Euphoria: I love it!
Kosaku Valentine: It's been a wild ride honestly, and I love playing with this cast. Kyoka's Quirk Awakening is really just a testament to how far her character has come, and how she can stand beside her friends, and not be relegated to some background character. I love writing her arc.
Guest: I absolutely loathe when the female lead is written to be a cheerleader and/or a damsel in distress. Plus, I wanted to make sure that Kyoka, while Johnny is a big part of her arc, has ideals and an adventure of her own. Her overcoming DIO was symbolic as hell, that much I will say.
Jpx0999: It's a Quirk Awakening. Her jacks are now retractable, which is why it appeared as though she didn't have them in the earlier arcs.
Kasumi Kenshiro: Yeah, I never really wanted to give her a Stand. That was saved exclusively for Patch. Kyoka's arc is about self-love and hope, and considering she embraced her Quirk a while ago, it would feel right to tease an evolution without seeing it through.
I'm a KFP Customer: Yeah, I hinted that Hamon was affecting her Quirk in earlier chapters, but I wanted to add a layer of mystery to it, y'know?
Delrosario: Huh...some of that was kinda accurate.
Bearticguy7: Amazing ideas!
KuJo Stories: Huh, interesting!
Guest 69: Well, not really. This universe is neither the OG JJBA universe or the Steel Ball Run, it's kind of both. As such, Johnny is part of the OG version of the Joestar family, and Josuke is his uncle. Rina would be a little weird to add in that context...but yeah, some of KyoJo does reflect canon Johnny and Rina, but they're mostly based off of Trevor and Sypha from Castlevania.
We have a long chapter this time, but it's the final chapter of the DIO's Calamity trilogy before the epilogue, so...y'know...
A Full List of the Horrific Crimes Committed at The Barge, penned by the Detective:
*False imprisonment.
*Human Experimentation, particularly with Mutants in an attempt to "restore their humanity." What a load of bullshit.
*Capturing Stand Users they deemed dangerous. No crime committed.
*Capturing Quirk Users they deemed dangerous. No crime committed.
*Torture.
*Poor living conditions.
*Extortion.
The truth of this matter us that The Barge is a massive stain on the United States' record. While no country is above scrutiny, the fact that the Barge was allowed to it's own devices, and innocents were sent to this place to die, makes it ripe for one of the biggest international scandals the world has ever seen.
Naturally...those who knew the truth should be silenced...government policy.
Failure.
It was something that DIO hated more than anything, because it reminded him of the pain he felt, when life was at it's hardest.
Dario Brando, his father, was a bastard through and through, and he basically deprived him of a normal childhood.
No one...has ever been that blunt to me before. She pointed out my biggest flaw, right to my face. She outsmarted me...and genuinely got me to think...
I...really can't find peace of mind, I don't think I've ever had it.
After his humiliating loss at Kyoka's hands, it got him to think. As in he was actually taking time to reflect on what had just happened, what went wrong, and how he could've done better.
It really pissed him off, but it got him to realize something important.
Living in the past, trying again and again to fulfill my ambition...just as Jiro acknowledged my philosophy... I have to acknowledge her observation.
No one had been so frank, so brutally honest with him. It was either admiration, or hatred, but never blunt honesty. Kyoka, of all people, had said just the right things to get him to doubt himself.
DIO, doubting himself. It was unthinkable, yet here he was, reflecting on both his life and death.
Am I really stuck in a never ending cycle? My ambition...and endless hunger that can never be quelled...will I never be satisfied? Is peace of mind really out of my grasp?
The Poltergeist looked at his hands, and then at the horizon.
Kyoka Jiro...I never thought I would even remember your name, but you are arguably the first person since Jonathan Joestar, to truly get me to doubt my actions. Perhaps your crude attitude was a wake up call...
DIO threw on his cape, glaring at the sea that was now several meters below the flying boat.
An existential crisis. How utterly humiliating...
Kyoka placed her fists onto the ground, her new jacks now sporting spirals of violet light. The light was pulsating, dimming and brightening with her heartbeat.
"Uh...Kyoka?" Josuke asked, and his apprentice hummed in anticipation.
"Don't worry...I'm just testing things out. I have a theory, based on what I was able to do before..."
The drones were almost upon them now.
"I don't think now is the time to be testing out your theories Jiro." Tokoyami replied.
The walls, floor, everything was starting to turn fuzzy in front of her, and it was all starting to glow with the golden light of Hamon.
"The vibrations from my old jacks carried my Hamon...and these new ones grew in response to the Hamon energy in my body. If my theory is correct, I should be able to create a standing wave."
Jotaro, from the back, let out a brief snort. "Of course, I see now."
"What's a standing wave?" Tokoyami asked, confused.
"Sound and Hamon are both forms of energy, and my Quirk combines both into a singular form once they go through my jacks. Sound can make objects levitate in specific scenarios, by holding them in place." Kyoka explained, and her jacks began glowing even brighter...
Then she fired a pulse.
Ripples of golden light emerged from the floor and ceiling, pushing the drones in the middle, and they were all flattened.
"Sound waves from the top, and below, can hold an objects, even liquids, in the air. This is a standing wave." Kyoka stood up, her jacks retreating into her ears. "The Hamon adds pressure to this phenomenon, thus allowing me to crush these things all at once."
"She used her heartbeat to vibrate the whole room, so that her Hamon could be distributed to the ceiling and the floor." Jotaro finished. "Very clever Kyoka."
"So...never fight you in an enclosed space, got it." Narciso commented. "Well, that was a nice little science lesson, but we need to hurry up and kill that Y2K motherfucker before this entire shitshow hits land."
"Do...we have to kill him?" Kyoka asked. "I...know some things about the guy that...well..."
"I agree, we should arrest him." Tokoyami concurred. "Now that we have Jiro back, the area effect of her sound attacks should take care of those drones. We should make our way to him now, and bring him to justice."
"He never committed any crime..." Kyoka said. "At least, when he was first sent here. I had to team up with Kira to get information on him, and...is he still here? Kira? I'm not a ghost, so I can't see him anymore."
"I am."
The Detective emerged from the shadows, causing Josuke to flinch, confirming Kyoka's suspicions.
"Okay he is."
