Alarms blared as Jotaro and Toshinori rushed through the decimated halls of the Speedwagon Foundation headquarters, running past the partially decayed bodies of the workers as they made it to the large door of the laboratory, they both kicked it down as they rushed inside.
"Dr. Kujo, All Might...help." A wounded scientist crawled towards them, his leg crumbling to dust as he attempted to reach them.
"STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!" Jotaro stopped time and approached the decaying worker, Star Platinum brought up it's hand and chopping the scientists foot off, preventing him from decaying further.
"GAH! T-thank you!"
All Might knelt down. "Don't worry, everything is going to be okay, because we are here. Tell me, what happened?"
"Tomura Shigaraki, that guy that runs the League of Villians, just broke in here and killed everyone! I played dead, so I managed to trick him. He-he took something."
Jotaro's eyebrows made an angry V. "And what was so important that Shigaraki felt the need to take it?"
The scientist shook his head. "I'm afraid that's above your clearance sir."
"This foundation was made for the sole purpose of aiding the Joestar Family...you will tell me what he took, or I'll have to see to it that you get a good old fashioned pummeling."
"It's a secret. Not even Robert E. O Speedwagon himself knew about it."
"WHAT DID SHIGARAKI TAKE?!" Toshinori suddenly screamed, causing Jotaro to look at him funny. "What, you always play the bad cop!"
"Santana...he took Santana."
"You mind repeating that?" Jotaro growled.
"Santana! The Pillar Man Joseph Joestar fought in Mexico! We kept him alive, we didn't even tell Mr. Speedwagon about it! We...we were trying to s-s-study his i-i-imort-t-t-tality. "
"You idiots, kept a GODDAMN PILLAR MAN ALIVE?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Jotaro stormed off. "Toshi, from this moment on, I think it is safe to say that we are at war."
...
Kyoka heard her phone buzz, and she went to go pick it up.
Shootie Patootie: So you guys made a group chat behind my back, just so you could talk about my mental health, and you didn't think I would find out about it?
Meatball: SHIT, we've been found out! Everyone, plan B!
Asparagus: JoJo! I'm so glad to hear from you!
Shootie Patootie: Alright, who picked out the name? Shootie Patootie, really?
Spotify: Hold on.
Kyoka smiled as she typed in a name that she felt would suit her friend.
Star Pajamas: What?
Star Pajamas: Fuck you.
Asparagus: Star Pajamas?
Star Pajamas: Don't ask.
Spotify: Hey, call me.
Star Pajamas: Alright, hold on.
Meatball: Should I leave the cabin? Leave you two alone? :)
Star Pajamas: Gyro, don't forget I know where you sleep.
Kyoka snorted as she answered Johnny 's video call, and soon her friend's tired face appeared on her screen.
"You look like you've been through hell."
"Well...I've come pretty close."
Kyoka chuckled. "Hey...about what I said..."
"I know you didn't mean it like that. You were right anyway, I should have been more honest with you, I really was being a problem."
"Yeah, but...I really shouldn't have said that. I feel terrible."
"Don't, it happens."
"Pizza Mozzarella
Pizza Mozzarella"
"I really wish I could be there with you, you know? I want to help as much as I can."
"Rella Rella Rella Rella Rella..."
"You already are, just talking to you is enough to keep me going."
"Pizza...Pizza...mmmmmm."
"GYRO WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" Johnny barked at the Italian. "I'm trying to have a conversation here!"
"Well maybe Jiro will appreciate my song! You said she is a musician."
"Look, I love that song Gyro, but there is a time and place for it."
"Ready Jiro? I'm about to serenade you with the best song about cheese you will ever hear!"
"Gyro..."
Gyro took a deep breath.
"Gyro don't you dare..."
Kyoka could only watch in amusement as Johnny tried to silence his partner.
"Pizza Mozzarella!"
"GYRO!"
...
"So...I have a story to tell you."
"Really?" Kyoka asked.
"Yeah...something happened in our most recent fight that...well, I have a problem, and I believe you made me promise to tell you that."
"I did, and I'm glad you remembered...I'm listening."
"So, when I was around two, our house became infested with mice. My mom, well, she hated mice, so she killed them any chance she got. But there was one that she could never kill, because he was my pet. I named him Danny."
"Danny?"
"Danny. While Izuku is my oldest friend, Danny was the first. I took care of him, I fed him, and I even made a little home for him with a cardboard box."
"That's adorable. Itty Bitty JoJo making a house for his little mouse."
"Itty Bitty JoJo was about to learn loss at a very young age, Kyoka."
