Soldiers saluted as a silhouette appeared in the doorway.
The man had long blonde hair which curled at the ends of it. His strong jawline and fierce glare made him look imposing, and the pink business suit he wore made him look like a man on a mission.
This was Funny Valentine, President of the United States, and the man behind the Steel Ball Run.
Behind him stood a man dressed entirely in black, save for a hockey mask on his face that has a rainbow painted on it. This was Blackmore, the President's right hand man and personal assassin. The two of them descended the stairs towards the head guard.
"What is the meaning of this?" Valentine asked.
"This man wishes to speak with you privately, Mr. President. I'm afraid he's insistent."
Valentine turned to the man who was so desperate for his attention.
Diego Brando smirked back, before pulling an eyeball out his pocket, concealing it in such a way that only be and Valentine could see it. The President's eyes widened slightly, before he turned to the guard. "Let him in, and leave us."
The guard saluted and led his men away. "Blackmore, you stay."
Diego walked up to the President, brandishing the Corpse Eye. "I believe you are looking for this? I knocked it from Kujo and Zeppeli when I heard them talking about it."
Valentine nodded. "I think it's safe to assume you aren't just going to hand it to me."
Diego nodded. "I want something in return. I wish to join you, and I will make sure the other parts end up in your safe hands, in exchange for...let's say, New York City?"
Valentine raised an eyebrow. "You want me to make you the mayor of New York?"
"If it's not too much trouble..."
Valentine sighed. "I'll consider it."
Diego handed the Corpse Eye to Valentine. "Then...we have a deal, Mr. President?"
Valentine nodded, and motioned with his head. "I want you to hunt down and kill Kujo and Zeppeli, they still have the other eye and the left arm. He will assist you."
Diego turned towards his new partner and smirked. "It appears I'm not the only racer to join up with you." And with that, Diego and his new partner set off to do their dirty deed.
Blackmore walked up to Valentine. "You aren't actually going to make him the mayor of New York, are you sir?"
"Of course not, that's not how democracy works. But he doesn't have to know that..."
...
*In the JoJo squad group chat*
Meatball: You did WHAT?!
Asparagus: Jiro!
Spotify: I didn't mean to! It just slipped out! I was so frustrated that he wasn't telling me things...what really happened yesterday Gyro?
Meatball: Look...you didn't hear this from me...but Johnny was wrong to hide this from you. There was another assassin, this time he had a gun. Johnny was shot...in the head.
Asparagus: WHAT?!
Spotify: Are you fucking serious?...
Meatball: Yeah...I won't lie to you guys, me and Johnny are in some serious trouble. The only reason he lived is because he was wearing that horseshoe.
Asparagus: This is really bad! Why didn't you guys contact pro heroes?!
Meatball: We made an enemy that...has influence in the U.S government. We found something, something that he wants, and he decided to shoot first and ask questions later.
Spotify: So contacting the pros would just get you arrested, right?
Meatball: Right. There is no way they would believe us over someone as powerful as him.
Asparagus: That's really scary...what happened after JoJo was shot?
Meatball: I fought the assassin myself. I had just realized Johnny was alive when you called me, so I headed back there to save him. I had to kill the guy in self defense.
Spotify: Kill him? Damn, that must have been hard to do.
Meatball: Not when it was his life for Johnny's. Johnny tried to kill him first.
Asparagus: ?!
Spotify: JoJo tried to kill him?!
Meatball: Yeah, to say I was shocked would be an understatement. He aimed right for the guy's head. Johnny...he's becoming colder, he didn't hesitate at all. I'm worried for him, he's changing, and not in a good way.
Spotify: Oh God, I made it worse.
Asparagus: It's not your fault Jiro. Can you talk some sense into him?
Meatball: I tried, but he just brushes me off. The world is beating the shit out of him. His injury, his dreams getting crushed, his mom trying to ruin the family, and the attempts on his life every other day, and his best friend from school saying he's a problem...
Spotify: ...
Meatball: It's getting to him, so he isn't allowing himself to feel anything at all. I'm afraid...I'm afraid he's going to turn into a monster.
Asparagus: Then we need to save him, from himself. If you guys are going to get out of that mess alive, JoJo needs to be at his best. We can't let him turn into a villain!
Meatball: I'll need your help with this, you guys have known him longer than I have.
Spotify: He won't want to talk to me...I'm pretty sure I ruined our friendship...