"The security room we viewed the Y2K tapes in is still intact." Kira explained to those who could see him. He pulled out the Hand of Glory, staring at it for a moment, before throwing it to Kyoka, who jumped once the object became visible. "...she and I had a disagreement on the best course of action for Y2K...but...perhaps I was the one who was in the wrong...it could be worth a try."
"I still fucking hate ghosts." Kyoka muttered, picking up the Hand, wrinkling her nose. However, nonetheless she held out her hand. "Anyone got a lighter? I...kinda used the old one to blow up a demonic chef."
*pop!*
A small explosion ignited the candle.
"Or...that could work."
Y2K blinked in confusion.
"Why were so many drones destroyed? An area effect?"
He was surrounded by a web of USBs, which were spread all across the entire boat. In a many ways, it was like a spiderweb with a Black Widow sitting in the middle. Every facet of the boat was under his control.
So, he tapped into the boat's old, dilapidated security system.
The group was heading towards his old cell, much to his confusion. In front of them was...Kyoka? Did DIO somehow convince the heroes that she had returned? Perhaps this was some sort of illusion.
"DIO must be fooling them. There is no way the girl could ever beat him, she was finished the moment he took her body. Why lead them towards my cell?"
He decided to direct more drones to attack in that area.
As soon as the drones emerged from the walls in the footage, Kyoka suddenly turned around, and engulfed the entire hallway in a ripple effect, blowing them away. The camera went black, and the whole boat shook.
Y2K's eyes went wide.
"She used her Quirk...that's...actually her. The probability of success against DIO is incredibly low, how did she manage to regain her body? This does not compute."
The Barge shook violently once more.
"Error! Logistics do not make sense! Kyoka Jiro should not be back!"
His eyes briefly turned into the word ERROR, written in big red letters, before going back to normal.
"Of course...she must only think she has control. DIO has given her control of the body in order to fool them, that is the only explanation that makes any rational sense. It has to be a ploy."
Y2K narrowed his eyes, flipping across cameras in the projection from his chest.
"That is the only logical conclusion."
Ungalo whimpered as Narciso dragged him along, and everyone turned to look at him.
"So...what do we do with DIO Junior?"
"I say we tie him up, dangle him over the ocean like shark bait, and we each take turns pissing on him. Then, we reel him up, stuff his mouth with some of the barnacles that were growing downstairs, and I'll use Diver Down to twist his limbs into a pretzel. We throw him back, and the barnacles should prevent him from screaming as the sharks eat him alive." Narciso responded, his expression completely calm. "Of course, we'll all have to wear gloves so we won't leave fingerprints."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Dude, what the fuck?" Josuke said.
"Or...we could get information out of him..." Jolyne said to her husband, frowning.
Kyoka stopped at a locked door, her eyes narrowing as one of her new jacks jabbed itself into the lock. The Hand of Glory was illuminating the dark hallway in a blue light. The jack fished around in the lock for a while, before there was the sound of a click.
Flinging open the door, she stepped inside, leaving the group bickering in the hallway.
"The evidence room...looking for something useful?" The Detective emerged from the darkness, causing Kyoka to jump.
"Don't do that!" She hissed, glaring at him. "Also...yes, I am. His belongings would've had to have been in here, right? I can't help but wonder..."
"You wish to save him, despite the threat he poses."
"...Kira, I can't call myself a hero if I don't. I've overcome one hurdle, I may as well attempt the other one..."
Kira began rifling through some objects, causing Kyoka to glance at him with suspicion. "What are you doing?"
"Helping you."
"...why?"
"I'm not entirely sure, I mean, we've basically solved the mystery of the boat...yet perhaps a softer approach to Y2K could yield...interesting results."
"You're curious to see if I can do it."
"You already did the impossible by overcoming DIO, I'm wondering if you could accomplish that feat again, yes."
A small blue flame appeared on one of the shelves, and Kyoka brought her hand towards it, her fingers closing around an old cassette player. A Walkman, by the looks of it. Checking inside, she narrowed her eyes, and put it in her pocket.
*BOOM!*
Y2K blinked as the boat rocked from a blow to it's side. "External damage?"
Flipping through the cameras, he took a look outside.
"Heroes."
On the coast of Morioh, standing at the port, was a collection of pro heroes ready to mount a defense. There was a cone-headed hero in front, aiming a rocket launcher at the Barge.
"...the Public Safety Commission. As expected, they recognized the Barge...good."
That's when he recognized the hero in question, and from inside his speaker mouth, Y2K's teeth bit down on the metal.
The memory of what happened after the arcade flashed before his eyes. How everything had turned white, screams, and a boot pressing down on the back of his neck. How Tom desperately called for help, and was met with violence and handcuffs.
He knew that hero.
*BOOM!*
Jolyne yanked Tokoyami out of the way of the blast, just as an explosion ripped through the wall. "What the hell?!"
"Oh God...the heroes are firing on us..." Ungalo muttered, and Narciso grabbed him by the shirt.
"The hell do you mean?!"
"The Hero Public Safety Commission. They're probably mounting an attack on the Barge, since there's undoubtedly shit going down on land thanks to the calamity, they're... THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!"
"Do you think we have reception? Can we call them to stand down?" Josuke asked Jotaro, who was glaring at the heroes on the shore.
"Depends...are they unaware that we're in here, or are they?"
Jolyne turned to her father, a concerned look on her face. "Do you think...they have orders to blow this thing up no matter who's inside? This whole thing...would cause the U.S. Government a lot of grief if information on the Barge got out."
"That's Warhead, an American hero. There's really only one reason he'd be here." Jotaro said with a grim expression. "It doesn't matter who's on this boat, he's taking it down. Fellow heroes...hero students..."
"Bet Bakugo could give that guy a run for his money...he wasn't on a mission like we were, he was observing UA with Yaoyorozu and Midoriya. Maybe we could-" Tokoyami was about to say, but Kyoka put a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head.
"We could get in touch with them, but they wouldn't get here in time...and something tells me we're going to have to deal with Warhead in a...less than legal way."
"How are we supposed to deal with him?! We still have Y2K to worry about!" Narciso ranted. "We're still about a mile from the shore...I say we use Ungalo as-"
"He just jumped through the hole."
"WHAT?! THAT LITTLE SHIT!"
Ungalo, from the ocean below, cackled up at them as he began swimming away.
"Sorry ya'll, but I ain't the captain, so there's no reason to go down with the ship! Waddaya know? The Barge is already on fire! So long fuckers, Ungalo lives another day!"
