Little announcement: Dio’s Stand is revealed in this chapter. I’ve no drawing about it, but I’ve a description to it. If anyone is interested in making a proper fanart, I would be happy to listen up to anyone willing to do anything about it. (All of this through DMs/PMs.)

Capitolo Primo: Giovinezza (14)

“So you think you’ve come close to unleash something from within. Something that is meant to represent your fighting spirit,” Muddiburi summarized calmly, sitting by the patch of grass close to the river.

We were not alone in that clearing as Jonathan was currently trying to unlock his Hamon together with Bhediya. I had expected for the young Joestar to be interested in the fascinating technique meant to save lives, but I was surprised when the werewolf had decided to join in with this endeavor.

Bringing him there proved to be easy with Muddiburi literally taking detours to pick him off from the headquarters.

The long-haired teen was eager to learn about this skill, having heard just a few tidbits from the monk, but having no clue of how he was supposed to spark the process.

I had offered both boys the book containing the instructions to follow for their first step in the sublime art of the Ripple, and both were trying their own ways to do that.

With Jonathan trying to meditate, but failing miserably as he couldn’t help but shiver whenever a sudden gust of wind would hit his barely-dressed body (the swimsuit offered plenty of openings right to his skin).

Bhediya had adopted a stranger approach, but one close to the one I had tried out to unlock my own reserves.

Waddling against the flow of the river, a certain dog was trying his best to not get dragged away from the non-negligible power of the stream, while also trying to tap in his inner self and unleash the Hamon within himself.

Two days had gone by since I’ve first introduced Jonathan to the rest of the group I was forming. He was positively impressed by what he had seen the first day around, and he had showed some interest in visiting once again whenever he had free time to spare for the trip.

I was happy that my efforts about the matter had returned quite the huge gain by making sure that JoJo knew that, while I was doing something technically bad, I was doing it to create a condition of good for many of those that shouldn’t be capable of having a safe and happy life.

But what truly enveloped him to the cause was the story offered by Bhediya about the reason why an Indian boy like him was living here in London of all possible places.

Bhediya was taken care about only by his father. The man was himself a werewolf, the head of the family that for generations had to deal with this ‘connection’ to nature itself.

Living in an isolated village, the boy lived the first ten years of his life without facing any issues with the world around him.

Trouble rose when the British started to make sweeping controls over the region where the small family of two lived after a couple of minor revolts had sparked in the area, and the soldiers started to question the village for any suspicious characters to be wary about.

Bhediya’s father was instantly considered a possible threat, but not because of his transformation being revealed (it wasn’t, and that makes the whole situation even the most disappointing), but because of how much of a hermit he had turned into after his wife had died by childbirth.

His father sacrificed his chances of survival to see younger werewolf to be hauled to the closest main port and sent away from India. While it sounded so odd for it to be a good reason to exile so far away a young child, the real motivation behind the sudden trip was related to the last wish from the man.

He had wanted to see his son grow away from the place that gave him the most pain, and to be sent in a place where he would become a good man.

Great Britain was the viable destination, mostly because it would’ve been easier to explain why an Indian boy had ended up in such a place so suddenly.

Two years went by and the long-haired teen learned much from the streets of London. It was around this period of time that he ended up meeting with Sarah.

The story from this point onward is quite… fuzzy. Or rather, it wasn’t left to many details as the previous bits because Bhediya didn’t feel sure about giving up this much important information to a ‘stranger’.

While Jojo and him hit it off pretty well, there was still a lingering sense of distrust born from living in poverty. I didn’t push him to talk, as I couldn’t see a reason to do that.

I didn’t need to rush him or anything, and I knew that pressing my luck around him now that he was in the headquarters could create some unneeded tension between my other workers.

And I wouldn’t want to make my own chances of success slimmer because of that.

Still, the most important bit was that Jonathan was growing more accepting of this reality. He looked fairly influenced by the encounters, having become a good friend with the ‘children-beloved’ Speedwagon.

