"So it turns out… all the mistakes were because of me."
That thought flashed by.
Then it disappeared from Ryosuke's mind.
Ryosuke had reformed so many countries and changed countless worldlines in the Naruto world. Every change meant old villains dying, and new villains finding new chances to harm others.
Ryosuke would not take Father Pucci's and Dio's sins onto himself. The American Civil War would not agree either.
He was only feeling a bit emotional.
Nothing in the world stays the same.
And then, it gave him one more reason to kill Father Pucci and Dio.
Buzz... Buzz...
The Saint's Corpse flickered with light once more, signaling that the spatial coordinates had been saved, and that Ryosuke could set out again.
Ryosuke stood within the curtain of light.
"Only one last timeline left."
From the very beginning, Hot Pants had set out on this journey to save Johnny, Gyro, and the others, going to seek Ryosuke's help.
She never expected that after going around such a huge circle, they would only reach the Steel Ball Run world at the very end.
Hot Pants felt both anticipation and fear.
Along the way, she had seen too much death, including many "protagonists" of their own timelines.
What if Johnny, Gyro, Lucy, Steven Steel… what if everyone was already dead?
Ryosuke gently patted her shoulder.
"If they're alive, we save them."
"If they're dead, we take revenge."
No one who had made it this far would choose to give up halfway.
Moved by Ryosuke's emotions, Hot Pants took a deep breath, firmly grabbed his hand, and nodded. Ryosuke could feel the strength coming from her palm. There was no romance in it. She was using this method to drive away her worry.
Ryosuke nodded back at her.
"Let's go."
Golden light swallowed everything.
Leaving behind Jolyne Kujo, Emporio, and Anasui.
Ryosuke and the others stepped onto their final journey.
———
[Steel Ball Run]
[1890, New York]
At dusk, Ryosuke and his group appeared on the lawn by the east bank of the New York East River, right next to the famous Brooklyn Bridge.
It was 6 p.m. local time. Pedestrians could be seen coming and going, mixed with horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles. On the river, steamships sailed by one after another.
Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, paired with the natural smiles of people getting off work, it was a scene that could truly be called peaceful and calm.
But no one relaxed their guard.
Everyone summoned their Stands, ready to face any unknown attack.
After waiting for quite a while, no enemy attack came. Instead, a gentle, low song drifted over from the other end of the lawn.
Ryosuke walked over first, with the others following closely behind. After turning a corner, they saw a man and a woman sitting on the grass.
The man was tall and well-built, with blond hair and a cowboy hat on his head. A cigarette was held in his mouth, and a wooden guitar rested in his arms.
He played and sang at the same time, occasionally taking a drag, then gently blowing smoke toward the woman with a carefree, roguish smile.
The woman was completely charmed, stars practically in her eyes, half her body leaning against him.
When the song ended, the woman hurriedly clapped in praise and leaned in to ask for a kiss.
The man puckered his lips and was about to kiss her...
When his peripheral vision caught sight of Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke?!"
The man raised his hand, and a rotating revolver appeared in his palm, tightly gripped.
This person was once one of Dio's subordinates.
[Hol Horse]
[Stand ability: The Emperor, a handgun with infinite bullets that can freely control its direction.]
Ryosuke did not rush to make a move. He first shifted his gaze to the love-struck woman and said softly, "Miss, we have something to discuss. Could you please leave for a moment?"
The woman was just about to get what she wanted and did not want to leave. But when she saw Ryosuke, her face flushed red. Dazed, she stood up and ran off.
Only after she left did Ryosuke look back at Hol Horse.
By now, Hol Horse had obediently placed the revolver to the side and taken off his cowboy hat. He sat kneeling on the lawn.
After thinking for a moment, he even pulled a bottle of alcohol from his bag and asked ingratiatingly, "Would you like a drink?"
Such a cooperative scene left everyone a little stunned.
Along the way, they had encountered Dio's subordinates and even allies who had been controlled.
Which one of them had not acted like they had rabies, screaming as they charged in?
Someone like Hol Horse, who surrendered on the spot without even fighting, was a first.
He had even summoned his Stand just to put it aside and show how well-behaved he was.
Josuke Higashikata was dumbfounded. "You're not going to shoot?"
Hol Horse kept kneeling and said, "I'm weak, not stupid. With this one here..."
He pointed at Jotaro Kujo.
"And this one."
He pointed at Ryosuke.
"What am I even fighting for?"
Unlike the others who were loyal to Dio, Hol Horse was not drawn by Dio's personality, nor was he interested in the future or conquering worlds.
He was in it purely for the money.
And for picking up women in different worlds.
Hol Horse had no intention of risking his life against Ryosuke. Besides, with his "I'd rather be number two than number one" personality, even the teammate Dio assigned him, Funny Valentine, had already run off somewhere. Why would he rush in alone?
Staying alive was what mattered.
Anyway, this was not the first time he had betrayed Dio. He was already very experienced at it.
"Besides you, who else is in this timeline?" Ryosuke asked.
Hol Horse said, "Old lady Enya, the D'Arby brothers, and Funny Valentine… but President Valentine, a while ago, I don't know what wind he caught, he just disappeared for no reason."
"Thinking about it now, he probably heard you all were coming, and as Dio's lapdog, he got scared and ran."
Everyone looked at the flattering smile on his face as he spoke.
For a moment, it was hard to tell who the real lapdog was.
Hot Pants asked the question she cared about most. "Johnny, Gyro, Lucy, and Mr. Steven Steel. Where are they?"
The current New York was peaceful and calm, as if nothing had happened at all.
But considering Dio's disgusting sense of amusement, he most likely let the civilians live normally and specifically targeted those who dared to resist him.
When Hol Horse heard that list of names, his expression immediately became unnatural. Seeing his reaction, the group closed in around him. He forced a smile uglier than crying and threw out a location.
"The circus."
"They're all at the circus."
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