A Villain's New Life
As I said earlier, I won't have Kira partake in every and all fights in Egypt. Soo, we're gonna progress quite a bit this chapter, getting dangerously close to the real deal. I'm gonna say this now, this chapter is going to be more like a bridge chapter leading up to the real deal. Nevertheless, I'll try to write this as enjoyable as possible.
I do not own JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Chapter 15: Casino Crisis
Following the incident with the cursed sword [Anubis], the crusaders faced a few weirdos. Joseph and Avdol had to deal with a magnetic chick, Polnareff and Jotaro with a creep giving off pedo-vibes. Due to his injury, Kira didn't participate in those Stand battles.
Once they'd arrived near Cairo, Gizeh to be exact, Yoshikage rejoined the action. Together with everyone, they were at a casino bar near the pyramids of Gizeh. The old Joestar earlier printed out photos of DIO's mansion he obtained using [Hermit Purple]. The crusaders were going and looking around, asking people if they knew the exact location of that mansion.
After the bartender said that he'd never seen that building before, they were about to leave. But then a man sitting lonely at a poker table spoke up. "That building, I've seen it. Yes, I know that building…"
"Eh?" The 6 crusaders turned around upon finally hearing some good news. They now had a lead.
This young middle-aged man, even dressed like a gambler, gave off a professional and intelligent vibe. He certainly knew how to play with cards. Though one thing about the mostly high-class man was incredibly strange. He had shiny silver and thinly striped marks going down his eyes to the side of his face, stopping a little bit away from his mouth. Was that make-up or were those tattoos? One couldn't tell.
"Was it you?! Were you the one who spoke?! Do you really know?!" After going around and asking virtually everywhere, the crusaders grew impatient and tired.
"Why, yes. I did say I know where that building is." he repeated.
"Really?!"
"This is great!"
"Awesome!"
"How lucky can we get! We found someone who knows!"
"…"
"Where is it?! Tell me! Where?!" Joseph eagerly questioned, loud and overjoyed.
The man flicked upwards a flat circle of cards with his finger, causing a domino-like chain of effects. The cards soon changed formation, still in a circle, but in pairs leaning onto each other, so the outlines of every second card were parallel to each other.
"You expect me to tell you for free?"
Rapidly, the content and appreciative expressions of the crusaders faded. 'Oh, he must be one of those guys.'
Because he was rich, the old Joestar took a bill out of his wallet and offered it to the man for an exchange of information. Though the man quietly refused, countering with an Ace of Spades after it mysteriously appeared in his hands.
"I like to gamble. I love its worthless thrills. It's a habit of mine, I even earn my living from gambling." he nonchalantly told. "Tell me, do you like to gamble?"
"…I don't know what you're trying to say." Joseph responded, having no time to play games.
"If you don't like gambling, just say so."
"…That's what I'm trying to ask you. What do you want from me?" the old Joestar asked in confusion, raising a brow.
"Do you want to gamble with me? If you win, I'll tell you what you want to know for free."
'Took him long enough to speak straightforwardly.' Kira thought in annoyance, grimacing so faintly no one noticed.
"Gamble? I'm pretty confident in my skills, but we don't have time for poker now. We're in a hurry." Joseph excused, taking out more money. "I'll give you more, just tell me."
"You can gamble on anything. It doesn't take long." he insisted, further refusing money. The way this man acted really started to piss off the crusaders, it wasn't like the guy was dense and didn't catch their drift. "For example, look at that wall. There is a cat walking on it slowly."
Outside the bar, there was a wall with a grey cat walking on it, slowly as the man said. He then reached for his plate of food, grabbed two pieces of meat and threw them near the wall.
"All right! Let's gamble on which piece of meat the cat is going to eat first. Right? Or left?"
Polnareff aggressively stepped and leaned forward, pointing at the gambler. The frenchman had enough of this guy's indirectness, verbally lashing out at him. "Goddammit! You are so annoying! Just take the money and tell us, you son of a-"
Kakyoin and Kira exchanged glances, forcefully grabbing Polnareff by the shoulder each. Their grip forced him to shut up.
"Polnareff! Lose the attitude. That's not the way to ask for things." the old Joestar reprimanded. Even though neither one of them liked that man, most had enough class to behave themselves.
The frenchman didn't change his attitude. Though he changed his methods, fiercely challenging the gambler. He slammed his hand on the poker table. "OK! I'll bet with you! I pick the right one! The right one!"
"Good!" the guy spoke in a cheesy accent. "Now the fun begins! Then I'll bet on the left one!"
Observing the situation, the crusaders looked at the cat in the distance. At the same time, they held a secret conversation over Stand telepathy.
"Do you sense anything strange about that guy?"
"Yes, he may be a Stand user… or just a regular gambling addict…"
"Yeah, both are possible."
"Jotaro, if he tries anything funny, just punch him out with [Star Platinum]."
"Gotcha."
"Then, what do I give you if I lose? 100 Pounds?" Polnareff challenged with a cocky smirk, confident in his bet.
"I don't want money. How about your soul? Your soul… hehehe." the man casually named his condition.
'Psh… This is one crazy fucker! We gotta get outta here fast…' the frenchman thought in irritation, grimacing in disdain at the gambler.
Yoshikage inwardly facepalmed. 'Why is this dude making it so obvious he's a Stand user already…? There's no way a well-mannered man like him would just say insane stuff like that for the heck of it.'
A few seconds later, the cat seemed to have picked up the scent. It jumped down the wall, eyeing the pieces of meat.
"Here comes the cat. Please restrain your dog and don't make a sound."
The cat approached the pieces of meat with hungry eyes.
"Ha! The right one! The cat's going for it!" Polnareff rashly guessed, reasoning that if he were a cat, he'd pick the bigger piece – the one on the right – first.
