Special Chapter: Holy Diver IF


How is it that a world comes to be?

Is it the unconquerable and divine plan that we call Fate? Or is it the incomprehensible and jumbled mess that comes with trillions of 'IFs' being decided at once?

If this person turned left instead of right. If I say hello to the person sitting next to me instead of ignoring them. If I marry this person despite not loving them, rather than risking loneliness and breaking up with them.

Choices upon choices that create and destroy worlds the second that they are made. Yet what of Fate? You can not simply assume that there is an IF for a world where people can fly simply by flapping their arms. Nor can you presume that a choice can affect everything that exists within the universe itself. No, there are some things which cannot be changed no matter what is done.

Mankind will feel hope and despair in life. That in itself is the nature of the human heart and cannot be changed by anything but a God. There will be those who live a life seeking to create and build, and there will be those who live a life seeking to consume and devour. There will even be those who live a life destroying the world around them; even if it means ruining themselves. Surely an IF would have to account for these?

In one IF, a man whose thirst for power often drives him to discard his humanity is not in a world that offers such a choice. Instead, he is forced to languish until finding peace of mind, and finds the crusade that shall define his life. He all but destroys the old world and builds a cruel game to force the last beacons of hope to submit to him in the belief that this will be his coronation as a God. An Ultimate Master above those with and without Talent.

Those who challenged and confounded him in most worlds are not in this IF. It falls instead to a boy who was once defined by his sharp turns in luck to unite with the people he had idolised, and even became friends with, and cast this false god down from his high throne. To use the embodiment of their fighting spirits to rally his victims against him and end his cruel reign.

Yet there is another IF. What if the Joestars were in that world with Dio Brando?

Not all of the Joestars. A battle that lasted over hundred years in their IFs had too many warriors to all arrive to fight against Dio. But what about three? Three Joestars who fought for good and justice and managed to win the day in many worlds? Could even just a single one replicate their success? To challenge Fate and triumph?

The curtain lowers...


Jonathan Joestar, also known as JoJo, was almost embarrassed by the attention given to him.

Not that he'd ever show such a thing. His father had taught him many things in life, some he learned quicker than others, as memories of bruised knuckles at the dinner table came to him, and one of them was how to hide discomfort behind a good-natured smile. If one managed to keep their composure, or at least the image of it, then the situation would calm itself in turn.

As if a dinner party in his honour was a situation. Jonathan would never say such a thing in public, and the very thought almost made his face redden in shame. All of these people here to celebrate his achievement and he was acting as if that was a problem.

To be accepted into the prestigious and illustrious Hope's Peak Academy was not something you heard of every day. Only the most Talented-until last year where those who could afford the fees could join-were allowed entrance into the school.

Lord George Joestar, Jonathan's father, had been delighted to hear the good news after weeks of issues with Jonathan's brother. Not that this was the time to ruminate on such things! Now was the time to simply relax himself and accept well-wishes from friends and family, among other things.

Jonathan's mind trailed off as he turned his eyes towards the woman of his dreams and love of his life. To imagine months without being in the company of Erina Pendleton was undoubtedly one of the worst things about having to leave for Japan. To learn a new language would be challenging, but he had been making progress for some time. To learn how to live with love far away was another matter.

He had internet and long-distance calls, but it just wouldn't be the same. To feel the touch of her skin as they held hands. To hear the sound of her laugh as they played in the river. All of the time they shared and spent together in good times and bad. The two had been inseparable ever since they first got to know each other, Jonathan defending her from those dreadful bullies, until now.

She had even been there for the death of Danny. His father had done all he could but he had been busy trying to pull Jonathan's brother away from the corruption fame was bringing and his brother fought those efforts with all he had. It had simply been Erina and him bonding over the memories Jonathan had with who had been his best friend until his passing last year.

The only good thing about The Incident had been that it replaced dark misery with burning passion when Jonathan had seen it with his own eyes. The infamous and eccentric fashion model, Dio Brando, back-handing Erina across the room for some unknown crime had unleashed something within Jonathan that he never knew he had. A burning energy within.

Jonathan had always been a keen boxer. From it being the only way to bond with the poorer children his age, to honing his craft to a high level, to winning enough amateur tournaments to attract the attention of Hope's Peak. Yet, without a doubt, it had been his scuffle with that terrible man that had been his hardest bout.

It wasn't like the matches he knew. Fists were thrown with an intent to gouge out eyes, let alone knock him out, and Dio hadn't hesitated to kick and bite when he could. Jonathan suspected that the rage blinding him and alcohol slowing Dio was what truly ended the fight in a knock-out blow.

His father had been horrified to hear of the story. Jorge had just started to fall into the dark realms that came with extreme fame and glory in the horse-riding world, and now his eldest and legitimate son was getting into fights. Erina's story, backed up by friends nearby, had vindicated Jonathan but there had been a long time where his father looked at him with a sharper eye than before.

If he couldn't stop one son from falling, he could do his best with another. Jonathan thought grimly to himself. Amongst all the guests and revelry, there was one noted absence that Jonathan was ashamed to admit was almost welcomed.

Jorge hadn't been like him. The blonde hair had done more than enough to differ him from his elder brother but it wasn't just that. Jonathan hadn't enjoyed his father's stern teachings but he grew from them, whereas Jorge resented them. He resisted every lesson and nursed his grudges. Perhaps that was inevitable when you felt like you didn't belong.

When you thought your father's shame at his affair was shame at the result of it as well.

The brothers had been close once, Jorge loved Danny as Jonathan did and even now was as polite as he could be to both him and Erina, but Jonathan hadn't acquired Jorge's fame. He wasn't surrounded by those offering seemingly unconditional affection, only to seek to be close to the boy with the money. As Jorge collapsed into hedonism, Jonathan found himself estranged from his little brother.

Jonathan realised that he'd have to think of something else. He went back to looking at Erina and moved to come and join her. It would be best to spend as much time with the woman he loved as possible, before leaving for Japan next month to attend Hope's Peak.

The Ultimate Boxer, that's what he'd soon be known as. To achieve an Olympic medal in boxing had been his dream for so long, and it might even be in his grasp within a few years. Now it seemed like more the perfect moment to achieve his new dream.

To begin life with Erina as a couple.

As he took the first step, however, he felt a hand tap on his shoulder. Jonathan turned to see a pale, almost sweating, face just on the border of being too close to his own stare into him. He kept enough composure to avoid flinching, but took a step back to look at the man before him. Thin like a tree branch with limbs almost too long for him, the man was in a business suit that did little to add any aura to him. Not when a near-balding head was gleaming with sweat.

"Mister Joestar, I am sorry to intrude," He said, offering a weak shaking smile. "But my client wishes to speak with you by the balcony. He claims to have met you once and wanted to give a more...personal regards as to your acceptance into Hope's Peak Academy."

"More personal?" Jonathan looked around. Most of the people extending praise had already done so, and the attention turned to themselves, for the time being. Was this person shy? "I suppose there wouldn't be any harm in meeting this request."

This person had been impressed enough with Jonathan to overcome their apparent shyness. How could Jonathan refuse them when they had summoned such courage?

It had been a brief walk towards the balcony, the chance at fresh air being welcomed after so long in the halls. There was even a full-moon out, if he recalled correctly, a fine way to open conversation with the person standing by the balustrade. It was too dark to recognise them solely from their back being turned to him, but there was something about that hair and that height...

Jonathan only recognised Dio Brando when the latter turned around and smiled. A smile that almost seemed soft and genuine, but Jonathan kept his guard up regardless.

"Dio Brando!" He barely took enough care to avoid his shout echoing into the hall. The gentle music and hum of conversations might have covered it up, but he would not have the memories of today stained by this man's presence. "To show up here after what you did. The nerve!" He almost readied himself to throw this intruder out here and there.

That was until Dio held his hands out. Jonathan might have taken that as an insult, a hand to silence an unruly servant or child, were it not for the look in Dio's eyes. A look of what seemed to be genuine contrition.

"Jonathan, I know how I acted last year, and I know I have no excuse for it but please," Dio said, his voice carrying none of the bravado of last year. Not even the confidence of his interviews. "I am a changed man asking for forgiveness. I chose today because I hoped good fortune might make you more forgiving, even if I don't deserve it."

He kept his guard up. Even if Dio was honest in his words, that alone would not be good enough. "I'm not the one who deserves the apology. You struck Erina for standing up for her friend. A friend who asked you many times to leave her be from your drunken groping."

"And I plan on apologising to Erina, and her friend, as well, preferably in private so to avoid a scene for either of us. But you have to admit that, had you seen us together in likely to be tense conversation, you'd have thought the worst of me." Dio said. His words were smooth as a snake but didn't seem to carry deceit, nor were his words false.

It had only been after their brawl that Jonathan learnt about Dio Brando himself. A popular young model who was well-regarded for his beauty and physique, but never quite reached the levels of global fame or regard, for many reasons. His temper was one of them. Magazines were reluctant to work with someone who had tantrums over his facial expressions and the exact body pose taken.

There had even been horror-stories of how he treated staff and hanger-ons who displeased. For all that Jorge sank into the temptations of fame, despite the Joestar family's best efforts, he had the good sense to avoid the company of those like Dio Brando. The tales of his difficulty to work with had been enough to deny him a place at Hope's Peak Academy itself.

It had been that rejection which apparently drove him to the bottle on that very night. Erina's friend had not known for the darker side of his reputation and only saw a beautiful yet distraught face. By the time she realised what she had been getting into, Dio had been a predator refusing to let go of its grip. Erina managed to get him away, only to be struck as if she was a fighter instead of a woman.

