Monster King: Thanks!
Bearticguy7: I actually just watched Zombie Island recently. The nostalgia hit hard.
Euphoria: That is a fantastic idea! Unfortunately, it doesn't fit in with the "lore" I made for the Barge and it's true purpose, but I'll be sure to use it if I can!
Madvertise: What I will say is that it won't be the conventional Gappy origin, he will be naturally born...but let's just say he will still be fusing with someone. It won't be a carbon copy of JoJolion, and will directly tie into this story.
As in characters from this story will be in the next one...
BryanV2: Oh of course not! Killing Danny was wrong as hell, and I am by no means justifying that. DIO is a villain, a real bonafide villain that can't be redeemed.
Dumpstertrashfire123: Noted! Also, yeah...Y2K is actually a bit more than insurance, he's CRUCIAL.
Delrosario: He was referring to his theory of Gravity as a whole, not just Uraraka...although she DID catch his interest...
Kasumi Kenshiro: :)
Jpx0999: Yeah, DIO has been planning this one for a WHILE. Obviously without certain elements, like Kyoka who wasn't born yet, but the calamity and Y2K? Yup, that's all him.
Death Omen Star: You're absolutely right.
Kyeo307: You are onto something my friend!
Spaghetti sauce: :)
Also...on a side note, for those curious on what happens to Kyoka by the end of this arc, regarding her jacks...
This might clue a lot of people in but...it would be a shame to set something up only to drop it.
During the battle with the Necromancer (Yeah, that far back):
Dr. Ujiko toiled in the darkness, when a figure dumped a body bag at his feet.
"So?"
"It's all yours." Ungalo said, putting his hands in his pockets. "You should feel lucky my father offers his aid, considering how low your organization has fallen since the Pillar Man took over."
"Everything will be alright once All For One returns, and makes Tomura his successor. The Demon King will rose again, I'll bet my life on it! Still...every bit of help counts."
Dottering old fool, placing your faith in a glorified edgelord, while my father, the Great DIO persists after death! All For One is NOTHING compared to him!
However, Ungalo held his tongue.
"It took me a while to dig that bitch up...whoever did her in really fucked her up. Turn her into a Nomu, DIO's orders."
"I only serve one-"
"Do you want to be exposed to the heroes?! To the Joestars?! She's a weapon for you! Fucking use it!" Ungalo snapped, pulling out a pair of scissors from his pants, pointing them at the mad doctor. "Be fucking grateful that we're even acknowledging you!"
"You-"
"TAKE THE BODY!"
"You don't know who you're dealing wi-"
"I WILL STEAL YOUR EYES!"
"Explain."
The Detective glanced back to find Kyoka glaring at him. "Do you need me to recount DIO's plan? I was being as specific as I could."
"No, Killer Queen's hand. It couldn't have been anything else other than Killer Queen, so spill it. Are you, or are you not Yoshikage Kira?"
The Detective sighed, pulling on the rim of his hat. "Would you believe me if I said both?"
"How can you be Yoshikage Kira...and not?"
Kira turned to Kyoka with a solemn expression. "Yoshikage Kira has been lost forever...that much I will say...now, for our next plan of action..."
"Intel on the enemy."
The Detective gave her a curt nod. "I'm impressed, you actually know what you're doing."
*BZZZZT!*
"Your odds of overcoming this encounter are now 5%. Narciso Kujo, Fumikage Tokoyami...your only option is surrender." A cold, monotonous voice came from the old speaker systems. "Lord DIO has taken measures to ensure you cannot escape the boat to warn the heroes."
Kyoka looked up, a concerned look on her face, the Detective following suit.
"Y2K. He sounds quite robotic, wouldn't you say?"
"He talks like a computer...why...didn't he say Jolyne's name?" Kyoka asked, her eyebrows coming together. "...she's a Joestar...it makes sense if she was next on DIO's list. Oh God...what if he used my body to...no, she'd sense him."
"Psychological torment is still an option. She has a pretty high opinion of you, so I'm told." The Detective replied. "It is likely he's holding your body over her head."
"If he hasn't killed her..."
The thought of DIO using her body to murder Jolyne was terrifying, so much so that Kyoka had to sit down for a moment. Jolyne wouldn't...no couldn't...raise a hand against her, she was too caring, too kind to do that to a friend. DIO could easily use this admirable trait against her...
Jolyne might be hurt, or worse...which is probably part of DIO's plan. That asshole has been scheming behind the scenes for ages, which is why he targeted me.
How long has he been watching us? How long has he been planning to use me against the Joestars? Everything has been going his way...he holds all the fucking aces, and I'm stuck here with the ghost of a serial killer to worry about, unable to do anything...
