DeathlyJazzHands55: :)
Bearticguy7: Love it!
Death Omen Star: I have officially stolen DIOka.
Kasumi Kenshiro: DIO already has a resurrection plan, and it's through Diego. The question is whether or not is succeeds.
Monster King: I shall!
BreadConessuier: You called it!
BrayneTF2: I actually find DIO's philosophy fascinating. It really adds depth to his character, and prevents him from being like a certain Quirk-stealing asshole.
The things is...he's kind of right.
Jpx0999: The question is, how on Earth is she going to get it back?
Dumpstertrashfire123: Actually, Ungalo was the only one of DIO's sons (that sided with Pucci), who survived. The last we saw of him, he was flying away on a plane, suffering a mental breakdown because of his Stand's defeat.
I'm sure a pep talk from his father could change that though...
Euphoria: Huh...now that you think about it...Kyoka is what DIO should've been if he hadn't been a greedy bastard.
Ivory Insanity: DIO's greatest appeal is how crafty and manipulative he is. However, a lot of people tend to stick to how he normally goes off the rails when he's facing pressure, and they assume that he's just a psychopath.
He's a fucking genius, and more people should recognize that.
Guest 69(nice): I'm actually considering a JoJolion sequel to this story.
Madvertise: Funny story, there's a perfect opportunity for him to do it at the end of this arc...considering it's theme. The issue is...the brown hair has kind of grown on me...I'm on the fence.
Master Ramon: Eri actually could, but her Quirk is still quite dangerous at this point of the story. Maybe eventually, and since Katsuki is working towards becoming more approachable, that interaction could happen.
(I should use Eri more, I love her).
Kyoka's Journal/Lyric book:
Yeah...so that happened, and DIO was the cockmuncher behind all of this...and I mean ALL OF THIS.
The Forest and The Barge were both planned, Kars and AFO weren't. Their actions were still their own...but the calamity may have played a part in their respective returns happening at that moment.
This whole thing was a contingency plan he made when he was alive, let that sink in. This whole calamity was something he planned just in case he suffered a setback on his Heaven Plan. However, his Heaven Plan can't be achieved anymore...
He needed Pucci, and Pucci no longer exists...so if he can't achieve Heaven...why was he trying at all?
I ended up understanding DIO a lot more thanks to this whole nightmare cruise...DIO doesn't give up, even in death...and I know the reason.
Honestly? I feel bad for the guy, not enough to earn my sympathy...he's still a resilient little roach bastard monkey with a stick up his ass...and still one of the most terrifying beings I have ever encountered...
Yet...thinking about the reasoning behind his perseverance, I honestly pity him more than anything.
*1985*
"Ow..."
Tom put a hand to his head, but waved off a passerby. Ever since the talent scout from Japan decided to show up, he had been feeling weird headaches.
He should probably take something.
I need to head home soon, Mom tends to worry. Although...
I could probably blow off some steam by hitting the arcade.
Tom wandered into the arcade, huffing as he rubbed his head, and inserted a coin into a Pac-Man machine. As soon as the game started...he plugged one of his USBs into the machine, with a mischievous look on his face.
I was always able to wow my friends with my skill at this game, but little do they know...I simply download information about which path the ghosts will take. I just plan ahead!
Already, people were gathering behind him, staring in awe as Tom expertly guided Pac-Man through the maze, and his smirk only grew. If only they realized he was cheating...
It's kind of funny, tricking people, but it ultimately won't harm anyone if I cheat in a game. It's not like I'm playing for money or anything.
Thank God for my Quirk! I really think I've been blessed!
Tom finished the game, and winked to the onlookers, before going to secretly detach his USB...
Only to find that it was stuck.
Tom made a face, looking at the onlookers,who were all staring at him in confusion.
"Hey, buddy...your turn is up..."
"I-I know, give me a moment."
"Why do you need a moment? My son wants to play!"
Tom jiggled the USB, shifting glances at the frustrated mother in question. "I'm really sorry! I'll be gone in a jiffy, I promise!"
"Hurry it up!"
Why is it stuck?! They've never gotten stuck! This isn't good...
GET OUT ALREADY!
Frustration triggered something...something he couldn't believe...everything in the arcade was flickering, distorting...and he began to notice that his normally caramel-toned skin was turning a a pale blue.
