Ch. 20
Give Me All Your Lovin'

DECEMBER 17TH, 1988
08:11
DEHLI, INDIA

A few days ago, Joaquín discovered that Della had awakened her Stand while she was away from the hotel. All My Love, she called it. It felt weird that she gained not only her Stand, but hamon, in the span of a few short days, but it didn't matter. It was thanks to these powers that his girlfriend survived her arduous ordeal with Far Away Eyes. Not only was he happy she made it in one piece, but proud that she won all on her own.

The feelings of elation, unfortunately, did not last when a rather shell-shocked Jean Pierre and a sketchy-looking Joseph returned to the hotel. "We have to leave," said his grandfather hurriedly, trying to hide his face with his battered, pinkiless prosthetic hand. "Something came up and we have to go hide. Grab what you can. Wallets, passports, whatever's important. Leave the luggage. I'll tell the Foundation to pick up the rest. We'll leave at night."

As it turned out, while Della was fighting, so was his grandfather. Apparently, Nena was an assassin disguising herself as a young girl. She implanted her Stand on him and framed him for theft and murder. The police were looking for him at that moment, and they would be forced to take several important belongings before hiding out that night. Nobody was happy, but these sort of things were expected to happen when someone was out for their blood.

It's actually not that bad, he thought then. It means we don't have any baggage for a while. Literally. I mean, we may have to do with fewer clothes, but it could be worse. He personally didn't have much. He always wore his grandmother's locket, so everything else, sans wallet and passport, were left behind. Della took her grandmother's necklace she had shown him on the train trip to Burma. Meanwhile, Jean Pierre did them all a favor and took some of their clothes in his bag.

"I didn't bring much, so it's okay by me," he said hollowly.

Being duped by such a repulsive-looking woman, which sounded funnier when Joseph explained it, left him in a powerful state of shock. It lasted all the way until night when they drove off in a Land Cruiser they secretly bought, him taking the wheel. And he insisted on driving each day since, perhaps as a means to wipe his mind off of Nena's disgusting deception.

Today, they were still driving along the northern part of India, a ways away before they reached the border to Pakistan. They drove through mountain roads to their destination, the scenery alternating between towns and grassy hills to towering snow-capped mountains in the distance. The sight, as well as the sudden chills they felt, were all very welcoming. It reminded him of New York, which he knew had to be covered in snow now.

"These must be the Himalayas," asked Della, sitting on Joaquín's lap as she looked between a map they picked up along the way and the mountains.

"Part of them," answered Joseph beside them, flexing his slightly-repaired robotic fingers. "That's why it's getting colder now, because we're driving close to them. But thankfully, we're not heading there. Our next stop is the India-Pakistan border. We should be there in no time."

"Yeah, if this trastajo can move out of the way," groaned Joaquín in annoyance. Driving slowly in front of them for the past few minutes was a rather old and dusty grey car. It looked like it came from the '50s, but it was hard to tell without looking at the front. It must have been breaking down, for it seemed to be surrounded by clouds of smoke that made them cough. "P-Por dios, can't we just drive around this thing? I can barely breathe."

Jean Pierre shrugged as he coughed as well. "I don't know," he said, feigning doubt. "I mean, these mountain roads are pretty narrow. And this car is taking its sweet time. Maybe we should let it go."

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Pfth! No! I'm overtaking it!" And he immediately hit the gas and maneuvered around the slow vehicle before them. They were almost close enough to almost hit it. Noriaki warned him not to drive so rough, but he didn't hear him. Joaquín looked behind him, seeing several rocks being flung by the wheels dangerously close and hard by one of its headlights. The Frenchman chuckled at his success. "Oh, how I love a good four-wheel drive. Makes wastelands like these a breeze to drive on."

Joseph, looking back at the car, did not share his joy. "H-Hey, don't tell me you bounced off those rocks on purpose! You could cause an accident! I'm in enough trouble as it is…" He sat back and pinched the bridge of his nose in stress. "They probably already have a warrant out for my arrest. That doctor was diced pretty badly… I just want to get past the border safely, please!"

"That being said," said Noriaki solemnly, "it's almost time for us to say farewell to India."

Everyone fell silent. The entire time in India had been nothing but a massive ordeal for them from the moment they set foot into that town in Calcutta. Mohamed was incapacitated, a total of five Stand users attacked them (one of which escaped), and to cap it all off, Joseph was a wanted man. Sure, they had a good time, but with everything that happened, Joaquín never wanted to return. Not when it almost became the resting place of one of his friends.