Narciso ran to the edge of the hole and began screaming after DIO's son. "YOU FUCKING COWARD! I HOPE YOU DROWN!"
*BOOM!*
The Barge suddenly turned, the impact striking the front and knocking the flaming boat sideways. Everyone was thrown wildly by the blow, but Stone Free unraveled to create a web, saving the group from taking some nasty spills.
"That does it...we have reception, so I can call Okuyasu to use The Hand to pull those rockets out of the sky." Josuke said, pulling out his phone, only for it to fall to pieces. "...fuck DIO."
"Josuke, you can just fix it." Jotaro said.
"I know, but it's still a pain in the ass."
Warhead loved his job.
He was the law, he was justice, and a true patriot. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his country, he would blow up an orphanage if his superiors told him too.
Everything he did was for the greater good after all, so what if a few innocent people were sacrificed on the way? It was necessary for society to thrive. Of course, he didn't relish in death, he hated when an innocent got caught up, but what happens happens.
From what he heard, Crazy Diamond and his apprentice were investigating the boat before it rose into the air, as well as Dr. Jotaro Kujo.
That's what they get for dragging kids into an international incident. They get blown up. Not my fault they were stupid.
Warhead aimed his arm cannon at the boat once more, smirking under his cone-shaped helmet.
After all...people knowing the truth about The Barge could upset the snowflakes. With that stupid King Snowflake, Valentine, gone...they were already pissing themselves. Personally, I'm glad the guy disappeared, he was going to run our country into the ground.
Like, the maniac actually treats the Quirkless like equals, if they were equals, why don't they have Quirks idiot?!
Still...I heard the man was far from a saint.
Warhead prepared the rocket, and was about to fire, when something strange appeared on the bow of the ship.
Y2K.
Well, if it ain't Thomas Praxton! I can't believe that little snot actually survived this long! I haven't seen him since I arrested him! No wonder they sent me here...to finish the job before I retire.
Yeah, Warhead was responsible for the arrest of Thomas Praxton, after the young and budding hero student had accidentally unleashed a lethal EMP in an arcade. Just one look at the freak was enough for him to recommend him to The Barge, a prison for the circus sideshows of society.
Arresting Y2K was actually what got him a government contract in the first place. Taking care of, "one of AFO's sleeper agents."
I wonder if he recognizes me...he looks like he hasn't eaten in years, well he probably runs on batteries, and that armor? Boy, if he wasn't a villain then, he sure is now.
He fired.
Y2K immediately raised a hand, and the rocket stopped in midair.
Oh...
Shit.
The heroes from the HPSC around him all began murmuring nervously. Warhead could almost feel Y2K's wrath bearing down on him.
"Nuke that fucker..."
"B-but hang on-"
"SHOOT HIM DOWN, NOW!" Warhead roared, his heart quickening as Y2K stared daggers at him, from almost a mile away. Even though the Barge had some time to reach land...he knew that the boy he had wronged could see him. "BLOW HIM OUT OF THE SKY!"
Heroes with ranged Quirks began opening fire, sending bullets, blasts of energy, everything they could at the Barge...
Anything metal stopped in midair, and blocked anything that wasn't. Y2K, and the flaming prison boat of death, remained untouched.
"He's a monster..."
Y2K raised his hand, and every rocket, bullet, etc...rose up as well.
That's when the Barge began twisting, parts of it that broke because of the strain being separated, and reassembled by the giant USB cables. It was slowly bending, groaning, as it formed into something entirely new, sculpted into a weapon by Y2K.
It became a fucking Gundam. An old, rusty, headless, haunted Gundam, with Y2K standing on the neck.
Still flying, and on fire from the several rocket blows and the Pizza Pete incident, the massive metal monstrosity cracked it's steampipe knuckles, and began floating towards land even faster.
"Did he just turn that thing into a Transformer?"
"Yes, I believe he did...KILL IT! KILL IT NOW! KILL THAT FUCKING THING!" Warhead screamed, turning on rocket boosters in his feet. "Aim away from the man! Focus on the chest down!"
*BASS DROP!*
Warhead was pulled out of the air, and crashed onto the ground, where a foot was placed roughly on the back of his neck.
"So you can kill my friends? Nuh uh!" Okuyasu Nijimura stated, glaring at Warhead. "Not if me and The Hand have anything to say about it!"
"Well this went from a 10 to a 100 real fast..." Kyoka muttered, rubbing her head. "Ow...gonna feel that one in the morning..."
"Jiro, what the hell was that?!" Tokoyami asked, helping his classmate up.
"I think Y2K just retaliated. This is bad...if he starts blowing up Morioh or something..."
"The hallway was ripped to shreds and reassembled, and now the flaming cafeteria is on the ceiling."
Kyoka looked up to see that the cafeteria, where she had encountered and subsequently fried Pizza Pete, was indeed now on the ceiling. "I suppose we should be grateful that the tables were bolted to the floor...where the hell is everyone else?! Did we get separated again?!"
"The whole boat has shifted around...Jiro...I have to ask. Do your adventures always get this...bizarre?"
Kyoka chuckled, patting Tokoyami on the back. "You're in for an interesting ride buddy. Alright...say...you can fly now, right?"
"Yes, I can thanks to Hawks' training."
"...can I ride you?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Kyoka huffed, scratching the back of her head. "If we fly outside, we could just find Y2K. I'm asking you to give me a lift."
"You could've phrased that better Jiro."
"Are ya gonna give me a lift or what?"
Tokoyami sighed, and bent over. "Hop on then."
Jotaro grunted as he got to his feet, brushing himself off. Realizing that his hat was gone, he began searching around for it. Spotting black and red, with the familiar gold pin of a palm, he dug his hat out of the rubble and put it on.
"Yare yare daze..."
*shing!*
He blinked, and turned around to find what he could only describe as a headless knight walking towards him, clanging two swords together.
"Who the hell are you?"
The Stand's head suddenly spun at him from the shadows, cackling as it tried to bite him.
"ORA!"
Star Platinum bashed it out of the air, but the body rushed at him, swords blazing. Jotaro ducked under one swing, and kicked out at it's knee with his Stand integrating with his foot.
Well, it's not like a Stand showing up out of the blue is anything new. It's gimmick appears to be it's head, a sneak attack.
Another Stand emerged from a destroyed cell, followed by another one.