Kyoka's face went from teasing to concerned. "Did...did something happen to Danny?"
Johnny nodded. "He would always sleep in that little house I made for him. He loved it, he really did. Every time I went to bed, he would scurry into the house and go to sleep.
But one night...I heard a snap."
Kyoka's eyes widened. "She DIDN'T!"
"My mom put a mouse trap in the house...and she wrote in the inside of the box: NO PETS. She...she killed Danny...and she made sure that little two year old me would see it."
"What kind of monster would do such a thing? To a kid no less! I'm...I'm sorry JoJo, you deserved so much better than her."
"Yeah...the reason I brought that up is...I think I saw him during the fight, Danny. Gyro was hurt really bad, and I was next, and I thought all hope was lost. And then he came running right into my field of vision. He gave me the strength to keep fighting, and...well I'll just show you."
Johnny summoned his stand, and Kyoka's mouth almost hit the floor. "Your stand changed!"
"It evolved. Stands can evolve when someone experiences some sort of change, whether it be mentally or physically. Tusk Act 2 changed when Danny showed up."
Johnny neglected to tell Kyoka that he had also heard her voice during Tusk's transformation, then it would be all embarrassing.
"JoJo...wow...I'm floored. That's amazing! What can it do now?"
"It's a little hard to explain in words, so I'm gonna write it down and send it to Izuku. He would probably want to put it in his journal anyway."
"Okay. I'm...glad you shared this with me JoJo. God, if I ever get the chance to meet that bitch face to face, I'm gonna...well I'm gonna do something."
Johnny grinned. "I'd like to see her try and mess with the likes of you, you don't take shit."
"Damn right I don't."
"Hey Johnny...can you cut me down now?"
Gyro was hanging from the ceiling by his ankle. How a paraplegic managed to do that to an able bodied man, Kyoka wouldn't be able to give you an answer.
"I will...I gotta go Kyoka, but I'll call you later!"
"Alright, bye JoJo! And be safe!"
...
"Get him Johnny!"
Johnny as Gyro raced after Diego Brando, they had caught him snooping around the cabin, and now the British jockey was fleeing from them.
"We want that eye back Diego!" Johnny hollered after their quarry. In response, Diego gave them the finger.
"Rude! Let's teach him some manners!" Gyro said.
"He's tried to kill us twice now..." Johnny said, his face darkening. "And I don't know about you, but I want to make sure there isn't a third..."
"What, are we gonna kill him?"
"If it comes down to it...yes."
Gyro nodded and kept riding, the two of them slowly catching up to the Brando.
Diego glanced back and yelled, "Listen, I don't have the eye anymore! You can leave me alone!"
"You tried to kill us asshole! Did you think we wouldn't take it personally?!"
That's when a lasso wrapped around Diego's neck, and Hamon went through it, reinforcing the rope. Diego gagged as he grabbed at it, yanking a gun out of his belt as he fired at Johnny. Johnny tilted his body to the right, avoiding the bullets, and pulled even harder on the lasso, yanking Diego clean off his horse.
But Diego had already managed to free himself in midair, and he sprung onto Slow Dancer, the old horse whinnied from the extra weight. Diego punched Johnny in the face, knocking the paraplegic off his horse and over the edge of a small cliff, with Diego jumping after him, the British jockey narrowly avoiding a steel ball being thrown as he pursued the Joestar.
Johnny landed in his back, gritting his teeth as he tried to pick himself up, only for Diego to land on him. Diego pulled out a knife and plunged it towards Johnny's face, but Johnny brought his hand up, the knife stabbing through it.
But Johnny didn't flinch. Instead, his eyes burned with a bright blue flame as he grabbed Diego by the throat, cutting off his air flow. Johnny began pushing with his impaled hand, ignoring the pain as he began to overpower his opponent, slowly angling his hand so that his finger would be pointing at Diego.
Johnny activated a nail bullet right in front of Diego's face. "Dodge this, Barney."
"W-wait...we...can...talk..." Diego choked out.
"You never wanted to talk before, you just tried to kill us! Did you not expect me to try and return the favor?"
" Mo...ther... "
"Huh?!"
"Doing...for...Mother..."
Johnny's eyes widened. Was Diego doing all this, for someone other than himself? Johnny let go, and Diego greedily sucked in air as he coughed and sputtered.
"My mother...I need to be the best, for her sake. You have to understand Kujo, it wasn't personal, well...it was after the first time, but it was all so I could accomplish my goal."
"And what would that goal be, Diego?"
