Chapter 19: Sail on, Sailor
"Excuse me... I'm looking for a ship to the northern continent." Luka politely asked a couple of sailors by the docks.
"Hey, hey... You think we want to die?" One of the burly men deadpanned.
"Besides, that continent is surrounded by mountains. There's nowhere to land a ship." A friend of his explained.
"Damn, it looks like I'll need to hire a smuggler then..." Luka muttered.
"Even a hired smuggler wouldn't do it. There's just no way to land on that continent with a ship." The first man repeated.
"Then... How did it work before the 'Slaughter of Remina'?" Luka questioned.
"The Garuda Girl would pick stuff up and carry it over. Boats would sail close to the island near Remina, and the Garuda Girl would fly down from the mountains and pick up the people and cargo. Like that, she would carry stuff into the city."
"So where is this Garuda Girl now?" Luka asked.
"Nobody has seen her since Remina was destroyed. She was probably killed with the others in the slaughter."
"...Shut up, you idiot! That's a Hero! Don't say something stupid!" The burly man punched his friend in the side.
"Eh...?" Luka exclaimed in confusion.
"A... Ah, nothing, never mind. We don't know anything, sorry."
"Now then Mr. Hero, can you run along? We got work to do..." The burly man trailed off nervously.
Luka was silent for a moment, before speaking up. It was about time he spoke up for himself.
"...I didn't get baptized. I'm not a Hero. And that story about the 'Slaughter of Remina'... I've heard stories that go against what is usually told. Please, will you tell me what you know...?" He pleaded, making his case to the men.
"I see... So you've heard it, too? It's a pretty nasty story, so we keep quiet about it. The story was told that the monsters slaughtered the humans in Remina... But that probably isn't right. It wasn't just the humans. The monsters were slaughtered too. All the monsters living there were probably exterminated."
"Why were they all killed...? Do you know?" Luka questioned.
"It's a popular story among the sailors in this town. None of the monster birds were flying that day. Shortly after, the corpses of monsters started washing up... It wasn't monsters that attacked the town. It was something else..." The burly man trailed off, coming up with some theories of his own.
"No more talking, or we'll get yelled at by the captain. Even if you want to go to the northern continent, we can't do anything. Sorry, man…" His friend apologized before they got back to work.
"It's fine. Thank you for the information." Luka thanked, leaving the two men behind.
It was weird to hear the real story coming from those two, their version of events directly contradicted what he had been told back at home.
Now with no way left to actually make it to the Monster Lord's castle, Luka sat on the pier and theorized on a few ways to actually get across the large stretch of water.
"Hrrm... If I got close to the cliff by boat, maybe I can make it over on foot..." Luka muttered thoughtfully.
"Are you an idiot? That's a perfect recipe for a shipwreck." Alice deadpanned.
"So it's really impossible unless I can fly...? Then maybe I can use Sylph..." Luka started.
"Who do you think you are? You don't have the magical power nor the physical strength to try that."
"But Giorno could…" Luka trailed off, not finishing his sentence.
He wouldn't be surprised if Giorno could summon a tornado of some kind, he was slightly jealous of his ability with the spirits.
"Giorno isn't here… He left us to do his own thing." Alice concluded, adopting a difficult expression. "That idiot really messed things up. And I'm the idiot who showed him the way."
"He really stepped in to help me…?" Luka asked, not daring to look up at her.
"Yes… That idiot managed to beat down Granberia, even if it was close. But then he did the unthinkable…" Alice frowned, nervously playing with her ribbon
"He went in for the kill." Luka threw a pebble into the water. After much thought, he asked her a single question. "What will happen to him now?"
"I don't know. As a Monster Lord, him killing monsters is bad enough. But going after my Knights has made him something I cannot ignore."
"Yeah… I guess the optics of having trained the person killing monsters is something you can't afford."
"If I were to guess, he'd be public enemy number one back at the castle. The closest thing to a hero threat we've had in a while… Besides you of course." She thought aloud, before moving on to the issue at hand. "It looks like you have no choice but the Garuda Girl. With that monster's strength, she can easily carry you."
"Garuda Girl...? Wasn't she killed in the Slaughter of Remina?" Luka questioned.
"There's a small shrine in the west called the 'Holy Wings Shrine'. In there, a legendary bird god's egg sleeps. That should be more than enough to carry both you and me on its back." Alice explained.
"Legendary bird god... It would be able to take us across? But what do you mean the egg 'sleeps'?" Luka asked, not understanding her cryptic explanation.
"The legendary bird is very powerful and can fly all over the world. To prevent its power from being exploited, it seals its young into an egg. The key to awakening it is put into six Orbs, which are spread all over the world. Only someone capable of gathering all six is worthy of reviving it from its slumber and requesting its aid." Alice elaborated.
"Six… like the ones we have?"
He fished out the orbs he received from the Grand Noah tournament, Sphinx, and…
'Crap!' He emptied out his backpack on the ground, panicking as he realized that Giorno kept the other two in his own baggage.
"That isn't good… Not good at all." Alice understood their predicament quickly enough, wincing at the difficult situation.
At least until two small beetles crawled out of his bag before they turned back into the ones received from those bandits and Kraken.
"He left them behind for us…" Luka picked them up, inspecting them to ensure there was no trickery at play.
"That idiot must have known he wouldn't need them anymore… What a confusing person he is." She smiled, calming down her beating heart after that miniature heart attack.
"So there are two more…?"
"I see... Well, it seems like we really need to gather some more intel to proceed..." Luka trailed off, before suddenly, a familiar annoying voice yelled out.
"Did someone call!?"
"Y... You...! ...Who?" Luka stopped, looking at the garbage can the voice had come from.
"It's me, my Hero!" Amira said, poking her head out of the can.