Ultimately, the cat picked both pieces. Though the left one came first. Thus, it was the frenchman's loss.
"Ah!" Polnareff let out in regret.
"Hm hm hm hm hm… Did you see that? It went for the left, then the right. I won." the guy calmly and quietly gloated.
"Hey, you lost, Polnareff." Joseph said. "What do we do now? It's going to be harder to find the building."
"But… but…" the frenchman stammered, upset about his loss.
"All right… We had a deal. Give it to me!" The man wanted to cash in his reward.
"Huh? Give you… what?" Polnareff didn't understand. He thought of the gambler's demand as a crazy joke.
"Your soul. You did bet on it." the guy reminded, his demeanor changing into a menacing one. Time for him to reveal his identity. "I am the Stand user who can take other people's souls! The gambling process makes it easier for me! My Stand's ability can take your soul at the moment of your loss!"
Everyone widened their eyes in shock and realization. The next moment, a Stand phased into view out of thin air, literally dragging the frenchman's soul out of his body. Polnareff's soul screamed in fear, while his body turned lifeless, his eyes going wide.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"POLNAREFF!"
All of the crusaders yelled out in disbelief at the theft of their friend's soul. Though Kira was the least surprised of all, wondering why the others didn't realize when the man nonchalantly talked about demanding Polnareff's soul in the first place.
Jotaro had been asked during their telepathic conversation to attack the gambler once he tried something strange. This was the moment for it, the young Joestar was ready. But the guy prematurely warned him against it. "Hey! Don't kill me. It's too late now. If I die, he dies. If you want him back, you keep gambling."
Meanwhile, the grey cat from earlier jumped onto the man's lap. "Oh, by the way, this is my cat."
The bet had been planned all along. Yoshikage figured it out. 'So he trained his cat for purposes like this… who could've known from the start.'
"The name is D'Arby. D'. A. R. B. Y. The D has an apostrophe." he gave his name, putting extra emphasis on it. "Polnareff bet and lost… that's why I have his soul."
All this emphasis for nothing, the crusaders largely only paid attention to the frenchman. The egyptian held his limp body. "He… doesn't have a pulse! He's dead! Polnareff is dead!"
Not quite. His screaming soul appeared again as a half-transparent projection, this time on D'Arby's side.
"POLNAREFF!" his friends called out his name, fearing what'd happen next.
[Osiris], the Stand of D'Arby, violently pressed Polnareff, by slamming its palms shut, into something small: a poker chip.
It landed on the poker table, quickly to be picked up by the gambler, who displayed his new possession to the other crusaders. "This is Polnareff's soul. It didn't take long to remove one of DIO's obstacles… he was pretty stupid."
"Hey-" Kira wanted to complain about DIO's agent mocking the technically dead frenchman, though another friend took action before him.
Upon mocking his friend, Avdol furiously grabbed D'Arby by the collar with such force, the poker table almost flipped.
"YOU SON OF A…" he roared out, though lowered his volume when the bar's other guests turned their eyes to him. The egyptian was intensely staring and sweating. "Stop joking! That cat was yours all along! 'Gambling'? You were cheating!"
"Cheating? Didn't you know? If you can't detect when someone is cheating, you can't detect failure." the gambler impudently defended himself. "I think gambling is the same as social relations… It's a game of fakes and cheats. The one who cries is the loser."
Oh, this was a cunning one. Yoshikage crackled his knuckles. He wouldn't kill D'Arby because he took Polnareff hostage, but he sure wasn't afraid of assaulting him.
"You want to kill me right now? Go ahead. Do it. That way, he dies too." DIO's man provoked, brazenly grinning all along.
This arrogant, arrogant man disgusted the crusaders, made them sweat and glare at him. But he also made them back off. Avdol let go of his collar, but not his own hostility. "Listen… You won't get out of this in one piece…"
D'Arby really could afford to do anything with the literal bargaining chip in his hand. So he went on and changed the topic into one that would shock the crusaders even more.
"Do you remember what you were doing on September 22nd, 1984, around 11:15 PM?"
"What are you going on about?"
Taking out a large collection book, the gambler opened it on top of the poker table. He opened a certain page. "I remember. I was gambling with Stephen Moor in California. He said exactly what you said to me just before. This is him now. One below him is his father. And the one next to him is his wife."
He placed his finger on the page and let the crusaders come closer, just to make them see his collection. It was a collection book with pages full of poker chips and name tags. Though those poker chips weren't normal, they had sleeping human faces on them. And it wasn't just a handful of chips, it was an entire book full of chips.
"So as you can see, I can get out of this. If you want Polnareff's soul back, you'll have to keep gambling."
Kira didn't need to look at his friends to see how they were right then. Under extreme stress, horrified and sweating bullets. He looked just like them. And Yoshikage also knew what they were thinking at that moment. He thought so too. 'This guy is a demon… He's going to take us out, one by one…'
More than the cunning gambler's current plan, Kira thought how detestable and evil this guy's criminal habit was. Judging by how Polnareff screamed in terror when in his soul state, and his literal poker face looking calm as sleep now, Yoshikage figured that all those other people trapped inside the poker chips must've constantly been in incredible fear. And even worse, given how DIO's agent took some of those souls years ago, their bodies must've rotten already.
To sum it up, this man had killed even more people than Kira himself back in his old timeline. Back then, when Yoshikage was a serial killer, he used to instantly kill his victims. While he did that to hide his identity, he'd never thought about keeping his victims alive out of sheer cruelty. Kira found this man to be an absolutely evil individual.
An evil individual who was insufferably cocky. "Well, what now? You can run away if you're scared. Hey, why not have a drink and think about it? You want some of my chocolate?"
