5
Survival Day Five: Are You Also a Devil Fruit User?
Wendy hadn’t actually decided whether to continue traveling with her companion, but regardless, she needed to get to Loguetown first.
Garp had seemed preoccupied at first, but soon returned to his usual demeanor afterward. It was unclear whether he had truly gotten over whatever was bothering him or was just hiding it.
Having heard that Garp was also acquainted with Roger, who was about to be executed, Wendy suspected it was the latter.
Upon arriving in Loguetown, Wendy immediately bid farewell to Garp and prepared to find Dragon.
Garp was momentarily taken aback by her eagerness and quickly called out to her as she hurried away: “Wait! Wendy! Do you have enough money? You won’t be able to find Dragon right away!”
“Hmm?” Wendy stopped and turned to look at him, flashing a bright smile. “No, I know exactly where Dragon is!”
After saying that, she continued on her way with her steady, measured steps.
Garp watched this scene unfold, feeling a complex mix of emotions he couldn’t quite articulate—just what kind of relationship did Dragon and Wendy have? It seemed like they shared some kind of tacit understanding that he couldn’t penetrate…
If Garp had asked one more question, Wendy would have honestly told him: It’s the map. I have the map enabled.
The Hunger System’s built-in map function displayed detailed maps of all the places Wendy had visited. While her designated companions weren’t directly shown on the map… if they were relatively close by, there would be an icon indicator.
In other words, being in the same town allowed Wendy to sense her companion’s location.
She found Dragon in a small tavern. Dragon was startled when he saw her and immediately stood up, pulling her outside to shield her from the curious gazes inside.
Looking down at the girl who had unexpectedly appeared, Dragon felt a headache coming on and asked helplessly, “Wendy, how did you get here?”
Wendy blinked. “Uncle Garp brought me.”
Dragon was silent for a moment before asking again, “Did you see the letter I left for you?”
Wendy looked puzzled but nodded. “Yes, I saw it.”
…It seemed there had been another communication issue.—Dragon collected himself, crouched down, and spoke to her in a low voice: “How did you find me?”
He wasn’t surprised that Wendy could come to Loguetown through Garp to look for him, but he was quite taken aback by how purposefully she had walked right in and found him.
Upon hearing this, Wendy smiled confidently. “Because we’re companions, so I can sense you when you’re nearby.”
…Is this a Devil Fruit ability? This ability is really too versatile!—Dragon sighed almost imperceptibly and stated seriously: “I’m glad you came to find me… but what I need to do next might be dangerous, and it wouldn’t be convenient to bring you along.”
Wendy didn’t feel negatively about this rejection—in fact, she had already considered this possibility from the start. So at this moment, she just thought for a bit before agreeing: “I understand. Then when we meet again, can you share the maps you’ve explored with me?”
Dragon was momentarily taken aback, then his gaze softened slightly. A hint of smile appeared on his perpetually stern and unsmiling face: “Alright, it’s settled then.”
“Mm, settled!” Wendy was satisfied, then suddenly remembered something and earnestly added, “Ah, right, you must carry the Telltale Heart I gave you with you at all times.”
This was the most important thing. If she needed resurrection, she could only rely on her companion!
Dragon: “…Alright.”
Wendy continued her serious instructions: “You should be careful too, don’t get into trouble. If you encounter danger, make sure to avoid it.”
“Alright.” Dragon chuckled wryly, but then recalling the girl’s usual behavior, his smile froze. He adopted a serious expression and began his own advice, “You too. Although your sister can fight, that’s essentially your ability. If someone discovers the truth and attacks you directly, you’d be in great danger.”
“Mm, I know. I’ll wear armor during battles, and when my health drops to half, I’ll run away,” Wendy replied. “If I accidentally die for real, I’ll come find you.”
Dragon: “…” Sigh. Although he tried his best, sometimes he truly felt there was a communication barrier with the young girl.
However, after clearing things up with the girl, Dragon felt he had resolved one worry.