"...What are you doing?" Luka inquired.
"This town is the headquarters of Ilias Kreuz, isn't it? I'm hiding." Amira answered.
"I'm surprised you managed to fit in there, actually," Luka admitted.
"Getting in wasn't too hard. But I fear getting out will be... Anyway, you desired information on the Orbs?" Amira questioned, as a nearby group of men tried their hardest not to look suspicious.
"Yes, please." Luka politely confirmed, desperate to make it across this final stretch of water.
Hours later…
He could feel the pulse of the broach he placed on Luka move further and further away, towards the South.
It would seem that Amira had been successful in delivering the information Alice had wanted, even if most of it was redundant. She must have finally given up the location of the final orb herself.
It wasn't too difficult to determine that at least one of the two orbs would be underwater again. If there was a Queen of the Southern Sea, then surely there would be one in the north as well.
And now they were on their way to get the Ball of Guidance from Meia once more… Around a week of traveling, even by carriage, this would be perfect enough time to set things up his own way.
He had no use for the orbs, his own preparations had been set in place for his bid to power. One that would have to be timed extremely well, lest he give away his intentions.
He could still be a good ally to the cause and help his old friends, in his own way of course.
That was why he 'relocated' the precious egg into his own hideout, having been informed of a small team dispatched by Ilias Kreuz towards its location.
He pondered the way to sway the hearts of those in this port city, even he wasn't so foolish to believe a grand speech alone would stir their resolve.
And that was how he'd managed to spend these last few days, searching for an opportunity to further promote his gang, just enough to not attract the attention of his enemies.
Convincing men with no other options to join him was an easy task, but those not under threat of death were another issue entirely. His gang would need tangible victories besides some rumors of a long-past event.
Amira had presented the circulating rumors of a missing noble's daughter back in the Sabasa region, but that was hardly something a 'normal' gang would do.
That changed drastically when a messenger representing the Kingdom of Sabasa accidentally ran into him.
It was undoubtedly another issue relating to Sara, one that could be played in his favor.
A grateful King could be a powerful asset… He still wasn't going to marry Sara though.
Hopefully, she had the courage to finally tell her father the truth about her orientation.
"Boss… We got someone here to see you. It's a lady who wants something from ya." One of his men escorted a red-haired woman into his personal office, directly across from his position.
Their small but shabby center for operations had been cleaned and touched up on during the past few days, but further renovations would be necessary.
"Good day, signorina… To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He courteously greeted them, standing up to shake her hand.
The woman stammered, taking a moment to process the gesture before awkwardly taking his hand.
"I have an offer of employment… One that requires skilled adventurers."
…?
"Vincent… You may leave us; I would like privacy while we discuss business." Giorno ordered, receiving a light nod from his guard who closed the door behind him.
What followed was a most uncomfortable staring contest, which successfully unnerved the new arrival.
"I think it best we start over… Beginning with why you have no life energy." He glared at her, preparing himself for the worst outcome.
Had some sort of ghost-type monster been contracted to kill him? An assassin from the Monster Lord's camp?
"Ah… Nothing gets by you, does it?" The woman leaned back in her seat, sighing at her unfortunate predicament. "Well, smart guy… What do you think I am?"
"…Not a monster, then. But you are a ghost, for what reason have you come?" He questioned.
"You're acting pretty calm for someone speaking to a ghost… And here I had this whole elaborate backstory planned too."
"This…isn't the first time I've had the pleasure of interacting with one. Leave it at that." He crossed his arms, unwilling to go into any more detail. "Now cut to the chase, what's the job?"
"…Fine. I need someone skilled at fighting monsters. Specifically powerful monsters. Are you aware of the Pirate Captain Selene and her crew?"
"I know the basics… Enlighten me."
Later that afternoon…
"I assembled my crew for this...Are you sure this is going to work?"The now fully revealed Captain Selene asked the leader of her hired goons. "I already asked a purple-haired kid and his girlfriend to do this, couldn't we wait for them?"
"It will work, just wait for the wind."Giorno said as he kept to the shadows of the underdeck,away from the immediate sunlight. "And no, I believe they would object to my presence."
"What wind? This weather is awful to set sail in,Captain..."
"We need to wait a few days for better weather."
Similar discontent spread through her ship,and to be fair,it was true.
She had wanted to wait this out for some more favorable conditions,but the weird blonde guy she hired had insisted on leaving on the same day.
"The boss knows what he's doing...Calm down."Drustan scoffed.
"Man...A whole ship full of beautiful women."
"For Ilias' sake, Joshua! We're on a job here."
A sudden and localized wind current hit their sails at just the right angle, propelling them out of port and towards the general direction of where their destination was.
Drustan enjoyed letting his smug smirk out for once,specifically aiming it at the crew of confused pirates.
"I'll be damned...Guess you are a miracle worker, kid." Selene whistled, impressed by the display of power.
Days later…
"So, to reiterate… You want us to handle some precious artifact called the Calamity Box? What the hell kind of treasure is it?" A younger member of his gang asked, still not believing the situation in its entirety.
They were on a ghost ship being taken to the original ship of Selene, who was also now a ghost and wanted to make amends for the biggest mistake of her life…
His boss had a way of attracting the weirdest scenarios to butt his head into.
"The contents of that box must be sealed into the bottom of the ocean once more," Selene repeated, almost like a mantra.
A shiver crept up from Giorno's spine each and every time she reaffirmed their goal. He needed a distraction from such thoughts, lest he face another poor dream.
"Hey! We still need to talk." Salamander manifested her physical form, appearing deeply perturbed by something.
"Right… we hardly spoke at all, given the circumstances." Giorno sat down, covering his body with an umbrella.
