The sun was gleaming across the streets of Italy as the mid summer warmth made itself apparent to all the denizens of the country of Italy. The salt water of the sea curling up in waves as it recoiled against the stone of the Italian sea wall that had been constructed within the past year.
Though for the man that was currently walking about it was quite a welcome sight and scene. Every step the man took produced naught a sound, brushing past the Italian citizens that he was now surrounded by, recieving many stares and glances due to his eye catching fashion, luckily the man was accustomed to being the center of attention as he rolled his neck and shoulders to relieve some stress.
The man had ignored everyone that attempted to speak to him, as he was currently on a mission, one that could help him progress his ideals to overcome all adversity and consume the opposition against it. Something that could create an army for himself.
This man was Funny Valentine, the twenty third president of The United States of America. Though in this universe he was little more than just a regular person, at least within the political spectrum. Currently Valentine was wandering through the parallel universe to his own, the universe to which Giorno Giovanna belongs.
Though for Valentine that mattered little. The man didn't care what had to happen in order for him to win so long as he won and could protect his citizens.
Giorno Giovanna had kept an eye on all the happenings within Italy through his subordinates within Passione. A few members here or there had reported to him that they felt a strange pull to the man that they were keeping an ever watchful eye upon since he had suddenly appeared from thin air.
'He's a stand user. That's the only explanation that comes to mind, especially based on what the squads said to me about the strange feeling they felt around that man. I need to see if he'll be a threat to Passione and our goals.' Giorno thought to himself.
Valentine simply sighed as he took a sip from his coffee
Currently Valentine was sitting down at a quiet cafe, one leg resting upon the knee of the other.
Sipping from a medium sized coffee cup as his gloved hands traced across the newspaper he was reading. Just minding his own business saying not a word as he relaxed.
Though a lithe tenor voice could be heard by Valentine just a bit ahead.
"Buon Giorno"
Valentine had felt intrigued at hearing the voice, but went back to reading his newspaper. The same newspaper that he had read upon the train with Steven and Lucy Steel.
Though as Valentine thought of them he quickly displaced them within his mind to focus on reading instead of reminiscing about the past.
The noise of shoe heels hitting against the stone tiled sidewalk of the Italian street was currently echoing off of the side of the modest cafe.
As Valentine flipped the page he spoke.
"Giorno Giovanna, I believe? Is there a reason as to why you're bothering me?"
Valentine had said, without ever looking up from the newspaper.
Giorno however was a bit taken aback by the man calling him out by his full name, and without addressing him with his full attention. Not through the use of Stand Sight either to tell. As far as he could tell.
Seconds before Giorno spoke, Requiem had manifested from the ether it's majestic blue aura emanating all around from itself, the near absence of sound that followed as a telltale sign of it springing forth into existence a loud Vrrrvrrrvrrrvrrroooom! that was audible to only Valentine and Giorno as Requiem fully manifested, a light flashing in the form of a star then collapsing upon itself behind and vanished as now Requiem floated right besides Giorno.
Requiem stood ever watchful, leering at Valentine, attempting to make out what his intentions were for it's user and whether it would impede him.
Though Valentine still just read the newspaper that he was holding, as enthralled as ever with piecing together little clues of the past events he had dealt with.
"I guess my reputation precedes me..." Giorno said warily.
Valentine flipped a page once again before speaking.
"Yes, I suppose it does. Take a seat. I'd like to speak with you if you don't mind, though I apologize for turning the normal procedure of meeting you upon it's head. Your position within your affiliation is quite high, so I hope one such as yourself will lend me the benefit of the doubt with drawing you out into the open."
Valentine sat his newspaper down upon the cafe table, then taking a sip from his coffee. Not once showing any sign of worry in any of his movements.
"What is your reason for being here. If you know who I am then I have to assume you may be part of an opposing faction." Giorno said with a firm expression upon his face.
Valentine just continued to sip from his cup of coffee, somehow it seemingly never running out of the liquid. Much to the perplexion of Giorno. Though Valentine was drawing out his actions as much as he could.
However he then spoke. All the while his gaze boring into Giorno's own.
"No. I can guarantee to you that I'm not from any opposing factions. That should put you at ease at least, but with what I tell you next it may be taken back."
