The sun sank below the ground, and streetlights lit up one by one, casting warm yellow light over the shiny brick streets.
Workers getting off work, if they were married, hurried home to their wives, children, and warm beds.
If they were unmarried, they gathered in groups of three or five and slipped into nearby cheap taverns, ordering a cheap beer or whiskey. The topics they talked about were always the same.
Women, stupid bosses, how good the alcohol tasted today, strikes, women, stupid bosses… over and over again, until they were drunk out of their minds, then each went home to collapse into bed and sleep, ready to go back to tightening screws at the factory again tomorrow.
America in 1890 was facing an extremely important period of transformation.
Simply put, it was the conflict between ever-growing domestic productivity and relatively weak purchasing power.
The best way to solve this problem was to expand outward and dump goods overseas, but that would inevitably bring resentment from other countries, and even war.
Funny Valentine wanted the Saint's Corpse to solve this problem once and for all.
In the distance, factory chimneys spewed black smoke, most of it swallowed by the night and the lights.
Lucy lit a cigarette and brought it to her lips, taking a shallow drag. After lighting it, she held it upright in front of her eyes, lining it up with the factory chimney in the distance.
She was not smoking.
During the SBR race, Lucy had seen some contestants from the East. This was how they offered incense to the dead.
Lucy was offering incense to this city.
"Hey! Girl, you're up!"
A voice urged her from behind. Lucy stood up and walked out of the pitch-dark dressing room. With her head lowered, she walked down the corridor until she reached the end and stepped into a metal cage covered with red cloth.
Along with the clatter of machinery, the cage was hoisted up, swaying as it rose into the air. Then with a loud whoosh, the red cloth was yanked away.
The colorful canvas tent of the circus was stretched high above, and below it sat rows and rows of spectators. A wave of heat mixed with the smells of hay, popcorn, animals, sweat, and perfume rushed up together.
Countless eyes focused on Lucy inside the cage, wearing a tight short skirt, nothing on her upper body except a bandeau, her face thick with makeup.
The men's eyes were full of excitement. The women scolded her shamelessness with embarrassed looks. As for the children, their parents had already covered their eyes, not letting them look.
The brass band began to play.
Lucy lowered her head, forced out a fake smile, and began today's performance.
In the middle of a dance that was far too flashy, her gaze instinctively drifted downward.
Johnny was riding a donkey, racing around the circus ring below. A lion chased after him, and behind the lion was old lady Enya, swinging a whip.
She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Go, Johnny! Go!"
"Don't stop!"
Johnny's hands were broken, and he could not hold the reins at all. He could only barely keep his balance with his body. But just at that moment...
Bang!
A rotten egg smashed into Johnny's face, knocking him off the donkey.
It was thrown by a spectator.
The rotten eggs were provided by the circus. Ten cents a box.
Once the first one was thrown, more and more rotten eggs followed, smashing into him nonstop.
People shouted, "Die! Murderer!"
Their voices were full of rage.
Because of Funny Valentine's D4C Love Train, too many people had died for no reason.
After Dio invaded and revived Valentine, this blame was dumped onto Johnny.
Rumors spread that he was the son of a devil. Many people even came here on purpose just to throw a rotten egg at him.
Johnny struggled to get up, climbed back onto the donkey, and kept running in circles.
He had to do this.
Lucy also had to dance.
Because Gyro's and Steven Steel's souls were in the hands of the D'Arby brothers.
If Johnny and Lucy did not complete today's work, the two bodies without souls would receive no nourishment and slowly die.
Trapped in the iron cage, Lucy looked at the crazed crowd below, hurling rotten eggs. There was little anger in her eyes, only overwhelming pity and sadness.
Once upon a time, Johnny and Gyro had thrown steel balls and nail bullets, defeated President Valentine, and saved the world. And now, they were being beaten in the same way by the very people they had protected.
How tragic. How hateful.
Tragic were Johnny and the others, and also these ordinary people, manipulated by public opinion and reduced to Dio's little bread crumbs.
The hateful one…
Was naturally old lady Enya down there, swinging her whip.
Funny Valentine would not have gone to such trouble. He would have killed cleanly and directly.
Dio and Father Pucci would not bother too much with a group of "small fries."
Everything happening now was all old lady Enya's doing, just to entertain Dio.
Bang!
Another rotten egg hit Johnny.
He collapsed into the mud with a thud.
His stamina had reached its limit. He could not stand up anymore.
Old lady Enya's eyes widened as she lashed Johnny with her whip.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
As she whipped him, she cursed angrily, "Get up! Stand up for me!"
Seeing that Johnny still could not rise, she snapped the whip through the air, gathered strength, and lashed it toward Johnny's face.
If it hit, half his face would be torn open, and he might even lose an eye.
Suddenly, the long whip was grabbed tightly by a large hand.
It was the lion.
The big lion that chased Johnny every day during the performances had worked with him for so long that even an animal felt this was too cruel.
The lion stepped on the whip with its paw and let out a roar at old lady Enya.
"You dare defy me?!"
Old lady Enya's ugly, shriveled face trembled with anger.
Whoosh!
A fog appeared.
She summoned her Stand, Justice.
The huge skeletal illusion formed from mist lunged toward the lion and Johnny.
At that moment, the circus gate was kicked open violently. Gunshots rang out, bang bang bang, shattering all the lights. As people screamed, they instinctively looked toward the gate.
A tall figure stood there with his legs apart, blocking the entrance, and said coldly, "Old lady Enya, your time to die has come!"
Old lady Enya froze for half a second when she saw that figure. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Ryo… huh?"
The light from outside illuminated the side of his face.
That was no Ryosuke.
It was clearly that idiot Hol Horse.
Old lady Enya shouted, "You dare betray Lord Dio?!"
Hol Horse had a cigarette in his mouth and sneered.
"Dio's nothing! I'm rolling with the invincible boss Ryosuke now!"
'Boss… Ryosuke?'
Old lady Enya stiffly turned her head.
In the muddy ground, Ryosuke helped Johnny up. Hot Pants and Josuke worked together to rescue Lucy from the iron cage.
"You're here."
On Johnny's exhausted face, a long-lost smile appeared.
"You really made me wait a long time."
Ryosuke gently brushed the eggshells off Johnny and handed him a bottle of healing potion. Thinking of the long journey, he sighed softly.
"Yeah, we're back. It really was a long journey. But since we're back now..."
After drinking the potion, Johnny's broken arms and paralyzed legs were completely healed.
He stood up.
Lucy, Josuke, Hot Pants, and the others came to stand behind them.
An iron ball appeared in Ryosuke's hand.
Johnny summoned Tusk.
Pairs of cold eyes fixed on old lady Enya.
"It's time to settle accounts."