"Circumstances…? You call setting off my home a circumstance… Attempting to kill Granberia was just business as usual for you?"
"With regards to your home… I did not intentionally set off that eruption. I take full responsibility for that disaster though, I do apologize." He bluntly admitted, just as his eyes took on a sharp glint. "But I fail to see how my attempt on the Heavenly Knight's life has to do with you…"
"She… she's important to me. Someone I'd rather not see get hurt." Salamander softly confessed.
"To what extent is your relationship with her?"
"I've trained her ever since she was able to hold a sword. She's more than just a trainee or a disciple…"
"She's a daughter to you…" Giorno frowned, why of all spirits did the most battle-hardened have to share a connection to a current Heavenly Knight.
Undine came to mind, but he had the feeling she could at least persuade her old friend to hear out his plan to pay back her loyalty.
"Yes… So, when someone I thought had potential tries to kill a girl I consider my own, I start to question things." Salamander openly scowled at him.
"And what would you have me do? Leave Luka behind to become her latest toy?" Giorno was quickly becoming agitated at her.
"I'm not saying that, I'm saying that your recklessness is going to cause issues."
"My recklessness? It was your adoptive daughter that challenged Luka to a duel, she started that confrontation. If she ever gets in my way again, I will not hold back. I doubt she ever will after what I did to her."
"You're going to have a growing list of enemies at this rate…" Salamander warned.
"Enemies have a clear desire to oppose me. But those who cannot make up their minds truly irritate me." He refused to back down despite the consequences of her actually choosing to leave. "So, decide for yourself, are you with me or not?"
The sound of singing was picked up by his superior hearing, alerting him to danger.
"Is that a... Song?" One of his men heard the beautiful voice.
"This song... A Siren is coming." One of the female pirates identified a fast-moving dot quickly gaining ground on them.
"We'll deal with this later." Giorno scoffed, preparing to fight.
"Hmph." She huffed as her form dissipated away. Clearly, she was not impressed.
"...Everyone, run into the ship. This is a job for the boss, right?" Selene inquired, receiving a grunt from the man himself.
His men and the ghostly crew evacuated to the inside of their vessel, leaving him alone and waiting for the winged monster to land on the deck in front of him.
"I sensed some men on this ship… And a high-quality piece of meat like no other." The feathered woman licked her lips upon seeing him, drinking up his beautiful features.
"Utterly pointless… I'm giving you this one chance to leave and forget this ever happened." Giorno drew his sword, waiting for the inevitable rejection of his mercy.
"I'll indulge in your semen... Get drunk on my voice, and soar in the pleasure." The Siren spoke seductively, ignoring his words and preparing to sing.
He pre-empted her sound-based attack by having his stand blow out his own eardrums on the spot.
"What the hell?!" The monster froze up, pausing her singing immediately.
"Muda muda… Your voice only works on those who can hear."
Her winged appendages were forced down onto the floor of the boat by an oppressive unseen force along with her own body.
"No! What is this?!" She flailed around, unable to break the grip of whatever was holding her.
"I don't know exactly what you said just now… But you've made a grave error in staying here."
He knelt down beside her immobile body, now looking at her like she was the meal.
Meanwhile with Luka and Alice…
"Oh…That was super embarrassing." Luka grumbled after speaking with Meia, silently hoping that he would never have to interact with her again.
"We could always go back to get you that reward if you want…" Alice scoffed, pouting as they made their way into the port to have a rest.
They stopped at the site of the old Mermaid school, which had somehow changed into a far grander construction. Both children of monster and human races could be seen entering the institution.
Not just Mermaids either… He saw a few Harpies, some Slugs, and even a Scylla in a classroom.
In fact, much of the central businesses had looked ritzier than the last time they were there. Even the Inn had been improved to what could only be described as a standard below the Sutherland Inn, an impressive feat of its own.
Many more areas still had active construction efforts in place, which indicated much more development yet to be realized.
"What happened to this place…?" Luka was awed at the sight of the prospering town.
"Incredible… Wait a moment!" Alice smelled the all-too-familiar scent of dough and cheese.
She slithered off towards the heavenly smell, coming face to face with a new construction.
"Natalia Pizzeria and Grill…?" She pronounced the odd name, witnessing tables of people enjoying those heavenly discs of deliciousness.
"You want some…Don't you?" Luka noticed her tail wagging behind her.
"Yes!" Alice salivated, dragging him inside.
"Welcome to our establishment… Oh, you two again? It's good to see you!" The Mermaid Merchant from before waved. "Where's your other friend…?"
"He… uh… He decided to go his own way." Luka confessed, hoping she wouldn't pry any further into the matter.
"That's a shame… I kinda liked him." She exclaimed, guiding them to a table. "But look at me now, I've got so much money I don't even know what to do with it!"
"I… can see that. What a turn of events, going from selling those starfish to this." Luka commented.
"Crazy, huh? This place really turned around ever since that foundation showed up."
"Foundation? What are you talking about?" Luka questioned, raising an eyebrow as some food was placed down on the table for them.
"Yesh!" Alice began eating voraciously, savoring the explosions of flavor on her tongue. "So good…"
"You don't know? These guys showed up around a month ago and began investing in this place. They have an office here too. They're into the idea of coexistence, isn't that great?"
"They are?! There are more people like me?" Luka gained an interest in this foundation.
The idea of there being a large group of like-minded people set on the idea of coexistence was unheard of.
"How exactly did they do all of this?"
"A boatload of money… They got some magical engineers from that Grangold place, brought in some Ant Girls, and hooked us up." She gestured at a few uniformed men and monsters going about their business in the streets.
"So they invested in your business…" Luka muttered, sneakily taking a slice before she could eat the entire thing.
"More!" Alice demanded as she finished the last crumb of food on her plate.