People screamed as metal began ripping off of the arcade machines, fastening to Tom's body, digging into his flesh. All he could do was scream in agony as electricity pulsated all around him, his eyes shifting to a bright neon green.
WHAT'S HAPPENING TO MEEEE?!
"HELP! PLEEEEAAASE! IT HURTS!" The child prodigy screamed, begging for someone to end his suffering.
But no one came.
DIOka stretched. "Ah...to have a body of flesh and blood once more, even if it won't last too long."
"WHAT THE HELL?! GIVE MY BODY BACK YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Kyoka screamed at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "GIVE IT BACK!"
"Ah ah ah! Not unless you can come and take it from me!" DIO responded with her voice, which was extremely creepy to hear. "Are you going to cry? You honestly should have expected to be on my radar the moment you decided to shack up with Jotaro's son."
Kyoka charged at herself, screaming, but DIOka simply sidestepped her, smirking.
"What is that supposed to do? Your situation is frankly hopeless, your soul is no longer in your body, allowing me to slip in. Ungalo, did you turn off your Stand?"
A figure emerged from the shadows, and a butt ugly man with small beady eyes emerged with a grin.
"I did Father! She was the only one who's soul was displaced, just as you asked."
"You see Jiro, this would normally be the part where you would start experiencing things from Super Mario, but since Ungalo turned off his Stand, you would normally be returning to your body...but it's occupied, so I'm afraid that will be rather difficult."
"Give it back..."
"Father, one question...why couldn't I just use Bohemian Rhapsody on more than one person?"
"Because it's too unpredictable. Your Stand, while quite powerful, is a harbinger of chaos. It could honestly backfire on our allies, hence we must be careful when it is utilized. Oh well...everything is going according to plan."
DIOka turned to Kyoka with a grin.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
As DIO and son left with her body, Kyoka fell to her knees, devastated.
I came here expecting to deal with ghosts...but now I'm the ghost. He said something about my body not being suited for his soul...
Of course it isn't! He said my body would rot away! I have to get it back somehow!
Somehow...how the fuck am I supposed to do that? Have...I lost? Is it over? No...no, I refuse to take this sitting down!
Kyoka got to her feet, wiping the tears from her eyes, and clenched her fist. Hatred for DIO boiled in her very soul, outweighing her despair, and also...
Hope.
I don't know how I will be able to beat him, but I will! Somehow, I'll get my body back, and I'll wipe that smug grin right off that fucker's face! I can't afford to give up hope now!
I'm coming for you DIO...you better prepare your 100-something year old ass...because I'm fucking pissed.
Jolyne knelt in front of a cell, her hand clenched around the bar.
"Jolyne?"
"Not now Narciso..."
Narcsio huffed and leaned against the bars next to her. "I...really hate saying this, but it's likely she's already-"
"I said...not now."
"DIO was one big bad motherfucker, if he-"
"SHUT UP!"
Narciso flinched as his wife snapped at him, and fell silent. Jolyne sighed, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze.
"I know...you're only trying to be realistic. I can't afford to be realistic right now, I need to have something to hold onto until I know for sure. She's alive until we can confirm otherwise, okay?"
"Okay..."
Tokoyami was sitting in silence with his eyes closed, but he had a pained expression on his normally stoic face. He opened them, his thoughts on his classmate.
Jiro...I hope she is just lost, and nothing has happened to her.
Ever since I performed in the band...I couldn't help but view her in a new light. Now knowing the context, how she was dedicated to making little Eri smile, it occurred to me...
Jiro, despite her snark, has a pure and kind soul.
Now knowing what I do about my classmates, the...darkness that they have been facing ever since JoJo left for the Steel Ball Run, and things they've been forced to do in order to just survive the onslaught...
I will purify that darkness.
Jiro, I will find you, I promise. Now that I am involved, I will find a way to turn the tide of things in our favor.
Tokoyami got to his feet, and turned to look at the other two. "We have no time to sit around, as it stands, Jiro is alone in this godforsaken boat. We all know how she feels about ghosts, so she must be terrified."
"But the Stand User-"
"Kyoka was probably able to beat her, I'm sure of it." Jolyne said, glaring into the empty cell. "She's pretty damn smart, it wouldn't surprise me if her plan was to be captured...no, in fact I know that was her plan, she could've gotten out of that web if she wanted to...she just didn't expect that she would've been moved."