One was some weird cross between a bird and a reptile, and the other looked like a blue winged demon. The bird jumped upwards, and the winged demon grabbed it by the shoulders, both flying upwards.
The bird pulled out a spear on top of that.
Shadow figures were appearing in the hall, cold white eyes bearing into the only living man in the room. Ghosts of all kinds, Quirk Users, Stand Users, and the Quirkless, were all in the hallway.
"...shit."
About 20 Stands showing up out of the blue? Yeah, that's REALLY fucking new.
No matter how powerful the Stand ability, even the smallest of opponents could prove deadly. Jotaro, despite having one of the most powerful Stands in the world, once almost died to a rat. One Stand was deadly, but multiple?
It was a death sentence.
'These are the prisoners...there's so many Stand Users...' Jotaro thought to himself as he began backing away. 'Stands weren't as well known back when the Barge was operational, I mean hell, I was afraid of Star Platinum when it first manifested...don't tell me...they brought people here just because they had Stands?!'
In fact, the reason Stand Users had less of a reason to hide was due to a certain battle in Egypt. While Jotaro and DIO were (thankfully) not identified, the giant battle between two angry ghost things was kind of hard for the general public to miss.
While people knew they existed, their danger was made painfully clear on that fateful day.
Not that Jotaro cared at the time, or now. However...Stands were uncertain territory for those who were only used to Quirks, and with uncertainty came fear, and fear lead to rash decisions, and even hate.
Which was why some of these ghostly prisoners were probably just innocently pretending their Stands were Quirks at the time of their capture.
Without missing a beat, just before the headless Stand could take another swing, Jotaro acted.
"STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!"
He froze time, and had his Stand punch a hole in the ceiling. He proceeded to jump out of the death trap, and ended up encountering a frozen Narciso, who was in the middle of trying to defend himself from another hoard.
Unsuccessfully, he was quickly being overwhelmed, and had strange red mushrooms sprouting from his back, along with several wounds.
Jotaro pulled him from the mass of enemies, and broke through a wall, dragging his son-in-law with him just as the time stop ended.
"I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON! YOU WON'T GET TO-" Narciso paused, and slowly turned to look at Jotaro, who was giving him an unamused look. "Ah...Mr. Kujo...I uh...was just-"
"Getting your ass kicked?"
"...maybe. I was trying to find Jolyne, and-"
"I get it, now shut up. They're still hunting us."
*BOOM!*
A huge blast of rippling energy, a shockwave, ripped through the hall, sending several of the weaker Stands and their ghostly users flying. A massive creature of darkness soon followed, battering the stronger ones.
"Ow! My fucking ears!" Narciso clamped his hands over said ears, gritting his teeth. "What was that, thunder?!"
"No...that's Kyoka." Jotaro realized, a smirk coming across his face. "It appears as though her sound attacks have been strengthened."
He got up, and poked his head outside.
Kyoka was riding on Tokoyami's back, charging up another attack in an attempt to clear the hallway. His eyes met hers as he stepped out, and Star Platinum offered a hand.
As soon as she reached him, a silver jack shot out for the Stand to catch.
"STAR PLATINUM!"
Time stopped once more, and Jotaro grabbed the confused Narciso by his fishnets, using his normal. With his Stand's feet, he kicked off of the ground, and punched through the ceiling with his Stand's other hand, sending the group to a long upwards-facing cell block.
"That's enough."
Time resumed, and Kyoka's jack dragged the other two up the channel, all the while the army of the damned giving chase.
"Jiro, can you really support their weight?!" Tokoyami yelled, and Kyoka gave him a nod.
"My normal jacks, no. These new ones are far more durable, I think they have some sort of internal support system that prevents the weight from transferring to my head!"
"Where are we headed?" Jotaro asked calmly. "I'm sure you have a goal in mind."
"I want to save Y2K."
"Save him? The guy is about to send Japan back to the Stone Age!" Narciso retorted. "Not to mention with all these fucking ghosts, do you know how many people will die?!"
"I'm well aware of that, but he hasn't gone through with it yet! There's still a chance to convince Y2K to not go through with it...the guy had a good heart before he was imprisoned here, and I refuse to believe it's gone." Kyoka replied, glancing down at him. "We aren't even giving him a second chance, because he never got a first."
"What if you can't get through to him?"
"...then we do what we have to do. I'm a hero who brings smiles to the hopeless...it's the reason I do what I do. If I don't at least try to save him, I'd be no better than the people who put him in here."
Jotaro hummed, narrowing his eyes.
"...I believe you can do it, just be careful."
"Really?" Narciso asked, raising an eyebrow. "Look, I understand the sentiment, in fact...it reminds me of Jolyne-"
"STAR FINGER!"
Jotaro speared a ghost that was about to catch up with them as they burst into another area of the boat. Smoke blurred Tokoyami's vision as he struggled to make his way through the maze.
"I know, it's naive! *cough* I understand that, but I can't let it go!" Kyoka blasted the headless Stand's detached head into the concrete.
Narciso thought for a moment, remembering Jolyne's unwavering faith in the purplette, who was now rushing to save a villain she didn't know in the slightest.
As naive as it is...it does remind me of Jolyne. It was her spirit that inspired us in Green Dolphin and beyond, a spirit that Kyoko seems to share.
Didn't this girl save Jolyne's brother from his inner demons?
"Alright Kyoka, I'll put my faith in your plan. Just don't get us killed."
"You actually said my name right." Kyoka said with a smirk. "I have an idea, but we need to find the guy first."
Stands were crawling all over the giant metal monstrosity, their auras and the flames giving the whole thing a creepy ethereal glow.
On top, Y2K was connected to every facet of the boat, and was getting ready to counterattack Warhead.
"There will be no mercy for the likes of you...no second chances. Warhead, the HPSC...karma is coming to collect your debt!"
For the first time in years, Y2K was feeling something other than apathy, and it was cold satisfaction. He enjoyed watching the corrupt "heroes" panic, he truly did.
Flashes of blue light from the shore caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes, bringing a set of binoculars to his face.
"A Stand User? Fighting the heroes, is he with DIO? No...he's dressed similarly to Higashikata."
*BOOM!*
A massive hole was blown through the torso of the metal giant, and the whole thing was thrown backwards. Y2J grunted in surprise.
A shockwave, roughly equivalent to the force of a jet engine. Strong enough to blow back the entire prison boat a few meters.
