At last, they had reached the gate to the city of San Ilia, being ushered in by the guards to a large courtyard filled to the brim with other individuals. Given the unique armor and weaponry on display, Giorno guessed that these people were from all corners of the continent. Likely gathered here to meet this King and gain some wisdom, not that he had much interest.
"Are you also hoping for an audience with the King? Please sign your name on this application form." A nearby guard asked, prompting Luka to sign the form.
"Is there some sort of special occasion?" Giorno queried, looking around the courtyard.
"Not really, the King wishes to see all the brave Heroes. But since there are so many, it will take some time." The guard's partner explained, looking slightly exhausted.
"How much time?" Giorno asked, there could easily be hundreds of people here.
"It might take around three days, so please spend some time around the castle." The original guard answered, sending them on their way with various reactions to that information.
In Alice and Giorno's case, it was one of pure annoyance and frustration. Albeit for different reasons altogether, one for lack of delicacies and the other for wasting three days on this pointless endeavor.
"It takes that long…" Luka dejectedly spoke before the guard added one more tidbit.
"I almost forgot… You can explore the castle but be careful of the restricted areas. You may also sleep for free, so please enjoy the rest of your time in San Ilia." He added, before letting them go.
The architecture of the castle while very impressive, could never keep someone busy for three days. Unless your name was Luka, you could probably talk about all the religious artwork for an eternity.
"This is amazing…" Luka commented, standing in front of a statue of Ilias.
"This is the famous Magnificent Ilias Goddess Statue. This statue is much more amazing than anything back at Ilias temple." Luka spoke in awe, tapping Giorno's shoulder like an excited child.
"There certainly is a lot of art… All about her too." Giorno noted, feeling burnt out after the previous two hours' worth of lecturing he'd gotten.
Alice wasn't doing any better, actually looking ready to fall asleep or start gnawing on the art out of malice at this point.
"Yes… She certainly isn't arrogant in any way." Alice exasperatedly added.
"The great Ilias created the first man and woman… To lead them, she bestowed upon them this statue. For thousands of years, this statue has guided the hearts of humans." Luka continued to explain.
"Hrm…" Alice grunted, looking ready to snap at a moment's notice.
"Oh, by the way, did you notice that everyone is careful when walking around not to point their sword at the statue? Do you know why?" He questioned, finally making Alice blow.
"How would I know?" She indignantly snapped back, pouting and crossing her arms.
"Giorno?" Luka quizzed, smiling like this was a game.
"I believe one of the commandments was something along the lines of punishment for pointing weaponry towards Ilias, even imagery of her." He answered in a strained tone, not caring in the slightest.
"That's right! 'Point your sword at the Goddess and thou shalt cry'. I've been careful not to let my sword point at the statue as I walk around." He further elaborated, making extra sure to point his sword downwards.
"How stupid… Since I hate this stupid thing, can I destroy it?" She asked, making Luka panic.
"If you want us to get thrown out then go ahead." Giorno added, stopping her in her tracks.
"Of course they would… Typical Goddess, making sure her slaves won't get hostile to her. You idiots even apply it to her statues." She complained.
"Luka, we certainly appreciate your knowledge and enthusiasm about this. But don't you think you're being a bit obtuse here? Especially considering who Alice is?" Giorno reminded.
"Oh…Sorry. Um, how about we just relax while we wait? I'm sure we can do something else…" He quickly apologized, realizing his mistake.
"Three whole days in this place… Is this some sort of plan you two plotted to kill me? You're planning on boring me to death?" She chuckled, looking almost amused. "I have to say, I'm almost impressed with your cunning strategy."
"Don't say that…Come on." He took one of her hands in his own and led her away from the statue.
"You're too energetic…" She huffed, puffing her cheeks.
Giorno eyed the cute scene with his usual neutrality, but even he thought it was obvious these two had feelings for each other, no matter how hard they would deny it.
On their little tour, they encountered a scholar taking a break on one of the benches.
"The large basement library has one of the largest collections of books in the world. So, it's not an exaggeration to say it contains the world's knowledge. Scholars that seek that knowledge travel from all over the world to study here." He explained, gaining the interest of the blonde member of the group.
"The largest library in the world… We should go take a look." Luka encouraged.
"I can't eat books…" She complained.
"Unfortunately, you need permission to enter the library. It contains many valuable books, so you must be properly vetted. It took me a week to get permission." The scholar claimed.
"Nevermind then…" Giorno lamented, considering sneaking in at night. The trio walked off to explore some more, hoping to quench their boredom with any modicum of entertainment.
"What a shame… That could have been quite enjoyable." Giorno sighed, fiddling with his hair to fix his donut-shaped bangs.
"You like reading that much?" Luka asked, slightly interested to learn some more about his friend of over a year.
"Yes, but it's not so much the act of reading. It's learning new information that makes it worthwhile. I can't tell you how many times even the most pointless information has saved my life." He explained, making Alice scowl.
"You sound just like Tamamo… Always going on about how knowledge is power, that you need to know your enemy." She complained with a huff. "You can't seriously believe that a random fact you learned could save your life?"
"You'd be surprised how even trivial information makes a difference." He argued back before they were interrupted.
"Ahem… Is there a Mr. Luka here? And a Mr. Giovanna? Here to have an audience with the King?" A guard near the large door to the King's audience hall called out.
"Yes…We're here." Luka replied.
"Is there a problem?" Giorno asked, while beside his ally.
"You two then? The King wishes to meet you immediately." He said as he escorted the trio through the doors.
"Odd…I was told we would have to wait three days." Giono commented.
"Special orders he made just this morning, don't ask me though. He asked us to be on the lookout for two people with your names." He clarified.
"But…How would he know our names, or that we would arrive today." Luka questioned.
"Precognition… or something else." Giorno deduced.
"Ha…You believe this King can see the future?" Alice laughed, following along at the back of the group.
"You never know…" He said, in an almost teasing manner. But it wouldn't be the first time he'd dealt with someone utilizing time abilities.
Thus, they reached the goal of this trek, meeting the King of San Ilia face to face. Not shockingly, he looked the part of the image Luka so vividly went on and on about.
A seemingly kind and pleasant old man, who wore clothing befitting a pope. Though Giorno definitely saw some childlike curiosity and deduced that the King may be quite energetic.
"I've brought them, King." The guard bowed.
"Thank you… You're dismissed. I wish to speak to these travelers privately." He declared.
The guard obliged and left the hall, granting the four of them privacy. The King spent some time observing them in detail, particularly on Giorno.
"Luka and Giorno… You are not baptized, correct?" He immediately guessed.
"I…yes." Luka shamefully admitted.
"Our baptism was… interrupted by unforeseen events." Giorno explained, giving Alice the side eye.
"Oh! So, it was exactly as Ilias revealed to me in my dream last night!" He spoke in awe, smiling widely.
Giorno sported a small smile, locking eyes with Alice who fumed at his confession.
"Don't you even dare…" She snarled in a low whisper.
"That's right… Last night she came to me in a dream. With her beautiful hair and pure face… Her angelic appearance was like a breath of fresh air…" He recounted in an excited tone.
"That's… certainly great. But what message did you receive?" Giorno politely pivoted the conversation away from wherever this was going.
"My apologies, Ilias gave me a revelation. Two unbaptized individuals would come before me. These two would be responsible for defeating the Monster Lord!" He concluded.
"We will?" Luka asked in confusion, looking over towards Giorno who kept his cool.
"According to Ilias, at least." He shrugged.
"Now then…The true path you must follow! There are three wise men on this continent, demonstrate your power to them and receive their blessings. I shall bestow this only to the one who receives their blessings." He declared, motioning towards the sword next to his throne.
"The sword of a true hero…The Goddess Sword! It is said that if you wield this sword all monsters, even the Monster Lord will bow down to you." The King confidently explained.