Jonathan didn't care to learn much else about Dio after that fight. Good riddance to bad rubbish was his motto upon hearing that Dio had left for a photo-shoot in Japan. Yet he had heard tales since that fight. Tales which might have warmed his heart had he not been nursing this particular grudge.

Whatever happened to Dio Brando, it had changed him in ways people didn't expect. Where pictures of his face once couldn't hide the glare and sense that he loathed revealing his skin to the unworthy, there was now a new serenity to every picture. As if he knew that his body was desired and that he simply deigned to share this gift to the world itself. An egotism that allured rather than alienated.

His entire pose was that of total self-confidence and belief enough that photographers no longer asked him to do certain poses. They simply let the man himself dictate the nature of the photo-shoot himself. Who else would know the best positions for the body over than the man himself after all?

It worked enough that Dio Brando went from the top ten models in Britain to arguably the biggest figure in his industry world-wide.

Yet there was none of that confidence here. Only a sense that this was a man who knew that he did wrong and wanted to make amends.

If he has changed, and is willing to apologise to Erina and her friend in person, Those last two were the most important. Jonathan could forgive a man for wronging him if they had made a mistake, or had true regret for their actions. Someone who had dared to hurt Erina, however, would need to prove themselves. An act Dio seemed willing to perform. I may as well attempt to give him a chance. To be forgiving of those willing to change is a virtue.

Jonathan breathed out and gave Dio a hard stare. No threats, but a warning. "You understand that I'm not going to let you be alone with Erina, when it comes to apologising. If I even think you may lose your temper-"

"This is your home. If someone caused a ruckus in my home, I, Dio, would wish for them to leave as well." Dio replied. The smile on his face seemed one of acceptance at the conditions instead of victory. Jonathan almost thought Dio had learnt humility until he saw the blonde glare at the man who brought him here. "Leave us, we would prefer to talk alone."

The man who Jonathan presumed was an assistant slithered away as if afraid to stay even a second longer. Jonathan was about to scold Dio for such rude manners when he was distracted by a memory. The memory of the man who convinced his father to not mention the incident to the news. The man who seemed so smug and sure of himself at the time.

How had Dio's manager become that man?

"Just a few months ago, he'd leech off my earnings and claim I'd be nowhere without him. Now he does all he can to keep his job." Dio muttered bringing Jonathan's attention back to him. The male-model sighed to himself and scoffed. "An unfortunate tie to a past I care little for."

"How did you ever end up in the modelling industry? When we first met, you didn't seem the type to enjoy such attention." Jonathan asked. That had been an understatement; some of the covers he was on looked closer to a wanted poster than a fashion magazine cover.

"It's a long story. Let's just say my father had friends who saw potential and both owed and were owed favours. Not one you'd like to hear on a night like this." Dio replied. That had ended that train of thought, which was fine by Jonathan. It would be rude to force his way into a conversation that was clearly a sensitive matter. Dio smirked at Jonathan. "The Ultimate Boxer. Not that I doubt the legitimacy of your title, definitely not after last year, but I thought they already had one."

"He's graduated now, from what I hear. Although he now works there," Jonathan had hoped that they might have had a friendly talk when he arrived. The look of Juzo Sakakura in all the magazines, however, made Jorge's worst days look like Danny. "It might be awkward."

There tended to be a gulf between the amateur Olympic style and the professional version that tended to be shown on television. Jonathan held no disdain for professional boxers, if a bit of worry about the concussion rates, and he only had to watch a few moments of Sakakura to know that this was a man who could box. There were few flaws in his motions, little wasted energy in each strike, and he rarely moved unless he was sure that a blow would connect.

With those skills, and a three year lead on Jonathan, there was little doubt in Jonathan's mind that Sakakura would win a bout against him if they fought right now.

The manager seemed to be taking his time in collecting Erina, so Jonathan began to explain those very facts to Dio. The model had experience of boxing, but it had been more a part of MMA training and was of the back-street sort where the rules were to brutalise rather than triumph over the opponent. Even then, Dio and Jonathan found common ground in other areas.

Both played and were interested in rugby, intrigued by the mystery and legacy of Hope's Peak, and had been glad to see a change in Dio's attitude and self.

Dio called it attaining peace of mind. If that was what it took, then Jonathan welcomed Dio's discovery.

The model himself was engrossed in the conversation. His eyes went straight through Jonathan and it felt as if Dio was reading him like a book. Devouring every single fact he knew about the man who he had fought like a beast with just last year.

Where there was once a beast's contempt, now there seemed to be nothing more than a man's curiosity. A curiosity that Jonathan unknowingly fed further.

That wasn't to say he entirely forgave Dio. Erina had accepted the apology given, as sincere and heartfelt as any Jonathan knew, but even Dio could tell that Erina had by no means forgiven Dio for such. In an act of good character, Dio said nothing and silently accepted that he would have to either accept the burden of his sin or keep working to attain forgiveness for its own sake.

Jonathan and Erina were at least able to extract further friendly conversation from Dio. Twenty minutes passed before Jonathan finally trusted himself to ask a question that had just came to his mind. Now that Dio had both calmed his temper and achieved the heights of fame, it was likely that he would be in the same parties as Jorge. He'd in a position to help Jonathan's brother.

It might seem intrusive to the jockey, but Jonathan could see no other way. He couldn't ask Erina to follow Jorge around, or to go to the sort of celebrations that Jorge indulged himself in. But Dio? Dio knew those dens of sin. He could be there and at least try to guide Jorge away from his self-destructive path and towards something more constructive. If only for the sake of what was right.

Dio agreed to do so and Jonathan chose to trust him. They even agreed to exchange numbers and meet up again if Dio ever came to Japan. Erina herself was cautious but not entirely unhappy, and Jonathan took that as a sign that she did not forgive Dio but she didn't line out the idea that he had changed.

Thus began what would be Dio's second bizarre friendship.


Hope's Peak was not what Jonathan expected it to be.

The teachers were meant to have some grasping of at least English and Japanese, with smatterings of the languages of foreign students, and the same was expected of the students as well. That much was clear on all the pamphlets and school information. Naturally, he presumed that this would be coupled by a rigorous curriculum.

What he discovered was something completely different. Attendance in class was not compulsory, the standards for teachers seemed to be that they could repeat what was said on the curriculum, and the only examination that mattered was the practical one. A demonstration of your Talents and how they have grown under the tutelage of Hope's Peak Academy.

Talent was core to the ideals of Hope's Peak, that was true, but surely a school was meant to nurture more than just that! Jonathan was sure that Mr Kizakura was a fine scout for the school and had a great passion for it, but none of that passion or drive extended towards teaching itself. On the days that he did attend, that in itself shocking for a teacher to easily miss days, he was often drunk.

Jonathan had only met something close to his whole class for a single day and that was the entrance ceremony. There had even been absences on that day as well. After that, most of them simply just left for their own devices and didn't care one bit for class or friendship. Out of the sixteen members of Class 77-B, only six had regularly turned up to class and that included Jonathan.

That wasn't to say all of it was terrible back then. Jonathan had his moral issues with letting someone like the Ultimate Yakuza have the chance to grow in his skills, a complaint that Fuyuhiko did not appreciate, but at least he seemed grateful enough to attend classes. It was just a shame that the two seemed incapable of forming a bond, Jonathan already written-off as a goodie-two-shoes, in the Yakuza's words.

Miss Hiyoko had been another who wrote him off. What the Ultimate Traditional Dancer lacked in height, she could make up for with foul venom. Every time that Jonathan defended one of her victims, mostly Miss Mikan for her clumsiness, she grumbled about him going for the gentle giant routine. That was the gentlest insult in a barrage of un-ladylike words.

Miss Mahiru seemed to not mind Miss Hiyoko's treatment of others and resented it when Jonathan tried to get her to scold the tiny dancer, but they had mostly managed to get along with one another. She appreciated Jonathan's manners and willingness to keep back those like the Ultimate Chef. They even bonded over a mutual interest in photographs of the latest archaeological findings.

The two main friends he had made within the class had been Miss Sonia, having preferred to not be known as Princess to her classmates, and Miss Mikan. He and Sonia bonded over shared upbringing and values, along with trying to get the others more involved in the class, whilst he was often Miss Mikan's protector against both her many falls and from Miss Hiyoko's tongue.

Outside of class, Jonathan had spent his time practising his Japanese, honing his boxing skills further, and engaging in hobbies such as archaeology. It wasn't like he'd spend the rest of his life as a boxer. When he won his medals and started a family with Erina, Jonathan wanted to be an archaeologist.

His father knew of such dreams and supported them. He had been shocked as well to hear of how Hope's Peak truly operated, but he had been proud to know that Jonathan had kept to the values of the Joestar name.

"It's good that you aren't mimicking the others, Jonathan. Remember. A true gentleman's virtues will shine through and inspire others." His father explained, over the phone. "Serve as an ideal and others will follow your example."

The conversation had been good for both of them. Jorge was slipping further away from them after Jonathan left, and the time he spent at home was arguing again and again with Father. George Joestar just couldn't open his heart to his second son, and Jorge refused to deviate from the path of self-destruction he found himself on.

Jonathan had heard rumours that Hope's Peak were looking to scout Jorge next year. As much as it pained him to admit it, Jonathan prayed that wouldn't be the case. If Jorge was indulged in his tendencies any further, Jonathan feared for his brother's life.

