Two squads.
[Dio Clone Search Squad]
[Members: Giorno, Higashikata Josuke, Second JoJo]
Responsible for going to parallel worlds of Stardust Crusaders to search for Dio's clones and successfully bring them back as weapons to deal with Dio.
In addition, if Kujo Jotaro is found during the search, he will naturally be brought back as well.
Second JoJo, who has already awakened Hermit Purple, is in his youth, and whose Ripple is at its absolute peak, will be responsible for locating and imprisoning Dio.
Giorno and Higashikata Josuke's job is to ensure that the Dio clone does not die during transport.
[World Exploration Squad]
[Members: Ryosuke, Uchiha Madara, Higashikata Josuke, and Hot Pants.]
The original core team, continuing to head to the remaining JOJO timelines to collect Saint's Corpse parts and tainted souls.
———
The group first arrived in the Stardust Crusaders world.
Ryosuke handed a piece of the Saint's Corpse and the D4C disc to Giorno.
D4C can bring people along with no limit on numbers. As long as both hands can grab them, and the "clamped" area is large enough, bringing three to five people is no problem.
Leaving behind a piece of the Saint's Corpse was for convenient communication between everyone.
Giorno nodded, took the Saint's Corpse and disc, and asked, "Have you decided which Stand you want to evolve into Requiem?"
"Not yet."
There is only one drop of destiny ink.
Once a wrong choice is made, it will greatly affect the direction of the war that follows.
Ryosuke needs to decide which Stand to promote to Requiem based on the progress of the "Arrow Plum Soul-Summoning Plan."
If the plan succeeds, the ninja world will gain the ability to withstand the impact of the calamity divine tree for a short time, and Ryosuke can shift more focus to fighting Dio.
Star Platinum Requiem is the optimal choice.
If the plan fails, Ryosuke will need to take care of rear defense as well. The Requiem chosen should preferably have composite abilities.
If forced into it, he would even have to consume resonance sound equipment to draw out defensive-type Stands like 20th Century Boy, and after promoting them to Requiem, use them to protect the ninja world.
Although facing an extremely powerful enemy while still worrying about everything else is not a good habit, but…
Ryosuke cannot possibly ignore his companions in the ninja world.
This is a race against time, and also a contest of foundations.
Whoever breaks through first will gain more advantage.
Hearing Ryosuke's answer, Giorno took out the Beetle Arrow and handed it over.
"In that case, let the arrow stay with you."
Seeing Ryosuke's surprise, Giorno explained, "We have an intelligence advantage and Ripple. Three against one is enough to handle it."
"With the Beetle Arrow in your hands, we can feel at ease."
Dio does not care about the Beetle Arrow, nor does he care about Requiem. That's why back then, he only controlled Giorno, without thinking of killing people or stealing the arrow to give it to other subordinates.
Perhaps in Dio's view...
The threat of the Beetle Arrow < Saint's Corpse < Jotaro < Dio's clones.
Giorno handed the Beetle Arrow to Ryosuke.
"As eight timelines shift, to better control the plan, Dio will observe from outside the worlds. Unless absolutely necessary, he won't enter."
"But… what if?"
If Dio suddenly acts on a whim and wants to seize the Beetle Arrow to further crush Ryosuke's hope, how would Giorno, who has already lost once, stop him?
"It's safest in your hands."
Ryosuke took the Beetle Arrow and gave Giorno a solemn nod.
They looked at each other, and an unspoken thought arose in their minds, "The person in front of me is a bit like me."
Serious, focused, absolutely rational in battle, yet valuing bonds with companions and always wanting to shoulder more responsibility.
Giorno smiled and said, "When everything is over, let's have a drink together."
Ryosuke nodded.
"Safe travels."
"Safe travels."
Both sides waved goodbye and turned to leave.
They did not say things like "be careful."
This journey was bound to be full of danger, with no road back.
No matter which side ran into trouble, those who remained would have to carry the fallen ones' beliefs and continue forward.
———
After that, Ryosuke went to the Golden Wind and Phantom Blood worlds.
One after another, he defeated…
Forget it. Ryosuke couldn't be bothered to list the dishes.