Helpless...
"It's too perfect...this whole fucking scheme of his...IT'S TOO PERFECT!"
Kyoka punched the wall, tears of frustration, desperation, and worry welling up in her eyes. The Detective merely watched, his face remaining mostly the same.
"How can someone like me stand against him? He's a genius, he planned this out since we fought the Necromancer, maybe even before then...and I played right into his hands like the stupid little pawn I am. We all did..."
"How so?"
"He clearly set the Necromancer up to be taken out! He was involved with the whole Chuck E. Cheese thing-"
"...the what?"
"-and he lured me here, and I fell for it like A FUCKING DUMBASS! Now my friends are in danger in the other places, this fucking calamity might not end...and..."
Kyoka began laughing, while the Detective simply observed.
"Heheheh...look at me...ranting to a serial killer. As if you would understand, it's like I'm talking to a fucking brick wall!"
The Detective's facial expressions hadn't changed in the slightest, not even a twitch of the muscle. It was like he was studying her, analyzing every small movement her body made as she struggled to maintain her composure.
"True, I don't think I could understand how you feel...but I think I can at least offer some insight."
Kyoka shot her mentor's nemesis a look. "Really?"
"Yes...this is VERY much a worse case scenario for you, is it not? DIO, from the very start...is posing a serious threat to you living a peaceful and happy life. Putting you and your friends in danger, it's causing you stress..."
The Detective sighed, taking off his hat.
"All I ever wanted was to live a peaceful, quiet life. That is one of the things I remember quite well...DIO is putting your chances of happiness at risk."
Everyone seeks peace of mind...
Kira did...but his peace of mind was sick and twisted. I...do too. What frustrates me more, is that not only has DIO been a step ahead of us this whole time, possibly since BEFORE I STARTED SCHOOL, but...
He's right...about peace of mind...about gravity...
Was I really drawn to the Joestars by coincidence?
Kyoka's Journal:
DIO's gravity theory.
He truly isn't wrong, it would be pure denial if I didn't acknowledge it. Some people are truly destined to meet each other. There's plenty of evidence to suggest that this is the case:
*A Joestar, a Zeppeli, and a Brando all met up during the Steel Ball Run.
*DIO met his end at the hands of a Joestar at the end of the day.
*Pucci could never truly get rid of Weather Report.
*I was the first person Johnny fought when this year began...isn't that strange?
However...that doesn't mean that free will doesn't exist. We still make choices, we still CHOOSE our ultimate destinies. It all depends...
Who has the greater resolve?
Whoever has the most resolve chooses which path fate will take. They can shift the balance of gravity. I didn't end up dating a Joestar because he and I were bound by a red string of fate, like some shitty romance manga...I did that of my own free will.
Gravity pulls us together, but we make the choice to follow it.
Gravity is a suggestion. I was pulled towards Johnny, but I made the choice to connect with him, to try and save him, and I grew to love him of my own free will. I grew to love his family of my own free will...
This incident tested my resolve more than anything else.
A small speed boat cruised through the waves, coming from the port of Morioh. In the driver's seat was Jotaro, with Josuke by his side.
"Last time we were here, I was fighting Red Hot Chili Pepper." Josuke recalled, his face lined with anger. "This is the same situation...rushing to a boat in order to save family..."
"Except the danger isn't on the shore." Jotaro replied, gritting his teeth. "Normally we'd be taking a more subtle approach, but we don't have time!"
"At least Jolyne is alive...and I hope Kyoka is okay..." Josuke said, his thoughts turning to his apprentice. She was as dear to him as Okuyasu and Koichi were at this point, in many ways her growth was one of his greatest sources of pride...
He could never forgive himself if something happened to her, and he couldn't prevent it.
"She better be...I'm already planning on pounding DIO into the ground for Jolyne, but if he hurt her too, I don't think I'll be able to hold myself back." Jotaro was angry, angrier than Josuke had ever seen him.
DIO was threatening his little girl, of course he was angry.
"Hey...Jotaro...you know this screams 'trap' right?" Josuke asked.
"Knowing DIO...100%. However, both my daughter and my students are at stake...it is a trap I have to spring! DIO knows this...I'd be playing right into his hands by going...but I don't think he was expecting two of us."
A boat suddenly blocked their path to the Barge, and aimed a giant harpoon at them.
"JOTARO!"
The elder Kujo seethed through his teeth as he yanked the wheel to the the side, sending sea foam flying just as the weapon fired.
"JOTAROOOO!"