After eating through much more than necessary, they were sent on their way back to the carriage.
"This is a welcome sight… Coexistence in action." Alice smiled, half because of her satisfied stomach.
"Excuse me…" Luka approached a uniformed Ant Girl, drawing her attention. "Sorry for bothering you, but what do you know about this foundation?"
"Foundation? The foundation is quite new, but I am glad to have signed up with them." She mechanically answered, elements of a smile on her face.
"Who started it?" Luka curiously inquired, wondering if it was someone he'd met.
"Unknown… The chairman prefers to stay anonymous. All we know is that he is an avid supporter of equality. And that he has plenty of money to keep this going." She helpfully explained, continuing on with her work.
"Speedwagon Foundation huh…?" Luka read the lettering on a nearby cart.
Odd name choice… but who was he to judge?
Back at sea…
"Have I made myself clear…? I own the waters around this port now, I catch you here attacking any other ships and the consequences will be severe. The Northern Seas are under Passione's control."
The gagged monster nodded desperately, terrified after having some of her blood sucked away.
"Good. Now leave. And make sure to tell your friends." He released her from his stand's vice-like grip and watched her fly away.
"Surprised you let her go… Needless to say, I'm impressed." Selene popped out from the underdeck along with her sailors. "Though, now I'm quite interested in you myself."
"Boss… You good?" One of his crew covered up the blonde with the shade of an umbrella.
Another of his men offered a handkerchief for the quickly drying blood in and around his ears.
"I'm not exactly human anymore… My men have been made aware of the situation. They've assured me that they don't care." He explained as he wiped away the red staining. "Thank you, Joshua."
They returned to their survey of the sea for the rest of the day, suffering no further delays due to monster attacks.
Hopefully, this meant that she had the sense to warn her friends of the new situation around Gold Port.
He woke up stuck inside an enclosed space, and within seconds he slammed his hands against the door.
His pitiful body refused to muster the strength to break through the wooden surface, highlighting the futility of his struggle.
Calling for his stand hadn't worked at all, nor were any of his vampiric abilities responding to his thoughts.
All he could hear was the sound of the ocean outside of his confinement…
"Captain, I see it! Right in front, it's our old ship!" A sailor yelled out on the crow's nest.
"It's there!"
"Boss!" One of his men pounded on the door to his room.
The sudden increase in volume broke the nightmare's hold on him, much to his relief.
"I'll be there soon," Giorno answered, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The timing of their discovery had come at a convenient point, just after dusk which marked him at his most flexible operating hours.
In a matter of minutes, both sailors and his carefully chosen team were observing the large boat at the side of theirs.
"It's dangerous, so we should only let a select few board the ship," Selene advised as she stepped up first.
"Men… Stay behind until you receive my all-clear. I will handle these Beelzebub monsters by myself."
"You got it, Boss!" His men responded eagerly, mock saluting him.
Selene harmlessly passed on the small bridge between the two vessels, followed by himself.
Just as his body had fully crossed the threshold, the aura of the ship had fallen dramatically.
"The seal! It's already about to give in?" Selene looked around in alarm, feeling the barely noticeable barrier in the air flicker and weaken tremendously.
"It has been 50 years by your account…" Giorno pointed, unperturbed by that piece of information.
"No! Our passing through wouldn't have caused such a reaction. It was meant to keep evil trapped within!" The Pirate argued. "I used the 'Jewel of the Rotten World' to separate those monsters from the rest of the planet.
'You need my stand...T-e W-ld…'
That voice again… He'd been hearing it every so often for a while now. He felt like he should know who it belongs to.
But he couldn't afford to focus on that right now, there were other issues to worry about.
Namely the life signature of a monster approaching their position.
Snapping out of his daze, what appeared to be a Starfish Girl confronted him on the deck.
"Hehe... I'll finally be able to suck some human semen after being stuck in here for so long. I'll suck out all your semen... Then feast on that delicious body of yours..."
"I couldn't care less how hungry you are. Step aside, you are not the monster I came here for."
He unsheathed his blade, preparing himself to fight if this monster couldn't see reason.
"Oh? You think you stand a chance against me? I've been training in this barrier for years."
'How exactly does one negotiate with this?'
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes in the face of her tenacity.
She slowly advanced towards him, likely attempting to try and bind him.
"Sylph… lend me a hand." He summoned gusts of air at his feet, propelling himself into the air above her and slashing at her neck.
"You're fast!" The Starfish used one of her legs to absorb the blow entirely, suffering a superficial cut.
"Oh…? You shouldn't have done that just now."
Giorno transferred the air at his feet into a swarm of air bubbles which blew into her body like concussive bullets.
A particularly large bubble blew up right next to an ear, taking out her hearing and sense of direction.
"My ears!" The Starfish Girl shrieked, abandoning her pleasure attacks and throwing him into a worn-down wall on the ship.
His body easily crashed through the rotten wood, landing in some sort of hallway inside the ship.
"Now this is a welcome change… If only more monsters fought this way." Giorno shrugged off his discomfort and stood back up.
Placing his sword back into its sheath, he called upon the power of Undine. Just like before, he felt the flow overcome his mind, body, and soul.
The now very hostile intent of the Starfish Girl could be felt in his mind's eye.
"I'll get you for this!" Her legs shot out at him at great speed.
'If I combine this foresight with some principles with Iaijutsu, then this should be enough to end the fight…'
He waited until she was far too close to him to adjust her momentum, allowing his stand to draw the Goddess sword in the blink of an eye and cut clean through her tentacles and torso in one fell swoop.
*Thud*
He needn't need to bother wasting any time after that, choosing to wander deeper into the ship in search of Selene.
"Giorno… She was hardly a challenge. You didn't need to do that." Salamander pointed out.