Another source of advice had strangely enough came from Dio Brando himself. The world was alight with interest in the male model and it was all but certain that Hope's Peak would make an effort to lure him back in after being rejected once. Jonathan had called hoping for news on Jorge and received the same answer as always.

"I can try to keep the worst away from him, but I can't do much about the people around him. Jojo," Dio had taken up Jonathan's nick-name with stunningly quick ease. "You need to know when to let detach from others. Jorge cannot be reached by any of us any longer. Surely it would be better to wait until he is shocked by the results himself?"

"I cannot do that, Dio." Jonathan had replied. "If something terrible happened to Jorge, an accident or otherwise, how would I be able to face him again? If I simply neglected others in pain because it would be too much work or pain for myself, how could I expect others to sacrifice the same for me? However much he may wish to deny me, when I try to bring him back to sanity, Jorge is my little brother and I have to protect him."

Dio had been amused but interested. He gave the same advice with the other members of Class 77-B; simply leave them to face their own consequences and focus on himself, lest he let them distract him from his goals. Jonathan could see the logic in what Dio had said, but couldn't agree. Strangely enough, his replies had somehow made Dio sound more interested than before.

Still, could Jonathan have followed Erina's advice?

"Jonathan, maybe you should try approaching them yourself. If it worries you this much, maybe you can find out why they don't wish to attend class." Erina advised, from behind a laptop screen. Soft yet firm eyes then turned to worry. "Although you should help this Mikan girl first. You make it sound like she lives life on the edge of tears every second."

It was good advice but, other than helping Miss Mikan stay stable, how could Jonathan have tracked down every last classmate and bring them together for more than a day? It seemed impossible.

Until he met the new teacher for Class 77-B. Miss Chisa Yukizome, who arrived in class to be horrified at the lack of attendance, and had already sworn to have everyone attend the class. Her methods seemed almost too much, pulling those knives on Fuyuhiko, but there was something about her.

The talk of reclaiming their youths! The words of their efforts combined creating hope! Of being more than their Talents! It was inspiring. It was invigorating. It was what he needed to hear.

He hadn't been shocked to know that Sonia latched onto the plan. What he had been shocked about was how quickly both they and some of the classmates had went with that flow. To want to share in that energy that Miss Yukizome emitted and join the others. Nekomaru, Kazuichi, Gundham, Miss Ibuki, Miss Chiaki and even Miss Peko herself. All of them simply needed the word.

That had been what they needed! An inspiring light to drive them forward. Yes, there had been some who needed to be moved. Jonathan didn't know how glad he should have felt that the task of manhandling a woman, even one as energetic as Miss Akane, fell to Nekomaru. Jonathan had hoped that she'd have been subdued in a less...brutal way. Yes, she seemed to enjoy the combat, but Jonathan had years of gentlemanly manners instilled in him and every last one of them told him to not fight a woman.

Defending their virtue was a much easier matter. He might have stepped in had Miss Yukizome not already punished Teruteru for his language. Plus, he had the creeping feeling that the Ultimate Chef might have responded in a way that he was nowhere near ready to cope with.

Mitarai had resisted, much swifter than his wide physique suggested, and Komaeda was almost too co-operative. There was something in his eyes that unnerved Jonathan. It wasn't a predator-like gaze in the Ultimate Luckster's eyes but something almost worse. The eyes of a cultist looking at their master.

But that might have just been Komaeda reacting to the energy that Miss Yukizome had been emitting.

At least the class was finally together and seemed to agree-however reluctantly-to attend regular class sessions from now on. Finally they could come together as schoolmates and help one another! Jonathan may have been a foreigner here, but even he could share in Miss Yukizome's smile.

Perhaps he could even form more friendships with them.


And what friendships they were!

Just a few weeks since Class 77-B came together and they had already drawn closer together. There were bumps on the road with their...eccentricities, but Miss Chiaki's video games had helped to sooth over the edges between them. Friendly competition had proven to win the class over to one another. Even if he had been terrible at the boxing video game, he still had fun.

Not much else had changed. There were some random blood tests that Hope's Peak held for current students and potential applicants. It was probably something to do with an experiment by one of the upper-years. With the amount that Main Course students could get away with, it'd be no surprise to Jonathan if that were the case.

Other than that, Jonathan was enjoying the idyllic, if manic, school life that Hope's Peak now offered.

The school itself was being watched for who their scouts visited. One name in particular was one that Jonathan knew very well at this point. Dio Brando, rumoured to be accepted as the Ultimate Male Model in the next year, had been mature about being in a lower-year to Jonathan.

Nekomaru was proof enough that age wasn't a factor for Hope's Peak and it was likely that the next year would have someone even older than Dio in his year. At least, that was what Jonathan told Dio.

It was fascinating how much a person could change after a single trip. The thug Jonathan had tangled with was now almost a gentleman in his own right. Erina's warning of something being wrong with Dio remained in his mind, but it didn't stop him from approaching his friend with open arms.

Dio made it a policy to visit Hope's Peak every time he was in Japan for a fashion show. Jonathan took it as a chance to catch up and find out about where Dio had gone next.

It was not only Dio who Jonathan tried to catch up with but Erina as well. The love between them had withstood the test of distance and Jonathan treasured every face-to-face meeting as if it was the Holy Grail itself. Whenever the school had a holiday, Jonathan always gave himself time to visit home and enjoy time with Erina and family.

Right now, however, he was busy explaining the differences between the Olympic and Professional styles of boxing. The different number of judges, the way that points were counted, and the fact that knocking the opponent out was a mistake in amateur boxing whilst it was the aim in professional boxing, among other areas. He might have mentioned the use of head-gear, but it was being removed anyway so why go into too much detail?

Miss Yukizome heard this and it was as if Jonathan was the teacher instead of her, the way that she scribbled every detail down in her notebook. There was even a slight scowl on her face that might have been called cute were she not his teacher. She had done this with every student but somehow made each one feel special in their own way.

It was while the others were busy with Gundham's animals that she finally asked about Erina. Everyone knew that he had a girlfriend, but this was the first time that Miss Yukizome herself was asking for details.

"Is she a cutie? How long have you been dating? What's she like?" She asked. Each question was a round from the machine-gun that was Miss Yukziome's mouth. It was almost overwhelming.

"Miss Yukizome, you're being a bit direct," Jonathan said, having to lean back as Miss Yukizome drew closer. His friends and classmates were starting to notice. As he had the space to speak, however, Jonathan found his voice. "But yes, she is lovely. Somehow her personality is even brighter than her looks. We met when we were just children and have been tied together ever since. Eyes as gentle as water, a smile brighter than the sun itself, and a heart finer than all the riches in the world."

He took out a photograph of Erina from his jacket pocket and looked down on it. Just the sight alone was enough to warm his heart! He smiled softly and tenderly stroked the edge, only to notice that something had dripped on it. Was it rain? The skies above didn't have a single cloud though!

It was only when he went to ask Miss Yukizome that he realised that the source of the drops were the tears gushing down her face.

"That's so beautiful!" Miss Yukizome exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Jonathan's body. It seemed impossible that someone like her could have a grip closer to a cobra's than a woman, yet Jonathan was still gasping for breath as she somehow swung him around. "I never thought I'd see this kind of passion in one of my students so early in their lives!"

That caught the attention of the class. Soon enough, everyone was asking about Erina and interrogating Jonathan about how long he had known her for and what their relationship was like. Teruteru and Miss Hiyoko, despite themselves, even resisted the urge to make inappropriate remarks when they saw how he looked when speaking of her.

"Miss Yukizome, you got anyone who makes your heart go all," Miss Ibuki then played a particular loud solo on her guitar. She likely intended it to represent the furious beating of the heart when in love.

"I do." Miss Yukizome replied, reaching a hand inside her apron and revealing a picture of her own. It looked like one of her student photos, her in the centre and dragging someone who Jonathan recognised as Sakakura and a silver-haired young man. The way she smiled at the latter told Jonathan all he needed to know. "Kyosuke can seem aloof to some, but that's more because of the burdens he has. When I'm with him, he's like the first snow in winter, almost too amazing to see and feel for yourself." Miss Yukizome then grabbed Jonathan's hands in her own and gave him a strong look. "Let's wish each other the best for our hearts."

"Y-Yes." Jonathan replied, taken aback by the determination in her words. He quickly found his own strength again. "Of course."

Beyond a bit of mild teasing from those like Fuyuhiko and Miss Mahiru, and a slight amount of delusional day-dreaming from Kazuichi over his chances with Miss Sonia, everyone had mostly given Jonathan good-wishes with Erina. It had warmed his heart to know that everyone was on his side.

With such good friends, and a woman like Erina waiting for him just as much as he yearned for her company again, the future ahead seemed bright.

Come out, dark clouds of the future! Nothing could mar Jonathan Joestar's future.


So what is it that you are doing with my blood? Dio kept searching on the laptop, helpfully provided by the trustee snoring in the bed beside him. He had to restrain the urge to groan. It might have been worth seducing her for the sake of the information on this 'Izuru Kamukura Project', but it didn't mean he had to like it.

It wasn't just that, of course, but he was interested as well in just what they wanted his blood for. As far as he could tell, it was somewhat related to this plan to create 'The Ultimate Hope' out of nothing. The chance for mere humans to think themselves as Gods.

Dio had nothing but scorn for them. As if they could simply create a beacon of hope out of nothing more than pieces of humans and sticking them together. True Hope came from the individual's mastery of their fate. Hope was to move forward in life with certainty as to their goal. Not simply lay down and accept some artificial saviour.