After experiencing the battle with Giorno, other enemies like vampire Dio or Risotto Nero's Metallica were simply too unremarkable.
Tainted souls +8, now 21 total.
Saint's Corpse parts +2, now 7 total (Ryosuke has 6, Giorno's squad took 1).
Teammates +1, Jonathan Joestar, joined the squad.
The only unexplored timelines left are Stone Ocean and Steel Ball Run.
They once again boarded the Saint's Corpse's golden boat, sailing through the sea of mist.
"Every time we come out of a different timeline, the ride feels worse," Josuke said.
The vines of the calamity divine tree were growing more and more numerous. They had no choice but to weave up and down through gaps in the trunk, putting on a show of speed and thrills.
"If this keeps up, my butt's going to be shaken into four pieces."
Hot Pants was a straightforward woman and not shy at all. She said bluntly, "Isn't that perfect? It matches your 'four balls.'"
Uchiha Madara, who was drinking water, coughed twice and almost choked.
Josuke sighed helplessly.
How did Higashikata Daija end up spreading his secret?
He glanced back at Ryosuke, who stood at the very front of the golden boat, hands behind his back, brows slightly furrowed in thought. Josuke felt as if invisible yet incredibly heavy pressure was being carried on Ryosuke's shoulders.
In terms of time, Josuke had known Ryosuke for only a few days.
But he had the illusion of having known Ryosuke for a long time.
This illusion did not come from memories of parallel worlds, but from the sense of security that naturally arose from watching Ryosuke's back during action after action.
"So cool."
Josuke rested his chin on his hand and muttered softly.
"There probably isn't a woman who could refuse this kind of charm, right? Compared to Teacher Ryosuke… I really fall far short."
"Why?" Hot Pants asked.
Josuke held up three fingers. "Because the ideal situation is splitting into three teams."
"One team searches for Dio's clones."
"One team looks for Saint's Corpse parts and is ready at any time to face Dio directly."
"And one team goes upstream along the calamity divine tree to deal with Kars and Wonder of U, stopping the tree's growth."
Josuke pointed at himself. "Among them, the person most suitable to deal with Wonder of U is me."
"Teacher Ryosuke once took time to explain the principle of Soft & Wet's bubbles to me."
His bubbles are spheres formed by a line spinning at high speed.
The essence of Soft & Wet's ability is a line, not a sphere.
Because the thickness of this line is "infinitely close to zero" but never actually reaches "zero," during this process, it generates energy that surpasses the world.
This energy that does not exist in the world will appear from the back of Josuke's neck after he fires the bubble.
As long as Josuke masters this energy, Soft & Wet will upgrade to Soft & Wet, Go Beyond without using the Beetle Arrow or special rituals.
It will then possess the power to transcend calamity.
It sounds a bit complicated, but simply put... A hard counter to Wonder of U.
Ryosuke explained it clearly to Josuke.
But…
Josuke still could not grasp it.
Just a little short, just one step away.
Uchiha Madara glanced at him and said quietly, "Life is like this. Many things, if you can do them, you can do them. If you can't, you can't. No matter how much reasoning you hear, in the end, it still depends on you."
In the original story, Higashikata Josuke comprehended the power of "transcendence" in a life-and-death confrontation with Wonder of U.
Many times, people need an external force to give them a push.
If knowing the principle were enough to do it easily, Ryosuke wouldn't have spent so much time cultivating the Golden Spin back then.
Josuke asked, "Brother Madara, are there ninjutsu you can't learn?"
"No. Any ninjutsu, I learn it the moment I see it."
Josuke, "..."
"But…"
Uchiha Madara thought of his failed life. There were too many things he could only yearn for but never reach. Compared to those things, struggling over mastering a skill that fate dictates he will eventually learn… Is also a kind of happiness.
———
[Stone Ocean, SPW Foundation Hospital]
Inhuman roars echoed through the night sky. Streetlights had long been smashed, leaving only the flames from exploded cars burning fiercely.
Bodies of SPW Foundation security personnel in suits were scattered everywhere.