Valentine then shifted his pose and leaned the right side of his jaw against the knuckles of his right hand that had formed a fist.
"I require the arrow you have within your possession, it's... quite an important piece that I'd like to have in play with my current situation, so please hand it over, I'd rather not have to cause a scuffle within such a historic area. Though I'm not opposed to taking it by force if need be."
Giorno had visibly recoiled. His heart skipping a beat as somehow Valentine had known that he possessed the Requiem arrow, something that only a handful of people even knew of the requiem arrow, even less knew of the fact that he possessed it.
Play - Coils of Light English Version: Dragons Dogma OST.
'He's a threat!' Giorno thought in panic.
Immediately Requiem had taken on a fighting position and
Requiem's fist struck at a speed beyond measurement, faster than time itself as it connected instantly with Valentine! A shockwave from the punch reverberating all the way from Napoli to Roma!
A loud CRACKACK! Blasting abound for dozens upon dozens of miles.
"What...?" Giorno sputtered, a look of confusion now spreading across his visage.
...
"Is something amiss? Young Giovanna? You seem a tad perplexed." Valentine said while raising an eyebrow.
'What is this man!' Giorno thought
For what Requiem had struck with such strength and speed... was not Valentine.
...
What Requiem had hit was pillars... pillars of light.
As this happened something was now going on throughout the thoughts of Requiem it was something the stand had never managed to feel within it's life, until now. A feeling foreign to the being that could very well be considered a god by many mortal and even immortal men.
The eyes of Requiem had spelt out what it had felt within the ether of its thoughts, fear, and Valentine could see that.
And that put a small grin upon Valentine's lips.
What had happened next had only punctuated the fear Requiem had felt.
Vrr
The noise was unearthly, as though the surroundings themselves were being created and recreated only to fold in upon themselves into nothingness.
The sound had been accompanied by the slow appearance of a figure behind Valentine. What looked to be legs appearing slowly from the bottom up all the way to the waist, as though they were being drawn by an artist.
Vrr
Again the sound rung.
The sound once again accompanied by the continued reveal of a stand. All the way from midsection to the neck. The suspense slowly pushing back the senses of Giorno, and Requiem, as the raw power that was being emitted was more than just overwhelming to both of them.
Vrr
The final time that sound had rung about, like that of a bell that had just tolled for someone who had passed on from the mortal coil, into the realm after.
The head of Valentine's stand... D.4.C. had been drawn into reality from it's dormancy, the cold sectioned eyes showing no emotion. Only a glow of magenta that the eyes of the stand produced to bore into what felt like the very soul of Giorno Giovanna.
Giorno felt horrid at seeing D.4.C., the gargantuan stand of Valentine utterly dwarfing himself, and Requiem, easily. The monstrous stand emitting pillars of light from nearly every single inch of it's body.
Giorno's eyes widened as slowly Valentine's body also began to be covered by the the pillars of light.
Ping
Ping
Ping
Ping
Crack
Vrrrrrrr
The sound of the completion of D.4.C.'s appearing had aired the fact that this was no normal stand nor phenomena. The very air itself had changed from the salty smell of the ocean breeze to that of the grassy plains of Europe.
Now as D.4.C.'s full form was revealed, the hand of Requiem had pointed at it, attempting to nullify the summoning of said stand.
However, nothing had occurred whatsoever. No disappearance, no nullification, no reset, D.4.C. just stood where it had been brought about into this world, Valentine standing with an elegant form and raising a concerned eyebrow at the gesture Requiem had made.
A smile was now encroaching upon the lips of Valentine as he begun to shake his head.
Then Giorno spoke a single word, in a worried fashion that he hadn't used for years, not since he had encountered Diavolo, and his stand King Crimson.
"What?" Giorno spoke with an audible amount of confusion and conflict, moving backwards a step or two in a cautious manner.
"Ah, I see... I assume you're not accustomed to a stand resisting your ability, I must say that I wasn't sure that D.4.C. could withstand such an ability as Return to Zero. That is, until I studied your stand a bit more." Valentine said all the while looking about at the surroundings.
Giorno was taken aback by the statement that Valentine had studied Requiem at all somehow.