As if knowing that what made them unique could be copied would bring anything but despair. When Dio destroyed Hope's Peak and built it anew, a monument to his achievements, all would know this. But first he would need to spread his influence across the world and that required knowledge and entrance into Hope's Peak itself.

From what he had learnt, whatever plan they had for the DNA samples they took had been placed in reserve. Apparently they had a preference for using an existing human body rather than the risks of cloning and genetic acceleration. Project Haruno, however, had been placed in reserve in place the subject-Hajime something-passed away or the procedures failed somehow.

That was all that Trustee seemed to know. A sharp snort made Dio turn, fearing that the Trustee had woken up and would see him with her laptop, but it was only her snoring again. It was a small miracle that Dio merely seduced her enough to tire her before they truly engaged in sexual intercourse.

To have mated with someone so desperate to feel young again made his skin crawl.

"You think that I, Dio, am nothing more than a beggar yearning for entrance into your sanctum." Dio whispered to himself, glaring down at the woman. "But my body is a temple. You'll try and try and never find the treasure you seek."

Nothing like Dio himself. He slowly learnt more about the plans of the Izuru Kamukura Project, being pioneered by one 'Yasuke Matsuda' who supposedly knew a way to transfer the memory of a Talent from one person to another. The image of five golden arrows with a pattern on their heads, the image too blurry for him to make out which, intrigued him as well.

Had he seen that pattern once before?

Dio called his friend. The one who Fate ordained him to meet and help him rescue himself from becoming like Jorge Joestar, a wretch begging for the approval of floozies and hanger-ons. The sight almost made Dio regret promising Jojo to inform him on what Jorge was doing. But enough on the lowly fools in Dio's life.

Ever since the day they met, whenever Dio travelled to Japan, he made time to visit two people. To avoid the press and fans was always a challenge but one that was worth it for the time he spent with them. The first person he visited was always before the shows and drama emerged. The first ever true friend he had.

Their conversation was a friendly one, if with mutual gentle rebukes for forgetting certain promises made, and Dio let his friend vent on the difficulties in life before asking about a pattern he had seen. Was it something that his friend was familiar with? The styling seemed Ancient Egyptian.

When he was told no, Dio decided to take the question to Jonathan. The latter's interest in archaeology often extended to Egypt, if South America seemed to captivate him more, which would be more helpful to Dio.

"How are things on your end? You mentioned facing an issue before. Have you overcome it?" Dio asked, letting the voice of his friend bring him calm as it always did. After having to wear a mask for so long, it was better to be himself once more. "Good. Just as you always do. I'll be meeting you tomorrow. The security crackdown after that Kuzuryu girl's murder should have ended by now. It'll be easier for us to meet."

The two said their goodbyes and Dio ended the call. It was good to speak with someone who he didn't regard with contempt, as he did with so many in the world of fashion and modelling. A collection of skeletons and leeches, as far as he was concerned. Just as it was with most people on this planet. All in need of someone to guide them.

Jojo was different. At first, Dio merely befriended him to get close to the one who had dared strike Dio and ready to smite him down when the time came. The perfect way to cut ties with his shameful past, in ending the one who sent him scurrying away from England and towards his destiny.

Something changed. There was something about Jojo, from his personality to the very energy around him, that lured Dio closer to him. It was as if the two were bound together by the threads of fate itself to meet and grow closer to one another. To find that both excelled in many fields from boxing to rugby to being in the peak physical condition for combat.

Jojo had gone from a mere long-term plot to someone who Dio considered to be in the top rungs of humanity. No longer was he angered by the thought of Jojo matching him in fights, but he was instead pleased that the opportunities of Hope's Peak were only enhancing him.

Even if Jojo was a giver, one who would put others before himself until the point of death, Dio could appreciate the earnest soul. The hope he gave others, especially his classmates, had been strong enough that it even reached Dio's own heart at times. It certainly reached his classmates as well.

For all Jojo claimed that it was mostly Chiaki, their chosen class representative or something, Jojo himself had worked to keep his class together. One of his classmates, Komaeda, had been suspended and their teacher lost to some bombing incident. The strength needed to keep everyone together was awe-inspiring.

Had Dio not known Jojo better, he might have invited him to join Dio and his friend in bringing Hope to the world. But it was not meant to be. Jojo would never understand the means required to do so, and the necessary sacrifice of Class 77-B especially would make him fight to the end.

It would be useless to resist against Dio, but he had already accepted that Jojo would fight to the end.

A shame. The fruits of our DNA will have to live on for you. Dio mused to himself as he shut down the laptop and moved to call Jojo.

He could at least enjoy the time they had together.


In a world where Jorge Joestar, the potential Ultimate Horse-Rider, had never been shot, he would have faced two fates. One where he would have been rescued from himself by his fellows in Class 78 and one where he would have died of drug overdose in an alleyway, abandoned by his date after the first signs of cardiac arrest.

This is not that world.

This is the world where Jorge Joestar, after an argument with Lord George Joestar ending with the latter saying he wished the former was never born, stormed off to a nightclub and was shot in the spine after cutting in line. This is the world where Jorge Joestar was told that he would never be able to walk again.

When Jonathan Joestar learnt of this tragedy, he was on the first plane back to England to visit his family and do all he could to help his brother. He welcomed the reunion with Erina but met her with tears running down both their faces. Not out of the passion of two lovers meeting each other once again. Instead, it was sorrow for the fate of one who they cared dearly for.

George Joestar, consumed with grief and guilt, had ensured that Jorge would have the finest conditions and surgeons working to save what they could. It was a fool's errand, but one he undertook nonetheless.

All three of them tried their best to reach Jorge, but where he had once been trapped in hedonism, now he was drowning in the black tar-pits of Despair. The one pure joy he had in his life was robbed from him, as was the ability to walk.

The tragedy struck the entire family. George Joestar aged five years in five days, Erina felt the guilt of a woman who wondered if she might have saved someone had she been sterner in her language, whilst Jonathan felt despair like none other. His brother had been destroying himself for so long and Jonathan had been celebrating in Japan?

Not since the death of Danny had Jonathan been so heart-broken.

For Dio Brando, Jorge's tragedy was nothing more than an inevitable annoyance. The boy's life-style condemned him to a miserable death so why not at least celebrate that he wasn't dead? Had Dio been robbed of his legs, it wouldn't have done anything to prevent him from reaching his destiny.

He knew why he had to offer a shoulder to cry on, but it grated regardless.

Still, it did have its benefits. For this very tragedy would be what would lessen Jonathan's guard and make him open fully to Dio Brando. To reveal the open heart and let his innate goodness show itself entirely to Dio. For even Dio could not resist the magnetic pull of Jonathan's Hope. It was on an entirely different level to what he had seen before.

The only thing to compare to was when Dio first attained peace of mind.

In turn, Dio revealed secrets about himself to Jonathan, swearing him to silence. He spoke of a poor and terrible childhood with a terrorised mother and an abusive drunk for a father. How he had been forced to fight for himself even when his father died and associates turned him into a male model for their own profit. How he himself was trapped in a cycle of self-loathing and debauchery.

He did not mention how he escaped it beyond saying he learnt peace of mind, but he did not have to. In a time where Jonathan feared for his brother's ability to face tomorrow, knowing that someone like Dio managed to rebuild himself gave him new hope.

The bond between the two grew stronger. For Jonathan, Dio had become a friend who he could trust just as much as he could with any of his beloved classmates. For Dio, Jonathan became a figure that he acknowledged to be worthy of admiration.

Indeed, that hope of his could even be a threat to Dio one day.


Dio stood and watched the fetal-positioned teenager floating in the giant cylinder-shaped pod. Bright green liquid blanketed the being from harm on the outside with likely bullet-proof glass. Project Haruno was just as secure as Izuru Kamukura had been from any intruders or figures other than the trustees.

Trustees like the one who Dio killed to enter this lab and take his prizes. The services of Izuru Kamukura, the Stand Arrows, and now the secrets of Project Haruno. The culmination of the DNA of Dio, Jojo, and others who had been judged as sufficient to create a new life all on their own.

Yet it had been hardly a year. How could cloning had progressed so far?

"Why is it that shape?" Dio asked. He turned his head towards the bloodied scientist on the floor next to him. He had only resisted for a moment, but he would die with the other scientists.

Kamukura had handled the cameras beforehand, but Dio himself would make sure there were no witnesses.

"T-The DNA samples merged together well enough. Y-you and Joestar were extremely compatible, enough that only you two were needed for sufficient accelerated growth." The scientist blubbered the words out. Maybe he thought if he seemed pathetic enough, he would live. "Perfect physical and mental attributes for someone at this stage. You must be proud."

"Yes." Dio said to himself. The thought that not only was his and Jonathan's DNA enough to create a being worthy of every Talent, but that they surpassed the once-thought limits of humanity made his chest swell with pride. Not enough that he didn't smash the front of his boots against the jaw of the scientist. It only took a few stomps to finish him off. "Dispose of him."

The curt command was followed to perfection by Izuru. In a single minute, it was as if the room's occupants had simply vanished into thin air. Dio might have been impressed with anyone else. But to praise Izuru for being talented was like praising a toaster for creating toast, or a knife for being able to cut through flesh.

That was the difference between the artificial hope of Izuru Kamukura and the genuine hope of someone like Jojo.

Jojo's actions inspired others to go beyond themselves. His heart humanised him and made others wish to be like him or to do right by him. Jojo had the power to make people wish to be more than they were now. Izuru was simply a machine that could surpass humanity at the cost of his own. People looked at him and would be dispirited at how their Talents could be mimicked.