One look at Alice proved that statement wrong, if anything she looked calmer than ever. But still, that flashy sword was apparently created for use by heroes…
Giorno reached a hand out while the King was still rambling on, summoning Gold Experience.
"Now then, begin your quest to get proof from the wise men! Then I shall bestow this blade upon you." The King concluded, opening his eyes once his rant was finished.
By the time anyone had realized what had happened, it was far too late…
"What?! How can this be?!" The King screamed, aghast with what he was seeing.
"It's gone!" Luka similarly panicked.
"Pftt…" Alice hid her laughing, having caught on to what Giorno did. She couldn't help but approve of his actions.
"Oh…This is…Awful…" The King collapsed into his seat, falling unconscious from the sheer shock.
"Suddenly…I'm in a good mood. So just this once, I'll tell you the real path to being a hero." She smirked.
"Instead of the crap you've heard here, go seek out the four spirits and ask for their blessing." She declared.
"Four Spirits?" Luka questioned.
"Salamander, Sylph, Undine and Gnome. They should be somewhere on this continent. Seek them out and receive their blessing." She elaborated.
Those names…
Salamander likely referred to the ancient Greek and Roman mythology, that of a lizard who was said to be the spirit of fire itself. He did not let it escape from his mind that this element was Granberia's forte.
Sylph referred to the spirit of the air itself, at least back in his world. But here one could easily interchange that with the wind, which was Alma's element.
Undine was a term used for water nymphs, women who lacked a human soul but sought after men to marry to gain an immortal soul. So, she would be the spirit of water, though the Heavenly Knight of this element had yet to be encountered.
Gnome was easy enough, as gnomes were commonly associated with the Earth. And Tamamo No Mae was her corresponding Heavenly Knight.
"What happens when I ask for their blessing?" Luka inquired.
"You'll gain a mighty power from each of them." Alice replied.
"Really…? But why would you show me the Hero's way?" Luka questioned.
"You don't believe me? Why don't you ask Giorno, he looks like he's just about finished thinking." She answered.
"Fire, air, water, and earth… You'd have us seek out the spirits of these elements. And gain their power." He deduced.
"I'm impressed… No one should know about them, but here you go and figure it all out." Alice smugly complimented.
"Fine… I guess it's my only option then." Luka acquiesced.
"Fuaahaahoha! Oooo Ilias. Look at what happened! Fufuhaha!" The King deliriously laughed.
"I think he's broken." Alice said.
"I didn't think he'd suffer a mental breakdown…" Giorno grimaced, feeling some guilt.
"My lord! What happened to you!? What happened here!? By the Goddess, the sword is missing! Luka! What the hell happened here?!" The guard who led them here yelled, going up to his King's side to provide assistance.
"Er…This is…" Luka stuttered, unable to come up with an explanation.
"The Monster Lord stole the sword… Said that she didn't want any Heroes to have it. And that she would destroy it soon." Giorno lied.
"The Monster Lord?! Indeed, no one else would have the power to destroy it… We need to increase the castle's defenses right away!" The guard declared, giving orders to the other guards.
They quickly made their escape, making their way to the entrance of the castle.
"Hahaha… This was pretty fun after all." Alice laughed, her previous bad mood a forgotten memory now.
All around them guards and heroes alike were panicking, desperately searching for the Monster Lord who was right under their noses.
A sudden crash made everyone freeze in their tracks, including Alice who promptly hid away.
"A monster is attacking!" A guard yelled.
"So, she is here after all! It looks like the Monster Lord's attack wasn't a false report after all!" Another guard yelled, taking up his blade.
"No! It isn't the Monster Lord! It's one of the Heavenly Knights, Granberia!" Yet another guard yelled before he fell to the floor.
"What?!" Another guard questioned before pressurized strikes hit multiple of them at once, knocking them out in an instant.
"You cannot be serious…" Giorno grimaced, facing down an enemy he really didn't want to see again.
"No way! Granberia?! What are you doing here?!" He asked, pulling out Angel Halo.
"You've changed… You're both completely different from when we met at Iliasburg." She analyzed, nitpicking their stances.
"So, you're attacking San Ilia next?" Luka questioned in an accusatory tone.
"Don't joke around. What point is there in attacking some random castle in the middle of nowhere?" She pushed back, crossing her arms.
"You came here for a rematch…Didn't you?" Giorno guessed.
"Indeed, I came here to cross swords with you again." She smirked, glaring at the blonde in particular. "I want to see if the others were just exaggerating your abilities. I'll confirm it with my sword."
"Now, let's have a fight!" She shouted, picking up her blade and getting into her iconic stance.
"Now what?" Luka whispered to Giorno as they continued to stare her down. "She's just standing there, menacingly…"
"Show me what you've got!" She insisted, traces of flames tickling her sword.
A simple nod was all it took for Giorno to get behind Luka, summoning his stand.
"…" Granberia watched on in silence, as Luka started the movements for the skill Thunder Thrust. That precognition shattered when a sudden force propelled Luka at incredible speeds, exponentially faster than he ever should have been towards her neck.
"Argh!" She countered the speedy hit, pushing Luka back to his starting position. The gust of wind flooded the hallways during the clash, pushing several guards onto the floor.
"Damn…" Luka muttered, frustrated to see that she still managed to block his fastest attack.
"Hah…Thunder Thrust…But you've gone and made it faster through teamwork. Commendable…" She complimented, her eyes firing up.
"I can assist you!" A random guard jumped into the fray, attempting to swing his blade at Granberia.
"Do not interfere!" She ordered, slamming the blunt part of her sword into his head.
The guard flew into a wall, denting it significantly before crumpling onto the floor in a heap.
Giorno leaped into the fray, attempting to land a hit on her. She weaved through all his punches, refusing to let him have the opportunity to use his strange power on her again.
"You've gotten better with your technique…" She muttered, before landing a punch of her own into his gut.
"Ugh!" Giorno groaned, the blow winding him and sending him reeling back a few meters.
"Gold Experience!" Giorno called forth his stand, preparing to synchronize his next attack with Luka. He grabbed a fist full of knives and flung them at high speed towards the ground just in front of Granberia.
The knives burrowed deep into the castle floor, cracking the floor open. A mass of vines and a single tree grew from the floor, much to Granberia's surprise.
'This is it… What Tamamo told me about' She thought to herself, feeling some excitement for the coming unknown.
"I'll go top!" Luka roared, expertly maneuvering the tree and making his way to the very top. He leaped down from the height at great speed, performing his most hard-hitting attack, Demon Skull Beheading.
Gold Experience drew the blade on his Giorno's back, performing a Demon Decapitation.
Granberia instantly ignited her blade, cutting clean through the sword Gold Experience held and splitting it into shards of metal.
In the next moment, she braced her body for Luka's coming attack. Angel Halo struck her directly on her head, yet no discernable damage had been dealt at all. The only proof of the successful strike had been a small insignificant cut.
Luka backed away again, feeling demoralized that their combined efforts only led to such a meager wound.
"This is bad…" Giorno spoke, he knew she wouldn't fall for the same tricks as last time.
"We can't lose here…" Luka ground out, trying to think of anything that could save them.
"…I've seen enough. I'm satisfied." She declared, sheathing her blade. "You've made these techniques your own. However immature you may be, you have amazing potential to grow stronger."
"You actually came here to test us? Don't you have better things to do?" Giorno argued, irked that she felt the need to assault this castle to satisfy her need for battle.
"I wanted to test you… You especially after Iliasburg. I've heard what Tamamo and her subordinates had to say about you in particular." She glared at the empty space next to him, her eyes trained on the hilt of the broken sword that floated beside him.
"What did you say earlier? Gold Experience? So that's the name of your spirit…" She acknowledged, looking him in the eyes.
