System, start.
Ten draws... twenty... thirty... forty...
Logan remained unmoved.
There were 299 pulls available—there was no way he wouldn't get a five-star drop eventually. No, it wasn't just about probability. It was...
Belief.
Logan trusted his intuition.
It would appear.
The five dazzling golden stars would descend. It was only a matter of time.
Fifty draws. Still nothing.
Sixty...
Suddenly, his vision darkened. Among the infinite stars, ten descended. One of them shone with blinding brilliance.
Here it comes.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Five stars.
As the brilliant light faded, Logan saw it clearly.
Not a Stand.
A five-star item.
---
Item: Saint's Crown of Thorns
Origin: From Part 7 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, "Steel Ball Run". A holy relic, worn by the saint during his life, stained with the blood and soul's radiance of the saint's head.
Effect: Cannot be owned or worn by those with selfish desires. It is indestructible and cannot be hidden. It will always remain visible under the eyes of mankind.
Once worn, it may bring about incomprehensible miracles and guide fate—but may also subject the wearer to equal trials.
---
"Is this considered part of the saint's remains?" Logan murmured.
He recalled the relics from Steel Ball Run: nine in total—the left arm, right arm, eyes, heart, spine, ears, legs, torso, and head.
When gathered, these remains would bless their holder and the land they occupied.
But the crown of thorns?
The saint's silhouette, as drawn by Hirohiko Araki, did feature a crown... but could this really count as a part of the remains?
Logan's gaze lingered on the description: "stained with the blood and soul light of the saint's head."
That might be what elevated its power to match the saint's relics. With the ability to guide fate and summon miracles, it was worthy of five stars.
If the effect weren't so unstable and unpredictable, it might even rank as six stars.
Logan considered for a moment, then placed the Crown of Thorns gently onto Sasuke's head.
Logan didn't believe in fate.
But he hoped for a miracle.
The crown pierced Sasuke's skin. Blood trickled down his forehead—then suddenly, as if someone had pressed "rewind," the blood reversed its flow. The wound closed, and the curse mark on Sasuke's neck began to retreat. It crawled backward, flowing in reverse, unraveling its way through his entire body.
Jiraiya stared in disbelief.
"What... is this?" he muttered. "This isn't ninjutsu, or chakra, or any natural energy I've ever seen."
As a sage arts expert, Jiraiya was highly sensitive to natural energy. But this... this was beyond logic.
It was almost like...
Turning back time.
Sasuke's body, which had been on the verge of collapse—assaulted by the curse seal, chakra disruption, and ripple backlash—now hovered in a state between life and death, slowly returning to stability.
"This is simply..." Jiraiya turned to Logan, who had retrieved the crown as if it were just another tool.
"It's a miracle."
Logan corrected him. "No—a Saint's miracle."
Jiraiya blinked. "What's the difference?"
Logan only shook his head, not answering.
The miracle had arrived. Now, fate would decide where Logan would go from here.
---
Draw again.
Seventy... eighty... ninety...
The wait this time felt unusually long.
Not until draw one hundred eighty did the stars fall again.
But Logan didn't look. He closed his eyes and listened.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Four tones.
His eyes snapped open. The light condensed into a shimmering mask.
---
Stand Name: Rainbow Catcher
Rating: ★★★★
Owner: Blackmore
Abilities: Can only be used when it rains. Able to freeze raindrops that hit the user's body. The user is immune to rain.
Level: 1
Note: "When the storm stops, I will die—will it be the same for you, Logan?"
---
A four-star Stand after a five-star item. 120 draws apart. Was this fate's guidance?
Or just bad luck?
Logan exhaled deeply and suppressed his emotions.
Continue.
Another ten-draw combo was initiated. Before it even completed, he queued up another.
Then—again—the sky darkened.
Another five-star drop? So soon?
Could this cursed JOJO gacha system, known for its zero-guarantee mechanics that would be illegal in the real world, finally be showing mercy?
Logan watched the sky, where five brilliant echoes rang out.
A flash of light revealed a humanoid figure.
---
Stand Name: White Snake
Rating: ★★★★★
Owner: Enrico Pucci
Abilities:
Disc Extraction: Can create two types of discs—Memory and Stand/Ninjutsu—by striking the enemy's "heart."
Viewing a memory disc reveals the owner's past.
Inserting a Stand/Ninjutsu disc into another person grants them that ability.
Losing a memory disc causes amnesia.
Losing a Stand/Ninjutsu disc induces coma or suspended animation.
Command Discs: Commands can be written onto a disc, which forces the implanted target to act accordingly.
Dissolving the Mind: Releases a white acidic fluid that traps enemies in a dream state. Victims remain unaware unless they realize they are dreaming.
Evolution: Has the potential to evolve into C-Moon under certain conditions.
Level: 1
Note: "It seems you're still one step behind."
---
Logan observed the Stand closely.
It was tall and slim, a pale white with a philosophical black mask, and had the letters "GΔCT" patterned across its body. It stood with one hand on its hip, head tilted, radiating arrogance.
"So it's White Snake."
Logan frowned slightly.
What he truly wanted to save Sasuke was Crazy Diamond or Golden Experience. Both had restorative powers that could easily heal Sasuke and negate the curse.
But...
White Snake might work too.
Orochimaru had successively targeted Uchiha Itachi, Logan, and now Sasuke. This behavior revealed his gradual, desperate descent—driven by greed for the Sharingan and a new vessel.
Even after repeated defeats, Orochimaru clung to his ambitions, leaving the curse mark on Sasuke like a virus.
Logan suspected the mark had a deeper function—tracking, control... like a Trojan horse program.
The one who ties the bell must untie it. If they could capture Orochimaru, they could forcibly undo the curse.
But Orochimaru was a master escape artist. Half his skills were dedicated to self-preservation. Capturing him would be near-impossible—and even then, there was no guarantee he wouldn't leave behind a trap.
Which made White Snake... a perfect solution.
Thanks to the system's adaptability, White Snake's ability had expanded beyond "Stand" to include Ninjutsu.
As long as Logan could find Orochimaru and extract his disc, Sasuke could be safely treated without risking a trap or ambush.
And the benefits didn't end there.
Orochimaru was one of the Legendary Sannin. He possessed countless forbidden jutsu, vast knowledge of the ninja world, and unmatched mastery over human experimentation.
Whether it was training Kohaku and Xiaotao, tracking elite ninjas, or studying the effects of nature energy on his own body, Orochimaru's abilities would be invaluable.
Logan glanced at the Crown of Thorns still resting on Sasuke's head, then back at White Snake.
A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes.
"The shortest path... might be the longest detour."
He had 110 pulls left, but he stopped.
There was no guarantee anymore. Lightning rarely struck twice.
From Hermit Purple's long-range reconnaissance, to Aerosmith's kilometer-wide radar, to Star Platinum's direct power—and now White Snake's disc manipulation—Logan had gathered all the tools he needed.
"Then let's go."
He lifted Sasuke onto his back.
At that moment, Jiraiya, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"Leave Sasuke to me. I'll take him back to Mount Myōboku and ask the Great Toad Sage for help."
pàtreøn (Gk31)