"I can't just let her go unopposed. My men are a bridge length away in the event this barrier collapses. Besides… she was planning on eating me regardless."
"He did give her a chance to back off," Undine said, quick to defend him.
"How in the world did he manage to get you to ignore everything he does…"
"...I'm right here," Selene spoke out, walking towards him as he neared a door containing a menacing aura.
"And your killers are behind this door… How long before the seal breaks?"
"Minutes at best… I still don't understand how It degraded so much in such a short amount of time. Just… Whatever you do, do not let these monsters escape." She pleaded, becoming transparent as her spirit faded away.
"You got this!" Sylph cheered him on as he entered the room where the fate of the world would be decided.
"Oh... You're the soldier that pirate brought. You look… very impressive." A purple-colored insect licked her lips upon laying her eyes on him.
"He's a pretty one… That face just makes me want to tease him..." Her red friend chuckled, looking into his chest cleavage.
"In the end, humans are only tools for us to use to lay eggs. Their only worth lies in the semen we can wring out." The blue one ominously commented after her not-so-subtle staring.
"Fly-type monsters… Can't say I've seen your species before." Giorno turned his head to the side as he analyzed them.
He'd seen ants, bees, and anything else most of Plansect had to offer. But these three were anomalies among monsters.
"Of course you wouldn't! Ever since that damn Alipheese destroyed our race and sealed us into this wretched box!" The purple one scowled, kicking the chest in frustration. "But now… Our time of revenge will come at last."
"We'll take over this world as revenge… A powerful man like you will let us create a strong army of flies... Come here and make children with us." The red insect monster demanded.
"We'll make this world into a paradise for flies. All we require is your semen..." The blue insect concluded.
"Too shocked to even react? I don't blame you… Get him, girls!"
The three women tried to engulf his body in their odd breast-shaped abdomens.
"Gold Experience!"
"Muda Muda Muda!"
His stand surged out into the field and let out a flurry of punches.
The Beelzebub trio hadn't expected such a quick response, suffering the full wrath of the much stronger stand.
Each punch created small shockwaves in their durable skin before they were unceremoniously thrown across the large room.
"What the hell was that?!" The purple one was the first to get back up after managing to recover from her life energy going berserk.
Thrown knives nearly hit her right in the eye, but only avoided due to her insect-like senses and excellent reaction time.
"Gah!" Her blue friend wasn't so lucky, getting one lodged into her forearm.
"Media!" The red insect attempted to bind the blonde man with her strength, quickly growing wary of the danger he presented.
He easily weaved her lunge, slamming his open palm into the side of her head as punishment for her overextension.
"You bastard! Striga!"
Her friend fell to her knees, once again looking out of it after a seemingly shallow hit.
"It's useless… Perhaps I'll do the world a favor and end you all for good." Giorno commented as he quickly drew his sword and called for the power of the Earth.
"How dare you!" The purple one rushed into his personal space and punched him with her full power, blowing him through the wall and back out towards the corridor.
"Barbarella… I'm fine. I think…" Striga groaned after a few seconds, not appreciating the sudden headache she felt.
"We can't underestimate that man… We have to kill him outright." Barbarella grimly advised. "We can't risk taking him as a breeder…"
"Oh…? How interesting." Giorno broke down the wall with a single punch, spreading flying debris and dust into their faces.
A flash of light cut through the dust, dispelling the cloud in its wake.
"AAAH!" Barbarella felt a her body weight shift, looking down at her lower breast-covered abdomen that had been sliced clean from her body. "You… You monster!"
Another flash of light prompted them to throw their bodies to the side.
Media threw herself at his rough location, grabbing hold of his sword and trying to wrestle it away from him.
"Get away from them!" She yelled, struggling as her wound hampered her ability to fight him.
She blew at him with the freezing ability of a blizzard, trying to freeze him dead in his tracks.
Rather frustratingly, he seemed acclimated to being in such conditions. She felt something extremely wrong happen in her forearm while she tried her desperate gambit.
'Wait… Where did the knife go?!' Media froze for a moment upon noticing the protruding knife handle being gone.
Her head suddenly hurt, as if a foreign presence had suddenly materialized out of nowhere.
In the next moment, a beetle burrowed out of her head, blasting bits of brain matter and fragments of her skull outwards.
That brief second of intense pain sealed her fate.
"A bold strategy, trying to freeze me… Your care for your friends is admirable, but pointless." Giorno flash froze his holy sword, creating a chain reaction that froze her arms too.
His stand manifested again, choosing that moment to blow off those appendages.
A torrential rain of blood and ice covered the room, hitting all those present.
The combined trauma of having her limbs severed and Gold Experience disrupting her consciousness sent her into a state of shock. Her body crumpled to the ground, as stiff as a board as she rapidly bled out.
"NO!" Striga roared, firing a breath of flames at him.
'Magic?!' Giorno covered up his face and chest as the torrent of fire assaulted his body, somehow inflicting a state of paralysis as a side effect.
"DIE!" Barbarella conjured a cloud of poison at him, covering his vague direction in a cloud of toxic gas.
Striga's fists caught alight as she surged forward, letting loose on him with a barrage of her own.
He could only stand there and take her punishment, having chunks of his flesh torn through by her strength and ferocity. The raging fire his body was embroiled in disrupted her vision, becoming hazy due to the heat.
One stray punch hit something scaly, causing a violent reaction in the form of her strike being reflected back unto her.
What felt like a fist hit her in the jaw, knocking out a few of her teeth and cracking her exoskeleton.
"What the hell?!" She reeled back, holding her bleeding head as she took a breath.
A snake coiled around Giorno's burning body bit into his neck, delivering a rush of its special venom into his body and counteracting the poison in his system.