People would see Izuru and wonder why even bother to ache their necks looking up to the sky.

Maybe that difference was why Dio was sat by one of the monitors, typing in a password he tortured out of one of the scientists, and found himself facing a certain file. A file that would input memories and commands into Project Haruno. Nothing more than a puppet for the whims of the Steering Committee.

They'd have turned a child of Dio into a slave.

No. Haruno was the name these fools would have given him. Dio would give him a name for is own. A name that suited the heir to the legacy of Dio Brando, and for a name of Jonathan Joestar. He could give that much to someone who he respected.

"So, Giorno. You are the son of I, Dio, and Jojo." Dio began to think about all he found. On this very computer, he could give Giorno Talents. With the Stand Arrows he had Izuru take for him, he could give Giorno a power that no human could match. "I could give you power unlike any other. I could make you into a God, the only being that could match Jojo and I together."

He would not give him all the Talents. Izuru's existence was proof of the dangers of that. A man without desire was neither human nor God, but a blank slate with a face and voice. Neither would Dio make the commands on the laptop too complex. Merely passing on the goal of the father to the son himself.

Reach the top of the world, Giorno. By any means necessary to you.

But it wouldn't have to be like Dio. Giorno wouldn't have to live on the streets like a rat, gathering coins to buy liquor for a tyrant, nor have to kowtow and dance like a monkey for food and drink. Dio could turn his son into a fine prince within a matter of days, at this rate. He could give his son the start he never had. Just think of where he, Dio, could have been had he not wasted over ten years of his life as a rag-wearing child?

What would he have been like?

"...But what would you say to that Dio? The Dio that never knew your suffering. Only of wealth and success. Would you admire the you who was an inheritor?"

His friend's words had first confounded Dio into silence when he heard them. A minor dispute that forced Dio to contemplate the very upbringing he had. If he had been a child who never knew pain nor loss, would he have gained his thirst for riches and glory? Would he have been motivated to reach the top if he never knew what rock-bottom felt like?

Dio had changed his mind. His son would live away from him, albeit with an identity and account of his own to give him a fighting chance. By the looks of the reports, Giorno's biological age was around fourteen. He would be fifteen by the time that Dio would ascend to the top. By the time that he would draw the final curtain on the old world.

Giorno would live never knowing who his father was and would not know the comforts of wealth, when Dio would release him into the world, but one free of the lethargy and corruption that had turned Jojo's brother into a lout who needed crippling to regain his senses. He would be a son worthy of Dio.

Thus all Dio did was type in a final command to Giorno and put faith in the fact that too many would be worried about the Stand Arrows to think about a back-up like Project Haruno. Even if that wasn't the case, it was too close to completion for them to try and alter a command close enough to what they wanted from him.

As Dio left the lair where Hope's Peak were creating false gods in human shape, he thought to himself about Jojo once more.

To think that it only took their genes combined to create someone like Giorno. The man was nothing like the inheritors that Dio had spent his life hating and having to cater to. Somehow he had developed the character and strength needed to earn the respect of Dio Brando. It was astounding.

Was it the work of Fate that both Dio and Jojo would be brought together? The two were like magnets, the fact that they were opposites was what drew the two of them together, but there must have been something more to it. It was enough to make Dio ponder the workings of fate for the first time in years.

There was one thing he knew, however, and that was that the time was coming for Dio to rise. In a matter of weeks, the old world would end and the new world, Dio's world, would rise from the ashes.

A part of him hoped that Jojo might actually be a part of it. That he wouldn't have to burn his friend with the world.

If not, then it would be a worthy sacrifice.


"Chiaki, stay close to me." Jonathan pulled Chiaki behind him and looked around the dark chamber. The door behind had just shut and locked itself and he couldn't shake the creeping sensation against his spine. "What's even happening here? Why would you lead us here, Miss Yukizome?"

Jonathan had never imagined that today would be like this. The Reserve Course had been rioting outside, the Class were trying to find Mikan on the returning Komaeda's advice, and had been fruitless in their search. It had only been when Chiaki returned with an injured Komaeda in her arms, with news of Peko's capture and Miss Yukizome staying behind to try and save her, that Jonathan began to wonder if the recent deaths and Mikan's kidnapping were unrelated.

It was a small miracle that Mikan herself had arrived, Peko in her arms, having spoken of how she escaped from the lair of this Mastermind. That had been when the identity of this villain had been revealed to them. A truth that Jonathan had found it hard to believe.

Dio Brando. The man who had seemingly changed from the rogue he once was and became a model citizen. The man who comforted Jonathan during the dark days of Jorge's shooting. The man who was apparently behind this whole tragedy. Somehow, he had kidnapped Mitarai (the one they knew actually being someone else entirely) and was planning on spreading despair across the planet.

If only Jonathan had been like Erina! He should have kept Dio at an emotional distance. Ended any chance of a bond at that party. But he let Dio into his life and maybe even gave him the chance to meet the Ultimate Animator and hold him prisoner. The chance to learn of Class 77-B and snatch away Mikan and the others.

It had been at that moment that there was no other option than to rescue Miss Yukizome. Neither Jonathan nor his classmates could do anything else. Komaeda had warned them that they faced an enemy and power far beyond them, but even he was won over by their unity.

The entire class rallied forth towards the underground lair where Dio waited for them. The Reserve Course rioters had tried to intercept them but Gundham and Nekomaru insisted on being the ones to hold them off. They told Jonathan that he would need to lead them forward. It made logical sense, as the one who knew Dio best out of all of them.

But the shame of leaving them behind! Jonathan inwardly told himself to make it up to them later, when he got Chiaki and Miss Yukizome out of here.

Whatever Dio did to Mikan was unforgivable. She had thrown both he and Chiaki, during a moment of surprise, down a hole of some kind and they tumbled down to a corridor of some sorts. Initial relief at finding Miss Yukizome turned into them following her towards wherever it was she had been leading them.

That place was apparently here. A large but dark room with a circular floor plan and multiple doors leading to somewhere. There was nothing inside of it bar the ceiling lights and television monitors, as if there was to be an audience among the higher areas of the room.

"Chiaki, Jojo..." Miss Yukizome's voice trailed off as she kept her back to them. She was standing in a slight slouch, making Chiaki move against Jonathan's softening grip towards her. "You two really are the beacons of hope for our class. Chiaki, you brought and kept everyone together. Jojo, you inspire them to keep fighting for their dreams and to keep hope in their hearts. The two of you together can really help those kids overcome anything."

Just as she finished that sentence, and Chiaki took another step closer, Miss Yukizome shot around in a twirl with a gleam in her hand. Jonathan barely pulled Chiaki back in time to avoid the knife cutting any deeper than the jacket. Had he not moved in time, Chiaki's front would have been drenched in oozing blood.

"M-Ms Yukizome! What's the meaning of this?" He screamed. What could have made his teacher do such a terrible thing?

"He said he'd reward me." She replied, the knife in her hand shaking and body rubbing against itself. "If I win this fight, the Ultimate Master will show me favour." Drool began to drip from the sides of Miss Yukizome's mouth. "The Despair of killing you two, just for that kind of thing...kya!"

Jonathan was scared. What had happened to the Miss Yukizome he knew? The woman who wanted to help her students in any way she could? The woman who seemed to love everything about Hope's Peak and the people in it? She had been replaced by someone else.

That person was somehow in the heights of pleasure whilst also having tears run down her eyes. The eyes themselves had changed to a distinctive swirling pattern, blacks lines infinitely going on and on within a white background. This person who replaced Miss Yukizome was not going to hesitate to kill.

What did Dio do to you? Jonathan's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the ceiling lights turning on one by one. The whole room was bathed in light and it was only then that Jonathan realised exactly what this room was meant for.

It was meant to be a battlefield.

"Jojo!" Dio's voice echoed throughout the room as the door directly opposite the one Jonathan slammed open. Dressed in a regal purple jacket over a white shirt, Dio Brando manically grinned at both Jonathan and Chiaki. "You come into my fortress and expect that I, Dio, would not have prepared counter-measures?"

"Dio! What did you do to Miss Yukizome?" Jonathan snapped. Finding out why Dio was doing this would come later, right now he had to find out how he could save his teacher.

"That's not even the pebble on top the mountain of my deeds." Dio replied, stretching his arms out, revealing the magnitude of his sins. "The one who revealed the truth about Izuru Kamukura, the one who slew the Student Council, the one who rallied the Reserve Course to march on Hope's Peak, the one who shall burn this world and build it anew under my rule," Dio's right arm moved back to his side so that he could point a thumb towards his face. "You thought this Ultimate Master was a villain in the dark, but it was I, Dio!"

"You won't get away with this." Chiaki spoke up from beside Jonathan. The way Dio then looked at her made Jonathan ready himself to throw her behind him. "When our friends get here-"

Dio replied with a snap of his fingers. The television monitors between the ceiling lights flickered on and revealed the rest of their classmates all together. Gundham and Tanaka appeared unharmed, thankfully, but there was something off about all of them. None of them moved from their places, even as they seemed to be reacting to see Jonathan, Chiaki, and their teacher with Dio.

As if something was forcing them to remain still.

"It is time for us to begin the final round of this game." Dio skulked forward until he was right beside Miss Yukizome. He tilted his head slightly and gave a scornful aside glance. "Woman, ready yourself."

"Yes, Lord Dio." Miss Yukizome replied, entering a stance suited for a knife fight. She looked at Chiaki as if she was a piece of fresh meat.