"STAR PLATINUM: THE WORLD!"
The massive Stand brought time to a halt, reaching for the harpoon, when he noticed something that made his breath catch in his throat.
THEY FIRED ANOTHER ONE! It came from the back of the boat, they must have another gun!
Yare yare daze...they were prepared for me to stop time, this has DIO written all over it! I can't catch them both with my remaining three seconds! I have to catch one...and unfortunately that's going to have to be the one coming at us directly...
Sorry Josuke, brace for impact!
"Time continues...here it comes..."
*CRUNCH!*
The second harpoon slammed into the boat's propeller, causing it to spin out of control. Star Platinum had a hold on the other harpoon, and snapped it in half.
"JOSUKE!"
"GOT IT!"
Jotaro used Star Platinum to hurl the spear end of the harpoon at the boat, and tossed the other part to Josuke, who brought out Crazy Diamond.
The two Joestars clasped hands.
"Alright Crazy Diamond! FIX IT, AND PULL US TOWARDS THAT BOAT!"
The two Joestars began floating towards the larger boat that had just attacked them, and they landed on the deck, both taking defensive stances.
A lone teenager was standing on the deck in front of them, a smug look on his face.
"So...you two really are as clever as Lord DIO said you were..."
"Cut the crap dipshit! Step aside before we throttle you!" Josuke snarled. "We're kind of in a hurry here!"
"To rescue Lord DIO's prisoners I'm sure."
Jotaro stepped forward, his lips curled, bearing his teeth. "Last warning, get out of my way...OR I'LL CRUSH YOU!"
"The name's Larry, not that you'd care...I'd imagine your worried for your poor darling daughter!~" Larry mocked in a sing-songy voice.
Out of all the people who could've attacked us...it was a guy named Larry? Josuke thought to himself, but kept his eyes on his opponent. Probably just an alias to throw us off, not his real name.
"Don't say I didn't warn you! Star Platinum!"
"ORA!"
Another humanoid Stand rose up to catch the blow. It was metallic, with a YB on it's belt. It's head and torso weren't connected, and where instead held aloft by strings. It's arms were also connected by these strings. It's mouth was large, and open wide, while it's eye sockets resembles moved a black void. "You Better You Bet, or YB2 as I like to call it! You're mine Jotaro Kujo!"
Jotaro narrowed his eyes. "Josuke, keep an eye on him! I might be under his ability!"
"Right!"
His strength isn't comparable to Star Platinum, he's hanging on for dear life...so maybe I should-
"Applying a bit more pressure, Jotaro?"
What? I...
ALREADY DID?!
Star Platinum was applying more pressure on YB2, without Jotaro commanding it to. Both Stand and User were confused, when YB2 ducked under the time-stopping Stand's arm and landed two blows to the stomach.
Jotaro flew back, landing on his back. "GAGH!"
"Jotaro! What the hell?! You're faster than that!"
"I...couldn't stop moving. I noticed his Stand was weaker, so I was going to apply more pressure..."
"But you started doing it before you intended to?" Larry said with a knowing smirk. "You couldn't stop either, right?"
Josuke glared at the enemy Stand User, Crazy Diamond clenching a fist. "In other words, this thing sets out intended actions in stone! Even if we change our minds...well be forced to follow through..."
"Bingo! You Better You Bet enacts your will for you, but that allows me to easily predict your movements! Go ahead and stop time Jotaro! I'll see it coming."
Jotaro was already on the other side of the boat, an unnerved look on his face. "I...stopped time and walked over here, but he got out of the way before I did...since my actions were already set in stone."
If Jotaro has a plan, he'll be forced to use that plan even if he doesn't want to! This is bad! Josuke thought to himself, narrowing his eyes. How can we turn this around?
"Good things come to those who think ahead." Larry taunted, as YB2 struck a threatening pose behind him. "I can read you two like a book, so let's see if you can somehow win this game of wits...JOESTARS!"
Stand Name: You Better You Bet
Stand Master: Larry (not real name, real name unknown)
-:-
Stats:
-:-
Power: C
Speed: A
Range: A
Durability: D
Precision: A
Potential: E
-:-
Description: Able to force it's victim to enact their will as soon as they think of it, they cannot change their course of action. It's long, string-like arms allow it to strike at a range. All in all, while not the strongest Stand in terms of power, it is perfect for a master tactician.
Stand Credit goes to Moonlight Eclipse!
Jolyne was in pain...and it wasn't just physical.
I'll kill him...I don't care that he's a ghost, I'll tear him to shreds...
I'll fucking kill him. I'll rip his soul right out of Kyoka's body and I'll grind it into paste!
