"... conscious..."

'...What... is happening?'

"Circulation resumed... vitals stabilized... cardioplegia solution injected..."

His heart felt like it was constricting, making him feel like he wanted to scream.

But, why, he couldn't move.

Why... does it feel so cold?

He could feel something flowing inside his body. From his arm, it flowed to his heart and then down his entire body. Then it froze him, like throwing him into an icy lake. And he could do nothing but grit his teeth and endure.

"Body temperature low... administering Hexamethasone 20 c.c., now..."

The sound of machines working seemed to masked on his pain. The heart rate monitor kept beeping continuously, and the air started to leak out of the box...

"...Conditions stable... beginning resection... be careful of VFib..."

A stab of pain hit him. He couldn't make out where it was attacking, much less could he scream to resist it.

"...Sorry... For making you suffer again..."

He struggled, using the last of his weak strength to reach out his cold arm. And, it seemed, for the first time, his hand could feel some warmth.

"Doctor... hand!" Perhaps now, his hand could feel a certain warmth. His eyes opened, before the figure of a little Cautus girl.

"Take it! Take my hand!"

His hazy vision seemed clear now, but his strength still couldn't let him hold it for too long. His hand slowly slipped away from that source of warmth, as if wanting to give up this last light.

"Let it spin in the golden ratio, and that way will give you the ability to find out the truth."

No.

He has to go forward. Even though he might not be able to feel his body, he could, and must have to get up.

He will have to light a fire within yourself.

And, from under the icy gas chamber, a figure rose forcefully.

He spread his green pupils in all directions, his mouth constantly exhaling quick breaths, surprising everyone around him.

"...Are you awake?"

A Perros girl said, before happily grabbing the shoulder of a Cautus girl beside her.

"Amiya, the surgery was successful! The Doctor has woken up!"

The Cautus girl exhaled in relief. None of the above, however, caught his eye. The only thing he needs to focus on right now, is to get out of this thing as quickly as possible.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the cold box, his body collapsed on the concrete floor at his feet.

"Ah, careful! You mustn't do that..."

The other Perros girl ran up to him and caught him, trying to help him regain his balance on the ground. Slowly, she helped him straighten up.

"Don't try to move yet. Your body still hasn't fully adapted to this." She said, before letting go of his arm. The Cautus girl looked at him, her face a bit puzzled.

"Doctor...?"

Regardless of the girl's expression, he did not cease to be confused and annoyed.

"...Who... are you?" He talked back to everyone, making it impossible for them to understand.

"Ah, Doctor... It's me... It's me, Amiya." She tried to explain, but, his face remained unchanged, still holding that suspicious look. He looked back at his pale hands, his head thinking.

"But who am I...?" Hearing these words, both 'Amiya' and the nurse girl beside her revealed a puzzled expression. "You're a member of Rhodes Island, just like us...

...as well as my partner." She moved closer, reaching out and grabbing his cold arm.

"...As well as my partner, Dr. Gyro."

"Hey you! Stop!" The Sarkaz mercenary pointed in the direction of a tall man with a large sword on his back.

"...Yes?" He slowly turned his head, a slightly confused expression on his face. The mercenary Sarkaz looked around him, or rather, at the greatsword on his back.

"You're not a Sarkaz, how did you got that sword?" The Sarkaz could easily see all the features that were different from them. Since he has no horns, nor does he wear a mask on his face like the rest of the team. But strangely, he was carrying the great sword that was often seen among others.

"Ah, are you wondering about that?" He said, before reaching for a hand on a nearby rubble. And-

*PULL*

He pulled a rope that was already in his hand. That rope was connected to the trap ropes that were already placed on the ground, binding his legs and pulling him to the ground.

"AUGHH! What the-?!" He looked back at the young man with a puzzled look through the steel mask. In return, he gave him a trademark smirk.

"Go do your work. I'm done." He raised his hand and called. And after only a few seconds, twelve others began to emerge from their hiding places and approach the mercenary Sarkaz lying at Joseph's feet.

"If you have any questions, ask them instead." He turned away, letting the other 12 people do their thing.

"So, whaddya think?" Joseph asked the captain before him, eager for the answer that would come out of Scout's mouth.

"...Normal," Scout spoke casually, making Joseph gasp after hearing that.

"Huh?! What the hell are you talking about?! It took me all the time to do that!"

"'All the time' from your point of view is literally just 5 minutes. Besides, how long do you think we've gone?" Scout asked again, before putting her dark glasses back on her face and looking back at Joseph. Joseph thought for a moment, calculating the time after they went from that ruin to this ruin when-

"Nevermind. Looks like the kids are done."

He walked past Joseph, didn't wait to hear his words, causing Joseph to freeze for a moment.

