Here it is guys! A new chapter has finally dropped! I really do hope all of you are doing well and are safe from the COVID-19! Remember, STAY HOME! ٩(ఠ益ఠ)۶
Honestly, I would've posted MUCH sooner but ATLUS dropped Persona 5 Royal and then Square Enix dropped FF7 Remake as well?! I've been so occupied with those games lately that I almost forgot about my story! (°ロ°) !

Anyway, enjoy!

Egypt

"EEEAAAAAHHH!" The sound of J. Geil's painful cries rang through Enyaba as she let out a gasp.

The old woman fell on her knees, dropping her wooden staff. "N-No! T-This can't be!" She stammered as tears swelled up in her eyes, clenching her fists.

"M-My son! M-My precious son…. just died!" She mourned as she slammed her fists on the floor. "I can sense the terrible misfortune that has befallen on my son! The bond between mother and son has spoken!"

Holes randomly appeared on her face one after another as blood spurted out of them. Similar to the wounds that J. Geil received from Polnareff's Silver Chariot.

"AAAIIIIEEEAAAHH!" Enyaba screamed on the top of her lungs.

"MY PRECIOUS LITTLE BOY! THESE INJURIES! THE PAIN YOU'VE ENDURED! I CAN FEEL IT! I CAN FEEL HOW MUCH YOU SUFFERED BEFORE YOU DIED!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "My poor son! You fought bravely for Lord Dio! My deeeeaaaarrr J. Geil!" She buried her face on the floor. "But how?! How did they do it?! Those bastards must've used a cowardly trick to defeat someone like you who has a pure soul!"

Enyaba grabbed her wooden staff and leapt into the air while screeching. She began running towards the exit of the room.

"THOSE BASTARDS! DAMN THEM ALL! THEY WILL PAY AT A TERRIFYING PRICE! OH YES! THEY'LL PAY! EMPRESS! I NEED YOU! YOUR STAND'S SPECIAL ABILITY THAT SLOWLY KILLS ITS VICTIMS WILL BE THEIR ULTIMATE SUFFERING! EEEHEEEHEEEHEEE!"

The heavy doors slammed shut behind the old woman.

It has been almost a full day since the Crusaders departed from Calcutta and were close to reaching the sacred-city, Varanasi. They had taken the bus and brought along the Indian girl who had tackled Polnareff to let Hol Horse escape. She claimed that her family lived in Varanasi and had no transportation to get there. Joseph being the gentleman that he is, decided to purchase the girl's ticket to bring her along.

The ride to Varanasi could've been peaceful with a couple of passengers chattering one another in a whisper. But it appears that Polnareff seems to be the only one on board who never learned to speak with an indoor voice.

"Look, I don't normally give lectures…" Polnareff said as he was turned to the side to look at the Indian girl. "But seriously, the reason why stupid people are stupid is because they can't understand you after you kept repeating yourself. Stupid pigs will never understand no matter what! Have you ever met people like that? Dumbasses who just don't get it."

"But you know...uhm...I never got your name."

The Indian girl hesitated as she looked away before averting her eyes back at the Frenchman.

"...Nena…"

"Nena! What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl!" Polnareff complimented. "You're the daughter of a wealthy family in Varanasi, right? Look, you're beautiful and you seem very intelligent. I'm pretty good at reading people, so hear me out. Hol Horse is a no good bastard and only tricked you to be used! Your parents would be upset if they found out!"

Nena only stared at him with a blank expression. She appeared to have no interest in anything Polnareff was saying.

"Now I want you to listen closely, Nena." Polnareff placed his hands on the sides of his face. "When you're in love, people take advantage of you for that! You can't let that happen! It's too easy to do that…"

Noriko briefly watched Polnareff talk to Nena over her shoulder. She then turned her head away with a sigh of disappointment. She wondered what Avdol would say if he saw Polnareff trying to flirt with a girl that he just met and who's much younger than him. The thought of Avdol made her think about what Joseph and Jotaro told her yesterday.

The Crusaders returned to the hotel from the hospital after Noriko and Polnareff had their injuries treated. Despite wanting to rest from their battle, they had to leave today to continue their journey. It has been over two weeks since they left Japan and their next stop was Varanasi, a sacred-city that was approximately a twenty-four hour drive.

