Emperor DIO

"The Fire Bull seemed to have arrived wounded. No wonder Little Jo took it down so easily." Flender studied its injuries. Jodio's punches and thrusts had left their marks, but there were signs of another impact on the Fire Bull's body. Could it be...?

Thinking back to the Great Rock Python they had encountered at noon, Flender formed a theory.

"Little Jo, is the Joestar family a large one?" Flender turned and looked down at him.

"Yes, but the family's been wiped out," Jodio answered without thinking. Then he felt that wasn't quite fair to a family with the Golden Spirit. Besides, the Eastern branch of the Joestars and Giorno Giovanna's line were still around. At most, the direct Joestar line had died out. Oh, right—there was still Joestar Shizuka.

"Apart from me, I think she's the only one left whose name properly follows the direct Joestar line's pattern. Well, my name comes from Part Nine, after all. Johnny set a precedent with his two-syllable name, so mine should count too." Jodio kept his hands in his pockets as he spoke.

Flender's heart sank. This poor child is the sole survivor. That meant the man with him must be his servant. How terrifying! The Joestars really are a hidden great family.

"Little Jo, don't tell anyone you're a Joestar. Your family may have many enemies," Flender warned him earnestly.

"Oh, it's no big deal. You worry too much, Teacher." Jodio sounded unconcerned, though he was laughing inside. Joseph, don't blame me for borrowing your family name. If I ever get the chance to visit the JoJo world, I'll kill Father for you.

"Cruel Flame Protective Shield... Boss, it doesn't seem to make the kind of shield you imagined," Ma Hongjun said with a pained look.

"Baka yarō—idiot. It cancels out fifty percent of an impact! Do you understand what that means? Imagine if it grows stronger along with your Spirit Rings. And damage reduction is one of the most valuable applications of the Technique of Strength. Ah, forget it. I can't explain it to you attack-type Soul Masters." Jodio shook his head helplessly.

"It's still extremely powerful, even without a shield," Flender said after a moment's thought.

"It can reduce the impact of any Spirit Skill, whether it targets a group or an individual. It's especially effective against assault-type Soul Masters," Zhao Wuji added. "Absorbing fifty percent of the impact means that no matter how much an opponent strengthens an attack, you take only half its force. That's a fixed fifty-percent reduction."

"But I'd still get hit, right?" Ma Hongjun asked miserably. The expression on his round face made him look like a comic actor.

"Which is why you need more training," Flender said with a grin, folding his arms.

"Become the king of taking hits, and you won't be afraid of them anymore."

There was little to say about the journey back. Two Soul Sages were escorting three young Soul Masters—who would dare stop them? Anyone they encountered took one look and hurried away.

"One Gold Soul Coin. I can hardly believe it," Oscar said as he and Jodio descended the steps of Spirit Hall. That tiny coin would cover almost a year of his living expenses. It was hard to imagine, yet somehow not hard at all.

"Spend it carefully. When you two need money, report to Little Jo first. He's your class monitor now, and he'll look after you," Flender explained.

"Boss Jo, I want something tasty!" Ma Hongjun immediately called out, waving a hand.

"I'll make you something when we get back. We'll buy bread, lettuce, eggs, and some sauce, then add Little Ao's sausages. You'll find out what real food tastes like." Jodio stretched lazily.

"See? That's how you save money." Flender pointed at Jodio, exasperated with the others.

"Boss Jo isn't normal."

"There's no one in the world more normal than me," Jodio replied lazily.

"Little Ao, if a powerful organization killed your mother, would you take revenge?" An amusing thought had struck Jodio, so he changed the subject.

"Of course." Oscar didn't understand the question, but he answered anyway.

"Would you wipe them all out?" Jodio asked as they walked.

"I guess?" Oscar said, less certain now.

"What if most of the people in that organization knew nothing about it?"

"Then I could make exceptions..."

"What if that organization had given you financial aid when you were little?" Jodio asked.

Spirit Hall? Flender thought. He said nothing and kept listening.

"But I couldn't just let it go, could I?"

"What if it also helped awaken your Martial Soul?"

"That makes it harder. Maybe I'd punish only the ringleaders?" Oscar racked his brain. At eight years old, he struggled to sort through a question this complicated.