"When we arrived in Calcutta," began Joseph, "my first thought was, 'This country's nothing but a dump!' I still think it, but now that we're getting closer to Pakistan, I think I'm going to miss is. The hustle and bustle of Calcutta, the peaceful flowing Ganges-"

"The fresh smell of cow shit," Joaquín jokingly added, which earned him not a sound of disgust, but a sincere chuckle.

"Yeah, that too. Just the little things that make this country stand out from any other I've visited in my life. Maybe when I'm older, and everyone's forgotten about what happened, I might return. Until then, I bid this country my farewell." When he finished speaking, Jean Pierre spoke something in French. "What did you say, Polnareff?"

"That when this is over," he said stoically, eyes still on the road, "I'll return here and give our friend a proper burial."

You won't have to worry about that soon, thought Joaquín happily. Once he wakes up, and I know he will, he'll be back with us.

The cruiser went silent again as they passed a sign reading "SERVICE AREA AHEAD". The didn't need gas, but they could go for a brief pit-stop. But the silence broke once again when Joutarou spoke up. "Oi, jijii. You look like something's on your mind."

"There is," said Joseph, turning to look at Della. Or rather, the necklace she wore. "Della, where did you get that from?"

She looked up from her map at him, then to her necklace with its shining turquoise gem in the center. "Um, my grandmother," she said fondly. "My maternal grandmother, not the one you met. She gave it to mom, and before she, you know… she gave it to me."

"And where did your grandmother get it from?"

"My grandfather. He gave it to her as a sign of his love for her. But he left one day and never came back, leaving her with mom. That's what mom told me."

Joseph's eyes never left the necklace she wore, and Joaquín could tell Della was just as curious about the questions as he himself was. "Is there more to the story," he asked calmly.

She thought for a moment before answering him. "It was… many years ago, obviously. She had ended up meeting a wonderful man in Italy. According to her, he was a charming man who stole her heart. They dated for a few days, even slept with one another. Then, he took her out to a restaurant in Rome and gave her a gift. The necklace." Her fingers touched the gem, a smile on her face. "He told her to always think of him every night after taking the necklace off. And she did, for many years."

Joutarou scoffed in mild amusement. "That sounds like something Polnareff would say," he said. "I'm certain he was a ladies man as well."

But their grandfather did not look amused. In fact, he looked pale and very lost in thought. It was as if something jammed within the gears in his mind. After a moment, he tentatively asked Della, "W-Was there… was there another person at that diner?"

She nodded and giggled. "It's a bit funny, but this guy, some city boy, threw some pasta at my grandfather. And he ended up catching it with some macaroni in his fork." That did indeed sound funny, but one look at his grandfather's shocked expression stopped Joaquín in his tracks. When he tapped her shoulder, she noticed his expression too, and her smile dropped. "What's wrong? Do you know these guys?"

Before he could answer, an agitated car horn honked from behind. He and the others looked back and saw what looked like a grey, beat-up Hudson hornet tailing them. "It's that car we passed earlier," said Joutarou, looking at it with mild surprise. "I'm surprised it reached all the way back to us."

"Are you kidding me," Jean Pierre asked incredulously. He hit the gas in a effort to drive away from it, but all the junker did was mimic their speed. They were almost fender to bumper. "Incroyable! Why was it going so slow earlier if it's in such a rush now?!"

"J-Just let it pass by, Polnareff," said Joseph, trying to regain his composure from the conversation. I hope he tells us later, thought Joaquín as he watched Jean Pierre give a hand signal for their "pursuer" to pass. I'm kinda curious as to what he knows about Della's story. The way he acted was so… weird… Does he know her abuelito?

Looking out the window, they saw the car pass them by. It was still smoking ominously from all around it. The windows were covered in so much dust and filth it was a miracle its driver could see. As soon as it rested in front of them, it deliberately slowed down. And so to did Jean Pierre, who growled in annoyance. "Oh for the love of…" He stuck his head out the window and yelled, "What the hell are you doing?! You were going so fast before, why the fuck are you slowing down?!

"Maybe they're upset because of how reckless you drove earlier," suggested Noriaki, a hint of admonishment in his tone.

"Did anyone see their face?" asked Joutarou, who received a chorus of "No" for an answer. The windows of that care were far too dusty to see anyone driving it. It was that thick. He then said, "It might just be me, but maybe we have another Stand user after us."

