Toot toot~
The train rolled along, belching thick white smoke. Dawn sat by the window, watching the scenery, while he considered what to do.
There were two enemies this time: Prosciutto, whose Stand was Guts, and Radish Pesci, the user of Beach Boys.
Among them, Pesci wouldn't grow into a real threat until after Prosciutto died. His ability was troublesome, but at this stage, he lacked the resolve to pose much of a threat to Dawn.
So Dawn only had to sit back and watch, waiting for Prosciutto and Bucciarati to fight and for Prosciutto to be crushed to death by the train.
Then Dawn could reveal where he stood and take out Radish Pesci while he was at it. That should be enough to get him into Bucciarati's team.
Bucciarati's team would naturally be wary of Dawn, but they wouldn't attack him.
As far as intimidation went, no one could match Dawn's ability. In their eyes, picking a fight with him would be incredibly foolish.
It could even leave the entire team badly injured or dead. Bucciarati and Giorno hadn't openly fallen out with the Emperor of Darkness yet, so they wouldn't take that risk.
Dawn was willing to go all out to earn the Insect Arrow's approval. He only hoped that the next time he snapped his fingers, he'd get a powerful skill—something that could at least give him some real combat ability.
Before long, the bustling crowd grew quieter. Soon, the sounds of heavy bodies hitting the floor came one after another.
"Hey, buddy, can I have some of your water? I suddenly... feel so thirsty."
Dawn turned to look. A strapping young man who had looked full of life had suddenly become a balding old man. As he spoke, his loose teeth fell out, and his eyes rolled back as he passed out.
"Is it starting? An attack from Guts. Prosciutto's willing to sacrifice an entire train full of people to get what he wants. That guy..."
Dawn pulled his hood lower and cautiously watched the aisle from the side.
Footsteps sounded. Mista, user of Sex Pistols, walked down the aisle with a grave expression. His gaze swept across the area, searching for the hidden Stand User who had launched the attack.
Bucciarati's team had clearly realized this was a Stand attack, and sent Mista to investigate with some ice.
Unfortunately, he found nothing. All he could do was switch on the air conditioning, hoping to neutralize Guts's attack.
But just as Mista's finger was about to touch the switch, Radish Pesci, lying in wait, narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Gotcha."
Beach Boys's ability activated. A hook on a pink fishing line pierced Mista's palm and began burrowing deeper.
"Nani?!"
Mista was startled and tried to pull free, but to no avail. He quickly raised his revolver and fired at the line.
Bang!
The result was unexpected: the attack bounced back along its original path, leaving a bloody hole in Mista.
Pesci muttered to himself. He had already identified his prey by his weight and the force of his struggle: Mista, user of Sex Pistols.
"Idiot! Beach Boys's fishing line can't be broken. Take this!"
Pesci yanked the line tight. Mista was dragged along like a fish pulled onto land. With the hook about to reach his heart, Mista's eyes flashed with determination, and he shot himself in the chest.
Sex Pistols went into Mista's body with the bullet, but couldn't pull the hook back at all. All it could do was watch as the hook inched toward his heart.
Mista changed tactics and fired three shots at the door ahead. The bullets, guided by Sex Pistols, struck a glass of water filled with ice. The ice cubes scattered across the floor.
In his panic, Pesci actually deactivated his Stand and scrambled to gather the ice. Without it, he would be affected by his big brother's Stand, Guts, and turn into a dying old man himself.
Once he had gathered the ice, Pesci didn't try to keep fighting Mista. He turned and ran, only to find his way blocked by an old man in a yellow shirt who had fallen over.
Sweating profusely, Pesci watched Mista approach. Faced with the barrel of a gun, he whimpered in fear.
"I'll give you three seconds. Tell me where your partner is, or I'll shoot out your eye."
Mista kept the pressure on Pesci and began counting down. "One..."
"I don't know... Who would know? I don't know!"
Pesci knelt on the floor, babbling incoherently. Mista's gaze turned even colder.
