Stand—another supernatural power from the world of JoJo.
They generally appear in humanoid or object-like forms and possess a wide variety of abilities.
Stand users rely on their Stands to activate abilities, both great and small. And the terrifying ability of the Stand named [The World] is—
To stop time!
So, why would this Stand appear here?
Dia tried to make [The World] approach him, and it eventually faded into a phantom, merging with his body and disappearing. The water glass returned to Dia's hand as a result.
So this is... my Stand? Could it have been brought here by that head of Dio's?
The thought popped into Dia's mind, and at the same time, a mental connection confirmed it as fact.
Countless questions swirled in his mind, but Dia knew that his current mental and physical state was insufficient to support further investigation into this powerful Stand.
So, Dia could only suppress the myriad of doubts in his heart, put down the glass, and continue to perform his Ripple Breathing.
Ian walked home, his heart filled with worry, while Charlotte, happy that the temporary power was connected, strode ahead of him.
In the past four hours, Ian's old war buddy, Sheriff James, had told him two pieces of news—
First, the coastal hospital was hit by a tsunami triggered by last night's storm, and now, even the morgue had no beds for the mysterious, unidentified man back at his house.
However, someone had found a suitcase nearby. Inside, besides a large number of medical books and clothes, some identification documents were also found.
After confirming, Ian was fairly certain it was the man's suitcase.
The sheriff had also contacted the captain of the ship corresponding to the ticket in the suitcase and confirmed that a passenger with the surname Diego had fallen overboard last night. The captain was just about to report it to the police.
Knowing that there was no issue with Dia's identity, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. Since the hospital had no beds, he could just let him stay at his house for the time being.
Although Raya Town was small, the people were simple and honest. In a close-knit society, people were often generous in helping others.
The second piece of news, however, plunged Ian into worry. He recalled his conversation with James—
"Around 7 o'clock this morning, the Tongan City Police Department sent out an alert. A D-rank murderer broke out of containment during his arrest last night, killing three armed police officers and an expert from the Hunter Association."
James lit a cigarette and continued:
"The people over there think he might be heading our way and told us to be on alert."
"Hmm? Aren't they going to send people to search?"
Ian frowned. A criminal who killed three armed officers during his capture, and the city police weren't going to take action?
"No, because it's not a hundred percent certain he's coming here. The rain washed away all traces, and..."
James took a deep drag from his cigarette, his body leaning forward, clearly troubled by what he was about to say:
"Last night, someone in Tongan City reported seeing traces of the A-rank criminal organization, the [Phantom Troupe]. Almost all of the city's police force has been dispatched to find them. Don't spread this around; it could easily cause a panic."
Ian fell silent. As a former field medic who had served in the military, he had of course heard of the infamous Phantom Troupe.
To the south of Raya Town was the endless sea, and 40 kilometers north along the highway was Tongan City.
It could be said that if the Phantom Troupe decided to move, they could easily end up in Raya Town, and then no one would be able to stop those homicidal maniacs.
Of course, this might be needless worrying, but when lives were on the line, who would dare to take that gamble?
Upon returning home, Ian went straight to his room.
Dia, hearing the sound, stopped his Ripple Qigong and saw Ian push the door open, holding a suitcase.
"Someone found a suitcase. It has your ID, some clothes, and money inside. It should be yours, right?"
From his memories, Dia knew he did have a suitcase. He thought it had been lost when he fell into the water and was surprised it had been found.
He thanked Ian profusely and took the suitcase.
Dia checked it and, on a whim, took out some of the Hunter world's currency—Jenny—and said:
"I can never fully repay you for saving my life, but please accept this money."
Dia had always been one to repay kindness, especially the kindness of saving his life, which was why he had been willing to help Jonathan defeat Dio despite knowing the danger.
For Ian, who had also saved his life, Dia would not be stingy with his reward. This amount of money was nothing.
Ian did not refuse. He hesitated for a moment before accepting it and then said:
"It was just a small effort. However, there was an accident at the town's hospital, so you might have to continue staying at my place to recover. This money... just consider it rent and payment for food. Also, you can call me Uncle Ian or just Ian."
Dia naturally had no objections. Hospitals were full of surveillance cameras, and the light and electricity generated by his Ripple Qigong would be impossible to hide. Staying at Ian's house would save him a lot of trouble.
Suddenly, they heard a creak as the room door was pushed open again.
A cute girl peeked her round head through the door. While secretly observing Dia out of the corner of her eye, she called out loudly:
"Dad! The ingredients are ready! It's your turn to cook today! Go, go, go~"
Hearing this, Ian felt a bit of a headache dealing with his cheeky daughter.
Although he had raised her alone, he had never neglected her education. He didn't know how this girl had turned out so boisterous, completely unlike her mother.
Ian helplessly turned to introduce her to Dia:
"This is my daughter, Charlotte. Her mother passed away from an illness a long time ago. She might seem a bit cheeky, but she's actually very well-behaved."
Then he turned back to Charlotte and said:
"Why don't you take care of our guest here for a bit? I'll call you when dinner is ready. Remember to be polite!"
Dia wanted to say that he might actually recover faster if they didn't take care of him, but of course, he couldn't say that.
After readily agreeing and pushing Ian out, Charlotte immediately closed the door, turned to Dia on the bed, and excitedly began asking a barrage of questions:
"Can I call you Big Brother Dia? Are you really a student from the National Medical University, the one they say you have to be super smart or super rich to get into? Dad said you fell off a ship, so how did you end up at our house? And, and..."
Faced with this barrage of questions, Dia understood why Ian had specifically told the little girl to be polite before he left.
Although she had many questions, Dia patiently answered them one by one, while also asking about the situation in Raya Town.
Counting the memories from this body's original owner, Dia was a man of two lifetimes. He was more than capable of handling a conversation with a young girl who hadn't seen much of the world. Although it was their first time talking, they chatted happily.
From the conversation, Dia learned some important information. Firstly, although Raya Town was by the sea, it had no port, making it a relatively remote place. The people in the town were not wealthy, but they were content with their simple lives.
Charlotte's high school grades were not good, so she didn't get into university and now ran this restaurant with her father. There were almost no people her age in this small town.
At the same time, the news from Charlotte about the wanted criminal made Dia secretly frown.
'To be able to kill armed officers and a Hunter Association expert during his capture, he's very likely a Nen user.'
Although it wasn't certain that he would flee to Raya Town, when Dia heard this news, a sense of unease rose in his heart, and even the Ripple within him fluctuated slightly.
Compared to the Roman school of Ripple, the Ripple Qigong from the ancient eastern country was lacking in variety and combat power, but it possessed one unique advantage—a perception of the future.
Ever since Dia learned the Ripple, he had always been able to get a slight premonition before danger arrived. Dia called it his Ripple Sense.
'I'm afraid it's a case of 'speak of the devil.' This is trouble. If I have to face a Nen user, the best choice would definitely be to learn Nen...'
But without a teacher, the time required to open his Nen on his own was far too long. So, for Dia, the only option was to focus all his efforts on cultivating his Ripple.
Thinking of this, he immediately put on a tired expression, as if he were very weary.
Charlotte immediately noticed the weariness on his face, realized that Dia was still an injured person, and hastily told him to lie down and rest. She even tucked him in before tiptoeing out of the room.
After the little girl left, Dia closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
A short while later,
"Hoo—"
Dia once again entered the state of Ripple Breathing. He had to seize every moment to recover his body and prepare for the potential crisis to come.