with sorrow. Rubbing her eyes, she began wailing loudly: “Waaah—Miss Wendy’s relic was snatched by Trebol—!”
“Hey! Brat! Shut up! Keep it down!”
“Let go! I was closer to Wendy! Her relic would definitely be left to me!”
“You shameless liar! Wendy treated us all the same!”
The group argued noisily, circling around Wendy’s relic in a large ring until they eventually started fighting.
Amid the chaotic atmosphere, someone suddenly asked: “Speaking of which… Wendy’s body was brought back, right? Should we bury her?”
Everyone simultaneously turned to look at Diamante, who had been responsible for transporting Wendy’s body.
Under everyone’s gaze, Diamante scratched his head: “I don’t know either… Doffy just told me to put Wendy down and then dismissed me.”
“C-could it be… could it be that Young Master is only now getting angry! And he’s going to kill Wendy’s corpse again?!” Baby 5 cried out in horror, clutching her face before starting to weep again, “No! I still want to decorate Miss Wendy’s grave with lots of flowers—”
“How could that be possible?” Trebol gave Baby 5 an exasperated look, feeling like none of the kids who stayed behind were particularly bright. Probably their brains got damaged when Corazon hit them.
“Doffy probably just hasn’t decided how to handle Wendy yet…”
Though now it’s just a corpse.
Wendy’s body was indeed with Doflamingo, right in her own room.
Wendy’s personal room contained all her belongings—the bone ash jar for sacrificing to her sister Abigail, the tent for restoring health and Sanity, wooden chests filled with various materials, the refrigerator containing her food, the wardrobe for changing skins…
All were Wendy’s special items, arranged seemingly just to maximize space with little consideration for aesthetics.
At this moment, Wendy’s body lay beside that bone ash jar.
She rested peacefully, looking as if she were merely asleep, with no visible wounds on her body, though her skirt was stained with some of Rosinante’s blood.
Wendy’s spirit floated around Abigail’s bone ash jar a few times, then circled around Doflamingo several times. Her round, vacant eyes now filled with confusion—was this a game freeze or a cutscene stuck on loop? Doffy hadn’t moved at all for nearly half an hour.
She had specifically followed along thinking she shouldn’t miss the main storyline even after death…She should have gone with Law to see what was happening there.
That kid is stacked with buffs, feeling like a main character—there must be a “don’t bully the young and poor” storyline where they grow up and return for revenge.
“Because Wendy died, the others can’t see you?”
…Huh? Talking to me? —Ghost Wendy spun around in place, confused.
“And because she died, you lack an anchor point, so you can’t attack anymore?”
This time, Wendy understood—it was because she had become a spirit, and he mistook her for Abigail.
Doflamingo also knew spirits couldn’t speak. After saying this, he felt somewhat exasperated by his own behavior.
His gaze fell on Wendy’s corpse, and he slowly remarked, “Your sister was a fool.”
Ghost Wendy: […]
If she weren’t Abigail and couldn’t hit people in spirit form, she would have lunged forward and pummeled him. She really chose the wrong companion—he even resorted to personal attacks.
Perhaps because her anger was obvious, Doflamingo glanced at her again, sneered, and said in an ambiguous tone, “You’re quite the devoted sister, aren’t you?”
Maybe it was because she had a good sister herself, she naively assumed all siblings were like her and her sister.
Unlike those outside who speculated it was a lovers’ suicide, Doflamingo believed this was Wendy’s rebellion against him for killing Corazon.
But… whether Wendy had betrayed him from the start or opposed his actions later, her stance was clear.
Clearly, she hadn’t seized the last chance he gave her.
Yet… even though he had made his decision, even though killing Corazon hadn’t affected him much… why did Wendy’s death leave him emotionally disturbed, restless, with negative emotions sprouting and taking root, lingering unresolved and even intensifying?
If Doflamingo had asked, Wendy would have answered: It’s because I died.
That’s just how Starvation works. If a companion dies, you’re affected too—your Sanity slowly drains away.
Even if Wendy unilaterally removed Doflamingo from her companion list, he was still on it, so he was inevitably affected.
But Doflamingo didn’t know that. He could only attribute it to Wendy’s death affecting him.
Although he usually indulged Wendy, even showing favoritism when his principles weren’t challenged, and Wendy was indeed special… he never thought she was this special.
This feeling felt alien and intensely repulsive to him, mixed with a hint of inexplicable shame.
Doflamingo took out the heart Wendy had given him at the very beginning.
It was still warm and beating in his hand.
He lowered his head, gazing at Wendy’s pale, serene face lying there. Aside from no longer breathing, she showed no signs of decay, as if stuffing the heart back in would bring her back to life.
