Tally for OP: MCIINII
Total: 7
Tally for No OP MEIII
Total: 5
M = NotMrMundy's vote for either or.
C = CGOLChris suggests having the OP but put it right before Giorno meets the gang.
E = E. Paradox voted for no OP, but suggested making a dedicated chapter for the OPs and EDs just to get it out of the way, which is smart.
N = Nobody votes for OP but use the translated version as it has important themes in the lyrics.
- A/N -
Hello! I'd first like to apologize for the long wait. Honestly, college and financial aid seem like a lot more hassle than it should be.
Besides that, my predecessor, Kyraptor, actually messaged me. I was actually surprised to see him still around. He said he liked what I was doing and gave me the go-ahead to consider mine a spiritual successor. To which I thanked him.
I should also at least explain. After counting all of the reviewers' votes on chapter 4, I decided to add the OP. However, I decided to follow some of the ideas that some have left behind. That being that I would
- Make it its own chapter. That way, for those who aren't interested in the OP, they could skip it.
- Place it just before the RWBY cast meets Bruno's gang, which should be Episode 5. I prefer it this way as I don't want to have the cast wonder who the people are in the OP for two episodes. I figured I should just show the OP the same episode they would meet them.
However, another reviewer posed something that I figured I should at least ask.
"Should the OP reviews be canon?" The cast will still react to them with all the knowledge they had prior to the OP chapters. I'm only asking this question if I should have the characters remember the OP in future chapters.
- Reviews -
Midnight49: I agree with the sentiment of Fugo's clothing. He had a nice suit in the flashbacks about Mista. Why are there holes in it now?
E. Paradox: Thank you for your compliments and suggestion.
Greer123: As to you and everyone else reading!
CGOLChris: I like your idea, so I decided to do that for the OPs.
Proto 150: Never thought I would get a review from you! I remember seeing your Jojo react fic in early March, and that was what inspired me to actually publish Golden Remnant. I should also say, that Guest review on the fifth chapter talking about the Jotaro vs DIO was me before I made this account.
X3runner: Your idea of Jaune's mother being obsessive was actually a great idea. I will say, I didn't use the idea of her painting Jaune's hair blond, but I kept to the same idea that you presented. Also, about Blake's fake transcripts. Ozpin knew, but no one else did. So it would've been easy for him to sweep it under the rug. With Jaune however, Cardin presented it to the headmaster. If he didn't do anything then he would've exposed Jaune to other people. Then Ozpin would've been ostracized for letting in someone who faked his way in. So he kind of had to in order to avoid that.
Nobody: Don't worry about the spam. Your reviews went into my 'Moderate Reviews' tab and I went through all of it. I actually liked your ideas that I chose I would use later down the line. I also chose to approve of all of the reviews you posted because of that.
God of Wind 200: Don't worry, I won't. For the most part, I'll try not to change too much or add my own things to the Jojo part of the reactions. I'll try to keep it as close to the source as much as possible, with the only exceptions being mentions of things from Earth that would never be present in Remnant.
Nightwolf776: I certainly hope I can achieve that. If I get to ten episodes in this reaction, I'd probably take a little break before getting back to it. And no, I'm not abandoning it.
The students finish up their snacks as they discuss about Jaune's predicament.
Cardin sat lonely, contemplating how he should deal with the Jaune situation. Jaune, the guy who has no backbone, now has a strange ability and a personality change. Should he say 'sorry' and hope that he'll forgive him? Or should he try as best he can to avoid him?
Ozpin's inner circle discuss with each other in private. Trying to ensure that no one else besides them knew what they were talking about. While the two professors consider the idea to bring Jaune back into Beacon.
Nicolas stared at the blank screen with a long distance stare while his daughter tried to catch his attention.
Cinder informs Emerald and Mercury about what they can and can't say, and most importantly, to not attract attention.
Roman eyes her from a distance before returning his attention to the ice-cream themed girl beside him.
"I suppose everyone here is ready to continue?" The Entertainer asked, to be met with general consensus of 'yes'. "If that's the case, then please reserve any questions until after the showing."
Giorno is seen sitting down in front of graffiti on a wall, the most prominent text reading 'BUON GIORNO' in bold orange as a narrator spoke up.
"Jaune Arc. His father is DIO Brando. DIO always saw women as mere tools or food, so it's unknown how Jaune's mother was able to give birth to Jaune fifteen years ago without being killed."
Everyone in the cast felt something when they heard that. Some felt hatred, some felt disgust.
Nicolas tried to keep his expression steady, but didn't know what to think. Why was his beloved wife so infatuated with a man like him.
"Did I hear that right?" Emerald pitched in. Hesitant, due to drawing some attention while her boss was beside her, and with the information presented. "He considered women food?"
"Jaune's father was a… cannibal?" Nora thought aloud.
The teachers didn't exactly know what to think. That one of their student's biological father killed and potentially feasted on corpses.
"Jaune's mother was a very beautiful woman, who cared greatly for her son. She would always tell Jaune that he reminds her of his father."
"She holds him in high praise, even though he eats women?" Weiss said, trying her best to keep her stomach from acting up.
"Just who was Jaune's father?!" Yang shouted out. She was obviously furious, but was glad that he was dead according to Jotaro. If he were alive, what would've he done to her little sister.
"It seems like we're getting a flashback." Winter tried to change the subject. "I don't quite understand why we're getting this now though."
"Perhaps this will explain his ability." Cinder smoothly said. Most realized that and proceeded to listen.
The two were found in a small apartment living room, light creeping in through the blinds.
"My dada?" The toddler of Jaune asked his mother, who smiled dearly.
"Yes, your father. His defined facial features, his silky blond hair, and his sharp eyes. Everything perfect about Lord DIO." She picked up the toddler off her lap and brought him in for a hug.
Most people went silent at this scene, they could tell that she cared for Jaune, but weren't sure if it was for the right reasons.
'Lord DIO?' Ozpin thought for a moment. DIO Brando has proven to him, along with his inner circle, that he is an enigma.
While some of the cast were considering the idea that she might've been brainwashed, Nicolas just sat there, thinking hard about the moments spent with his wife.
'You have such pretty eyes.' Her voice echoed from the first time they met.
'I think you should broaden your shoulders a bit more' She had told him. Two months after their first encounter, they were regularly meeting every week.
'I'm fit enough as is.' He told her, he was already at the peak of his fitness, especially at his age.
'Mmm, true. But I feel~ as though you should increase your muscle size~' She playfully told him. 'I like someone who's strong.' She whispered in his ear.
His eyes widened.
'I love your blond hair! It has such a nice tone.' She smiled at him sincerely, much like the smile she gave to Jaune as a toddler.
Nicolas didn't want to consider it. He wanted to think otherwise, but his mind told him anyway.
Did she fall in love with him because he looked similar to DIO Brando? If the picture in Jaune's wallet and the image shown when Koichi was remembering about an arrow is anything to go by, then they both had the same traits. Strong physiques with blond hair and blue eyes.
He clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to accept it.
"The two lived in Mistral after Jaune was born. When Jaune was four, his mother got married."
"She married a huntsman, and therefore, Jaune's future was already set for him." The narrator went silent to let the family member speak.
"Your great-great-grandfather was a warrior who fought in the Great War." Mr. Arc knelt down to see young Jaune. Revealing his clean face and deep blue eyes. "He was an experienced fighter who fought in many battles."