"REVENGE! My mother was too good for this cruel world, my father used her, and then left her to DIE! She raised me the best she could, but we were poor, and her boss kept trying to make advances on her, but she always kept her dignity. She got sick, and died, leaving me an orphan. This world worked her into the grave, so I vowed that I would rise to the top and defy it.
I know I'm not a good man, I've done some villainous things in the past, but before you kill me, I thought you should know my motivations..."
Johnny stared at his rival, blinking a few times. Diego was a villain, but he was perfectly justified in becoming one. The world has treated him like shit...just as it had for Johnny. They were the same, the only difference:
Johnny had people who stood by him, who helped him be a better person. Diego didn't have anyone.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Just shoot me and get it over with!"
"No...I don't think I will."
"What?!"
"You aren't evil, not yet anyway. I believe there's still hope for you. Listen...I've done bad things too, hell, you probably saw it, I just killed a man. I'm...not all that heroic anymore, but I still try. Take a gamble that good exists Diego...and do good, because you can't be the best if you aren't your best."
Gyro slid down the side of the cliff and ran over. "Johnny, are you...?"
"I'm fine, just giving Diego some advice. I believe in second chances, so I'll let you live...but with that in mind...if you come after us again, I will not hesitate to kill you."
Gyro scooped up the paraplegic and put him on his back, climbing up the side of the cliff, leaving a conflicted Diego Brando to sit in the middle of the pouring rain.
...
"So...is there anything else you can do now that you've unlocked the Golden Spin?" Gyro asked.
"Well..." Johnny reached into his bag and pulled out the present from Aoyama. He wasn't particularly close with his sparkling classmate, but the present was thoughtful, and it was one of the things that Pork Pie Hat Kid didn't smash.
A solid block of parmesan cheese.
Johnny activated a nail bullet and pressed it against the cheese, and the nail bullet began to shred it into tiny pieces. Gyro's eyes bugged out of his head. "You can grate cheese?!"
"Yeah, I can also brush my teeth with them too, and the wormhole attack did wonders against Sandman." Johnny smiled. "I guess Tusk isn't so weak anymore..."
"That's because you have gotten stronger Johnny. Who knows? Maybe this isn't the last time Tusk will evolve! Geez, grating cheese...that's a superpower I wish I had!"
"That's because you're a cheese snob."
"Am not!"
Johnny surveyed the terrain. They were high up in the mountains, and there was snow blowing everywhere. "It's going to get pretty cold soon, Gyro. We should probably find somewhere to make a campfire."
"Yeah...lucky we stopped at a convenience store and picked up some winter gear, eh Johnny?"
"Mm hmm. I'm pretty sure Kyoka would kill me if I froze to death."
"Or keep you warm herself." Gyro muttered.
"What was that?"
" Nothing! Just picking out a spot! "
"Okay."
"You won't need to worry about keeping warm for too much longer, because soon you won't be able to feel warmth again." A voice called out.
Johnny gave Gyro a bored look. "Can't we catch a break?"
"It looks like the answer to that is a big fat NO."
A man with a haircut resembling a checkerboard came from the woods, followed by a man with long dark hair, a big purple top hat, and a purple...
Wait a fucking second...
Johnny's face turned into a snarl. "YOU!"
Magenta Magenta blinked, before a hateful look crossed his face as well. "Kujo..."
Gyro raised an eyebrow. "You know this one Johnny?"
"He was at the USJ...he tried to kill my friends."
Magenta Magenta grinned. "Oh yeah...how is Floppy Ears doing? My gun misses her."
"SON OF A BITCH!"
Johnny fired a shot, but the villain knelt down and the bullet simply bounced off. "I've been dreaming of this moment Kujo! The day I pay you back for making a fool out of me! Even better, you can't run away this time!"
"Who said anything about running away?!"
The checkerboard guy turned to Gyro. "Well, I guess it's just you and me, Zeppeli." The man pulled something from his belt that made Gyro's blood run cold.
It was a gold colored steel ball. This guy was a Spin user.
"What? Wait...you're Wekapipo, aren't you?" Gyro asked, as bullets flew in several directions due to the intense firefight happening between Johnny and MM. "Indeed, I am here to avenge my sister's death."
Gyro raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he unclipped his steel ball.
"Wekapipo!" Magenta Magenta shouted. "Now would be a good time to use that ability!"
Wekapipo threw his steel ball, not towards Gyro, but towards the sky. Small beads that were attached to the ball shot everywhere, forcing Johnny to take cover behind a rock. Johnny looked at his friend to make sure he was okay.
He couldn't see Gyro.
In fact, he couldn't see anything on his left side. Oh no...did I lose an eye or something?!