"Exactly. We can't afford to give up hope...she wouldn't if it were us." Tokoyami started walking into the darkness. "I'm going dark, stay in touch."
"Wait-"
He was gone.
"Okay Batman..." Narciso muttered.
"His Quirk is shadow...he might honestly be great for scouting missions, and probably the only person here that can truly avoid being caught on DIO's radar." Jolyne replied, clenching her fists. "Come on. We're getting her back!"
Kyoka peered around a corner, and found a large, grimy cafeteria. She had been drawn in by strange noises, and was there in the vain hope DIO was too.
Damn it...that douchecanoe isn't in here!
Nonetheless, the noises were suspicious.
It could be a threat my friends might face later down the line...if I can find them, or DIO...
How the hell is Jolyne going to react?
Kyoka pressed herself up against a wall, and performed a silent roll to get under a table. Kyoka wrinkled her nose in disgust upon seeing decades-old gum on it's underside, but took solace in the fact that she was hidden.
Or...so she thought.
"WHO'S A IN MY KITCHEN?!"
Kyoka froze as a massive, musclebound man in a chef hat burst through the ugly kitchen door, screaming in an obviously fake Italian accent. The man sniffed, and sprinted towards the table at an unnatural speed.
Shit! Wha-
The man flipped the table over with one hand, and she was met with a pair of crazed bloodshot eyes. His once immaculately groomed mustache was now wiry and graying, and his teeth were a sickly, rotten yellow.
He wore a white prison uniform, which was freckled with bloodstains, and he sported a hole in his chest.
Ghosts sport the wounds they received in life if they are vengeful, or bitter. Remi Sugimoto sported the wounds Yoshikage Kira gave her, because she still wanted her killer to be brought to justice.
This man is a vengeful spirit!
His yellow teeth raised into a psychotic grin, and he spread his arms wide.
"Ah! The food critic! About time you arrived to taste my exquisite cuisine! It's been what, 30 years? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"
...okay.
"Yes...I am! Sorry it took so long, I uh...got...held up in traffic." Kyoka played along, wishing to learn more about the ghost before passing judgement. It was weird, being able to see him and his horrible squelching wound, and truth be told, it wasn't much better seeing him. "Uh...sorry, it's been a long time, your name is...?"
"Pete! Pizza Pete!" Pizza Pete said with a grin, offering his enormous hand to shake.
Kyoka's rather small hand was crushed in a vice grip, and her whole body was shaken vigorously.
"It'S nIcE to MeEt yOu PeTE!" Kyoka stammered out, before letting go. "My name is...er...Setsuna Tokage, I've heard good things!"
"I'm glad! Please, wait right here, I will bring out your food shortly!" The fake Italian said with a wide, rotten grin, and scurried to the kitchen like a rat.
A ghost...but one with a prison uniform, he was a criminal, of that I can be sure. Why is he vengeful though?
"Pete Davidson, a.k.a Pizza Pete. Committed to the Barge's psych ward in 1978, he was by all means a monster."
Kyoka froze.
Who said that?
"A chef by trade, he used to be considered one of the finest in California. He owned this rather fancy Italian restaurant, putting on a fake Italian guise in order to really sell his product...however, he had...kinks."
Kyoka turned around to find a man in the doorway of the cafeteria, flicking a lighter.
Wait...
That's MY lighter, and he has the Hand of Glory!
"He had a...thing...for death and despair. It was really only a matter of time before the killings started, and people around his restaurant began to disappear. His method for removing the evidence was barbaric, but quite effective. He simply baked them into the pizza."
Now Kyoka felt sick to her stomach.
"He fed his poor unknowing customers human remains, all to cover up his crimes. Pizza Pete was eventually caught, and was sent to the Barge, and was diagnosed as a psychopath. However, his Quirk gave him sheer brute strength, simple, but effective. He could take some of the most enduring punishments, and couldn't be held down by normal means...so...they let him play chef with bodies from the morgue."
That's fucking disgusting!
Kyoka got to her feet, racing the man in the doorway. "Why tell me all that? Why do you have the Hand of Glory, and how did you get it back from DIO?"
"Well, I went through so much trouble to get it to you, I didn't want my gift to go to waste."
"You're the one who sent it?!"
The man stepped out of the doorway, revealing a black Valentino suit, with a tie that had a combination of stripes and horned skulls. On his head he wore a fashionable bowler hat, concealing a head of short blond hair. His blue eyes were piercing, intense, just looking at them made Kyoka shiver.
