Shizuka struggles to contend with Summer Cannibal and obtain answers from Money.
Shizuka and Sheila E tumbled through the door out of the back area, black-suited guards stationed in the upper level of the casino immediately snapping to attention. Confused, they went to investigate why a door had seemingly flung open forcefully on its own given there was no one they could see nearby.
As the two Stand users sat stock-still against the railing overlooking the lower floor, they watched in frustration as the guards called in the disturbance, their boss seemingly explaining that there were intruders who likely escaped somewhere in the building. This forced them out of hiding, Voodoo Child appearing to whip both of them with its tail and knock them unconscious before they could radio anyone else.
Unfortunately, this wasn't necessary, at least one person on the bottom floor spotting two members of the security team being violently smashed against the walls and letting out a yelp in surprise. All it took was one look for everything to begin to go awry, the other guards mobilizing to investigate the upper area while others positioned themselves between the crowd and the stairs, effectively blocking anyone from going up or down.
"This is going to shit real quick," Sheila E cursed, invisibility still holding despite Shizuka's rapidly deteriorating condition. Like most people, she wasn't taking too well to having a hand chopped off, their only saving grace being that her blood remained invisible for the time being and none of it could be trailed back to the two in hiding.
Knowing they needed a distraction for Shizuka to stumble her way to healing, Sheila E made the decision to act as such. "Let me out of here," she said as the guards approached, obviously meaning invisibility. "Get to GioGio."
Though Shizuka wanted to argue, her head was beginning to get a bit fuzzy and she couldn't summon the thoughts to do so. Hesitating, she eventually did allow Sheila E to become tangible again, the woman darting out from where they were seated back into the staff area of the casino. The guards obviously saw her, chasing after her with guns drawn.
This left Shizuka alone, only about five men separating her from the crowd downstairs. Though that would be a fairly difficult challenge for a normal person to overcome, they likely hadn't accounted for an invisible child being able to slip between the gaps in their formation. From there, she could easily make it down to Giorno.
And yet, she didn't. Instead, Shizuka made for the other door leading towards what they'd assumed was the boss' office. She reasoned that this was the best time to attack, waiting longer meaning he might have a chance to escape or call in more security from outside. Even if she did reunite with Giorno, he couldn't do much from where he was unless he wanted to risk any number of people going down in a hail of gunfire. He'd be fine, but what if he couldn't reach one of the civilians in time to reverse what happened to them?
Though she didn't feel confident enough to take out the remaining security in her current state, Shizuka was adamant that she could at least defeat Money. His Stand was still occupied elsewhere, likely chasing after Sheila E and the guards if it had gotten free. That left him as just a normal man with, at best, a few guards around wherever he sat. It would be rough, but she could handle all of that.
Pushing through the pair of doors, Shizuka found herself in a red reception room just as extravagant as the casino downstairs. It was a far cry from the drab backrooms, at least, but out-of-season flowering plants and a small bowl of money sitting on a table like most would present fruit were the least of her concerns. Right now, she needed to take out the two men stationed on either side of another door at the back, this one likely to lead her to the target.
Holding her breath to steady herself, Achtung Baby charged forward, striking both of them with its remaining hands charged with Hamon on her exhale. They both fell to the ground in a heap, Shizuka herself panting as her strength continued to whittle away from the blood loss. She'd need to finish this quickly, if not for her sake than everyone else who might end up hurt if the boss wasn't dealt with.
Steeling herself, she approached the door, opening it slowly to examine her surroundings. From the looks of things, the skinny man with a regrettable mustache and garish purple and pink pinstripe suit hadn't even noticed her, busy fruitlessly pounding a few television screens behind his mahogany desk to try and return the security signal that had been taken out previously.
Just as soon as Shizuka was halfway through the door, however, did it slam shut on her. Invisible or not, someone had managed to crush her in between the door and the frame, that person being Summer Cannibal. How was that possible, though?
"Looks like we found you," Money said, standing up from his chair and walking around to the front of his desk. Evidently, he'd expected someone to get this far, only pretending to be occupied and unaware. "That's a little cruel, isn't it? Sending someone who only had one hand in here to fight me alone?"
Shizuka's invisibility began to waver, the pain draining away her stamina at an even quicker rate. "Summer Cannibal has a lot of neat abilities," he explained. "It was especially hard to get the one that allows it to move through solid objects. Turns out it only works on solid things, though, so a person stuck in water can't do much to stop these teeth." His Stand began to snarl, showing off its poisoned fangs.
"You know, I am kind of curious about who you are and why you decided to come charging in here to find me," he continued, leaning back against his desk and looking down at Shizuka. "At the end of the day, though, I guess it doesn't matter. The fact I'm about to kill you means there's nothing you could have actually done to me. I'll just gobble up your Stand and add another weapon to my arsenal."
As he began a smug, shrill laugh, the door Summer Cannibal was pressing into Shizuka suddenly vanished. "What?" he shouted, his Stand instinctively jumping back to defend him. He was in no danger from this, of course, as the door had simply been made invisible. He had no way of knowing this given he didn't yet have a full grasp on what Achtung Baby could do, expecting some kind of attack.