"Very impressive… Ah, you three are indeed worthy of being called the Queens of your race."
'If I create a void of air… then this should mean nothing to me.'
All the flames burnt out on his body, just as his movement became possible once again.
"But those tricks will never work on me again…" His eyes flashed a virulent gold, not unlike the eye color of the monster to seal them all those years ago.
"Like hell, they won't!" Striga blew another wave of paralyzing fire at him, intending to finish the job this time.
She was wholly unprepared to watch it fizzle out and die before even touching him.
"No way…" Barbarella blew more of her poison at him, witnessing him take a deep breath as if it were nothing.
"Useless… This snake was born in the conditions of your toxin, which means it developed an immunity to it from birth. And now I have that immunity as well." He smirked at her, before summoning gales of wind at his shoulders and taking aim at them.
"Our magic… countered so easily…" Striga muttered, deflating as her morale broke.
"Don't give up! We can still-"
Whatever Barbarella was going to say was cut off by the cloud of air becoming a raging thunderstorm in the room.
Bolts of lightning struck their position, hitting her close friend multiple times and scorching her body instantly.
She was able to tank the damage of the lightning strikes with no effort, already having resistance to such forms of magic. She flew forward with nothing but rage and the thought of vengeance on her mind.
"STOP! I won't allow my friends to die like this!" She drove her fists into his chest, pushing his body through multiple levels of wood until they reached the main deck.
"What the hell is going on in there?" Drustan could somewhat hear the sound of screaming.
The ship barely a few meters away suddenly burst from the inside out, fragments of wood peppering the surrounding area and hitting some of the human crew sitting around outside.
"What the fuck!?"
"Holy shit!"
Their own boss' body hit the main deck after a pretty nasty fall, sporting some hefty damage in the form of some ugly burns and literal chunks being taken out of him.
Following just after him was an extremely pissed-off-looking insect-type monster, just as heavily wounded as he was if not more.
"BOSS!"
"My people were wiped out by the whims of a snake! I refuse to die here before I get my revenge!" Barbarella screamed, driving into the sky and making a sudden U-turn towards Giorno's unmoving body.
"It's…useless." Giorno coughed up a mixture of his lungs and blood, using the last of his strength to call on Sylph.
A layer of clouds above his position covered up the sight of him.
"That won't stop me! You'll die regardless!"
In her state of anger, her wings only increased her speed as she plummeted down.
As soon as her body made contact with the thick cloud cover, she felt nothing but the sensation of an infernal blaze.
Breaking through the rather tough atmosphere, her body burst into flames. Her insect wings were the first to burn up, sending her into an uncontrolled free fall.
"Gold Experience!"
His stand grabbed his sword, jumping upwards and driving the blade straight through her stomach.
"AARGH!" Barbarella choked on her own blood, clawing at the air in front of her in a final display of resistance.
"It's over… I must admit, you three almost had me." Giorno struggled to get back up, allowing his body to regenerate after his victory was all but assured.
"N-no…" Barbarella was thrown to the deck floor by an unseen entity, her body completely charred and unable to fight back anymore. "I…l-lost?"
"… Asking yourself such a useless question."
He pressed his blade against her throat, preparing to end her life.
"…F-first that damn snake and her allying with the Pabilsags. And now you too. Our race was cursed from the start." Her breathing picked up as the realization of her imminent death hit her.
"You oppose the Fateburns…? You do not recognize them as your rulers?" Giorno questioned, stopping at the last second.
"Of course we don't… We hated them ever since they ruined us. As all our people were sealed away or killed, we vowed to never serve them ever again. We wanted to topple the throne… destroy the Monster Lord." She explained, having difficulty keeping her eyes open.
She was fading away quickly, losing all the feeling in her body and having trouble breathing.
"…Abandon your plans for world domination. How could such a thing ever be within the realm of possibility?"
"W-what…?" Her eyes opened ever so slightly after hearing that demand from him.
"Don't make me repeat myself… You lost to me, and I know I cannot stand against the Monster Lord as I am now. I'm willing to bet even her Heavenly Knights could stop you dead in your tracks." He explained as he kneeled down at her side. "You would die pointlessly in such an endeavor."
"You're… right. We never stood a chance, even back then. All we ever had was numbers, our reproductive ability." She bitterly laughed, allowing her head to fall back onto the cold hardwood.
'It was all useless in the end… I'm so sorry Media… Striga… I wish things were different for us.'
She closed her eyes one final time, allowing oblivion to take her.
Only for an iron-like taste to assault her tongue and reinvigorate her body.
'Huh…?'
Her strength slowly but surely returned to her just as her body began to heal from her otherwise lethal injuries.
"You… I like you. Even though I shouldn't." Giorno commented, holding his bleeding wrist over her mouth.
Coughing up a storm, she sat up and discharged the liquid from her throat.
"What the hell are you doing?!" She complained, spitting out the foul-tasting essence.
"Saving your life. I see potential in you, after all." He withdrew his appendage, standing back up and observing her.
"Potential!? You're insane! Why'd you do that!?" She nervously backed away, fearful of whatever he was planning.
Her lower breast covered abdomen had mysteriously grown back, without her even realizing it.
The bodies of her fallen comrades were dropped nearby by an unseen entity, likely the same phenomenon that stabbed her. Both of them miraculously drawing breath was a slight comfort for her.
The strange blonde man did the same for the other two, who made a staggering recovery much like her.
"…Why?" Barbarella asked, looking between the two of her closest… or only friends.
"I want to recruit you three… As members of my own little group. We may share some common enemies." He answered, taking a seat on the edge of the deck.
"Recruit…us?" The monster gaped upon hearing his motivation. She was used to people fearing them as deities, treating them as threats to the world at large.