Noriko was in the middle of packing her clothes in her luggage when a knock came from her door. Walking over to the door and opening it, she was greeted by Jotaro and Joseph.

"Mr. Joestar, Jotaro." Noriko greeted.

"May we come in?" Joseph asked.

"Sure." Noriko stepped to the side, letting the Joestar men enter. She then closed the door and walked over to her bed.

"Is there something you two need?" Noriko asked.

Both Joestar men briefly glanced at each before Joseph sighed. The elder Joestar walked over to a table and grabbed one of the chairs before sitting on it.

"Noriko, there's something we have to tell you." Joseph said as he leaned forward with his hands intertwined together.

"You might want to sit down for this." Jotaro said as he leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

Noriko raised a brow in confusion and sat down on the edge of her bed. "What's this about?" She queried.

Joseph took a deep breath as he rubbed his hands together. Noriko could see how hesitant and nervous the elder Joestar was being. She knew it must be something very serious.

"It's...It's about Avdol…"

Noriko blinked and furrowed her brows, "Mr. Avdol? What about Mr. Avdol?"

"Before Jotaro and I tell you, you have to promise us to never tell Polnareff about it, at all. It has to be kept a secret between us three only." Joseph stated.

Noriko was perplexed by this. What was this secret that not even their own ally could know about it? Especially that it involved Avdol.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Joestar, but why can't Polnareff know about it? Mr. Avdol was very important to all of us. He was our friend and Polnareff was hurt the most over his death. There must be a good reason for it."

"There is." Jotaro replied. "We don't trust him keeping any secrets since he has such a big mouth. We can't risk him accidentally slipping it out and have the enemy know about it."

"I see…" Noriko lowered her eyelids, turning her head away. She didn't like this idea but if it was for the best to not let the enemy have an advantage or whatever it is, she'll do it. She turned her attention back to Joseph and Jotaro.

"Alright then, I promise I won't say a word." She said. "Now, what is it?"

Noriko looked out the window and her brows rose up as the bus was now passing by a group of middle-aged men.

"Well that's very creepy." Noriko spoke up, catching everyone else's attention.

Everyone turned their heads at the windows and saw a group of half naked middle-aged men meditating in bizarre poses. Some were buried with their heads out with needles all over their head, face and tongue while others were contorting their bodies that nobody would think it would be possible to do.

"Woah! What the hell are they doing?!" Polnareff asked.

"It's called Sadhu-a religious ascetic in Hinduism and Jainism." Noriko responded. "From what I've heard in the stories, they train the spirit."

Not long after, the bus drove to a bridge that was over the holy river Ganges. The holy men, the elderly, the sick, beggars, children, cows, monkeys, dogs, food, waste, burning bodies, this river engulfs everything peacefully and without discrimination. One could call it a simplified representation of death itself. In the eternal city of Varanasi, there are some who say they can stay here for months and never get bored. It is thought to be because of the beautiful landscape and its reflection of the people's souls.

Joseph has been scratching his arm for a good while and was now beginning to get worried. The bug bite he received yesterday had swelled up like a giant pimple. He glanced at his arm and grimaced.

"Man...this is getting worse…" He muttered and tried his best to not scratch it.

At the far end of the bus, while Polnareff continued his lecture, Nena turned her gaze over at Joseph with a menace stare.

The Crusaders were dropped off to the nearest station that was close to a hotel. Jotaro glanced at his grandfather and noticed his troubled expression.

"What's wrong, Gramps?" Jotaro asked. "You're not looking too well."

"It looks like the bug bite I got yesterday has gotten infected." Joseph said. He lifted his arm, revealing the giant wart to everyone.

"Hmm, it has definitely gotten swollen." Noriko stated. "I would highly recommend seeing a doctor before the infection gets worse." She suggested.

Polnareff stepped closer, examining the wart. "Hey, doesn't it look like it has a face on it?"

"Quit it, Polnareff!" Joseph snapped at the Frenchman as he moved his arm away. "This is serious!"

"I'm only joking Mr. Joestar." Polnareff chuckled. "Do you want me to come along with you to the hospital?"

Joseph shot a glare at the Frenchman. "No! And quit treating me like an old man!"

"Mr. Joestar, are you sure you don't want any of us to accompany you to the doctor?" Noriko asked. "After what happened back in Calcutta I believe we should be more careful and stay together as a group."