DIO had spent the last hour taunting her with Kyoka's face, and needless to say the experience was taxing on her heart. Jolyne was, for lack of a better term, hanging by a thread.
I have to remain calm...and collected...I can't afford to lose my cool, that's just what he wants! I need to find a way to escape...and then what?
Jolyne examined burns around her neck, caused by Y2K's attack. He was a serious threat, that was for sure, and there was something about the Nomu that didn't sit right with her. The there was the issue of finding Kyoka.
Jolyne just couldn't accept an outcome where Kyoka wasn't saved.
How though? Can we force DIO out of her body? Maybe we can blackmail him in some way...if we can't...
Does...that mean that she's already dead? No...no I refuse to accept that, I'm finding Kyoka, and somehow we're putting her back in her body before it dies. I'll make that bastard pay for even laying a finger on her!
"My dad is pretty damn smart, isn't he?"
Jolyne glared as Ungalo leaned in front of the bars, grinning. "So...you're the one that got away. Narciso and Weather said they defeated you, but they were unable to finish the job."
"Heheheheheh...yeah, I admit that they did. Here I thought that my Stand was invincible, but it's clear that it's rules can also come back to bite me. It's as my father said, it's dangerous and unpredictable, so unleashing it in full would be stupid." Ungalo said with a shrug. "I only did it to separate your friend's pretty little soul from her body."
"So I've heard...when I get out of here...I'll make sure you'll pay for that."
"Heyheyheyhey! It's not personal! I'm merely trying to serve my glorious purpose as DIO's son." Ungalo said with a grin. "My life has always been shit you see, I got into drugs at a very young age...I always thought I was the scum of the fucking Earth, you know?"
"Perhaps you were onto something."
"Maybe at first...but then the priest told me who I was related to, and it all made sense! My Stand awakened, and I was all set to continue DIO's legacy of greatness! Then...your husband and his amnesiac friend got involved, and they ended up using my own power against me...I fell into despair, because I realized I had to go back to my shitty life...then...just as all hope seemed lost..."
"Your dad paid you a visit." Jolyne correctly assumed. "Has it ever occurred to you that DIO doesn't have any love for you?"
"Of course he does, he wouldn't have sought me out if he didn't!" Ungalo said, his eyebrows dropping. "My father sees my potential, he told me so himself!"
"Your potential as an individual...or as his puppet?"
"ENOUGH! MY FATHER BELIEVES IN ME!" Ungalo snapped. "You're trying to get into my head, don't think I don't know what you're doing you bitch!"
"Maybe so...but it sounds like DIO is all you got." Jolyne said, her intense glare trained on DIO's son. "I have nothing but pity for you, your life must've been hard...but so was my Uncle Giorno's. So was Diego Brando's, and yet they walk the path of righteousness. So pity is all I will ever have."
"I'm not the one who should be pitied!" Ungalo snarled, banging his fist against the bars. "I'm not the one in a rotting cell!"
Jolyne simply smirked at him.
"Oh you poor thing...you still think I'm staying in this thing?"
Just then, Jolyne began sinking into the floor.
"WHAT?! HEY! HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?! HEY!"
"I knew that Y2K is generating an electrical field around the cell to prevent my escape, so I knew I couldn't just slip through the bars, so I devised a different method of escape. Looks like Daddy's going to be angry." Jolyne said with a smirk, and she slipped through the floor, leaving only a small hole.
"KUJO!"
Ungalo searched the cell, desperately trying to decipher her method of escape, when it hit him.
"She used temperature! The floor is made of concrete, and concrete often starts cracking in the summer due to the sun. We just happen to be in a cold environment, so the concrete's sudden exposure to intense heat was enough to crack a hole, exposing a pipe!"
Jolyne had detected the pipe using Stone Free to knock around the floor while no one was looking, in order to locate where the toilet used to be.
Ungalo gritted his teeth in fury. "The electrical field keeping her from slipping through the bars, from touching anything metal, was precisely what she needed! This is the lowest floor, to break the floor would be suicide, but creating a small crack is harmless! The electricity was conducted through her body in small amounts, slowly heating the concrete!"
Ungalo began running away, desperate to find and warn his father.
"She was planning her escape FROM THE SECOND SHE WOKE UP!"
"Cell block B...be careful Jiro, this has some bad history." The Detective said, narrowing his cold blue eyes in suspicion. "There was an inexplicably high suicide rate in this block, many felt it was because the guards here were particularly cruel."
"Why are we here again?" Kyoka asked, sporting a weathered look.