"Don't say that," Joseph almost yelled, though he still told Jean Pierre, "Do be careful, Polnareff." He didn't need telling twice. Then, quite unexpectedly, the right, drivers-side window of the junker rolled down. A muscular arm wearing a blue wristband stuck itself out, its owner waving it to let them pass by him.

Jean Pierre chuckled at the circumstances as a now-annoyed Noriaki huffed. "It looks like he forgot that his car's performance can't keep up with its speed! Should have stayed behind us from the beginning, imbécile!"

"It's your fault for provoking him. Now stop mucking and pass him again!" So he did. And this time, Jean Pierre drove past without trying to knock rocks into the rickety car. However, as they switched lanes, they came across the last thing any driver wanted to see on a mountain road. A massive semi-truck and trailer, blasting its horn angrily and driving straight towards them.

And there was no room to maneuver away.

"STAR PLATINUM," shouted Joutarou. The purple warrior-like Stand shot out from him a moment before they finally crashed. The impact jolted them forward slightly, but they were saved when Star Platinum acted as a kind of cushion for them, hitting the grille of the truck. That impact sent them flying back and away from the truck, rolling in the air and slamming them wheels first onto the ground. Everyone hit their heads on the roof of the car as they landed, dazing them for a moment.

They looked on to see that the crash of both car and fist had left the truck almost tilted on its side and smoking. The front of their SUV had suffered a dent and most of their window was broken. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, bro," said a thankful Joaquín. "If Star Platinum didn't prevent that crash, we would have been killed."

"You got that right," said Jean Pierre, trembling and gripping the wheel hard. "I don't think my Chariot or Kakyouin's Hierophant could be fast enough to stop a head-on collision… That bastard… Who the fuck was he..?"

"Uh, guys," said Della as she looked out every window, even behind them, "did any of you see where that car went?"

Everyone looked around and noticed she was right. The junker that lured them into the truck was nowhere to be found. "Hey, you're right," exclaimed Joaquín. "Where did that coward drive off to?"

"I don't know," said Joutarou pensively. "But something about what happened seems too suspicious. He purposefully followed us, then made us drive into a truck. That's not something a normal person would often do in the mountains unless they have a massive grudge. This is more than petty revenge." He turned to his brother. "Joaquín, what do you think? Think we got a Stand user after us? Or was it just some bastard with a screwed-up mind fucking with us?"

"I mean… yeah. It has to be a Stand user. You saw how he was screwing around. Something that underhanded, he has to be working for Dio. But the problem is… I saw nothing remotely Stand-like near him. Not even the car looked like one. So… I don't know… We should worry about that later. If we see him again, we should try to find out…" He then turned to Jean Pierre. "Hey, we can still drive right?"

The Frenchman gave an experimental rev, and nothing sounded out of the ordinary. "Seems like it. So we keep going?"

"Yeah, let's be a bit more careful going to the border."

"And what about the truck," asked a worried Noriaki, gazing at the now flaming truck. "Star Platinum messed it up badly when it hit it."

Everyone looked uncomfortable when they saw it. They were in enough trouble as is, and getting involved any longer with the truck would lead to more problems. Sheepishly, Joaquín scratched his head and muttered, "Uh… we… we leave it be. None of us saw anything. Nobody's gotta know what happened here. We just… leave it be. All we can hope is that the driver isn't dead."

And so they sped off, leaving behind the wreck and its angry, surviving driver.

~+JO*JO+~

It wasn't long after this that they came upon a tea house on the road. The crazed driver never appeared again since his dangerous stunt, which made the drive from then to now somewhat tense. Despite wanting to know who it was who almost killed them, the group felt it better that they don't see him again. Moreso if they took their time at this pit stop.

Everyone took a seat at a bench across from some rather surly men drinking tea. Working behind the counter was what Joaquín assumed to be the shop owner, flattening peeled sugar canes through a wringer to extract its juices. "That looks like an interesting drink," he said as he watched.

"I'll get our drinks," said Noriaki as he stood up. "Chai, anyone?"

After going to order their drinks, they were all left to talk among themselves. And there was only one thing that needed to be talked about. "Abuelito," addressed Joaquín to his grandfather beside him. "What was all that about earlier? About Della's abuelito. Did you know him or something?"