Joseph raised his hand, "I'll be fine on my own. While I'm busy at the hospital, the rest of you will go to check in at a hotel called Hotel Clarks. It shouldn't be far from here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded paper.

"Here's a map of the city in case you guys get lost. I have an extra one so don't worry." He handed the map to Noriko and turned around. "I'll see all of you later." He waved and left.

The rest of the group glanced at one another.

"Well…" Polnareff said as he wrapped his arm around Nena's shoulders. "While Mr. Joestar is doing that, I'll be taking Nena back to her family. I'll meet up with you guys at the hotel once I'm done. Au revoir!" He turned and left as well.

It was now Noriko and Jotaro left. They both watched the Frenchman disappear into the crowd with Nena.

Noriko turned to Jotaro, "Hey, since Mr. Joestar will take a while at the doctor and Polnareff will most likely be with Nena for a bit too, want to go sightseeing after we check in at the hotel?" As much as she wanted to take a rest and nap at the hotel, she was eager to explore the beautiful city.

Jotaro shrugged his shoulders, "Sure."

Noriko smiled. "Alright then, let's get going."

There it was again, her cute smile that made the delinquent's heart skip a beat. Jotaro pulled the tip of his hat down as he turned his face away to hide his blushed cheeks.

Shortly after leaving the group, Joseph was able to find a clinic close by.

Joseph watched the doctor in front of him examine his infected wart. The doctor was hunched over until he moved away, adjusting his glasses as he returned to his full height.

"I'm going to cut it off." The doctor stated.

"Wait what?! What did you say?" Joseph asked.

"It appears that it's a bacterial infection, if I don't remove it now, the infection will get worse and spread." The doctor turned around and walked over to his desk, looking through the medical supplies.

"W-Wait!" Joseph was beginning to get scared. "Can't you just give me some medicine and slap a bandage on it?"

"Don't worry," The doctor assured Joseph. "I'll administer a local anesthetic so you won't feel any pain at all. Now just lie down and relax."

Joseph laid down and looked away as the doctor numbed the area on his arm. The old man was trembling as he was scared of the operation. The thought of a knife touching him and the doctor possibly messing up frightened him even more. Suddenly the light above him turned on, making Joseph wince from the brightness.

"Trust me, sir." The doctor began as he was already wearing his surgery attire and gloves. "I've studied in England for some time. I can perform even surgery like an appendectomy." He grabbed one of the scalpels from his medical tray. "Uh-Oh...this one is a bit rusty."

"What?!" Joseph knitted his brows.

"Well don't worry about that." The doctor said as he walked over to Joseph. "Now let's begin with the chopping." He hovered the scalpel over to the arm.

"Ohhhh, I don't wanna see it get cut open!" Joseph said as he looked away with his eyes shut.

"No problem sir!"

Joseph peeked over as he saw the blade lower to his arm before turning away, closing his eyes. He didn't feel anything but he did hear slicing sounds. He assumed it had something to do with the anesthetics but he didn't even feel the slightest pressure either.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Joseph asked with his eyes still closed. "Is it over?"

He heard the doctor grunt and glanced over at him. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the doctor's face all sliced up from the scalpel. The scalpel was still on his face as the doctor screamed in pain before collapsing on the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Joseph shouted as he sat up. He was confused about what had just happened.

"HEY! DOCTOR!" A squeaky voice said out of nowhere. "What the hell were you thinking? Tryin' to cut me?! You're pretty dumb, you fucking moron!"

Joseph looked all over the room to see who was the one speaking but saw no one. He hesitantly looked down at his arm and gasped in shock as he saw eyes, nose and a mouth with sharp fangs grinning at him on his infected wart.

"CHUMIMIIIIN!"

"W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Joseph yelled.

"I'm Empress of the Empress card, Old Man Joseph!" The wart said. "And now I'm gonna bloody you up!"

Joseph quickly grabbed one of the scalpels from the medical tray.

"When the hell did you get on my arm, you freak?!" Joseph demanded as he was about to stab the wart.

Empress blocked the attack with its bare teeth. Joseph tried to pull the scalpel away but it wouldn't budge, Empress had kept a tight grip on it. It managed to take the scalpel away from Joseph and sliced his pinky off.

"OOHHH NOOOOO!" Joseph screamed. He looked over at his hand and was relieved that it was only his prosthetic hand.