She knew that face...Josuke had shown it to her plenty of times during lessons.
"You're...YOSHIKAGE KIRA!"
"Dectective."
"Right...Detective...oh my God, of course you were the one who sent the fucking hand."
"It was not with ill intent."
"Some good it did, it didn't stop DIO from bodyjacking me. Why are you even helping me at all?"
"Simple, I found out about DIO's plan and it is my sworn duty as a Spirit Detective to stop it. His plan to unleash the calamity could upset both the world of the living, and the dead. Knowing what he was planning with the Barge..."
"You know his plan?!" Kyoka stomped up to the Detective and grabbed him by the jacket. "Explain!"
"I was going to. However, not here...Pizza Pete is still quite dangerous, and unpredictable. I have found somewhere a bit safer..."
The Detective's Breakdown (breakdown):
KJ: A fucking bathroom, really? The men's no less...
D: Do you want your explanation or not?
KJ: Fine.
D: Calamity is a form of spiritual energy, that causes bad luck and misfortune as it's name suggests. The Necronomicon was able to utilize this energy, but the Necromancer was tricked into ripping out the page that did the job.
KJ: Bad luck...so...the Necromancer was DIO's pawn from the start?!
D: Many of his crueler actions were still his own, but yes. Apparently, DIO knew of the Necronomicon before his death.
KJ: He never used it?
D: DIO was seeking Heaven, not the opposite. He simply tricked some poor vulnerable sap into finding it so he could manipulate them. The point is, that whole fiasco with the Necromancer was so DIO could unleash this calamity.
KJ: The page...JoJo, Gyro, and Ochako are near it...
D: Yes, so I've heard. He wishes to send Japan into chaos with this...negative karma of sorts...so he could swoop in and puppet things in it's instability. The Barge, and stealing your body, are his final touches to the plan.
KJ: He wants to use my body against the Joestars, I know that much. What's really on the Barge other than ghosts?
D: It's only surviving prisoner...Y2K. DIO had infiltrated this boat in 1988, and he with a few of his followers went on a massacre, laying waste to prisoners and guards alike. Except this one man...who possesses multiple Quirks.
KJ: Multiple...don't tell me...
D: One of AFO's many candidates for a "successor", yes. Most of his history is still unknown, but he is more machine than man. DIO reprogrammed Y2K to do his bidding. You see, all of Y2K's Quirks, which I have on good authority to be five, are designed to wipe out technology."
KJ: So...
D: If the Barge reaches land, DIO's plan will be complete, and the calamity will overtake the land. Y2K will send Japan back to the Stone Age, and the page will do the rest.
"And with my body...the Joestars will hesitate to raise a hand against him, out of fear of killing me." Kyoka finished, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Great, just great...he didn't pull out any stops."
"If DIO takes over Japan, he'll inevitably draw the attention of his son, Diego Brando." The Detective said. "Diego is his true vessel, as he bears the most resemblance to his father. Your body is going to start rotting in approximately two days, so we have to act fast."
"My body has officially come second, we need to stop this boat!"
"I agree...so, I suppose that means you and I form a partnership. From what I've gathered, you're pretty sharp, and neither of us can truly do this on our own."
Kyoka scoffed.
Josuke's apprentice working alongside his worst enemy, unbelievable. Still, I need all the help I can get, and Kira outfoxed the Joestars for months, so having someone like him on my side might just give me the edge over DIO...
"Alright Detective, you've got a deal, just don't pull any creepy bullshit with my hands."
"Of course not. Although now that you mention it, they're quite a pair. They look soft...milky, and very precise...the fingers of a musician-"
"I have super-hearing, asshole! Gross!"
"Jolyne Kujo and Narciso Kujo, located. Commencing extraction."
"The fuck?"
Jolyne turned to find a green glow emanating from the hallway, and several red lights emerged from behind it. Her eyes widened as Stone Free spring to it's user's side.
"Narciso, we're under attack."
"I know."
Diver Down came next to Stone Free, putting a protective hand on the other Stand's shoulder. The lights turned into the frame of a large, armored man.
Y2K stepped out of the shadows, binary code traveling across his metal armor. His speaker mouth buzzed as he spoke again.
"Come quietly, and you won't be harmed."
