Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Remnant Chapter 15: Episodio 6 Part 2, a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure + RWBY Crossover fanfic

- A/N -

At first, I thought that my Summer would play out like it always did—I would relax and enjoy my time, and I would get to work on this little project for an hour or two every other day. And while I won't go into detail, I will say that school does not instill confidence for my future. Because of that, I spent my Summer teaching myself the things relating to my career path that school should've taught me. I'm proud to say that I had been the most productive and learned a lot in the past five months than I ever did in school for the past five years.

Besides that, I can feel that this story may come to an end soon. When I said that I wouldn't do a hiatus the last time, I could've seen myself making it to episode 15 before dropping this, now it's up to episode 8. It's not for certain, though. I'll keep going and see just how far I can make it before ultimately pursuing my career and my actual passion.

- Reviews -

Mustard rebelion: Thank you!

Nemonobody001: Thank you. There's a lot that I'm usually up to behind the scenes; studying, working on my passion, pets, and pretty soon college again. I can't promise that I'll update more often, but until I make an official post saying that I'll be dropping this story, I plan to keep working on this.

Greer123: I'm currently fine, though my third semester starts at the end of this month, so that might change very fast, lol.

BlackFalx: Yeah, studying is difficult at times, but I pulled it off in the end. As for the new fic, well, I wasn't really in the right mindset at the time and I didn't know what I wanted to do. For now, I don't think I'll end up releasing that story; sorry about that. If you are interested in what the premise was, it was basically RWBY but with wild-western themes where hunters are seen as outdated and no longer necessary, being pushed out further into the Grimm Lands to even find decent work.

mera mera no mi: Considering what I wrote in the author's note above, this isn't going to age well. Again, it's uncertain, but just don't expect it to last long—this statement kind of goes for everyone.

UnlawfulGentleman: Life does have a way of throwing things in when you least expect them. And thank you for the in depth review. The ideas on what Cinder's Stand could be are great to read as well. I had this one idea where Cinder's Stand has a large area-of-effect—like Green Day's—that when someone feels an ounce of fear, the actual ability gets activated. As for what the ability is, I haven't thought of it that much.

X3runner: Probably most of everyone is going to wish they didn't see that, even if they know that Giorno is trying to heal him. As for their thoughts about La Squadra, I haven't thought that far ahead that much. For now, I'll say that the adults will see the similarities of their bond with each other to the bonds of Bucciarati's gang.

HellcatAkane: Thank you for the compliment! And sadly I don't think I'll make it that far.

Guest at chapter 14 on Apr 13: Lol, that'd be anticlimactic.

Monster King: Thank you!

CrazyHeartAttack: It's good to know that I didn't lose you! And thank you!

Kamencolin: I haven't read Jojo Part 8 yet, but reading the wiki page for that ability is surprising. I guess the question that would decide who's the strongest would be if GER's ability can revert Go Beyond's supposed non-existent bubble. Araki, please answer.

Faightan Gaims: It's reading these types of reviews that make me sad about considering throwing in the towel. That 7-page Muda scene would be spectacular to write the cast reacting to—I even have a general idea on what I want to happen during then. Also, did you mean Qrow? Because Raven isn't in the theater.

E. Paradox: I agree; Stands for the most part aren't about brute strength, but about leverage.

weaponx2006: I know you've been asking me in my private messaging, so here it is!

Guest at chapter 14 on May 23: There are other things that I focus on outside of this story, so I don't think that I'll be able to update more regularly like I used to, as for implanting more info from previous parts, that was one thing I was afraid to do. I'd be fine with showing the cast Part 1 and 2, but I feel like I could not show Part 3, specifically the Jotaro vs. DIO, because I feel like DIO's Stand would just outshine the antagonist for Part 5's Stand. It'd be like, "Oh, he can skip time? That's pretty terrifying, but at least he can't stop time."

Guest at chapter 14 on Jul 15: The two boats scene is honestly a mind-fuck.

Blobfish with a brain: Thank you for your understanding.

It was a lot to digest. The statistics of Stands were easy enough, they had already been through it before, but it helped that they got a more detailed explanation. But the information about that one Stand that had incredible speed and reaction time, as well as the idea that a Stand could evolve with its user still played in their minds.

The statistics about Abbacchio's Moody Blues began to fade to black as everyone resumed watching.

Bucciarati and Abbacchio stood over the paused recording of Narancia, looking over every detail of the abduction.

"Air is leaking from his wound, deflating him." Bucciarati spoke first.

Abbacchio looked at the replay before him. "Looks like we know what the enemy's abilities are now." At that moment, air expelled from Narancia's wound as he was quickly squeezed through the tiny drainage pipe.

"He's being pulled in! Pause it, Abbacchio!" He did so, the time being two minutes and thirty-two seconds. The recording, suspended in animation, defied gravity as the shoe that came off of him stayed still in mid-air.

"I see… So, he's inside the pipe. This is the answer to our mystery." Bruno held imitation-Narancia's hand while Abbacchio stood watch for the fly. "His nails, flesh, and bones are all floppy like a condom, even his shoe and belt buckle. But he still has a pulse."

Weiss' immediate attention at the screen was quickly shaken, and her face visibly winced. "Ugh. Out of everything, why phrase it as 'condom'?"

Yang sat in her seat, halfway between a smile and a perverted smirk. "It doesn't matter. They know how he's able to get around now."

"She's right." The two turned towards Ren. "If he's inside the pipes, that means his Stand is allowing him to do so."