"Bastard! Did you really plan on just cutting yourself, Old Man?!" The Empress taunted. "I'm part of your body now, you idiot! You can't get away from me now no matter how hard you try!" Empress grinned deviously. "You know, I bet I can tell what's going through that thick skull of yours! Well, let me fill you in...Stands can only be defeated by other Stands. Your Stand, Hermit Purple, uses the power of remote viewing to see things far away. But is that enough to fight me? Can you really defeat something that's fused into your arm? Ha! The answer is no, you can't!"

Joseph glared at Empress. "Where is your user?! Where the hell was I when you latched on to me?!"

"Like I would tell you, dumbass!" Empress retorted and spat a yellow gooey disgusting substance at Joseph.

He dodged it on time and let out a low growl, "Damn you!" He then sprinted to the door.

"HEEHEEHEE! Where do you think you're going?!" The Empress asked. "Gonna run back to your grandson and friends?! Ha! Did you really think I'd make it that easy?!"

Joseph halted when the door opened, revealing a young nurse with a clipboard in hand.

"Doctor, your next patient is wai ...ting…" The nurse's jaw dropped and dropped her clipboard when her eyes turned to the deceased doctor on the floor.

"AAAAH! Doctor!" The woman screamed.

"W-Wait-" Joseph tried to protest as the nurse stepped away from him. "It's not what you think-"

"I KILLED HIM!" Empress said, trying to imitate Joseph's voice. "My name is Joseph Joestar and I'm an American! I'm staying at Hotel Clarks!"

"WHAT?!" Joseph shouted.

"By the way baby," Empress continued with a sly smirk. "I got a thing for hot young nurses like yourself. I think I should give you an exam."

"W-WHAT?!"

The nurse was trembling in fear and panic. She quickly turned around and dashed out of the room.

"MURDERER!" The nurse cried out.

"Wait! It's not true! I didn't do it!" Joseph said. Realizing he was now in deep trouble, he groaned. "Oh nooo…"

Varanasi is much more crowded than Calcutta but Jotaro and Noriko paid no mind to it. The two teens have gotten used to the country and seemed to be the only ones to enjoy India more than Joseph and Polnareff.

Noriko was amazed by almost everything she encountered such as the temples, museums, rivers and many historical places. Her violet-colored eyes widened with awe and excitement. Almost every place they went to Noriko would throw in a little fun fact every now and then while Jotaro listened to her. He didn't realize he was smirking and staring at her while she rambled. He looked away before she would notice his gaze.

They accidentally walked into a large marketplace that was practically packed. It appeared that it was full around this time of the day from how difficult it was to see the stalls. Noriko and Jotaro decided to check out the stalls to see what they were selling. Almost every vendor they would stop at, they were begged to try their samples and many different kinds of fruits, vegetables and snacks that the two teens have never seen before. It was difficult to speak with some of the vendors since not all of them spoke Japanese or English. Each vendor sold their own clothing, jewelry, accessories, art, books and etc.

Noriko purchased herself a white silky scarf, similar to the one she wore back in Japan when she first met Jotaro. She also purchased a bag filled with cherries.

"Alright Jojo, I think I'm ready to head back-hm?" Noriko saw Jotaro standing still in front of a stall. Walking over to him, she noticed the vendor was selling nothing but jewelry.

Noriko beamed with excitement. "Wow! These are so pretty!"

"Hmmm…" She observed the jewelry placed on the table. They were small, colorful and shaped like a crystal.

"Ah! I know what these are. Not only are they small, but these jewels are gemstones!" Noriko stated.

Jotaro glanced at Noriko, "You know about jewelry?" He asked.

"Well, just a bit…" Noriko gave a shy response as she looked away before returning her gaze back at Jotaro. "Oh! And speaking of jewelry, there's a place called Jaipur that's west of us that accumulated so many jewels that the city is known as the city of gems!"

"I see…" Jotaro muttered and glanced back at the gems. "Although they're very small, they kind of look like a piece of glass."

"That is true…"

"The big ones are certainly more expensive!" The vendor said with a grin.

"Hm?" One of the gemstones caught Jotaro's eye. "Isn't this your stone?" He pointed at a dark green gemstone.

"Ahh! It is!" Noriko's face lit up. "It's an emerald gemstone!" She grabbed the small gem.