Jaune listened intently as his step-father told him the lineage of the Arc's.
"His son went on to become a warrior to keep the peace as the world was still healing from the war. And his son became a huntsman, protecting towns outside the Kingdom walls. And now, it's my turn to protect people against the Grimm." Nicolas pulled out Crocea Mors and presented it to the awestruck boy.
"This weapon has been passed down to every generation. And someday, it'll be your turn to wield the family heirloom." Jaune's eyes widened at shining sword and shield.
"Ah!" Port turned his attention to the Arc. "It's impressive, a strong family line of warriors."
Nicolas returned his attention to his surroundings. "Yes. Thank you."
"I remember he told me about his great-great-grandfather's weapon, but I don't think he ever told me the rest of the family." Ruby told them. Both Jaune's family and the rest of the students.
"But, before Nicolas married Jaune's mother, he had a wife before. Many times he had tried to get a son, but every time he would only receive a daughter. With Jaune being the only son of the family, he trained him day and night."
A hard thwack resonated throughout the room, followed by the pained screams of Jaune.
"Come on, Jaune! COME ON!" Nicolas' roaring voice shook the room. "If you think you can become a huntsman with such poor effort, then you'll get nowhere in life!"
When Jaune was five, he sparred against his father in order to learn how to swordfight. Every mistake he made would earn him a hard strike with a wooden training sword.
Team NPR and RWBY were shocked to say the least.
"Isn't that a bit, too much?" Nora said hesitantly while turning to Jaune's father.
"That's… a little rough, man." Mercury shook his head. He could obviously relate. His father would beat him and said it was training.
"A little? I don't think it was necessary to say that to him!" Yang shouted, her anger getting to her.
Oobleck and Port were quiet. It wasn't in their place to say anything, but truthfully, this kind of behaviour presented to the authorities could be considered abuse.
"I admit." Nicolas said, everyone's eyes on him. "That it is wrong of me to do this to Jaune. Training a child that isn't my own to become my family's warrior. And most certainly, I had gone too far to teach him how to fight."
There was a moment of silence when Nicolas finished, the people who cared about Jaune thought for a moment.
"Mr. Arc" Glynda got his attention. "You said, 'Training a child that isn't my own-' Had Jaune been your own biological child, would you have done the same thing to him?"
As people remembered the wording that Nicolas used, their gaze returned to the man in question.
"...I would train him diligently, yes." He told them. "Maybe not to the extent I went with for Jaune, but I still would've trained him. I was desperate to have a successor, my family has had warriors, huntsman, each generation. It's a part of the family tradition."
Nicolas said that last sentence with such conviction and confidence, that it was clear that nothing would persuade his mind otherwise. With that, the ones who are concerned decided to drop it. However, another question arose.
"Well, why didn't his mother try to convince you to ease it down?" Pyrrha didn't like knowing that her friend went through this much trouble at a young age. While she had trained at a young age as well, she was well older than Jaune was when he started, along with having such kind and patient masters to learn from.
"Actually," Saphron answered her. "I remember I asked her about that. If my father was being a bit too harsh with Jaune. But she told me that she was fine with it." This drew surprised looks from the younger cast as well as the teachers of Beacon.
The scene cuts to a montage of Jaune exercising, training with his father, and being cared for by his older sisters. Each new scene shows Jaune older and stronger.
"Because each passing day, he was starting to look more and more like his father." She looked down as she remembered vividly. "I thought she was talking about my father. But now that I know about Jaune's original father, I realize now that she was referring to DIO."
The teachers, including Ozpin's inner circle, grew concern over Jaune's family. His father was a potential killer, his step-father trained him harshly at a young age that should've been spent enjoying life, and his mother was willfully blind to all of this.
The students sat there sadly. Family is usually there to help you up. To hear that his family, while maybe having good intentions, caused him so much grief was a thought they couldn't bear.
Some of the villains, while their moods were a bit down, didn't exactly care too much. They don't even know this guy. But, Mercury just felt pity for him.
"His youth was spent struggling to become an efficient fighter. Despite how much he was taught on how to use a sword, he was never taught how to fend for himself in social situations. This made Jaune the perfect target to be picked on."
Scenes from when Cardin would often shove Jaune out of the way were shown. He had a sick smile each time he hit the boy. Before the scene reveals the moment where it all went wrong.
"Oh, Jaune..." Cardin pulls himself up onto the roof of the building. The night when Cardin found out about Jaune's secret.
Pyrrha's eyes widen. This happened after she left him on the roof.
"Cardin!" Jaune called out, fearful from his tormentor.
"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I gotta say, Jaune, I never expected you to be such a rebel!"
"Please, Cardin, please, don't tell anyone!" The blond student begged of him.
"Jaune, come on! I'd never rat on a friend like that!" Cardin oozed sarcasm, but Jaune didn't know how to read situations properly.
"A... A friend?"
"Of course!" Cardin wraps his arm around Jaune's neck. "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time."
Jaune was dropped to the ground with a thud, taking in as much air as he was down.
"That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?" Cardin tells him, as he rubs his knuckle on the boy's head. "That's what I thought. Don't worry, Jaune. Your secret's safe with me."
Cardin walks away with a smug grin back to his dorm's window.
Pyrrha's eyebrows scrunched up in anger. If only she knew that was how Cardin found out, if only she did something to stop this from ever happening. She turned to him, furious. Just like all the other students did.
Cardin didn't care for the students though, since his concern is with trying to survive from the fury of Nicolas Arc, experienced huntsman. But for now, Nicolas will have to wait.
The scene fades to a forest of red leaves and grass. Forever Falls. The class was taking a trip to the place to gather samples for a professor.
"Cardin, wh-what's going on?" Jaune was dragged away by his bully for his plan. Cardin simply stared at the group of students, more specifically, Pyrrha.
"Payback."
"Pyrrha...?" He realized. "Wh-what are you-?"
"That's the girl. Red-haired know-it-all, thinks she's so smart. Alright, boys..." The leader called his team's attention. "Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work. Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things love sweets. I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two."
Cardin grabs Jaune's hand as he yanks him upward. "And you're gonna do it."
Cardin felt a bead of sweat roll down his face. His actions being revealed to the class of students along with the teachers and headmaster of Beacon.
"To think such behavior would be present in our school." Port shook his head. "I'm disappointed in you, Mr. Winchester."
"Yeesh, and to think I'm the criminal in this theater." The most wanted man in Vale told his partner-in-crime.
Jaune looked at him concerned. "Do what?" Cardin growled at the denseness of this kid.
"Hit her with the sap!" The mace-wielding student got in close to Jaune's ear. "Either that, or I'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."
The four watch as Jaune aims his jar toward the red-haired girl.
"Though he was scared, he thought about the kindness he was shown by his teammates, and the shame that he would bring to the Arc name. In an act of defiance, Jaune decided to stand up for himself."
"No." The four were confused before Cardin grew angry.
"What did you say?"
"I said... NO!" Jaune quickly turned to throw the jar at his bully.
Some of the students snicker at the misfortune of Cardin.
Cardin stood for a moment, at the mess on his armor, before he started to laugh. The scene plays out as normal, Jaune was beaten up to a pulp, the Ursa Major shows up and Jaune slices its head off, unbeknownst to him receiving help from his team member. Going over to the stunned student. He helps him up.
