6
Survival on the Sixth Day: I Put All My Treasures There!…
Wendy’s thinking was quite straightforward—Dragon had told her about the characteristics of Devil Fruit ability users, and she had concluded that Devil Fruit ability users were NPC players permitted by the game system. Thus, the equation “Devil Fruit ability user = potential companion” was officially established.
As for this companion dressing oddly and not looking like a good person… she didn’t find it particularly noteworthy.
After all, among the characters in Don’t Starve, only Wendy appeared harmless. The others, with their peculiar appearances and bizarre outfits, went without saying—there were even non-human entities like robots, spider-people, fish-people, and plant-people.
She didn’t find the scene resembling a crime scene alarming either, given that she was the type to persistently poke defeated bandits with a low-damage spear, hoping to see if they would drop items upon death.
After asking her question, she fixed her large, unsettling eyes on the other person.
The oddly dressed blond young man looked down at her, remained silent for a few seconds, then curled his lips into a smile that added a touch of wickedness to his already dubious demeanor: “Sure, if you have the ability.”
Progress was smooth, and Wendy cheered up, introducing herself: “My name is Wendy Carter! Just call me Wendy! And you?”
“Donquixote Doflamingo.”
Just like that, Wendy followed him. Moreover, because of his self-introduction, Wendy suddenly realized that in this world, everyone placed their surname before their given name. She had initially thought it was a unique custom of Windmill Village… though some people only had a single name, like the marine who called himself Kuzan, whom she had met while fishing near the marine base.
Although she noticed this, Wendy didn’t pay it much mind. She followed Doflamingo all the way into a hotel that looked exceptionally luxurious.
Wendy couldn’t help but marvel—this new little companion seemed quite wealthy…
Too bad money was useless to her. The Hunger System required everything to be gathered personally; buying and selling weren’t allowed. But thinking about it, if trading were possible, it wouldn’t be called Don’t Starve—it would be more like Stardew Valley.
Even though she couldn’t engage in monetary transactions, items given by her companions were still usable, as she had tested herself. So, she happily and unapologetically accepted the luxury hotel treatment.
Of course, she had no idea that her casual enjoyment gave off a completely different impression in the eyes of her new companion…
Donquixote Doflamingo watched as Wendy pulled out a meatball from thin air, swallowed it in one bite, and then sat on the sofa to read a book. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze: “Wendy, what is your Devil Fruit ability?”
Exchanging abilities between companions was normal—Dragon had told her about his own ability, so Wendy answered openly: “My Devil Fruit is the Don’t Starve Fruit.”
Doflamingo, who had seen the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, narrowed his eyes, his tone turning dangerous: “Is that so… Sounds like a rare fruit… Could you demonstrate it specifically?”
Wendy tilted her head but didn’t refuse. However, she remembered Dragon’s warning, and since the system hadn’t announced them as companions yet, she wouldn’t explain as thoroughly as she had to Dragon.
“Well… I can make things from the Hunger System,” Wendy said while checking her backpack’s contents, then crafted another backpack on the spot. “Here, this can store items.”
Doflamingo, who initially thought Wendy was bluffing, accepted the backpack and grew uncertain. Well-traveled and naturally sharp, he immediately noticed the backpack’s marvelous qualities. He preliminarily categorized Wendy’s ability as creation-related.
Then Wendy pulled out a meatball and fish steak from her inventory: “These are foods made from Hunger System recipes. The meatball mainly restores satiety, while the fish steak recovers health.”
Doflamingo frowned at the unimpressive-looking food but ate them anyway. The plain-looking items possessed effects far beyond their appearance. Based on Wendy’s explanation, he understood literally—one restored stamina, the other healed wounds.
Thus, Doflamingo’s gaze toward the golden-haired girl became more uncertain: Hmm… Is her ability also related to cooking?
Next, Wendy produced Abigail’s Flower, summoned Abigail, then happily spun around with her ghostly sister before introducing her to Doflamingo: “This is my sister, Abigail. She’ll protect me.”