"Jojo, I won't take the joy in doing this that I have taken in many of my deeds this past week. If I didn't know you better, I'd have tried to win you over to my side. But you will never agree to my world, not least because of the costs. This won't be much fun." Dio said, before entering a boxing stance of his own. "A two-on-two fight to the death! Your teacher and I will fight against you and the Ultimate Gamer until the victors are left standing! If you win, your class will be free to live their own lives. If we win, your classmates will join Yukizome and Tsumiki in being nothing more than the building-blocks for my destiny!"

"N-no." Chiaki said, speaking for the two of them. Fight Dio and Miss Yukizome to the death? Jonathan would do anything to protect his close ones, but to kill one of them? "Y-you can't be seri-"

Miss Yukizome took advantage of Chiaki's horror and moved in quickly. The blade in her hand was the exact same as the one she used to intimidate Fuyuhiko when she first met the class. Jonathan now doubted she ever intended to use it on him beyond bluffing. Now she was trying to stab Chiaki without remorse.

Jonathan was too quick, however, and he grasped her wrist with his hand. The blade stopped just inches from Chiaki, who moved behind him for protection. "Ms Yukizome! You have to control yourself. Do you realise that you almost killed Chiaki?! I don't know how Dio is making you do this, but you have to fight it." He begged.

It seemed as if his words at least reached her. The tears ran down quicker, a sure sign that this act was only bringing her despair, and her whole body shook. Yet why she was smiling?

"Worry about your own opponent, Jojo!" Jonathan felt a fist slam against the right side of his face. He couldn't keep a grip on Miss Yukizome and felt one of his molars almost detach from his jaw. "If you ever wish to see Erina ever again, then you must climb over our corpses to do it!"

What's even happening? Why are we having to partake in this cruel, bizarre, despairing fight? Jonathan dodged Dio's next strike, aimed right at his chest, and felt a certain set of papers crumpling against his chest. No matter what, he couldn't let any harm befall either Chiaki or the papers in his jacket pocket. He'd sacrifice his own body first. Ms Yukizome is being controlled by Dio. If I want to see everyone again. My classmates, Father, Jorge, Erina, all of them, I have to end Dio here and now!

Jonathan threw everything he had in this battle. The boxing skills he learnt over the years, the fighting styles that those like Nekomaru, Akane, and Peko showed him, and all the hard work that blessed him with his body. The thought of his classmates in danger drove him forward. The fear of what happened to Miss Yukizome happening to the others made him swifter than ever before.

The strikes that he couldn't dodge were simple bared forth as Jonathan found himself winning the battle of strikes. When he wasn't having to protect Chiaki, that is. The Ultimate Gamer had never had to truly fight for her life before and had no weapon of her own. Miss Yukizome, on the other hand, had clearly learnt something from both Sakakura and Munakata in fighting.

He was slowly building up wounds having to fight two battles at once. Dio alone was already making serious damage to Jonathan's mid-section, but there were many times where a blow he might have blocked had to be accepted to save Chiaki's eye or ear. Five minutes passed and already Jonathan's body was covered in bruises and cuts.

Dio, on the other hand, had no sign of damage on him. Every blow that Jonathan struck seemed to simply fade away after a mere second. Not only that, but Dio's blows were somehow adding more force behind them. It was as if the mountain Jonathan was climbing was growing faster than he could climb up it. It was enough to make him doubt himself.

Could he truly defeat Dio? Would he keep Chiaki safe from harm when she herself was being covered in knife wounds of varying size? Would they ever see their classmates again?

Jonathan decided to simply have faith and charge forth. If he gave into despair now, he would simply die here, and Dio would enjoy mastery over the fates of his classmates and teacher. There was no chance that he could allow such a thing! Jonathan thus fought on with all his might, summoning strength and power unknown before, if only to push Dio back. If only to give Chiaki a chance to escape.

As hope and determination kept him standing and fighting where his body yearned to surrender, Jonathan took pleasure in knowing that Dio himself was growing frustrated. Every blow he was able to strike, even those Jonathan thought he dodged, was failing to bring Jonathan down. He may have put up a strong act as well, but Jonathan knew his own blows were at least bringing pain.

It was that anger that backfired! Dio's temper drove him to make a reckless strike aimed at gouging out Jonathan's eye itself. A telegraphed upper-cut like that could easily be sidestepped and leave Dio open for a final devastating blow.

There! Now's my chance! Jonathan's right hook carried not only his spirit, but the hopes of everyone. From Chiaki, to Miss Yukizome who Jonathan knew was fighting inside, to the rest of Class 77-B who were screaming for him to triumph, and from everyone who Dio had wronged. The fist made contact with the side of Dio's face, landing just next to his eye.

Dio's head shot to the left as that very eye went out of its socket and broke from his skull. Dio howled in agony as he shot up a hand to cover up the bleeding hole where his eye had once been. This was it. Justice had won the day!

"This is it, Dio! The knock-out blow!" Jonathan readied himself for a powerful blow to the centre of Dio's face. The hope of his friends poured from the monitors and flooded the room. Dio's face flashed from pain to smugness, but then became strangely furious. He wonder why-

Chiaki's scream was heard over the sensation of something piercing through Jonathan's back. It hadn't touched his spine, but it was close enough that he could feel his bones scrap against the intrusive metal. Jonathan creaked his head behind to find that the culprit was a smiling yet tearful Miss Yukizome.

Jonathan was frozen in shock as she yanked out the blade and the energy keeping him upright left with the knife. Jonathan stumbled onto the ground and felt the mood of the room change. The monitors now showed pictures of a class in despair. Jonathan ignored the soft growl from somewhere and tried to give the class a sign that he still lived. That there was still hope.

"Jojo...I always rooted for you and Erina. Just like you rooted for me and Kyosuke. Two pure loves." Miss Yukizome walked slowly towards Jonathan, knife scraping against the floor. He could just barely see her face, wreathed in pleasure and despair. "And now I'm discarding both for Lord Dio. Aaah, this despair. It's rocking through to my core. All the pleasure centres in my brain are screaming as loud as my heart, but in joy to its pain. You see this knife? With it, I'm going to slowly peel you apart and chop every part of-"

She was cut off by the back of Dio's hand slamming against her cheek. Miss Yukizome was sent flying towards the floor.

"Silence, woman! You dared interfere in Jojo's final battle!" Dio's roar was something to behold. Even more so when he revealed that his face was entirely healed; it was as if Jonathan had never struck him in the first place. "To have ridden me of my eye, even whilst protecting his comrade. Such ability. Such honour. Jojo will die, woman, but it will be by my hand and mine alone! It will be quick and painless! Go play with Nanami, for all I care, but leave Jojo out of it."

"To think Lord Dio is treating my beloved student with more respect than I am." Miss Yukizome replied, softly moaning to herself as she forced herself up.

Jonathan could only lay there in horror as Miss Yukizome moved to strike at Chiaki. This was not a fight but a torture session. Chiaki tried to reason with her only to be hit in the chest with a left knee. Miss Yukizome wasn't even using knives anymore as she landed blow after blow on Chiaki. Jonathan began to crawl forward, whilst also trying to stem the bleeding, if he didn't have the strength to stand anymore.

Anything to stop this cruelty!

"You're perhaps wondering how it is that I, Dio, was healed?" Dio asked, standing behind Jonathan. His voice lost its usual bluster, spirits apparently dampened by what Miss Yukizome did. "That is the power of my spirit, Jojo. There are many things I could explain, but time works against us there. Just know that Holy Diver is the world's greatest Stand, Jojo, but even it has limitations." Dio sighed. "Your wound doesn't look fatal, but enough to weaken you. I wanted this to end poetically, but I suppose this will do."

That moment of pity was all Jonathan needed to act. With the hand on the wound, Jonathan turned so that it was his back against the floor now and used that momentum to fling blood droplets at Dio's eyes. Temporarily blinded, there was nothing he could do to stop Jonathan from stumbling forwards to Chiaki.

"Useless!" A voice barked as something, neither Dio nor Miss Yukizome, struck Jonathan's side. The pain turned his vision white and did nothing to numb Jonathan's senses against the next blow. "Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!"

The chorus of insults hummed in Jonathan's ears as he was struck again and again. Another pair of fists and legs joined in the assault as Dio apparently regained his sight and moved to take his revenge. Jonathan could have withstood the pain, terrible as it was, if it weren't for the sight of Chiaki being subjected to the same tortures as him. Was this their end?

No! I can't let it end like this! I won't let Dio kill her. I won't let him hurt my friends. I won't let him take away our futures! Jonathan felt a new strength within him. A fire in his gut that became a raging inferno as only two words echoed throughout his mind. The World!

Everything around him stopped. Jonathan was confused by many things, not least the giant knightly figure caked in white light behind him or the demon just inches from punching his gut, but he could not let curiosity get the better of him! Jonathan moved to try and push Chiaki towards the door that Dio came from, only for the knightly figure to shoot ahead of him and shove her ahead for him.

The world around him became normal and Jonathan quickly realised that, whatever happened, it had gotten Chiaki away from Miss Yukizome. That, and the knight and demon were still in the room. Was this what Dio meant when he mentioned 'Holy Diver' and 'Stands'?

"Run! Chiaki, you have to get away!" Jonathan screamed as he crawled forward towards her. Dio's fist against his chest took the wind out from his lungs and he felt the bones of his ribs crack under the pressure.