But never in her life had she seen a human of all people want to exercise authority over them.
"Yes… You said you would never recognize the Fateburns. But you said nothing about recognizing me as your leader."
Striga and Media soon came into consciousness, just as confused as she was moments ago.
None of them could move very well, just barely able to crawl around if they exerted enough effort.
"I, Giorno Giovanna am the sole person on this planet that would see you continue to draw breath. The Monster Lord would surely have you killed for daring to exist. And there's no possible way for such a fate to be avoided, unless…" He proclaimed, holding a hand to his heart.
'Woah! Woah! You can't be serious here!' Sylph practically screamed in his head, catching onto his intentions.
'!' Gnome didn't speak as usual, but he could feel her dissaproval.
"Unless we join you," Barbarella concluded, getting caught up in his sincerity.
He was telling the truth, no one would ever tolerate them if knowledge of their survival were to be spread. And as painful as it was to admit, losing to some man meant they were mere fodder to the likes of a Monster Lord.
It was strange really… they were enemies fighting to the death mere moments ago. And now he was offering them a shot at continued life.
"What's the catch…? This is too good to be true." She inquired, suspicious of his offer.
"Like I said, no more grandeur delusions of world domination. And no more violating men. Failure to comply means that I deal with you permanently." He gestured towards the bisected corpse of a Starfish girl lying a few meters away.
…
"…And of our breeding?"
"No rape… And strict limits on your population growth. For now at least. Failure to comply-"
"And we die… I get it." She finished for him.
He meant what he was saying, some part of her soul could tell her that just by the serene energy he was projecting. He was really offering them survival, even if it meant them leaving behind their dream of revenge.
No… That was stupid. A flawed plan that relied on them having time to breed an army and raise them into maturity. Alipheese hadn't allowed that the first time, she wasn't going to allow it this time either.
Taking a look at her friends, she could see similar looks of acceptance in their expressions.
"We… we accept your terms. We shall not rape or breed an army of daughters." Striga said, bowing her head down.
"We pledge our strength to your cause." Media softly muttered, not having the courage to look him in the eyes.
"It is your right as the victor to do as you please with us…" Barbarella concluded, submitting to his authority.
"…Good. In time, your people may yet rejoin that of society. But only if you manage to gain their trust. Throw away your evil past and help me create a better future for both man and monster. One where the Monster Lord cannot hope to touch you." He exclaimed, extending an arm towards them.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Selene stood in front of them, drawing a sword and pointing at the trio who attempted to leave her old ship.
"Tch… I won't allow my people to be harmed." Giorno frowned, moving in front of his newest members.
"This wasn't the plan! I wanted these threats to mankind dead… Instead, you recruit them? Are you completely deranged!?" She accused, scowling at him.
'She isn't wrong… Are you certain of this?' Undine inquired, wavering from her usual loyalty.
'This… this is just a bad idea. What if they betray you?' Salamander asked, nervous about the future of the world if these three ever managed to make landfall.
"It was a mistake bringing you here… I made this situation worse. Far worse than I could have ever imagined." Selene backed away, overcome with grief at her short-sightedness. "I should have waited for that boy to come back."
She stood no chance against them, her very killers and this man she hired to deal with them. All she could offer right now was token resistance.
"…It will be different this time. They know not to cross me. And even if they do, I'll handle them personally." Giorno assured, sensing her anguish.
"No… I can't allow this to happen! These fifty years… The deaths of my crew, my own… Being stuck in this mortal coil, it will have been for nothing." She choked out, nearing the start of a breakdown.
"No… your resolve created this opportunity. And it is because of that resolve that you will continue to stay in this plane of existence. Your inability to move on stems from your refusal to damn the world due to your actions fifty years ago."
"You'll unleash the end of all that we know… How can you ever trust them? Kill them… Please." Selene pleaded.
"No… that is precisely why I require you under my employ. Your resolve even beyond the afterlife to ensure the world continues to flourish is invaluable. I want you to be their watchers, the ones to report to me in the event they fall from grace and betray my organization."
"… You want us to? My crew…" She looked up into his eyes, remnants of tears on her face. "To watch these three…"
"It makes sense, does it not? If they fail to keep up their end of the bargain, you get to know peace in the form of their deaths. And if they manage to come to terms with their new life, you'll find peace in them no longer being a threat." He explained, banking on the fact that her desire to see this through would be enough to convince her.
…
…
…
"…I know they'll fail. I know they won't commit to this. And when that time comes, they'll die." Selene declared, glaring at them in defiance.
"Hmph… That remains to be seen. I take it you're considering the idea though?"
"I don't have a choice... I can't let these monsters out of my sight."
A few days later, East of Gold Port…
"...I am the Queen of the Northern Seas, Poseidoness. And you must be a thief who came for the Orb?" A gigantic monster accused, her intimidating body striking fear into the heart of Luka.
"Eh...? No!" Luka yelled, waving his arms about in an attempt to dissuade her from attacking.
"Thief who came to take the Orb... I'll give you a punishment fit for your crime, so prepare yourself. The best way to humiliate a male is..." Poseidoness started.
A look of recognition came over her as she disengaged her tentacles.
"I didn't come here to steal the Orb!" Luka exclaimed.
"...I know, Luka. Why you came here and everything." The large monster smiled, just as the Kraken entered the throne room from behind him.
"It's you again! The little Hero I married to that silver-haired woman!" She laughed, slapping his shoulder with one of her tentacles.
"As if you did!" Alice reappeared in the room, embarrassed at the antics of her subordinate.
"My old friend came to visit me a few days ago… She told me all about you three. Actually…" Poseidoness looked around the room.
"Where is Giorno? Don't tell me something happened to that boy…" Kraken frowned, taking note of the way their mood fell at the mention of his name.
