Mista clutched his torn left shoulder; the blood vessels, bones, and muscles were completely separated, and his entire arm swung wildly in the air.
His face was pale, and he could no longer maintain normal movement. He leaned against the wall and collapsed beside it. With his back to the wall, he gazed at the alley formed by dilapidated rebar and pipes, silently looking up at the clear sky.
I'm probably going to die.
Just as he fully accepted death, he saw Johnson run past the other end of the alley.
"Johnson!" He let out the last bit of strength in his life and shouted.
Johnson followed the sound and found Mista lying on the ground, surprised to see his shoulder bleeding profusely, with bones and muscles completely severed.
Bucciarati's Steel Chain Fingers could truly tear people apart. Only he could open and close the zippers; once outside his range, they truly couldn't be closed.
"Mista!"
Johnson stared at Mista, wanting to heal him, but he was helpless. There was nowhere to find anything that could be used as a source of life. The Reversed Hierophant itself was not born for healing.
It was for deprivation; it was an evil deprivation.
Johnson's gaze fell on a few passing drug-addicted thugs. At that moment, his eyes widened slightly as he looked at the semi-conscious Mista. He took a deep breath. His goal was to become the best villain, and his ability seemed to be born for that purpose.
Just like his father, DIO, he absorbed others' life energy to enhance his own strength.
No matter what kind of villain, his actions ultimately boiled down to one thing—deprivation.
If he could learn to deprive, then he would truly be a villain in name and in fact.
Johnson Joffrey looked at the dying Mista.
"...Hey!" A ugly-looking thug with a crooked nose and squinted eyes walked behind Johnson. Johnson knelt emotionlessly in front of Mista.
"You two... um... three bastards..." The thug's eyes were half-open, clearly high. "Are you trying to steal my throne?!"
He roared loudly, then pulled out a knife, pointed it at Mista, and shouted, "You dead man! You want to steal my throne!" Then he pointed to the nearby trash can—
"Are you my guard!!!"
Johnson Joffrey tilted his head, then slowly stood up—
"With all due respect, someone like you really doesn't need to live. Why not sacrifice yourself for my brother?" Johnson Joffrey looked down at the unconscious Mista, as if speaking to the thug, and also as if speaking to himself:
"Once my brother and I get rid of Diavolo and ban drug trafficking, then your death will not have been in vain."
Speaking of himself, Johnson Joffrey suddenly turned around and grabbed the man by the neck—
"Uh... um..." The man struggled to breathe and couldn't move. His short, stout body was lifted into the air by Johnson Joffrey.
The Reversed Hierophant emerged from Johnson's body and punched the man in the chest—
Then it stopped moving.
Because a familiar voice interrupted him.
"Hey, Johnson, you're not really a bad guy, are you?" Mista leaned against the wall, breathing with difficulty. When Johnson heard him speak, he froze.
"I never believed you would do something like this," Mista said in a faint voice. "It would be much easier to become stronger by directly absorbing others' souls, just like your vampire father, but you didn't do that. The reason is that you are a man of principles."
"These are the principles I recognize. That's why I follow you. If you, as the mastermind, don't have the principles I imagined, then I won't agree to you using the Assassination Team."
"Although I'm a thug and I really want to follow you to power, betray Bucciarati, and agree even though I know you're deceiving the Assassination Team."
"That's because I know you will succeed, you will spare Bucciarati, and you will make the Assassination Team's dream come true."
"I also call these things the ability to distinguish right from wrong."
"I call it the ability to distinguish right from wrong." This sentence was familiar to Johnson Joffrey, because Kujo Jotaro had said the same thing to him.
I can get into fights and send people to the hospital. I can teach ill-mannered teachers a lesson. I can also eat at restaurants without paying.
But I can tell what truly disgusting evil is.
This is the Golden Spirit. Even the weak Mista could say the same words as the powerful Kujo Jotaro—
Because even ordinary people possess a Golden Spirit.
Once I learn to plunder, I will completely lose myself and transform into someone else's shape, becoming like those stereotypical villains in shonen manga.
"If you don't have such an ability, then even if it means death, I won't let you kill Bucciarati, and I certainly won't allow you to shatter the Assassination Team's dreams."
"I follow you because you are someone who faces difficulties without flinching, who could have absorbed my life energy but didn't, and who, despite knowing I'm just a Prison inmate, treated me with immense respect and told me about the path of destiny."
"Answer me, Johnson, are you such a person?"
Johnson Joffrey released his hand and placed the person on the ground—
"I've already told you," Johnson turned his head, looking down at Mista on the ground, "You remember this: even if I die, I won't let you misjudge me."
Johnson Joffrey slowly made this promise, signifying that he had completely abandoned the possibility of becoming a bad person in Mista's eyes.
This was the promise he made.
Mista closed his eyes, a pale smile on his face. Johnson carefully carried Mista on his back, walking through the desolate alley—
He looked at the path ahead, illuminated by bright daylight. The visible breeze blew into his crimson eyes. He had almost truly abandoned his principles as a human. The dam of kindness he maintained would have been breached by Reversed Hierophant, the ability he was so proud of, like an ant's nest.
"Johnson, what exactly do you want to do?"
"I don't know either, but I'm probably writing my story."
"That's great! I'm the second male lead then."
"Nonsense, you don't have that much screen time."
"Then your story definitely won't have a female lead."
Just as Johnson Joffrey was about to retort, his phone suddenly vibrated. Carrying Mista with one hand, he pulled out his phone, which read—
[The BOSS's ability can erase time for about ten seconds. He is currently at the hospital where Illuso is. Come quickly.]
Johnson Joffrey looked at the information Melone had acquired with shock. The Assassination Team was indeed not weak. He had still been wondering how to use Mista to spread information about King Crimson's ability, but he hadn't expected them to figure it out themselves.
"Amazing, Captain and Melone!" Mista exclaimed weakly.
Johnson's expression, however, hardened, "The Captain and the boss must be fighting, otherwise they couldn't have analyzed the boss's ability."
"Captain, he's in danger!"