Asparagus: No you didn't. I've known him the longest, he values friendship more than anything. If you reach out, as long as he isn't too far gone, he'll come around.
Spotify: Still...we aren't there Midoryia. But you are Gyro...you have to be the one to save him.
Asparagus: Wait...I have an idea.
Meatball: What is it?
Asparagus: Who's the person that JoJo looks up to most.
Spotify: His dad!
Asparagus: Exactly, if anyone can get through to him, it's Dr. Kujo.
Meatball: Okay, you two work on that, I'll try in person.
...
"Hey Johnny."
Johnny looked over at Gyro, the Italian was giving him a side eye. "What is it Gyro?"
"I wrote a song, music and lyrics by Gyro Zeppeli. You wanna hear it?"
Johnny blinked.
"Listen, I'm only gonna sing it once."
Johnny sighed. "Then I guess I wanna hear it..."
Gyro cleared his throat and raised his arms to the sky, stretching his limbs in preparation.
"Pizza Mozzarella.
Pizza Mozzarella.
Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella!
Pizza Mozzarella.
Pizza Mozzarella.
Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella!
Pizza Mozza- rella!
Pizza Mozza- rella!
Rella Rella Rella Rella Rell-a.
Pizza Mozzarella.
Pizza Mozzarella.
Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella! "
Gyro turned to Johnny. "And then, there's the second verse, only if repeats with 'gorgonzola '
Zola Zola Zola Zola Zola...so what do you think?"
Johnny gave a bored stare into the horizon, before responding, "it's great Gyro."
"Really?! You think so?!"
Johnny put a hand to the side of his head. "Yeah, it's great. It gets stuck in your head, especially the Rella Rella part."
"Yes! That's what I was thinking!"
"It's so good Gyro, I think it'll be a real hit in Europe."
Gyro grinned. "I'm glad you like it Johnny!"
"Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella..."
"Zola Zola Zola...Gyro do you want to form a band?"
The two of them stopped at an old barn to rest, and Johnny laid his head against the rickety building.
"Gyro...it doesn't...bother you, right? Having to carry me around?"
"No. Not at all. I couldn't imagine going through all this alone...hell, I'd be dead by now if you weren't there."
"It's just...I feel like I'm holding you back. I mean, you had to risk everything just to save my sorry ass...I just feel like you're wasting effort on me."
"Johnny, shut the fuck up."
Johnny raised an eyebrow as Gyro continued. "I risked my hide back there because you are important, Johnny. You're my partner, remember?"
" Yeah... "
That's when a rustling sound was heard from the bushes, and several tiny dinosaurs charged at the two. "What the- JOHNNY IT'S AN AMBUSH!"
"DIEGO THAT BASTARD!"
"Quick! Take shelter in that shed!"
Johnny crawled into the shed, Gyro close behind him, only for his hand to be cut across the palm. "GAH! What the?!" Johnny looked down and saw the word 'slice' was written into the floor were his hand was. In fact, the whole shed was lined with them.
"Gyro, Diego might have brought a friend!"
"Shit! Out of the shed Johnny!"
Gyro looked around, his eyes coming to a rest at the nearby lake. "Quick Johnny, in there! Those dinos are tiny, so they'll drown if they follow us!"
"Can't walk, Gyro..."
"Oh, right!" Gyro lifted Johnny clean over his head. "Gyro? GYRO?!"
"YEET!"
"GYROOOOO!"
Gyro threw Johnny into the lake and ran after him, the paraplegic Joestar landing with a splash. Gyro pulled a flailing Johnny from the lake and held him above the surface.
"GYRO! PARAPLEGICS CAN'T SWIM!"
"No time Johnny, there's letters in the water!"
"What?!"
Sure enough, they were surrounded by the word 'slice' and the words were flowing through the water, slowly inching their way towards them. "Alright Johnny, ready for your next Spin lesson?"
"You can't be serious."
"I'm perfectly serious!"
"We are under attack and could die at any moment!"
"You see my belt buckle? You know, the one that has hands pointing towards my dick?"
"Unfortunately."
"This shape, this rectangle, is a reference point. In order to use the next stage of the Spin, you have to rotate your nails within the confines of this rectangle!"
"I...I don't think I can do that!"
Gyro smiled. "You will say that three more times, and then you will get it. This is my prediction. Watch and learn, my humble student."