"Don't ever mess with my team, my friends, ever again." Jaune looks at him in the eyes. "Got it?" Cardin looks at him, surprised, before nodding.
As Jaune walked away to get back to his team. The look on Cardin's face scrunched up. The thought of being outshined by some spineless wimp infuriated him.
"Even though he was saved by Jaune, that night, he met with Ozpin to present the information to him."
Cardin is seen talking to Ozpin with a smile, while the headmaster had his hands cupping his chin, he closed his eyes in shame.
"The next day, Jaune was expelled for falsifying transcripts into a huntsman academy."
"Oz, you sure you expelled the right student?" Qrow turned his attention to the headmaster. Ozpin just closed his eyes once more.
"Y'know man, I definitely mess with people time to time." Sun told the lonesome student. "But you're kind of a scumbag."
"What?" He looked at him, trying to regain his usual attitude. "You got a problem, filthy animal?" The teachers looked at him disgustingly
"Cardin Winchester." Glynda commanded. "Should we get back to the academy, we're both going to have a talk about your actions and your place in our school. Is that clear?" She sternly told him off.
Cardin started to falter a bit, but managed to give a 'Hmph' in response.
"Not long after, rumors about Jaune appeared and spread like wildfire. As his reputation in Vale plummeted, he felt a deepening pit in his stomach. The fear of coming back home a useless failure to his father scared him deeply."
Jaune was in a motel room, somewhere in Vale. He was hyperventilating as he tried to cool his nerves. Opening up a vial, he applied the contents of it to his hair, dyeing it black. Later, he's seen boarding an airship to Naples.
"Since then, he picked up the habit of trying to read people. Trying to see if they're really good intentioned or not. If they're telling the truth or lying."
Jaune was seen in a rundown apartment. He applied to join a general education school there. Despite his failures being unknown in Naples, he still faced harassment from students there due to his lack of confidence.
"He started to believe that he was the lowest scum to walk on Remnant, and that it was only a matter of time until he would grow up to be like the rest of the twisted people who lived in this world."
Saphron's eyes started to tear up. It hurts her to even hear this happened to Jaune.
"But a certain incident would save Jaune from this fate."
Jaune was walking, downtrodden, on his way back from school. When he looked to the side, a man, seeming to be in his mid-twenties and wearing a trench coat, was lying down as he bled out. Jaune was about to reach out and ask if he was okay. Until his attention was drawn by four men, each wearing suits.
"Damn it! Where did he go?"
"Find him! Don't let him get away!" One of them say. "He can't get far with those wounds."
"You don't think he went into someone's house, do you?"
"Keep your eyes on the ground! There should be blood."
"You go straight ahead. We'll go this way."
The group turned their attention to the black-haired student.
"Hey, kid." The gang member asked him. "Have you seen an injured man around here? He's tall and has black hair."
Roman perked up slightly, knowing who those men are gang members looking to finish off the man from earlier. Mercury and Emerald figured it out too.
Teams RWBY and NPR were worried for their friend. He shouldn't be getting involved with those types of people.
"Stay safe, Jaune." Saphron uttered.
Over with the teachers, they wonder if these are the people that made Jaune prone to petty thievery.
Jaune just looked at him before pointing away from the man they're looking for.
"He went that way." He said with an expressionless face.
"That way?" Another one asks. "He won't be able to move fast with those wounds! Let's find him!" He runs off, his two colleagues tailing after him.
"Huh, look at that." Roman put out his cigar. "Looks like the kid's not a snitch."
The students and adults were wondering why he chose to lie.
However, the one who ask Jaune stayed there, looking at his face.
"He felt no fear. He just felt that the man on the ground also seemed alone and defeated, just like him."
"I see now." Ozpin said. "Jaune must've seen himself in that position."
"Yeah, and I wonder whose fault that was." Nora turned her attention to the one who exposed Jaune.
Cardin was still nervous, his facade of being a tough guy was starting to crack.
"Y-Yeah, so what? I'd still do it again."
The students gave him their low opinions of the bully, while the teachers knew that they had to deal with this situation when they get back.
The gang member looked around just to be sure that the kid isn't lying.
"Come on!" His coworker called out to him.
"Coming!" He proceeded to chase after his group to catch up.
"Thankfully, the man was hidden behind the grass, which was suddenly taller. This was due to Jaune's Gold Experience ability, but Jaune didn't know he had this ability yet, so he did it subconsciously."
Jaune looked at where the man was, confused why there was suddenly a lot of grass around him. Before shrugging and going about his business.
"So this is when he got his ability." People acknowledged what Cinder said, but didn't suspect anything.
"Perhaps a traumatic event is needed in order to receive a Stand." Ironwood mused.
"Is that what they're called?" Nora asked the General. "So a semblance, but not a semblance?"
"It could be a category of semblances, but they seem to call them Stands as though they're completely separate from them." Ironwood responded.
"Around two weeks later…"
It was a rainy day. Jaune was walking through the streets with a yellow umbrella. While a man in a black umbrella stands by waiting for him. As Jaune got close, the man stands in front of him.
"I'll never forget what you did for me." With that, the man turns around and walks away. Leaving Jaune stunned for a moment.
"He saved someone's life." Saphron was practically hugging her father.
"Leader's kindness still shines!" Nora celebrated the fact as Ren tried to get her in her seat again.
"Well, that's one good thing to happen to him while he was gone." Yang turned to her team.
Among the teachers, they spoke to each other.
"Sure he did have to lie, but in the end. The kid saved someone." Qrow turned his head to the headmaster. "Think that's enough to take him back in?"
Ozpin thought for a moment. "I didn't think you were acquainted with Mr. Arc's son." Qrow turned his head to the group of students.
"No, but it seems it would make them happy." He looked specifically to his nieces and their friend's team.
"Not long after, the harassment that Jaune faced died down quickly. The mean kids changed their tune."
The students were helping Jaune whenever they could, while smiling.
"The man was a gangster." The man watched it play out, before turning away.
"Wait, what?!" Pyrrha surprised like all the other students.
"I thought he was a huntsman, or maybe someone with influence in the area!" Ruby exclaimed. Roman saw this as an opportunity to gloat to the kid more.
"He does have influence, Little Red. He's a gangster." He smugly told her.
"I'm talking about good influence, not bad influence. Like you." Ruby pointed her finger at him.
"Influence is influence, you'll realize that when you grow up, Red."
"Here you go, kid!" Jaune stared in shock.
"This is… too much." He looked at his ice cream cone, A scoop of pistachio with a scoop of chocolate. "I think there's been a mistake."
He smiles. "The scoop of chocolate is my treat!"
"Thanks..."
"Don't sweat it! That guy always takes really good care of me." He looks off to the distance, while Jaune does the same to see what he was talking about. They both see the gangster Jaune had saved as he began to walk away.
"That was pretty nice of him." Ruby said to her team. "But I don't trust him, isn't he a baddie?"
"People can still be good despite their affiliation." Blake responded to her team leader, remembering her past of being a White Fang member.
"R-Right, sorry, Blake." She hesitantly apologized. "But this guy is a gang member! You know, a criminal!"
"The man would always just quietly watch over him. Despite Jaune becoming someone who always tried to read other people's moods, the man treated him with respect as a human being. Jaune learned how to trust others, a natural trait that he had lost, from silent interactions with a stranger."