Yoshikage's eyes twitched. Despite stopping Polnareff earlier, he was the one attacking now. He rushed forward, just driving his fist into the gambler's face. The latter and his chair fell over, blood running out of his nose, surrounded by reddened skin all around.
"Bughahh!" D'Arby shouted out in pain, his face making a hurt expression. "What the… are you seriously going to kill me and let me take Polnareff with me?!"
He really wanted to, but… no. Kira restrained himself as he scornfully watched DIO's man get up. "No, just wanted to punch you, that's all."
For that reason, none of the crusaders interfered. Yoshikage did the job for all of them. Inwardly, they couldn't help but grin.
The man didn't take this statement pleasantly. "If you don't plan on killing me and just hurt with the intent of revanchism, then I might just pack up and leave." he threatened. "Yes, I might just refuse to play with you, and then you'll never get your answer, and Polnareff won't return to you."
Taking this threat seriously, the old Joestar brashly sat down at the poker table, slamming away anything useless save for a bottle and one cup. He was ready to prevent the worst and challenge the man, with his own tricks! Like much earlier in his life, Joseph was about to fight with wits and his sharp mind.
Joseph slammed down an empty drinking glass, then filled it to the brim with liquor.
"Joestar-san, what are you doing?" the egyptian curiously inquired.
Ignoring Avdol, the old Joestar directly talked to the enemy. "You know what surface tension is, Barbie?"
"D'Arby. My name is D'Arby." the gambler corrected with visible irritation, trying his hardest to offend how offended he was. "It's the force that keeps the liquor in the glass from flowing over. What about it?"
"Che." Kira snickered in the background. 'He's definitely doing this on purpose. Keep going, Joestar-san!'
"It's easy. We'll take turns putting coins into the cup. The one who spills the liquor loses." Joseph calmly and seriously announced, immersed into his game.
"Hey, grandpa…" Jotaro had his concerns.
"No way! Joestar-san!" Avdol even moreso.
"That doesn't seem like a good idea, Joestar-san." Noriaki advised, more reserved than the first two.
"…" Only Yoshikage said nothing, having immediate faith in the old Joestar. Because he was good at reading people, the old man had always struck him as a very intelligent person. 'He knows what he's doing.'
Ignoring his doubters, Joseph made a brave declaration. "I'll wager my soul!" he fearlessly offered.
"Good!"
"What?!" The egyptian couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No way! You can't do that! This guy is a cheater!"
"I won't let him cheat. I chose the game." the old Joestar quickly dismissed the warning, though still took a precaution. "Jotaro, watch him closely."
Nodding barely, the young Joestar took note of the order.
"…Okay, I'll accept the bet." DIO's agent continued. "May I inspect the cup and coins beforehand?"
"Of course. You also have the right to see if I cheated." Joseph set the rules, followed by a few seconds of serious silence. "However, do you promise to release Polnareff if you lose?"
"I am a professional gambler. I have my pride, and I give you my word." D'Arby seriously reassured, responding to the tension in the air. "But… I will not lose."
With the promise given, the bet could begin. "Fine, you start."
"Joestar-san!" Avdol wanted to warn the old Joestar, but the old man was too confident to hear him out.
"Don't worry." Joseph said, removing his glove. He had to concentrate and be precise, preventing his fingers from shaking.
DIO's man picked up 5 coins at once. "Can I put more than one coin at once?"
"Please, if you can." the old Joestar approved.
"5 coins, that's a lot." the egyptian commented.
"Hey, there are ripples on the surface." Joseph pointed out.
"Quiet! Don't touch the table!" For the first time, the gambler showed uneasiness at his own profession, gambling. Even though it was slight, his fingers were shaking. Once he dropped the coins, a geniuinely afraid expression formed on his face, afraid of loss. The liquor was litterally on the verge of spilling over.
Ultimately, the man survived this round. His uneasy face lost a little of that pressure, though his eyes were still very focused.
"Hm, your turn."
"That was a brave move…" the old Joestar stoically remarked. "I'll just start with one coin."
As Joseph carefully let his coin sink, Kira noticed something. A piece of cotton was stuck to the backside of the coin, obscured from the view of DIO's agent. 'He's holding a piece of cotton… that's cheating, but nothing better than to beat a cheater with his own tactics. And man, he's good at it too…' he thought, smirking so narrowly that no change was visible.
The old Joestar survived his turn. Now that the next round was far harder for D'Arby to pass, he grit his teeth together again, under renewed pressure. "Grrr…"
"Whew, that was a close one! I thought it'd spill for sure! All right, it's your turn, Obi." Joseph provoked, speaking in a goofy manner.
In quiet, low anger, DIO's man grabbed the old Joestar by his wrist. He bore an intense, irked glare. "My name is D'Arby! Not Barbie, not Obi! D'Arby! Don't make that mistake again!"
"Well, sorry." Joseph unapologetically apologized with a straight face.
"Heh!" Yoshikage chuckled. 'He got his name wrong on purpose for the second time. This old man's a gambler at heart too.'
His mental superiority showing, the old Joestar crossed his arms. "Come on, D'Arby, let's move along."
Not only because it was hot and sunny outside, was the gambler sweating intensely. He nibbled on a bar of chocolate.
"Come on, it's your turn, D'Arby…" Joseph pushed, intending to put more pressure onto his opponent's mind.
It at least looked like this worked. D'Arby made up an excuse that sounded like bullshit. "The cup is in my shadow, making it hard for me to work. Let me move to the right side of the table."
"It doesn't matter where you put it in." the old Joestar dismissed the excuse. He was so confident in his victory. 'I've already made the liquor reach its limit. You can't put anything in there anymore… it'll spill as soon as you touch it.'