I was still surprised that the blond was actually someone that had a good way to entertain kids, but I guess that’s part of his jovial charisma. He is a good man with rough manners and a blunt personality.

He was very far from becoming Part 2’s Speedwagon, and I sure as hell was going to keep the memories of ‘young upstart Speedwagon’ saved up for some future teasing.

And while Jojo had kept particularly tense while speaking with his father about the usual topics, he seemed to have realized that keeping up some open opposition at the imperialistic tendencies of the British Empire was going to do more harm than good to him and his cause. Especially with his own father barring him the chances to make a stand for himself over the matter.

Quite dreadful that he was literally having rebellious ideas that could easily screw George’s contracts with other merchants if news got out. Hopefully the old Joestar knows how to bribe people to keep quiet.

I don’t know if Jonathan had also managed to speak with Erina about this very topic. The young Joestar had been keeping quiet about that front as of now, and I really wasn’t sure if that should be a good thing or not.

Maybe he hadn’t told her, but considering how close they were and how many times they would meet each week, I wouldn’t be surprised that the girl was now aware of this and much more.

But if Mr. Pendleton had yet to knock at our door and demand explanations about his daughter’s mind getting polluted by some ‘silly gentlemanish fool’, then there was a high chance she hadn’t told her father anything.

Still, while I knew that the blonde was way more careful in keeping sensible topics away from conversations with specific people, I would imagine that the love she had for her father would hold her from lying to him under enough pressure.

But the real issue now wasn’t Jojo, Erina, or anyone else. In fact, while I knew that I had to keep an eye for any attacks from Wang Chan, I wasn’t certainly allow myself to slack over my chances of improving my combat prowess.

Now that I had gained a decent mastery of the imperfect Spin and an adequate level of Hamon training, I saw it important to finally focus on something I had tried to avoid up until now.

I needed to bring out my Stand and get my capacity to fight in close quarters heightened by the ‘assisting spirit’.

Muddiburi was initially perplexed when I first brought up the existence of Stands. He started mentioning how it all reminded him of possessions and malicious spirits, things that were terrible and bad in his limited death list. He was hard to convince at first, but after listening to my assurances that it wasn’t such a thing and that Hamon would’ve worked to purge any evil entity already, the man seemed to grow more accepting of this concept.

And even more interested on the matter by the various questions he had given for me to answer back quickly and readily.

Still, the problem persisted.

Even with the fact that I had someone as experienced in the world of the spiritual as Muddiburi, the task before us was a tedious and difficult one. How was I supposed to bring out something that wasn’t known to anyone but… me?

I wasn’t sure if the Monk could’ve actually see the Stand if it ended up revealed, and there wasn’t much told about ‘how to bring out a Stand’ in the Jojo lore.

“Simple meditation will not do,” Muddiburi confirmed with a sigh. “What you’re describing is something that transcend the enlightenment many Masters would be capable of attaining through devoted predication to the Buddha.”

I blinked at his comment, and frowned at the way he had phrased this analysis. “Do you have something that could help?”

A smile replaced the thin line made by his lips, and he nodded as he brought out from his bag several ingredients and tools to create… something.

I stared as the tall man went through quite the interesting process, quietly waiting for him to be done as I watched over the careful but still quick-paced operation.

The end result was quite… unexpected.

The possible solution manifested in the form of a potion created by the Tibetan Monk.

A concoction created with ancient herbs and other spices coming from his shop, either among the items sold by him or even kept from public eye for important circumstances. I wasn’t sure if this counted as a drug or not, but then again I wasn’t going to reach deep within myself by merely drinking water.

Taking a brief sigh while grasping carefully at the steamy cup filled with the dark-brown liquid, I tried my best to hide my grimace at whatever monstrosity was bubbling in that container.

The smell was already getting me a little bit dizzy, and I quickly realized that what I was holding was one of the most powerful sedative one could’ve asked from antiquity.

Gulping nervously, I mustered up my cynical bravery to lift up the cup… only to be stopped by Muddiburi.