"Despite his profession." Port talked. "It's nice to see that Jaune is getting treated nicely."
"I'm sure it's only due to Jaune Arc saving his life." Winter addressed the professor, to which he responded.
"Why, of course! But to go to such lengths to show his gratitude. It's heartwarming."
The evening sun was setting, painting the city in orange. Jaune walks back to his apartment from school as a gunshot is heard. The civilians around him are scared, some mentioning that they shouldn't get involved. Jaune was about to turn away until he noticed the man who had turned his life around.
"N-No, he didn't, did he?" Nora didn't want to think he did.
"He… may have done it." Ren told Nora as he held on to her.
He ran up close to talk to him.
"U-Um..." He hesitantly muttered to the men.
"What is it?" His partner asked him. While the gangster just walked past, not batting Jaune an eye.
"The man acted somewhat cruelly, determined not to drag Jaune into the world of gangsters."
"Hey, wait up!" His partner runs up behind him as Jaune just watches them. A kid, somewhat younger than Jaune, shoves him aside.
"Hold it!" The two gangsters stop in their tracks before turning around. "You're the one who killed my dad, aren't you?!" The kid pulled out a handgun and aimed it at the two.
Everyone, for the most part, was shocked. The one who Jaune saved from dying killed someone, a father no less.
"He is bad." Ruby said quietly, the events from this saddening her. Yang, on the other hand, started to grow hatred toward him. Tai was the only parental figure for the two. If he had died, then.
Qrow looked down, sad to hear this as well.
"Perhaps that man isn't as good as I thought." Port went back on his word. "He doesn't look any older than Jaune, and his father is gone."
"It's true." Oobleck backed him up. "Many kids that I've seen who grew up without a father often don't know what to do."
"You little shit! Damn it!" The partner says, struggling to pull out his gun. However, the gangster puts his hand on his shoulder, signifying to hold his fire. He stepped forward to address the boy.
"Damn it!" His aim was shaky. "Damn it!"
"Your dad was scum." The gangster's voice was low and rough. "He broke the rules of my turf by selling drugs. He even sold them to women and children. That's why I killed him."
"He killed someone, for that reason?" Weiss was dumbfounded.
"Hold up there." Sun grabbed her attention. "Drugs really are a big problem there though."
"He was selling them to kids." Pyrrha couldn't believe it. "But that boy is going to grow up without a parent."
Ruby listened to all of this and couldn't tell what to think. This gangster killed someone's father because he was selling drugs.
She couldn't forgive him for killing someone's father, but she remembered the faunus kid from the start of this, how he tried to spend what little lien he had for a bag of drugs. So is he good for stopping drugs? Or bad because he took someone's parent away? She honestly didn't know.
Tears ran down the boy's face before it scrunched up. He shouted as he tried to pull the trigger. After realizing that the gun wouldn't fire, he tried to pull it again and again, to no avail.
"How? Why?!" The kid starts to cry more. "Why can't I shoot? You're… You're a piece of scum, too!"
Roman's expression looked down. As great as the criminal underworld is for him, it can get very dirty. Meanwhile, Neo was shaking her head in disappointment, the boy hadn't undo the safety of the gun, which is why the trigger didn't budge.
The two gangsters walk away, leaving the kid alone.
"Jaune didn't think the man was scum in the least. Bizarrely, the gangs that committed crimes and broke the law were what straightened out Jaune's heart." Jaune looked as the two walked away. A small, thankful smile creeping its way onto his face.
"In a city where politicians were corrupt and the police didn't protect the weak, Jaune Arc found his reason to live." While the narration continues, images of Jaune from moments of time revealed that he let his black hair fade away to revert back to his blond hair. Symbolising how he finally gained his courage to face life's challenges.
"Rather than looking up to a skilled huntsman, he wanted to become a Gang-Star!"
Nicolas wondered. Was his actions the reason Jaune was led down this path?
"From this backstory, I can sympathize with our dear student." Ozpin said, drawing the attention of everyone. "But for his sake, I hope he doesn't succeed."
"To that, I agree." Glynda said as well.
Nicolas finally said something. Quiet enough for no one else to hear.
"Come back home, Jaune." Despite the many harsh things he told him during training, he still loved his son.
Roman and Neo's interest in the viewing were increasing. Who knows? They might pick up some information that they could use later.
On the topic of information, Cinder had a smile on her, she wanted to know more about Stands.
As the backstory completed, the cast is yet again reminded of Bruno licking Giorno's sweaty face.
"This taste… is the taste of someone who's lying!"
"My name is Bruno Bucciarati. Answer me. Your questioning has already turned into torture."
The ghostly fist of Bruno strikes Giorno as he flies back to the top of the car. The zipper covering more space around his upper body.
"Does your head feel wobbly, as if it's about to fall off?" Bruno continues to gloat. "Though I'm pretty sure you have no idea what I've done to you."
Giorno feels the area where the zipper has affected him, feeling a void area where his body should be.
'My body has a zipper?!'
"Hmm. Just like how Jaune is able to turn things into living creatures, his ability must be related to zippers." Ozpin theorized.
The cable car continues its way through a dark tunnel.
"Giorno Giovanna." Bruno calls out. The citizens from earlier looking in horror at what's happening. "If I wanted to, I could roll your head around like a ball while I ask you who did Leaky Eye Luca in."
Giorno tried his best to sit upright, holding his other half up to prevent himself tearing in two.
'I don't think I could withstand another one of his attacks. He'll tear me apart!' Bruno lost patience with Giorno's silence, as he marched his way to him.
'I only noticed my special semblance after deciding to become a Gang-Star,' The faint outline of Gold Experience could be seen, but Bruno didn't notice it. 'but I've never used Gold Experience to attack another human.'
"Beat him up, Jaune!" Nora cheered on.
"Jaune has to defend himself." Pyrrha stressed. Knowing that Bucciarati is a dangerous individual.
The two stood off against each other, waiting for the other to make their move.
'When Gold Experience hits something, it can give it life.' Giorno's mind remembered the lien he stole from the tourist, as he did with Koichi's luggage, and how he used it to get out of Echoes' range.
'Any object can change into any living thing. But...' Giorno snapped out of it. 'Even I don't know what'll happen if it attacks another human being!'
The students were invested in the fight, as were the adults and the villains. They watched with anticipation for Jaune's next move.
"Answer me, Giorno Giovanna!" Bruno took the initiative and made a right hook at Giorno, his Stand's fist appearing beneath his.
'I don't have any other choice!' Giorno quickly drew out his power. Light glittering as the sounds of glass ring out. His Stand knocking the arm away from Giorno.
"Muda!" It cried out.
"What?!" Buciaratti was surprised to be met with Giorno's Stand. He stumbled back as he took in the sight of the enemy. "Y-You're...a Stand user! So you could see my ability!"
This perked up Cinder's ears.
"Does he mean to say that his ability can't be seen to other people?" She gave it some thought. 'No, could he be talking about Stands in general? Could Stands not be seen by anyone else?'
Giorno was confused at what the gang member was saying to him. "A what user? You mean my semblance?" Bruno didn't care to answer him.
"So you're the one who attacked Luca!" He quickly launched a backfist at the blond, but was quickly countered. Gold Experience roared as his fist glowed, sending Buciaratti flying back to the bottom of the car.