A golden ripple of light traveled across the sky towards the boat, and Y2K used it's massive metal arm to block it, annoyed.
"This power..."
Dark Shadow appeared, large enough to catch the arm as it attempted to backhand a tiny dot in the air, and Y2K quickly realized what was happening. Kyoka Jiro and Fumikage Tokoyami were attacking him, and they were doing considerable damage to The Barge.
"They actually burst through the steel hull! How are they so strong?!"
The change in Kyoka's Quirk was unexpected, and DIO had yet to activate his contingency. It was almost as if she had actually beaten him, and really was back.
The question is, what was she now capable of?
Earphone Jack: Second Symphony (Described in Izuku's Notebook):
-:-
Abilities:
These new jacks conduct Hamon more effectively than the old ones, as they evolved for that specific purpose. Kyoka still possesses the same abilities she had before, only bumped up in power.
*Her jacks previously had an extension limit of 5 meters, it is now 10.
*They are durable enough to deflect bullets.
*Her old jacks could cut to the bone with Hamon boosting them, these new jacks can pierce straight through bone, muscle, etc. Much deadlier than they were before, they could impale someone if she wants them to.
*Her heartbeat is amplified even more, now producing shockwaves that have the same force as a jet engine. Can send a normal person flying quite easily.
*The barbed tips allow her to anchor them in things. They can now function as grappling hooks, or they can be used to pull people in close for a hit.
*They retract into her ear when not in use.
*Sound Hamon: The ability to use the ripple effect of sound waves to carry the ripple effect of Hamon. Hamon attacks can be used in combination with Kyoka's normal attacks to certain degrees, essentially spreading the effect of Hamon over a large area.
*The tips also appear to be able to rotate. (Possible Spin?)
Weaknesses:
*Her jacks glow now, so she has to retract them when she's sneaking around.
*She's more susceptible to sudden loud sounds than she was previously. If she isn't ready for it, it could even knock her out.
*Obviously, an injured lung or anything else that contributed to breathing would mean she can only use her base attacks, not Hamon.
*She's still afraid of ghosts, even more so.
*JoJo.
I don't really know how to properly give her stats...so I guess I should say that she is now on par with Kacchan. Yeah, Kacchan.
She has definitely caught up to the heavy hitters in our class.
Okuyasu erased the space to the side, pulling him away from Warhead's rocket. "Nice try!"
"You'll be arrested for this, you know that right?!" Warhead asked, firing again. "You shouldn't have interfered, now I have to kill you too! I'm not supposed to leave behind any witnesses!"
*BOOM!*
The metal giant took a hit from another bright yellow shockwave, and more pieces of it fell. Okuyasu grinned as a tiny dot buzzed around Y2K's weapon of mass destruction, taking it apart chunk by chunk. "It seems as though my friends are doin' yer job for ya! Aren't ya supposed to be some kinda professional or something?"
The Hand swiped at the air, and pulled Warhead right into close range. The pro hero yelped, and Okyuyasu proceeded to use the momentum to land a devastating punch to the face, cracking the cone-shaped helmet of the crooked hero.
"Come on! A big city hero like you is losin' to a small town chump like me!"
A HPSC hero, who had some sort of chainsaw gimmick, fired up his chainsaw arms and ran at Morioh's resident dumbass, snarling.
*BANG!*
A purple and pink bullet shot clean through his head before Okuyasu could even be touched.
Okuyasu blinked in confusion, staring at the Denji ripoff. "Huh? How did that happen?"
Just keep doing what you were doing Nijimura, I'll back you up.
From a rooftop, a bandaged Nagant was aiming at the HPSC goons down below, murder in her eyes. She had pursued Jotaro when he ran off after the battle with Shigaraki, as his admittedly strange behaviour had raised some concerns. Now, her former employers were taking aim at him, according to Hirose and Nijimura.
Hirose should be showing up too, he's more perceptive than his friend. I have to help them without giving myself away...
Some of these people, I knew them. The chainsaw guy was a massive pervert, and the rest of them? Not sure...I'll settle for maiming them instead.
Nagant fashioned another bullet out of her hair, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she watched the battle between Okuyasu and the HPSC unfold.
She fired another shot, instantly downing an unsuspecting hero.
I'm taking a risk right now, just as I was when I agreed to help Santana. If even one of them sees me, I'll be recognized and reported. The HPSC will want to silence me as soon as possible, so their crimes don't come to light.
Yet...from what I've gathered, I can't just leave him in their crosshairs.
So they are in mine.
Okuyasu was having similar, more simple thoughts.
"I'll defend Josuke and Kyoka with all I've got! I don't care how important you are!"
Warhead dodged a bullet, and slowly turned his head towards a rooftop, where the figure of a woman started sprinting.
"A sniper...which one of your band of freaks is a sniper?"
"Huh?! Pay attention idiot, yer fightin' me!"
The Hand was about to take a swipe, when Warhead pointed his cannon at the ground, launching himself into the air.
"Oi! Get down here!"
Warhead was pulled back down, much to his annoyance.
"DO YOU KNOW WHO I FUCKING AM?!" The pro hero shouted, pointing a cannon at Okuyasu. "I'M WARHEAD BITCH!"
"Isn't that like...a sour candy? I don't really like sour stuff."
Okuyasu simply erased the space in front of him, and crashed into Warhead, head first. There was a grunt of pain from other parties, one from getting headbutted, and the other from headbutting armor.
"Stop playing the idiot already, no one can be this stupid!" The pro hero yelled, driving his knee into Okuyasu's gut. "No sane person would just brazenly challenge the HPSC if they didn't want to get arrested! You must have some ulterior motive!"
"You underestimate me!"
The Hand erased space while Okuyasu and Warhead were grappling, and they both crashed into several other heroes, sending people flying like ragdolls in every direction. The Hand just started erasing things recklessly, sporadically teleporting the two combatants all over the docks.
"Can't take aim if you don't know where yer goin' can ya?"
"I see what you're doing, your about to warp me into a trap, right?!"
"Nah, coming up with a plan hurts my brain! I'm just gonna keep teleportin' until you or I throw up!"
"WHAT?!"
Unbeknownst to the two, their sporadic teleporting, the erasure, and Nagant's supporting fire had pretty much taken out everyone else.
