Rohan Kishibe

Waaah~

Steel Ball Run was incredibly fast, racing through the pitch-black tunnel. After about three hours, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a natural underground cavern with a circular shape. There were no lights inside, yet a soft glow illuminated it.

Dawn looked up and saw a tiny moon, about two meters in diameter, hanging from the cavern ceiling. Clearly, this was the ability of some Stand User.

"We're here, Dawn. As per procedure, you need to come with me to meet the leader."

With that, Dio casually leaped off Steel Ball Run and landed steadily on the ground.

His body, forged from steel, hit the ground and left two deep footprints.

"Dio, this leader you mentioned—he wouldn't happen to be a broad-shouldered, six-foot-two bruiser who likes wearing a hat and has a Stand with A-rank power and speed, would he?"

Dawn made a wild guess. He thought the leader might be Jotaro, but this world had changed too much for him to be sure.

Dio glanced back at Dawn in surprise, then shook his head.

"Our leader doesn't have that kind of exaggerated build. On the contrary, he often lies awake all night worrying about humanity's survival. He's a little on the thin side."

At that, Dawn immediately followed Dio toward a stone house.

As they walked, Dawn roughly estimated that there were several hundred people in the cavern, men and women, young and old, though there were more elderly people and children.

As if he'd guessed what Dawn was thinking, Dio answered without turning around. "Most of our warriors fell in the last battle. That's a reality we can't escape.

"Kars intends to wipe out humanity. We can't just refuse to fight back."

Dio thought of something and turned to look at Dawn, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I'd thought there were no survivors out there, so I never expected to meet you. Wild humans are incredibly rare nowadays. Humanity really is resilient."

"I've been living in seclusion, so I don't know much about the state of the world. How strong are our enemies?"

Dawn casually pulled out a cigarette and lit it, hoping to glean some information about Kars.

"Very strong. And that's not all—he destroyed every Stand Arrow, leaving humanity's resistance without the slightest chance of turning things around. We're completely outmatched."

They continued talking as they walked, and soon arrived at the stone house where the leader was staying.

Dio stepped forward and knocked, his tone respectful and gentle.

"Leader, I've brought back a Stand User from this mission. His ability seems quite rare. Would you like to meet him?"

"Come in."

A tired male voice came from inside. Dio stepped aside and nodded to Dawn.

Dawn took a deep breath, stubbed out his cigarette, and contacted Diavolo in his mind, telling him to stay alert. Then he stepped forward and pushed the door open.

Dio thoughtfully shut the door behind him. If anything seemed amiss or he heard a strange noise, he would immediately use time stop and rush inside.

The first thing Dawn saw was a candle, its faint light illuminating a man's face.

The man had neat, short green hair and looked utterly exhausted. He was hunched over, writing something, his whole bearing radiating dejection.

Dawn's pupils contracted slightly. The man's familiar appearance made him blurt out a name.

"Rohan... Kishibe?"

The leader was actually Rohan Kishibe?!

The man writing furiously at the desk looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Who was this guy? How did he know my name?

"How do you know me? I haven't used the name Rohan Kishibe in many years."

Rohan Kishibe opened a desk drawer, took out a piece of candy, and tossed it to Dawn.

Dawn raised a hand and caught it. The throw had been forceful, but it didn't trouble him in the slightest.

"I'm not your enemy. I know you from another world."

Rohan's lips parted and his pupils dilated sharply. He sprang to his feet, visibly excited.

"You said another world? Can your Stand travel between parallel worlds?!"

Dawn casually tossed the candy back. Rohan caught it instinctively, but the force made him furrow his brow.

Without a word, Rohan put his hand behind his back and shook it to ease the pain.

"That's right. There's a Dio in my world too, but he's a vampire. Jotaro killed him a long time ago."

Rohan stepped forward to usher Dawn into a seat, but Dawn evaded him with a quick step back. He chose a spot at a comfortable distance and sat down on his own.

Rohan's Stand was a little dangerous. Dawn couldn't afford to let him spring Heaven's Door on him out of nowhere.

This distance was just right. Whether he needed to use [Stand: Beyond Imagination: Wasting Time] to avoid harm or activate King Crimson, he'd have enough time to react.

Rohan returned to his seat and sighed before speaking slowly. "I don't know your world, but in this one, Kars became the Ultimate Lifeform a hundred years ago. Dio isn't a vampire either. As for Jotaro... I've never heard of him."

"Those of us who survived all practice Hamon. Dio has mastered it to a degree unmatched by anyone before or since. You might think he's young, but he's actually over a hundred years old."

Rohan couldn't help making fun of himself.

"I'm the most useless one. I have no talent at all. My Stand ability is the only thing I'm good at, so I barely manage to serve as leader."

Dawn's thoughts stirred. If that was the case, then Dio must be close to dying of old age. Living for over a hundred years as an ordinary human was truly incredible.

When Rohan finished, Dawn asked, "Forgive me for asking, but how many humans are left now?"

Rohan took a sip of tea.

"Since our last mission failed, we've lost contact with the outside world. We sent Dabi to steal the Stone Mask this time so Dio could avoid dying of old age, but... he's always been strongly against becoming a vampire."

Rohan sighed. In truth, he'd used Heaven's Door to rewrite the memories of most people in the entire human camp.

If he hadn't, morale would have collapsed long ago. Even Dio had been given a suggestion by Rohan long ago: devote himself to humanity's survival until death.

"Dawn, this world is a complete mess. You may know something about my ability, but I have no chance of getting close to Kars."

Rohan changed the subject.

"However, we have an opportunity before us now. Joseph Joestar was captured by the enemy in our last battle. According to the final report he sent back, we've found a crucial piece of information that could turn the tide."

Dawn perked up and looked intently at Rohan.

"A fragment. A fragment of an Arrow."

In Dawn's mind, Diavolo's breathing grew heavier. He didn't want to miss a single word Rohan said.

Rohan summoned his Stand, Heaven's Door, and took a sip of tea before speaking slowly. "Stand Users may be physically weak, but their abilities are all different. If we can get a fragment of an Arrow, we'll still have a chance to fight back."

"However, for powerful Hamon warriors, awakening a Stand without careful consideration could be a mistake."

Dawn's thoughts were completely fixed on the Arrow fragment. He asked impatiently, "What kind of Arrow fragment is it?"

Rohan looked a little surprised and slowly shook his head.

"I don't know. Are there different kinds of Arrows?"