"There is some crucial information we have to obtain here if we can hope to stop this boat. You see, before I encountered you...I visited the Warden's quarters. Whoever he was, he was living comfortably..."
"It sounds like this prison was pretty corrupt." Kyoka commented, peering into a cell. In it was a man hanging from a makeshift noose.
"GUH!"
The man's dead eyes shifted towards her, and the hanging man made a motion towards her. Kyoka quickly walked past the spirit, covering her mouth, the image of the tortured spirit burned into her brain.
I think I'm going to be sick...that is awful, this is so fucking awful...
Kyoka was surrounded by death and despair. Tortured souls moaned and grabbed at the bars as they walked past, and all the purplette wanted to do was crawl into a corner and cover her ears.
Maybe if I pinch myself really hard, it'll all be some horrible nightmare. Maybe I'm at my dorm room, dreaming this worst case scenario...
No...no...it's real. DIO outplayed all of us, and the situation just keeps getting worse...but I can't afford to give up hope. The moment I do, DIO wins, and that is something I can't let happen!
"Well, it was out at sea, so it was away from the law, ironically. Many of the officials on this boat were criminals themselves, they just had the money to avoid being caught. Typical bureaucrats." The Detective responded, pulling out a set of lockpicks from his jacket.
"Ghost lockpicks?" Kyoka asked, trying to distract herself.
"Ghost lockpicks."
"That sounds so stupid."
"It's a real thing though."
The Detective began picking the lock on a door with a gated window. Upon looking inside, she found an old dilapidated security office. "I see...we're looking for footage?"
"Yes. Y2K was on this block, but instead of offing himself he just became cold and unfeeling. I want to see what he was like before he was a machine." The Detective replied, expertly working on the lock. "That way we can give the living a means to defeat him."
Kyoka wandered over to a large rubber lined cell, or more like a glass dome. "Right next to the security office...lined with rubber...clearly his old cell."
"Take a look around inside would you? We might find something of value."
"There's a combination code." Kyoka said, glancing behind her.
"Damn, I-"
The Detective suddenly stopped, and Killer Queen's hand manifested beside him, putting it's thumb up and pressing it down. Kyoka's jacks detected a distant explosion, and she turned to give the Detective a suspicious look.
"Pizza Pete escaped the room, so I detonated the bomb."
Another thing that really makes this situation all the scarier...my one ally is Josuke's old nemesis...for all I know he could place a bomb on me at any time.
Even though Jotaro was the one that finished him off...Josuke was the guy that pressured him, made him desperate.
I'm Josuke's apprentice, and he already let it slip that he likes my hands...
Kyoka shuddered at the thought, keeping a jack on the Detective at all times.
I'd be a primary target.
"There's nothing in here."
"I had a feeling that would be the case." The Detective said, kicking open the security office. "Here we are...we should find tapes inside."
Kyoka entered the office, still keeping an eye of the spirit detective, and they got to work.
The Y2K Files:
The evidence found in the security office near Y2K's cell, documenting his descent into madness, and transition from man to machine.
Warden Charles' notes, 1985:
Subject is to be placed in a cell made of rubber, and is under no circumstances to be allowed to interact with any technology.
He's just a kid, 16...but he poses a bigger threat to our country, more than any other villain we have on this boat. Should he be released, he could:
1. Knock out anything that requires electricity to run, estimated to be HALF THE CONTINENT should he go all out.
2. Said EMP wave would send America into an economic collapse more devastating than the Great Depression, since many industries rely on technology, lights, heating systems...everything would be wiped out.
All For One created him to do this, so we must keep him contained with the other freaks. If he gets out...
SHOOT ON SIGHT.
Interviewer: So...Thomas Praxton, can I call you Tom?
Tom: Everyone does.
[Tom sports pale blue skin, formerly a color similarly to caramel. His black hair fell out, and he is completely bald. He's fairly well built, and his eyes are now shimmering a bright green.]
I: Great! So...Tom...explain what happened to me.
T: I...I was just going about my normal day. Everything was fine! More than fine! I just got accepted into my dream school to become a hero...
I: Well, that's a shame now, isn't it?
T: ... [Subject is stressed]
I: Sorry, please continue.
T: I met this talent scout from Japan, and he seemed pretty interested in me...I think that's when I started getting dizzy spells.
I: What did he look like?
T: White hair...red eyes, he had a very warm smile.
I: And did he touch you?
T: ...are you saying that he was the one that did this to me?
I: Who's being interviewed here, me or you?
T: Er...sorry. Yes...he patted my head.
I: I see, that's all I need to know.
T: Can they fix me? When am I going to see my family?