"I believe you're quite well aware Giorno Giovanna, that all stands have a range. That being their effective range, their maximum range, and their abilities range. All of these are quite important, especially within any form of a battle. So it's for the best to know all three of these so one can actively compensate for them in lieu of what weaknesses might lie within them." Valentine said as he walked forward
Slowly as Valentine had walked forward with a noble gait, the surroundings begun to warp, to change completely as where once the streets of Italy had been the grass and trees of what had once been part of Italy's natural scenery took hold instead.
Buildings disappeared all around, all the citizens around panicking as everything they knew had changed within seconds.
The waves of the Ocean now instead crashed upon the sandy beaches that had once existed many years ago, the smell of the cool sea breeze assailing the nostrils of everyone around.
A sigh escaped from Valentine, as he looked at the scenery that had now been summoned to the surrounding area.
"You see Giorno you can't affect what you can't reach. I do believe you would indeed be a problem if I hadn't had my current ability. You see while your stand does indeed transcend time, space, even causality and fate to boot... my stand transcends all dimensions and dimensionality as a whole. Thus transcending all concepts that reside in said dimensions, and therefore thry mean nothing to my stand" Valentine said as he put a hand upon Giorno's shoulder.
"The other problem that is posed for you Giovanna, is that an infinite amount of universes' separate yourself and I all of creation itself distances us. In a more laid out term, your ability can't reach me." Valentine said, his eyes narrowing into a vindictive glare
Giorno for his part just stood motionless, Requiem still floating next to the young spawn of Dio. Ever watchful of Valentine as it floated freely about it's user.
Slowly a fire began to burn within the eyes of the boy who was both Joestar and Brando, a burning will to fight, a dark determination.
"Useless... useless... useless." Giorno muttered with a cold fury that caused Valentine to raise his eyebrow ever so slightly in question to what Giorno had meant.
A raucous CRACKACK! Now resounding about as the fist of Requiem was sent forward straight upon Valentine! Only it was instead intercepted by the forearm of D.4.C.
There upon the forearm of D.4.C. an uncountable amount of pillars of radiant yellow light were moving about as though they were alive.
Rvooom!
Was the noise that followed as nearly all of Requiem's fingers had disappeared as soon as they had touched the beams of light.
"Hmmmnnn!" Giorno barely managed to hold in a scream of pain as his right hand now was missing all four of his fingers, blood profusely flowing from where the first of his knuckles had once been.
Requiem took ahold of Giorno and leaped back with extreme strength! Cracking the ground for dozens of meters as it leapt backwards to a spot away from Valentine.
Valentine just stood and watched however, crossing his arms and begun to sit on mid air with his right leg crossed over his left.
Immediately Requiem had formed Giorno a new pair of fingers and forced them upon it's user in haste immediately quelling the situation. Only as soon as Giorno looked back towards Valentine, he saw something horrifying within the lines of light. An image of a man within an industrial shop, being obliterated from sheer brute force as a pinkish red mist blew about all around where the man once occupied.
The look of shock on Giorno's face tipped off Valentine as to what the young mafia boss had just seen.
"Ah, so you've seen another part of my stands ability. Just so that you're aware, any form of misfortune that would propose to afflict itself to me, will instead simply be blown away, to another person, whether that be within this universe or another, past, present, or future, that does not matter, it will strike them with that misfortune as a calamity, so I suggest against a clash of barrages against myself, as I fear you very well might commit genocide on a unfathomable scale." Valentine said with feigned ignorance.
Instantly Valentine and D.4.C. appeared right in front of Giorno.
Giorno's eyes widened in surprise! Reqiuem immediately activating Return to Zero! As this happened.
However Valentine and D.4.C. never returned to the position they had started at as D.4.C. threw a strike with the bottom of it's fist.
Moving at a speed that even reality couldn't register correctly, after images appearing every single planck it's arm moved only to disappear as soon as they had formed.
The sheer speed D.4.C. moved at was too much even for Requiem to perceive, in spite of the fact it was a stand that's perception and existence transcended time and space.
A loud KRAKOOM! Followed as the vicious strike landed upon Requiem like a carpenter's hammer against a nail, sending Requiem and Giorno flying like a baseball from a homerun!
Requiem and Giorno must've been sent flying for dozens of miles at least, as now the scenery had changed from a sandy Italian beach to that of the wide open sky with water as far as the eye could see awaiting below.
