Dark Blue Moon

King Crimson appeared in the room and suddenly raised its hand, splitting a nearby chair in two with a chop and startling Kiana beside it. "Come on, try out Crazy Diamond's ability. Fix this chair."

"Ugh, it feels so awful being the only one who can't see Stands! Qin Mo, hurry up and get one for me too!"

"Got it, got it."

Seeing Crazy Diamond standing by the chair, seemingly at a loss, Qin Mo said, "Mei, don't think about how to do it. Just think that you want to fix it, and it'll be enough. Your Stand will act on its own."

Most Stand users went through this experience. Since Stands did not tell their users what their abilities were, users generally gave them a rough command and relied on their instincts to trigger their abilities automatically.

For example, when Dio was shot at, he ordered The World to block the bullets. The World independently activated its time-stop ability and plucked the bullets out one by one.

Mei nodded, then saw Crazy Diamond suddenly let out a shout.

"Dora!"

It smashed a fist into the wreckage of the chair. Before she could wonder what was happening, the pile of shattered wood was enveloped in energy and returned to its original form as a whole chair.

Though she could not see Stands, Kiana could see the chair being destroyed and restored, and she clicked her tongue in amazement.

It only made her more envious. Who would not want bizarre yet incredibly useful superpowers?

After Mei had used her Stand ability, Qin Mo roughly explained Crazy Diamond's methods of use and a few tricks. He then took out White Ivory & Black Ebony and Famous Sword Moon Shadow, handing them to the two girls for self-defense before leaving the room. After all, the hotel rooms were doubles, and he could not stay in the same room as two girls.

Polnareff had originally been assigned to share a room with Qin Mo, but worried that the two might start fighting, Joseph booked another room and separated them.

What Qin Mo did not notice was that a purple vine was hidden behind the television in the room.

"Mr. Joestar, how did it go?"

In Joseph's room, Jotaro Kujo, Kakyoin Noriaki, Avdol, and Joseph Joestar had gathered together. Purple vines extended from Joseph Joestar's hand, wrapped around the television before him.

"Mm, Qin Mo and the others can be trusted."

Having used Hermit Purple to eavesdrop on the room, Joseph Joestar said this after continuing to listen in on the two girls' conversation for a while after Qin Mo left.

Had Qin Mo and the others revealed something through their words?

No, they definitely had.

But what kind of person was Joseph Joestar?

Would he doubt someone showing him goodwill over nothing more than a few lies? No! He had become close friends with Caesar, who had clashed with him from the very beginning. He had also become friends with Smokey, a Black boy from a completely different world whom he had saved. Then there was Avdol, whom he had met only recently before setting off on a journey together despite their decades-long age gap. All of it proved that he was exceptionally skilled at making friends.

He knew how to respect his friends, and he knew how to trust them.

But the information Qin Mo and the others had revealed would undoubtedly give other people reason to doubt them, so Joseph chose to conceal it because he believed in that young man.

"If Mr. Joestar says it's fine, then there shouldn't be any problem."

Kakyoin Noriaki smiled. "JOJO, you can relax now, right?"

"Good grief." Tugging down his hat, Jotaro headed for the door. "I'm going back to rest."

After everyone had gone to sleep, Raiden Mei discovered that she had arrived in a strange place, accompanied by a melodious tune.

"Good morning. This is Morioh Radio Station. I'll be serving you again today..."

The next day, Hong Kong Harbor.

The eight of them arrived early in the morning, and a ship was already docked there.

"Alright! Everyone, get on board!"

Although everyone knew that the captain of this ship had most likely been killed and replaced by an assassin sent by Dio, no one said anything. They boarded calmly, like ordinary tourists.

Joseph handled the negotiations. Once the others boarded, they went to choose their rooms. Since there were twice as many people as the originally expected four, they could only squeeze two people into each room again, just like at the hotel.

Qin Mo also inspected the lower cargo hold with the others before going up, making sure there were no stowaways.

"Mei, look! Dolphins!"

It was not Kiana's first time on a ship, but it was her first time standing on a ship's deck.

She had traveled from Siberia to the Far East by stowing away, always hiding in cargo holds or riding illegal boats. Fortunately, she was strong enough that ordinary people were no match for her.

Otherwise, there was no way she could have safely reached Chang Kong City.

That was why this voyage excited her so much. She dragged Mei around everywhere.

"Qin Mo, you won't catch any fish like that, will you?"

Qin Mo was holding a fishing rod over the side of the ship, but the ship was still moving. Catching fish like this was practically impossible.

"It's fine. I just want to fish, that's all. Doesn't matter if nothing bites."

Qin Mo waved it off, then looked at Mei instead. "Mei, why do you seem so low on energy today?"

Raiden Mei gave a tired smile. "I'm fine. I just had a dream last night."

"A nightmare?"

"A nightmare... I don't think so."

Raiden Mei recalled the man she had seen last night, the man named Josuke Higashikata.

In the dream, she experienced every battle Josuke Higashikata had gone through. She also watched the people he had failed to save because of his own mistakes.

"Crazy Diamond isn't omnipotent. The dead cannot be brought back to life."

That was what the man had said. Though the dead old man had been Josuke Higashikata's grandfather, Raiden Mei seemed to understand his grief as well.

"Crazy Diamond is the gentlest Stand in the world, but there are still times when it cannot protect someone. Are you willing to use this power to protect others?"

Thinking of her only two friends, Raiden Mei had only one answer.

"I can feel the kindness in your heart. Crazy Diamond should suit you very well, so I'll lend this power to you!"

After leaving those words behind, the man vanished, leaving only the experience of using Crazy Diamond.