She nodded. "This whole 'fight' has been about trying to find out just how he's been able to hide. And now that they know," she slammed her fist into her other hand, "they can beat him!" Yang was enthusiastic, which seemed to rub off onto Ruby when she cracked a small smile; something the older sister was glad to see.

"Just like Giorno said, he's alive." Bucciarati paused briefly, his eyes lighting up. "So that's what's going on… The enemy is also doing this to his own body, hiding in pipes or between the planks or walls, and he's dragged in Mista, Fugo, and Giorno, as well."

"That explains why Giorno's fly can trace the general area, but can't pinpoint exactly where they are."

"We figured out the enemy's ability. Now all we have to do is chase the enemy, find out where Narancia and the others are and save them, and then beat the shit out of the guy." Then, Abbacchio said with reinvigorated determination, "I'm resuming Moody Blues' replay," to the shock of Bucciarati.

With an audible and tactile click, the timer continued, and the recording of Narancia slipped into the pipe within a blink of an eye.

"Chase? Wait a second, Abbacchio!" Sweat poured down the side of Bruno's head. "While you're replaying, you can't attack or defend yourself. You're totally defenseless! It's dangerous to go into the pipe."

When Abbacchio said he'd chase after Zucchero, Ruby felt confident, or even glad that they're finally on the offensive. At no point did she think about the implications and dangers of doing so. She practically scrambled to straighten up in her seat. "What if Zucchero gets him while they aren't looking?"

"Relax, Ruby" Her older sister placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her a bit. "Bucciarati will be able to catch him during his attack." Yang hoped so, at least.

If Ruby did have anything to say, then she didn't bother to tell her sister. She made a hum that drifted off as she focused on the screen.

'Seems like it's soon to be over.' Cinder eased her posture more into her seat. 'Such a shame. At least I'll get to see more Stands.' And more examples of their potential.

In spite of that fact, the ex-cop's expression never wavered. "I know exactly where Moody Blues is going. When that bastard is near, use your zippers to open the floor and get him!" Abbacchio turned to him, saying, "We can't defeat the enemy if we don't chase him, Bucciarati!"

Saphron seemed to be confused. "Is he really going to risk himself?"

While his face didn't change, Nicolas' eyes drifted upward in thought. "That might be their best bet. If they don't go on the offensive, Zucchero would be the one choosing how the fight goes."

She supposed that he was right, but she still felt… worry, or perhaps concern, she couldn't tell. Just a moment ago, he was hesitant to engage the enemy, and now he's risking himself by going in alone. 'Good luck' was all that she had for him.

The gang leader looked at him concernedly, but didn't say anything against him. Abbacchio stood up, turning towards the metal railings. His Stand and his eyes could both see the inner pipeworks as it continued to play out the recording.

"It went left. That's where he got Mista." Abbacchio walked over to the railings. "Moody Blues is going right underneath that ring buoy. It's going around toward the cabin where it got Fugo and Giorno."

Bucciarati followed alongside him. "So the enemy is moving them around while keeping them captured."

"It's moving much slower… That's where the bastard was hiding earlier. On the inside of that rope fastener! The enemy's right below the deck there!"

Bucciarati looked around and noticed the fly heading right toward them. "The enemy's coming for us. I'm not sure if he knows that we know his ability, but… Bring it on!"

Knowing just what the enemy could do reinvigorated their confidence. The two were ready to take the enemy head on as the fly headed straight toward them.

"The pipes!" Abbacchio exclaimed. "Cut through them and get them outta there!"

Bruno happily obliged.

"[STICKY FINGERS]!" His Stand unleashed a flurry of punches toward the deck. Multiple brass trails unwound to reveal… an empty pipe? The two hesitated to fully recognize it, but the enemy and their teammates were nowhere to be seen.

"That's… surprising," Cinder said in a way that felt foreign to her, a way that was unfit for a lady like her. She hated how it sounded; thankfully for her, neither of her subordinates commented on it.

Pyrrha paused for a moment of thought. "It's the only pipe that's there. Do you think he's traveling through something else now that they know what he's doing?"

Ren hummed. "It could be possible. If he's able to use his ability on himself, then there's plenty of places that he could be traveling through."

'Does this ever end?' Everything about Stands unnerved Cardin. That feeling of unknowingness gnawed at him throughout the entire time they faced off against that octopus freak, as he'd say. It was sickening, more so when the so-called 'rabbit-hole' kept going, and he grew tired of it. Frustration began to outweigh the fear.

"Th-They're not there!" Bruno's voice was urgent. "Where's the enemy, Abbacchio? Where's your Moody Blues? Where are they?"

Question after question, Bruno felt himself losing his cool. Abbacchio didn't answer him immediately. Seeing the lack of his Stand was confusing to say the least, especially when he knew exactly where it was.

Abbacchio raised his finger. "Right there." It was toward the pipe, the same one Bruno just unzipped. "It's my Stand. I know where it is. It's right around there."

"Right around where?"

"I'm telling you, right where you opened up!" Abbaccio's voice increased in volume and worry. "My Moody Blues is definitely right there!"

"So, it's there… but we don't see it?" Yang looked to the others in hopes that one of the other students, if any of them, knew the answer. Not a single one of them spoke up. "Just how's that possible?"

"We don't know. I think it's safe to say that for all of us here," Weiss said.