Gyro focused, and his steel ball began to rotate. Then, he threw it at the bushes, and Johnny was astounded to see a spiraling trail of golden light following it. "This is the Golden Spin Johnny! Learn this, and you'll reach new heights. You will be able to rotate things as long as you want! You'll have infinite energy at your fingertips!"
Immediately, someone lept out of the bushes and came to a rolling stop.
"Sandman?!"
"Soundman! My name is Soundman! Why does everyone get it wrong?!"
Sandman pointed at the two. "Hand over the Corpse Parts and I will let the two of you live. You are both surrounded, there's no hope of escape! "
"Johnny, look for the rectangle, it's the only way we can beat him in this situation."
"I can't Gyro! You didn't give me enough information!"
Gyro threw another Golden Spin, and Sandman dodged again. "Damn, he really is quick on his feet!" The steel ball arched and came back to Gyro's hand. "It's there Johnny, you just have to look for it!"
" WHERE?! I can't see it! "
"Careful now Johnny, you only have one can't lef-"
Gyro spat up blood.
Johnny's eyes went wide as saucers as Gyro clutched at his stomach, and to Johnny's horror, Gyro's legs washed up on the shore, separated from his body.
The 'slice' letters had just cut his friend in half.
"G...Gy...GYROOOOOOO!"
...
Diego heard Johnny scream, and peeked over the bush to see his partner standing on the riverbank, examining a pair of legs, while Kujo and Zeppeli were in the lake, blood pooling around the Italian.
Okay...I know Valentine said to kill them...but was cutting Zeppeli in half really necessary? The poor bloke is still alive!
Diego shook his head, he didn't have time to feel sorry for Gyro, he was his enemy after all.
Still...what a bloody way to go.
...
"Gyro...Gyro please don't die on me! Dammit!" Johnny shook his friend, tears streaming down his face. God dammit Gyro, I already have enough going on, don't do this to me, please...
Johnny looked at Gyro's slightly inappropriate belt buckle, taking note of the rectangle. I have to find the rectangle! Gyro's down, it has to be me!
Johnny readied a nail bullet, trying desperately to find the rectangle that Gyro seemed to spot everywhere.
Only to find nothing.
"We...we're fucked. I can't do this, I'm a failure. Gyro was a fool to put his faith in someone a s useless as me, I'm -"
"Don't throw away your shot, JoJo..."
Johnny paused as Kyoka's voice rang in his head. That's right...she told me not to give up. But...I'm just a burden to her, no, she would encourage me if I was...
A little white mouse scurried across his vision as Kyoka's voice spoke up again.
"It doesn't matter if you don't have your legs, because you're rockin' either way...
"Danny..." Johnny said as he watched the white mouse.
The mouse...
Johnny look a good look at the mouse...and then at Gyro's belt buckle. The mouse would fit perfectly inside the rectangle.
That's it! I need to look at something that can fit inside the rectangle, and then spin my nails to match it!
And that's exactly what Johnny did, using the mouse that looked so much like Danny, he leveled his hand towards Sandman, his fingernail was no longer spinning at the top of his finger, but rather around it, like a drill.
Johnny fired straight at his opponent's head, but Sandman dodged to the side, barely managing to avoid the powerful shot as it thunder into the ground with the force of a cannonball. My nail bullets are more powerful! Although it isn't growing back nearly as fast...I have to conserve ammo.
"Chumimin!" His stand cried, and Johnny watched as the two halves of Tusk fell into the water. My stand...broke? Johnny looked up, and what he saw both shocked and amazed him.
Tusk didn't break, it shed it's old skin. A bigger, more mechanical Tusk floated above him, it now had two propeller-like appendages on it's head, and it had arms! It had a strong mechanical jaw, and while it still didn't have any legs, it certainly didn't look as frail as it once did.
"My stand...it evolved! Don't worry Gyro, I'll save you! With Tusk Act 2!"
The bullet hole left by Johnny 's first shot was spinning, in fact, it was moving towards Sandman! The holes left by Johnny's bullets had become miniature wormholes, and they were tracking his opponent. That must be Act 2's new ability!
Johnny lined up another shot and fired, the force from the bullet parting the lake like Moses parted the Red Sea. Sandman was now running from two wormholes, while Diego watched from afar, stunned by Johnny's new power.
Sandman scrambled up a tree, but the holes followed him, and one touched his foot. Immediately, a hole was punched through the foot, and Sandown grunted in pain and fell off the tree. "Enough of this, you may have evolved your stand, but In a Silent Way is still superior!"