I: Oh, never.
[Subject is visibly disturbed]
T: NEVER?!
I: You were put on this boat for a reason, and that was to take you far away from civilization. You killed 15 people with that EMP of yours.
T: W-what?! No...NO! I COULDN'T HAVE!
I: You're dangerous Tom, so we're keeping you here-
T: I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT ANYONE! I...I...PLEASE! I JUST WANT TO SEE MY FAMILY!
I: It's too late for that now, we already told them you died in that explosion. Better that you died a fond memory than to be remembered as a murderer, right?
[Subject is showing signs of mania]
T: No...NOOO!
[Thomas Praxton falls to his knees, wailing in despair, his life ruined]
I: Lock him in that special cell, and make sure he never, NEVER gets out. The moment he does, we're all doomed.
"That's...oh my God..." Kyoka breathed out. "How could they do such a thing? He...wanted to be a hero...and these fucks...AFO..."
The old TV they somehow got to work was buzzing, focusing on Thomas Praxton, sobbing on the floor.
"It is no wonder he is now a villain." The Detective confirmed. "The bureaucrats only cared about the threat his Quirks pose, not his well being. They sought to contain him."
"He was completely innocent...this...this isn't justice." Kyoka said with a scowl. "Justice would be helping him, and holding All For One accountable."
"It's too late to help him now, now he is nothing but DIO's pawn." The Detective said, putting in the next tape. "Now we have to put him down."
"..."
1986:
[Subject is sitting in the middle of the rubber padded room, singing to himself]
Guard: STOP SINGING!
T: The sun'll come out tomorrow...Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow...There'll be sun...
[Subject is singing Tomorrow from the musical Annie. Apparently the 1982 version was his favorite movie when he was living normally]
Guard: Knock it off Praxton!
T: Just thinkin' about tomorrow...Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow...'Til there's none...
Guard: God fucking- ENOUGH!
[Guard bangs on cell door]
T: ...
Guard: Why the hell do you like that song so much anyway?!
T: 'Cause, it's uplifting. It always reminded me that no matter how bad things may get, there is a brighter day ahead. Someday...I'll see my family again...I can still be a hero, even with these stupid extra Quirks.
Guard: Oh really? Well not everyone here was a privileged FUCK like you! Mr. Child Prodigy...I think karma came to bite you in the ass.
T: I know I was more fortunate than most...I wanted to use that to help people...
Guard: Awww...you're a good person...
[Guard enters the cell, and beats Praxton over the head with a nightstick]
T: AGGH! STOP IT! [Cries out in pain]
Guard: Think of that as discipline. You're a good little boy, right? Then be good and BE QUIET!
T: I...I didn't do anything to you! Why do you hate me?!
Guard: Just reminding you who's in charge here. When I say be quiet, be quiet, and this won't happen again.
There was silence in the security office, but Kyoka's bangs were casting a shadow over her eyes, and the Detective could feel something akin to cold fury coming from her.
Her hands were gripping the office chair with such intensity that they were leaving marks in the wood.
Clearly, it reminded her of something, something that really grinded her gears.
1987:
[Cell bursts open]
Guard: He's escaping, SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM!
T: GRAAAAAAGH!
[Subject begins choking out Guard with USB cord]
Guard: Gak! He..help! Agh!
T: MOTHERFUCKER! I DID NOTHING TO YOU! I DID NOTHING!
[Subject snaps Guard's neck, and makes a break for the exit]
Guard 2: STOP HIM!
[Gunshots, Subject blocks by manipulating surrounding metal]
T: STAY BACK! HE WAS THE ONLY ONE I WANTED TO HURT! Stay back...
[Subject inserts USB into keypad, using his original Quirk Download to upload the combination into his brain]
[More gunshots]
T: GAGH- [gurgling]
[Subject has had his lower jaw shot off]
Guard 3: We've got him!
Guard 2: Alright! Nice shot!
[Subject manages to stand up, turning his jawless face towards the guards. Subject appears to be horrifed, grasping at the fountain of blood pouring from the remains of his mouth]
Guard 2: That's what you get for killing Billy, you ugly bastard! Can't sing your little wishy washy song now, can ya?!
[Subject lowers hand, and raises the other one. Using Magnetism, he pulls a speaker off of the wall, and inserts it into his face, much to the horror of the guards]
T: Why? WHY HAS MY LIFE COME TO THIS?!
Guard 3: The freak is speaking! Look, that speaker is fusing into his skin!