Joseph, who had stood uncharacteristically stoic after the accident, had taken to looking at his folded hands when the sat. When he heard the question, he stood silent for a moment. And then his signature smile came back. He looked up at his grandson and Della and whimsically said, "I think I do. You see, Della, I remember that day fifty years ago. I had just gotten to Rome after my battle against one of the Pillar Men, tipped off by Stroheim to meet someone who would know more about them.

"I stopped at a restaurant, and I couldn't help but notice this very flirty punk wooing some poor girl. I thought he was just showing off for a shag. So, naturally, I felt I should make him look foolish. I tossed some hamon-infused pasta at him and, as you said, he caught it in some macaroni. Then he tossed it straight through my glass, and now it had his hamon in it. And when the waiter addressed him, I realized who he was."

"That man was the one I was told to meet. The man known as Caesar Zeppeli."

Both Joaquín and Della gasped, looked at one another, then back at Joseph. "A-Are you s-serious," stammered Della. "Y-You mean… My g-grandfather and you… h-he was that C-Caesar you t-told us about?"

"He has to be." Joseph smiled even brighter than before. "The stories are a perfect match. And given how much of a womanizer he was, forgive me for saying that, there was no doubt in my mind that somewhere out there, he had a child. And here's the proof! His grandchild! Ha ha!" His happiness over this revelation brought tears to his eyes and blush on Della's face. Hundreds of questions must be running through her head.

"I-I didn't think I'd be related to such an important person," she said as she cupped her own cheek bashfully. "O-Or to such an important family. The Zeppelis… They have a history with hamon, right? It's only natural I'd inherit that as well."

"It's thanks to them that we have hamon in the first place. They were a proud family who believed in personal bonds and paving a path towards a brighter future. And it was through the bond shared between William and Jonathan that the next generation has found one another." He clapped his hand on her shoulder, still smiling. "I'm sorry if this is too much for you. It's a shock for me as well."

Della stood silent for a moment. It looked like she was slowly taking all of it in. It was, after all, a massive bomb to drop. Given that she had two major ones appear in the form of her powers, he was surprised she wasn't short-circuiting from the overload. After a moment, she looked up at Joseph with a determined smile. "No, not at all. In fact, I feel proud. I know I barely know about the Zeppelis, but… Knowing that I've always been destined to fight alongside Jojo make me so proud."

"And I'm proud to be fighting with you, Della," said Joaquín as he hugged her tightly. "Just promise me you won't end up sacrificing yourself for me, okay?"

"No promises on that one."

"OY!" Jean Pierre's sudden exclamation brought them out of their moment. He was looking behind them, an angry, shocked expression on his face. When they turned around, they could see what triggered him. Parked behind a tree was their attacker's rickety, smoking car. "That bastard! His car's here!"

Both Joaquín and his brother jumped from their seats and rushed to the car without hesitation. When they reached it, they saw that the driver's window was clean, giving them a clear view of a normal, empty interior. He swore under his breath and turned to his younger brother. "I don't see him," he whispered. "How long you think he's been parked here?"

"Probably longer than us," Joutarou whispered back, looking back at the tea shop. His eyes were focused on the group of burly men. "I noticed when we got here that all of those men are wearing the same types of wristbands as our mystery attacker. But only one of them is blue, just like his." He pointed out to the man with a long and wavy black pompadour sipping his tea.

"You're right. But let's not make assumptions. I know we've had users hiding in plain sight before, but that can't be the case all the time. 'Sides, if he's as cowardly as I think he is, he wouldn't hide in plain sight. Come on." He motioned for him to follow as he walked back towards his group. Joseph was talking with everyone else, all either worried or upset. He told them all, "Nobody's in there. We checked the car. And I don't think any of the men here are the driver."

"So then where is he," demanded Joseph. "Around the building or something? Until we know for sure this man's one of Dio's, we can't cross Pakistan's border safely! Check the patrons here! One of them has to be him!"

"Abuelito, think about it. After what just happened to us, you think that guy would be stupid enough to sit in public knowing full well that any of us can beat the shit out of everyone here?" The men across from them seemed to understand him, for they paused mid-sip and looked worriedly in his direction. "We're clearly not gonna, but the risk is there, and he wouldn't take it."

Joseph sighed in irritation and was about to say something else before they heard of a car door slamming. Everyone turned to see the muscular arm of the driver relaxing out the window before he suddenly screeched off.