"He… decided to leave. Our views were no longer compatible…" Luka explained with great difficulty.
"No longer compatible…? What could you possibly mean by that?" Kraken grew visibly worried.
"He started killing monsters who attacked them. It started just after Succubus Village when his monster blood awakened. It culminated in him attempting to kill Granberia." Alice answered.
"I had heard rumors of a village close to here having significant numbers of humans migrate to it. I believe it was called Lady's Village; the Lord of the place was Cassandra." Poseidoness muttered.
"That boy was the one to finish off Cassandra Nereneid? He must have the blood of a truly terrifying monster to do such a thing…" Kraken thought aloud, before perking up. "And what of the Orb I gave him?"
"He left it with us… He must not want the power of the Holy Wings." Luka pulled out the orb in question, alleviating her worries.
"…No matter, I still intend to support you, little hero. I do wish you the best in your journey to bring light into this world." Poseidoness exclaimed as she handed him the orb in her possession.
"Th... Thank you!"Luka took the artifact and placed it into his backpack. "I do wonder what he's up to though…"
Meanwhile, in an undisclosed area of the Gold region…
"Uh…This atmosphere is pretty tense, Boss." Drustan whispered as they ventured out into the woods with some men and their latest insect recruits.
"It's a tense peace… They're glaring at those Beelzebubs, scrutinizing their every move." Giorno commented as he watched his three monster recruits sweat under the pressure of being escorted by a few ghost pirates. "But this is a victory, we've not only gained the Purple Orb but also gained a naval presence."
"And we got all the loot out of that boat, the boys are sifting through the stuff right now. Separating the dangerous treasure from all the rest of the crap. Good thing too, we blew all the money we got out of that mansion back in Florence." His subordinate reported. "These investments into the Speedwagon Foundation better be worth it..."
"Excellent… All that's left is to deal with the situation in Sabasa." Giorno replied as they reached a clearing with a few scientists from the Speedwagon Foundation waiting for them.
"But how exactly are you going to get there today? It's a multi-day trip even by carriage."
"Who said anything about going by carriage…?" Giorno walked up to the group of researchers, taking a single petri dish from them.
"It's done, Chairman. We've managed to isolate the cells you wanted from the samples of that egg." The female researcher said.
"Cells of the egg? You mean the Garuda Girl, then. But how exactly is that going to help you?" Barbarella asked as he seemingly focused on the dish in his hands.
"The orbs are the only way to awaken a new member of that species. There's no other way to use its power." Striga agreed, further commenting on the uselessness of holding on to the egg.
"Yes, I realized that very quickly myself. No amount of life energy could hatch the egg, but I concluded that I had everything I needed for my own Garuda Girl already." He set down the dish after a while, just as the cells in the glass container began to grow at an astonishing rate.
'My Gold Experience has improved its ability to grow life, the time taken to grow new life has shortened drastically.'
"Hold on… What cells did you have them isolate?" Barbarella seemed to understand his thought process as she watched the life form take shape in real time.
"If it's an egg, then it's only natural to assume the previous Holy Wings had left behind some of her DNA after the fact. I had my people in the Special Technology team isolate the cells of the mother of our egg…"
A majestic yet completely terrifying monster now sat before them, looking around curiously before setting her eyes upon her creator.
"Kueeeh!" She cried out, bending over slightly to receive an affectionate pat.
"Hmm… Already this loyal? I'm quite glad this didn't start a fight." He rubbed her head some more as everyone around him stared in amazement.
"You… You can grant life itself. Don't you understand the implications of this power?!" One of the researchers blew a fuse, writing down into a notepad. "You could bring back any extinct species with a thought! This ability rivals the power of Dark magic and its mutations!"
"I understand fully what this could mean… That is precisely why you can never speak of this to anyone. Not until Luka and Alice manage to awaken the egg I left behind for them." Giorno coldly shut him down, looking over his shoulder.
"Kueh…" His creation shared a similar menacing look, parroting his expression.
"I..u-understand, Boss! The team is prepped to hand over the final orb and the egg as soon as they reach the shrine." The scientist nodded furiously.
"But won't you need the egg for more samples of the cells?" Media inquired.
"No. We now have an infinite amount of DNA right here…" He plucked a few feathers from the bird monster, depositing them in a small bag for later use.
"Kueh! Kueh!" The bird monster started becoming restless, flapping her wings and creating large gusts of wind.
"Calm down… You need a name before we set off." Giorno shushed her, calming her down before she got too rowdy.
"How about… Savage Garden?"
AN:
The first of many deviations, the Beelzebubs have joined the organization.
It was more of a last ditch effort to ensure their survival. Giorno would recognize how awful their situation is and play his cards right, they can either abide by his rules and be under his protection or be killed, whether by his hand or the likes of Alice/Heavenly Knights. Selene would not appreciate him just recruiting potential calamities like this, but I reckon he can play her obsession with fixing her mess against her. Now there's even more pressure for them to be as good as possible, a whole crew of ghost ladies are itching to snitch on them and have them dealt with.
I also put much more effort into their fight, I just personally think writing the fight as it happened in the VN would be terribly boring. That's why they use some of their Paradox moves. I think I'm quite happy with the result. I think I'll keep this up for special monsters who he'll encounter, just to spice things up.
Cassandra's wealth has been used to fund the beginning of the Speedwagon Foundation, whose operations are limited to Port Natalia, Ilias Port and Iliasburg. The added loot from Selene's ship will be put to good use in much more exciting projects.
And now Giorno bypassed the orbs entirely, instead having the cells of the previous Garuda given to him to create an exact clone of her. Magical engineers and scientists for the win. But just having his own personal Garuda isn't enough, we'll see what he does later.