"How? How did you manifest a Stand without the use of the Arrow?" Dio asked, his face doing nothing to hide the horror and shock he seemed to be feeling. "Could it be? Was it your very determination and drive that created this Stand? Its abilities as well, either teleporation or...the power to stop time!" The despair slipped away from Dio's face and was replaced with an almost child-like joy. Dio's laugh echoed across the room. "Only you, Jojo! Only you could have had a Stand whose power could truly match Holy Diver's, without desecrating the body and mind themselves!"

Jonathan paid little attention to Dio, however, when he saw Miss Yukizome follow after Chiaki. She was even going intentionally slowly, as Chiaki struggled to force Dio's door open, to bait her in. He struggled to get closer closer. If this 'The World' could do what Jonathan imagined, maybe he could restrain Miss Yukizome in time.

He extended a hand towards Miss Yukizome.. "I...have to...stop..."

"Jojo," Dio's voice, too soft to be bravado, cut Jonathan off. It was only now that the Ultimate Boxer was realising just what condition his body was in. "Before, I had hoped to collect a sample of you. That perhaps your noble spirit would see the world I create and understand its beauty in another form. But that's not meant to be. Your belief in your friends is too strong to ever accept the sacrifices. Killing you won't be enough, especially with that Stand of yours potentially coming back to haunt me."

Looking at this 'Holy Diver', Jonathan noticed the dark energy pooling by its raised right fist. The energy felt off. As if it was not of this world and all those that even came near it would be infected by its unearthly nature. Even by the standards of seeing these muscular figures fighting beside people like himself and Dio, this miasma was something else.

Jonathan tried to force himself back but it was not meant to be. His body was simply too battered and injured. Dio and Holy Diver's tantrum had caused too much damage to his legs and what little energy he had left would be wasted in getting a few inches away from Dio. He could use 'The World', but that would buy him a handful of seconds at the most.

It might have brought him despair to know that nothing he could do would stop his classmates from weeping and screaming from the room they were in. Doing all they could to try and turn their hope for Jonathan and Chiaki's survival into some kind of energy for them. To know that Chiaki would have to out-run Miss Yukizome to survive.

Jonathan felt paper crumple against his jacket pocket, somehow unstained by all the blood, and his eyes widened.

"Know the power of Holy Diver. The power fuelled by those slain by my hand, Jojo. The power to erase those who challenge me from existence." Dio said, quiet enough that only the two of them would ever hear those words spoken with a mournful undercurrent. Dio's expression then shifted to a mad joyful gleam as Holy Diver moved to strike down. "Goodbye, Jojo!"

The letters. The letters he wrote with such care and emotion only last week, yet never had the courage to actually send out of fear. His last visit to England had only been a few weeks ago and so much had happened. Words exchanged with his father on his future. Words and deeds with Erina that could not be taken back. Arguments with Jorge that needed to be resolved.

He couldn't let those letters be erased. If he was doomed to never see his family again, he could at least have hope that they would have one final message from him.

If only he had The World sooner. He understood so little about the knightly figure with which he only had for a minute and a half, and yet he sympathised with it. To only exist for such a short time. He had little time for much else as the Stand ripped through his jacket and plucked the three letters and threw them aside. They went far away from Holy Diver's reach.

Two seconds passed and time resumed. Holy Diver's fist slammed against the centre of Jonathan's chest and he felt the miasma seep into his body itself. The dark energy meeting with his own and somehow merging in with it. Slowly devouring and absorbing it. Yet that act of consumption only caused the miasma to destroy itself just as much as it did with Jonathan.

Matter was replaced by blinding lights that soon cloaked his entire body as reality itself seemed to warp and turn into a spiral of sorts. So this was what it felt like to be erased from reality itself? It was a strangely painless sensation.

Jonathan had only seconds to remain and yet time itself slowed down. He had been in many boxing matches where a second became a minute for him, when the tension and intensity became too much for even his own mind. This was no different. Or maybe this was simply how death was.

Jonathan first noticed the tears running down Dio's eyes and had wondered if something happened that Dio hadn't expected, or undermined his plans. Only by turning his head did he realised that Dio was in fact weeping at the pieces of paper in Holy Diver's hands. Specifically, the letters that Jonathan had cast aside for their own safety.

"Jojo...you might have taken a chance to risk it all on striking me. But instead you saved these letters?" Dio asked. There was only gentleness in his voice as he read out the name of the intended recipient. "'Erina', 'Jorge', 'Father'. You put them before yourself?" Dio's voice shook. The moment itself had caused him to become choked with tears as he turned back to Jonathan. "Jonathan Joestar. You never ceased to amaze me. I, Dio, declare you the Ultimate Hope of the old world! Its finest virtues; forced to be destroyed for the sake of Heaven!"

If that was what Dio judged to be a respectful eulogy, Jonathan would not stop him. Or rather he could not stop him. But he had long reached the point where Dio no longer mattered in himself.

No. What happened was the regrets that Jonathan had. After all this time, and all the strength he had, he could do nothing to save Chiaki. He could only lay there and perish as his classmates were being turned into Dio's slaves, and did nothing as Miss Yukizome was corrupted. He would never be able to re-connect with Jorge. He would never speak with Father again. Worst of all, he would never see Erina again.

Even his final message to his family relied on Dio's sense of mercy.

That was when it hit him. As Jonathan slowly became fully covered in light and was being erased from reality itself, he found himself with an opportunity no other human would experience. He saw through the fabric of time-space and could see with complete certainty the path of the future.

Jonathan saw visions of Despair first. The death of Chiaki without seeing their friends again. Chisa Yukizome becoming a slave to Dio in spreading misery to all; butchered children, corrupting her lover, and spreading despair within the Future Foundation itself. He saw his beloved classmates sell their souls and future to Dio. Millions would die to their warped worship of Dio and the survivors would curse their names for all eternity.

Beyond Hope's Peak, he saw his Father ageing ten years in ten days and soon passing away from a broken heart.

He saw Erina all alone and in a funeral dress normally too large for her as they would bury him without a body. All before she'd have to flee their home to the rampaging hordes of Ultimate Despair. Jorge himself sinking deeper into his depression, ashamed of his final words to Jonathan, unable to know of how Jonathan had always forgiven him.

It was just then, right when Jonathan almost faced his demise with despair, that the visions of Hope came by. Jonathan saw a new hero rise up against Dio. He saw Class 78, Dio's very own class, rebel against the barbaric ceremony he designed for them. He saw them use the power Dio thought he alone had access to and used it to overthrow him.

Jonathan saw his classmates free themselves, if it hadn't been their original intention, as the one who had lost his humanity for infinite Talent reclaimed it once more. He saw how this stranger was the one who destroyed the power he held over their Fate.

He saw Erina strong and proud, raising a family of her own, with Jonathan always in her heart as she was within his own. He saw a copy of Dio, yet nothing like the man himself, in Italy fighting against a cursed fate and evil in the name of justice and hope. He saw Jorge, after years of tragedy and depression, overcome those very troubles and become the man who he was always meant to be.

The bright light of Hope extinguished the dark clouds of Despair. That was enough for him.

Everyone. I'm sorry to leave you when your lights will shine so brightly. Jonathan smiled to himself. His final act before being completely erased from reality. But I know you will overcome the despair of my death. The despair of Dio Brando. I don't know if we'll meet in the afterlife, but I know you'll carry my will in your hearts.

It was a bizarre thing; being friends with you all. But those were bonds I'll always treasure.

Father, I'll see you soon. Jorge, you'll become a man greater than you could ever imagine, no matter how broken you think you are. Erina, I'm sorry to leave you now, but please, don't live a life of sorrow.

Goodbye.

And so, Jonathan Joestar was erased from existence. All who witnessed this event wept. The friends who put their faith in the man who never lost hope, as they fell into despair, the class representative who felt the loss of a dear comrade and fought on to preserve his legacy, the teacher who took a sick joy within her corrupted mind, and even his killer. The man whose fate had become intertwined with Jonathan's in his climb towards Heaven.

To a choir of despair-filled tears, Jonathan Joestar was no more.


In front of the old building of Hope's Peak Academy, the final refuge for the last beacons of hope for the world before Dio's reign, there stood two men who gazed down at a tiny stone slab that spouted from the ground. At any other time, it might have been a stone spot marring the view of the Hope's Peak courtyard. Something for the cleaners to remove.

Now? It was a befitting image for a barren wasteland that had forgotten life. The air itself was foul, though not poisonous enough that it would cause death. If Dio and his friend spent too long outside without protection, though, their lungs would not appreciate it one bit. Dio's own lungs were beginning to feel heavier than they had before.

The southern winds had blown some of the purer gases towards the Academy, and it was only getting stronger, but still Dio stood. It was a moment of silence for the former Ultimate Hope that he deserved. A tribute for the man who Dio had deemed worthy of calling friend.

Holy Diver could remove the sickness in his lungs. It could do nothing for Jojo's death.

"I'll build him one in the appropriate size." Dio said to himself. He looked down at the memorial with the disdain it deserved. "Not this hovel that they made."

"They didn't have time for much else, Dio," His friend replied, the disapproving tone muffled by the gas-mask he wore. His Stand couldn't protect him from the outside world, so he needed all the protection he could get. "If you wanted a memorial now, you shouldn't have let Souda poison the air until you were inside the building."

"Perhaps." Dio conceded. He hadn't decided if he was displeased about them making the attempt at all, if he was being honest.

It was a small stone slab barely large enough to fit in the many lines that Ultimate Despair had carved into them. They had even attached pieces of wood to the stone itself to make room for more messages, apparently having been a first-come-first-serve basis. No great tribute beyond a few simpering messages.

