Chapter 195: Renji — "My Eyes Have Seen Your Future, Dio!"
"No wonder you're called the savior of villains."
Looking at the man before him, radiating pure malice from head to toe, Renji couldn't help but sigh.
Dio truly embodied evil to its fullest extent—it was no surprise so many wicked men chose to follow him.
"So, will you become my ally? I have high hopes for you."
Compared to the others, Dio did indeed value Renji more.
The Joestar family were his mortal enemies, so Dio would never recruit them. The rest, in his eyes, were insignificant.
But Renji's earlier entrance had caught his attention. Surrounded by crackling lightning, he had descended at incredible speed—a power distinct from that of a Stand.
Dio was curious. If Renji ever obtained a Stand, how terrifying would he be when combined with that lightning ability?
Still, it didn't matter.
As long as Renji submitted to his control, no matter how strong he was, he would merely become another pawn beneath Dio's hand.
"But I don't have high hopes for you."
Renji shook his head and rejected Dio's offer without hesitation.
What a joke.
Why would he follow a man who was already doomed to die?
"Jotaro, your turn. Let me see how far your Star Platinum has grown!"
After all, they would soon be entering the KOF Tournament together.
In truth, Renji wasn't entirely confident that Jotaro could match those seasoned fighters.
Still, he reasoned that Jotaro should at least be able to crush the mid-tier ones—the top fighters like Kusanagi Kyo or Iori Yagami might be a different story.
When it came down to it, whether JOJO or KOF, if you excluded beings like Kars or Orochi, both sides were essentially the same—still within the realm of humans.
Besides, Star Platinum still had an ability waiting to awaken: time stop.
It was an ability Jotaro would unlock during his battle with Dio.
Renji had no intention of intervening in this fight. He had refrained from taking action so far, only explaining the powers of the Stand users they would encounter on their journey. His goal was to help Jotaro grow stronger.
After all, Jotaro would be his partner in the KOF Tournament, and this "training" was nothing more than a long string of battles designed to let him level up.
Without real combat, how could one ever truly grow?
Every fighter entering KOF had gone through thousands of battles. Their accumulated experience could never be taught in a single month.
But the techniques forged in life-and-death combat—that could be learned.
"Hey, I'm not your subordinate!"
Jotaro grumbled irritably, though he actually agreed with Renji's decision not to step in.
After all, this was the Joestar family's battle. Renji had already helped immensely—even if he hadn't fought directly, the intelligence he provided had ensured their journey went smoothly.
"Don't worry so much. Oh, and be careful of that man's ability—he can stop time."
The moment Renji revealed The World's power, a flicker of fear appeared in Dio's eyes.
His ability hadn't even been used yet—how did this man already know about it?
He was certain he had never exposed it before. How could Renji possibly know?!
"Time stop, huh?"
Jotaro fell silent for a moment, then nodded, showing he understood.
Knowing Dio's ability didn't make it much easier to fight him, though—it was still a terrifying power.
Time-based abilities…
Jotaro wasn't fully confident he could win. But when he glanced back at Renji, he suddenly felt a bit more assured.
Based on everything Renji had shown so far, he clearly understood Dio's power. And having fought Renji once himself, Jotaro knew he wasn't his equal.
This guy was unexpectedly reliable.
"Ahem… how do you know all this?"
Old Joseph leaned closer, trying to make small talk while subtly probing for answers.
He couldn't shake the feeling that letting his grandson travel with this man meant they'd be sold out—and still thank him for the deal afterward.
And his information network was just too wide.
"I just happened to know."
Too coincidental, wasn't it?
Joseph instantly realized that Renji had no intention of explaining.
Still, even without an answer, it was good news.
At least they now knew The World's power was time stop—a fact that would have cost them dearly to discover otherwise.
[Ding! Changed Noriaki Kakyoin's fate. Reward: One lottery draw.]
As expected.
Even without fighting directly, he still earned a draw. Originally, it was Kakyoin who uncovered Dio's time-stop ability—but at the cost of his own life.
By exposing it early, Renji had prevented that.
When Jotaro and Dio finally clashed, Dio immediately felt the pressure. At first, he clearly held the upper hand.