'Hah, what is this supposed to change? It's not like him sitting somewhere else is going to chance the surface or something.' Kira thought. 'He has to be wasting time.'
DIO's agent prepared to put in one more coin. Before dropping the coin, he spoke a few words. "You're probably thinking 'That surface tension is at its limit, you can't put any more in', right? …But you are wrong…"
After the coin stopped sinking, the crusaders immediately lost their confidence about their win. The next coin would definitely made the liquor, which was already only one drop from spilling, spill. All their eyes widened in disbelief, though their oldest had it worst.
"Eeeeeee…" Joseph let out in dread, clenching his teeth. He was sweating all over his face. A lot was going through his mind, the old man was about to burst. And he did. "IMPOSSIBLE! It should have spilled over!"
"What do you mean, 'Should have spilled'?" the gambler calmly questioned, acting innocent. "You saw it to… I put it in. Your turn now, Mr. Joestar…"
"Ah" the dreaded old Joestar turned his head towards his grandson, strongly asking for help.
Jotaro himself couldn't explain this. "He didn't do anything strange. My [Star Platinum] was watching. He put the coin in without cheating, that's for sure."
'…How did he do it when [Star Platinum] was watching?! That Stand's reflexes are above anything!' Yoshikage was at a loss for words, starting to look a little insecure.
Now that Joseph KNEW he was about to lose, he absolutely didn't desire to continue. But DIO's man was adamant on finishing the game.
"Go ahead, Mr. Joestar!" he ordered in english. "Hurry up! Or are you waiting for the liquor to evaporate?"
In denial and hesitating, his whole body shaking, the old man huffed and puffed. "Un… unbelievable!"
In the end, the old Joestar never dropped his coin himself. It merely fell out of his lifeless hands. [Osiris] reappeared, forcefully taking away Joseph's soul, just like it did to Polnareff.
"NO! JOESTAR-SAN!" Avdol and Noriaki exclaimed in dread at another friend taken out. Literally.
"No way…" Kira uttered, his mouth gaping. The enemy succeeded, taking away another important member. One especially important for gambling and mind games.
"Mr. Joestar admitted defeat in his heart! That's why his soul came out! I won!" D'Arby gloated in victory, also explaining his ability. His winning face looked totally ruthless.
As a soul, Joseph appeared partially transparent. The sight of him became weaker. And his voice could only be transmitted in a weaker way. Before [Osiris] pressed him into another poker chip with a face, the old Joestar said a few temporary last words, full of regret.
"Polnareff… Holly… I'm sorry I couldn't save you…"
"GRANDPA!"
"JOESTAR-SAN!"
Yoshikage joined the yelling. Even though his loss could be reversed, it was still a loss. A loss of a friend.
"That's two down!" The gambler cockily posed while grinning. "All right, let's continue. Unless you want to run away leaving these two…"
"GRRRRRRRRRR!" The egyptian and the redhead tackled down DIO's agent, slamming his back on the ground, believing Kira did the right thing when he first punched DIO's man.
"You still don't get it… if you kill me, both of them die."
"We know, you son of a bitch! We just want to fucking inflict pain upon you!"
They roared pretty loudly at D'Arby. Other guests were getting weirded out. Because some left the establishment, the bartender had to interfere.
"Hey, what are you doing over there?! If you want to fight, go outside!"
Already angry and under stress, Jotaro and Yoshikage weren't going to have a non-Stand user involving himself with them and annoying them even further.
"Shut the fuck up! Mind your own business and stay behind the counter!" both hissed at the bartender, thoroughly intimidating him. Without daring to throw them out, the worker made a scared face and did as the Stand user told.
Frustrated, Kira picked up the liquor glass and poured out the content, liquid and solid. But once the glass was empty, he noticed a sticky brown substance stuck to the bottom. Yoshikage then remembered that the gambler had been nibbling on some brown stuff during the game. 'That's… chocolate…'
"Heh heh heh heh…" DIO's agent was laughing. "It's too late now, Kira."
"…"
"What is it, Kira-san?" the cherry boy asked, knowing that nothing good had just been discovered.
"I know how D'Arby cheated…" Kira informed, distastefully gritting his teeth. "It's now melted, but there was a little piece of chocolate under the cup. He put it there before the game started, when he was inspecting the cup."
"It's only cheating if you get caught." the cheater prided himself.
"What the hell?! Why did a piece of chocolate allow one extra coin?!" Avdol wanted to know, utterly baffled.
"Although it's melted now, it was solid beneath the cup earlier. He put it there so the cup was a little tilted without us realizing it was. Once the chocolate melts, the surface flattens, and therefore can accomodate one more coin."
"But why did the chocolate just happen to melt during D'Arby's turn?!"
Yoshikage begrudgingly furrowed his brows. The gambler had outwitted him. Not just him, all of the crusaders. "The sun melted it, though I didn't realize it at first. He was blocking the sun with his body. Then he shifted to the right side, allowing him to melt the chocolate."
Kakyoin clenched his teeth, furiously letting go of DIO's man. "That makes sense… dammit!"
D'Arby got up, dusting off his clothes. He was victorious yet again.
The young Joestar couldn't allow the series of losses to go on. So he decisively took the initiative. "Okay, D'Arby. Take out your cards. We're going to play some poker."
"Eh?! Jotaro?!" the egyptian called in concern, constantly in worry. Being so on edge and under stress really wasn't good for Avdol. But he couldn't help but feel scared about further losses.
Meanwhile, the gambler was in good spirits again. "Good! An interesting choice! Poker is my strongest game."
"Poker?! This guy even outsmarted Joestar-san! It's going to be dangerous!" the egyptian loudly named the obvious, overly pessimistic.