"I've heard the emerald stone is considered to be the stone of love. Not only that, its green color represents vitality, new beginnings and the spring reason and there's a reason for it too. Apparently it's the perfect gemstone to represent happy new beginnings, love, and an eternal relationship. People say the emerald stone is a perfect present to a loved one as an engagement or anniversary ring." She then turned to Jotaro.

"I used to believe this was all nonsense but ever since I met you, Mr. Joestar, Mr. Avdol and Polnareff, I've been much happier in my life than before." She smiled and handed the gemstone to Jotaro.

"You know your stone quite well, young lady!" The vendor remarked.

Noriko chuckled, "Just a little bit that's all."

While Noriko and the vendor conversed, Jotaro stared at the gemstone before looking over at Noriko.

Police officers were scattered everywhere. They had closed down the clinic as they questioned the nurses and patients while the other officers were on a hunt to find Joseph Joestar.

Joseph doesn't know for how long he's been running but he wanted to make sure he was as far away from the clinic as possible. He was able to find and hide in a random alleyway before any of the police officers could spot him. A couple of officers ran past him and Joseph let out a sigh of relief. But it's too soon to be relieved when an enemy Stand user is attached to his arm and it's the very reason why he's being chased in the first place.

"HAHAHAHA! Now you can't go back to the hotel, old man!" The Empress said with a devilish grin. "Now there's nothing stopping me from killing you!"

Joseph tightened his fists as he glared at the Stand, "Y-You bitch!" He snarled. "I'll crush you!" He lifted up his arm to smash Empress against a metal bar on the window but in an instant it grew two arms and protected itself.

"What?!"

"Hey! This is your arm! Take care of it you senile fucker!"

Suddenly Empress grabbed onto the metal bar tightly, preventing the elder Joestar from moving away.

"H-Hey! Let go!" Joseph demanded as he tried to pull his arm away. "What the hell are you doing?! Let go!"

"Hey, officer! I found the culprit!" Empress shouted. "He's over here!"

An officer close by heard Empress and pulled out his gun, aiming at Joseph. "You there! What are you doing?!"

"Shit!" Joseph thought. He summoned Hermite Purple, wrapping its purple vines around Empress and squeezed her tightly in place.

A trigger was pulled from the officer and the bullet went straight to the metal bar that Empress held onto. Empress let go of the bar on time, giving Joseph the opportunity to flee from the police once again.

"Hey! Stop right there!" An officer shouted as he continued shooting at Joseph.

Joseph had quickly picked up a piece of cloth from the ground to cover up Empress.

"I said stop!"

Joseph continued running as he tried to come up with a plan. He knew he couldn't keep running like this forever. He needed to find a way to get rid of Empress off his arm or find any of the other Crusaders for help. He already lost a hand over fifty-years ago and was not about to lose an arm because of an enemy Stand.

"Dammit! I should have listened to Noriko if any of this was happening! I would have asked her or Polnareff to come along with me to the clinic!"

In the same marketplace where Noriko and Jotaro were exploring, Polnareff is strolling around with Nena there too.

"So, to sum everything I just said, real men don't talk all big." Polnareff said. "That's how you separate the honest ones and the liars." He walked in front of Nena and stopped. "Instead of a petty bastard like Hol Horse, how about me Nena? Am I not your type?"

Nena doesn't respond as she only stared at him.

"Look, I don't dwell on the past like some people do." Polnareff continued. "I don't even care who you were dating previously. What's important is the future, and that we understand each other's feelings."

From a distance, Nena could see a running Joseph heading towards them. She narrowed her eyes at him. Not wanting Joseph nor Polnareff to see each other, she pointed at a building across from them.

"Ah! Look over there." She said. "That place is a hotel run by a Japanese woman named Kumiko. She manages it with her Indian husband."

Two men carrying a large carpet behind Nena and Polnareff walk passed them. The carpet blocked Polnareff from Joseph's view and made him pass by the Frenchman.

"We could probably get a cheap room there."

"Is that so? But what about our hotel?" Polnareff asked.

Joseph but slowed down when he heard crunching sounds from underneath the cloth where he hid Empress. He came to a stop and saw half-eaten fruits and vegetables falling out from the cloth. Even a rooster head fell out as well.