They had obviously put their hearts into it, or whatever was left of them. The tear marks staining the wood had been evidence enough for that. For all that Dio had pushed them into the pits of despair and zealotry, they had still loved Jojo as their classmate. That natural personality and power within him was strong enough that it even survived brainwashing.

Almost a worthy legacy in its own right. But Dio did Jonathan one better. As the world burnt to the Ultimate Despairs, Dio's classmates sat unconscious in pods having their memories erased, and Dio and his friend stood by the memorial, another part of his legacy was acting right now. Shortly after Jojo's death, Dio worked in the shadows to release their son and send him to his destiny.

Giorno was in Italy as they spoke. Just like the rest of the world, that place was falling into anarchy and chaos. The crime family Passione was even extending its reach and operations to the point where you could call Italy a mob-state. Criminal families all dividing it up into little fiefdoms as if they were the Italian states again.

If Giorno was truly Dio's son, he would rise above the trash and scum and assert himself, even if he looked only fifteen years old.

As any son of mine would. Dio smiled to himself as he imagined Giorno crushing those before him. His Stand alone, whatever it was, must be a thing of absolute terror when its lineage included Holy Diver and Jonathan's Stand. He wondered what his friend would have said if Dio hadn't erased his soul. With my drive, and your open-heart, Jojo, our son might have reached the heights of this world on his own. That is, if I, Dio, had not beaten him to it already.

Another minute of silence passed before Dio knew the two of them would have to part. Dio had to make arrangements to begin the Mutual Killing Game, the trial that would see the world fall into despair, while his friend needed to hide out until the right moment. To find sanctuary and stay there and let the madness pass by.

"You really should be wearing a mask. This isn't good for your lungs." Dio could only chuckle at his friend's paranoia. It was like he thought Dio would slip away into nothingness if he let him.

"Do you still believe that I, Dio, fear the work of those under me? Any damage can be healed by Holy Diver, my friend. No poison gas can stop that." Dio replied, which at least made his friend shuffle awkwardly in place. It almost made Dio laugh when a question came to him. All mirth left him. "Do you think he would have appreciated the world we will create?" He asked, so quiet that his friend barely heard it.

"I know he would. Jonathan Joestar wanted a kinder world, the world that we'll build from the ashes of this flawed one. He might have fought against yo-us, but we wanted the same thing." Looking to the eye, Dio could see the light bursting from his friends eyes from behind the mask. "A world of Hope."

Dio softly smiled. Who could have imagined that in a world that defied hope so much, so many would be dedicated to ignoring what had to be done to achieve it? Who would have thought that he'd have met the person who would bring him peace of mind and aid him in creating Heaven?

He gave one final look at the memorial. There had been no body to bury but everyone in Class 77-B, barring the deceased Chiaki Nanami, treated even the name 'Jojo' with a reverence that almost rivalled that which they showed to Dio. The Ultimate Master who ruled them and the Ultimate Hope that had to be destroyed to teach them their place in the world.

His friend must have thought it was a sign that even the most despair-filled creatures could feel hope. Dio personally saw it as the last scraps of humanity in a pack of animals, but knew how his friend would feel about hearing that.

So he instead read the messages that his servants made for their beacon.

Shout out to Ibuki's biggest fan, JoJo! I'm gonna make the whole world happy with my music! Staying true to my heart, just like you said!

You might have liked that pig, but my dance will always carry your memory.

I'll take pictures with all my heart. Just like you approached every day.

My country. No, the world itself, will know absolute peace under Lord Dio's rule. The drive I saw in you will push me onwards!

Who could have thought that a being of light could have been a fine comrade to a demon like myself? JoJo, you were truly one in ten million! The Devas of Destruction weep at your absence!

Just you wait, Jojo! Air pollution's gonna be a thing of the past!

Every time someone takes one of my medicines, I'll be thinking of you just as much as I do Lord Dio. Thank you for being so nice to me.

You always were a nice guy-though too nice man, could have gone all-out on me from the start!-so I'll keep you in my heart while I'm eating my fill.

You were right, Jojo. I'm going to lead the Kuzuryu down the right path this time. I'll do it with Peko. X

I'll feed the world! No one will know hunger again in Lord Dio's paradise.

I'll be whoever I want to be. Just like you were.

If I can inspire people even a tenth the amount you inspired me...I'll truly be the Ultimate Coach!

Jojo, you were a shining light of Hope for us all. You may have died to create an Ultimate Despair unlike any other, but that light of yours will show again! And it'll be brighter than you ever were, as the Ultimate Ho-

The message, written on a rotten piece of wood already falling apart, was lost to the ages as Dio's foot smashed against the wooden plank. It turned to splinters under the force of his blows, the other attached wooden boards shaking from the force of the attack. He'd have used Holy Diver, but he already decided to preserve the rest as a tribute to Jojo.

Nagito Komaeda. The worm that still latched onto the idea that Dio Brando could be stopped by some magic force embodied in a man. Even Fuyuhiko's tool had left a more respectful message with the two slashes forming an x-shape on the stone itself. Komaeda's punishment would be a brutal one when Dio was finished with his own classmates.

"Remind me to punish Komaeda when I get out. The wine of victory may blind me to what needs to be done." Dio commanded. He could trust his friend on this, but the rage still bubbled inside him.

"To mock someone's grave like that." His friend muttered, shaking his head in disappointment. He let Dio's anger flow out from him before asking whatever seemed to be on his mind. "Will you leave a message, Dio? I know it might seem awkward, but weren't you friends?"

Dio thought about that. They were friends, weren't they? Jonathan might have rejected Dio, had he known what was being planned all along, but that did not mean that the feelings Dio had when they spoke and bonded were not real. It was a bizarre friendship filled with lies and deceit, but a friendship nonetheless.

In fact, Jonathan Joestar was the second person that Dio ever truly called a friend.

Holy Diver emerged into existence and crouched down to the face the stone slab. It was a sign of good fortune for Dio that the centre of the stone remained untouched by the others and that there was enough room to write a message. The Stand used its claw fingers to slowly etch an epitaph worthy of someone like Jojo.

Here lies Jonathan Joestar.

A friend of Dio.

It would be the first thing that Dio would see when leaving this building as the Ultimate Master. The man who conquered humanity would be reminded of the sacrifices he had to make to reach that point. A fitting end to the legacy of Hope's Peak Academy. The fall of the institution coinciding with the end of its brightest lights.

"Jojo. Your light will shine on." Dio said to himself, putting a hand on the stone. He let his hand move against the texture of the rock. "When I build Heaven."

Thus, Dio stood and turned his back on the grave itself. Nothing else needed to be said between him and his friend. They would meet each other again when this was all over and they would celebrate together when the new world would be born. When all of humanity would learn peace of mind.

That was he took the first step back into the building. A flash came to his eyes! Images rushed into his mind, almost too fast for him to recognise, but he swore he could have seen Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Luckster of his class, standing against Dio with a look of determination in his eyes. Wreathed in a white-gold aura, he was even challenging Dio himself!

For a brief moment, Dio hesitated. Only the sounds of Holy Diver manifesting behind him calmed Dio's mind. Even if Naegi had the potential for a Stand, despite his weak physical condition, it couldn't even match The World, let alone Holy Diver. Perhaps the vision was simply his doubt trying to weaken him.

After all, Makoto Naegi was the classmate who reminded him most of Jojo.

But he's not Jojo. I have already conquered this world. This is merely the coronation. Dio turned his head back to the wasteland, his friend already nothing more than a blur in the distance, and smiled at what he had done to this place. This was the power he wielded. With one last glimpse at the memorial stone, Dio briefly nodded his head. Goodbye, Jonathan.


In a world of IFs, the tale of Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando more often than not ends with tragedy.

Try as Jonathan might, it is a rare sight to see Jonathan out-live Dio in a victorious way. These IFs exist but are few in number. Dio Brando's willingness to do whatever it takes to live and triumph, no matter the cost to others, is what saves him many a time and Jonathan's willingness to fight for others at the cost of his own life is what dooms him.

But Dio does not win the war! There are IFs where he does so, but those are just as rare as the ones where Jonathan wins and lives a happy and long life with those he loves. Only someone like Dio could ever believe that Hope dies with a single person. That somehow he can conquer one man and think he can rule over the fate of a planet!

Jonathan Joestar was indeed erased from existence, but his deeds and legacy survived him! The fitting tribute to him was not an act of egotism mixed with twisted perceptions of kindness, but in the people who will pick up the torch that he left. Who will fight where he did for the future of humanity.

In this world, his legacy is survived by Makoto Naegi, Kyouko Kirigiri, and the rest of the Mutual Killing Game survivors refusing to kneel to Dio and defeating him in the battle he thought would signal his official reign. It is survived by Hajime Hinata and Class 77-B choosing to reclaim their futures from Dio's dark stranglehold!

It is Giorno Giovanna rejecting his father's way of life and fighting to become a Gang-Star like none other! It is Jorge 'Johnny' Joestar finding the courage to overcome his tragedies and be the man his brother knew he could be!

It is Erina Pendleton refusing to submit to despair and fighting to protect the memory and legacy that the man she loved like none other left behind!

Dio Brando killed Jonathan Joestar in this IF, as he did in so many others. But just like so many of these IFs, it is that legacy of hope, determination, and courage that out-lives Jonathan and is what truly dooms Dio to failure! Not an epitaph designed to appeal to a cruel king's delusions of mercy; but the spirit of resistance against that very tyrant.

Jonathan Joestar may have died, but his spirit lived on in those who fight against the despair of Dio Brando.