Near dawn, on the street.
A cold wind swept by. A yellowed old newspaper fluttered through the air, spiraled down at a blond young man's feet, and was picked up when he bent down.
Dawn strolled along the deserted street. As he passed a puddle, his reflection showed that he still looked like Giorno.
That was because his soul was still trapped inside Giorno's body when he activated his ability. It was no big deal, though, and didn't affect Dawn's combat strength.
Dawn sat down on a bench and opened the newspaper to read it closely.
(The Bloodline Guard Legion wiped out the remaining human resistance in a remote region. Lord Kars delivered a victory speech...)
Dawn furrowed his brows and skimmed the article in a flash. Then he couldn't help crumpling up the newspaper and tossing it straight into a trash can.
"Humans are divided into wild and farmed? This world is pretty messed up."
Dawn followed the dim yellow streetlights into an alley, concealed himself, and prepared to grab some unlucky passerby and ask what was going on.
"Hey, was everything in that newspaper true? Where the hell are we?!"
In his mind, Diavolo did his best to sound calm, but his voice still trembled slightly.
"Oh? Diavolo, you're not dead yet."
Dawn pulled out a cigarette and teased, "As you can see, we've crossed into another world. There's no Insect Arrow here, and vampires who eat people are everywhere."
Then he took out a cigarette and muttered to himself.
"Sorry, Giorno. I'm just having one."
He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag. Ignoring Diavolo's questions, Dawn smoked at his leisure.
"Dawn, tell me where we are already! Once we get the Insect Arrow, I'll share it with you."
Diavolo kept on blathering.
Dawn shook his head. Did Diavolo think he was fooling a child? Even Narancia wouldn't believe that.
Still, with this guy inside his body, he might come in handy at a critical moment.
Dawn wasn't worried that Diavolo would turn on him and try to rip his heart out again.
They now shared one body and two souls. If Diavolo didn't want to die, he had to help Dawn. Otherwise, they were both doomed.
If they encountered an enemy Dawn couldn't beat, Diavolo probably couldn't beat them either.
But as long as he activated Time Erasure, escaping shouldn't be a problem.
After using Time Erasure a few times, he could run so fast that not even a trace of him would remain. All the enemy could do was eat his dust.
After he finished his cigarette, the quiet street began to echo with the sound of hurried footsteps.
Dawn poked his head out of the alley and cautiously looked over.
A man shrouded in a cloak was running for his life, a knife in one hand and a Stone Mask in the other.
Three vampires chased close behind him, cursing loudly.
"Put down the Stone Mask, you damn Stand User!"
The group fought as they ran, leaping about and splattering blood across the street.
Dawn rubbed his chin. With that much blood spilled, the man was still full of life. He sure was tough.
He probably wasn't human. But if he was a vampire, why had he stolen the Stone Mask?
As the group drew near, Dawn hadn't planned to intervene. But the man suddenly twitched his nose and looked over, following the scent.
"A human?!"
The man seemed to come to a decision. With a clenched jaw, he threw the Stone Mask toward Dawn.
"Get out of the city! Lord Dio will meet you outside. I'll hold them off."
Dawn stared blankly and caught the Stone Mask on instinct. Only when he felt its cold surface did he realize what had happened.
"Dio? Meet me outside?"
Why don't you listen to yourself?
Dawn put away the Stone Mask, rolled his neck, and strode out of the alley.
"I need to ask you a few things. Let's get rid of these troublesome vampires while we're at it."
The man watched Dawn approach in astonishment, then his face filled with anger. "Get out of here! Even if you're a Stand User, you need to think about the bigger picture!"
Dawn picked at his ear and waved a hand casually.
"Relax. This won't take long."
At a thought, a dragon's shadow flashed through the clouds. With a sharp whistle, Cloud Dragon swooped down, claws bared.
"Take them out. Leave that man alive."
Cloud Dragon let out a low growl and charged.
It swept past the man and spat out Notorious Big, splattering it across the three vampires' faces.
"I've been attacked!"
"It hurts! Where's the attack coming from? Why can't I see it?"
"It has to be a Stand attack! Damn it, weren't all the arrows destroyed? How are there still so many Stand Users?!"
Notorious Big loved prey that struggled wildly. In no time at all, the three vampires had vanished without a trace.
When Notorious Big began lunging at the man, Cloud Dragon opened its mouth and sucked it back inside.
"What? It took them out in an instant!"
The man gaped. He seemed to hear a horrifying shriek from inside Cloud Dragon, and instinctively backed away a few steps.
Dawn stepped forward, patted Cloud Dragon's horn, and looked back at the man.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's get out of the city first, like you said."
With that, he swung a leg over Cloud Dragon's back. The man started to approach, but a low growl from Cloud Dragon sent him stumbling backward.
Cloud Dragon glared at the man in displeasure, then slowly rose into the air, its body gliding through the sky.
On the ground, the man didn't get upset when he failed to ride the dragon. He broke into a sprint, following Dawn toward the outskirts of the city.
As soon as they left the city, Dawn was stunned by the sight before him.
Towering trees stretched as far as the eye could see. Lush greenery filled his vision, and small animals and insects darted among the foliage. It was a full-fledged primeval jungle.
It was the complete opposite of the cold, desolate city they'd just left.
"Revere Nature. The name says it all."
Dawn sighed. The oxygen levels on this Earth must have been incredible. It seemed Kars had put a lot of effort into this.
"Over here!"
The man panted and waved up at Dawn.
Dawn gripped Cloud Dragon's horn, and they soon descended. He first ordered Cloud Dragon to disappear into the clouds and keep watch, then turned to speak with the man.
"You said Lord Dio, right?"
The man nodded, looking a little confused.
"Lord Dio should be here soon. Wait, why wouldn't you know that?"
Dawn didn't answer. He pulled out a cigarette and offered one to the man.
The man's eyes lit up, his face alight with joy. He quickly took it, his fingers trembling, then carefully tucked it into the lining of his clothes.
He forgot all about his earlier question.
Seeing this, Dawn offered him another.
"Why are you so excited?"
The man lit it this time and took a drag. He raised a hand to steady his slightly dizzy head, reminiscing. "I haven't had one in years. Ever since that damn Ultimate Lifeform took over the Earth, these things have been worth more than gold!"
Seeing that the man no longer pressed him about his identity, Dawn smiled. He wanted to keep the conversation going and try to find out some useful information.
Just then, something rustled in the jungle.
Dawn turned to look.
A burly figure emerged.
Flowing blond hair, a confident curve to his lips, and muscles rippling across his body.
A loincloth made of animal hide was simply tied around his waist. Dio's gaze was predatory, and a wild, masculine aura rolled off him.
Behind him floated a golden Stand, staring at Dawn with a hostile expression.
"Dabi, who is he?"
Dio's eyes blazed as he strode toward Dawn without a hint of fear.
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