Raiden Mei had gone from a complete novice at Stands to fully understanding how to use Crazy Diamond.

"Josuke Higashikata's will..."

Listening to Mei's description, Qin Mo thought of that possibility. Perhaps the Stigmata contained more than just a Stand's abilities; perhaps the will of its original owner remained within it as well.

When it encountered someone compatible like Mei, that person would gain the experience of using the Stand.

Thinking of that, Qin Mo felt fortunate. Good thing he had not given her Diavolo's or Ghiaccio's Stand. The wills of those two villains definitely would not have been compatible.

Looking at Kiana, Qin Mo felt his original decision had been wise.

Kiana, that idiot grasshopper, and Okuyasu Nijimura, whose brain did not work very well—those two should be quite compatible too, right?

Besides, Qin Mo felt that both of them were kind people. When it came to facing someone kind, they already met half the requirements.

If it were an evil person, there was no way those two would acknowledge them.

Dark Blue Moon

Just as Qin Mo was explaining his speculation to Mei and the others, Joseph walked over. "Ah, the weather's really nice."

As soon as those words fell, the expressions of everyone on deck changed.

This was one of the signals they had agreed upon after boarding.

It meant that someone had already planted bombs below!

"The fish took the bait..."

As soon as the words fell, Qin Mo, who had been sitting there, suddenly vanished.

The others immediately rushed toward the lower cabins as well.

The tall man who had introduced himself as Captain Tenille when they first boarded was hiding sneakily in the lower cargo hold.

Just after he had placed a bomb, a hand chop pierced through his body.

"Puhah!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and turned to look behind him, but all he saw was a silhouette in the darkness.

The others arrived at that moment. King Crimson pulled its hand from Tenille's body and let him collapse to the ground.

"I've taken care of the enemy, but I don't know how many bombs he planted. Let's disarm the bombs first."

The others shook their heads as they looked at Tenille lying motionless on the floor.

They had only wanted to avoid accidentally harming an innocent person, but they had not expected Qin Mo to be so ruthless the moment he acted.

Still, no one said anything. After all, Dio's assassins did not care about harming innocent people, just like the one on the plane at the beginning.

They began searching out the bombs the Stand user had hidden before even revealing his Stand. Qin Mo also saw fifty crystals added to his balance.

Kiana was relatively alright when she looked at the fallen enemy. She had fought plenty of Honkai Beasts during her wandering, and stowing away along the way meant she could not possibly have met only kind-hearted people. Though she herself did not kill people and would at most beat them up, many of those she encountered had no qualms about killing. It was not as if she had never seen such things before.

Qin Mo, meanwhile, had killed quite a few Honkai Beasts. After the Great Eruption broke out, he had killed many zombies as well. More importantly, he knew very well that the people Dio sent deserved to die.

The vast majority of them were either born evil or professional killers who worked for money.

So Qin Mo had never expected them to possess any kindness, nor did he feel pity for them.

But Raiden Mei could not bear it somewhat. She had originally only been an ordinary student, so naturally, she had never seen anything so bloody.

"Qin Mo, do we really have to kill all those enemies?"

Mei remembered Qin Mo saying before that there were nearly thirty enemies on this journey who were Stand users. There was no telling how many enemies were not Stand users.

Did they really have to keep killing their way through all of them...?

"Mei..."

It was not that Qin Mo felt there was anything wrong with killing these people because Mei had persuaded him, but he still wanted to consider his companion's feelings. "Mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward your own people."

"If we encounter someone whose crimes don't warrant death, it's not like we can't let them go."

Mei shook her head. "No need. If that ended up hurting you or Kiana, I'd feel guilty for the rest of my life."

"It's fine, those enemies, I..."

Before he could finish, a violent tremor suddenly shook the ship.

"What's going on? Did bombs explode somewhere else?"

Polnareff had just found a bomb and was so frightened that he hurriedly threw it away.

But the others quickly realized that was not it. A huge breach had appeared in the ship's hull, and outside, they saw a massive ocean liner ramming into their vessel.

"Why is that ocean liner ramming us?"

"That isn't an ocean liner! It's the enemy's Stand! Strength!"

Joseph reacted instantly. "Get out! The seawater's coming in!"

Surging seawater continuously poured through the breach, sweeping the fake captain's corpse into the water.

Just as they escaped the cabin and prepared to head for the lifeboats, the ocean liner rammed into them again with tremendous force, overturning the entire ship and sending everyone near the edge flying.

"You! You actually dared to ambush me!"

A familiar figure floated in the seawater beneath them, with a fish-man-like Stand beside him.

"Oh no! He's still alive!"

Dark Blue Moon began churning the seawater nonstop, forming a massive whirlpool. Everyone knew that Dark Blue Moon had already placed sharp scales within it, and anyone who touched them would be torn apart.

They each used their Stands to grab onto the edge of the ship and keep from falling, but it was only a temporary measure. Strength's ocean liner was already backing away, preparing for another collision.

"Qin Mo! Your hand!"

At that moment, Mei noticed that King Crimson's hand was covered in white barnacles, while Qin Mo's own hand had split open and blood spurted out.

"So it happens even when the attack hits the main body."

Watching the barnacles rapidly grow after being accelerated by Dark Blue Moon, Qin Mo felt King Crimson's strength weakening more and more. It could barely support its own body weight.

"I'll heal you right away!"

Seeing Mei preparing to come over and use Crazy Diamond to heal him, Qin Mo shouted, "Don't come over! I'll deal with this guy!"

"Hah! Deal with me? You think you can beat Dark Blue Moon in the sea?"