"Truly, this is a deep mystery." Port straightened out his mustache. "Though I say that they should still continue. It would be remiss if a huntsman, or a skilled fighter in Mr. Bucciarati's case, would give up in the face of danger. The same applies to all of you," he said to the teams.

The students, well, being students, did what they normally do when an authoritative figure turned anything into a 'take it as a lesson'—they either nodded their heads in a vague agreement, or groaned mentally. For some of them, they couldn't care less about finding the lesson, they just want Zucchero to be caught so their friend and leader could be safe.

Bucciarati couldn't believe it. If what Abbacchio was saying is true, there's no way that his Stand wouldn't be there. He willed his Stand to attack once more, making it open up more spots along the deck.

"Where are they!?" The two echoed.

'Impossible… It's definitely right here.' Sweat on the side of Abbacchio's head started to form. 'Does this mean there's a mystery we haven't solved yet?'

"This isn't good! Undo the replay and call your Stand back–!"

"I already did." Bucciarati stopped at that. 'Something's wrong… What wall is this? Where the hell are you?'

A user and their Stand are one in the same, a literal manifestation of one's soul, one could call it, which meant that they could see the same thing. What Moody Blues saw was an entirely enclosed pipe, moldy and green, a far cry from the one Abbacchio is looking at.

Nora scratched her head, confused like everyone else was. "Just where's his Stand?"

"I think what is Zucchero's Stand would be a better question," Ren stated. "Because it's clear that turning people into balloons is not the only thing he can do."

"Do you think it could be Zucchero's partner?" It was Neptune who spoke. "The person who was riding shotgun with him in the car."

The idea sounded plausible. Zucchero goes around and takes out the gang one by one, while his partner uses his Stand to hide both of them from view. While there was no proof of this, it was the most logical in this situation.

Blake just shook her head. "There's nothing that would tell us of that. I genuinely think it might just be Zucchero they're dealing with."

"Then how is he staying hidden?" The million lien question. Zucchero traveled through the pipes through the use of his Stand, that made sense, but how is Moody Blues in a different pipe?

Moody Blues reeled a fist back, and the sound of hollow metal rang out. "Did you hear that, Bucciarati? That's the sound of the inside of a pipe. We can't see it, but Moody Blues is definitely right there… inside the pipe."

"That doesn't make any sense." Winter held her left hand over her mouth. "If his Stand really is there, then what are they seeing?"

"The pipe?" Qrow couldn't help but smirk when she shot a glare at him.

"Yes, I am aware of that." Her tone was strained—incredibly so. "What I'm trying to understand is what Zucchero is doing? From what we know about Stands, they have one core ability that has many options for utilization–"

Oobleck cleared his throat, loudly enough for the two of them to turn towards him. "It's clear enough that the mystery still stands, but they might not have enough time." He motioned towards the screen where fly was just off in the background, watching the two gangsters.

Abbacchio knelt down closer to the pipe. "What are you doing? The enemy's right there!" The fly was getting closer by the second, but he disregarded him.

"The pipe's wide open, but it's in the pipe… So it's right here…"

Faster, it flew towards them.

"It's coming closer… We need to run!" Bucciarati grabbed his shoulder to move him, but he didn't budge.

"Run?" Abbacchio looked Bucciarati over his shoulder. His eye, the only eye Bucciarati could see, was truly alive. "That Giorno Giovanna, whom I hate, told me to solve this mystery. He's an annoying little brat, but I'm going to solve it!"

"Idiot. You're not going to solve anything if you get taken, too." In Saphron's eyes, Abbacchio was acting no different from Jaune, putting himself at risk for a chance at something in return.

"Just get out of there and solve it when you're not in immediate danger," Neptune said, and the students agreed with his statement. Abbacchio and Bucciarati have been able to avoid Zucchero for a good while, all they need to do is keep it up more.

Laid back, relaxed, and an endless amount of quality cigars at the tips of his fingers if he so chose, Roman was living the life. Despite the conflict happening on screen, it did nothing to impede his mood. "Eh. If he wants to die like a hero, so be it." Puffs of grey and blue exhaled from his mouth as he bit on his cigar.

"Abbacchio…"

The seagulls flying around the mast of the ship drew his eyes. He seemed distracted until Bruno called out for the enemy. The fly was still getting closer.

"There's one more mystery surrounding this enemy. I'm finally starting to see it." Within Abbacchio's mind, he saw himself within that moldy green pipe, his arms raised in a boxer's high guard, and staring down the enemy's rapier aimed right at him. "I'll solve this and kill that bastard!"

'That awkward feeling I got when I saw the mast…' Everything leading up to this moment played out in Abbacchio's mind, all the pieces of this strange and bizarre puzzle.

"It's right there! Call back your Stand!"

"I've figured out the other mystery!"

For once since the yacht sailed away from port, Abbacchio smiled. He could see them both, the fly and the Stand's rapier heading right for him. Moody Blues let out a number of quick punches, one of them bound to hit the other.

Two Stands clashed. A fly hovers away.

It all happened so fast; no one could've said anything.

However, in a dark room with just over twenty people seated, the only thing that could be heard was silence; pure, genuine silence. The only thing needed to break it was a hushed whisper, yet no one dared to say anything as they watched the beady, red-eyed fly hover away.

Cardin was the top fighter of his combat school before coming to Beacon, something he'd always pride himself over regardless of what anyone said. Though invested in the fight, even if they were Stands that acted on a different level of logic, even he knew what to expect out of a match up like this.