"Tch." Kira huffed, crossing his arms. "I don't like it either, but we don't have a choice, do we? Let it rest, Avdol, let Jotaro handle it."
Yoshikage's source of income were his stocks and properties, he didn't know how to play poker. At least not on a professional level. His friend Noriaki was a gamer instead of a gambler, so he didn't know either. He had no other option other than to rely on the young Joestar.
"As Kira said, we don't have a choice. I know he's a dangerous man." Jotaro calmly told Avdol. "He doesn't use violence, but he's still more dangerous than any Stand we've encountered so far. I'll have to go all out now."
Placing his arm around the egyptian's shoulder, the redhead told him to calm down. "Avdol, Kira-san and Jotaro are right. Let's trust their judgement, all right? Besides, you shouldn't stress yourself so much, it's very bad for you."
"…Fine." Avdol reluctantly held back his objections and pessimism.
Jotaro and DIO's agent sat down at the poker table, preparing for their duel. The young Joestar wanted to try out something first, though. "Before we begin, I'd like to try something. Shuffle the deck."
Having no reason to decline, D'Arby shuffled the deck. It didn't take long, he was very efficient at it due to his professionalism. "I did it… what now?"
"Take out a card." the young Joestar asked him to do. "Any card will do. Just don't let me see it."
Taking a portion away from the deck, the gambler took a look at the bottom card.
"Let me guess… Six of Hearts." Jotaro guessed.
Correct
But the young Joestar was far more exact than that. "I'll tell you the order, beginning from the top. Five of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, Jack of Spades, Ace of Hearts, Seven of Diamonds, Six of Clubs, King of Clubs, Two of Diamonds."
All correct
This was an impressing thing to witness to say the least. Everyone was surprised by the 100% right guess.
Especially the one with the least amount of knowledge about gambling, Avdol. "EH? You got them all! And D'Arby was the one who shuffled the deck!"
"Not bad." Kira acknowledged, caressing his cheeks.
"Jotaro, how did you-?" the cherry boy wanted to inquire, though Jotaro answered before he could finish his question.
"I can tell you the cards from top to bottom. My [Star Platinum] can look through all the cards while you are shuffling." the young Joestar explained, addressing DIO's man.
'I can't think enough about it, but [Star Platinum] really is a formidable Stand.' Yoshikage thought, seeing this Stand as his biggest obstacle. True, Jotaro was no gambling or poker genius. Just the sheer speed and preciseness of his powerful Stand allowed him to read the game like a pro.
Unlike Kira, D'Arby didn't understand what the situation meant for him. "Interesting, but I can counter by simply shuffling away from your view."
Jotaro had to personally explain. "You don't get it. I'm warning you… It'll be much harder for you to cheat from now on."
The gambler seemed to have gotten the message. "…Good…" And the way his voice sounded, he was at the very least slightly unnerved.
XXXXXXXXXX
Following some preparations, for example checking the legitimacy of the cards, the poker match could officially begin.
"Open the game!" DIO's agent announced in english. "Let's begin."
"Ten of Hearts."
"Seven of Clubs."
D'Arby got the higher valued initial card, so he was allowed to shuffle first. "It's my deal, heh heh… I can't let [Star Platinum] see while I shuffle the cards."
Starting off fairly, the gambler shuffled the cards. He then placed them in the center of the poker table. "Please cut the cards."
After the young Joestar followed through with the next step, DIO's man retreived the deck to hand out the cards, one by one.
"One for you."
"One for me."
"One for you."
"One for me-"
Without a warning, [Star Platinum]'s right arm manifested, bending D'Arby's finger unnaturally.
"What the f-" The gambler's face first displayed a taken aback expression, which then transformed into an expression of agony. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!"
"Ah! What did you just do?!" Now that the egyptian wasn't so pessimistic anymore, his reactions were over the top. Compared to earlier in the journey where he was very serious and composed, Avdol was much like Polnareff ever since meeting the gambler. "His finger! Jotaro! [Star Platinum] broke D'Arby's finger!"
Both tears and sweat ran down the frightened man's face en masse. DIO's agent wasn't used to this much pain.
"I already told you you won't be able to cheat that easily." Jotaro coolly and ruthlessly reminded.
"Eh?" Yoshikage then noticed something. The second card from the top was sticking out. "Avdol, Kakyoin-kun, look! Jotaro was right. The second card is sticking out! He wanted to give Jotaro the second card, while keeping the first for himself, presumably for being a better card."
Wanting to confirm that statement, the two took a closer look. Indeed, both Jotaro and Kira were right.
"So that's how it is…"
"Good job punishing the cheater, that'll teach him." Kakyoin complimented, shooting the young Joestar an approving grin.
'Hah, you really deserve this, D'Arby.'
Unable to handle cards well with a busted hand, D'Arby accidently let his cards drop out of his hand. It came out, had he gotten his way, he'd have had three Tens.
"That… was… too harsh…!" the gambler complained with a hurt voice, gritting his teeth in pain. "You broke my finger!"
"No. I was too kind. I didn't tear it off." Jotaro countered. This enemy wasn't violent, though that didn't mean Jotaro was going to go easy on him.
"…" Due to his injury, D'Arby couldn't continue dealing anymore. Jotaro, realizing his punishment slowed down the game, asked Avdol to go and ask a boy playing outside to deal for them. On second thought, having a neutral dealer might've been a better choice.
The gambler, through the hard way, acknowledged that he was facing the wrong opponent to cheat. "…Good… You are sharp. Cheating uses the blind spot in people's mind. You can't catch me with just sharp eyes. You actually saw through my cheap trick. I've underestimated you. It doesn't matter who my opponent is, I can't underestimate him…"
Using a piece of thin, white, long cloth, DIO's man bound his broken and bent finger next to the other finger, temporarily bending it the right way again. "I've learned my lesson. Let this finger serve as a reminder…"
Being quiet, the young Joestar couldn't care less about D'Arby's excuses and speech. He just wanted him to not cheat.