"What the-?!" Joseph frowned, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"CHUMIMIIIN! Why I'm chowing down, Joestar!" Empress replied. "I have to grow bigger and stronger!"

"You stole those while I was running down the market! You quick little bastard!" Joseph spat and removed the cloth off from Empress.

WHAM!

A small tiny fist punched Joseph hard in the cheek. Empress now appeared more humanoid with female features possessing two small crests on its head and a shawl.

"CHUMIMIIIN! Why look at how much I've grown!" Empress exclaimed. "You might say I'm mooching off my parents but in this case it's your arm, papa! HEEHEEHEEHEE!"

"You ugly bitch!" Joseph seethed. "I'll have you know that I, Joseph Joestar, have much more fighting experience than you do!"

"I say that but what the hell am I gonna do?! Dammit!" He thought nervously.

Joseph extended his arm out, "Hermit Purple!" The purple vines wrap around Empress but was not bothered by it at all.

Instead of panicking a way out of it, Empress smiled, "Papa, I thank you for raising me but it isn't nice to tie down your children like this. You must raise your children to be free!"

Empress then bit down Joseph's arm.

"OOOH NOOO!" Joseph screamed on the top of his lungs as his Stand diminished.

The people around him stared at Joseph as if he was some kind of weirdo.

Joseph began running again as he started to panic. The situation was getting worse by the minute and he needed to find the Stand's user quickly but didn't have a camera. If this continues, Empress is going to keep growing and take over his arm or worse, take over his entire body.

"HAIYAAAAAAA!" Empress yelled as she looked back at Joseph.

Empress has grown much bigger now and her arms can already reach Joseph's neck. It was enough to cut his artery and kill him for sure. Before any of her fists could make contact at his face, Joseph placed his prosthetic hand in front of him to block the punches. Although her fists are tiny, they threw powerful rapid-punches that sent him knocked him over to a table that had jars filled with ashes. Empress didn't stop there, she continued to beat the elder Joestar down and even grabbed one of the jars to hit him with it.

"You bitch!" Joseph snarled as he rolled over the ashes.

The locals around could only watch as they had no idea what was going on. To them in their eyes they witnessed a foreigner throw himself over a table with a disgusting wart on his arm.

Joseph was able to hold down Empress and began running again.

Noriko and Jotaro were trying to find a way out of the marketplace to head back to the hotel. From all the walking and a bit of shopping, they were beginning to get tired and wanted to rest.

"I'll ask people around to tell us where there's an exit nearby." Noriko said.

Joseph gave her an affirmed nod.

Turning to a corner, Noriko found Polnareff eating a snack and Nena standing next to him.

"Polnareff?!"

"Oh! Hey Noriko!" Polnareff greeted with his mouth full. Pieces of crumbs came out of his mouth when he spoke.

Jotaro then appeared behind Noriko.

"Hey Jotaro!" Polnareff greeted with a wave.

"Polnareff, I thought you were taking her home." Noriko said.

"I am taking her home! I-I...umm… got hungry and wanted a snack." Polnareff stammered nervously.

Noriko sighed while Jotaro muttered out a "good grief." Nena had looked to the side, she had sensed Joseph getting closer. She knew she had to do something to distract everyone so they wouldn't notice him.

"So what are you two up to?" Polnareff asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well we explored the city and did a bit of shopping," She stated as she lifted her bag where her scarf and a bag of cherries were in. She also pointed at Jotaro who held a book with one hand while the other in his pocket.

"Right now we're just trying to find an exit route to get back to the hotel." She added. "We didn't realize the marketplace was that big and-"

"Polnareff, sir!" Nena blurted out, cutting off Noriko mid-sentence and turned to Polnareff. "I want you to listen very closely." She ran up to him, pressing her body against his. "I'm a useless woman who can't survive without a reliable man….I...I love you, Polnareff." She confessed. "I love you because you're so reliable and kind to me."

Polnareff was speechless and in shock from the confession. Noriko and Jotaro were surprised as well. Having their backs turned and distracted, they didn't notice Joseph had run past them.

"H-Hey! Nena! Where is all this coming from?" Polnareff asked. He gave a cheesy grin from how happy he was. "No way this is happening! Is this really real?! I'm totally falling for her! I'm so lucky!"