Eyes stared at the screen that ranged from worry to uncaring, but they each shared one thing in common:

Anticipation for what comes next.

There was an uneasy silence as the two watched it go away from them. For Bucciarati, his breath was held; for Abbacchio, he knew what would happen next. Blood bursted out from his knuckles, and air expelled out from his neck. Soon, his skin began to prune along his arms.

"Abbacchio…!"

All it took was a hushed whisper to break the silence. What filled the room was deafening. The loudest of the bunch were the students. Youthful and energetic, and lacking in reservation and patience, they wore their emotions and thoughts as easy as their clothing. But in that mess of sound, few could be heard.

"Damnit, Abbacchio!" Saphron was the first to shout, angry and disappointed, before it was drowned out by the others. 'So much for solving the mystery.'

Ruby flinched at the scene. "No! You can't fail now!" It hurt to see someone that she could see herself in be met with loss, despite how hard they tried.

"NOOoooo–!" The word dragged on and became quiet, until Ren asked Nora to quiet down when it went on long enough.

Neo held her hand, with fingers extended out and held together, in front of her mouth in mock surprise.

When it slowly became quiet, few realized that Glynda had been talking to them. "–dents, students! Please, calm down!"

Mercury groaned, rubbing his ears as he sent a glare towards the students. "Do they have to be so loud? My ears…" Emerald hummed beside him, a once-in-a-blue-moon moment when the two would find common ground.

Glynda eyed the teams for a while before turning her attention to the Arcs and the three students from Mistral. "I apologize on behalf of my students. They should know better than to shout." She gave them another stare, one that they didn't dare to look back at.

Cinder waved it off. Her smile was soft, friendly. "Oh, don't worry about it. We're all just invested in what's happening."

"Kill him… Bucciarati!" His knuckles stained red as he began to look more like a flat tire. "This mystery… the place the enemy's hiding…" Abbacchio's ankle was grabbed, yanking him down toward the open hatch.

"You're being dragged in! Grab on to me!" Bruno shot his hand out, but when Abbacchio reached out, his hand smeared blood all over Bruno's cheek. He missed his moment to grab him as Abbacchio was slinked away. "Damn it!"

He peered down into the cabin below to search for him. "He's not there… Where did he go?" From the trail of blood that Abbacchio left behind, only a single drop of blood was present when it fell off of Bruno's cheek.

Nicolas' eyebrows perked up as he studied the scene. "It's too clean," he said after a moment.

"What do you mean?" Saphron turned back towards the screen, taking another, more careful look to the cabin.

"Abbacchio was bleeding a lot from his knuckles. He left a trail of blood leading to the hatch, yet it's too clean in the cabin."

Neptune's eyes widened for a brief moment. "Hey, he's right."

"Could it be a clue?"

"What else would it be, dude?" Neptune could only ask Sun rhetorically.

"Alright, alright, I get it." He ran his hand through his hair. "But there's nothing that he could do with that now."

Alone.

His entire team, all five members excluding him, was taken out by a single Stand user. It's now just him against the enemy. Were the seagulls and the waves crashing against the ship always this loud?

Bruno placed his fingers on the blood, rubbing his fingers together in it. His thoughts were immediately snapped away when the fly came into view. It was just within arms reach of his face—the enemy was just within arms reach. He faced towards where it was headed, only to see it gone.

"What?" He kept a look out as he meticulously stepped behind the small barrier. The small impact from his foot surprised him; mistaking it for the enemy, it was the buoy Mista had. This, too, he regarded, and yet again the small buzz of a fly caught his attention.

"You bastard…" His fist smashed onto the barrier. "Where did you take Abbacchio?!"

Sticky Fingers manifested once more to send punches into the boat. His scream carried far over the vast ocean as his Stand continued to send punches into the boat, more and more zippers appearing to form one big hole.

"He's losing his calm." That much was clear when Ironwood commented on it.

"I'm afraid so." The Headmaster's tone was even and calm, just like he always did, but his eyes were unblinking. "It seems that lashing out is the only thing Bruno can do in this situation."

To the contrary, the General disagreed with him. There were plenty of choices that he could make; to keep calm and find a way to neutralize the enemy would be number one on the list. But he still couldn't blame Bucciarati. Not everything goes smoothly as one would hope, and despite being a squad leader of a dangerous organization, he'd demonstrated great leadership and compassion to others from what he's seen.

"This is just one bad situation," Qrow said. He sat slouched in his seat, his flask held in his hand but placed in the armrest's cup holder. "And believe me, I've been in the worst of it."

"Maybe if you didn't indulge in drinking so much, you wouldn't be in half the problems you're in."

"What was that?" It was Qrow's turn to glare at Winter. They both stared at each other, and broke off a second later.

"He's not in the cabin or the drainage pipe…" Then he said to him, wherever he was, "Where are you hiding Abbacchio and the others?!" An intermission of seagulls and the waves against his ship was all that accompanied him.

"Hee hee hee…" Bruno snapped to his right. There it was, the fly hovered stationary a meter away from Bruno. "The fact that there are seagulls flying around… must mean that we're getting close to the shore." A cocky chuckle filled the air. "Looks like you're finally all alone, Bucciarati." He chuckled once more.

Bruno's finger shot up. "You bas–"

"Ah, ah~ Oh, hang on one sec. Ah, ah, ah~!" Zucchero sang, and his voice echoed. It was clear to Bruno that he was having fun. Then at the flip of a coin, his tone changed. "I'm the one who's gonna do the talking here. Shut your trap until I tell you to answer my questions, damn it!"