"H-He just got in so quickly," gasped Della.

"D-Did he just trick us again," growled Jean Pierre.

"Everyone, did you catch a glimpse of his face," asked Joseph desperately.

"No," answered Noriaki. "All I saw was his arm… Just what is he doing? He's neither ambushing us or fighting us directly. I think he's just a crazy driver who decided to just chase us for the thrill of it."

No, thought Joaquín, not at all believing Noriaki's excuse. He has to be a Stand user. No normal man would pull the stunt he did. We need to find him before he has a chance to do that again.

Before he said anything, Jean Pierre was already dashing to their vehicle. "Come on," he called out, the anger from earlier resurfaced. "We're going after him!" Nobody needed to be told twice, everyone piling in with sped off after the potential Stand user in the distance. As Jean Pierre floored the pedal, the car before them was driving faster than theirs. It was very annoying to see a piece of junk outrun them like this.

They were quickly coming upon a fork in the road. Between the paths was a sign saying that Pakistan was on the right one, the pole it was on bent as if someone hit it. The mystery driver turned in this direction, and they would have too, had Della not called for them to "Turn right, turn right!"

"Why should I turn right," barked Jean Pierre. "We're going to lose him!"

"No, but we might end up trapped!" She was looking back at her map, eyes darting around the area they were driving on. "The road that way doesn't lead to Pakistan! The left path does! It goes through a tunnel and runs parallel to a railroad!"

"Are you sure?"

"I am! This guy's trying to trick us again! We can't risk another setup! I know you wanna get back at that crazy driver, but we need to forget chasing him! Especially if he's a Stand user!" Joaquín could almost see the gears turning in his friend's head. It was almost like back in India, a conflict between pursuing someone or not. He must have thought back to the last time this happened and how it endangered them all. Especially Mohamed. That was the last thing he would want happening again.

Without further argument, the car jerked and drove down the left path. Within minutes, they came upon the tunnel Della mentioned within the mountain's base. That was some sharp thinking, Della. I think your ancestors are definitely smiling for that one.

As they were nearing the exit, she spoke out again, this time more subdued. "I'm sorry for that outburst. I just… I'm not acting cowardly. I'm just trying to think rationally. Let's say Joutarou is right, that this guy's a Stand user. Wouldn't the best course of action be to try and avoid him? Especially since we don't really know what he can do?"

"You have a point," said Joseph, taking a moment to look behind them. "All these confrontations, they'll only slow us down. We need to just keep moving, especially while we're here in India."

"And who says you're… gonna make it out alive?"

Someone had spoken out. All eyes fell upon Jean Pierre, who cautiously said, "T-That wasn't me at all… It sounded like it came from the radio."

Indeed, the radio crackled to life, broken words hissing through the speakers all around them. All they could make out was "Stand… Wheel… how I…" Those three words alone proved that they were indeed being attacked by a Stand user. And Joaquín knew who it was. Wheel of Fortune. That bastard back in Singapore mentioned he was one of the Major Arcana Stand users. I almost forgot about him...

The voice on the radio spoke out in a clear, testosterone-filled growl. "My Stand's name is Wheel of Fortune! That's how I've been able to track you guys down! You've already seen it!"

"Already seen it," repeated Della confusedly before she suddenly realized what he meant. "The car! His car's the Stand! It's the same kind of Stand as Strength!"

"Bingo," laughed the voice in the speakers. "You're a lot smarter than Dio took you for! Especially since you knew not to follow me! But don't worry… Just because you avoided my trap doesn't mean you've escaped from me just yet!"

The radio clicked off. And as they left the tunnel, driving beside an unoccupied train track, they felt the earth beneath them shake. Something was traveling underground, and Joaquín had an inkling as to what it was, though it was shocking. He can't have caught up to us this fast, he thought in bewilderment. But he did. Bursting forth some feet away was the Hornet, swiveling around to and face them.

"I-It's him," shouted Jean Pierre., almost faltering in his speed.

"No shit," shouted Joaquín, gripping the seat behind him. "We need to watch out! Who knows what he's gonna do!" As he spoke, the car before them twisted and contorted itself. Spikes grew along its hood, its grille widened and grew both teeth, tusks, and mandibles, and its size increased to that of their SUV. The mechanical monster, Wheel of Fortune, had shown them its true form. And when it finished, it stopped and immediately roared towards them.