The man regaled me with a serious look. “Before you go, you need to know that what you’re searching for might be guarded,” He explained with a calm tone. “Many men had gone through the trial imposed by this potion, but only a handful had returned in a single piece… both mentally and physically.”

I wonder how many individuals actually died through this ‘trial’. Muddiburi didn’t say anything about deaths, but to lose my mind or even suffer through some physical crippling wasn’t just acceptable.

And while I had my own reservations about going through with this challenge, I knew that this was the best way to unlock my Stand at the moment. And whatever will come out of it, may it be ｢The World｣ or even something inferior, I still needed to try.

I couldn’t falter now that I could make more steps toward my final objective. Not now.

“I will not back away from the chances of bringing out my potential,” I replied with a sense of pride. “It might sound like greed, but I’m fairly certain of my aim. I will not step away from this trial.”

“You might lose yourself,” The monk continued to explain, his hold over my right hand tightening a little bit. “Would you risk it all for the chance of finding your secret ability.”

I was tense, a little paler on my already-pale complex… but I wasn’t showing anything that could suggest reluctance over my current decision.

It was now or never. I will probably face worse odds that these, and I couldn’t certainly bow down at the first hint of deadly danger.

“I would. My world for ｢The World｣,” I rebuked earnestly. “That’s the truest exchange one would commit to for the step meant to bring the best in their life.”

He shook his head, but instead of a scowl, the man gave me a tired smile.

“Once again, you remind me that you’re not the normal person,” He pointed out with a sigh. “Truly impressive. I would dare to say you’re the most bizarre Hamon user just yet. I wonder what height will you reach once you truly find what you’re searching for.”

“I find those words… flattering,” I admitted with a hint of smug, and soon I was diving my head down to the cup to sip by its edge.

Just as I had expected, the liquid was unpleasant to drink, and the presence of unknown herbs influenced my mind into finding more disgust in that uncertainty. Still, I did it and I drank all of it without breaking a single moment away from the cup.

Blinking as I retreated my lips away from the cup, I found myself frowning over the fact that I wasn’t feeling sleepy. In fact, I felt the most awake in a long time. Even more than I had been thanks to constant Hamon usage.

I turned to look at Muddiburi, showing utter confusion at the opposite reaction I had expected from drinking that concoction, and I was half convinced that he had switched it with some odd-flavored coffee.

But before I had the chance to speak up about this suspicion, I found my legs going numb. The feeling was sudden, and it was growing the more I looked at it.

It continued to spread across above my knee, above my thighs, and right in my arms and back. I crumbled backward, my wide eyes struggling to keep awake and stable but… then it was the turn of my head and mind to fall before the potion.

Darkness enveloped me, and I found my consciousness faltering into nothingness…

And then I, Dio, blinked awake while standing on a flight of stairs.

-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d---------

It took me just a moment to realize that this wasn’t real and that I was currently staying in what I could depict only as my mindscape.

...

Glancing around, I tried to make sense of my surroundings and I couldn’t help but feel clueless about where the heck I ended up into. A small light barely illuminated the paths that led upstairs and downstairs, but it wasn’t enough to provide me with proper hints of where I ended up into.

Why would I be thinking of this place when connecting to my inner self? Why was this place important to me? And why I was feeling this much… tense.

Something was staring at me, and I finally took notice of the smoke trails descending from a couple of steps above me. And my eyes followed those back right to the lone individual standing there, watching from above with an unflinching stare directed at me.

Even with his visage half-shadowed, I knew exactly what I was going to face to unlock my Stand and… I snorted.

“Seriously? You’re the one that is guarding my full potential?” I inquired dryly. “You know, I would’ve expected… Jotaro. Heck, even Jonathan would’ve made sense with the whole fact I’m supposed to be the main villain to this story.”

“You’re nothing but a bunch of senseless lies,” DIO commented back with a calm tone. “Something unworthy of my presence, but sadly enough, someone needs to be there to make sure you don’t usurp what isn’t yours to take.”