The team leader of RWBY flinched at his outburst. Yang held out a hand for her to hold as some of the others, including her sister, watched the screen disdainfully. Zucchero called the shots now.

How could it all turn out like this?

His finger lowered back down, his mouth closing as well.

"Very good." The two faced off against each other, Bruno and the fly—an image somehow fitting Zucchero. "I can finish you off at any time, and your crew is still alive, but in suspended animation. You should be grateful. I could've killed them and thrown them into the sea, all chopped up nicely so the fishies could eat them easier."

"Depending on your actions," he continued, "I may even consider turning your crew back to normal. All you have to do is tell me where Polpo's secret fortune is!" A sound not unlike the air escaping a punctured tire could be heard.

"A hostage situation," Winter said with a certain venom. "How typical."

"Bucciarati is the only one who knows where Polpo's fortune is located," Ironwood said. "This would be the easiest way for Zucchero to get the info without interrogation." The implication of the word was clear enough of what he meant. Winter only nodded.

Blake wished she could turn off her ears and clear her mind. Zucchero, a faunus, holding hostages reminded her of when she was in the White Fang. People of high status who were against the White Fang and faunus were held for ransom. It was one of many tactics that worked. The demands that they gave would be met and those held would be released.

But only if they were met.

With Abbacchio gone, Jaune's safety was really on the line. Pyrrha felt more worried than she thought she should. Though she wouldn't be alone in that regard. The two Arc family members sat patiently as they could, waiting for what Bucciarati would do next.

Bruno's features stayed still, stern. "Are you from Passione?"

"You really… don't get it at all." Calm, that's what his tone was, the kind that came before a storm. "I'll murder you, you little shit!" Bruno had no time to react to the fly, just centimeters away from his face. Zucchero circled around his prey.

"Listen up! All you're allowed to say is where the money is! Just try and utter any other word from that asshole of a mouth! For every word you say, I'll kill one of your friends! Say, what? And I'll kill them! Stay silent, and I'll kill them! If I find out you're lying later, I'll kill them again!"

"Well, someone's hostile," Roman said, then gave a side-glance to Neo, smirking—as always at the prospect of violence.

Meanwhile with the students, the bow atop Blake's head sagged slightly. With great effort, she said, "I think Bruno should comply with Zucchero's demands."

Ruby, and her two other teammates whipped their heads around. "What? Why?"

"Look, I'm just saying that the odds are really against Bruno this time. Zucchero has his entire team hostage and the secret to his Stand is still unknown. It's better to tell him."

"Blake, you're the last person I would expect to hear this from," Weiss said. "Do you think he would actually spare his team after he tells them?"

"It's better than saying no to Zucchero and guaranteeing his teammates' deaths."

Ruby's mouth opened, and stayed like that for a moment. She wanted to say something, anything, that was otherwise. It closed just a second later.

"No offense, Blakey, but that's dumb," Yang said. Ruby just stared at her sister—she didn't even need to think about what to say anyway. "It doesn't make sense for him to do that. He's not going to let them go when they're all after Polpo's money."

"Then what can he do?"

"Uh, fight back?"

"How? Unless Bruno could find out what Zucchero's ability really is before he could catch on and kill his teammates, then telling him what he wants is the only viable way to save his team." Blake faced away from her. "… Even if it wouldn't happen."

When the fly backed off, Bruno could hear Zucchero heavily breathe in and out. "Got it? Speak cautiously and very carefully. Now, then, let me ask you…" He took one last inhale. "Where's the money hidden?"

Another moment of silence between the two. Zucchero was nowhere to be seen, but without a doubt, Bruno could imagine him with eyebrows raised and mouth slightly agape, anticipating the next words that would come out of his mouth.

They waited, intently focused to hear what Bucciarati would say.

But for the students, there was a somber and defeated feeling shared among them. Though there were ups and downs throughout the fight, it has now come to an end. The life of someone they had known before rested solely in Bruno's hands.

As for Nicolas, he hoped a man like Bucciarati could do something to save his son. He overheard Jaune's peers and, though young and inexperienced as they were, knew just as he that Zucchero wouldn't keep his word. Which meant that Bucciarati would have to do something in order to turn things around.

"Black-tailed gulls."

Somewhere, bubbling water filled in.

"… Sorry, where?"

"Those aren't seagulls." He double pointed to the flock of birds beside the ship. "They're black-tailed gulls.

For the moment, no one said a thing.

Blake stared at the mafioso with a fierce level of concern. The upper part of her ribbon drooped, little by little, until it was flush against the side of her head.

"… What?"

"How do you tell them apart? The ones that sound like they're meowing are black-tailed gulls. You called them seagulls, but you were wrong. They're black-tailed gulls."

More water rushed in.

Nora grabbed a fistful of her hair in her left hand, her right hand gripped Ren's shoulder. "Mr. Bruno, what are you doing!?"

Pyrrha was feeling no better than them. All he had to do was to do anything to save them that didn't involve putting Jaune's life at risk. Her heart pounded against her chest.

"And what's with the water?" Of course Neptune had been the one to ask that. Still, it was confusing to see it back and forth.

Vale's most wanted criminal chuckled. Not condescendingly, but in a genuinely amused way. What a way to stick it to Zucchero.

Winter's eyes narrowed. 'He didn't even bother to play along with the negotiation.'