While still in the air, light energy coursed through his body. He landed with a thud, causing the nearby onlookers to gasp in shock.
"Nice!" Yang punched the air. "He got a solid hit on him!"
"Wait." Blake asked. "Doesn't his Stand give life to non-living things?"
Everyone else watched to see what would happen.
Giorno kept his eye on Bruno, checking to see if he would get up. When his hand didn't make any movements, he withdrew his Stand making his way to him. But as he did, Bruno started to regain his strength.
'Didn't Gold Experience hit him head-on?' He stopped in his tracks. 'Then he should at least have a broken bone or two.'
Light shines through the windows as the cable car reaches the end of the tunnel.
"You bastard..." Bruno reaches out for one of the bars to prop himself up. However, as he leaned on to it, the metal bar bent away, his hand leaving an imprint on the part where he grabbed it.
"Uhh..." Nora's mouth gaped open. "That's not suppose to happen, is it?"
"Is that what happens when he brings life to a living person?" Pyrrha asked to those around her. She started to sweat, nervous what Jaune might have to go up against now.
"Wh-What?" He recoiled, he looked to Giorno and his Stand. "What did you do to me, you bastard?!" Trying to get up to continue his interrogation, his foot launched him all the way to in front of Giorno. Giving the two surprised looks.
"What the? I was just trying to stand..." Bruno appeared to levitate in the air while his interrogee stood there dumbfounded. "I'm overflowing with power!" He looked to his hands as a golden yellow aura enveloped him.
"I can feel more power rising in me… It's as though my body's been filled with the gasoline of life." Snapping out of his trance, Bruno saw the movements of Gold Experience coming right at him.
'What?Its movements look slow.' He easily dodged the yellow-clad Stand as he weaved his way around it and faced Giorno. 'Could it be that I ended up like this because of your ability?'
"Jaune! No!" Pyrrha practically screamed, snapping others out of their focus.
"You're suppose to beat him, not help him!" Ruby was freaking out.
"Well, I guess it's over." Mercury decided to stop his attention on the screen, thinking that's all the fight is going to be.
"That was pretty dumb move." Emerald deadpanned.
"You dunce! Even with a powerful semblance, or Stand, you're inefficient at fighting for your life!" Weiss berated the expelled student. While his father disapprovingly listened.
A sick smile found its way on to Bruno's face. 'You're a fool if you have a Stand that grants your enemies power!' He reeled his fist to prepare to strike.
"Take this, Giorno Giovanna!" But his fist never landed. Instead, it went through Giorno's jaw, followed by the entirety of his body passing through him.
Bruno quickly turned around to see if Giorno was even hurt at all. But noticed that he was still where he was.
"What just...?" Saphron opened her eyes to see Jaune was still okay.
"What did he do to him?" Sun's eyebrow raised.
"What? I can see myself… What am I doing back there?" He took notice of the bar he used to grab. "The handle's not bent! Did I misunderstand what's going on?"
He tried to understand what went wrong in his logic. "I just thought I was moving with incredible power… But my body's actually still over there, and my consciousness just jumped out, and that's what's over here?"
"So." Ozpin thought. "It seems that his mind was moving faster than his body was."
"He was practically thinking a mile a minute!" Oobleck swiftly stated.
But Gold Experience's glowing fist was making its way toward the mafioso.
"Crap! I have to dodge!" He started to sprint to get back to his body, but was too late as a powerful fist dug into his left face. Immediately after making contact, his apparition disappeared, leaving only the hurt Bruno.
'I-It hurts! A very sharp pain is gradually hitting me!' The mafioso was powerless as he was forced to endure the shearing pain. Having to feel his tooth be knocked out of him longer than it should've.
'It's not that Giorno's slow… It's that my consciousness went berserk!'
Time seemed to have resumed as Giorno's Stand called out.
"MUDA!"
Bruno, once again, was launched even further downward.
Neo was tugging on Roman's coat excitedly, when he turned his gaze to her, she was pointing at the screen with a smile. An ability to maximize the most pain for her victim was something that she could only dream of.
"Yes, yes, Neo. Pretty impressive power." Roman smiled at her.
"That's a pretty terrifying ability." Sun said as the others agreed around him
"Terrifying's one way to describe it." Neptune said the the monkey faunus.
"It appears that when I have Gold Experience give a living being extra life," He got out of his battle stance to muse a bit. "they go berserk… or at least, just their senses do."
The zipper on the young blond zipped itself up before disappearing in a blue glow.
"I don't know why I have this ability," The camera reveals the booming pose of Giorno and his Stand. Gold Experience placing its hands on its hip while slightly squatting, while Giorno had his arms around its waist. "but I'll definitely be taking advantage of it."
The cast witnessed the pose Jaune pulled off. It was strange, it was funny, and was most definitely bizarre.
Even more bizarre was that Blake found it hot. The scene reminding her of one of her books.
The fight hasn't gone unnoticed as a bystander points his finger to Giorno.
"Hey, what the hell are you guys doing? I'm gonna call the police!"
"Wait, can't he see Jaune's ability?" Neptune wondered.
"You mean his, uh, Stand?" Sun turned to his teammate.
"Stand, ghost, thing, whatever! He can't see it?" Suddenly, it all started to click for the headmaster and Cinder.
"Stands must be an ability that no one else can see." Ozpin concluded.
"What makes you say that?" His assistant asked him. Everyone's attention was placed on him.
"It has to be the only explanation as to why no one has ever heard of a Stand before. Not to mention, that person doesn't notice the floating beings present. As one of the students have said, they're like a ghost."
'Seems like my thoughts were right. No one but other people who have the same ability can see it.' It was quite a terrifying thought. She then remembered how they call them 'users', which gave her an idea.
A powerful yet strange ability being unseen by a majority of people who would write it off as a semblance, that has the possibility to be obtained. The only question is, how?
'Going through another traumatic event in my life is something I'd rather not go through again.' She thought to herself. 'So there has to be another way to obtain a Stand.'
Giorno quickly calmed down the man as he made his way toward the downed mafioso.
"I'm sorry for all the ruckus. Please rest assured that we'll make sure not to involve any civilians." Giorno's attention was back on Bruno as he coughed out the blood and saliva from his throat. He covered his mouth as he looked up to his assailant.
'So this is Giorno Giovanna's Stand?' Sharp blue eyes looking at him. 'No… It doesn't seem like he even knows what a Stand is. But this ability...' Giorno cuts his thoughts.
"It appears as though both of our abilities only reach a few meters." As blood leaks from his mouth, he clicks his tongue at hearing this.
"And here I thought you were just some brat who wasn't affiliated with any organization…" Bruno's anger flared up. "Giorno Giovanna! You're the one who attacked Leaky Eye Luca, aren't you?! My boss wants to know why you attacked him!"
"It wasn't Jaune's fault!" Ruby exclaimed on behalf of her friend.
"But it's just as the General said, he knew what would happen. Isn't he still to blame?" Mercury shrugged as he asked the youngest member in the room.
"But he was being mugged, and he wasn't the one to start the fight! Jaune's still innocent!" Ruby clung on to her belief in Jaune. Even though he's been thrown into a drastic situation, he's still the shining knight that he aspired to be.
As she looked back to the screen. Emerald just gave him a dead look while he looked back at her.