A large stand that resembled a human skeleton with feathers surround it's head appeared behind Sandman as it raised it's arms. Every word that was surrounding Johnny and Gyro rocketed towards them, but Johnny aimed another shot, this time into the water.
Johnny fired, and he and Gyro's upper half rocketed upwards as a whirlpool formed in the water below them, scattering the words generated by In a Silent Way everywhere. While in midair, Johnny fired again, at his opponent, and struck him right between the ribs.
Sandman coughed up blood as he fell back, but his stand generated words that spelled 'protect', and Sandman formed a barrier around himself, clutching at his wound.
But Johnny landed behind him.
Sandman's stand readied it's fists. "I think it's safe to say you fired all your shots Kujo, you don't have any fingernails left."
"Don't need them. I carved a steel ball out of Gyro's provocative belt buckle. I have an eleventh shot, Sandman."
"Soundman."
"Soundman, you've lost. Give up, I don't want to kill you. "
Soundman grinned. "You're bluffing. A hero student, still wet behind the ears? Killing me in cold blood? You wouldn't!"
In a Silent Way brought it's fist down, ready to pound Johnny into the ground.
But then a small steel ball went through it's throat and out the other side. Sandman coughed and gurgled as he collapsed to the ground, blood flowing from his throat as the light left his eyes.
Johnny sat on the hill above his dying enemy, and the Dark Determination never burned brighter.
"Try me."
...
Gyro opened his eyes, groaning as he sat up. "Gyro! You're awake!" Johnny said, turning towards him. Gyro looked at Johnny blinking. "You beat him."
"Yeah...I had to kill him though...he was going to crush us."
Gyro looked down. "And...how do you feel about that Johnny?"
Johnny knit his eyebrows together. "I'll be honest with you...it's...really freaking me out. I regret it, of course, but he left me no choice. What bothers me, is just how easily I was able to make that decision."
"You made the right call Johnny, don't be upset." A voice said from behind Gyro.
Gyro whipped around to see Hot Pants looking down at him. "Hi, I put you back together."
"Okay...what are you doing here?"
"I was passing through when I heard Johnny calling for help. I thought that since you guys didn't leave me for dead, I would return the favor and help you out."
"Thanks...I guess."
"Don't mention it. Besides, we're allies now."
"Huh?"
"Hot Pants is trying to keep the Corpse away from Valentine too Gyro. That's why she was so rough with us, she thought we were assassins. She has the spinal cord."
Gyro gave Hot Pants a bored look, "Well...welcome to the team I guess. How did you know that we had it?"
"We have a mutual friend in Mountain Tim."
"Figures..."
Gyro smirked.
"Well...at least I got a taste of being in your shoes Johnny, what with not having legs and all."
"Shut it, or I'll force feed you to an alligator."
...
Johnny's phone rang, and he glanced at it.
It was his father.
Johnny looked down at his father's number, a mix of emotions swirling inside of him as he debated whether or not to answer.
He ultimately did.
"H-hello?"
"Johnny...I need you to tell me what's going on. You're scaring everyone."
"I-I-I'm-"
"Johnny..."
Johnny looked down in shame. "I'm in real deep shit Dad."
Jotaro sighed from the other side of the phone. "I figured."
They remained silent for a while.
"Dad?"
"Yes Johnny?"
"He wants to kill me."
"Who?"
"The President of the United States, he wants me dead...and I need help."
"You won't get any if you keep pushing people away Johnny. I know that from experience, in case you forgot. Gyro is there, right beside you, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to help you get through this.
You have me. I'm always going to be there for you, I know I'm not the best father in the world, but I will always try. Jolyne is wrecking your mother as we speak, and she's doing it for you.
Midoryia and Jiro have been in your corner this whole time, and you pushed them away, and let me tell you, keeping them in the dark like that is only making things worse. We will always be there Johnny, you just need to reach out."
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
Tears began to stream down Johnny's face as he finally said the thing that he had been holding back, from everyone up until this point.
"I'm scared."
That's when Gyro, who had been listening from behind the door to the cabin they were staying in, walked over to Johnny and wrapped him in a hug, startling the crippled Joestar.
"You're not alone, Johnny. I'm just as scared as you are." Gyro said.
"Gyro is there for you, and Gramps is on his way. You aren't alone, you were never alone, and you are important to all of us."
Johnny blinked back tears, touched by this gesture, as some of the darkness that had been plaguing him left.
"Thank you..."