This was a fact Shizuka planned to use to her advantage. It was possibly her only advantage at this point given the sorry state she was in. Trying to keep the seemingly invincible enemy at bay, her Stand grabbed a large, probably very expensive vase from the corner and hurled it towards Money, Shizuka sucking in as much air as she could.
Predictably, Summer Cannibal jumped in the way, shrugging off the impact without even so much as flinching. Even so, it provided her a chance to duck out of the room and turn invisible again, holding her breath and clutching her damaged arm against her chest so as not to make any sound at all.
"Clever," he complimented, Summer Cannibal prowling across the entirety of the room like a soldier following a patrol route. "Still, it's only a matter of time before I find you. Either my Stand bumps into you or you try to run and it chases you down. How do you want to die, little girl?"
Thirty agonizing seconds passed in near-total silence, the only sounds being that of Summer Cannibal stomping across the floor. "I know you're still here," Money said with a chuckle. "If you'd tried to run, I'd have heard it." With the last bit of corner checked, it became obvious where she was hiding.
The moment the enemy stuck its head out of the door to begin searching in the lobby, Shizuka made her move. "Vi! Vi! Vi! Vi! Vi! Vi! Vi!" her Stand cried, using its remaining hands to unleash as many blows against Summer Cannibal as it could, Shizuka herself exhaling her entire lung capacity to pump as much Hamon into the punches as she could.
Predictably, this did absolutely nothing to the Stand, barely even slowing it down. Chomping down hard on one of Achtung Baby's arms, it shook the Stand around, smashing it and Shizuka into the ground and the wall beside it like a dog breaking in a new chew toy. As it did, its venom was taking effect, Shizuka feeling her remaining arm begin to weaken and crumple with excruciating agony.
Money himself walked out of the office just as Summer Cannibal tossed the two across the floor, sneering as the invisibility went away completely. "I know I said I was going to kill you, but I'm actually having a little fun seeing what you'll try next." He paused for a moment, spitting onto the carpet. "So, now that you've got no arms, what are you going to do?"
Shizuka lay there panting on the floor, her body bruised and broken as it slowly and painfully fell apart from the poison. In all honesty, what could she do? Even with more appendages than herself, Achtung Baby was operating at far below full power assuming she had the strength to summon it at all. She didn't have the clarity to call for help, not that either of her allies or even just a good Samaritan could reach her. She seemed to be out of options.
At least, before her eyes fell on the red liquid on the floor. That's what Money had just spat from his mouth a moment earlier. It couldn't be blood, could it? Summer Cannibal was supposed to deflect all attacks. Did one of them get through somehow? Did he simply have some kind of gum disease?
As the Stand approached, deliberately taking its time and snarling to intimidate her, Shizuka caught the faintest glimpse of some kind of injury up around one of its teeth. She had hurt it, but how? The only explanation could be that the ability that made it invincible only extended to the outside of its body. While that was a bit of long shot, it was the only shot she had at the moment.
Struggling to her feet with arms hanging limply at her sides, Shizuka wobbled forward a few steps to meet the enemy head on. "Oh, good," Money said with a smile. "It would have been disappointing if you couldn't at least try to kill me one last time."
This would be her only chance. Summer Cannibal let out a yell, charging forward and leaping into the air, teeth gnashing in anticipation of meeting flesh and bone. Seconds before making impact, Achtung Baby materialized in front of Shizuka, the latter barely able to stay on her feet.
In an absolutely bizarre turn of events, Shizuka's Stand jumped to meet Summer Cannibal in midair, diving into its mouth as far as it could. Teeth sinking into its back, Shizuka closed her eyes and screamed as loud as her lungs would allow to try and block out the pain, Achtung Baby letting its punches loose harder than ever before.
Even at the fraction of power it was left with and only half its total arms, Achtung Baby's strikes finally managed to do something. Pounding the inside of Summer Cannibal's throat and stomach, Money himself watched in horror as each blow hit true in rapid succession. Doubling over, it felt as if his insides were being tossed around in a clothes dryer, blood erupting from his mouth like a geyser.
"No more!" he screamed, barely able to form the words given so many integral parts of speech were nearly obliterated inside him. "No more!"
While Shizuka couldn't even hear him at this point given she was only acting on pure instinct, she did stop, Summer Cannibal smacking into the ceiling from the force of the last punch before falling to the ground in a twitching mess. This was followed shortly by a gurgling Money, barely clinging to life and having lost consciousness.
Her body moved forward out of sheer willpower, making her way back into the office to find the microphone she thought she'd seen earlier. Spotting it near the static TVs, she barely managed to make it there before falling to her knees. Using the last of her strength to press a button, the speakers around the building abruptly shrieked before she spoke the words, "He's down." She finally collapsed not even a second later.
"What the hell was that?" One of the guards along the stairs questioned.
"He's down? The boss?" These words were met with looks of concern from the others
"Can't be," the first replied. "His power's supposed to be invincible."