I frowned at his words, but my smile didn’t falter. “Is that so? Then please, enlighten me- Do you feel happy that in the end you had to steal Jonathan’s body to become what you are now?”

“A tragic development, but one that I don’t see reason to explain right at you, impostor,” The blond stated coldly. “In fact, the only thing you deserve is utter silence. You’ve defiled the true essence of heaven to promote a ‘reformation’ of a long-gone world.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Oh oh? Already accepting defeat before a challenge? Are you sure that you’re something beyond my consciousness playing trick at me?”

“It depends on your impudence. If you keep up with this annoying travesty, I shall show you my mercy by shattering your jaws,” DIO responded quickly. “But instead, let’s indulge for a moment about your pitiful plans- the things you wish to bring forth thanks to my charisma and power.”

“Those are no longer yours to begin with,” I rebuked fiercely. “If you hadn’t noticed, my name is Dio Brando, not DIO. I’m not the megalomaniac that wished to take everything from everyone.”

“A flimsy excuse to reject the reality of your situation,” He commented sternly. “I know we’re both above making this kind of mistakes during a dialogue- just like you should merely accept the fact that the true driving force is DIO, not the farce you wish was real.”

“Hard to call me a leech when you yourself deny the fact that you’re one,” I shot back, hinting once more at Jonathan’s body. “At least I didn’t spent the first few days with this body staring aimlessly at my new naked appearance.”

…

“And I really feel the need to ask- did you stare at JoJo’s body because you were trying to cope with the fact you hijacked the body of the man that smacked you left and right even as a vampire, or are you perhaps harboring more than just tha-”

I blinked in surprise as I noticed that I had ‘somehow’ taken a few steps closer to DIO. The blond was now sitting by a chair that had ‘mysteriously’ appeared right at the end of the stairs, a familiar book resting by his lap.

He was staring harshly at me, but I could notice a sliver of amusement bathing his features. He was waiting for a reaction and- that shouldn’t be something my consciousness would just allow.

I sighed, my amusement simmering down as I got a clear look of what was going on.

This wasn’t an obstacle created by my mind. It was way too advanced for it to be born from my subconscious.

“Fun trick, but I really have this question now,” I hummed quietly. “Who put you in here to stop me from acquiring ｢The World｣?”

He blinked, a hint of surprise painting his face. “That sounds interesting… how did you realize?”

“There are details that my mind can’t replicate about the original DIO,” I confessed without hesitation. “And you’re just too unique to copy to this flawless degree.”

“Flattering words but-” He paused, his frown deepening as I turned around and started to walk downstairs. “Where do you think you’re going? Are you already disrespecting me even though you’re aware of my true presence?”

“Of course not, Lord DIO,” I muttered sarcastically. “It’s not like I could ever be disrespectful towards you. And it’s not like I’m actually walking downstairs so I can bring down down the entire palace and reveal your pathetic self before the scorching sun waiting outside… just as I willed it to be beyond these walls.”

He stood up, a snarl replacing his scowl and I finally saw it. ｢The World｣ was bulkier than I expected it to be. I guess Part 3 DIO remained unchanged in the ‘retconned’ appearances in Part 5 for the Stand to be this… thickly-muscled.

“Is this what you did to Polnareff back then?” I inquired giddily, hoping that my little plan to unlock my own Stand would work. “You made him bow his head despite his hatred for you. He was a chewtoy for the mutt you are… and now you’re but a playtoy for the little puppy that I am.”

“You will regret this and much more, counterfeit!” DIO exclaimed furiously. “Take a strike from my Stand!”

I turned swiftly bringing up my hands to intercept the swift punch rushing right at me. The emotionless figure let out a furious ‘MUDA’ and I felt my entire body rock despite how much Hamon was coursing thorough my being. But I wasn’t trying to block the unquestionably strong fist, but to get a ‘taste’ of what I was supposed to fight and… make mine.