"Who the hell are you supposed to be, a T-1000?" Narciso mocked. Y2K's face didn't change in the slightest, the insult didnt effect him whatsoever.
"I am known as Y2K. I had a name once, but that memory file is corrupted. I will repeat, come quietly, and you won't be harmed."
A clicking sound came from the other end of the hallway, and a large figure blocked put the light.
"The Banshee is also quite insistent. You are ill-equipped for a High-End Nomu, and for me, so surrender is really the best possible course of action."
Jolyne gritted her teeth, recognizing that their situation had taken a very dangerous turn. A High-End Nomu had vast destructive potential, if Endeavor's battle with one had taught n her anything...
Whatever the Banshee could do, it would probably tear the Barge apart.
The Banshee came into the light, it's green skin and exposed brain sending shivers down their spine. Jolyne in particular felt a bit more than just unease...
This Nomu...there's something about it...it's...familiar.
Jolyne looked between Y2K and the Banshee, and began slowly unraveling a part of herself. "I see, DIO ordered you both to box us in...why are you following someone like him?"
"It is my programming."
"Programming? You're human, you can make your own choices."
"Human? At one point, yes. However, humans also have programming. Neural stimuli, compulsions, habits...we are all slaves to programming one way or another. Even emotions come from chemicals in the brain. We are simply living machines."
"No, there's more to us than that, we have souls! Don't you have a soul?!"
"Souls are a fictional construct designed to cope with our natural aversion to death. Enough stalling, I can see your string."
Y2K lifted a hand. "If you resist, I will use force."
Jolyne smirked, and looked Y2K in the eye. "Oh you poor brainwashed thing, if you only follow your programming, you miss the most important parts of life. What does your programming think I'm doing with these strings, huh?"
Y2K narrowed his bright green eyes.
"Should I take that to mean you are resisting?"
"You're the no nonsense type. Sorry bud, but I've got someone important I need to find!"
Jolyne revealed her trap: she had used Stone Free to weave a net on the floor below, using air ducts in the floor. Narciso then used Diver Down to punch straight through, shattering the corroded metal floor.
"Thanks for catching on so quick!"
"Of course!"
Both landed on the net, suspended over several levels of prison cells. The Banshee shrieked as it caught onto one of Jolyne's strings, while Y2K plummeted straight past them.
"Mr. Roboto is out of the way, onto Bad Hair Day here!"
The Banshee crawled across the string, grinding it's teeth.
"Jo...lyne..."
Did...it just say my name?
"Jol...JoJo..." The Banshee croaked out, reaching for them. "Jo-"
"KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!"
Narciso used Diver Down to throw a punch, but the Banshee caught his fist, looking at him with as much disgust as a Nomu could give.
"Narciso! That's the same voice from the recording!" Jolyne yelled, her eyes wide. "This thing, it's what said Kyoka's name!"
"JOLYNE!" The Banshee roared, and opened it's mouth wide, clenching Diver Down's fist tight enough to draw blood. He quickly phased through her arm and held onto his wife, and tackled her off of the net.
Diver Down dove into a wall and caught Stone Free's hand as Jolyne's Stand reassembled itself, dropping the Banshee just as it released a massive scream.
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*RIP!*
The scream tore through a cell door like it was made of butter. The Nomu fell into the darkness below, screaming Jolyne's name the whole way down.
"What the hell...so that thing was the thing that was caught on the recording. Why does it know your name too?!" Narciso asked, concerned.
"I don't know...there was something familiar about it..." Jolyne replied as Diver Down began carrying them up the wall. "...it almost-NARCISO!"
"Huh?"
The walls were beginning to close in on them.
Y2K was rising up to meet them, raising his arms. His green eyes had shifted to a bright purple as he began gesturing, the walls twisting with his movements.
He was completely unharmed by the fall! No...he never hit the ground! He has some sort of Magnetism Quirk!
Jolyne swung away from the wall as fragments of metal were pulled free, heading towards Y2K. The metal simply clanged against his armor, and melted into it, increasing it's thickness.
Absorbing metal too?!
"NARCISO! SWING ME OVER THERE!"
"RIGHT!"
The cells, the floor, everything was being drawn towards Y2K. The Banshee lept from the darkness, and grabbed ahold of Narciso's foot.
"SHIT!"