"I'll let you live a little bit longer… Don't disappoint me." She smiled, before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"Letting you go twice… She must really like you." Alice commented upon returning to their side.
"If she really likes me, why would she show it by using her sword on me?" Luka exasperatedly asked.
"That's just the type of woman she is." Alice softly answered.
"Lovely…Looks like she'll be a constant thorn in our side then." Giorno huffed, checking on the guards who were knocked out. Thankfully, they would wake up just fine, if not for killer headaches and bruised egos.
"Alice, if I do get these blessings from the Four Spirits… I'll get stronger?" Luka asked, looking at the carnage they caused.
"That's right… Their power will become your own." She confirmed.
"Can… I get their power too?" Giorno suddenly asked out of nowhere.
"Absolutely. As long as you are deemed worthy." She reiterated.
"Okay…So where do we find them?" Luka asked.
"A hero asking the Monster Lord to help him defeat her. That's quite strange, don't you think?" She pointed out.
"Oh…Right. But they could be anywhere on this continent." Luka said in dismay.
"Think about it, the answer could be right under your nose." She hinted, looking too smug for her own good.
"…You want us to check the library, don't you?" Giorno answered.
"Would they even have information on these spirits?" Luka questioned.
"This is the largest library in the world, if they don't have it, no one will." Giorno dismissed, as they walked over to the entrance of the basement.
After an awkward attempt to gain permission from one of the guards, they were finally inside. It seemed like all the people in this castle had heard about them forcing Granberia to withdraw, granting them Hero status. Though it wasn't an inherently bad thing after all…
Almost immediately, Giorno had gone off on his own. The sheer size of this place and the fact that it was empty was a boon in itself. A place he could relax and take a breather in, drinking up whatever knowledge he could find.
He got to work, scouring the archives for whatever he could find regarding magic in this world. Hoping to find anything that could help him explore the possibility of traveling through worlds.
…
Nothing, absolutely nothing…No mention of anything regarding even the thought of a world beyond this. As if that wasn't bad enough, humans needed to dedicate a lifetime of practice to even use magic, time he didn't have.
His only option now was to tell someone, but that was an awful idea for several reasons.
First of all, even if someone did have a way out, then they would be made aware of his world. The last thing he wanted to do was expose his beloved Italy to monsters…
Sec-
!?
That smell…
A fire in the library?
Giorno arrived at a peculiar scene, with Luka panicking as a fire engulfed this section of the library.
Alice looked very happy, doing her best to hide in the background. Directly behind her body, were the remains of a burnt potato…
Giorno looked incredibly disappointed, though she didn't care that much.
"What did you do?" He loudly asked.
"Hahaha…Look at it spread." She giggled.
"Don't laugh! Do something about it! Use water magic or something!" Luka scolded, watching more and more books go up in flames.
"I don't know… I'm not good at regulating my power. I could end up submerging this castle in water if I did that." She bragged not so subtly.
"Gold Experience can't stop a fire this big…" Giorno walked backward as the flames grew even hotter.
"By the Goddess! What happened here?!" A guard suddenly burst into the room, before calling for assistance from above.
"Um…" Luka stuttered, sweating bullets as he failed to come up with an excuse.
"It was Granberia, she set the library on fire as revenge for us defeating her!" Giorno lied.
"That scoundrel! The nerve of the Monster Lord and one of her Heavenly Knights to do this!" The guard replied before moving on to assist with saving whatever books they could find.
"Let's get out of here…" Luka muttered, leading them out before this got any worse.
Once they managed to escape the castle and find a place to lie low, Luka managed to explain how things got so bad.
"Typical… Did you seriously forget about the three monsters you ordered to guard this book?" Giorno questioned.
"What? Of course not, I was just busy with more important matters… Like my potato…" Alice deflected.
"You're lucky I took advantage of that situation." He relented, sitting down on the bench beside Luka who opened up the book containing the location of the spirits.
"The Four Animists and their sources…" Luka recited the title before they got to reading.
"It appears that Sylph is closest to us… residing in the Forest of Spirits. A bit on the nose there…" Giorno explained, taking over for Luka.
"Elves live separately from other monsters in the Forest of Spirits. As the Monster Lord, I don't really want humans to enter that place…" She trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"I understand, Alice. As long as they don't attack me first, I won't bother them." Luka assured.
"It's more likely they'll come after us anyways…" Giorno added.
"You're right… But it's fine anyway, I trust you two don't have bad intentions. You can enter the forest." Alice conceded, with what appeared to be a small smile.
"…You again." Giorno spoke out of nowhere, turning around to see that same half-snake he'd accidentally punched back in Ilias Port.
"Bah!" Alice scowled, her mood souring all over again.
"Amira?! How the hell did you get here?" Luka startled, the color draining from his face.
"I was hiding on the same boat you took. Together on our boat of love, I'll follow my darling anywhere." She explained, swooning over Luka.
"Why are you so fixated on Luka, if you don't mind me asking?" Giorno questioned.
"An ugly Lamia like me is avoided wherever I go. Everyone pokes at me with sticks or throws stones at me as I pass by." She dramatically lamented.
"Amira…" Luka sympathetically started, empathizing with her.
"I…see." Giorno muttered, also relating to the treatment she received.
At least until a group of children surrounded Amira, playfully calling out to her.
"Uwa! Hey, big-sis snake is here!" One boy said.
"Let's play! Let's play!" One of the girls suggested.
"Wow…These kids really seem to hate you." Luka deadpanned, losing all empathy right on the spot.
"Hey sis, are you strong?" One of the kids asked.
"Can you defeat all the ghosts in the haunted mansion to the north" Another inquired.
"There's a haunted mansion close by?" Giorno asked while Alice went dead silent.
"Uh-huh, it's a huge mansion with ghosts infesting it." One of the kids inferred.
"Bad ghosts come out, and don't let us play there anymore!" the other child complained.
"Ghosts don't exist!" Alice yelled, hugging herself.
"Oi oi, if you yell like that, you'll scare the children." Luka chastised.
The children were too preoccupied with Amira to bother with Alice's outburst, playfully tugging on her and laughing.
"Stupid humans. Believing in such superstitious crap like ghosts. Fearing such things… How foolishly foolish." She insulted, shaking violently.
"But Gold Experience…" Luka started.
"Shut up!" Alice interrupted, unwilling to hear his argument.
"Ah! A monster is in the town!" A guard who passed by yelled.
"She may know something about the Monster Lord breaking in earlier! Catch her!" His partner shouted as they ran at the group.
"This isn't good, run!" Luka shouted, starting to run away with Amira.
The guards ran past Giorno, Alice, and the kids, only bothering to chase Amira.
"Idiot… Why did he run away?" Alice spat, still shivering.
Once Luka met back up with them, they made their way to the central plaza. There, they found a bulletin board, filled to the brim with requests not only from this town but elsewhere too.
"We can't do any of these…" Giorno stated, reading each and every last note.
A pigeon suddenly landed on the board, with a small slip of paper attached to its leg.
"A messenger bird? Interesting…" Giorno amusingly muttered as he took the paper.
"Humans trained pigeons to do such a thing… You humans sure do think of some strange ideas." Alice commented, staring really hard at the bird.
"Alice… This bird is working really hard, please don't eat it." Luka requested.
"Like I would!" Alice indignantly roared, a vein appearing on her forehead.
"Someone from Port Natalia is requesting assistance… Preferably from people with no bias against monsters…" Giorno read.
"That sounds like us… Want to go take a look?" Luka questioned.
"You're seriously going back to Port Natalia…?" Alice deadpanned.
"I really want to… I'm sure this will be something that brings together humans and monsters." Luka declared, much to Alice's annoyance.
"You really like doing these acts of kindness… Just ignore the request." Alice lamented.
"I'm a Hero, it's my job to help those in need." Luka proclaimed.