T: This isn't fair, I didn't mean to do anything wrong! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! WHY?! WHY DIDNT ANYONE SAVE ME?! WHY AM I BEING TREATED LIKE A VILLAIN?! ANSWER MEEEEE!
[Subject unleashes magnetic attack, impaling guards, all he does is lash out at anyone who comes near. Subject has had a complete mental breakdown]
[Subject has been recontained, but not without severe casualties, he is now bound to the wall]
Kyoka turned off the TV, and pressed her lips together, processing the horrors she had just witnessed.
"You look disgusted."
"I am."
The Detective sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "Y2K's origin is not for the faint of heart. In many ways, he is a victim of the current society...looked at only for his Quirks rather than his intentions. It makes sense that he would earn your sympathy...but you have to understand that he has lost all human emotion. Killing him, in a sense...would be saving him."
"You're talking about him like we're putting down a rabid dog." Kyoka said with a glare. "That guy...was 100% innocent. These...these fucking piss babies are the reason he's now the weapon AFO wanted him to be..."
"DIO hijacked that weapon, and regardless of his former self, Y2K needs to be taken care of. Thomas Praxton is gone Jiro."
Kyoka took a few deep breaths, and then shook her head. "Unlike you, I'm a hero. Killing him isn't going to be the first thing I think of, especially knowing what I do. If we kill him, it's only when all other options are out."
"This is no time for sentiment-"
"You wouldn't understand! All you ever did was kill people!" Kyoka jabbed a finger into the Detective's face. "A merciless, heartless monster who murdered a middle schooler without hesitation...why should I discuss morality with someone like you?!"
The Detective was silent, his hat casting a shadow over his eyes.
"Well?!"
"We should give this information to the living."
Oh sure, change the subject. You're being fishy Detective...and if you're Kira playing good guy just to lure me in...then I'm onto you.
Kill Y2K...
We...might have to...but...looking at him when he was young, I can't help but want to save him instead. He didn't do anything to deserve this, and I refuse to believe that there isn't hope for him.
I...need to have hope. It's the only thing I've really got right now...
I need to have hope.
You Better You Bet launched another attack, hitting Jotaro across the face with a jab.
"Tell me Joestars, Lord DIO says you both have wills that could move mountains! However, what would you do if someone used that will against you?"
Great...Jotaro is taking a beating. I can't even take a hit from this thing, or I'll be getting pummeled too. Josukethought to himself. So how can I get in close? Or maybe...
I don't have to.
Josuke began edging his way around the guardrail, keeping his distance from the Stand, slowly pulling something out of his pocket.
*pew!*
"Huh?!" Larry brought YB2 back as a ball bearing barely missed his shoulder. "So, using ranged weapons against me, eh? Clever, but I was prepared!"
YB2 suddenly detached it's arm, revealing it was suspended by strings, and swung it towards Josuke. "You aren't the only one who has range, Josuke Higashikata!"
"I wasn't aiming at you."
"ORA!"
Star Platinum punched YB2 in the chest, leaving a dent. Larry cried out as blood flew from his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. "W-what?!"
"All I had to do was draw your attention away from Jotaro, so you wouldn't see his attack coming. He can't change his mind, your Stand forces him to act out his will, but he won't have to when you're focused on me."
Larry fell on his side, looking at the large purple bruise on his chest. "Damn...that's a few broken ribs...I'll admit, I honestly can't believe I fell for that...however...I believe...I touched your foot Higashikata."
Josuke grinned. "Oh, I know you did, which is why Crazy Diamond...is already carrying out my intent!"
"WHAT?!"
"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA!" The heart-adorned Stand punched Larry's legs, blood flying everywhere, before it all suddenly repaired...fusing him into the boat's deck.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Now, even if you can predict our movements, you can't really move to dodge them!" Josuke said with a clever smirk. "All I had to do was divert your attention, and everything else fell into place thanks to YOUR ability!"
"I...I've actually been outsmarted?" Larry said with a look of horror. "No...no I still have one ace up my sleeve!"
He held up a small detonator, to both Joestars' shock.
"I've rigged this boat with bombs! I may not be able to move, but you aren't either! As soon as one of you moves, I'll press it! Since you're still under my ability...you'll start moving as soon as your intent to take it from my hand is clear!"
Jotaro stood absolutely still, calmly wiping the blood from his mouth. "Is that so? So we just stay still? Sure..."
"Yeah, don't see a problem with waiting around." Josuke replied, taking out his comb and running it through his pompadour. "Honestly, that scuffle kind of messed up my hair a little bit..."
"Hey! I'm threatening to blow up the boat!" Larry yelled, irritated.