"Left Side Ataxia, it completely erases the senses on the left side of your body. You can't see anything."
Johnny scrunched his eyebrows. If his left side has been rendered useless, MM knew about it, and he couldn't see his opponent anymore...
Johnny spun horizontally on his saddle until his right side was where his left was, and sure enough, Magenta Magenta was sneaking up on him. Johnny didn't hesitate, he fired two shots towards his enemy, and MM brought out his stand in the knick of time, protecting himself, much to Johnny's frustration.
Then Magenta rolled to the side and shot at Gyro, the bullets piercing his friend's hands. "GAH! Shit!"
"Did you think I didn't know, I use the Spin too. You were using your hands as a reference for the Golden Rectangle. Now that my acquaintance has destroyed your hands, you can't use it anymore."
Gyro gritted his teeth. He couldn't use the perfect spin, now Wekapipo had the advantage. Wekapipo threw his steel ball at Gyro, but a nail bullet knocked it aside. Magenta took the opportunity to shoot at Johnny, but a steel ball smashed into his shoulder, finally wounding the enemy stand user.
Magent snarled and fired at Gyro, and the Italian barely managed to duck under the shots aimed at his head, but he took a bullet to the gut. Johnny angrily returned fire, but Magenta reactivated his stand.
"You can't hurt me while I'm kneeling Kujo! That is 20th Century Boy's power!"
A gold steel ball hurtled towards Johnny and fired several small beads, and Johnny raised his arms, grimacing as they dug into his flesh. Magenta aimed at Johnny, only to pause when he was that Gyro had dug out the bullet from his wound, and was now aiming it at him.
Gyro flicked the bullet, and with the power of the Spin, it spun towards the enemy stand user, but Magenta simply used his stand, deflecting the bullet upwards. "Nice try!"
"NO! Magenta! You need to move!" Wekapipo yelled.
"You underestimating me, partner? There'a no need to worry, I'm invinci-"
The bullet came back down, piercing through the top of Magenta's head and through the bottom of his chin, ripping out his eyeball in the process. The villain slumped to the ground, blood flowing from his face.
"Good fucking riddance..." Johnny muttered.
Wekapipo shook his head. "Idiot..." Then he threw the steel ball at Gyro, and Gyro threw his.
The two steel balls smashed into each other, and Wekapipo's ball broke into pieces.
"WHAT?!"
Gyro's steel ball smashed into his side, Wekapipo coughed up blood as he fell to his knees. "It's over...I failed."
"There was nothing to fail, Wekapipo."
"Huh?"
Gyro reached into his bag and pulled out a photo, and handed it to Wekapipo. "This...this is..."
"Your sister. You thought my father executed her, right? No, we faked her death...well, I faked her death, so she could escape. She has a new husband now, someone who treats her right. You never needed to avenge her...she's happy. "
Wekapipo looked at the photo with tears in his eyes. "She's okay...she's happy..."
Wekapipo bowed his head. "Forgive me, Gyro Zeppeli. I was the one who put the price on your head, but now I see that my quest for vengeance was unwarranted. If there is anything I can do to make up for this..."
"Help us with the Corpse. We know Valentine hired you, but we need to know what he wants with it, and we need to keep it away from him. Me and Johnny, we need all the help we can get."
Wekapipo nodded. "You saved my sister, Gyro. There was another Corpse Part around here, a wolf had it. Magenta shot it before I could do anything...but."
Wekapipo held out two mummified legs.
"Keep them, we wouldn't want them all in one spot, makes it easier for Valentine to get a hold of them."
"He wants to rule the world, Valentine. He wants everywhere even to be America, a worldwide democracy. The Corpse brings good fortune to anyone who wields it when it is fully assembled. If he gets the whole Corpse...fate will be on his side."
"Jesus..."
" Yes. "
"What?"
...
Joseph Joestar dug around the remains of a camp, trying to find evidence of his great-grandson. He had been tracking Johnny with Hermit Purple for days, with no luck. Wherever he and Gyro ended up, Joseph was always close behind, but he always missed them at the eleventh hour.
Joseph noticed an imprint in the snow, the shape of it suggesting that there had been a body there. Joseph pulled out a camera and smashed it, taking two spirit photos in hope of some clues.
The photos developed, and what Joseph saw made his blood run cold.
The first was a bloody Magenta Magenta, rising from the snow with an enraged look on his ruined face.
The second was a face that Joseph hadn't seen since 1939. The Pillar Man, Santana, was pointing towards the camera while making a slitting motion with his throat. This one picture sent a clear message to the eldest Joestar.
I'm coming for you.