"Jotaro, I'm going to go all out and gamble with my strength now…" the gambler promised out of pride. "This is my biggest gamble since May 17th, 1985. I won 8 pieces of real estate from a japanese man that day, and his soul too. He was rich, but also a very strong gambler."
[Osiris] appeared behind DIO's agent, the chips of Polnareff and Joseph were thrown in the air. D'Arby had made up his mind. "I am not here for DIO! I am here to fight you as a born gambler!"
Seeing how the gambler was about to mess with the souls of the frenchman and old Joestar, the crusaders were alarmed.
"W-What are you doing?!"
"Polnareff and Joestar-san's souls!"
"You better not do anything with them!"
[Osiris] split the single chips of Polnareff and Joseph into 6 each. DIO's man had a reason for that.
"Each chip has been divided into 6 chips. In poker, you can fold if you think you are going to lose. You must open with one chip, and place chips every round after, so you need more than 2 chips to play." D'Arby explained. "Once you take back six chips, you win one soul. Got it?"
Jotaro nodded.
"Now, Jotaro, if you want to gamble, I'll give you your chips, but you still haven't told me what I want to hear…"
"…Fine." the young Joestar conceded, unafraid. "I'll bet my soul."
"Good!"
"Jotaro…" Noriaki quietly murmured, a bead of sweat running down his face. He had faith in his friend, though the possibility of failure didn't escape his mind. Things could turn out again like with the other two.
"Jotaro, you better win." Yoshikage said. It was beneficial for him to root for the one he wanted to off in the end. Even individually, the lives of Joseph and Polnareff were worth more to Kira than his hate for Jotaro. And Yoshikage was fully conscious of his feelings.
The gambler handed the young Joestar 6 plain white chips. "These snow white chips represent your soul. When I win all 6, I'll take your soul."
After the egyptian went and brought back the kid Jotaro mentioned earlier to act as the neutral dealer, the match could continue.
DIO's agent started off with his first wager being one Polnareff chip. "Let's begin!"
Receiving their cards from the neutral kid, the poker players took a look at their cards.
D'Arby had a strategy already. "Hm… Then I'll take 2 cards." He threw another Polnareff chip in the middle. "Jotaro, you only have 6 white chips, and they are your soul. Think carefully before you wager."
That mention of souls being wagered really confused and unsettled the kid. Avdol told him to ignore this and deal on.
"Three cards." the young Joestar reacted, throwing in another chip.
Right now, the game was very fluid. "I'm scared, that expression…" the gambler mumbled. "Do you have any good cards? Let me try… One Polnareff."
"I'll see that."
With that, each side offered 3 chips. Time to fold.
"Alright, show us what you've got, Jotaro." DIO's man wanted to see Jotaro's cards.
"Two pair: Eights and Nines."
"Sorry, two pair: Jacks and Queens."
'Not good…' Kira thought, secretly gripping his finger. 'If Jotaro messes up one more time, it's over.'
Due to having better cards, D'Arby could take Jotaro's chips. Though he had to admit, winning the round wasn't easy. "That was close… I almost lost."
Taking the loss quietly, the young Joestar pushed for another round. "Next game. Deal."
Having no reason to refuse, the gambler let the neutral boy deal out new cards. Of course, he also couldn't refuse to not say out loud a smug remark. "Hm. This 'Next game' may be your last game."
"…"
The young Joestar didn't react to the taunts. "I'll take one card." DIO's agent continued, letting the provoking be, at least for now.
As D'Arby took the card, he noticed how Jotaro hadn't even picked up his cards. Despite being a pro gambler, he didn't understand why the young Joestar was doing that. "What's up, Jotaro? You're not looking at your cards."
"Yeah, Jotaro, what's with that?" the redhead asked, raising his brow.
"…These cards… I don't need to change them." Jotaro claimed, appearing fully sure of himself. It was, as if he knew those were his winning cards. His back was straight, his head not bowing one bit.
'…What the hell are you up to, Jotaro?' Yoshikage wondered, narrowing his eyes.
Scratch that about the 'no provocations' thing. DIO's man placed his palm behind his ear, acting like his hearing was bad. "Huh? I must be going deaf. I thought you said something like 'I don't need to change them'."
"That's right." the young Joestar confirmed. "I don't need to change them. I'll play with these 5 cards."
"I know that! I'm asking why you're not even looking at your cards!" D'Arby snapped, his demeanor suddenly changing.
A content grin formed on Kira's face. 'Provoking him yourself, huh? Making him flustered, just like Joestar-san? Hahah, I hope you succeed.'
"…I'll leave them this way."
Oh, the gambler didn't like how Jotaro was acting. So nonchalantly and calm, but also with a hint of seriousness. It was like as if the young Joestar was mocking him. "Stop bluffing! I'm asking you! You don't even need to look at your cards?!"
DIO's agent demanded an answer, demanded Jotaro to speak to him. But… Jotaro was speaking to someone else entirely. "Kakyoin, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?" the cherry boy repeated, wondering what was going through his friend's might. "Sure. But why don't you look at your cards?"
"…" D'Arby's eyes narrowed in anger, his teeth were being pressed together, and his fist was clenched. "Hey! I'm telling you to answer me, Jotaro!"
Getting ignored like that really pissed off the prideful gambler. And Jotaro was fully aware of his doing too, casually whispering to his friend.
Though half a minute later, that little conversation came to an end. The young Joestar focused on DIO's man again. And boy, he had news.
"I wager my three chips and Kakyoin's six… I'm betting them all." Jotaro announced, 6 new white chips magically appearing.