Giorno stood with his Stand still at the ready, the bystander from before just watching the situation play out.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you it was an accident, would you? So I'm going to be disposed of, right?" The atmosphere suddenly grew tense, both parties understanding the only way this conflict can end.
"And you came here fully prepared, right? When you're going to dispose of someone, you're always prepared for the possibility that you could end up being the one disposed of, right?" Giorno's face was slightly shrouded in darkness, but his eyes showing an unrelenting will.
'He's going to kill me… He's serious!' Bruno's internal voice panicked as sweat gathered around the side of his face. 'This brat is actually going to try to kill me! He's intense enough that he'd actually do what he says he's going to do!'
"Oh shit." Cardin looked like he was shaking in his seat.
"No, Jaune would never do that." Pyrrha had a look of disbelief. Jaune aspired to be a huntsman, sure. But to go out of his way to intently kill someone?
The teachers looked down in shame. Their student in their eyes have fallen hard from grace. His actions being no different from a criminal.
As he finished his thoughts, he finally saw the fist that was heading in for his head. Quickly acting, he called out his Stand.
"[Sticky Fingers]!" A large zipper manifested opening itself up to reveal Bruno's power.
A being colored blue, with white padding on its forearms, shoulders, and lower legs, each with a zipper adorning them. As for its face, its skin was the same white color, with the exception of a blue helmet that covered where its eyes should be, that had yellow spikes protruding out from it similar to that of a mohawk.
"Sticky Fingers? Who comes up with these names?" Blake had a weird look to her.
"Well, he named it himself, probably." Sun answered his fellow faunus.
"No, forget its name. What about its appearance? Or its ability? What kind of ability puts a zipper on things?" Yang joined in on the conversation.
"The kind that this guy has." Sun pointed his thumb to the Stand on screen.
He started to snicker as he saw their faces contort in mild annoyance with him.
Suddenly, it launched out to send its own fist into Gold Experience's. Giorno's Stand was sent back behind him, surprising the ex-Beacon student, while Bruno's Stand returned back to his side.
"So that's his Stand?" Acknowledging it, Gold Experience went back in for round two, sending its fists into the zipper man.
Sticky Fingers had its guard up as he countered the enemy Stand's attacks, which was also being dodged. Heading back to Giorno, Gold Experience reeled back to launch a fist at an angle to break his opponent's guard. Which was successful, but his next attack was then blocked by a single hand of Sticky Fingers.
"Now I know for sure that my Sticky Fingers is more powerful. I wasn't told that I need to bring the suspect back alive. I wouldn't mind taking care of you here." Giorno gasped as he continued.
"But I've had my fill of dealing with your dangerous powers today," Sticky Fingers faded away, releasing Giorno's Stand to attempt to punch the mafioso. "so I'm leaving."
Giorno attempted to chase after the man while he still continued.
"I'm going to keep my distance for now," Giorno rounded the corner to where he fled, seeing a large copper zipper placed on the ground. "but I'll take care of you eventually."
With that, Giorno saw the man halfway outside of the moving car, through one of his zippers on the ground. He watched as he slipped out, the zipper slowly closing itself as the environment around the zipper acted as though it were fabric.
'He can even pass through a solid wall by putting a zipper on it?!' The zipper closed itself fully, as the ground returned to normal, the zipper glows a bright blue before fading away. 'This isn't good! Letting him out of the cable car is gonna be trouble!'
"What?! He can just do that?!" Ruby looked in disbelief.
"His ability allows him to put a zipper on anything, which can be opened or closed." Weiss informed her. "Despite that, I still don't know how we didn't see that coming."
"As simple as a power like that is, it's highly versatile." Ren calmly said.
Giorno looked out of the car to see Bruno standing there, watching him go further and further away from him.
'If I lose him now, it won't matter that I have Gold Experience' The mafioso, realizing that Giorno has no way of getting out of the car until the next stop, proceeds to start running onto a staircase between two buildings.
'If he's going to come after me 24/7 with that ability,' Gold Experience breaks the window as his master jumps through the opening, landing in a thud on the sidewalk. 'there's absolutely no guarantee I'll survive! I'm going to lose!'
Giorno picked himself up as he began to chase after Bruno. Their chase leading them both onto a narrow road way. 'I can't let him get away! If he tells his friends about me, this will end up out of my control! I have to sop him right here, right now! For the sake of my future!'
"He's right." Nicolas said. "He's going to have to take him out in order to stay safe."
Team RWBY and NPR turned to him with surprised looks.
"That means, he's going to have to… kill him, doesn't he?" Pyrrha was distraught.
Bruno led him into an even more narrow alleyway with more people in it. The two stood off as the people went about their business. Surprisingly, Bruno just smiled as he leapt backwards into the crowd of four. Giorno didn't understand why he was doing this.
"O-Ow!" A man in an apron shouts as he fell, dropping the box he was carrying.
"Be more careful, damn it!" The four people there shouted at each other.
'He disappeared!' Giorno was watching what Bruno was doing, but didn't see where he went. As soon as he made contact with the crowd, he just vanished.
"Where did he go?" Emerald questioned, her semblance allows her to disguise where she is to make her look like she vanished. But it was apparently clear that Bruno doesn't have a semblance or Stand like that.
"You all saw that, right?" Blake had her eye on him the whole time. "He just jumped into the crowd and disappeared."
Making his way out of the alleyway, he looked around to find Bruno, but couldn't spot him in the wide open area.
'Where could he have gone in that instant?' A thought passed by Giorno. 'Don't tell me he can even enter people with his zipper!' He turned around to see the group of four, all arguing with each other.
"What are you going to do about this? I'm covered in garbage!" One of them say, flies antagonizing them.
'But that's the only thing I can think of!' Giorno reminded himself of the events on that cable car. 'That must be how he got that eyeball and those fingers inside me! Bucciarati went into one of these guys to hide, like wearing a costume… And that's how he's planning to head back into the city.'
"Well, that makes sense." Qrow took a sip from his trusty flask. "That's a pretty handy Stand ability."
The four citizens finally resolve the issue, deciding to all head back to where they were going.
"Better get my broom…" The shop keeper sighs to himself.
'They're all heading in different directions.' Giorno glanced at all of them, heading the opposite ways from the other. 'I don't see a zipper. Which one is it?'
The students sat at the edge of their seats. If Jaune doesn't find out which one Bruno is hiding in. He'll be in a lot of trouble.
The teachers, though they don't approve Jaune's actions, wouldn't want to seem him be killed. So they were hoping that he can figure out where Bruno is hiding.
Nicolas and Saphron also watched with held breaths.
A tiny, but noisy, fly hovers closer to one of the people who was in the alley before landing softly on his shoulder. The short yet stocky boy noticed this fly and tried to shoo it away. The fly still flew around him persistently just as much as he wanted it to buzz off.
"What the hell's your problem, you stupid fly?!" He lost his patience as he landed a backhand on the tiny insect. His content with managing to hit the fly was short lived as an electrifying pain shot through his back.
As the boy knelt down, a zipper appeared on his back, as the zipper-themed mafioso shot out of him, screaming in agony.
The fly landed on the ground, dead, but returned to what it originally was: The fallen tooth of Bruno Bucciarati. The boy laid on the ground unconscious as the man in question stepped out of him, his mouth starting to bleed again.