Something resonated as the power behind the attack threw me backward and into the wall behind me and… just as dust and smoke exploded in the small crater I had created with my impact, I realized that I hadn’t suffered any damage.

This sensation was just the same I had felt back when I had stopped Bhediya from attacking his own sister and… it was more intense than back then. It was burning, almost quivering eagerly at being finally primed out of my body.

And I saw it take form starting from two arms that matched with my own. With a frame matching up with mine, its body was made of a mix of metal, roots and vines, creating a contrast of gray and green. Its face was hidden in a gray mask with golden details and… orange GE-like eyes burning brightly through the darkness.

The figure finally passed through my body and manifested in front of me in a defensive manner.

I smiled, at the full materialization, but my eagerness was cut short as I saw DIO staring at us from quite close.

“You called upon your Stand by matching the effect of ｢The World｣’s punch to your previous taste with its manifestation,” He analyzed quietly, a hint of fascination drowning away his hatred just for a moment. “Interesting- but hardly something that will wash away the taint your mere existence bring to my name.”

Sighing, I shrugged. “I guess it will be… a game of tag!”

He looked perplexed, but my Stand was already on the move.

Slamming its elbow by the wall behind me, more dust exploded between me and DIO, and I quickly took this chance to dive down and avoid a barrage of swift ‘MUDA’s from ｢The World｣.

“Cheap tricks will hardly save you from my wrath!” The Vampire snarled, giving me chase as I proceeded to rush away down that flight of stairs and into the multiple hallways that made up this entire building.

It was only the two of us, and I knew I had to capitalize on the lack of DIO’s servants to put an end to the bastard. I wasn’t Jotaro, and I was well aware that my new Stand couldn’t match with the in terms of raw power.

But just like any other humanoid Stands, mine had something that DIO was forgetting. And said forgetfulness was soon going to manifest in his downfall.

He could easily wait and reach up to me considering that had to have a speed higher than mine… but the chances of gloating were endless and-

“｢The World｣! Stop Time!”

And I froze up in the middle of my escape. But not entirely.

My mind had somehow resisted the effects of DIO’S Stand, and I was perfectly aware of what was happening around me. Maybe my Stand had indeed an affinity about time and I was immune to the full effects of ｢The World｣.

I listened to the approaching footsteps, the noise echoing across the empty halls of this mansion.

“What a childish attempt, I would’ve thought you beyond this little dilly-dallying,” DIO commented placidly. “But I guess discovering your Stand might have dulled your mind to the point you ended up like this. So useless...”

He hummed, drawing closer before walking beyond me and standing right in front of me.

“How do I dispose of you and take over?” He pondered out loud. “I could break your neck, or I could drink your blood… but then would that kill you properly? Or would it just send you back in the land of the living?”

I need to move. He’s close and… distracted. I can throw a single punch, I know I can and… that wouldn’t be enough. He’s not in my proper range for me to reach his weak points.

“I suppose we will settle this the same way I ended Joseph. Maybe I should make sure the knife plunges deep in your throat and render any chances of deflecting it.”

I saw the silver of the dagger soaring, aiming at below my chin before it stopped in the immobile time. The closeup of the dangerous approach was enough to lock my attention onto it.

If I hit it in time, I could get a distraction at DIO by throwing it back at him. Just a small window of opportunity to land a single hit.

“Three, two, one and-”

Now!

I reached for the dagger, grasping at its hilt as the Time-Stop ended. Quickly throwing at DIO, I rushed at him, my hands crackling in hamon as I prepared to deliver another trick at him.

But this one isn’t as cheap as the previous one. Of that I could guarantee without hesitation.

“A frontal assault? I suppose your desperation doesn’t have any limits,” The blonde shook his head as he casually slammed the dagger away and ｢The World｣ brought in front of him to cover himself.

“WRYYYyyyy!!!” My Stand cry roared furiously as the figure barraged ｢The World｣ with multiple quick punches. It wasn’t anything compared to ｢Star Platinum｣’s beating, but it was enough to distract DIO for the real attack.