"Giorno, tell him to stop being an idiot." She requested.
"I don't mind." He stated, reading some more on the four spirits.
"I'm surrounded by idiots…" Alice complained as they all started walking back to Port Natalia.
"I guess if Gold Experience exists, then a haunted house surely would too." Luka surmised after they gathered some more information from the townspeople.
"Just…Stop." Alice pleaded, dreading the future haunted house exploration.
"But it should be fine, right? Gold Experience can defend us if another ghost attacks." Luka explained.
"Absolutely… He won't let them pass by without a fight." Giorno agreed.
"Fine…But it better do its job properly!" Alice insisted, pouting.
"Oh wait… Your sword was destroyed. Shouldn't we have dealt with that first?" Luka questioned, seeing an empty sheath on his friend's back.
"That won't be an issue." Giorno explained, reaching out to let a small butterfly land on his open palm.
The butterfly immediately shifted its form to that of the missing Goddess Blade. Luka gaped upon seeing it, now understanding that his own friend had stolen it.
"It was you? How could you…?" Conflicted emotions coursed through Luka's mind, unable to hide the guilt he felt. The poor King of San Illia had a mental breakdown over this sword.
"Ha… That sword is nothing compared to Angel Halo anyway… But I guess it's better than what you had before." Alice commented as they walked.
"Oh, don't pout about it fake hero, I was about to destroy it anyways. Better in Giorno's care than in pieces." Alice laughed, mockingly patting him on the back.
"Please don't steal things again… I feel so dirty now, being an accomplice to this." Luka started praying silently, begging Ilias for forgiveness.
"I may have taken some books from the library too…" Giorno admitted as many more butterflies swarmed around the group.
"How many?" Luka asked, dreading the answer.
"…A dozen?" Giorno estimated.
"Hehe… A fake Hero and a thief." Alice teased, enjoying this side of Giorno.
The trip back down to the port wasn't much to write home about, aside from Luka being downtrodden with some feelings of guilt on Giorno's behalf.
Upon entering the town and looking for Meia's home, they ran into a peculiar sight. It was that same mermaid who'd been dressed in rags not even a week ago. This time, however, she had changed her look completely.
Her clothing was now of a much higher quality, and her hair had been styled to look much more flattering than before. She even had a dedicated building from which to sell her wares now…
Speaking of which… her new items sold like hotcakes. A large group of people sitting by the provided tables and eating bowls of food, but not just any food…
Octopus salad…
Customers walked past the trio holding cartons of small balls of batter, popping them into their mouths.
Takoyaki…
Alice looked incredibly jealous, staring intensely at the new restaurant that had just opened.
"I take back everything I said… I'm glad we came back." Her mouth watered, as the same mermaid merchant made her way over to them.
"Hey, Blondie! Your tips worked out great… I'm practically swimming in money now!" She excitedly proclaimed.
"Oh…I'm happy it worked out for you." Giorno nodded, happy to see that even here, his world's cuisine did well.
"He did what now?" Alice asked, eyeing him up suspiciously.
"He gave me a few pointers on some new dishes to try out… Without him, I'd still be selling grilled starfish." She laughed, patting Giorno's shoulder.
"Oh… You've been holding out on us then…" Alice glared at the blonde.
"Oh…Are you guys hungry? I'll get you guys served… Free of charge for you… As thanks for helping me out." The merchant smiled, before bringing them to a table.
"Hehe… Isn't coexistence the best?" Luka smiled, as Alice proceeded to order a ludicrous amount of food.
When all was said and done, they continued on their journey to look for Meia, the person who'd requested their assistance.
Along the way, they'd entered a variety of stores and talked to many of the residents. They'd even heard of a tale reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, two star-crossed lovers whose tale ended in tragedy.
"Mm… Delicious." Alice smacked her lips as she ate more of the Takoyaki the merchant gifted them as takeouts. "You've got some good ideas in that head of yours, who'd seriously think of having an octopus in a salad?"
"A personal favorite of mine…" Giorno agreed.
"I'm really happy for her… That starfish was completely awful though." Luka said as they finally reached the address for the request.
"Is anyone there?" He asked as he knocked on the door to the home.
"I'm coming!" A voice from inside said before the door swung open.
The same grey-haired mermaid who'd approached them just before the bombing of the mermaid school stood in front of them.
"Oh…? You're Meia?" Luka asked in surprise, recognizing the woman.
"Yes… I'm Meia. I'm sorry about cutting our conversation short last time… Due to the explosion, I completely forgot about our conversation." She apologized. "Oh my… It's you… The blonde man who helped rescue those mermaids."
"I'd rather everyone forget that… I still get strange looks from all the Mermaids." Giorno grimaced as she led them into her home.
"Please excuse the small house… I don't have much to entertain you either…" Meia said in a shameful tone.
"Oh, don't worry about it, we're fine." Luka assured before Meia started setting down some tea and odd-looking snacks.
"We're somewhat busy. Your request better not be stupid." Alice deadpanned, more irritated than usual for some reason.
"Seaweed? Can't say I've ever had any…" Giorno muttered, taking a small bite out of the snack.
"Seaweed…" Alice parroted, following suit.
Luka used that chance to continue the discussion.
"So…What exactly is this request about." He inquired.
"Actually, I'm in love with a human." Meia confessed, holding her cheeks while blushing.
"No way… Do you want us to play matchmaker? I doubt we could help…" Luka said dejectedly.
"Oh no… We're already in a relationship. We've lived in this house for a while. But right now, he's out at sea fishing." Meia explained.
"That's great!" Luka exclaimed enthusiastically.
"But…Although we love each other deeply, we're not married. It's because we can't perform the Marriage Trial dictated by marine law…" Meia elaborated.
"I see… I've read about this in one of the books I stol-requisitioned from San Ilia. Supposedly, the couple must offer a written pledge to the Queen at the seabed in some temple." Giorno explained.
"Exactly… The only problem is the monsters on the way to the temple. I have some magic power, but my darling isn't too strong. I don't think we could make it safely…" She deflated as she admitted that fact.
"So, you want us to deliver it for you…" Giorno guessed, making her shrink.
"Is that even allowed? To have other people deliver your marriage pledge?" Luka asked.
"It's not explicitly stated… At least the passages I read don't encourage nor discourage it." Giorno recalled.
"It should be fine, I mean… You can shrug off a building exploding over you." Meia laughed a bit, assuring them that it wouldn't be an issue.
All of a sudden, a small boy entered the home.
"I'm home!" The kid greeted.
"Ah! Welcome home!" Meia sang, rushing up to hug the child.
"Is this your son? You and your hopeful husband have a child?" Giorno inquired before his eyes widened upon seeing the fishing rod the boy carried.
She'd said that her beloved had been out fishing…
"No, no… This is my darling!" Meia said, tightening the hug.
Giorno went dead silent at that declaration. A mix of shock, concern, and even some disgust washed over him.
"Heeey Meia. Who are these people?" The kid asked.
"They're very admirable adventurers! I asked them to deliver our pledge of marriage to the queen!" She answered.
"Oh, really? Thank you! We really want to get married, so that would help us a lot." The kid graciously said.
"He's… a child." Was all Giorno could mutter, wondering how no one else was questioning this. The only person who looked visibly uncomfortable with this was Luka.
"But my darling is turning twenty-five this year." Meia protested.
"Eh!?" Luka exclaimed in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, what?" Giorno inquired, not believing a word of what was said. Unless this was another person with circumstances similar to Luka's…
"I'm an adult! I can get married!" The (child?) assured.
"I used some of my mermaid magic to stop his growth…" Meia wryly confessed, blushing up a storm.
"…" Giorno once again thought about what she said. The implications of what she had just said nearly made him shiver.
"Why did you do that?" Luka asked, looking very nervous.