"No way!" Sun was ecstatic. "He found him with a tooth?!"
"Wait, but what about the boy?" Oobleck wondered what happened to him.
Pyrrha gave it some thought. "Oh, I think the damage he hit the fly with went back to him."
"A tooth?" He questioned, before Giorno answered him.
"I gave life to the tooth that broke out of your mouth and had it be reborn as a fly." He made his way toward him. "The fly would return to you so I could tell where you were… But this isn't good.
"I just got done saying we wouldn't involve any civilians… But my bad. That was a lie." Giorno explained to him as he looked at the boy laying on the ground with a large zipper opened on his back. "Still, he ended up hitting himself with his own power, so I hope you can just deal with it."
"That's an ingenious way to track him." Winter said boldy.
"It's a shame the boy had to get hurt, though." Blake admitted, she was never one to drag others into conflicts.
Bruno started to speak after Giorno finished.
"Giorno Giovanna, I can see your ability is not to be underestimated. You leave me no choice. This will be dangerous, but it seems I'll have to take care of you right here, right now." The two marched to meet in the middle.
"I can't let you escape. I'm pretty determined about that."
"Let me escape? You don't have to worry about that. The only thing you have to worry about is what you'll do once your body parts have been zipped apart all over the ground." Bruno's face grew serious. "This battle will be decided by who hits the other first."
Bruno raised his left arm in front of Giorno's face, just inches away from touching him.
"What's the matter?" Giorno looked at the arm carefully. "Come at me, Giorno Giovanna." After being provoked, Giorno got his Stand out to punch his right side, all of his attacks being blocked by Bruno's stand.
After successfully blocking the blond's attacks, his left arm sweeped to deliver a chopping blow. Only to be countered with Gold Experience punching his left bicep. Followed by that, a charged fist struck the arm away from Giorno.
Life energy electrified Bruno's left arm.
"Just your senses will go berserk." Gold Experience leapt forward to take advantage of Bruno being stunned.
"He got a hit on him!" Neptune cheered.
"But that means." Ruby didn't want to finish her sentence. "He's going to have to kill him."
"It's either that, or Jaune dies." Mercury told her, kill-or-be-killed was a lesson his father had beaten in to him. But instead of Ruby trying to talk back, she conceded.
But it stopped when Sticky Finger's fist reached out and struck it in the abdomen. Giorno was sweating while Bruno smiled, knowing that everything went according to plan.
Giorno's Stand zipped into two as Bruno charged toward him. His Stand's arm sending a barrage of punches. With one final strike, Giorno was sent away with zippers forming all across his body. He looked up surprised at how Bucciarati was still able to move around.
Surprise filled the room. Jaune got a hit on his arm. How was he still moving?
"'You hit me first, so how?'" Bruno mimicked what Giorno was most likely thinking. "I don't blame you for wondering that."
"This isn't my arm." He revealed his trick as unzipped his jacket to show his arm. "My Sticky Finger's ability allows two separate objects to be connected with a zipper."
Giorno looked at the arm shocked. A completely different arm attached to Bruno with a zipper.
"This is that kid's arm. I switched it out with mine." The boy was still laying on the ground, unconscious to even know what's going on. "Because, of course, I'd rather avoid the danger of being hit with your ability."
"He can even change out his body parts?!" Nora shouted. "What is it he can't do?!"
"The amount of options he can choose with a simple ability as placing a zipper on it makes it quite deadly." General Ironwood analyzed the capabilities of Sticky Fingers.
With that, Bruno fully unzipped the temporary arm, letting it fall to the ground with a thud.
"That's why your Gold Experience didn't work." He finished, but not before staring at the arm with concern. Giorno saw this and took this opportunity to try something.
Quickly standing up, he grabbed his left arm, which was slightly unzipped, and blood spurted out.
"What are you trying to do, Giorno Giovanna?!" Bucciarati quickly drew out his Stand's right arm to continue fighting. "I'm ending you right now!"
"Jaune! No!" Saphron cried out. He's already damaged enough, he'll just be causing even more pain for himself.
Pyrrha knew that Jaune wouldn't do something unless he had a reason to, even if his decisions and reasoning were stupid.
Giorno completed what he intended to do. He ripped his left arm out, causing an amount of blood to spill. This action surprised Bruno as to what exactly he was doing. In an act of focused desperation, Giorno threw his glowing arm, striking Bruno in the side of his face.
'Unbelievable… He ripped off his own arm to extend his range a bit further and strike a moment faster…'
"[Gold Experience]!" Giorno called out his Stand, as life energy increased Bruno's senses.
Bruno watched, unable to do anything, as his opponent got closer and closer to his body.
"I-It's happening again! Just my senses have gone berserk!" He was starting to panic. "He's going to get me!"
"Well that's quite the strategy." Port said. "Though quite dangerous."
"If it's to survive, then I guess he'll do anything." Emerald gave her thoughts.
'The destructive power of Giorno Giovanna's Stand ability isn't too great… But in this case, that actually makes things worse!' He reasoned, knowing that his death will be slow and painful. Maybe even twofold, due to his senses. He felt the sound reverberate through the area as Giorno took a step further.
'If I have to experience that slow pain not once, but multiple times...' Another step closer. Giorno being face to face to his body. 'I'll probably die from the shock of the pain!'
"Jaune, please. Don't kill him!" Ruby begged of him.
"He's going to have to if he wants to live." Ren told her, he didn't want to believe it, but he has to.
"No! Our fearless leader would never do that!" Nora countered him.
"Students, it seems that he might have to." Oobleck informed them gravely.
Bruno watched in anticipation as Giorno's fist balled.
'Don't!' His fist raised higher.
"Stop!" His apparition was starting to sweat.
His eyes remained on the balled fist that could mean the end for him. This fist moved further, causing Bruno to shut his eyes to avoid his inevitable death.
"Jaune, no!" Saphron cried out, as her father watched intently at the screen.
Team NPR held their breath as they watched. Neo looked on excitedly to see the killing blow. All while Ruby quickly pulled her hood over.
Everyone was bracing for a bloodied and nearly-dead mafioso.
But it never came. He felt a step beside him as his senses returned to normal. Snapping back into his body, he unconsciously undid his Stand's affect on Giorno.
"He went out of range? What are you doing, Giorno Giovanna?!" He looked to the kid in question as he flexed his left arm. "Why did you stop attacking me? Why didn't you finish me off?!"
A sigh swept through the movie room near the student and teacher section.
Ruby peaked through her hood to make sure. After seeing no blood, she reclined back into her seat and smiled at her teammates.
"Ha, ha." Nora was gasping for air. "See? I told you he wouldn't kill him!"
Nicolas relaxed seeing how his son spared his attacker.
Neo was visibly disappointed in Jaune. As was Mercury, as he believed that not finishing your opponents would come back to haunt you.
After hearing his opponent question him, Giorno propped his hand up to his cheek to think.
"Because you're a good person." Such a response made Bruno's jaw drop. Just where is he going with this? "You're in a gang, but you're a good person. You hesitated for a moment before attacking me, so I decided I wouldn't attack you, either."
"That doesn't mean that he won't attack you later." Mercury was about to continue, before Cinder shot him a side glare. Signaling that he's attracting too much attention.
Giorno knelt down to check on the kid from earlier.