Husband was effortlessly yanked away from wife, and all Jolyne could do was scream as he was tossed into the darkness below.
She unraveled herself, sending a string to try and catch him, but Y2K suddenly produced a USB CABLE, and grabbed her by the throat.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGH!" Jolyne screamed as Stone Free's hand prevented the cable from tightening, and she yanked Y2K towards her, but at the last second switched course and flung Y2K into the approaching Nomu.
Stone Free continued to swing Y2K like a flail, beating down the Nomu. Y2K suddenly anchored himself to the metal wall, and yanked Stone Free in response.
It was at this point that Jolyne realized her opponent was remaining deathly silent.
Y2K was stone cold, not showing any emotion, nor any psychological weakness. By all accounts, her opponent was a stoic, unfeeling rock.
Y2K's eyes began to glow a bright blue, and all of a sudden electricity traveled down the USB cable.
Jolyne screamed as her body twitched and throbbed with an intense amount of pain...
Then everything went dark.
"So...where do we go from here?" Lady Nagant asked, sitting next to her old school friend.
"I don't know, or care." Came Jotaro's curt response.
"You don't?"
"Nope."
Nagant sighed, wrapping a wound with gauze. "Well, I'm going to try and find somewhere to shack up for a bit, and then I might leave the country."
"Leave the country?"
"JoJo, the Public Safety Commission would have me assassinated in a heartbeat if they knew I was free. I know too much...but...I do want to help you and your family. It's only fair...you've been a saving grace for me since you came back into my life."
"..."
"What?"
"Well, that'd be a shame."
Nagant's eyebrows raised a bit, before she smiled. "Do you want me to stay?"
"That's your decision."
"Come on, you're a 40 year old man, we can talk like adults."
Jotaro got up and put his hands in his pockets, huffing. "Yare yare daze, I have work to do. I still haven't found out the cause behind all of this, and I'm running out of time."
"Changing the subject I see."
"Shut up."
"I get it. From what you've told me...it sounds like something is definitely going down. These events have to be connected." Nagant crossed her legs, and her eyes lit up as a fireball crashed down across from them. "Looks like the big guy made it."
"Santana?"
"Yep...he probably isn't in a very good mood though. His friend is on death's door...and I'm guessing he managed to beat Kars."
Jotaro sighed. "Guess that's my que to leave, he and the Joestar family don't-"
The elder Kujo stopped, grunting as electricity suddenly traveled across his body. Nagant shot to her feet, rushing over to check on him. "JOJO?! Alright, which one of you bastards just attacked him?!"
"Jolyne..."
"Huh? Your...daughter?"
"I need to go."
"What, JoJo-"
"I NEED TO GO!"
Jotaro began sprinting in the opposite direction, leaving Nagant in the dust. She briefly adopted a concerned expression, before turning to the carnage left by the Shoggoth.
What is happening here?
The Detective held a finger to his lips, and Kyoka gave him a nod.
"Setsuna Tokage? Where did you go?!" A fake Italian accent called from the cafeteria the two had just snuck out of. "Your pizza is almost ready! Setsuna?!"
Sorry you cannibalistic freak, but I'm afraid I just don't have the pallet for your type of food. Wait...
What...would he be cooking? He's dead.
"TOKAAAAGEEEEEEE! WHERE ARE YOU?! DID YOU DITCH ME?!"
"Just to let you know Jiro, as your soul is immortal, you won't necessarily die again...but should your manifestation be destroyed...you'll be sent to the afterlife."
"So..."
"You're still susceptible to danger."
"I SEE! YOU'RE JUST HERE TO MAKE FUN OF ME, ARENT YOU?!" Pizza Pete screamed from the cafeteria. "YOU'RE JUST LIKE ALL THE CRITICS! YOU CAN'T APPRECIATE GOOD FOOD IF I CRAMMED IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!"
The Detective and Kyoka managed to get around the corner just as Pizza Pete burst into the hallway from the cafeteria, looking more deranged than before. His face was curved into a malicious yellow grin, and his eyes were now lacking pupils altogether, and were dripping blood.
"IT'S PIZZA TIME!"
Yeah, even when I can see them, I still don't like ghosts.
Kyoka knelt down and inserted a jack into the ground, and was struck with a sudden thought.
Hey...I'm technically a ghost right now...how can I use my jacks?