He cleared his throat and wrapped his arm around Nena's waist. He looked over at the two high schoolers. "If you don't mind, I believe Nena and I have some things to discuss before I drop her off. I'll see you all later." With that, he and Nena walked away from Noriko and Jotaro.

Suddenly a couple of police officers were in a rush that they accidentally pushed Noriko towards Jotaro. She was now pressed against Jotaro's chest and her cheeks turned pink. Like last time, she thanked god the delinquent couldn't see her blushed face. However, unlike last time, this time she felt a strange sensation coming from her stomach. As if there were butterflies in her stomach as she got herself off from Jotaro. Composing herself, she cleared her throat.

"S-Sorry…" Noriko shyly apologized.

"It wasn't your fault. Idiots need to watch where they're going." Jotaro said as he looked away. "Come on, let's keep trying to find a way out of here. I'm sure the Old Man is probably freaking out of where we are right now."

Noriko nodded firmly as she and Jotaro continued their search for an exit.

Joseph panted as he was running farther and farther away from the marketplace. While running he had to keep ducking and hiding from the police as they searched for him in their vehicles and on foot. He exited behind a building from the alleyway and found himself in an empty neighborhood that was outside the marketplace. He spotted a barrel up ahead and ran towards.

"Hey! Joseph Joestar!" Empress said. "You fucking retard! You're just getting yourself further and further away from Jotaro and the others!"

"Do you really think I'm just running around to wear myself out?!" Joseph panted as he sped up.

"Huh?!"

"I'm running so I can kill you!" He shouted as he leaped straight to the barrel, shoving his arm into the black gooey substance.

After a few seconds being submerged into the black liquid, Empress lunged at Joseph with a nail and stabbed his neck.

"You dense old fucker!" Empress shouted.

"GYAAAAHHH!" Joseph screamed in pain as he grabbed the nail on time before it could go deeper with his prosthetic hand.

"A-A nail?!" Joseph thought.

"I picked this up earlier. I just happened to find it when you rolled on the ground at the marketplace! So now I can cut your neck open!" Empress gave a sinister grin. "Did you really think I'd suffocate if you stuck me in that damn thing?! Now dieeee!" She pushed the nail and it made Joseph to be pushed against a wall on the side of a building.

Joseph groaned as he tried to prevent the nail from going further.

"I have a physical form but I'm not a living organism. Did you already forget that, old man?!" Empress said. "Only Stands can defeat other Stands! That reminds me, weren't you going to show me our difference in fighting experience? Well where's this experience you bragged about, huh?! You're just a pathetic damn old geezer who's gotten too old for his own good!"

Joseph's prosthetic fingers were beginning to break. They were already weakened from Empress's barrage of rapid punches. His prosthetic hand was losing its strength.

"Now…" Empress continued. "Just one more and I'll be ending your leeching invalid life for good! There's not a single way for you to get out of this one you old-huh?"

The black gooey substance Empress was submerged in earlier now solidified her in an instant. She couldn't move a single muscle and dropped the nail.

"Huh? What was that you were just saying? That there's not a single way for me to get out of it?" Joseph teased. "Well, looks there is since I had dumped you into that coal tar earlier."

Empress gasped as she realized the reason behind it, "Coal tar! You stuck me in the coal tar not to suffocate me but to solidify me!" She tried to turn her head to look at the barrel. "B-But how?! How did you know where the barrel was?!"

Joseph laughed in confidence, "With my Stand, Hermit Purple, and it's incredible power of course!"

Back at the marketplace, the table that Joseph had broken earlier from falling on top of it, was surrounded by the locals. They had circled around seeing something strange from the ashes that Joseph had rolled over.

"H-Hey everyone look!" One of the locals called out as he pointed at the ashes on the ground.

"What is this?"

"The ashes that foreigner had spilled everywhere now formed into a map of the city!"

Empress gasped in shock, "Y-You used your spirit photography on those ashes! That's how you were able to locate the barrel!"

"I think by now you should be able to see the huge difference between our fighting experience. When your opponent flaunts over their victory early in battle, they've already lost. That's how I, Joseph Joestar, gets things done!" Joseph winks, "It seems that I only get better with age!"

"By the way…" Summoning Hermit Purple, the purple vines wrapped tightly around Empress and one of the vines grabbed a metal bar from above. "A Stand can only tear away another Stand. Now you'll say, Stop anything but that!"

"Stop anything but that!" Empress pleaded but gasped.