“…Wendy, you’ve rejected me. Did you really think I’d Resurrect you?” Doflamingo said, a trace of anger in his expression, his voice icy.
He clenched his fist, tightened his grip, and crushed the heart in his hand.
Perfect… Now it’s completely gone. — Feeling that his thoughts were no longer disturbed and his emotional deterioration had ceased, Doflamingo thought to himself.
He had done the right thing. He was the one walking the correct path.
His hands were still stained with blood and tiny fragments of flesh, but he paid no mind as he stepped outside. Facing the crowd that immediately fell silent upon seeing him, he calmly issued orders: “Burn Wendy’s body, dismantle all those special structures, and divide her belongings among yourselves.”
Upon hearing this, Trebol immediately snatched his golden cane back from Diamante’s hands, gripping it tightly.
“Young Master…” Baby 5 approached timidly, gathering courage to ask, “Should we erect a tombstone for Miss Wendy?”
Doflamingo looked over.
Baby 5 immediately turned away, covering herself with her hands in panic as she apologized: “Waaah—Sorry! I shouldn’t have asked that!”
“Hmm, erect one.” Doflamingo wasn’t angry; instead, he smiled, his tone even sounding cheerful. “Place the tombstone right in Dressrosa’s Royal Palace… Fittingly, she loved sunlight and flowers.”
So what if she had infiltrated his ranks? The intelligence gathered through years of undercover work couldn’t reach the Marines, and Wendy, who had been entrusted with it, burned everything to ashes.
As reciprocation for destroying that intelligence, he would honor their agreement and reserve a spot for Wendy in the Royal Palace.
Let her witness in place of Rosinante how this kingdom he wanted to save would gradually fall into his hands.
Meanwhile, Wendy, who had actually been floating mid-air the entire time everyone was talking, felt a trace of shock—Huh? He’s giving me a spot? Was Doffy actually such a man of his word?!
After her initial astonishment, she checked her system interface and noticed that Donquixote Doflamingo’s name had disappeared from the companions list.
Wendy wasn’t surprised—after all, becoming companions relied on granting the Telltale Heart. Naturally, destroying the Telltale Heart would terminate the companion relationship.
Another name, Corazon (Donquixote Rosinante), had turned gray… It seemed Rosinante had truly died.
Seeing this grayed-out name, Wendy finally felt the reality of a companion’s death, experiencing a slight pang of sadness—So Corazon was a plot-mandated NPC with permanent removal… If only I’d known, I should’ve chatted with him more. There might have been a route to keep him alive.
What a pity. I’ll definitely pay more attention next time.
After her brief moment of melancholy, she quickly accepted the reality and began considering other methods for her Resurrection.
When she saw Doflamingo take out the heart, she thought he was going to resurrect her, and even considered that as an acceptable outcome—she could pretend to have amnesia after revival, then secretly escape to find other companions… But then she was utterly shocked by the sight of Doflamingo crushing her heart.
She even immediately started looking for the complaint option in the system interface, wanting to report that the game contained bloody scenes that needed R16 warnings or censorship.
But with this heart destroyed, there were still two hearts left… One with the already deceased Corazon, and another with Monkey D. Dragon…
[“I wonder where Dragon is now.”] — With this thought, Wendy began drifting outward.
She wasn’t particularly interested in how everyone would react to her death. In the family, the only companion she had ever cared about was Doflamingo, and she knew that even if others mourned for her, it would be on the premise of putting Doflamingo, their boss, first.
She wasn’t too angry about them dividing up her property. As a Starvation Player, she was long prepared for her home to be destroyed.
Like when your house suddenly catches fire but you haven’t installed a Snowball Machine, and everything burns down; or when you forget to turn on the Snowball Machine while farming in summer, only to come back up and find your home burned to the ground; or when a seasonal boss arrives, you can’t find it, and you turn around to see it has spawned in your base and smashed everything… There were so many accidents, she had long since gotten used to it.
Besides, they hadn’t actually divided up that much. The materials had been gathered by other members of the Donquixote Family; she was only responsible for crafting. The things she made were meant for them to use anyway. And they couldn’t take her technology. She had even set it so that her items wouldn’t drop upon death. The things in her character’s 15-slot inventory would be there when she resurrected.
It was just that Trebol had snatched her Walking Stick, which was infuriating.
Fortunately, after her death, the skins on all her items automatically deactivated and reverted to their original appearances. Otherwise, if Trebol were wielding her beautiful skinned cane, she would have wanted to haunt him as a ghost in the middle of the night for revenge.
For now, she’d let it go. She’d figure out a way to get it back after she resurrected.
Wendy checked the map and found that a Telltale Heart was displayed nearby, so she floated in that direction.