Then again, it's a mutant-type Quirk, so it's part of my body. That must be the reason why my soul still has them. I wonder...could DIO use my jacks, or are they useless to him since he's a Stand User?
What are you playing at DIO?
"He's coming this way...carrying something that's...sizzling..."
"A frying pan, probably."
Kyoka narrowed her eyes. "How can he pick it up? Is he a Poltergeist?"
"No, items can become ghosts too, especially ones that held sentimental value." The Detective cooly replied, reaching into his jacket to pull out a small handgun. "This, for instance, belonged to an Italian gangster by the name of Leaky Eye Luca, although he preferred his shovel. It was scrapped along with his body following some sort of incident."
Jeez...I wonder if Giorno knew Luca had a gun on him? Kyoka thought, recalling how the mafioso had recounted his adventure to her. Ghost items...yeah, isn't that Emporio's Stand Ability?
"If that's the case, could I get ghost weapons? I had a pair of wrist amplifiers that were destroyed during the Provisional License Exam, I could use those...even if they are a weaker model."
"They won't be able to produce much sound if you did. You don't have a heartbeat."
"Damn."
"It's best to avoid Pete for now, he can easily overpower us."
Pizza Pete stalked past them, holding a sizzling frying pan, a malicious grin on his deformed face. "Tooookaaaageeeee..."
He suddenly stopped, and began sniffing the air.
*sniff* *sniff*
"Someone else is with you! I can smell them!"
He can fucking smell us?!
Pete began creeping towards their direction, dangerously waving around the heated frying pan. "A great chef always memorizes scents, that way he can utilize the best ingredients! I know how you smell, you little punk bitch! I can almost...taste you..."
Kyoka was sweating bullets...which in itself was odd, but fought through the fear to edge her way along the wall, the Detective following suit.
"Imma gonna make your flesh look like mozzarella!"
The Detective reached for a door, and one thing Kyoka noted was how eerily calm he was. He kept his composure, even in such a dire situation. He casually turned the knob, and Pizza Pete's footsteps grew louder.
He heard us! SHIT!
The Detective suddenly slammed the door shut with a BANG!
WHAT IS HE DOIN-"
Her ally grabbed her by the jacket and forced her behind a large pipe, and Kyoka watched as Pizza Pete threw open the door and went in. The Detective then went out from behind the pipe, pulled a crowbar from his jacket, and shut the door once more, this time sticking the crowbar in the handle, trapping Pizza Pete inside.
"That should hold him for a while...although just in case..."
If Pizza Pete scared her, what happened next would send her for a loop.
Killer Queen's hand brushed the crowbar...only the hand. The Detective jerked his head, indicating for her to follow.
He...has his Stand back...at least portion of it...
HOW?! Is he actually still the Detective, or is he Yoshikage Kira, trying to bait me into trusting him so he can take my fucking ghost hands?!
Kyoka had no choice but to follow, as Kira/Detective was the only hope she had in getting her body back...but now she was on high alert.
Just which one are you, "Detective?"
Kyoka's Journal:
Yep, he had Killer Queen...
Considering he made some...interesting comments about my hands before, I almost pissed myself right then and there. That doesn't necessarily matter right now...because unbeknownst to me at the time, DIO was rounding up my friends...
"Jiro!"
"Kyoka" turned to find Tokoyami waving at him, and smirked.
Just as Y2K is taking care of Jolyne Kujo and her husband, the bird makes his way to me. Poor fool, your blind faith in your friend will be your downfall...everything really is falling into place quite nicely.
What was the phrase? Killing two birds with one stone?
"Oh thank God! I was so scared!" DIO cried out in Kyoka's voice, putting on a relieved expression.
"I'm glad to see that you're alright. What about the Stand User that attacked us?"
"She's unconscious, I knocked her lights out. Hey...I thought I heard something suspicious coming from the isolation cells...it might be our enemy."
"Well, it's a good thing you've got our secret weapon."
DIO faltered for a moment.
Secret...weapon? What kind of secret...unless...
Tokoyami was giving him an odd look, and DIO then knew what was happening.
Of course...this little shit thinks he can out me! I don't know what I did to make him suspicious...
"You're gonna have to be more specific, are you talking about the Hand of Glory?"
"Sure...Jiro, are you...feeling all right? Your eyes look...glassy." Tokoyami said with a glare forming on his face. "Which...is a telltale sign of possession. I guess I just want to make sure you are yourself."