Blood flowed out, then was burned and evaporated by the flames. The air was filled with a sickly sweet stench of blood that made humans shudder.
But to the thousands of vampires transformed by the Stone Mask, this was an atmosphere of extreme excitement, a fanaticism party.
Pairs of crimson eyes stared at the hospital building, looking through the windows at the three people trapped in the corridors, Kujo Jolyne.
Anasui.
And the legendary boy, Emporio.
Using Diver Down's ability, Anasui had repeatedly taken damage for Jolyne and Emporio.
Now he was at his limit, leaning in Jolyne's arms, his eyes dull and lifeless, clearly close to death.
"Jolyne!"
Emporio took out hemostatic gauze he had grabbed from a hospital room during their escape.
Jolyne understood his intent and summoned Stone Free, turning it into threads to bandage Anasui.
But at that moment, the windows on the outer side of the corridor shattered one after another with loud bangs. Hundreds of vampires poured in with vicious grins, pouncing straight at Jolyne.
She had no choice but to retract the threads, reform Stone Free, and throw punches to fight back.
Jolyne forced the vampires back.
But Anasui fell into the enemy's hands.
The vampire holding Anasui was bald, fat, buck-toothed, baring fangs, breathing rapidly, disgusting saliva constantly dripping from his mouth.
There had long been a rumor among vampires, by draining the blood of a Stand user, there is a chance to become a new Stand user.
Now that Lord Dio dominates the world, who wouldn't want to climb higher?
This disgusting vampire was about to bite down when he suddenly sensed something was off. He looked up and saw the exhausted Kujo Jolyne slowly straighten her back and look around at the vampires.
"When I was little, my silly great-grandfather told me that when he was young, he wiped out a whole bunch of vampires. Stuff as disgusting as you..."
Stone Free punched open the "operating room" door, threads flying inside.
The next second, it pulled back an ultraviolet lamp.
"You're afraid of sunlight!"
Click!
The ultraviolet lamp released its light.
In an instant, hundreds of vampires turned to ash amid their wails.
Seeing these seemingly unkillable enemies finally die, Jolyne let out a sigh of relief and nodded to Emporio. The information that operating rooms are equipped with UV lamps for sterilization was something Emporio had told her.
Outside the hospital building, even more vampires lurked in the darkness, afraid to enter because of the UV lamp.
Jolyne seized the chance and rushed toward Anasui.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept through.
Rip!
The fierce wind was like blades. Thin lines of blood burst from both of Jolyne's slender calves. With a thud, she dropped to one knee, unable even to stand, let alone save anyone.
An even more violent wind appeared. Weather Report, his entire body shining with black light, floated in midair and entered through the shattered window.
Jolyne took a disc from her chest and threw it to Emporio.
"Leave this to me. Go wake up my father!"
Emporio caught the disc.
Imprinted on it was the face of Kujo Jotaro.
Jotaro's Stand disc had already been recovered by Jolyne back at Green Dolphin Prison. Now Jotaro was in a state of having a Stand but no memories, recuperating in this SPW Foundation hospital.
According to the original plot, Jolyne and Father Pucci were supposed to have their final battle at the space center.
But…
Super Dio and another Father Pucci appeared.
Everything changed.
Ermes died.
The dead Weather Report was revived and then controlled.
And then…
Dio let them go.
His exact words were, "Letting Jotaro's daughter watch her father never wake up is quite interesting."
Not long after, Dio and the other Father Pucci left.
Things were so chaotic that Jolyne couldn't even understand what had happened. She only knew that once her father woke up, there might be a turning point.
So she, Emporio, and Anasui worked together to steal the disc from this world's Father Pucci. During their escape, they were discovered and chased all the way to this point.
Jolyne handed both the disc and the UV lamp to Emporio, staying behind alone to face Weather Report and the countless vampire army outside.
"Come on! Weather!"
Emporio was not a sentimental child. With tears in his eyes, he picked up the UV lamp and rushed toward the stairs.
Jotaro's hospital room was upstairs.
Click! Click!
Crisp footsteps of leather shoes on the stairs echoed.