Shhhvrooom
Just as quickly however Giorno had stopped within mid air as Valentine stood floating right behind him, D.4.C. itself holding the jacket of Giorno firmly as he looked down below to the ocean.
Valentine just stared below, taking in the sight of the Ocean itself parting where ever he might be. In a sense God parting the sea for him, much like God once did for Moses.
The ocean itself had parted completely for at least a couple thousand feet in width as a line had drawn throughout the ocean where the waves crashed against the very air as though walls were blocking it from moving any closer.
"I do hope that didn't hurt, I had D.4.C. hold back near all of its strength for that strike. I suppose I should at the very least give you a fighting chance, shouldn't I... after all I'm not being very Christ like, as my faith calls on me to be."
Not even a second later, both Valentine and Giorno were upon a barren wasteland. In the plains of Northern Africa.
Valentine just looked around and contemplated what to do. Slightly brushing off his overcoat and rearranging his hair to the correct position, his hands moving smoothly so as to never tug a single strand of hair out. After a bit Valentine was content with his hair and looked down to see Giorno starting to get up from the dirt.
'Even with the handicap I shall give myself he has no honest chance of winning besides forcing us into a stalemate.' A disinterested expression forming upon Valentine's face.
All Giorno could think was 'How, how can there be a stand that can rival Requiem!?' At this point Giorno was still in shock from the amount of pain he had felt when Valentine's stand hit Requiem. Still, Giorno continued to attempt to get back up onto his feet. Soon enough Requiem had lifted Giorno up with a single hand, up onto his feet.
"To make this more fair towards you Giovanna, I shall not use D.4.C. to attack at all again, instead I shall simply fight as though I did not have full access to the Holy Corpse's Power. That is to say, I'll be on the defensive. So, attempt to do as you will, though I don't believe you'll succeed." Valentine finished and motioned for Giorno to do as he so pleased.
Giorno could only stare as he rubbed his arms, attempting to get the feeling back into them. Currently his entire body felt like it had fallen down the Grand Canyon, only to still live. It wasn't going to be easy but he had to fight back. 'I have to play this smart, I have to be careful with how I attack, especially with what I saw happen to that poor man.'
"Golden Experience Requiem!" Giorno yelled at the top of his lungs, immediately Requiem had struck the ground, the earth began to quake like a tremor had just made it's way through the lands. Soon enough life sprung forth from the savannah plains, wood began to barrel forth from roots beneath the soil!
Soon enough hundreds of towering redwood trees surrounded Valentine, forcing him into the heart of the forest that sprang forth. Giorno didn't do this to cause damage, no it was so that he could hide and play the long game. For that he needed to think, as Return to Zero could do nothing at all to Valentine or D.4.C. as it could never reach either.
As Giorno was in thought, a small smile formed upon Valentine's lips as he saw the gigantic forest proceed to move. Tree after tree begun to shift from where it was and moved towards a new location, some moving towards Valentine.
Other's however begun to encroach upon the area where Giorno was at.
"Requiem!" Giorno yelled aloud. Requiem grabbing Giorno and quickly jumping into the sky with it's user, floating within the safety of the air. Giorno just stared downwards towards the forest that was now being pulled ever nearer towards his opponent.
"This man is more of a threat than I imagined he would be... what can I do against him." A puzzled look etched upon Giorno's face as he thought on how to beat the opponent he now faced. Dozens of ideas being created only to be thrown out.
Valentine simply stood in bemusement at Giorno's current predicament as he stared up towards him, each gloved hand just resting inside of each pocket of his immaculate coat. A smile upon his lips, knowing that this was no longer even a fight. Valentine saw this for what it was, a goal already achieved.
As Giorno ruminated on what to do within his mind, an effect of Love Train had already begun.
It was an unnoticeable event, one that though so small and frustratingly insignificant, made quite a difference.
"Acghk! My head!"
Giorno was grasping at his skull, fingers finding purchase between shining blond locks of hair, all the while trying to hold his head together as though it were about to implode. Giorno was only still being kept afloat by Requiem's sheer power, still however even Requiem felt the pain that it's user was now going through.
Requiem thought of using it's ability to undo the actions of the pain receptors but knew that would do nothing to solve the cause of whatever might be harming Giorno.