"Because…He's so cute like this!" Meia answered, blushing again.
"So that's why! I thought this was strange! Meia! That's so awful!" The young man protested.
"Hehehehe…" Meia laughed cutely.
The rest of the conversation went by in a blur, but Luka managed to accept the request. They had also managed to get their hands on a magical crystal ball, which would undoubtedly prove to be a boon to their efforts.
Giorno couldn't help but be suspicious of this reward she offered, and the way she looked at Luka.
"Good luck big bro!" The man in a boy's body wished.
"That's kind of weird actually… Giorno's actually younger than everyone here." Luka absent-mindedly said.
"Hmmm? What do you mean?" Meia inquired, suddenly staring at the blonde in question.
"He's only sixteen years old…" Luka confessed before Giorno covered his mouth.
"…We'll be on our way…" Giorno insisted, taking the pledge and the crystal ball she explained how to use.
"Lets…Just leave. We can finish this as quickly as possible and get out of here." Giorno said as he led the way to the beach.
He had to remind himself that this wasn't considered as bad as back in his own world. In here, it was something to be teased about…
It didn't mean he had to be comfortable with it in any way though… Here he was, assisting a Mermaid who had a thing for young boys…
Just as they arrived on the beach, Luka attempted to use the crystal ball.
He was interrupted as a monster erupted from the nearby sea, revealing herself to be a Crab Girl. Once again, Alice vanished from the area, marking another inevitable battle.
Giorno didn't even bother acting shocked, idly watching the large monster closely.
"Hey… Could you give me a little of your semen? Just a bit from each of you…" She requested.
"No. Leave us alone." Giorno hastily responded, crossing his arms.
"Asking something like that so suddenly…" Luka said warily, pulling out his sword.
"Aww…You want to fight? Then let me clean your dirty body. Even if you cry while letting out your semen, I won't stop washing you." The monster drawled out maliciously.
"I dislike having to repeat myself…" Giorno's mood visibly darkened. He quietly summoned Gold Experience as the monster continued her approach towards them.
"…Think fast." Giorno said as Gold Experience landed a crushing uppercut on the Crab Girl. The usual symptoms occurred within her as her perception of time slowed to a crawl.
The pain lasted for what felt like hours as everything slowed down, her entire focus on the sensations of her head getting rocked senseless.
Luka eagerly responded with a Thunder Thrust, stabbing her center mass just as the effects of Gold Experience wore off.
The brutal stab hurt exponentially worse than the punch, even if it had only hit her outer shell. By the time the phenomenon ended, she felt ready to vomit on the beach, her stomach getting queasy.
"What was that?!" The Crab Girl yelled, holding her jaw with her human arms. The unimaginable pain that punch brought still made her shiver.
She immediately retaliated by pinning Giorno into the sand with her pincers, before her body started producing bubbles at an alarming rate.
"I'll take my time washing your dirty body~" She sang as her arms made their way towards his body.
"What a pointless thing to do." He scoffed before another punch hit her in the face.
Just like before, her movements slowed to an absolute slog.
Just enough time for Luka to swing Angel Halo at her exposed neck and end the fight.
"No… What…Is…this?" The Crab Girl stammered, dissolving into light and emerging as a crab.
"Haaa… Oh?" Luka sighed, catching his breath before noticing that the crab circled around his feet.
"What are you doing?" He asked, reaching out to touch her before she pinched his feet.
"Ouch! Annoying to the end…" Flicking her off and watching her run to the sea.
"I don't like the beach anymore…" Giorno muttered, lying in the sand while his abdomen was covered in leftover bubbles.
"Having trouble as usual. If you can't blow off a monster like that with just a sneeze, you'll never be able to beat the Monster Lord." Alice pointed out.
"Is there actually a way to do that?" Giorno asked.
"Who knows?" She shrugged, before ushering Luka to use the ball of Guidance.
The crystal ball shone brightly in the sunlight, a massive beam of light shooting out from it and piercing into the nearby sea.
"Hmm… So that thing created a road of light to follow." Alice commented.
"Hmm… So, we're going to have to follow this all the way down to the temple?" Giorno guessed.
"Correct, follow the light closely and you'll get to the bottom of the sea… It shouldn't take longer than half an- "Alice explained, interrupted by Giorno handing her the end of a bundle of ropes.
"Hold onto this… Both of you." He instructed, before tying the other ends around a variety of seashells and rocks he'd found on the beach.
"What are you doing?" Luka confusedly asked, holding on tight to the bundle he'd been given.
"Getting us a lift." He simply responded, before throwing the strewn-up items into the waters near the light tunnel.
The variety of rocks and seashells turned into a mass of decently sized fish. Just like that, the trio were dragged at a good speed down towards the ocean floor.
"Woah! This is pretty convenient." Luka said in awe of the situation.
"Hmph… Better than walking I suppose…" Alice scoffed, slightly enjoying the novelty of the situation.
Along the way, they encountered a variety of monsters who had been too stunned to even try to attack them. Ten more minutes had passed when they reached the bottom of the sea floor, well ahead of schedule.
"That must be the temple…" Luka pointed out as the fish brought them right to the entrance of their destination.
Letting go of the ropes, the fish continued to swim around in a pattern.
Alice continued staring at the fish, with a slight hunger in her eyes.
"I wonder if they taste good…" Alice thought aloud.
"Don't even try it…" Giorno warned.
"Yeah… Those fish were created by Gold Experience, which means anyone who tries to harm them gets hurt instead." Luka added.
"Oh… So I'd end up taking a bite out of myself? I wonder if I'm delicious then…" Alice pondered.
"What exactly is the point of this trial? I certainly don't see what is being tested here…" Giorno asked as they walked through the temple.
"The couple needs to reach the bottom of the sea, knocking down every monster that challenges them." Alice explained.
"Strength? Is that all that matters?" He asked, taken aback by how brutish this all seemed.
"Do other monsters have strange customs like this too?" Luka added, curious about monster culture too.
"It's different for each monster. Some don't care at all while others have extremely detailed descriptions and requirements. My family, for instance, has two conditions to be met before they are allowed to be a partner." She further elaborated.
"The Fateburn lineage itself…" Giorno commented.
"First, the man must be strong. Second, the man has to want to get married. Only a man stronger than the female is allowed to marry someone of my clan. That is the law of the Fateburns." She proudly stated.
"That sounds…pretty difficult." Luka noted.
"Indeed… How would any man stand a chance against the ruling Monster Lord? An impossible task if you ask me…" Giorno said as they walked by another corner in the strange labyrinth of an underwater temple.
"And that's not to mention how difficult it would be to find a man willing to marry you…" Giorno added, prompting Alice to react.
"Excuse me?! I'm a very desirable woman… Right, Luka?" She pouted, taking offense to his remark.
"Ahem… Y-yeah, you are…" Luka agreed, hiding the faint blush on his cheeks.
"So, then I take it you're training your future husband to defeat you?" Giorno teased with a faint grin, unaware of how close to the mark he'd just struck.
"S-Shut up!" Alice shouted, now also sporting a blush.
"Anyways… What kind of monster is the Queen of the Sea?" Luka inquired.
"I believe the Queen was of the Kraken family. I left the governance of this portion of the sea to her." Alice explained as she ate a nearby shellfish.
A nearby source of light grew closer to the party, stopping both Luka and Giorno in their tracks.
"Hmm… Interesting monster." Alice said, snacking on the remaining portion of the shellfish.
"I see, she's an anglerfish. They live in complete darkness near the bottom of the sea and lure their prey with that light." Giorno said, wondering what the gimmick of this monster would be.
"That's right… Whether her prey is a man or something else, she absorbs it through her skin and makes it her food." Alice added, still standing behind the group.
"Aren't you going to run away like usual, Alice?" Luka pointed out, getting Angel Halo out of its sheath.