Emporio hurriedly raised the UV lamp and shone it forward.
It had no effect.
Of course it had no effect.
Because the one walking down was Father Pucci.
Emporio hurriedly threw away the UV lamp and pulled out a revolver from his chest.
Before he could aim, C-Moon appeared and grabbed Emporio by the neck with one hand.
Bang!
Inside and outside flipped.
Emporio's throat and spine were exposed, blood spraying everywhere.
Unable to breathe, massive blood loss, spinal dislocation… any one of these was enough to kill a child.
C-Moon casually tossed Emporio away, throwing him back in front of Jolyne.
Father Pucci walked over step by step and said, "God gave you blessings. God gave you forgiveness. Why don't you know gratitude?"
The "God" he referred to was naturally Dio, who had already ascended to heaven.
"Since you have no interest in heaven, then..."
Father Pucci pointed downward.
"Please go to hell."
Buzz!
C-Moon activated its ability.
A gravity field appeared. With her already injured legs, Jolyne could no longer control her body and slammed heavily onto the floor. A sweetness rose in her throat as blood surged up.
Her internal organs had been damaged under the pressure.
Suddenly, a thunderous shout came from above.
"ORA!"
Bricks shattered. The unconscious Jotaro fell down, Star Platinum appearing beside him, throwing punches instinctively.
Father Pucci froze for half a second, then sneered.
"Even without memories, you still have the instinct to protect your daughter? What a father's love. Then I'll kill Kujo Jolyne right in front of you..."
A hand grabbed his throat and lifted him up.
Ryosuke looked at him coldly.
"Who are you trying to kill?"
Father Pucci's expression instantly turned to shock.
Then came… fear from the depths of his heart.
Father Pucci had never seen Ryosuke, but he could never forget these eyes. He subconsciously called out the name, "Ryo… suke…"
Behind him, Hot Pants was busy saving people. Seeing an enemy, Weather Report controlled fierce winds, turning them into blades and attacking again, but was knocked away by a massive war fan.
"Controlled again. So I can't kill you? Boring."
Uchiha Madara stepped on the head of a vampire that had just lunged at him and looked indifferently at Weather Report.
"This road is blocked."
Ryosuke did not pay attention to what was happening behind him. When C-Moon saw Father Pucci being attacked, it immediately struck at Ryosuke, but another C-Moon appeared.
Bang!
Two punches collided, canceling each other out.
At the same time, a drawn-out "Yo" echoed through the corridor.
"Yo, who's this?"
"Isn't this the universally hated, black-skinned, black-hearted, black-asshole Father Pucci?"
White Snake put one hand on its hip and sized Father Pucci up and down, asking, "Didn't you come back from the dead?"
"White Snake?!"
Father Pucci could not believe that he was seeing the White Snake he had abandoned!
"It's your grandpa!"
White Snake said as it took the Saint's Corpse from Ryosuke's hand and smashed it down on Father Pucci's forehead like a brick, actually cracking his skull with the Saint's Corpse.
Blood flowed out, and the black light on Father Pucci's body was dispelled.
White Snake slapped Father Pucci across the face.
Zzzzt~ Click!
Two discs popped out.
Seeing Father Pucci under attack, the thousands of vampires outside let out howls and rushed into the hospital together, roaring as they charged at Ryosuke.
"Be careful!"
Jolyne shouted, controlling her threads to grab the UV lamp and try to help Ryosuke.
Ryosuke only glanced back.
The aura of an Ultimate Lifeform was released without restraint.
All the vampires froze in place. Fear sprouted from the depths of their hearts, and in the next second, they screamed and fled.
The moment they took a step, the sky suddenly brightened.
The vampires looked up,
The sky was filled with Ripple crystals suspended in the air. The power of the blazing sun contained within them made the vampires tremble even from hundreds of meters away.
Jolyne stared at Ryosuke with her mouth half open.
Ryosuke did not make any grand movements. He simply raised one finger. Without even looking again at the vampires outside, as he took out Father Pucci's discs, the finger came down.
"AAAAAAH!!!!"
Amid the piercing screams, thousands of vampires were wiped out.