But as the fight went on, the pressure mounted against him.
"Muda muda muda muda muda!!"
"Ora ora ora ora ora!!"
Each blow struck with bone-crushing force. Dio began to feel the weight of the assault—but he wasn't afraid.
Mid-fight, his attention started to wander. His gaze drifted toward Joseph, who was speaking beside Renji.
If he could drink Joseph's blood, The World would evolve.
Now, the only question was how to get close enough.
"It's not working!"
Though Jotaro appeared to have the upper hand, Dio's mind wasn't focused on him at all.
Renji could tell immediately that Jotaro couldn't truly beat Dio in his current state.
At best, they were evenly matched—each capable of defeating the other. But right now, Dio's thoughts were fixed on Joseph. Absorbing his blood would trigger another evolution.
It seemed Renji would have to push Jotaro's potential a bit further.
But something was odd. Why was Dio targeting Joseph so early?
Was the pressure that great?
Renji didn't realize that his own overwhelming aura—the destructive thunder coursing around him—had made Dio feel genuinely threatened.
This power wasn't the same as his own Stand; it came from a fighter's strength, and that made Dio cautious.
He knew that if Renji struck him with lightning, he might survive—but only barely.
He had seen clearly—Renji commanded thunder itself.
"Distracted?"
Jotaro seized the moment. Star Platinum hammered The World again and again, each blow stronger than the last.
But this was exactly what Dio wanted.
Using Star Platinum's momentum, he launched himself toward Joseph. In barely a second, he would reach him—then knock him down and drain his blood.
By absorbing Joseph's blood, Dio could grow even stronger, fully harmonizing with Jonathan's body, and the ripple energy within it.
"Damn it—he's baiting us!"
Seeing Dio hurtling toward Joseph, Jotaro realized instantly he'd been tricked.
Instinctively, he turned toward Renji—and in that instant, when his eyes met Renji's crimson gaze, Jotaro saw the future.
He saw Joseph's blood being drained. He saw Dio's body adapting, becoming even stronger—far stronger.
Boom!
A thunderous crash jolted Jotaro back to reality.
Joseph had fallen to the ground, and Dio was struck by lightning, then violently kicked across the field by Renji.
Suspended in midair, Dio felt a surge of pure terror.
When that bolt of lightning had fallen, he had used time stop!
Time had clearly frozen—and yet, Renji had still moved. He had even struck back.
He had attacked a body made entirely of lightning!
The realization left Dio utterly stunned.
He hadn't expected this man to be even more extraordinary than he imagined.
"He's made of lightning?! And before I even released my time stop, I had already retreated—so why did the lightning still hit me?!"
Dio was sent flying backward, his eyes locked furiously on Renji as he roared, "Why?!"
Time had already stopped—he was certain of it. He had even calculated the exact point where Renji's lightning would strike and prepared his escape perfectly.
Yet the lightning still followed him.
"Because I've already seen your future."
Renji's calm voice carried across the field. The power of future sight—Observation Haki—was truly useful.
When Dio prepared to attack him and use time stop to dodge the lightning, Renji had already seen it in advance.
"I saw your future, Dio."
"Impossible!" Dio roared.
Only he could control time!
But before Dio could say anything else, he was about to face Jotaro's wrath.
Jotaro's gaze fell on Joseph's fallen form, uncertain whether his grandfather was alive. The fury in his heart exploded beyond control, and Star Platinum, as if sharing that rage, began to burn with power.
Time stopped in an instant. Jotaro's fists, filled with pure anger, struck Dio again and again. "The reason you lost is simple—you made me angry!"
"Your grandson is really something," Renji remarked after time resumed, watching Dio's broken, motionless body.
If only he could use time stop himself.
Wasn't there supposed to be a remote that could pause time? Just press the pause button, and the whole world would freeze—only he could move freely. If he had that remote… things would be much simpler.
Five seconds of stopped time just wasn't enough.
"Anyway, thank you for earlier."
Joseph wanted to complain, but swallowed it back.
He'd been saved, yes—but did Renji really have to trip him to the ground in the process? He barely even realized what had happened.
"Just giving your grandson a little boost."
"A boost?"