Nijimura's lack of a plan...actually made this much easier. Nagantnoted to herself, retracting her rifle back into her arm. They all ironically expected more of him, and they began overthinking as a result, allowing me to pick them off undetected.
The true power of being a dumbass.
Okuyasu stopped erasing shit after a while, and both he and Warhead collapsed to the ground. Both proceeded to vomit, and began to stand up, in some weird kind of dizzy Western showdown.
"I...am...a agent of the United States government. *burp* I...won't lose to the likes...of you!" Warhead staggered around, trying to aim. "You call yourself...a hero...but you're a traitor. All of you are...traitors! I represent the United States, and all of it's *blech* glory!"
"You don't represent...shit!"
"You'd rather...protect some FREAK...than yer own country!" Warhead snarled.
"I'm protectin' my friends. You ain't a hero, you're a villain in disguise!" Okuyasu replied, The Hand raising it's hand to pull Warhead in for a final blow. "An idiot who values 'duty' over 'people!' That's no hero!"
"I'd do anything for peace, and I don't care how many men, women, and children I have to kill in order to get it! After I kill you...and your sniper friend whoever the hell she is...I'll call in backup to blow everyone on that boat to hell! For the greater good!"
Warhead suddenly kicked dust into Okuyasu's eye, and fired.
"Gah! My eyes!"
"ECHOES ACT 3, THREE FREEEEEZEEE!"
The rocket slammed into the ground at Warhead's feet.
"...oh...shi-"
*BOOM!*
Koichi Hirose sent his Stand away, and watched as the burnt Warhead crashed to the ground. "Sorry I was late Okuyasu, I got held up by a-"
His eyes widened as he saw the shape of a woman looking down at them. Without a single word, it disappeared.
Y2K detached a few USBs from the Barge, and sent them after the pair flying around him, annoyed. "What are you even doing?"
"Stopping you!" Kyoka called out. "Before you do something you'll regret!"
Y2K raised an eyebrow, and a giant metal hand attempted to snatch them out of the sky. Stands and ghosts were crawling all over it, and they lept after the duo.
"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"
Star Platinum came up from underneath and battered them away, before being dragged away by Diver Down before any of them could retaliate.
"An attack from all sides, do you really think you can eliminate me by force?"
"No! We wish to talk!" Tokoyami yelled. "Jiro believes you should be saved, and I trust her judgement!"
"...s...saved?"
There was a pause as the robotic man met Kyoka's eyes. There was a hint of emotion there, as Kyoka could clearly see. He clearly wasn't expecting sympathy.
"I saw the security tapes, I know what they did to you." Kyoka said, lowering her amplifier. "I know what AFO did, I know everything. The whole time I was separated from my body...I was thinking about you."
Y2K was seemingly at a loss for words, but his eyes hardened.
"I do not require saving, I am right where I need to be."
"Tom-"
"That name no longer suits me! Thomas Praxton was blind to the true nature of the world, weak! I am no longer bound by childish ideas like hope, foolish dreams that will never again see the light of day, my only reason for existence is to fulfill the function I was designed for."
"You're not a machine!" Kyoka yelled, arming an amplifier. "You're human! No matter how badly they treated you, you can never run from that! I know you've been hurt, horribly...I understand that-"
"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Y2K yelled. "The only thing that matters in this world is COLD, HARD FACTS! I became a weapon, I was treated like a weapon, therefore, what else could I possibly be?!"
With that, he used his magnetisim to throw an entire room at them.
Tokoyami used Dark Shadow to break right through it, and Kyoka raised her arms, grimacing as shards of metal buried themselves into her flesh.
"This is a world of falsehoods! Lies! Do you really think I haven't been keeping an eye on it in my isolation? Politicians rallying the weak-minded to their cause. The MEDIA, spinning whatever narrative that sells, rather than the truth. Rich, entitled, so-called 'heroes!'"
Y2K was actually furious, the notion that he needed to be saved was ridiculous. His eyes switched to a bright blue, and he began charging his EMP Quirk, determined to blast them away with a low powered blow.
That's when something wrapped around his throat.
Stone Free began forming right in front of him, and it socked him right in the speaker.
*BZZZT!*
Sparks flew everywhere as Y2K made a muffled cry, his only method of speaking disabled. Jolyne appeared to his left and kicked him in the chest, causing him to stumble back.
"She's trying to help you, don't take that for granted."
Y2K angrily retaliated, shooting an electrified cable at Jolyne, but strings wrapped around both his ankles and the cable, and conducted the electricity back to him. Tripping the former hero student, she attempted to fling him off of the boat.
Only for Y2K to enlarge his own fist, and sharpened the fingers on his armored, metal gloves, slicing through the string.
Cuts littered Jolyne's hand, and Stone Free blocked a punch from Y2K.
"JOLYNE! MOVE!"
Taking cue from Kyoka, she pulled herself out of the way as a sound attack ripped into Y2K, causing the robotic man to clamp his hands over his ears, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"HEARTBEAT OVERDRIVE!"
Kyoka had lept off of Tokoyami, and had rolled onto the deck, blasting him with a Hamon-enhanced shockwave.
It sent him flying.
"Either you listen to reason, or we stop you with force! I prefer the first option Tom!"
The broken speaker in Y2K's began to shape itself into a jaw, with teeth. For the first time in years, he was finally able to open his mouth and speak.
"Logic...logic...is all I have now..."
His voice came out hoarse, it was the first time he had ever spoken without assistance from his speaker, but it was clear.
"It's the only thing...I can truly...rely on...because it's fact. I didn't join up with DIO out of loyalty...I did it because I want to end this vicious cycle of lies! I'm going to be the weapon AFO wanted me to be, because that's what I am now, but in doing so I will expose everyone to the truth!"
Y2K's USB's were anchoring him to The Barge, so he was pulled back towards the other two.
Kyoka fired again, but Y2K had already made his move, and she was smacked by a large chunk of metal from behind, causing her to hit her head on the deck. Jolyne attempted to snatch Kyoka away, but she was blasted by the EMP.
Luckily, Stone Free had created a web around her, distributing the electricity all over, preventing it from being a direct attack.
"Sorry, I can beat that move now!"
"Ow...my fucking head..." Kyoka got to her knees, blood running down the side of her face. Jolyne helped her to her feet, and they both faced their opponent together.
Y2K was posing on top of a steam pipe, and the boat began tearing itself apart again, unleashing nothing short of magnetic chaos. Metal, lighting, and debris was flying everywhere.