Doflamingo: “…”
At this moment, despite their completely different personalities and ambitions, Doflamingo’s thoughts unexpectedly aligned with Dragon’s—this ability was quite miscellaneous.
Still, this passed the preliminary assessment, and Doflamingo genuinely began considering recruiting her as a companion.
He adjusted his sitting position to a more comfortable posture, propping his head with one hand as he asked: “Where are you from? And what’s the deal with your ghost sister?”
Wendy blinked and answered obediently: “I came from home. Abigail is just Abigail. I finally found her again.”
Wendy’s responses sounded somewhat redundant and occasionally incoherent, but Doflamingo didn’t get angry. Instead, as the conversation continued, he grew more patient.
Because… like others, based on Wendy’s recounted past and behavior, he assumed she was a runaway noble.
Drawing from his own past experiences, he even filled in more details mentally—seeing Wendy’s dependence on her ghost sister, he speculated she must have run away after her real sister’s accidental death, then somehow obtained this strange Devil Fruit. The fruit’s power manifested her attachment, giving her a ghost “sister.”
Looking at the white ghosts surrounding Wendy and the identical flower on her head, Doflamingo pondered more deeply—since it was called the Don’t Starve Fruit… and considering her recent eating behavior… the side effect of this fruit’s power must be frequent hunger, right?
Without hesitation, Doflamingo made the decision: “In that case, you shall join the Donquixote Family.”
The Donquixote Family under Doflamingo had always been open to recruiting members, and Wendy’s identity and abilities aligned perfectly with his intentions.
And so, the next day, Wendy followed Doflamingo to witness the execution of Pirate King Roger.
A fine rain fell from the sky as Wendy held a small pink umbrella, sticking close to Doflamingo’s side while trying her best not to get wet.
When her clothes were splashed with water, she frowned, appearing quite displeased, and looked up to urge him: “Isn’t it over yet? I can’t stay in overly damp environments.”
Wendy had good reason for saying this—because the rules of the Hunger System dictated that getting rained on or being too damp would cause one to lose sanity.
Of course, in Doflamingo’s eyes, this was further evidence—so finicky, she must have been nobility of some rank before.
Because of this, he showed a patience toward her that he didn’t extend to others, replying: “It’s about to begin.”
There were many spectators gathered for the Pirate King’s execution. At first, Wendy tried to look for Dragon in the crowd, but the sea of people was overwhelming, with many tall individuals blocking her view. After just a brief glance, she gave up on searching and began patiently observing the proceedings.
Even when Roger was brought to the guillotine, he was still smiling, looking nothing like a criminal at the end of his road, but rather like someone who had come to say hello to passersby.
Of course, everything changed the moment someone asked about his treasure and he responded.
“Do you want my treasure? If you want it, I’ll give it all to you! Go find it! I left all my treasure there!” (Note)
Instantly, the crowd fell into a frenzied state, the very air seeming to grow scorching hot.
Amid the nearly deafening cheers, Wendy stood frozen for a moment before turning to ask Doflamingo with a puzzled expression: “Why are they so happy? Just because they learned where Roger’s treasure is? Are they all pirates? But there’s only one treasure, and only one person can obtain it?”
“Indeed, but humans are always this overconfident,” Doflamingo replied with a laugh, though his demeanor remained largely unchanged before and after Roger’s declaration. He watched the crowd’s revelry with a derisive snort before turning to leave. “Let’s go, Wendy. Time to head back.”
Wendy murmured an acknowledgment and obediently followed.
Still preoccupied, she complained: “My clothes are all wet. Later, I need to dry them by the fire first.”
Otherwise, the damp state would continue to make her lose sanity!
Doflamingo didn’t comment on this, but when Wendy eventually departed with him for the North Blue, her backpack was stuffed full with an entire stack of clothes.
Author’s Note:
Note: Roger’s original dialogue
PS Why are you all worrying about Wendy! She’s basically a Fourth Heavenly Calamity!
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