At the bustling station, a young man in a black trench coat and hood stood motionless, his eyes sweeping over the crowd behind his sunglasses.
A faint rumble of thunder came from his chest, deliberately suppressed. Only those who looked closely at him were overwhelmed by the crushing pressure he radiated.
Dawn took a sip of his cold drink, feeling its icy chill slide into his stomach, and quickly spotted his target.
After saying goodbye to Polnareff, he had come to this station according to the original story, waiting for the protagonist's group once again.
But he had been waiting for more than half a day. If Bo-bo hadn't been so sure of himself, Dawn would have thought he'd come to the wrong station.
As for Bo-bo, he was hidden nearby, providing Dawn with information. After all, he had trouble getting around, so it was better for him to stay out of things unless the situation became critical.
A group of people approached, chatting as they came. Little Plane Narancia and Purple Haze Fugo were bickering, apparently because Little Plane's worrying intelligence had angered Fugo once again.
As the group drew closer, Dawn pushed up his sunglasses, turned, and went to a convenience store. He bought a paper bag full of bottled water, all frozen solid.
As they boarded the train, Bucciarati, the team's leader, suddenly sensed something and turned to look at Dawn's back.
"What is it, Bucciarati?"
The blond Giorno Giovanna asked. Following Bucciarati's gaze, he saw nothing but the bustling crowd.
"Nothing. I'm probably just being oversensitive."
Bucciarati shook his head, and the group soon boarded the train.
Carrying the frozen water, Dawn waited a moment, then prepared to get on as well.
"Hold on, sir. Let me see your ticket."
A burly conductor stopped Dawn and sized up the man bundled from head to toe. "Especially that opaque paper bag. You haven't got any dangerous weapons hidden in there, have you?"
Dawn glanced down. To avoid arousing the suspicions of Prosciutto, whose ability could make people age, he had used a paper bag.
If he didn't hurry, the train would be leaving.
Dawn was about to take out his ticket when the conductor grabbed his wrist, stopping him. With his other hand, the man subtly rubbed his fingers together, his eyes full of amusement and menace.
"Hey, buddy. You wouldn't want me rummaging through your stuff, would you? If anything gets knocked onto the ground, it'll take ages to pick it all up. Then you might miss your train~"
"Oh? Come closer. My eyesight isn't very good, and I can't hear what you're saying."
Dawn gently freed himself, lowered his sunglasses slightly, and fixed his dark eyes on the conductor's vile face.
[Stand: Beyond Imagination · Emperor Engine] activated!
Thump!!!
The Emperor Engine sounded only once, and the burly conductor froze on the spot. His pupils shook violently, cold sweat trickled from his temples, and he stood as if paralyzed by a spell.
At the same time, the waiting hall fell silent. Everyone instinctively held their breath, and the place became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
No one knew what had happened. They only felt a surging pressure that came and went in an instant. As it vanished, so did the sensation that they were about to die the very next second.
Dawn walked around the conductor, who had soiled himself, covering his nose and mouth in disgust as he hurried onto the train just as it was about to depart.
The conductor remained standing like a statue. It wasn't that he was tough; fear had locked every muscle in his body, and they wouldn't obey him.
Dawn didn't go out of his way to look for Bucciarati and the others. Instead, he sat in an empty seat and sipped his cold drink.
Toot, toot, toot~
The train pulled away, belching clouds of white smoke. This heart-stopping journey to certain death was about to begin.
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