If you're going to plan a race, it should be across the entire American continent! And the winnings should be huge! Like, $50,000,000! Real dreams should be that big!
Lucy Steel (ルーシー・スティール, Rūshī Sutīru), née Lucy Pendleton (ルーシー・ペンドルトン, Rūshī Pendoruton) is a major ally featured in the 7th part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run.
Lucy is a fourteen-year-old girl of average height and build. She has light, medium-length hair and an outfit generally consisting of a dress and striped tights. She also wears arm warmers and tall boots, both adorned with circular decorations.
Later, after she is kidnapped by Funny Valentine, her outfit is simplified to only a dress and pair of pumps, and her hair is slightly longer than before. During her final appearance, Lucy is seen wearing a hood, while also regaining her arm warmers and boots but without any tights underneath.
Personality
Lucy is an intelligent, gentle and courageous girl despite facing many dangerous situations.
Already apparent in her childhood, Lucy's kindness pushed her to talk to a then derelict Steven Steel, being the first person to support him in his idea of organizing a horserace and also suggesting that it had an enormous scale by making it go across the United States and having a prize in the millions.[4] When Steven repaid her kindness by preventing the mafia from taking her away, Lucy was deeply grateful to Steven, developing a deep relationship with him although it would remain platonic despite everyone else's bias.[5]
Lucy isn't shown interacting much with other people, usually being rather withdrawn compared to Steven's bombastic public persona. However, she is the only one who knows about his moments of doubt and sadness and during them encourages her husband.[6] When interacting with other people, Lucy usually acts polite and rather meek.
As Steven's wife, Lucy is extremely loyal to him and her every action during the course of the Steel Ball Run is performed in order to protect him from danger. As such, despite being a frail and Stand-less person, Lucy constantly throws herself into dangerous actions without hesitation. Not only does she infiltrate several well-protected facilities in order to undermine Funny Valentine,[7][8] she also has several perilous encounters against Stand Users such as Blackmore,[9]Mike O.[10] or even Diego Brando,[11] all of whom try to kill her. She also plainly rejects Mountain Tim's advances, stating her pride in being Steven's wife.[12]
Although she is prone to nervousness, Lucy is also an extremely resourceful woman, being adept at tricking people or performing other tricks to escape notice. She knows lip-reading[13] and is a competent actor, which in conjunction with her status as the main promoter's wife, allows her to access several usually secure places. Even on the brink of capture or worse, Lucy can think of ways to escape using all available tools and allies. Lucy is ultimately the one who defeats Diego Brando by bringing his alternate self's head to him, killing him in spite of his formidable Stand.[14] Despite her gentle nature, Lucy also doesn't hesitate to fire at Blackmore[15] or stab Valentine,[16] showing a hidden ruthless side to her.
Funny Valentine identifies Lucy as compatible with the Saint's Corpse and catalyzes a merger and metamorphosis between the two. A temporary Stand is created after the corpse fuses itself with Lucy, gathering inside her and taking over her bodily functions. While enacted, the Stand provides divine protection, which Funny uses to his advantage during his fight with the protagonists.
Lip-reading
Lucy is a lip reader, enabling her to spy on people and determine what they are saying purely through lip movement. It allowed her to know about the secret message Ringo Roadagain sent to Valentine and intercept it before the President.
History
Background
Lucy lived in a family of six siblings and was the second eldest of the bunch. Her father, Adam Pendleton, was a farmer who owned a small land in Oklahoma. At one point, Lucy met Steven Steel on the streets when he was penniless and drunk, listening to him mumbling about his plan of promoting a great horserace. Lucy encouraged him to run it and make as grandiose as could be with a continent-spanning route and a prize in the millions of dollars. Steven scoffed at the girl's ridiculous suggestions and left to drink.
Lucy's mother, Alice, died at age thirty-seven when Lucy was only twelve, after which the family fell into misfortune. Lucy's father would later contract debt from the mafia and, being unable to bear having his land or eldest son taken from him, offered Lucy to them instead.[1]
Then, Steven Steel manifested himself two years after meeting Lucy and ironically was on the verge of accomplishing what Lucy suggested then. Grateful for the girl who gave him a chance to bounce back, Steven went to the Pendleton house to pay back the girl and her father, only to be informed about the Pendleton's situation. It was then that Steven stepped in to repay the favor he owed Lucy. To save Lucy from working as a prostitute for the mafia, Steven told Lucy's father to tell the mafia that Lucy was previously defiled by him. Such a lie was easily believed by the gangsters, who accepted to have Steel repay the debt and Lucy married Steven to complete the lie.