"We're near the sea, the humidity might do that." Jotaro replied, pulling put his phone to send a quick text. "Letting Toshi know we're near the Barge now...you should've heard him when I told him AFO was defeated for good. The man was over the moon."
"Glad to hear it, All Might deserves some good news. Man, my hair is really out of whack!"
"STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR STUPID FUCKING HAIR!"
Josuke paused.
"There we go." Jotaro said with a smirk.
"You...wanna repeat that?" Josuke asked quietly.
"Your...hair? You're focusing on something STUPID, instead of the fact that I am about to blow you to kingdom come! Honestly, Lord DIO said you guys were clever, but valuing that rats' nest over a battle proves him wrong! You're an idiot!"
Parts of Josuke's pompadour stood up.
"I'm gonna give you...one last chance..." The fourth JoJo snarled, a manic look in his eye. "Take it back."
"What're you gonna do? If you have a plan of attack, then you'll enact i-"
"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAAAAAH!"
Larry was pummeled beyond recognition in an instant, and was punched clean out of the deck, taking bits of wood with him, the detonator knocked clean out of his hand. He flew into the cabin, crashing through the door, and laid in the splinters.
"...h-how...I...he was so fast..." The broken Stand User wheezed out. "He began pummeling me...before...it's like he had no plan..."
"He didn't." Jotaro said as Josuke furiously began destroying everything around them. "An insult to Josuke's hair sends him into a wild frenzy, so he had no plan of attack...rendering your ability useless. You put on a good show, but in the end you were defeated by blind rage."
"B-but I...held...all...the cards...this isn't fair, I was...prepared!" Larry began to cry. "Not...fair!"
"HEY YOU! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU! YOU SLEEZY LITTLE DOUCHENOZZLE!" Josuke hollered, looming menacingly over Larry. "I'M GONNA HIT YOU SO HARD, YOUR FUCKING MOM WON'T EVEN RECOGNIZE YOU!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!"
"So...Jotaro is now on the boat." DIOka said with a smirk. "Good...very good."
"But...Father...Jolyne Kujo escaped!" Ungalo said.
"She has already served her purpose, luring her father here. She's a Joestar, it was really only a matter of time before she pulled something clever...no matter the generation, the Joestar family will always be full of some clever bastards...literally in Josuke Higashikata's case." DIOka ran a hand along the side of the boat, grinning at his joke.
"So...why ask me to guard her then?"
DIO scoffed. "I knew she'd escape, and since you cannot use your Stand without jeopardizing everyone on this boat, I figured I'd send you down there to report when she escaped. I had to make sure it happened after Jotarogot here."
"So Father and Daughter couldn't meet." Y2K confirmed from the shadows. He wasn't wearing his armor, revealing his skinny and frail appearance. "Data analysis on the situation shows that everything is going according to design."
"Excellent! Send the Banshee after Jolyne, would you? It's time they have a nice Mommy/Daughter chat." DIO said with a grin. "That way she can't warn her father about my taking of Jiro's body...so when he faces me...he'll be helpless."
"Anything else you would require of me?"
"All the pieces are here...so I would start moving the boat towards the mainland before you do anything else." DIO said, smirking at Y2K. "Then...you can fulfill your intended purpose...as my weapon of mass destruction!"
"To think, you hijacked All For One's plan...don't you think he'll be mad?" Ungalo asked.
"What could that senile old fool possibly do to me? He wasn't even a threat to me when he was in his prime."
"I will obey. Narciso Kujo is still unaccounted for, as is Fumikage Tokoyami. There was no body after my battle with Narciso, so I can only assume he survived."
"They are unimportant."
As his entourage left to do his bidding, DIO examined himself in one of the Barge's window, grinning.
"You know...you're actually not a bad look for me, Jiro. Too bad your body is going to die, I think I could pull this off...still, you have served your purpose quite nicely."
DIO threw off Kyoka's jacket, leaving it in a heap near the stairway, and walked up to a makeshift throne, taking a seat as he admired her body.
"Surprisingly muscular, then again you have been going through rigorous Hamon training. You are clearly a hard worker, quite commendable! Unfortunately, you are nothing but a pawn in my game, an ant struggling to keep up with lions. All your hard work was for naught."
DIO smirked.
"I heard you're trying to catch up with me, in some vain attempt at clinging onto your false hope. Poor, naive Jiro..."
The Barge made a groaning sound, and the old prison ship began slowly moving through the ocean. DIO closed Kyoka's eyes, taking satisfaction in the frigid night air.
"You never stood a fraction of a chance."
Also, new Joestar family Christmas photo as the cover, along with their honorary members.