"So I'm going to knock out the power in Japan, then the rest of Asia, and soon the world! I will send humanity back to the age before technology, before all of that bullshit, and they will see firsthand how things truly are! The cold, hard truth of this world! I WILL BE A FUCKING WEAPON!"
"He's completely lost hope..." Kyoka said to Jolyne, a saddened look on her bloodied face. "He's a fucking cynic now...and it's not the charming kind of cynicism like Johnny's. Tom...Y2K...he doesn't care anymore."
"You had a plan, right?" Jolyne asked.
"Yeah...but, I'm not even sure it will work. He might be too far gone at this point...and The Barge is only getting closer to land. We may have to kill him...it might be the only-"
*SHINK!*
Every fragment of metal, hell, the whole Barge, was glowing a bright yellow.
"I think you have time." Jotaro said from the bow, having finally shaken the small army of undead Stands. There was a gash across his chest, and he was soaking wet, but he was smirking through his exhaustion.
"This is...Crazy Diamond! Josukeis repairing the boat?!" Kyoka asked, and Jolyne grinned as she began putting things together.
"We lost him earlier, when Y2K decided to go Gurren Lagann on the land. I thought he had just fallen out...but it looks like he had a plan. Y2K broke The Barge in order to make it into a weapon."
Y2K was angrily trying to control the metal, but he couldn't prevent it from reassembling.
The Barge was turning back into a boat, and was being dragged backwards.
"Higashikata! He must have jumped off of the boat with a piece of debris...damn it all!" Y2K yelled. "I can't fight his ability, it overrides my magnetism!"
"STAR FINGER!"
A precise attack from the battered Jotaro shattered part of Y2K's armor. Because his armor was made out of metal from the ship, he couldn't repair it. Josuke's ability was forcing it to return to the ship.
Drones burst apart, and returned to the walls and floors.
Y2K had carved the boat into pieces, allowing Josuke to fix it.
Deprived of his magnetism, he retrieved all of his USBs, and unleashed a flurry of attacks. Star Platinum guarded itself, and a pair of earphone jacks smacked them aside.
Without missing a beat, Y2K lunged forward, tackling both Kyoka and Jolyne into the reassembling boat. Star Platinum attempted to grab him, only to be violently shocked.
Jotaro grimaced as he pulled his hand away, now blackened and smoking.
"He's desperate..."
"Why didn't you stop time?!" Narciso demanded.
"I can't just do it consecutively!" Jotaro snapped back. "DIO could, but he was a vampire. I'm only human, and stopping time takes a lot of energy. It tires me out every time I do it...and in case you didn't notice...I'm not exactly energized at the moment."
Narciso wrinkled his nose, annoyed but accepting the response nonetheless.
"Do you know the fastest way we can get to them?"
"We break through. Tokoyami!" Jotaro called out to his student, who had just bashed several Stands away.
"Yes Dr. Kujo!"
"When this thing gets back to Josuke, use Dark Shadow to keep pushing it. Once it gets back to him it will probably be repaired, and Y2K can use his magnetism again. Keep this thing at bay...we're counting on you!"
"It would be my pleasure!"
With that, Star Platinum broke through the floor, and the two men gave chase.
Jolyne:
Saving the villain.
When I heard that was Kyoka's goal, I, like anyone else really, couldn't help but think of the threat he posed.
Then I thought about it.
Y2K was only a victim that was lashing out at a world he believed to be beyond saving. Putting him down was actually a loss for her. She may be snarky, a bit mean at times, but her good heart is the reason my brother finally has some goddamn happiness in his life.
Our enemies are people, they aren't just fodder for our fists. If we had to kill Y2K...then it would be a loss. If we couldn't restore his hope, then what are we all fighting for? We focused too much on what he could do, just like the people who threw him in here.
His speech too...so many people expect the world to be dark and unforgiving. Is a happy ending really that unrealistic to them? Should we not strive for it?
What's wrong with a little hope?
I understand why Kyoka wanted to save him. If she couldn't restore a lost soul, even if we stopped The Barge, she failed.
The three fell through the boat, all of it shifting and repairing itself, gears, cells, the burnt remains of the kitchen, everything was flying all around them.
Jacks met USBs, and battled each other for dominance.
"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAAA!"
"You...won't...overpower me!" Y2K grunted out, sending more USBs from his back. Kyoka's new jacks were too fast though, and sliced right through them, allowing her to break through his guard.
"METAL SILVER OVERDRIVE!"
The Hamon struck him right in the chest, turning silver as it traveled down his armor. A pins and needles sensation traveled down his whole body. He pushed Kyoka away, but it was beginning to sting.
What did she do to me?! She somehow hit me with an attack that went through my armor!
"ORA!"
Stone Free hit him while he was stunned, and began wrapping him up with strings.
"We aren't going to get through to him while we're still fighting Kyoka! We need to end this!" Jolyne yelled. "I'll hold him still-"
Spiked protruded from the cocoon of string, and Y2K cut himself free, also cutting into Jolyne, leaving a series of heavy gashes across her arm.
"JOLYNE!"
"I can still manipulate the metal on me!"
The three slammed into the ground, and Kyoka spun around, catching Y2K with a Hamon-enhanced backfist. Jolyne spat out blood, and swung her bloodied arm at the robotic man, flinging the blood straight into his eyes.
Blinded, Y2K began glowing, deciding that enough was enough.
He was unleashing his EMP while they were still close to the shore. It could knock out power across the continent after all, and while it wouldn't get all of Japan...
It would take out everyone in it's immediate blast radius.
Kyoka inserted her jacks into her wrist amplifiers, taking a massive breath in the process, while Stone Free turned to look at her.
There was a moment of understanding between the two women. Kyoka began glowing a bright yellow, and her new jacks became beams of purple light.
My heart is resonating...with heat enough to burn! My blood's beat...it's like the rhythm of a drum, it's a symphony of life within me!
So, THIS IS HAMON!
"Heartbeat Overdrive...CRESCENDO!"
Kyoka's fist slammed into Y2K's gut, and then the other followed. She began picking up the speed of her punches, and Stone Free began joining in, a double beatdown that was only growing larger and larger.
With every punch came a shockwave, louder than the last.
Everything around them began to shake, every facet of the boat trembled before their might.