"She's blind… She lives in perpetual darkness. Alice has no reason to hide." Giorno answered as she crept away to the background.
"I'll give you a hint… She locates her prey by temperature. If you want to fight her, you'll need to make your body temperature the same as the water." She provided.
"We're not cold-blooded! We're human!" Luka complained as the Anglerfish continued to advance.
"Careful… Female Anglerfish can absorb their male counterparts during the mating process. Unless you want to be an endless sperm factory… We should be cautious." Giorno advised.
"I'd suggest avoiding the front entirely…." He added, before swimming towards the enemy.
Luka purposefully avoided the front of the monster, instead targeting the top of her fish body with a quick thrust.
In response, the Anglerfish Girl rotated her body and slammed it in the direction of her attacker.
Luckily enough, Giorno had already summoned Gold Experience to land a critical strike on the back of her head. The attack knocked her off course, careening into a nearby pillar with a crash.
Gold Experience followed this up by flinging Luka at high speeds toward the dazed monster, who reacted much too slowly to his final stab right in the back of her neck.
Particles of light engulfed the monster, and once they ceased, a normal-looking anglerfish emerged.
"Are you finished? I went ahead and found where the Queen is. You're almost there. I'm tired of eating fish. Hurry up and finish this." Alice hurried, leading the way forward.
At last, they arrived at the grand hall of the undersea temple, stopping right in front of the large queen.
True to Alice's word, the monster in front of them was a Kraken. The squid-like woman definitely had the aura of a regal individual, almost similar to that of the Harpy Queen.
Giorno got a very bad vibe from her, not in the sense that she was evil, but rather that she looked the part of an airhead. One quick to make decisions without considering all the information available.
"Are you the Queen of the southern sea?" Luka timidly asked.
"…Yes, that is correct. I am entrusted by the Monster Lord to rule over these Southern Seas. Now humans… What business do you have in this undersea temple?" The Queen questioned.
"Um… I'm a hero that…" Luka started.
"…Hero!?" The Kraken's eyes narrowed.
"I'm actually a fake hero…" Luka shamefully added though it had no effect.
"Whether you're a real or fake Hero, it's all the same. You must have come to steal the orb in this temple! You must have come to steal the orb in this temple!" The Kraken accused, glaring at both men in her midst.
"What a useless accusation…" Giorno spat back, walking up to the queen.
"Silence! If you want the orb, you will have to defeat me first!" She snarled, getting into a combat stance.
"We have no such intentions. Your orb is useless to us." Giorno reiterated, stopping inches away from her body and continuing his icy glare.
"I… what?" The Kraken confusedly asked.
"Yes! We don't want the orb! We're just here to deliver this marriage pledge on behalf of a couple in Port Natalia." Luka repeated, holding up the document in question.
"So… that's all you wanted? You didn't want my orb?" the Queen asked, looking for confirmation.
"I hate repeating myself… But yes. We didn't even know you had an orb. We're here on behalf of a couple wishing to get married." Giorno confirmed.
"Then why didn't you two say so!" The Queen complained, prompting Giorno to roll his eyes and disengage.
"I did! Right at the start!" Luka argued.
"I see… I shall receive the pledge of marriage. Now Hero, who is it that you are marrying? Is it the silver-haired one?" The Queen asked, looking over at Alice who reappeared once it was clear no fighting would take place.
"N-No! I said we were delivering it for someone else!" Luka stammered, blushing heavily at the thought.
"Of course not, you idiot." Alice insulted, trying her best to hide her own blushing.
'How cute…' Giorno thought, shaking his head upon seeing the blooming romance.
"A mermaid in Port Natalia asked us to deliver it in her stead." Giorno repeated, as Luka gave her the pledge.
"Deliver…? How come the couple themselves didn't come. Children these days…" The Kraken complained, taking the pledge and reading through it.
"I noticed that in the material I read… It never specifically states that the couple has to come deliver it personally. Quite the oversight if that was the way it was intended." Giorno stated.
"You've read about our laws?" The queen questioned, taking interest in Giorno.
"It's only natural… Excuse me for saying this, but knowing your enemy is half the battle." Giorno answered.
"At any rate, the pledge has been delivered. As Queen of the southern seas, I declare Meia, and her husband married. Now take this pledge ring. Wearing this ring on your finger, you will always remember the pledge of marriage to your partner. No matter the difficulty, you must always support each other. Now, I shall give you the Queen's blessing." The Queen recited, handing Luka a pair of rings.
"Hmph. I'll give them the Monster Lord's blessing too." Alice declared.
"Oh! I'll give them a Hero's blessing, too!" Luka added, before turning to Giorno. "And they can get Gold Experience's blessing, right?"
"… Oh? Yes, certainly." Giorno nodded along, just wanting this to be over.
An awkward silence set in afterward, as everyone just stood by trying to think of something to say.
"By the way… Are you possibly?" The Queen asked.
"I'm nobody important. I'm just a traveling gourmet who passed by on a whim." Alice declared.
"Incredible. Coming to the bottom of the sea in search of food! Unfortunately, there is nothing too amazing to eat down here." The Queen said, though Giorno knew she was just playing along. Alice had already declared herself as the Monster Lord only moments ago.
"Well, our business here is done. I don't want to spend any more time here, so I'm going back." Alice declared, starting to leave the room.
"Let's head back then… At least it won't be too much trouble with Giorno here…" Luka sighed.
"You don't have to leave that way. As an apology from before, I shall send you back to the surface." The Kraken said.
"It's fine… Giorno can just call the fish from outside." Luka declined, as a horde of fish barged into the hall.
"Huh?! What manner of thing is happening here?" The Kraken asked with an expression of surprise.
"Giorno made all these fish… It made the journey here pretty easy to handle." Luka answered, as he and Alice tied the bundles of rope around their waists.
"… What a strange day I've had." The Kraken said to herself, watching the two get pulled away at high speeds out of the hall. She only realized that the blonde member of the trio remained after an embarrassingly long time had passed.
"Is there something you still need?" She quickly sat back up on her throne.
"This marriage law, don't you feel that it's a bit… outdated?" Giorno questioned.
"I must admit… The number of couples that have come by in recent years has diminished." The Kraken sighed.
"I would assume so… The trip is much too perilous for the couple to be to make the journey. Not so much for the mermaids-" Giorno started.
"But very dangerous for the human men… I know. The mermaids are strong, but not strong enough to keep them both safe." The Kraken finished.
"I believe more Mermaids would go through with this marriage law if it weren't a major risk to have their husbands abducted and taken away from them." He concluded.
"Yes… But how do you propose that?" The Kraken questioned.
"Forgive me for saying this… But you look quite lonely down here. Why not make the journey to Port Natalia every so often to have marriages performed there instead? Or delegate the task to a subordinate of yours? Port Natalia openly accepts monsters, and I'm sure the mermaids there would be happy to host the Queen of the Southern Seas." He suggested.
"It does get… quite lonely. But I can't just leave this orb behind. Unless…" She trailed off.
"Tell me… You and your friend. You've come here all the way just to help a mermaid and man get married. Why?" She asked.
"This was by Luka's insistence. He's always had this ideal world of humans and monsters existing in unison. He truly believes that humans and monsters can live in harmony." Giorno explained.
"And you?" She egged him on.
"Personally… I don't particularly think much differently about monsters. When they're not wanting to get inside my pants, they're nearly identical to that of a human. A shame that most of them aren't reasonable." He answered.
"So… you think this coexistence is possible." She clarified.
"Hmph… With a lot of work, it could be done. And I suppose I'll have to stick by his side to see this through. I owe him for taking me in, after all." Giorno resolutely answered.
"Good… Then I can let you have this. But let it be known… This orb is a powerful artifact, keep it safe in your hands. This is a symbol of my hope… A hope for a future where both humans and monsters can live in peace." She said, handing a blue orb to Giorno.