"What was I just going to say..." said Joseph, before taking out the greatsword from behind his back. He kept thinking about it, about his instincts urging him to pick it up. But why? Why do you have to carry it?

That wouldn't be something he should notice right now.

"Are you done yet? I'm so tired of standing here!" He leaned against the rubble behind him, turning his gaze back to Scout's team, who were interviewing the Sarkaz mercernary. The one who took the first step was Mimi, who just sighed a little in relief.

"Done, Joestar-san! He's also an easy person to work with, so Milim-chan is also easy to work with!" Mimi said, cheerfully.

"Eh... Did you just speak Japanese, again?"

However, before the girl could answer Joseph's question, another person stepped out of the place. "Okay, okay, according to the other guy, it seems their mercenaries have pretty much surrounded the area around here, so finding the way won't be easy."

Milim said, before bringing her hand to her face and sighing in exhaustion. However, another person stepped out and patted her shoulder.

"Actually, there's a way to go..." Scorpion said, before pulling out a map of Chernobog city. Above are red Xs, along with a sign pointing to their location.

"This spot is our place. And these Xs are the Reunion forces-"

"Wait a minute."

Before Scorpion could finish explaining, Joseph suddenly cut him off, making everyone a little confused.

"Just now, you called them the 'Sarkaz Mercernaries', why Reunion now?" A rather redundant question, considering their current situation. But come to think of it... Joseph here is also a commoner, rather an "alien" from their point of view. So...

"Joestar, what do you think of the people who came up with the term 'mercenaries'?" Slanna asked him back, causing Joseph to put his hand on his chin and stroke it gently.

"Well, in my opinion, mercenaries are people who fight for…for hire?"

"Yeah, that's right. And you could consider the Sarkaz mercenaries as one such case, but their purpose isn't money."

"But if it's not money, why should they do these things?" Joseph asked, but before Slanna could reply to his question, a knife suddenly impaled into a space between the Xs on the map, causing Joseph and the others to notice.

"There. That's the fucking way. Let's get going." Macron said, before retracting his dagger to his hip and leaving, much to Joseph's surprise.

"Forgive him, Joestar, but he's... also a Sarkaz."

"...Yeah, and now why do I look like a racist asshole..."

Joseph grumbled for a moment, before removing his back from the support. The team seemed to be re-examining their own weapons, preparing for a fight that could break out at any moment. Only Scout was sitting in the corner outside, as he was just sitting there, doing nothing. And that didn't escape Joseph's attention either.

"Hey, man. Why are you sitting in a corner like this?" Joseph asked in wonder, before sitting beside him. Although Scout's face was hidden by a veil and dark glasses, Joseph could sense some of his anxiety.

Or rather, he was also feeling worried about his own situation.

"I dont know." He rested his chin on his hand, resting his elbow on his thigh, took off his felt hat, leaving a pair of horns covered by somewhat messy hair.

"You know, the people you and I are fighting, some of them are my old teammates." Scout said. And of course, it didn't get out of Joseph's ears.

"Wait! What the hell do you mean?" Joseph was a little startled by his words. But, how is that possible? In all the time they had moved, not once had Joseph seen the hesitation, the hesitation when he made those shots and stabs.

"That's right. You didn't hear me wrong." He put the hat back on his head, letting the other horns slip through the hole.

"By the way, I thought you must have noticed something. Obviously you were able to notice something when you saw the similarity." He said, before picking up the gun next to him and putting the bullet in.

"You think I'll have time to do that?"

Joseph looked back at the path they had taken. With his eyes, he looked at the scratches on the brick, at the bullet holes in the ground, at the burning smoke from what wasn't gunpowder.

It's not something you see often, but that doesn't mean you've never seen it either.

"By the way, do you want something to drink?"

"What...?" Scout looked back in Joseph's direction, and-

"Ha! Next you'll say: Where did you get these Coke from?"

"Where did you get that Coca-Cola from?"

Scout's reaction after that caused Joseph to smirk, before handing him a Pepsi. A little gas sprayed out of the can, before he sat down.

"A kid named Slink got this soft drink in the corner somewhere. Looks like it's about to expire, so drink it up, man."

The sips of soft drink flowed down the brunet's throat seamlessly, and he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the soft drink stimulating his nervous system. Scout said nothing, before looking back at the soda in her hand.

When was the last time he drink a soft drink?

"This soft drink is about to expire... And maybe I am as well."

"Okay! Are you ready?!"

"Yessir!" Everyone on the team shouted bravely, except Joseph. He's not really a person of discipline, so he doesn't really care about these things either, so he just stands outside looking at them, still thinking in a certain way.

.

.

Wait a minute.