She hadn’t loaded any Mods, and resurrecting at a Spawn Point was forbidden by this world. Her only means of Resurrection here was to use the game’s own method—the Telltale Heart.
After she died, the locations of Telltale Hearts would be displayed.
She opened her map and saw two. Both hearts were currently in blacked-out areas, meaning they were in parts of the map she had yet to explore.
[These two hearts, one is near Corazon, and one is near Dragon… Which one is Dragon’s? And why isn’t the one near Corazon where he died? Did someone pick up my heart?] Wendy grew puzzled.
Surely no one would be deranged enough to just pick up a heart and run… Ah, she had heard that the Op-Op Fruit was shaped like a heart. Could someone have mistaken her heart for the Op-Op Fruit?! They look very different, don’t they? Someone wouldn’t actually take a bite, would they?!
Wendy suddenly began to worry.
Floating in her ghost form after death was very convenient. She could drift directly over the sea without a ship and didn’t need to eat. But this method of floating couldn’t uncover the map; no matter how large an area she drifted across, the map remained black.
Therefore, Wendy headed straight for the Telltale Heart without a moment’s hesitation.
However… after floating for two or three days, when she finally found the location of the Telltale Heart, she discovered a shocking presence—it was Law.
[What’s going on? Aren’t you supposed to be with the Navy?] Wendy began to circle around Law.
“Achoo!” The boy in the flecked hat sneezed, then sniffled and solemnly took the still-beating heart out of his backpack.
“It’s a real heart… it’s still beating… it’s alive…” Law stared at the heart he had taken out, his face a mask of shock.
His father was a doctor, and having learned by his side since childhood, he knew a fair amount about the basic structure of the human body. Thus, seeing this independently living heart, his spirits soared.
If this was the case… Miss Wendy’s chances of Resurrection should be very high.
“Just wait, Miss Wendy… I will bring you back to life,” Law said to the heart with a grave expression.
The invisible ghost of Wendy, watching his earnest look from the side, felt a surge of anticipation—What, what? Could it be that after eating the Op-Op Fruit, you can directly use a heart to resurrect someone? That’s great! This way, I won’t have to travel all the way to find Dragon!
Then, she watched as Law studied her heart for a long time, even shouting “Resurrect!” and performing a series of other confusing but useless actions.
Ghost Wendy: […]
He has no idea what he’s doing!
Law, however, kept a taut expression on his little face, staring at the heart for a long while. He pressed his lips together tightly, but finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he broke down, wailing, “I’m already an Op-Op Fruit ability user! Shouldn’t I be able to become the most skilled doctor?! Why can’t I do anything! I couldn’t save Mr. Corazon! And now I can’t resurrect Miss Wendy!”
Ghost Wendy watched, stunned. She maneuvered her round, cartoonish ghost form to circle around him, desperately wanting to tell him: That’s because you haven’t added me as a friend.
Only one’s own Companion can use a Telltale Heart. Law couldn’t be added before he ate the Devil Fruit, and they didn’t have time to add each other after he ate it… Now, all he could do was clutch her heart and wail about his own uselessness.
But from the looks of it, this kid was definitely going to have an important storyline later.
Ghost Wendy floated over and circled him lovingly a few times as a form of comfort—Don’t worry, you just wait. After I resurrect, I’ll come back and add you as a friend, then die in front of you and let you resurrect me. I definitely won’t let you live with this regret!
It was just that there was probably nothing she could do right now. She couldn’t even communicate since he couldn’t see her… a-and even if he could, a ghost can’t speak.
Wendy directly opened her map, checked the location of the other Telltale Heart, and floated off in that direction without stopping.
Dragon’s location was quite far from here. But no matter how far, she had to go, so Wendy could only resign herself to the long float.
A ghost doesn’t know fatigue, but doing one thing repeatedly becomes mechanical and boring. Fortunately, even without people, the ever-changing weather of the Grand Line was full of thrills and excitement, which kept Wendy from feeling too bored.
She even saw a Navy warship on her way. Out of curiosity, she floated over for a look around, but seeing no familiar faces, she drifted away with a look of regret.
Later, as she continued to float, she saw a familiar person traveling alone—it was the Navy soldier from the base years ago, the one who knew Uncle Garp and had interrupted her fishing.
[What was his name again…] Wendy, who had already forgotten, frowned in deep thought, staring intently at the Navy soldier riding a bicycle on the sea.
“…Hmm? Why do I suddenly feel a chill?” Kuzan, who had since become a Marine Admiral and earned the epithet Kuzan, frowned and looked around. After a moment’s thought, he decided to give up. “Forget it, must be my imagination.”