"…I won't let this out of my sight. Your resolve is not misplaced…" Giorno declared.
"I suppose I should go spend some time at Port Natalia. It's been too long without company. Maybe I could have an emissary office built there…" She pondered.
"Oh! Here, let me help you catch up with your friends." She said, grabbing him with a tentacle.
"What are you doing?" Giorno calmly asked as she aimed carefully towards the shore.
"I'm simply repaying you for your help." She laughed, flinging Giorno at high speeds out of the temple.
Luka and Alice arrived at the beach, untying themselves from the fish, who immediately reverted back to inanimate objects.
"Where's Giorno?" Luka asked, looking around for the blonde.
The water just a few meters away burst like a geyser as an unknown object flew out and landed hard on the beach.
Approaching the impact sight, they saw it was none other than their missing third member, sprawled out on the sand.
"What a funny Queen." Alice stifled a laugh, enjoying his misfortune.
"Are you okay?" Luka asked, helping his friend get back up.
"As good as I can be…" He assured, wiping his hair clean of sand.
Thus, they returned back to Meia's home to report on their success.
Giorno and Luka ended up back in that house, with the latter excitedly telling her the entire story.
"And then I delivered the pledge to the Queen, and she gave us the pledge rings." He finished, giving her the pair of rings.
"Thank you so much… My darling will be so happy with this." She smiled brightly, looking at both men with a seductive gaze that set alarms off in Giorno's head.
"Now then… I need to reward you…" She started, a light blush on her face.
"There's no need." Giorno said, stopping whatever she was trying dead its tracks.
"Wha-" She yelped before Giorno brought out the blue orb Kraken had given him.
"Where did you get that?" Luka asked.
"The Queen gave it to us; I consider it reward enough for this request." He answered, much to Meia's disappointment.
"Oh… Then if you ever come back to town, I can give you another reward." She said, looking at Luka in particular.
"…We'll take that into consideration." Giorno said, though he was not going to let that happen.
After a rather awkward exit, Giorno and Luka made their way back to the market in search of Alice, who was likely stuffing her face before they left for good.
Along the way, Giorno explained the conversation he had with Kraken. By the end of it, Luka looked ready to explode with pride.
"Hehe… She really said all that?" He blushed, closing his eyes in thought.
"Yes, it seems you have the support of another queen now. First the Harpies and now the Queen of the southern sea…" Giorno commented.
"Ah… This is great." Luka replied in a dreamy tone before the pair came across a strange sight.
It wasn't because of Alice sitting before a stack of bowls, greedily eating another handful of the mermaid merchant's Takoyaki's. It was because right at her side, was Kraken herself, doing exactly the same.
"I thought you'd have some sort of revulsion to eating anything squid related… Like the harpies have with eggs and poultry." Giorno commented as they approached the gluttonous pair.
"Nonsense, good food is good food." Kraken answered in between breaks of stuffing her face.
"How did you pay for all of this?" Luka questioned.
"We didn't… Friends of Giorno eat for free after all…" Alice smiled, happy with herself.
Giorno walked up to the merchant, who looked downcast as she watched the two monsters finish another portion of food.
"I think I'll go bankrupt by the end of the day if they keep this up…" She said, worry evident in her expression.
"I'm sorry… Alice alone is pretty tough to deal with. I didn't think the Queen of the southern seas would be just as bad." Luka apologized.
"I need a drink!" Kraken suddenly stood up and vacated the premises.
"I feel like I've made a great mistake…" Giorno muttered to himself, following after her.
"*Glug* *glug* *glug* *glug*… Ah! Waaahaahahaa!" Kraken laughed to herself.
"I believe you've had enough, no?" Giorno commented, after the tenth drink Kraken had slurped down.
"Ah, Giorno… Always so serious. You're just like- *hic* Laura. Ever since she lost Alan…" Kraken drunkenly reminisced.
"Who?" Giorno asked.
"… I'm so worried about her. I haven't seen her in years. I wish I could have stepped in back then." She guiltily added.
"You don't mean that story about those lovers, do you? It's true?" He pressed, leaning in closer.
"Yes… Laura lost Alan. After that, the spark in her eyes died. Then she became bitter, a cynic even. It didn't matter that Port Natalia changed its ways. If anything, it only made her resent this place even more." Kraken explained, looking even more miserable.
"You're referring to the town accepting mermaids… And the eventual marriage laws that would come about. She saw other mermaids get the life she was robbed of… The final nail in the coffin." Giorno surmised.
"… I just wanted to prevent another tragedy. I didn't want to push her away." Kraken teared up, about to burst into hysterics.
"It isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for that tragedy. Some things are just out of our control… Even if we have the best intentions, things just don't work out in our favor." Giorno said, as Kraken pulled him into an awkward hug. Lovely, now he was dealing with a sad drunk of all things.
"If you ever do see her again… Tell her how you feel. All the regrets, all the things you hold in your heart. Do it before it's too late." He continued, remembering just how sudden it was to lose Narancia. No one took that well, especially Fugo.
He blamed himself for it all, telling them it would have all gone differently if he hadn't stayed behind. Just like what was happening here. He'd have to nip this in the bud before it became an issue for her later on.
"I will… In fact, I think I'll go see Poseidoness. It's been far too long." She answered, tears falling down her cheeks.
"You're a very strange human." She finally let go of him, wiping her tears away. "I just feel comfortable talking to you like this. You have a strange aura, its as if I could tell you anything..."
"It's fine, really…" He waved off, turning to his own glass of juice.
"In any case… you need to tell me what's going on between those two." She teased, going right back to her usual self.
"Luka and Alice?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"A hero and the Monster Lord, I must know the details…" She further pressed.
"It isn't my place to say…" Giorno hesitantly said.
"Please? It would really cheer me up…" She asked, looking quite desperate.
"Fine… But I won't give you any intimate details…" He relented, before telling her their story.
Giorno had spent all night with Kraken, helping keep her company and watching as she interacted with the mermaids in the bar.
He eventually met back up with Alice and Luka, the latter looking extremely drained. It was pretty obvious what they had been up to in his absence.
"Uh… We should head to that haunted mansion up north." Luka tiredly said, taking a look at his map.
"Hmph…" Alice huffed, not at all pleased with this.
"Are you going to be able to make the walk?" Giorno asked.
"I'm fine… Nothing happened." Luka denied, with a light blush.
"That's a funny bracelet… Where did you get it?" Alice asked, looking down at the pearl jewelry on his wrist.
"I guess you could say I made a friend." Giorno revealed as they walked out of town.
"With that airhead of all people?!" Alice complained, confused as to how that happened.
"I've been friends with airheads before... They're not all so bad, once you get to know them."
"Another win for coexistence!" Luka cheered.
"Ridiculous… I'm surrounded by idiots." She insulted.
Elsewhere…
Gliding through the lab, Ilias tried to hide the disdain and disgust from making itself known on her flawless face. Though Eden, her last loyal daughter made up for it by openly having a scowl on hers.
She didn't blame her, the things Promestein had made were awful… Made from rejected angels who'd crossed their Goddess. Or even worse, created by that insane scientist herself.
She still gagged upon the memory of Chimera Bug…
But that wasn't the point of this visit, supposedly Promestein had found some new information regarding their special little arrow.
Opening the door to her main office, it was about as messy as she would expect. Documents, components, and vials with who knows what strewn about. Unsurprisingly, Black Alice sat off to the side of the room, sipping on her tea with her usual evil gleam.
"You requested the Goddesses time… It better be worth it." Eden harshly started.
"Oh... Please calm down and take a moment or two… or three. This is definitely worthy of your time." Black Alice sneered, loving how furious the mere mention of that number made Eden.