"Two... Then die."
Just as Mista was about to pull the trigger, an elderly voice came from the old man on the floor.
"Please, help me."
Mista ignored him and was about to shoot again, but the old man got up and grabbed his hand.
Stand: Guts activated!
Mista began to age in an instant, turning into a dying old man. Sex Pistols, floating helplessly in the air, drifted down like a fallen leaf and could no longer move.
After returning to normal, Prosciutto first elbowed Pesci, then kicked him. After scolding his useless little brother, he picked up the revolver from the floor and aimed it at Mista's head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Seeing the three bullet holes in Mista's head, Prosciutto dropped the gun and headed for the driver's cab with Pesci.
Not long after they left, another set of footsteps approached. It was Dawn, who had been hiding and watching.
Dawn took off his sunglasses and looked at Mista, sprawled on the floor. "No sleeping here."
Mista didn't respond. At least, he looked dead.
Dawn smiled and took a bottle of half-melted ice water from his bag, then poured it over Mista.
As the ice water soaked him, Mista returned to his normal, strapping young self.
Perhaps sensing Dawn's kindness, Number Five of Sex Pistols, who had been hiding, pushed the three bullets out of Mista's head and crawled out.
A "Five" was written on his forehead. He clutched an ice cube, tears streaming down his face, and kept calling for Mista.
It turned out he had blocked the three bullets just now. Otherwise, Mista would have been dead for good.
"I'm okay... What's your... name?"
With his face pressed to the floor, Mista couldn't see Dawn, but now that the aging effect had worn off, he wasn't half-dead like he had been in the original. Instead, he asked who Dawn was.
"Dawn. I'm here to help you."
Dawn smiled as he helped Mista up, then tore off a passerby's clothes and used them to bandage him.
There was no time to worry about infection or anything like that. If they didn't act, Mista would be done for.
After making sure Mista was settled, Dawn went alone to the driver's cab.
Through the half-open door, Dawn saw Bucciarati fighting Prosciutto. As for Pesci, Bucciarati had kicked him unconscious.
Dawn's plan was simple: with Prosciutto occupied by Bucciarati, he only needed to enter with Stand: Beyond Imagination: Emperor Engine activated, intimidate the two of them, then pour ice water over the protagonist group hidden on the turtle's back. That would turn the tide.
With that in mind, and seeing Bucciarati about to lose the upper hand, Dawn gently pushed open the door and quietly activated Emperor Engine while no one was paying attention to him.
Boom! Boom-boom!! Boom-boom-boom!!!
Thunder roared. The terrifying sound of a pounding heart played like the seventh movement of hell, echoing in Bucciarati and Prosciutto's ears. Even the unconscious Pesci jolted awake.
Bucciarati and Prosciutto were horrified. Their breathing paused for a moment, and at that instant, the same thought crossed both their minds.
"He's got another powerhouse on his side?! I feel like he'll kill us if we make even the tiniest sound he doesn't like! How is that possible?!"
"Eek!!!"
Pesci clenched his teeth and let out a strange shriek. He hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands, and when Dawn's gaze turned to him, his heart pounded even harder.
Dawn thought, Let's show them something else.
At the same time, he activated Stand: Beyond Imagination: Demon Lord Descends.
Pale horns sprouted from his forehead, and crimson flames of light swirled around him. He looked terrifying and sinister.
Dawn grinned at Pesci, baring his sharp teeth. Pesci immediately foamed at the mouth and passed out.
"Pesci, wake up!"
Prosciutto called out in a hushed voice, afraid of drawing Dawn's attention. But Pesci didn't stir. His eyes rolled back, and his body twitched.
"This is bad. Could this be an indiscriminate Stand attack?!"
Bucciarati was startled. He couldn't be blamed for thinking that; it was hard to tell who Dawn was targeting with an entrance like that.
Having made up his mind, Bucciarati quickly summoned Sticky Fingers, punched open the wall, and dragged Prosciutto out of the train with him, ready to die alongside Prosciutto.
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