"Heh…" Zucchero chuckled to himself. With the full force of his lungs, he roared, "I'm going to kill one now!"

"Just try it!" Bruno's intensity matched with Zucchero's. "Better hope you don't get dragged down!" A geyser of water shot out from the deck of the ship, from the very hole that Bruno had made.

"Wh-What the hell are you doing?!" The ship rocked side to side, water quickly rushing to fill the area. Bruno didn't bother to answer his question as the bow of the ship pointed up.

"I didn't punch the deck earlier to find where Abbacchio was," Bruno calmly explained. "It was to put a hole in the bottom of the boat."

"He did that on purpose?!" Pyrrha watched with eyebrows raised. Surely that couldn't be the case.

Ren, just like the rest of the students, were watching the events unfold until he realized something. "He's going to destroy the entire ship to force him out since he can't find him. It's his final option."

Sun had a disbelieving look on his face. "Actual scorched-land tactics."

"I mean that's not… a bad plan…?" Ruby was taken aback when Weiss shot her a look.

"They'll have to swim the rest of the way, and I've heard that sea-based Grimm can smell miles away. That's not a good plan." When she puts it like that, Ruby had to agree—it really wasn't.

Neptune shuttered. "All the more reason to not be near water," he said to himself.

"A h-hole?!"

"Abbacchio figured out where you were, and he was kind enough to show me… where you are, and how to know for sure. It was Abbacchio's blood. Abbacchio intentionally hurt his hand and showed me the blood trail. The blood trail didn't go down below the deck! It was cut off right on the deck! So what does that mean, and where was he dragged to?"

Bucciarati sat down on the wall of the ship as it slowly raised to a ninety-degree angle.

"I rented the yacht that was on the left. Abbacchio realized that when he looked up at the sky." The ring buoy drifted toward the sideways deck, LAGOON2 labeled on it as it rotated around. "I know where you are, so if you don't wanna drown, you'd best come out."

Whatever response Bucciarati would have gotten was instead replaced with the bubbling sound of seawater—filling in Zucchero's mouth no doubt. Bucciarati looked up to the mast he placed his hand on as it started to peel. It looked as though the mast was splitting into two separate ones.

"There were two boats!"

Bruno Bucciarati did not lie, nor was he joking.

There were indeed two boats.

No one could have seen this coming. Of all the potential possibilities to how Zucchero kept hidden, this was the most outlandish.

Ruby's eyes were wide open. Her mind did its best to wrap around the concept. "What?!"

"How di–"

"WHAT?!"

Weiss frowned as she turned to her team leader. Only after Ruby looked still and in wonder of the screen did she continue. "How did he come to that conclusion just from that?" There were many clues that could be inferred, she admitted, as well as the ones Abbacchio was able to figure out. But how Bucciarati came to this conclusion was beyond her.

Cardin, on the other hand, had seen enough. "What the actual fuck?"

With the adults, some were genuinely speechless, not knowing what could be said.

"Zucchero can use his Stand ability on inanimate objects as well?" Winter found it unbelievable. She turned towards the General, who only nodded.

"That… seems to be the case," was the only thing Ironwood said.

Port was astonished. "My word! He solved the mystery, and it's just as puzzling as it was before!"

Roman pulled the cigar away from his mouth, mimicking the words of some curse. To his side, Neo stared slack-jawed and eyebrows raised at the screen.

Cinder did as much as she could to look as composed as she could. But even then, the sheer strangeness of it still got to her.

The two were stuck together and coming apart at the seams. Bruno jumped down onto the new ship with a roll. He watched the ship, LAGOON1, the one that the owner lent him the key for, sink slowly into the ocean. The sound of someone struggling made him turn toward the bow.

"You bastard…" An arm with thorny cosmetics reached out to pull himself up. Zucchero took the time to get air in his lungs.

"You were hiding by thinly covering the yacht with another one." Zucchero heaved air in and out as Bucciarati explained, eyes trained on him with hatred. "You were traveling through the thin gap between them and attacking us from there. No wonder we couldn't figure it out. You get points for that."

The 'explanation' only gave way to more questions. Things were just as confusing for the students.

"When did he even get the time to do that?" Pyrrha looked relieved and curious. "The boats were separated at the docks when they rented one."

"He must've done it while they were in the shop," Neptune replied. The air felt still around the students.

"But… how?" The others turned to Blake, who looked the most distressed out of all of them—the poor girl. "This isn't like placing a plastic cup inside another cup, that was an entire boat, one with pipes and– and things in there!"

The others would agree that it was uncanny; the simple idea that Zucchero overheard what boat they were taking and managed to quickly wrap a boat over another boat without them knowing.

Zucchero's Stand manifested out. It matched its user's apparel with thorns dotting along its limbs and body, and was fitted with a hairstyle of green cones on the top of its head. "Stay back, Bucciarati!" The Stand wielded its rapier toward the limp and hollow Abbacchio. "I'll kill your friends!"

"You should know better than anyone that you couldn't survive in a gang if a measly little threat like that scared you," he proclaimed confidently. Bucciarati's gaze never wavered as he stared down Zucchero "Give up, and I'll forgive you. But the moment you stab Abbacchio… I will end your life."

At that moment, Bruno Bucciarati—the squad leader who will become a capo with nothing short of the boss himself from stopping him, especially not some lowly thug from another squad—stood before him. His eyes were hardened, his fist even harder as he stared Zucchero down.