"That didn't sound like the boss, though," a third pointed out.
Tensions rising, a fourth finally declared, "Shit, someone's got to go look. You all go."
Giorno saw this as his chance. Three of the five men turned their backs to hurry up the stairs, allowing him to grasp a handful of poker chips between his fingers as he darted towards the way up. It didn't take long for one of the two remaining guards to spot him. "Hey!" one of them yelled, pulling a gun.
He wouldn't have time to use it, though, two chips sent flying towards both of them and almost instantaneously transforming into a mess of tree roots, growing across them and pinning them to the ground. The other three barely had the time to turn back to check the commotion before a hail of chips did the same to them, even creating a convenient path across their bodies Giorno could use to ascend to the office.
Shizuka opened her eyes shortly after, Giorno kneeling in front of her with his hand hovering above her arm. "You're safe," he told her, his voice quiet and reassuring. "Please try to open and close your hands."
Slowly and with a bit of trouble, she managed to do so, first on the right, then on the left. He nodded, helping her to sit up. "I was a bit worried given the extent of the damage, but you managed to stay alive long enough for me to repair you."
"Is he alive?" Shizuka asked, turning to try and see out the doorway. Despite everything, she didn't want to become a killer. Not even if it was against someone like him.
"I stabilized him," Giorno replied. "He's been subdued, as well. Good work on stopping him by yourself."
She sighed in relief, focus quickly shifting to another matter. "Sheila E might need help," she said, Giorno assisting her into the desk chair to rest.
"You're right. I'll go to her. Rest here and I'll return shortly." He left the room after that, grabbing a handful of pens off the desk as he did. Neither of them were particularly concerned with the possibility of any enemies trying to take the office, Shizuka more than capable of handling a group of normal people by herself.
That didn't change how exhausted she'd become with all of this, though. She never intended for things to spiral so terribly out of control just by looking for answers about how she came to be. She didn't regret this choice given how much good they were doing for the world, but it was still an impossible amount of pressure to put on a child. Was this the kind of thing the rest of her family dealt with all the time?
As promised, Giorno was quick to return with Sheila E, both of them seeming none the worse for wear. "We're back," he called into the office. "We shouldn't stay longer than needed, so let's begin questioning the enemy immediately."
With a grunt, Shizuka stood up from the chair, exiting the office into the lobby to stand by her comrades. Sheila E was already slapping Money around to try and wake him, eventually getting him to stir from the enclosure of roots pinning him against the wall.
"We need answers," she barked as soon as he'd opened his eyes, slapping him once more for good measure.
"Restraint," Giorno pretended to remind her, the two working in tandem like a well-oiled machine. "There's no need for us to harm you any further. We only want the names, locations, and Stand abilities of any other members of your organization."
"Top drawer on my desk, left side," he replied, stunning everyone with his compliance.
"So much for loyalty," Sheila E chided as Shizuka went to grab the documents.
"What's it matter if you grab up a bunch of no-name idiots?" he said. "Either way, you won't be able to handle the boss."
"Why is that?" Giorno questioned, only wanting more information to go into the fight as prepared as possible.
"She's stronger than anyone," he boasted, sounding exactly like the average thug in Passione during Diavolo's time. "Ruthless, too. Don't think any of you are going to make it out alive. I watched her toss a baby out a car window once."
This immediately caught their attention, Shizuka even dropping the papers on the floor as she came back. "A baby?" she asked, afraid to get her hopes up.
"Yeah. Some kid she didn't want. Apparently, she didn't expect how much work being a mom would be." Apparently, he found this funny, laughing as he said. "And when we were driving through some shithole, she just chucked it out the window when it wouldn't stop crying! It was hilarious! I didn't even think it was real at first!"
His laughing stopped the moment Achtung Baby appeared, grabbing his throat and shoving his head against the wall. "Where did this happen?" Shizuka asked calmly, fury and terror in equal measure bubbling just beneath the surface.
"How the hell should I know?" he strained to say. "It was like a decade ago. But...maybe...I think it was that Morioh place. Where some of us went after the bust. Along some road leading out of it." Despite the dire situation he was in, he still had the gall to grin. "And if she could do that to her own kid, imagine what she's going to do to you."
He stopped talking after that, Giorno himself knocking him out with a single punch. "There's nothing more we needed from him," he said, concerned with how Shizuka might have reacted had he not stopped things from escalating any further. "Grab the documents. We'll make copies and be gone. We know where to go now."
Just in time for the end of June, we've got another issue of everyone's fifth or sixth favorite surly little lesbian fighting crime.
It's kind of ironic how a Stand that focuses so much on consuming is also weak to attacks from the inside. For all its power, its main strength was Money's ability to build it up as invincible. As we know, though, there's no such thing as an invincible Stand.
More importantly, though, we've come to the big reveal. How's this going to change plans on the way back to Morioh? You'll have to keep reading to find out in what's likely to be the final chapter.
Not much to say this time since the biggest stuff happens next. Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to eat lots of iron-rich foods after almost bleeding out.