Joseph grinned, "Sorry but no. It pains me too but children can't always depend on their parents forever." He ran up along the wall, "Once you've grown big, you'll have to live on your own!" He pulled his arm hard.

Empress let out a painful cry before she was torn apart into pieces. The Stand disappeared along with Hermit Purple.

Joseph stood back up. "Now the question is, where's the Stand user…"

At the marketplace, Polnareff took Nena to a secluded area where they wouldn't be interrupted.

"N-Now Nena," He said as he was blushing. "To prove our love for each other, let's seal it with a kiss…"

Polnareff leaned forward to kiss Nena. Suddenly, Nena began trembling and a large amount of yellow liquid spewed out of her mouth. Polnareff quickly backed away.

"W-What the hell?!" Polnareff shouted in confusion. "What's wrong, Nena?!"

Then, Nena's body tore apart and an obese, hideous woman emerged out of her. The woman screamed before collapsing on the ground and died immediately.

"So that was Empress's Stand user…" A voice came from behind Polnareff.

It was Joseph. He was leaning on the side of the wall with his arms crossed as he looked at the deceased woman covered in blood.

Polnareff was speechless and shaking. He was in shock at what had just happened.

"E-EH!? W-What the fuck is that, Mr. Joestar?!"

"That hideous woman attached her Stand onto my arm as a tumor with a human face and camouflaged herself as a young beautiful woman…" Joseph responded casually.

"You were too naive, Polnareff." Joseph remarked as he turned his head at the shocked Frenchman.

"You were tricked too easily…"

Polnareff placed his hands on the sides of his face. "G-Guuuhhhh…."

The sky was now dark and cloudy as Polnareff, Jotaro and Noriko gazed at the river in front of them while waiting for Joseph. After Polnareff and Joseph found Noriko and Jotaro, they were rushed to flee the city from the police because of Joseph. Noriko had left her cherries behind but was able to take her scarf with her. Jotaro also left his book behind too.

"And here I thought we'd finally be able to sleep in a bed…" Noriko said as she slightly shivered from the breezy air.

Jotaro had his arms crossed, "Maybe we would be if gramps hadn't fucked up and got the cops chasing him." He looked over at Noriko who was shivering and her teeth were already chattering.

Noriko used her scarf to warm herself up but it wasn't enough as she continued to shiver. Jotaro wanted to warm her up by wrapping his arms around her but didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. The teeth chattering and shivering continued for another moment and Jotaro couldn't hold it in any longer. Instead of wrapping his arms around her, he removed his jacket and placed it over her shoulders.

The gesture surprised Noriko. She didn't expect anything like this from the delinquent but it brought a sweet smile to her face as her cheeks had a faint blush. She glanced at Jotaro with her soft violet eyes that twinkled under the moonlight.

"Thank you." She said softly and wrapped herself up with his jacket.

Joseph returned to the group, "Everything's been taken care of." He said. "We can take this car." He placed his hand on the jeep and turned to Polnareff.

"Polnareff, you'll do the driving." He tossed the keys at the Frenchman.

Polnareff didn't budge as the keys landed on the top of his hair. He was still sitting on the ground thinking about the events from earlier.

"Hey, Polnareff, are you still in shock?" Joseph asked.

"I was the one who was attacked by the Stand."

"I would have rather gone through that than…" Polnareff muttered.

Everyone hopped into the vehicle and settled in. Joseph sat next to Polnareff while Noriko and Jotaro sat in the back.

"So where to, Mr. Joestar?" Polnareff asked as he adjusted the rear-view mirror.

Joseph opened up the map he had in his pocket. "We're gonna head to the Indo-Pakistani border. We'll have to get there as quickly and safely as possible." Joseph declared.

"We'll be taking this route to head over there." He pointed at the map and showed it to Polnareff.

"Yes sir." Polnareff said and started up the car.

As they drove down the road, another car not too far from them, turned on and began following behind the Crusaders.

To Be Continued….

I did struggled a lot with how I was going to make scenes for Noriko and Jotaro since in the anime they didn't appear until the very end of the episode so I tried my best! The scene from where Noriko and Jotaro were looking at the gemstones came from a Doujinshi I read a while back and thought why not use it for here since I will bring it up in the future, probably in Part 4 as a flashback (MAYBE).

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See ya next time!