"When you saw the arm you took off this kid, you were shocked to see the state it was in and stopped attacking for a moment." Bruno's eyes furrowed as both him and the camera focused on the arm.
"You were shocked that he'd been shooting up drugs." The arm laid there on the ground, the skin on the elbow turning a sickening red from the amount of needles poked in it. The mafioso was once again surprised to hear this.
"How old is he?" Giorno asked him self as he picked up the kid's identification. "Thirteen."
"That's..." Oobleck started, but couldn't say it.
"Terrible." Glynda finished for him. Though her expression shows no signs of it, hearing this was indeed terrible.
"He's younger than Ruby." Qrow said, Yang heard it as they both turned to the girl in question. She sat there eyes wide.
"To be that young and be addicted to drugs was a slow and terrible death." Port's eyebrows furrowed.
After proving his point, he continued.
"If you were just some gangster who wouldn't have hesitated or been shocked, I probably would've been rolling around on the ground in pieces. But you seem different. That's why I stopped." Giorno walked toward the railing, showcasing a beautiful horizon of the sea.
"There are people in this city who would see drugs to kids. They're unforgivable. That's what you believe." Giorno turned to face him, as Bruno retrieved his arm back. "But the one selling those drugs is your boss. You can't help but feel conflicted about that. That's why your heart ached when you saw his arm."
"So, the guy who attacked Jaune is a good guy?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.
"Some people can still be good inside, Rubes." Yang talked to her. "Even if they are affiliated with bad people."
Bruno needed to know what exactly Giorno's trying to head with his explanation.
"So what? That's got nothing to do with me eliminating you. I've been ordered to find the one who attacked Luca and eliminate them! Just because you stopped attacking me doesn't mean I'm not going to kill you!"
"No..." Giorno told him. "You won't kill me now."
"What?"
"You won't kill me. I know it."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you're going to join me." Giorno said to him with a straight face, surprising Bucciarati. "I plan on defeating your boss and taking over this city."
"What?!" Bruno didn't know what to think after hearing what Giorno was proclaiming.
"In order to get rid of gangs that sell drugs to children, I'm going to become a gangster myself."
"He really has gone and done it." Nicolas said.
"I have to admit, it's not a bad plan." Qrow told everyone. "Instead of trying to brute force stopping the gang behind the drugs, he's going to influence from the inside."
Cinder's expression found amusement in that. Afterall, that is what she and her affiliates are planning to do with Beacon.
"Are you saying… That you're going to join our organization?!" The two walked toward the balcony. "Are you serious?! Do you even know what that means?!"
"What a great view…" Giorno said to himself. "Yes. If I'm going to take over this city, I'll have to join the organization that rules it and work my way up."
Giorno sat at the railing as he faced the gang member. "Bucciarati, I'm going to become a Gang-Star!" Though his title sounds silly, his face showed that he was serious.
The two stared at each other in silence. Bruno looked at the boy with surprise, while Giorno raised his head. His face telling that he knows just what he'll say.
To Be Continued
As the screen fades to black with the lights slowly growing bright enough to see the surroundings. The smooth jazz of Freak'n you plays. With its majestic sound filling the room.
"I apologize for the poor music choice." The Entertainer told them. "I figured I should play some music to help calm down any nerves you might all have after this session."
"Poor music choice?" Ruby was confused at his words. "I think this song is nice."
Immediately, everyone felt awkward for the innocence Ruby exudes.
"Ha ha, Ruby." Yang called for her. "This is one of those things you'll understand when you're older."
It took a while, but after listening to the lyrics for a bit, she immediately pulled her hood over, embarrassed.
"Pfft!" Sun and Neptune were having a ball. "I think this song's pretty good as well!"
"Y'know, this reminds me of the time when I was in Beacon." Qrow looked up in thought. "When me and this one girl-"
"No thank you, Qrow!" Yang immediately shut that down before he could continue.
As the cast ignore the wonderful song in the background, the students discuss about Jaune.
"I guess, he made it." Pyrrha looked down. "He's decided to become a gang member." She remembered how he told her that he wanted to be a huntsman.
"But that's only if Bucciarati decides to let him in." Blake told the champion. "He might try to backstab Jaune when he least expect it."
"Jaune was right about Bucciarati and his hatred for the drug trade. What happens next?" Ren questioned the group.
"Well, I think that he would try to work his way from taking out its leaders from inside." Pyrrha gave them her answer
"I can't say that I agree with Jaune Arc's decision to become a gangster." Port said. "Both as a teacher of Beacon and as a huntsman. But for his reason to rid of that city of drugs, I can say that he has noble intentions."
"Indeed, however, history has shown time and time again that people do terrible actions in the name of noble intentions." Oobleck told his fellow teacher.
The room was suddenly quiet as the conversation dipped. The only noise coming from the crime duo enjoying their respective cigar and ice cream. Seeing how the conversation is closing off a bit, Nora decided to get herself a pancake as Qrow continued his flask of alcohol.
"By the way." Ruby came out of her hooded shelter. "His Stand shouted 'muda' whenever it attacked. What was that about?"
"Muda? That's 'useless' in native Vacuon." Sun told them.
"Useless? Why does it say that?" Ren tried to figure it out. "Hmm. Do you remember what the backstory said about Jaune?" They all started to think for a moment.
"Oh." Pyrrha realized. "The narration said that the fear of coming back home a 'useless failure' scared him." She glanced back at Jaune's family. Which didn't went unnoticed.
"I would never consider my son a failure." Nicolas reaffirmed that. The students returned back to their conversation.
"Hmm. You said that it scared him, right?" Blake asked the Pyrrha. To which she nodded. "Could it be that that's his way of sending fear into his opponents?"
They gave it some thought, before some of them shivered at it. For some, it was a war cry to instill fear into the enemies, calling them useless. But for Pyrrha, she saw it as Jaune being hurt, and it was his way of sharing his pain with the worst of people.
Among the adults, they didn't do much. The two teachers were discussing about how Jaune's actions could be both good and bad over some drinks.
'These Stand abilities have proven to be exotic and powerful.' Ozpin thought to himself. 'Could there be one that could be used to defeat her? It doesn't even need to kill her outright, as long as it stops her reign of terror.' Ozpin slightly turned his head to see Ironwood, who turned to face him. Both had an understanding look to each other.
'A Stand might be the only way to defeat her for once and for all.'
I am pleasantly surprised. I'm writing this immediately after writing out 'To Be Continued' because I didn't check to see how much there was left of the episode! For a first, I managed to write out the entirety of the episode for one chapter. Of course, right now I need to go back and add all of the Cast comments.
I write this sentence and onward just after I completed the cast comments, all of them. It was hard and stressful, but I fully completed it. As happy as I am that I did a full episode in one document, going back through with the cast comments showed me that it might not be a great way to do this kind of work. I'm probably going to stick with two chapters per episode.
It's currently 2:47PM EST when I'm writing this sentence. Right now, I could publish it and call it a wrap. But I'm kind of tempted to just save it for tomorrow when it's April Fool's day. Whoever reads this will know when I decided to post it. EDIT: It's 2:50PM. Screw it, I'm just going to post it now.
Also, be sure to leave a review on your thoughts!
- Log -
Transcript started on March 23, 2021
Transcript finished on March 26, 2021
Cast Comments started on March 27, 2021
Cast Comments finished on March 31, 2021
Published on March 31, 2021