"Tch…" Eden stewed in her fury, as Ilias stepped forward towards the scientist too busy to even acknowledge her.
"Speak, Promestein. I don't have all day." Ilias hissed, crossing her arms.
"This… This is incredible." Was all the scientist could say in response.
"Promestein!" Ilias raised her voice.
"Hmm? Right… I called you. As you know, an angel patrol managed to capture this Testudine." She started, guiding the entire group to the turtle in question.
"You mean this turtle?" Eden clarified.
"Yes… I understand you may have a third-rate intelligence level, so congratulations are in order." Promestein rather coldly commented.
"Grr…" Eden growled, holding in the scream of fury aching to be let out.
"Moving on… This turtle's DNA contains trace amounts of whatever virus is present in that of the arrow, at a much lower concentration though. The source of its infection cannot be the arrow we have in our possession. That much would kill it, no doubt." She lectured.
"So, this is useless to us…" Ilias concluded.
"No… In fact, this turtle was instrumental to us." She disagreed.
"How so?" Eden asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Watch this…" Promestein suggested, before dropping a pen right into the key inside the turtle's shell.
The group watched as the pen fell directly into the key and disappeared from view. Perplexed, Eden reached out towards the key, unintentionally pushing her arm into the turtle's shell.
"What is this?!" She yelled, before pulling her arm back out in a panic.
"This turtle… Has an entire room stored in its shell. Furnished, with a few knick knacks like chairs and whatnot." She started, leading them to another section of her lab.
"We found this in the turtle… Radio, open this device." She commanded before the artificial creation before them pulled on the door of a small white box.
A wave of cool air brushed over their faces, which surprised the group.
"I believe this is referred to as a refrigerator, used to cool things down. Such as drinks or perishable food items, to preserve them. It's powered by electricity… which is an odd choice, at least for something found here." She explained as Black Alice started perusing through the beverages.
"Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Pepsi… Red Bull? What strange containers…" She commented, taking a red can and popping it open.
She took a long sip, as the others watched on.
…
"Not as good as a cup of tea… But not bad as a sugary treat." She said, before taking another sip.
"There's even some wine here… Greco Di Tofu. Campania… Italy?" Ilias noted, reading some of the gibberish on the bottle. She'd never seen this language before.
"I've analyzed this turtle as well as these drinks and technology it came with… Simply put, it is not native to this world." Promestein declared, much to the shock of Ilias and Eden.
"Are you saying this turtle is an alien?" Eden asked, not believing a word she was saying.
"No, on the contrary. It is nearly identical to all turtles, of course barring the strange room it somehow has in its shell. What I am saying is that this turtle is from a planet with similar conditions to our own, capable of sustaining life." She explained, walking over to retrieve a rectangular device on her desk.
"What I am propositioning, is the existence of another world entirely. Another universe that has somehow made the leap between our realms." She continued, before allowing them all a moment to soak the information in.
"This can't be…" Ilias put a hand under her chin, thinking to herself. But despite her words, she knew better than to disregard the findings Promestein had made.
"Fufu… How fun. An infinite number of worlds out there. Infinite possibilities too…" Black Alice creepily laughed.
"Can you back up your claims? How do we know you're not just fooling us? For all we know, you created these drinks, that refrigerator…" Eden pushed back.
"I thought as much… Radio, wake up our guest." Promstein nodded before her assistant took some sort of shock device to the turtle.
She pressed it against the neck of the creature and ran a low voltage through it. The turtle started spasming violently.
The room went quiet, watching the strange scene before them.
"Have you gone mad?" Ilias criticized.
"Show yourself, ghost… Unless you'd like to lose your host body and move to the afterlife." Promestein called out.
"So even animal cruelty isn't enough for you? But then again, you are the one who creates such grotesque abominations." A masculine voice said, coming directly from the turtle.
"Who is that?!" Eden raised her voice.
"Down here… Stop shocking Coco Jumbo. He doesn't appreciate your abuse." A blue ghostly smoke arose from out of the ornate gold key in the turtle.
The smoke morphed into the appearance of a muscular male, with a strange haircut. A large gash ran down the entire right side of his face, including his eye which was covered by an eyepatch. The most surprising part of the ghost was the prosthetic legs he sported, which didn't make sense for a ghost to have.
"There… You have what you wanted." The ghost said.
"Who might this gentleman be?" Black Alice asked,
"May I introduce you to Jean Pierre Polnareff, the ghost residing within this turtle. He was a human who lived in this other world." Promestein said, pulling the odd rectangular device open.
Setting it on the table, she started clicking on a few keys. The others watched on as a screen switched on, followed by a number of images. Some strange coliseum, a map of a country called Italy, and some strangely dressed individuals.
"Not just that… But our guest seems to have intricate knowledge of our arrow. After all, I found a few notes he made on his search for the arrows. He and a partner named Kujo Jotaro split up to widen the search net to find the six known arrows." Promestein continued.
"Well, well… Polnareff. If I were you, I'd start talking." Ilias gloated, looking down smugly at the defenseless entity.
"No need. I've scoured through the files on here. The purpose of the arrow is to weed out the weak from the strong, and to bestow gifts upon the worthy." Promestein answered, looking down at the laptop.
"Worthy? What do the worthy receive?" Eden inquired.
"I'll warn you once and once only… The power of stands is a dangerous game. It is not something to be played with." Polnareff cautioned, though his words were ignored.
"Stands?" Black Alice repeated.
"Indeed… Stands, the manifestation of their users' souls. Born from the acceptance of the virus into the body of the worthy. Our friend Polnareff was certainly worthy, given how he fondly spoke about his own stand, Silver Chariot in his notes." Promestein summarized, continuing to look through the laptop.
"Weaponizing their own souls for battle… Odd concept, but I can see the benefits at least." Ilias thought aloud.
"How quickly can you synthesize something out of this stand nonsense? You have this turtle, maybe taking some of its DNA could work in our favor?" Ilias asked, glancing over at the ghost who refused to show fear.
"Too long… The animalistic traits would have to be edited out to get a pure sample of this virus to work with, and even that damages the stability of whatever I could create. If this were to succeed, we would need a human subject who's been exposed to the virus." Promestein shook her head, before coming across something on the screen.
"And there are exactly zero people with an intact body who survived this virus, can't get DNA from a ghost after all… Pity, at least this arrow can be used as an effective poison then." Ilias sighed, watching Black Alice continue to pet the turtle.
"No… not necessarily. There is one person who comes to mind after all." The red-haired scientist turned the laptop around, showing them all one final picture.
A group of humans stood in that picture, each with unique outfits and hairstyles, yet one of them popped out just a bit more than the others.
One that Ilias herself had been keeping an eye on.
"The boy currently adventuring with Luka… Giorno Giovanna." Promestein nodded.
'What have we gotten ourselves into this time, Giorno...' Polnareff thought to himself, looking down at his host body being rubbed by a girl who looked strangely like Alice from Wonderland.
AN:
Finally giving my boy Polnareff some action. Too bad he's in in the deep end with Ilias and her cronies.
Giorno obviously decides to rob the Pope and steal the blade he was gassing up and steals from his library. He also makes a friend in Kraken, who I just love for some reason. She seems like the type to be a terrible drunk, given one of her paradox interactions.
I have this weird headcanon that Kraken, Poseidoness and Laura are good friends. (Or at least were, so that's why there's that extra bit to flesh out some stuff)
Planning some pretty crazy stuff for Gold Experience to do in upcoming chapters, specifically for Chrome and Lily. It turns out that imbuing life into things is actually extremely versatile, especially since it isn't a purely physical aspect of giving life unto others. I wish Araki went into more detail with the exact limitations for Gold Experience, because he threw a couple solid ideas out there in early chapters, explored none of them and just dropped GER on us and ended the part.
As usual, feel free to point out any errors I've made with spelling/grammar.