Indebted to the man, twelve year old Lucy Pendleton tells Steven that she "doesn't mind", and could be his "real wife" someday. Steven denies this firmly, and reassures the young girl that he won't ever lay a hand on her—asking only that she spare him the trouble of "her future boyfriend" being a mafia member. Moved, Lucy develops an intense and platonic bond of trust with Steven in the years leading up to the Steel Ball Run.
As Steven Steel's wife, Lucy doesn't involve herself in the race, but nonetheless accompanies her husband to provide him moral support. In San Diego Beach, Lucy accompanies Steven while he oversees the preparation of the race. In private, she is here to reassure him whenever the pressure gets to him and he cries. During the press conference, a journalist tries to inquire about her and the Steel quickly go away.
She accompanies Steven on the VIP train to follow the racers during the first stage. After the first stage, the Steels are brought to a crime scene where three racers were gruesomely disemboweled. Steven prevents her from seeing this however. It is there that she meets the cowboy Mountain Tim, who gives her flowers and expresses disappointment in her being taken.
The true goal of the SBR
During the 2nd Stage, Lucy formally meets President Funny Valentine when she brings coffee to a meeting between Steven and Valentine. A guard blocks her path, making the coffee pot fall but the coffee pot then mysteriously disappears along with the coffee only to fall from the ceiling thanks to an agent posted on the roof of the train. During the third stage, Lucy then eavesdrops on Valentine talking about the Saint's Corpse. Seeing a Heart merged in the President's chest, Lucy learns that the real goal of the race is to gather eight other such Corpse Parts to complete a corpse. She is almost seen by Valentine when he checks outside of his wagon but manages to hide in another wagon.[17] From there on, Lucy stealthily keeps an eye on Valentine.
In Kansas City, she observes the government building where Valentine and Steven are working from across the street and spies on the President with binoculars and lip-reading. Lucy takes note of an incoming message and eventually sees Valentine raising the possibiblity of killing Steven. Fearful for her husband, Lucy decides to work to help the President's enemies. Pretending to deliver a forgotten lunch box, Lucy infiltrates the government building, reaches the rooftop and the aviary where messenger pigeons arrive and intercepts a message from Ringo Roadagain. However, Valentine and one of Valentine's Subordinates, Blackmore arrive. Lucy hastily hides under the aviary and is almost caught, but thankfully the pigeon flies away, distracting the two while she goes down the stairs. However, Blackmore and Valentine realize someone has just stolen the message and raise the alarm. Lucy is soon cornered in an office, with officers banging at the door while Blackmore approaches from the outside, hopping on raindrops. She has no choice but to call Mountain Tim, who immediately comes to her aid. Stuck in the toilet, Lucy is saved from being discovered by Mountain Tim who sneaks through the ventilation system and also enables to fit through there with his Stand, Oh! Lonesome Me. Lucy and Tim take refuge in a hangar. Mountain Tim tries to woo her but she reaffirms her loyalty to Steven. Disappointed, Mountain Tim suggests that she contacts Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli. Lucy deciphers Ringo's message, Lucy reaches the location of the Corpse Part and digs up the Spine, but Blackmore soon catches up with her.[18]
Blackmore takes the Spine from Lucy, who seems powerless as she doesn't have a Stand, and tries to call the President. However, a spatial anomaly transports them elsewhere, cutting off the telephone line. At this point, a manifestation of the Corpse's power appears to Blackmore, allowing Lucy to shoot Blackmore and escape toward Gyro Zeppeli and Johnny Joestar. She meets them with the Spine, explains how she discovered Valentine's schemes and begs them to help her husband Steven. When Blackmore comes, Lucy is almost killed by having water blades driven into her but Gyro manages to defeat Blackmore, who dies from his wounds. Lucy then reveals what she knows about the President's plot and explains that Valentine has the Heart, making him a Stand User. Gyro shoves Lucy on Johnny's horse and lets loose Lucy's horse to erase any trace of her presence. Gyro enlists her in a plan to steal the Heart from the President and though Lucy wanted to ask for their protection, Gyro tells her that she wouldn't want to live her whole life in fear of reprisal. To protect her husband, Lucy will have to go out to steal the Corpse Part. To help her, Gyro gives her the Right Eye since he still has his Spin mastery. Lucy reluctantly agrees and rejoins her husband without raising attention.[19]
Lucy's Mission
In Chicago, the investigation on the traitor who interfered in Kansas City closes in on Lucy. Nervous, Lucy enacts her plan. Following Scarlet Valentine, the President's wife, she notices her unique tastes in literature and decides to seduce her. Moreover, Lucy meets Hot Pants, who has guessed that she is the traitor. Hot Pants also helps her, using Cream Starter to give Lucy two doses of an instantaneous sleeping agent as well as a ready-to-use disguise on her face. Lucy thus ostentatiously reads a book that Scarlet has read, enabling her to engage a conversation and seduce the First Lady.