The moment Bucciarati made his statement to the faunus, Roman knew he was serious, and his cold glare only proved it further if there was anyone in the room dumb enough to be skeptical. It was spectacular. Off to his side, Neo gave a thumbs down with a grin. 'Of course she'd want death,' he thought.

The roles seemed to have switched with Bucciarati's ultimatum to Zucchero. The two stood still, against each other. While Zucchero thought about his next action, Bucciarati watched him for what he would do.

Let go of his team, or try to stab one of them.

A single drop of water splashed onto the deck. Zucchero's decision was clear to anyone: he was going to kill Abbacchio. His Stand's rapier reeled back for a piercing thrust, while Bucciarati's Stand threw a punch—not aimed at Zucchero, but himself.

A bright, white line wrapped around his elbow, forming a brass zipper. Within the blink of an eye, his forearm shot off towards Zucchero and fit snugly on his cheek; blood shot out from his mouth.

Bucciarati had tricks of his own, and what a trick it was; his move was eye-catching that many found themselves watching in awe. His fist shortened the distance in less than a second.

For Pyrrha, something felt familiar about what Bucciarati did. It took a moment for her to figure out what it was. "That's the same move that Jaune used on him when they first fought!"

It was more elegant, refined with Bucciarati using his own Stand's ability on himself, rather than one ripping their own arm apart.

"I guess Bruno learned something from fighting our great leader!" Nora said.

Bucciarati hadn't taken a single step from where he stood. "It's just as Giorno said. The fact that you had to hide to attack is your weakness." He reeled in his fist like a fishing rod. "You're way too slow."

A bright blue line wrapped around Zucchero's neck, and his head separated from his shoulders with a pop.

"Awa–!"

With that, the students felt like this was it, that it was finally over. No more last minute tricks or turnarounds that would put Bucciarati's group on the back foot.

Sun's jaw dropped, creating a perfect circle with his mouth. "Oh shit, dude… Bruno just decapitated him!"

Ruby didn't want to think more about it than she already had. At least there wasn't blood. It was clean, as far as beheadings went. "But… It's over, right?"

Like a condom being filled up, Abbacchio's hand regained its volume, slowly returning back to normal. His eyes started to crack and flutter open, adjusting to the sunlight.

Bucciarati was just off to the side of him. "Abbacchio!" he called out after noticing him waking up. There was an understanding as the two stared at each other. Abbacchio smiled.

"Well done…"

To Be Continued…

Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "Yeah, it's finally over."

Though the people of the middle section—the students and the Arcs—eased up considerably, Nicolas didn't. The weight off his shoulders was something that he noticed immediately upon seeing the two gangsters fine, but that didn't mean that his son was. Only until he saw Jaune up and about would he feel true relief.

Nora shared the look. "They said that Zucchero's Stand was weak, but it seemed almost invincible for most of the fight."

"No, it was invincible." Pyrrha shook her head, her expression troubled. "Had Abbacchio not hurt his hand to leave a trail for Bucciarati, they probably wouldn't have been able to figure out how he was hiding, and, um… 'defeat' Zucchero."

"I don't think it's over," Ren said. "The lights are still off."

It was only then did the rest of the students notice. It was all wrapped up; Zucchero more or less not a problem, and the rest of Bucciarati's gang are most likely recovering, what else could be shown?

A lamppost in the cold, rainy night lit up the street. On two opposite sides was an ex-cop and a gang member.

"Abbacchio, what's important isn't the end result. It's how you get there." The gang member, Bruno Bucciarati, told him.

The rain started to ease up, and Bruno put away his umbrella, allowing Abbacchio to get a better look of the mafioso's face. He couldn't quite tell what his expression was—it was stern, yet sympathetic, or perhaps it was pity.

"Join my team," he said, "Don't die bound by your past."

Abbacchio just stared at him as he did to him. He then turned around to see the dark alley that led to the place where his life fell apart. Without a word, he made his choice as he placed the bottle down onto the sidewalk.

"So Bucciarati helped him at his lowest," Nora said. "That's nice of him."

Pyrrha gave a small smile, but looked like she had something to say. "I'm pretty sure that was so he could have more people on his squad."

"Yeah, but he could have hired anyone, but he still chose to save Abbacchio."

The sentiment was laughable. For Cinder, the only reason Bucciarati would choose Abbacchio was for his loyalty. People at their lowest will always be loyal to those who have helped them, a prime example being Emerald.

Light slowly started to fill the room. With visibility fully restored, Yang saw Blake acting catatonic—there was a pun to be made there. "Blake, are you okay?"

She didn't respond at first, only huffing some air. It was Bucciarati's response to Zucchero, and that lack of carefulness when negotiating got under her skin. Sure, it was just to distract him, but at that time it only served to screw with her. What came afterward truly melted her mind even further.

"No, I am not okay. I don't even… How did Zucchero even get a boat inside another boat?"

"Oh, is that what's been bothering you? I mean, we're all pretty confused about that too."

"Are you kidding? It came out of nowhere!" Sun had thrown his two cents in. Blake looked around and saw everyone else agreed.

Yang got her attention and asked, "Do you need a minute?"

She nodded, but if things were going to get even weirder than this then maybe an hour would help.

While Blake tried to calm down her nerves, Yang looked to her side where her sister was. Ruby looked fine on the surface, better than Blake at least, but she was more quiet than she normally was. "Ruby, what about you?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, Yang." She put on her best smile. Ruby knew that Yang saw through it, but didn't push any further.