Joseph's brow furrowed in confusion, not quite understanding Renji's words.
Renji didn't bother to explain.
It was the classic anime power-up—family dies, hero awakens. Like Sasuke unlocking his Sharingan after tragedy.
"By the way, how exactly did Jotaro defeat Dio?"
Joseph dropped the topic, curiosity overtaking confusion. He hadn't even seen them exchange blows.
"Time. Your grandson awakened an incredible ability."
"Well now, as expected of a JoJo!"
That old man even managed to include himself in the compliment.
"Why do you know all of this? And that power you used just now…"
After defeating Dio, Jotaro turned to Renji. There was something unsettling about how Renji seemed to know everything—as if Jotaro himself were just a puppet dancing in his hands.
He knew all, predicted all—even Jotaro's awakening. The feeling was uncanny.
"That was something Joseph was meant to experience," Renji replied evenly.
"I see."
Jotaro nodded slightly. Though many questions still lingered in his mind, he was certain of one thing—Renji wasn't his enemy.
As a teammate, he only needed to trust him completely.
"Hey, hey! What about my ending?"
Joseph looked between the two with curiosity. He wanted to dig deeper, but Renji and Jotaro clearly had no intention of explaining.
"We still have time for the KOF Tournament, right?"
Their business here was done. Dio was dead. The lightning strike from Renji had already weakened him beyond recovery.
Renji had only taken action once—but that single strike changed everything. It allowed Jotaro to realize Star Platinum's true potential and saved Joseph's life.
"Of course we have time. Our other teammate's still waiting for us!"
"The KOF Tournament, huh? Do you think there's still a spot for me?"
Joseph eagerly raised his hand, volunteering himself.
"The three of you can form a team," Renji said with a smirk.
"I don't want to team up with this old man!"
"I'll die, won't I?"
Teaming up with Joseph was practically suicidal—he'd probably be the first one to run if things got dangerous.
"Burn Dio's corpse completely. After that, we'll head back for the KOF Tournament."
They reduced Dio's body to ashes, leaving not a trace behind. Both Joseph and Jotaro felt that, at last, the Joestar family's feud with Dio had come to an end.
After the battle, Polnareff, Kakyoin, Avdol, and Iggy decided to return with Renji's group. Though they wouldn't participate in KOF, they insisted on coming as a cheering squad for Renji and Jotaro.
"I can't shake a bad feeling about this…"
Watching their excited faces, Renji couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Would these guys end up causing trouble later?
Still, Dio was gone—so why hadn't Avdol or Iggy rewarded him yet?
Maybe only Polnareff, Kakyoin, Jotaro, and Joseph had rewards left to give?
A pity.
Renji had no desire to help someone as purely evil as Dio. If he'd chosen to kill them all in one go, he probably would've earned even more lottery draws.
He silently activated his reward system.
[Ding! Used one lottery chance. Congratulations! You have obtained: Azure Flame.]
"What?!"
Last time, the prize was Orochi's Blood. Now it was Azure Flame.
Was fate trying to turn him into an Iori Yagami clone?
At least his version of Orochi's Blood wouldn't drive him insane. It enhanced his body and power without corrupting his mind—perhaps that was the price of sanity.
After finishing their desert journey, the group hurried back. Before the tournament began, Renji arranged to meet with Kagura Chizuru. As teammates, they naturally had to get acquainted.
When Jotaro and Chizuru met, both fell silent.
Chizuru was wondering where Renji had found such a muscle-bound man, while Jotaro looked equally exasperated—another woman? He was far too popular for his own peace of mind.
"So, since we're officially entering KOF, we should come up with a team name."
The "Shiranui Team" was clearly off-limits.
If Mai Shiranui weren't participating—or weren't in another team—Renji might have used that name. But since she was, using it now would only be awkward.
"How about the JoJo Team?" Jotaro suggested.
"I think 'Men and Women Fighters' sounds better!" Joseph chimed in proudly.
"Seriously?"
Renji gave them both a deadpan look.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then how about this—Kami ni Aisarenai Tensai?"
"Rejected!!"
"No way!!"
What kind of name was that?! They'd be laughed off the stage before the first round even began!
Was he… actually a genius?
(End of Chapter)
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