The very air itself begun to have gusts of gales move both Giorno and Requiem, the sheer pressure from the winds pushing both of them towards the ground.
The winds as well sped up the process that was causing Giorno so much excruciating pain and misery.
Valentine watched on as his opponent was now being pushed ever closer towards himself, standing with an expectant gait. Nothing ever moving a single feature of him, no coat billowing, no hair moving to and fro, nothing at all, as he stood inside an area outside and above existence and all the dimensions of it.
"I suppose it was never a question of if I could beat Requiem, more of a question of when. As well as with what." Valentine hummed to himself, looking at the encroaching pair of stand and user.
D.4.C. outstretched it's hand and put it on Giorno's forehead.
Immediately Requiem went to move the opposing stand's hand but was completely unable to even touch it the pillars of light preventing it's hands from ever reaching D.4.C.
D.4.C. ignored what Requiem was doing and used it's ability to send the grains of sand stuck within Giorno's brain to another dimension.
"You're completely fine now Giovanna, so I strongly suggest you listen to me now instead of attempting to attack me."
Giorno steadied himself.
However Requiem had other ideas as it threw a strike straight at Valentine's head.
Crack!
Only for that strike to be parried by D.4.C., with blinding speed D.4.C. proceeded to grab both of Requiem's wrists in it's right hand and held them still with no effort at all.
Valentine looked downwards towards Giorno and spoke.
"I'm sorry for this precaution but your stand seems to misunderstand the situation your both in, so please forgive me, however let us talk in a more civilized manner."
Much to the awe of Giorno they were now back at the cafe right next to the table he had found Valentine at, all of the surroundings returned to how they were when this entire situation happened.
D.4.C. let go of Requiem's wrists and proceeded to stare straight into Requiem's eyes warning it to caution itself, slowly it backed off and disappeared back into the ether with a shimmer of light.
Giorno stared at Valentine a confused expression covering his face.
"Who the Hell are you?" Giorno asked
"Before we start asking questions once again please sit down Giovana, I'd much rather us talk in a more comfortable manner. I mean you nor your organization any harm. As for who I am..." Valentine said as he begun to sit down at the chair Giorno had found him sitting in earlier. "That would be Funny J. Valentine, 23rd President of The United States of America."
WINNER: Funny Valentine
In every situation Giorno would either lose this fight or be stuck in a stalemate that would eventually end in his loss. The original plan of Valentine was to have himself absorb all The Holy Corpse Parts not Lucy, which would make Valentine and D.4.C. emanate the Love Train without any downsides as well as always be within it and be completely able to attack without having to leave it.
Even if this had been Love Train through the use of Lucy it would of ended in Valentine's favor through objects being forced into Giorno, just like how it would have ended here, things would eventually find their way towards Giorno and be forced into his body killing him with Requiem unable to do anything about it.
As well as from what Jojoveller has stated D.4.C. Love Train transcends all dimensions meaning dimensionality doesn't apply to D.4.C. it's in a place that is beyond it and none besides Tusk, Ball Breaker and The Lord can reach, long story short Return to Zero and by extension G.E.R. can never reach nor affect Valentine or D.4.C.
Authors Note: Sorry for not posting in so long, I know I said I would be able to post more often the last time I posted a chapter but life decided that stuff was still going to be a bit hectic for me. I just recently started to get back on track writing and I managed to complete this in about two days to give an update on everything because of my radio silence.
I've also been trying to write multiple chapters as well for this so that I can have a backlog of content so I can post more consistently, this little what if story also serves as an answer to the JoJo fans as to why I haven't brought out Love Train yet as it's just so ridiculously strong that Ainz and all of Nazarick have no chance to beat it since only a Miracle from The Lord can beat another Miracle from The Lord, and Ainz really doesn't have one of those.
On another note I entertained the idea of filler chapters before but never decided to do them because I wasn't sure about it, but I'd like to know how everyone feels about that idea and if anyone has any premise ideas or things they want to see from the filler chapters I'd be more than happy to try and implement them.
Anyways I hope everyone's been doing alright and I'll hopefully be more consistent in posting now as things have calmed down in life to a point where I'm able to write at least every other day, again sorry to everyone for taking so long but all I can offer is that things should be more consistent from now on.
Sincerely,
Kosaku Valentine