D'Arby was taken by surprise, his eyes widened. "Eh? What are you trying to pull?!"
Kakyoin proceeded to answer the question. "D'Arby, you are a very calm and calculating man. That makes you a very tough opponent, even if you aren't an enemy. I do trust Jotaro, however… I don't even know what he's doing, but since he asked me to, I'll believe in him. It doesn't matter what he wants from me."
"That's right." the young Joestar confirmed these words, then turning to Avdol. "Avdol, may I have the permission to wager your soul as well?"
Despite worrying the most about the result out of all crusaders and being reluctant, the egyptian gave in. Noriaki trusted Jotaro because he believed in Jotaro's judgement. The young Joestar had to be perfectly sure about his tactics. "…Yeah, you may."
Another 6 chips appeared on the table. They represented the souls of 2 of 3 of Jotaro's partners. And the young Joestar had yet to ask the final one.
"…Kira… may… I have the permission to wager… your… soul too?"
"Perhabs…" Yoshikage vaguely replied, giving no clear answer. "But I am sure in my heart that you can win even without these extra chips."
Yeah. For Kira, to whom Jotaro was still a target, giving him permission over his own soul was a big no-no. The situation called for extreme measures, but Yoshikage had something else in mind. In order to maintain his personal pride and control over his soul, Kira only had to fully believe in Jotaro's winning ability. And it went further than just believing. Yoshikage had to hope from deep within his heart that the young Joestar succeeded. 'Though this… I can do.'
Jotaro took Kira's professional answer without any ill feelings at all. His words still had an effect over the gambler.
"Oh, is that the case…? The tension probably got to the four of you and confused all of you." DIO's agent was a bit intimidated, though in unconscious denial. To vent out his frustration, he snapped at the dealer. "Hey kid! I said one card! Give it to me!"
"Ah! Yes, Sir!"
Taking the card, D'Arby now had 4 Kings. He faintly smiled, as he was still cheating. The thing with the 'neutral' kid was actually a lie. Everyone in and around the casino bar were actually his men. Though they didn't know about his Stand. The cards would always be dealt in favor of him.
Still, he hid that smug condescending feeling of his well. "Alright. Three Jotaros and Six Polnareffs to see that." the gambler went on, placing said chips in the middle.
"But… I'll raise you 6 more Josephs!" DIO's man added as a surprise, his demeanor growing a lot more fiery and confident.
The crusaders reacting to the match collectively raised their brows. D'Arby was going all in. It meant the gambler most likely had far better cards than Jotaro.
"J- Jotaro, he-" the egyptian wanted to warn him, but he didn't got to finish his sentence.
"It's fine." the young Joestar calmly interrupted. Also, a lit cigarette appeared in his mouth. [Star Platinum] placed it there, at inhuman speeds.
DIO's agent only briefly got to see the outline of the Stand. Though that slight instant worried him greatly.
"Hey, Jotaro! What did you just do?!" That confident attitude from literally seconds ago was now gone.
"Do …what?" Jotaro acted dense. "What are you talking about."
Only fear and insecurity were audible undertones in D'Arby's voice now. "That… That cigarette you're smoking!"
"What's wrong? Do you want one?"
Doubt replaced the gambler's arrogant attitude. 'Did… Did I just see [Star Platinum] light that cigarette for him? Oh no…! He… Maybe he did something to the cards with [Star Platinum]. What did he do?'
He even jumped to hasty conclusions and made up theories. 'This… this confidence! Maybe… maybe he… Did he switch the cards with [Star Platinum] when I wasn't looking?!'
Meanwhile, Yoshikage walked over to the side of DIO's man. Neither Avdol, nor Noriaki, nor him him were smokers. Though the latter handled tobacco smoke far worse than the former. "Yo, D'Arby. Looks like I'll be standing next to you.' Kira spoke, further scaring the shit out of D'Arby. His tone wasn't hostile but sounded very threatening, like a dangerous predator playing with its prey. "Don't worry, say no word. I won't tell Jotaro about your cards. I just want to get away from the smoke."
Scared shitless, the gambler buried his face within his cards. 'No way… Go away, Kira! I don't want you next to me! Jotaro is already enough…'
Daring a look above his cards, DIO's agent then discovered that the young Joestar had placed a drink on the poker table. This took D'Arby off guard, absolutely terrifying him. He almost lost his voice there. "Aaaaaaaaaaah! Y- Y- You…"
His mind taken over by fear, unable to think clearly, the gambler was making comically frightened expressions. "Juice? When did you get a glass of juice? You… you son of a… fine, I have a-!"
"Hold it…" Jotaro interrupted the maddening man. "I still have the right to raise."
"EH?!" everyone reacting went in disbelief, eyes widening and jaws dropping. With how things looked, this was technically impossible.
Even Yoshikage was taken aback by that. 'What could you possibly raise?!'
"R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-Raise?!" DIO's man ridiculously reacted, rolling the r in such a way it sounded like a machine gun. The route to retardation was on for him. "How?! You don't have any chips left!"
Out of nowhere, the young Joestar pushed another set of white chips onto the table's center. "I raise you my mother's soul."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" D'Arby screamed out, unable to believe his ears. This had to be some sort of farce.
"Jotaro! Your mother!" the egyptian yelled at him in shock, sweat breaking out all over his face.
"Even Holly-san's soul?!" the redhead incredulously shouted at him, his face just as intense as Avdol's.
"You're crazy! How can you say that?!" Kira exclaimed in astonishment, thinking Jotaro went way too far, even for a bluff.
Slamming his hand on the table, Jotaro explained himself. "I came here to Egypt to save my mother, so she wouldn't hesitate to let me use it as a wager." he said as if it was a given. "However, D'Arby, you'll have to wager something equivalent."