"Alright. If there's anything on your mind, just let me know, okay?"

Ruby hummed in response, and continued to think about Abbacchio's backstory. It was a terrible thing to see someone accomplish their dreams to help others be slowly degraded by others. Not to mention, the point of no return for him. She wished she could forget that face, that cold and despairful expression of Abbacchio's partner before he died, as well as the dead store owner sitting in a pool of his own blood. Yet, she had to wonder why she forced herself to watch.

No matter what came up in her mind, there was only one thing that it led to: she wanted to force herself to 'grow up', to be ready for this.

She still wanted to save people and be the huntress that her mother was, but now there she was fearful. She'd been fearful of her future before, asking herself if she really had what it took to become a huntress, but now it was a fear of the future.

'What if I make a terrible mistake…' Even if she did graduate from Beacon, putting in hard work to be the best, all of it can be taken away at the drop of a hat. Ultimately, this would be something that she would have to cope with, to accept that possibility one way or another.

Nicolas was still on edge, hoping that the next viewing could happen. As for Saphron, she thought about Abbacchio, and the events she had witnessed so far. 'Abbacchio… You're still a pessimistic asshole.' Yet she understood why—going through what he did would make anyone that way. 'As long as you don't get Jaune killed, then you're okay with me.'

Among Ozpin's group, they had their own discussion. They discussed the events of the fight like all the rest of the people in the theater.

"Mr. Abbacchio has quite the interesting Stand ability, wouldn't you say?" Ozpin said.

The General agreed. "Yes, though on the topic of Abbacchio, I feel disappointed in him that his judgment was clouded. With his background, he's the kind of person I would have high hopes for." Ironwood's attention turned to Qrow, who he noticed sneering at him.

"What? Lacking feelings? Following orders without questions? You do realize that people aren't machines to follow instructions to a T, right?"

"His mistake ended with his partner being killed, that's not something that could be taken back." Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose. The two could bicker back and forth like how Qrow would with Winter, and he'd still get nowhere, might as well be the bigger man and end it before it continues. "But, it's too late for that now."

For Qrow, he related to Abbacchio, sympathized heavily with him. Sometimes things happen and do more than just 'not go your way,' but instead take more than it should. He'd certainly been there more than anyone thanks to his semblance. Qrow continued to glare at Ironwood but turned back around to focus on his drink, and what came after was a long silence in the area.

Though, it wouldn't be the case any longer as Doctor Oobleck spoke up. "Excuse me, did anyone else notice that their Stands were small enough to stand upright inside the pipe?"

Glynda responded, "I thought it was just Abbacchio's Stand being able to do that after taking the form of Narancia."

"That's one thing all, or maybe just most, Stands could do—shrinking down considerably." Everyone's attention focused on the speakers. "It takes a lot of focus from the user, you can think of it as focusing on a single grain of sand on a beach."

Ozpin's eyebrows raised. "Well, when put like that, it does sound tiring." Not to mention, one could be in the middle of combat; it would be a waste of mental effort that could be used on the enemy. "Say, now that you're here, could you tell us about what kinds of Stands there are? Just so that we could know what to expect."

"… As I've said before, Stands are inherently unique to an individual as it could be read as 'a representation of the user's will to fight.' So trying to guess what to expect would do little to–"

Winter cut him off, fast, frustrated. "I think we would like to have more information after having witnessed what Zucchero was capable of. Then there was Polpo's remote-controlled Stand, which we had no idea about. It would be helpful if we had an idea on what other types of Stands there are."

The speakers were silent, they had no idea how long it would be until the Entertainer spoke. It came to the point when some thought he was just going to leave them out in the dark, until they heard papers being shuffled around, just like before.

Ozpin took particular interest in it. 'Is he somewhere that has physical documents on Stands?' He didn't get enough time to ponder on it as the Entertainer finally spoke up.

"Close and long ranged types should be self-explanatory, and you all have seen a remote-controlled type in action, but there are a thing called colony-types. They are Stands made up of multiple, smaller entities. They lack the power that a close and long range have, but the unique thing about them is that the damage done to the user is proportional to how many 'units' have been injured or killed. Hurting an individual unit won't do much to the user, but over half, and the user will start to get hurt."

It was an interesting type. Maybe not better per se—sacrificing quality for quantity—but it was unconventional, and that could throw off opponents used to dealing with the usual Stand types.

"Wait a minute." Pyrrha paused briefly until her eyes lit up. "Mista's Stand has six small Stands!" The others remembered too from that music video, or detour as the Entertainer had called it.

"His Stand is a colony-type, isn't it?" Neptune said in a knowing way and less of a question.

"You'll see…" The speakers quickly shut off.

- A/N -

Some parts I feel like I rushed, or perhaps didn't put in as much detail as I have. Feel free to tell me if that is the case.

For those that may be bummed out that this story may just die out right, I apologize for it, but this should've been seen coming for a long time. I mean, I took almost half a year just to come out with a single part of an episode reaction. I figured that I should be transparent about this which is why I decided to announce it.

Not to say that I didn't have fun along the way. My writing skills have improved compared to my first chapter; I got to meet and chat with the authors of the other 'RWBY reacts to Part X', who I feel confident enough to call my peers; and I technically did achieve my original goal of making it past Episodio 5, where Kyraptor left off. (Though, it's not lost on me on how pathetic I would be if I just stopped an episode after it.)