"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAR!/ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"
"As if things weren't getting any stranger, the whole town of Morioh is experiencing a tremor coming from the Barge, which...is now shooting out what appears to be ripples of golden light, almost like shockwaves. The tremors are happening rapidly, as if they were punches."
Momo's jaw was practically hitting the floor.
"Kyoka?"
Heartbeat Overdrive: Crescendo:
A Sound Hamon attack that is designed to pummel it's target with loud and destructive shockwaves. The sound gets progressively louder due to the speed of Kyoka's punches increasing with every punch, until it becomes as loud as repeated claps of thunder.
Can cause a small earthquake.
The move is an adaptation of Jonathan Joestar's Sunlight Yellow Overdrive beatdown, and renders anyone exposed beaten, and entirely senseless. The loud sound can cause someone's mind and body to shut down due to severe stress.
Weaknesses: Loud, hard to miss. Also, Kyoka must be pummeling the target directly.
With a final punch, Kyoka and Stone Free sent Y2K careening through the ceiling.
The final shockwave ripped through the Barge, and punched a hole in the dark clouds above the haunted ship, giving them their first taste of a blue sky since they got there.
Y2K crashed on the deck, gasping and twitching from the horrid experience he had just been put through...but also resigned.
Kyoka stumbled, and Jolyne rushed to catch her.
"Kyoka..."
"It's...okay...we stopped him from using the EMP, that's all that matters." Kyoka wheezed out. She was bleeding pretty bad, but nonetheless had a smile on her face. "...we make...a pretty good...team don't we?"
Jolyne smiled, and pulled Kyoka in close. "You better believe it."
"Jesus that took a lot out of me."
"That was all you had, wasn't it?"
"...probably."
Kyoka fired one of her grappling hooks, and carried them up through the hole, only to find Jotaro staring at them. His hair was standing on end, and Star Platinum looked like it stuck it's tongue in a light socket.
Narciso was holding Y2K in a headlock.
Y2K was in rough shape, his makeshift jaw had been punched clean off, revealing only the torn remains of the original. He was covered in blood, and glowing ripple-shaped burns. His entire body was smoking...and his pupils were the size of pins, and glassy.
He was on sensory overload.
"One wrong move and I snap your neck like a twig." The former convict growled out, wrenching Y2K up to his feet. "Now...you're gonna listen to what we have to say!"
"Hey...a little too hard Narciso." Jolyne said.
"I will gently massage your spine if you don't listen to what we have to say!"
"...close enough. Can you hear us?" Kyoka asked Y2K, who couldn't respond. "Guess not...I went overboard..."
A soaking wet Josuke limped towards them, and Crazy Diamond touched one of Y2K's ears. Some of Y2K's wounds began to close, and his eyes slowly regained their color.
"Give him his jaw too. Just one piece of metal should work."
Once he had a jaw, Y2K spoke.
"I...will...not stop..."
The Barge shuddered, but remained still. Dark Shadow was wrapped around the front, using force to keep it in place.
Kyoka grunted as she dug around in her jacket, and pulled out the Walkman. Somehow, it had survived the fight.
She inserted a jack into it, and used her other one to detach a wrist amplifier to point at Y2K.
"Killing...me?"
"No. Reminding you."
The wrist amplifier buzzed to life, as Kyoka pressed play on the Walkman.
"The sun'll come out,
Tomorrow,
Bet your bottom dollar,
That tomorrow,
There'll be sun!"
Y2K's eyes went as wide as saucers as the familiar tune began to play, the same tune he had beaten out of him. Kyoka limped over to him, and got on her knees.
"You remember this song, right? I know you do."
"Just thinkin' about,
Tomorrow,
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow,
'Til there's none!"
"You sang it, even when you were locked up. This is how they get you Tom...they make you believe that you'll never see the sun again...but they're wrong."
"When I'm stuck in a day,
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin,
And grin,
And saaaaay,
Ooooooh!"
"I know there's problems in the world, and I know I can't just make your pain go away. Yet...despite that, there's good in the world, there's still people fighting every day for people like you...my friends and I being some of them. The sun will come out Tom...and that's A FACT. Logic. Everyone and anyone can have a really shitty day, a shitty life...but that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way."
"The sun'll come out,
Tomorrow,
So you gotta hang on,
'Til tomorrow...
Come what maaaay,
Tomorrow!
Tomorrow!
I love ya,
Tomorrow!
You're always,
A day,
Away!"
At that moment, in that one singular moment...something either ironic...or perhaps symbolic, happened.
The sun poked out from the hole that Heartbeat Overdrive: Crescendo punched in the clouds. It's golden rays washing over the heroes, and Y2K himself.
It was the first time he had ever seen the sun since 1988. The Barge had always had heavy clouds over it, due to the paranormal activity.
"So Tom...please don't give up hope."
Something broke within him.
Thomas Praxton began to tear up, and broke out into heartwrenching sobs. The facade of Y2K was gone, revealing nothing but the broken shell of a man with a ruined future.
Narciso slowly let him go, watching the villain...no, the victim, as he bawled his eyes out, finally shown the light after spending so long in the dark.
Kyoka had gotten through to him...she had saved him.
From the shadows...DIO was watching with a look of pure disgust...and defeat.
"A plan several decades in the making...put into jeapordy by a punk and a song." The poltergeist muttered to himself, his nose wrinkling as he tried his very best to remain calm. "It appears as though the Icarus Protocol really did fly too close to the sun."
DIO turned back towards the shadows.
"Your friends on land...now have a fighting chance. Perhaps your actions today were enough...perhaps not. The winds have changed...of that I can be sure."
He, being a Poltergeist, had made sure his manifestation was visible...so it was inevitable that he caught Kyoka's eye. The two stared at each other, not saying a word, but the purplette's eyes were defiant.
"I have only ever respected three people in my life...it appears...I will have to bump that up to four. Feel proud Jiro, you have beaten DIO, and that is no small achievement."
DIO disappeared into the shadows, sulking.
Current Events:
*Soon after, Jotaro, Josuke, and Jolyne all get hit with an impact from the blood connection, Johnny has best just been severely battered by the Rake.
*Jotaro runs off and uses [Star Platinum] to swim back to shore, before Josuke could heal him.
*Kyoka hears about the events with Kars, and goes to visit her two friends in the hospital.
*Gyro and Hawks are lost within the Forest.
Next Chapter: DIO's calamity trilogy: Epilogue.