Having spent so much time with Wendy, he knew perfectly well that with her special abilities and combat level, she shouldn’t have problems protecting herself. Although many capable individuals had gathered in Roguetown recently due to Roger’s affair, and Wendy appeared to be just a fragile young girl who wouldn’t pick fights… well, at least he’d given her proper instructions before they parted. She probably wouldn’t get into trouble.
After watching Wendy’s figure disappear into the distance, his previously gentle expression turned much more solemn.
With Roger’s public execution, the world situation would likely undergo new changes… Who knew whether this would lead to positive developments or fresh turmoil…
Dragon turned around, his cloak stirring a light breeze as he departed in the opposite direction from Wendy.
As for Wendy… She decided to take this opportunity to fully explore Roguetown’s map.
After all, titles like “Hometown of the Pirate King” sounded incredibly special! There must be some special events unfolding later or unique items to collect here!
A girl barely reaching 1.5 meters tall darting around the place attracted some attention, though the glances directed at her were few and brief.
Most people simply took her for an ordinary young girl. Even those who noticed her fearless expression and her constant running without showing fatigue or slowing down didn’t bother her. After all, everyone’s focus was centered on one thing – tomorrow, Pirate King Roger would be publicly executed.
Wendy was probably the person in town who cared least about this event. To her, it was like a cutscene introducing the world’s background – not something for her to participate in, just something to watch.
Instead, she paid more attention to the other people on the island – with Dragon gone and no plans to return to Windmill Village yet, finding her next companion among the current crowd became her top priority.
Night fell quickly. Wendy looked at the darkening sky, then at the still-unexplored map, and decided not to waste time—she would continue working through the night.
In the game mechanics of Don’t Starve, characters don’t need to sleep. Sleeping is a skill that rapidly consumes satiety to quickly restore health and sanity, requiring consumable items. As long as her stats were healthy, Wendy wouldn’t sleep—it was too extravagant.
When darkness completely enveloped the town, Wendy continued forward with her lantern. This lantern was a gift from Dragon after he learned she couldn’t remain in darkness, as he thought carrying a torch all the time was unsafe.
Wendy quite liked this little lantern too—she even sacrificed one precious slot in her limited inventory to carry it.
It was during her nighttime exploration that she encountered an unexpected situation.
A mournful cry came from an alley—short and abrupt, cut off abruptly.
A normal person would have recognized the danger at this point and turned to run. But this was Wendy.
Wendy opened her map and looked—ahead was pitch black, an area she hadn’t explored yet. She wasn’t afraid. Even aware there might be danger, the thought that Dragon was in town kept her completely calm—worst case, she could just have her buddy revive her!
The only troublesome part was that items would drop after death… but she figured it wouldn’t be difficult to get Dragon to help retrieve her belongings later.
So, driven by curiosity, Wendy stepped into the alley.
Inside the alley lay a person sliced apart by thin threads, while standing there was… a blond young man wearing sunglasses even at night.
His attire was unique, complete with a pink feather coat. Noticing Wendy’s appearance, he let out a short questioning sound from his nose: “Hm?”
Ignoring this, Wendy stared at the nearly invisible translucent threads in his hands for a moment, then looked at the person on the ground before suddenly showing an expression of understanding. She walked over cheerfully: “Are you a Devil Fruit ability user too?”
The newcomer’s appearance and attitude were so unexpected that the young man didn’t attack. Instead, he watched her approach until she stood before him, then looked down at her with an ambiguous tone: “‘Too?’ So… you are one as well?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Wendy nodded and asked directly, “Will you be my companion?”
Author’s note:
Second companion online!
PS: According to the timeline, this “turkey” should only be 17 at this point, but his prematurely mature appearance (…) makes it impossible for me to honestly write him as a teenager, so I’ll stick with “young man”! (…)
Wendy’s thinking is quite simple: All Devil Fruit ability users are potential companions.jpg