"MOVE," screamed Joseph, and everyone scrambled out before their ride was struck head-on. The powerful impact threw it into a crushed and undrivable state against the mountain behind them. They all scrambled to their feet as the monstrous car swerved around, its headlights flashing menacingly at them.

"We're fucked," hissed Jean Pierre as he steadied himself. "Our ride's been totaled, and we're cornered in the ring with a raging bull!"

"Yeah, we may be fucked," admitted Joaquín, "but you seem to forget that we're toreros. We've got the skills and the resolve to take down any bull we're pitted against. Plus, we outnumber this freak six to one. He's the one that's cornered, not us."

The "bull" in question revved its engines. And then, something bizarre happened. Something flashed in front of it that was not its lights. Something glistening. Whatever it was, it shot faster then he or anyone else could react. It left sharp, shallow and painful wounds all over his body that made him almost collapse. Just what on earth did he shoot? It felt as sharp as glass, but Joaquín somehow knew that this wasn't the case at all.

"F-Fuck," he cursed under his breath, holding his wounded arms just as he saw the car swerve towards them. It was about to do the same to them. "Guys, hit the deck! That car just fired something! I don't know what it is, but you need to move!"

Everyone did as he suggested, except for Della. She simply stood defiant against Wheel of Fortune, her own Stand appearing by her side. Under any other circumstances, he would have screamed for her to do the same, but the look on her face showed that she had an idea as to what her next course of action would be.

"So, you've got a Stand," said the user with a hint of excitement. "It's not bad looking. I gotta tell you, when Dio told me you had a dormant Stand, I wasn't expecting it to have already awakened by the time I rolled along. Looking at it now has me wondering if it's as useless as it looks!"

"You can try shooting me like you did Jojo," she said with the faintest bite of anger in her tone, which was always weird whenever Joaquín heard it. "You wanna prove a point about me being useless? Fine. I'll prove my point in showing you that I'm not. So go on. Fire away."

The mad driver scoffed and nonchalantly said, "Okay. But it's your funeral, bitch." The glistening shots of whatever it was fired directly at her. It seemed for a moment that neither Della or All My Love would have time to act. But they did. The Stand, from the holes on her body, formed a small coat of bubbles all over herself. They then shot out and stopped lazily the air, catching every last shot rather than bursting. The user let out a shriek of disbelief. "What did you do?!"

"I thought it'd be obvious," she said with a smirk. "I set up a wall to prevent anyone from getting hurt like Jojo. I honestly expected them to pop, but what happened is actually much more interesting than that. They caught whatever you shot. And given what it looks like inside," she approached one of the bubbles and curiously looked inside it, "I'd say you fired gasoline at us."

"Gasoline," asked Joaquín perplexed. When he touched one of his wounds and took a sniff of his bloody fingers, he was able to identify something like petrol mingled within the coppery scent. "Holy shit, you're right! He did fire gasoline at us! But… why?"

"I think he had plans to set us on fire. I mean, gasoline is pretty flammable. So maybe he wanted us coated in it and not realize what it was until the last second."

As the bubbles popped and spilled the gasoline onto the ground, the user banged his meaty fist against the door of his car in frustration. "God damnit," he yelled out. "You shouldn't have figured it out so quickly! You were all supposed cower before me and fry! I was supposed to come out on top, not you, you miserable lowlifes!"

"Us? Cower? Give me a break. Last time you tried getting us killed, you just drove off so we wouldn't catch you. And even at the tea shop, you ran. That right there is cowardly. We, on the other hand, aren't. Sure, we run away, but we do so to strategize and strike back harder than you could ever imagine. And we do it together, with the courage to take on monsters like you.

As Wheel of Fortune revved angrily, everyone had gotten back up and stood their ground with her. Even Joaquín, who forgone the pain in his body, stood beside her. None of them were going to back down from a fight, especially against such a madman like this. "Now… what's your next move?"

With one last rev, the car screeched towards them. "YOU FUCKING BITCH," he screamed. "YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A STAND NOW THAT YOU'RE SOME COURAGEOUS HERO?! THERE'S WAS NEVER ANYTHING COURAGEOUS ABOUT YOU AT ALL! NOW DIE!"

"I don't think you understand what courage is," called out Joaquín as Hierophant Green's legs and Hermit Purple shot out and held down the car from underneath it. It vainly tried to drive after them, but the tires did nothing but make dust as it was kept in place. Silver Chariot flew around it and jabbed at each tire, popping them effortlessly. Meanwhile, the brothers, Della, and their Stands stalked towards their prey. "So let us three define it for you."