He was an Ice-Ice Fruit user, which was why he could ride his bicycle on the sea by freezing the surface to create a path.
“…It’s not like I’m catching a cold, is it?” Kuzan pondered deeply—he could turn his entire body into ice. If he could still catch a cold, that would be ridiculous.
Wendy didn’t know she had just made a Devil Fruit ability user doubt his own ability. She simply confirmed that he was a Devil Fruit ability user and added him to her list of potential Companions.
She believed that, based on the plot, her next Companion should be from the Navy.
Because this floating journey was very long, she also made a point to look out for other potential companions.
Along the way, she encountered a man hunting Navy soldiers. She heard others call him the “Navy Hunter.”
Wendy thought it was pretty cool, but his allegiance was clearly different. He wouldn’t be a companion; he might even be considered part of an enemy faction.
Thinking of this, Wendy deliberately took a few more glances at him, memorizing his appearance—short black hair, a short beard, and a pair of sharp, yellow eyes, just like… Hawkeye.
As Wendy observed him, the man seemed to sense something and suddenly looked over in her direction, startling Wendy and making her quickly flee.
“…My imagination?” the black-haired man with hawklike eyes murmured to himself, sheathing the Black Blade in his hand.
Only after fleeing did Wendy belatedly remember that no one could see or harm her right now. Annoyed, she ran back and made a face at him, then zipped away again the moment he looked over.
[If I wasn’t so close to Dragon’s location, I would definitely haunt you for a bit!] Wendy thought, continuing to float toward her destination.
Meanwhile, at the Revolutionary Army base——————
“Dragon, what’s wrong? You’ve seemed a bit distracted this past week, and you don’t look so good…”
“Hm? It’s nothing…” Monkey D. Dragon looked at his companion and gave a reassuring smile. “It’s just a bad feeling… It shouldn’t last long.”
“That’s what you said a week ago!” Revolutionary Army commander Ivankov said disapprovingly. “You’re our leader, pull yourself together!”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Dragon replied in a steady voice.
After leaving home, Monkey D. Dragon had witnessed the oppression of common people in this world. He came to believe that the main culprit was the World Government, which protected the privileges of the Celestial Dragons while ignoring and oppressing the populace. He thus established an organization to resist, aiming to overthrow the current unequal rule and liberate the people.
And so, together with a group of like-minded companions, his forces gradually grew, from the initial Freedom Fighters to the current Revolutionary Army… Occasionally, he would think of the magical little girl he had met in his hometown long ago.
It wasn’t that he had any special feelings… It was mainly because he was using the magical backpack she had given him, and the still-beating heart inside that backpack had too strong a presence. It reminded him again and again, making it impossible to forget.
And just a week ago, he had suddenly felt a palpitation, a bad premonition, and this bad feeling had persisted.
He thought it over and over, and after a process of elimination… he felt it was highly likely that something had happened to Wendy.
He remembered Wendy saying that this heart could resurrect her… but she hadn’t explained the method of resurrection at the time.
Dragon had even secretly, away from others, whispered to the heart, “Resurrect, Wendy”… Of course, nothing happened in the end.
Dragon just felt that doing such a thing might be because his mental state wasn’t great recently, causing his brain to go a little haywire.
But thanks to Dragon being a person with a firm will, stable emotions, and a high initial Sanity, he hadn’t had a major incident despite a week-long sanity-draining debuff.
Just as Dragon was wondering how long this situation would last, Wendy finally arrived by his side.
Seeing the familiar ghost with a lily tucked behind her ear suddenly appear before him, Dragon was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face. “You’re finally here.”
“…???” The nearby Ivankov, watching Dragon smile and speak to the empty air in front of him, began to feel unwell. “Dragon, what’s wrong with you! Dragon, pull yourself together! Are you sure you haven’t been affected by some Devil Fruit and started hallucinating?!”
“You can’t see her?” Dragon paused, looking thoughtfully at the White Specter before him. “I thought it was Abigail… Could it be that you’re Wendy?”
When Abigail had appeared before, everyone could see her… Therefore, he deduced that the one before him might be Wendy. After all, Abigail and Wendy were twins; they looked similar in life, so they should look even more alike after death.
As Ivankov clutched his head and screamed in terror, Dragon took the heart out of his backpack, held it out to Wendy, and asked, “How do I resurrect you?”
Wendy moved forward, her ghostly form attaching to the Telltale Heart. A faint crackling of electricity sounded, and white mist began to swirl around the red heart, gradually condensing from a phantom into a solid form.
Finally, the white phantom dissipated, and a blonde girl materialized in mid-air.
Dragon caught her in his arms. The blonde girl landed in his embrace, gave him a huge smile, and shouted happily, “Dragon! Long time no see!”