Is there someone following them? Joseph rubbed his eyes a few times, before looking back at the building across from him. This time, he was able to be more certain of his eyes. There was a certain 'Sarkaz' staring at them intently. It is most evident through her own red horns. That Sarkaz had a smirk on her lips, one hand waved in the direction of… Joseph.

For a moment, he was startled by her action. But that's also when he lost focus. Her other hand, of course, doesn't stay still, when flying down below is a bunch of grenades!

"RUN!"

Joseph tried to rush towards them, trying to warn of the grenades falling on them. He ran, tugging at his hair, trying to grab as many as he could.

"HAMON-" He began to let the Hamon energy flow into his fists of hair, then, when his head was only a few meters away from the grenades at a right angle.

"-BARRIER!"

With the power of the Ripples, his soft hairs spread out, connecting the source of the ripples turning into a shield that blocked the grenade beam. However, that alone is not enough. His shield seemed effective, but it wasn't able to withstand the force of a knit grenade, let alone a cluster of grenades.

And as the grenades exploded, the shield broke, causing him to immediately raise his hand to block it.

"Damn it! I should have realized this sooner!" Scout blurts out swear words before this case.

"W is someone who always takes the initiative, and she will never hesitate to use this opportunity to attack!"

He aimed his sniper rifle at the surrounding buildings, but saw absolutely no one. But that didn't mean they could have time to breath, when after a few seconds, a group of crossbowmen appeared, pointing arrows at them.

"GET COVER!"

No one know who said it, but everyone is aware of it. Everyone hid behind the rubble.

"Hey! Does anyone have a plan?! I'm all ears!" Scout said, simultaneously firing bullets against the others. And of course, the Joestar boy was the first to raise his hand-

"Don't raise your hand, you idiot! Or if an arrow goes through your arm, you'll be paralyzed for life!"

Macron beside him said, before hurling one of the knives hidden in his pocket at the enemy.

"Do you have a plan, Joestar?! Then tell me, they're going to launch the vanguard soon!"

"Now, calm down! I do have a plan, but we have to stop!" Joseph tries to get everyone to lay down their weapons to explain the plan. But apparently, in a situation like this, putting down a weapon even temporarily would mean death.

"I know it's a bit ridiculous, but listen to me!"

Hardly anyone could hear him, as their guns were busy cocking to fight back. But Scout is different. Someone with a lot of experience on the battlefield like him helped him somewhat understand this plan. So, with a wave of his hand, everyone stopped firing at once.

"Say it, Joestar, we don't have much time! They'll be checking it out in no time!" Slanna whispered in haste, of course. But Joseph was different, as he kept a calm, fearless expression, making everyone feel a little bit at ease.

"I have this one option. It's always been the one that I use whenever I'm in situations like this." Joseph said, before patting his feet. With such a description, it drew all the attention to Joseph.

"What is it?" Everyone seemed to share the same curiosity, and asked the guy in unison.

"A secret technique created by me, Joseph Joestar. I was going to pass it on only to my child, but, in a situation like this, I ask everyone to follow me." He spoke confidently, causing everyone to nod in admiration. Just then, the other side made a decision to cease fire. And just waiting for that, he jumped out of his hiding place, to everyone's surprise!

"RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIFE! NIGERUNDAYO!" He started running in a straight line, despite the fact that he was still in their sights. However, despite this somewhat foolish act, everyone just started running after him, because they themselves did not know any other plan.

'Chase me, W! Even though I don't know who you are, I swear that I'll show you what Hamon is!'

W stood on it, watching it all. She had collected her smile, sat down on the wall of the building and calmly watched the chaotic scene of the city.

"Peering at people is a pretty bad habit, you know, Ines?"

A figure slowly approached her. Just stood by, not saying a word. "What's wrong? Has the cat got your tongue?" She asked jokingly, but Ines just sighed behind her, before looking back at her sword.

"You know what you have to do, don't you?" Ines said, causing W to be silent for a while.

"...I don't know, and I don't care either." W said sarcastically, before standing up and resting her hands behind her head in disinterest.

"You really don't want to kill him, do you?" Ines returned her sword to its scabbard, before looking back at W.

"Me too. I've never worn that mask, but you and I both know that mask will one day fall apart, right?"

"...That's enough. I don't know and don't care either. And by the way, don't you dare use your Arts to read my mind, okay?" W sighed, before walking down the wooden stairs.

"It's just... I'm bored."

Ines watched W's figure disappear by the distance, only sighing in exhaustion.

"You were always bored, W." She looked back at the running caravan, in which the leader was the one who attracted her attention the most. It's just, she's never seen this 13th person on Scout's team.

"Hmm... That's interesting..."