All My Love was the first to punch into the hooded engine of the beast. "To know courage," Della shouted.

Preciosa was the second to punch into it. "-is to take fear," continued Joaquín.

Star Platinum was the last to punch it. "-and make it your bitch," finished Joutarou.

All three of their Stands let loose on the car, crumpling and breaking everything they can under the impact of their fists. Star Platinum was crushing the passenger side with cries of "ORAORAORA!" All My Love was blasting the driver's side with shouts of "AMORAMORAMOR!" And Preciosa was pounding the entire front of the car with a roar of "¡TOMATOMATOMA!"

Inside the crumpling car, the Sand user was freaking out and screaming for them to stop. But they weren't planning on that any time soon. As the car flattened in on itself from their triple attack, the imprint of the user began pushing through the roof of the car. It was like a can ready to burst. With one last punch, they manage to break Wheel of Fortune and send its user flying out with a scream.

"That was really good," praised Joutarou to Della as he rubbed his knuckles. "I never thought I'd see that kind of determination and quick thinking from you."

"You didn't doubt me, did you," asked Della wryly, receiving a smile as an answer.

"I swear," said Joseph as his Stand retracted back into his hand, "for that one moment, you truly reminded me of your grandfather."

"Really?"

He nodded and patted her back. "Wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"You're gonna have to tell me more about them. I'd love to know, Mr. Joestar. But, uh, we can do it later."

The scream from above was growing louder. Looking up, Joaquín could see the silhouette of their attacker falling back to Earth. He took a step back and let him crash in front of them. The man was downright goofy-looking when they saw him sit up. His bloody face was as emaciated as the rest of his scrawny body, framed by black, hornlike hair. He wore similar clothes to Joaquin, though his dark tank-top barely covered his pot belly. And then there were his comically muscular arms.

When he saw them all looking down at him in surprise and disgust, he screamed and tried crawling away. There was something funny about seeing someone so weird and pathetic boast such big mouth. Sure, he could back up his bark with bite, but his true temperament was simply too wimpy to take seriously.

"Where do you think you're going," asked Jean Pierre menacingly, having stood in front of the man. He let out a shriek as his back was stepped on, keeping him in place.

"I-I'm sorry," he cried in a fearful voice. "Oh god, please don't kill me! I'm no r-real killer! I was just hired for this job! I was in it just for the money! Please spare me!"

The loss of machismo in his voice was the funniest thing Joaquín ever heard. He and the others, who also thought this was amusing, all shared a hearty laugh at the misfortune. They couldn't even stay mad at him for trying to kill them. After they had their laugh, they saw noticed the monstrous car twist itself back to normal. But rather than take the form of the Hornet, it was reduced to an embarrassing roadster.

"Oh, god," sneered Joseph. "Looks like that old clunker was a part of the Stand, too. Can't believe all that power was camouflaging such a little car. It's like a sheared sheep. How pitiful."

After another good laugh, the group decided to indeed spare the man's life. To make sure they would not be chased again, they took his passport (his name was ZZ), took his car (which still worked), and left him chained to a rock. He probably would have been freed by anyone passing through, but the sign they left courtesy of Silver Chariot guaranteed that it wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

"I am a monk", it read in finely carved letters. "Please do not unbind me, for I am undergoing sacred asceticism."

They were never followed as they safely crossed the border into Pakistan.

~ZZ: RETIRED~

STAND TIME

STAND USER: Della Brown (デラ・ブラウン)

STAND NAME: All My Love (すべてあたしの愛 (オール・マイ・ラブ))

POWER: B, SPEED: B, RANGE: C, DURABILITY: C, PRECISION: C, POTENTIAL: A

ABILITY: Like her user's grandfather before her, All My Love utilizes bubbles formed from holes all over her body. When coating her body, she's able to protect herself from minor impacts. These defensive bubbles can also be shot out to form barriers that can hinder opponents and catch certain projectiles without popping. The ones from her knuckles are offensive, bursting with a powerful impact. With this, she is able to coat her fists and unleash a powered-up barrage of punches (less powerful than Preciosa's punches, but enough to break even cars). They are all conductible with hamon, providing extra protection and power. In theory, she can perform the same techniques as Caesar Zeppeli, though her current inexperience brings their effectiveness to question.