"And...who exactly would I be?"
A chill enveloped the air, and Tokoyami felt crippling fear and anxiety, just from that one question. He had heard this kind of fear described in detail by Jolyne, and it was then that the young hero knew who he was dealing with.
Tokoyami took a step back. "My classmate would never sound as venomous as you do now. I can only assume that you are DIO...so...GIVE MY FRIEND BACK!"
DIOka threw his/her head back an laughed. "HAHAHAHA! Clever! Very clever! I can only assume Jolyne Kujo detected my prescence, and figured out that our favorite little musician was my intended target. It must have been quite easy to figure it out from there!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?!" Tokoyami shouted, rage beginning to take it's course.
"Well, her body is still alive, although that won't last forever. As for her soul...I believe I left her crying somewhere...poor little Jiro, shaking like a leaf. Alone and forgotten!"
Dark Shadow angrily grabbed DIOka by the throat, but DIO intentionally made a frightened face. The image of his Dark Shadow grabbing his terrified friend by the throat caused Tokoyami to hesitate...
Then DIO smirked.
"Predictable."
*shkt!*
Tokoyami coughed up blood as a knife was thrown into his stomach.
"Completely and utterly predictable! Did you think I took Jiro's body for a disguise? I knew you fools would recognize me, Jolyne can sense me with the Joestar blood connection! No...I took her body as insurance."
Dark Shadow had wrapped a part of itself around the knife, preventing it from piercing his vitals, but nonetheless Tokoyami was in quite a bit of pain.
The World, still cracked down the middle and missing it's eyes, grabbed Dark Shadow by the head. DIO's vindictive grin on Kyoka's face was genuinely terrifying.
*A/N: Just to be clear, DIO can use [The World], he can't use Kyoka's jacks.*
"None of you, except for that oddball Jolyne Kujo married, have the strength of will to raise a hand against your friend! That is how my plan will succeed, Kyoka Jiro is my human shield! The only way to stop me...is to kill her."
The World began pulling Tokoyami closer, while he struggled to get away.
"You'd be dooming your friend to an eternity on this boat, do you understand? Any attempt to stop me is useless...USELESS! Jolyne Kujo is already within my grasp, Narciso Kujo is MIA, and now you have sealed your fate as well!"
This...this is bad! This is a worst case scenario! DIO has outplayed us, all of us! Tokoyami thought to himself, gritting his teeth. However...we can...still turn this around! Jolyne's husband could still be alive, and if I know Jiro, she hasn't given up! Alright DIO...I hope you like it dark...because I revel in it!
Tokoyami fished the knife out of his gut, and threw it at a light.
"What?!"
"DARK SHADOW: NIGHTFALL!"
The sentient shadow began swirling all around them, growing in size, until The World's grip was broken by an unseen force. DIO, through Kyoka's face, had a look of mild shock.
Tokoyami had pulled a disappearing act.
"So...the bird has a few tricks up his cloak. It doesn't matter." DIO waved it off. "He isn't a threat to me...he isn't even a Joestar. Look for Jiro all you want, you can't help her now."
He looked in one of the isolation cells, where an unconscious and fried Jolyne was on one of the beds, and grinned.
"You are also insurance, Jolyne. Your father felt your pain, of that I have little doubt. He probably also feels that I'm near you. You're my bait."
At this rate, he'd catch two Joestars in his little trap, and he'd force them to watch his calamity come to fruition.
The Forest shall consume civilization, Y2K will knock out the power, and whatever else the calamity shall cause...shall leave me the sole man capable of bringing order to the land.
Japan will now down to me, and soon the rest of the world! Diego will be my vessel as intended, as he will come running to stop me! All I need now is another loyal friend...
Although...no one could ever truly replace Enrico...but it doesn't matter!
Everything is falling into place, exactly as I envisioned it! Gravity is at work...
With DIO revealed as the grand mastermind behind the previous two arcs, and his plan to send Japan into chaos going smoothly, can he be stopped?
EVERYTHING HINGES ON THIS ARC.
Here's a few hints towards future events:
1. Bohemian Rhapsody being turned off before the "story" could be completed is more significant than you think.
2. Jolyne isn't done.
3. The Detective will be key for (surprise) solving a mystery.
4. Josuke will be crucial to saving his apprentice.
5. The main theme of The Barge is "Letting go of the past."