In the presidential compound, Lucy shares a moment with Scarlet and puts her to sleep before heading for Valentine's room, where the President supposedly takes his naps. When she reaches the bedroom, Valentine wakes up and the balloon guard dogs created by Tubular Bells are roused by her scent. Lucy disguises herself as Scarlet and manages to put him to sleep. However, Lucy discovers that the President now has many more Corpse Parts than the Heart and the dogs begin to attack, turning back into nails in her body. Worse, Scarlet has come to the bedroom and surprises her. Scarlet draws a gun and shoots Lucy, who tackles the First Lady into the bathroom. Scarlet manages to pin Lucy as the guard dogs approach, but Lucy then sheds her fake skin, misleading the dogs into killing Scarlet. The head of security Mike O. and Hot Pants arrive at the same time and a fight ensues between them. Mike O. is eventually killed by Hot Pants. Hot Pants However, Lucy cannot escape and is forced to disguise herself as Scarlet again.[20]
Valentine eventually realizes that his wife is not herself. In Philadelphia in Independance Hall, the two participate in a music session. He takes the occasion to confront his "wife", knowing that she is an impostor, and confesses that she is strangely charming. The Right Eye falls out of Lucy's pocket and rolls towards the Corpse' hiding spot in an adjacent room. Valentine notices her interest in the room and in return, she asks him the reason of his interest in the race to change the subject of the conversation. Valentine thus explains himself, his philosophy and how obtaining the Corpse will allow America to stand atop the world.
Excited by his speech, Valentine forces himself on "Scarlet", who draws a knife and tries to stab him. Valentine grabs her wrist at first but Lucy surprises him by shedding her disguise. Valentine is shocked to see her and is stabbed in the throat, but surprisingly disappears under a chair only to return, seemingly unscathed. Lucy tries to trick Valentine into following a false trail by dispersing her clothers in the corridor but keeps hiding in the room and sneaks where the Corpse is stored. Lucy tries to seek a way to escape but only finds the Saint's Corpse. It is revealed that Lucy is the host of the Head, pregnant with the Corpse.
Transported to another room, Lucy regains consciousness when she hears a voice and overhears the presidential aides letting Steven Steel die from his wounds. A voice tells her to "cut" while she tries to escape and is noticed by the aides. Manhandled by the aides who try to inject a sedative in her, Lucy tries to use her tears as a knife, it doesn't accomplish anything directly, but a series of incredible events manage to save her and kill the aides. Lucy transports Steven to a coach and forces the driver to bring them out of the compound, still guided by the voice. To her horror, Lucy eventually arrives to the USS Blue Hawaii, Valentine's ship. The President has been guiding her to him.
The End of the Race
Lucy is brought to Valentine's ship and tries to leave a message for her allies but Valentine sees it. Lucy expects his fury but Valentine surprisingly swears not to kill Steven. They subsequently depart for New Jersey, eventually taking a train.
Having absorbed the entire Saint's Corpse, Lucy begins to experience drastic changes and supernatural phenomenons. Her skins sheds as she becomes the Corpse itself and spatial anomalies occur near her. Eventually, Lucy loses consciousness and becomes the Corpse, granting Valentine the ability Love Train. During Gyro Zeppeli and Johnny Joestar's battle against Valentine, Steven manages to lift her out of the train and put her in Gyro's care, inadvertently saving Johnny. Johnny eventually defeats Valentine and the Saint's Corpse separates itself from Lucy.
After Funny Valentine is defeated at the hands of Johnny and the completed Corpse removed itself from her body, she is reunited with Steven. However, Johnny notices that the Corpse had just been taken by someone working with Funny Valentine and chases after him to reclaim it. Lucy notices that the horse tracks start from the hole Funny Valentine left in his wake and puts together that the thief is in fact Diego Brando from another dimension, whom she plans to confront at the shelter that was made to house the Corpse should Johnny fail to retrieve it first. Lucy finds the alternate Diego in the vault beneath Trinity Church. The World pins Lucy against the wall and Diego checks that no one else is around. Confronting the girl, Diego asks why Lucy is here to which she answers that she crossed the continent for happiness. Diego says that he plans to kill Steven Steel because he knows too much, but lusts after Lucy and plans on making her his woman. However, Lucy give him the severed head of Diego. Realizing the danger, Diego stops time and tries to flee, but his missing leg prevents him from doing that. Furious, Diego tries to kill Lucy instead but the head of the original Diego Brando flies towards him. Diego's head explodes and is disintegrated, killing the jockey. Satisfied, Lucy leaves the vault, her heart at peace.
Lucy Steel appears a stage hazard on the ATLANTIC OCEAN stage as Lucy Steel's Ticket to Ride grants a full Heart Heat Gauge for whoever reaches it first.
Manga Appearances
Quotes