“Pathetic. Useless. Mudamudamuda-gah!!” He was preparing to deliver his counterattack, but his attention was caught on another front that had been left untouched.

Numerous bubbles had slammed by his right leg, the one that had still resisted him despite his best efforts to fully assimilate Jonathan’s body.

“W-WHAT?! HOW- HOW DARE Y- YOUHH???”

His breath was drove short as I used the opportunity to finally defeat him in a single blow.

It was something I had always thought about back when I saw Joseph trying to fight DIO. The vampire had shown the weary protagonist that he was still afraid of Hamon, but his fright was lessened by the fact that ｢The World｣ seemed to be immune to it.

But right now that he was exposed for me to attack with trying to ｢The World｣ fix his wounds by pushing his leg together? I had the perfect idea to end him without much of an effort.

Gut punching DIO’s with my little finger raised up, I pressed deep enough to reach his diaphragm.

My smile widened at the confused look on DIO’s face.

“This, Lord DIO, is how your rival activated his Hamon,” I explained as I started to pour my energy through the opening. “And now, it’s time for you to learn about the Ripple a little more than just a couple of punches and sword’s hits.”

He reached out for me, panic swelled in his face but it was too late for him to do anything to me.

The sudden rush of Hamon activated Jonathan’s damaged and dormant reserves, ‘awakening’ the body temporarily as to disrupt DIO’s control over it.

“NononoNONONONONONONO!!” His entire self was cracking in a bright light and I chuckled at the sight. “I-I’M DIO-”

“And I’m Dio Brando, the true claimant to the Heavens,” I stated furiously, unleashing my Stand one last time. Bravely standing over my defeated opponent, I went on to claim true victory! “It’s time to end him once and for all. Go, ｢The World｣!”

But just as I pronounced its name and the beating began, I couldn’t help but feel like I had called him the wrong way. No, it was something like I was forgetting about something and… this troubled me once more.

Why, why didn’t it like its proper name? Why I felt refused just for how I formulated it?

“WRYYYyyy!”

DIO was decimated before my eyes, the combination of punches and degradation brought him to his ultimate demise. I stared as his body shattered like grains of fine dust.

My eyes were at my Stand, the figure turning to look at me… looking slightly annoyed and confused.

And in that stare… I found clarity. I found a name and… I found new confusion.

“You are… ｢The World… ACT1｣?”

The beginning of a long evolutionary chain. The first step of the mightiest Stand ever. One that could probably become more powerful than the original, than ｢The World｣ and more than ｢The World: Over Heaven｣.

“WRYYYyyy!!” He roared, this time in a display of pure happiness and agreement.

I blinked, confused if not mesmerized by the reaction I was being given by my Stand. Sure it looks more active than ｢The World｣ but… then again, it wasn’t bad to have a highly-receptive Stand.

“Do you mind if I call you ｢ACT1｣ for short? We need to be active on the battlefield, and the full name is quite mouthful.”

It shook his head and… I smiled at the positive response. “Then I guess we’re whole once again.”

A final nod and soon the entire place was engulfed in bright white light.

I felt the need to wake up and… I did.

The world started to make sense as I wake up and… I felt a strange weight on my chest caused by a whining dog now settled over my poor chest and a concerned Jonathan looking down at me with a concerned look.

“D-Dio- you’re alive?!”

I sighed at the comment before glancing around, stopping only to settle my stare on Muddiburi as the monk looked back at me with some surprise and… admiration. Despite the positive reaction, I gave him a solid glare as I quickly realized what was going on.

“You didn’t tell them.”

It wasn’t a question, but an affirmation that I knew was true.

The man didn’t speak back and rather settled with quite the unusual but most infuriating reply.

The Tibetan Monk offered a shrug.

I, Dio, groaned for what was going to be a painful explanation session and several minutes to try and get the two boys to calm down.

...At least, now I had ｢ACT1｣ to rely on.