"So… you'll have to… tell me the secret of DIO's Stand!"
This was too much of a thing to ask. Imagining how he'd be killed if he told his enemies that secret, the gambler backed away in terror, looking like he was about to cry, and making sounds only of heavy breathing. While backing away, he fell off his chair.
'His reaction shows it. He knows DIO's secret! But if he does tell us, he will be killed for his betrayal!' Yoshikage thought, thinking of how to verbally increase the pressure on DIO's agent. 'Jotaro has done enough, I can add to the results…'
"Hey D'Arby, what's the matter? The deal isn't that bad, you know. You don't have to bet your own soul, so even if you lose, you can keep everything other than Joestar-san and Polnareff." Kira argued. "Also, you don't have to feel fear about telling us DIO's Stand ability. We're going to kill him in a few days, all thanks to your help. You won't have to worry about that soon dead man taking revenge on you."
'…Is this a joke?! You guys won't even get past Vanilla Ice! No way will I get myself killed by telling you about [The World]!' D'Arby thought, shaking like a naked man in winter, while sweating like a fully clothed man in summer. His eyes were so open, but the gap between his teeth was so narrow.
"…Judging by your silence, you must overestimate the horror awaiting you if you lose. But… that shit is nowhere near as terrifying as what's gonna happen to you if you win." Kira threatened with a menacing smile, explicitly whispering the next part into his ear. "As of now, my soul's not part of the wager, right? So if you win, you'll get the souls of Avdol, Kakyoin-kun and Jotaro, but not mine. Admittedly, if I were to be left alone, I couldn't beat you at your game. But there are a multitude of things I'd do to you… With my Stand, I can cleanly blow off your body parts without damaging others. You'd lose your fingers, toes, hands, feet, arms, legs, all one by one until you're left a torso with a head. And then… I'd leave you alone, helplessly against the world. Pretty sure you have many enemies alive right now, friends and relatives of those whose souls you've stolen. They'd love to inflict the pain you've inflicted on them by killing their friends and family manyfold back on you… Infact, I'd be willing to leave your cock and balls intact for the sole purpose of giving them and opportunity to do with you as they please… You'd be wishing for me to come back and protect you, in exchange for offering back the souls of my companions and telling me DIO's Stand ability and location… So tell me, Dumbie, what scenario would be worse for you, losing or winning this match?"
That was a horror story. A nightmare story. Its scariness-factor amplified manyfold by the gambler's current state of mind. And he listened to every single word of it. Yoshikage was cruel with his words, crueller than his past actions with [Killer Queen].
Back when D'Arby first got to know DIO, that man was the essence of charismatic, binding fear itself. Though Kira… Within that description of his, it was as if he removed his human mask and showed a glimpse of a true monster lurking deep within him. A being more terrifying than even a vampire such as DIO.
The gambler, whose initial fear was vastly overshadowed by a new, more potent fear, reached the breaking point. His eyes went blank, rolling back. Foam poured out of his mouth. And his back gave in, making him fall on his back.
Daniel J. D'Arby had admitted defeat in his heart.
"AH!" the cherry boy and the egyptian let out after this moment of heat, tensed up to their core. This was such a grand happening.
"…" The young Joestar, who was sure his bluff would've worked without the extra help from Yoshikage, was surprised too. The level of intimidation Kira cast on DIO's man was beyond Jotaro's own expectations. "What…"
"Waaaaaa! He passed out!" the dealer kid called, not knowing what to do.
Upon the defeat of D'Arby, the spirits of Polnareff and Joseph, trapped inside chips, got their freedom, returning to their respective bodies.
"Joestar-san and Polnareff! Their souls are back!" Avdol loudly celebrated, finally bearing a relieved and happy expression.
"They're saved!" Kakyoin rejoiced.
Both the frenchman and the old Joestar were slowly regaining bodily consciousness. "…Huh… Wha-"
"It's good to have you back!" Yoshikage happily let know.
Meanwhile, while the focus wasn't on him, the young Joestar peeked below his own cards. The unconscious D'Arby had 4 Kings. And he only had shitty cards. 'Yare Yare, if I had known what crap I have, I would've had a heart attack. Good think my bluff… and Kira's words worked.'
Also meanwhile, the gambler regained part of what he's lost. Say, his consciousness. Though his sanity, he didn't manage to regain that. "Duhuhuhuehuehehe… Guarghaha! Hee hee hee hahehehe!" D'Arby laughed like a maniac. Out of his chip collection book, all the souls he'd taken over the course of his Stand user life were released, passing on. Due to their physical bodies being long dead, they all just went to heaven instead.
"Heh heh heh heh! Hey, everyone! Let's play some mahjong! Backgammon is also fun! Dice is too!"
"…He doesn't look sane enough to be interrogated about DIO." Avdol pointed out, sweatdropping as he awkwardly watched the state of this man.
"So you're saying we gambled and wasted our time… for nothing?!" Noriaki complained, upset that he bet his soul for zero reward.
"Good lord, what did you say to him, Kira?" Jotaro questioned, weirded out by how harmless that dangerous man became.
"That…" Kira placed his right index finger in front of his lips which curled into a cheeky smirk "…is a secret."
I've finished yet another chapter. The chapter before the crusaders reach DIO's mansion. To be honest, not much changed in this fight compared to the original, the result is largely the same. Though I consider the D'Arby fight to be a must-have for Stardust Crusaders, even for fanfics. Him and Hol Horse + J. Geil are must-haves because they're the most important and memorable minor villains in this part of JoJo, not counting Kakyoin and Polnareff who were converted into protagonists. Quoting Anasui from Part 6, "Fuck's sake! If there's no D'Arby, this shit ain't Stardust Crusaders!"
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