"No. It's the same. The organization has to be dismantled, and most of its people must face a reckoning." Jodio smiled ruefully.

"Why?" Ma Hongjun asked curiously.

"Leave the roots behind, and the weeds grow back. Unless you're a born Emperor, you have to do it. Unless you have an Emperor's confidence and pride, you have to do it. You can't know whether someone you spare is nursing a grudge. What if he gathers strength in secret, just as you did, and strikes back?" Jodio explained.

"Oh! Wakatta—I get it! Boss, you're praising yourself! You're saying you're magnanimous enough to spare people!" Oscar exclaimed, delighted by his quick deduction.

"Great! Gurarararaha! Little Ao, Little Ao, Little Ao—you really are brilliant!"

Laughing, Jodio ruffled Oscar's blue hair the way Prosciutto had ruffled Pesci's. He always laughed with gusto and could reproduce all kinds of strange laughs. Jodio considered it a talent. Huo Yuhao, next door, merely considered it a hobby of Jodio's; he quietly memorized the sounds so he could laugh along with him later.

Hang in there a little longer, Yuhao. I'll succeed soon, Jodio thought.

"Yes, I am the Emperor, and the Emperor is me. I'm the man destined to become a Douluo Star! That's why I'll show kindness to my friends and mercy to most of my enemies. I have absolute confidence in myself. I'm invincible on earth and in the heavens!" Jodio declared proudly.

"Wouldn't that bring you a lot of challengers?" Flender asked with a smile, looking down at him.

"Doesn't matter. As Emperor, I have the patience to await their challenges and the pride to allow them." Jodio spread his hands at his sides, thoroughly pleased with himself.

"The age to come will be fairer than any before it, all because of me, Jodio Joestar! I'll wait patiently for them to grow up in the cradle of that fair future, brave and splendid. Then they can challenge me like the heroes of legend, challenge me as the absolute Emperor, and write legends of their own." Jodio spoke with boundless confidence.

"But right now, we need to worry about our next meal. Teacher, what else have we got planned?" Jodio abruptly changed the subject.

"This afternoon, you'll study Martial Soul theory. Formal training starts tomorrow. Little Jo, the three of you will run five laps around the village. Once you're done, you can rest until class." Flender smiled as he answered.

"Five laps? That's no small number." Jodio shrugged.

"But it's good for building endurance. Oh, Little Ao, Little Ma—your Older Brother Jo will run ahead and break the wind for you tomorrow!" Laughing, Jodio hooked an arm around each boy and tucked them against his sides.

Such a cheerful boss. Such a mighty boss. Our easy days are over. Oscar and Ma Hongjun covered their faces in perfect unison.

"The rolling Ussery River! Heroic Fort Vibrant Island!"

"Towering Wada Mountain rises to the clouds!"

Jodio sang at the top of his lungs as he led the run, while the two little fellows stumbled along behind him. Three months passed in a blink. Jodio had grown taller and sturdier, looking increasingly like a figure Araki might draw. The two behind him had improved too and looked noticeably stronger, though one had a handsome build while the other had the look of a gym enthusiast.

"B-Boss! What... song is that?" Oscar asked between gasps as he ran.

"A song from back home! Sounds good, doesn't it?" Jodio called back with a grin.

Three months, three levels. Jodio had forced his way up three levels in that time, reaching the peak of level fourteen. Only a thin barrier separated him from level fifteen. He would probably cross it soon and might even reach level sixteen before turning seven.

Oscar and Ma Hongjun thought their boss was a monster. The two of them were geniuses among geniuses, yet over those three months, one had gained only two levels and the other just one. Why, Boss? Why were you so absurdly strong?

Of course Jodio was strong. His latent time ability and External Soul Bone both helped accelerate his cultivation considerably. He had another trick as well: when he and Huo Yuhao had some time to spare, they had compiled a cultivation method especially suited to training young Soul Masters. Without it, the two boys would not have advanced so quickly either.

In the original history, the two would only have reached levels twenty-nine and twenty-eight at around twelve to fourteen years old. Jodio estimated that, with his help, they could reach level thirty-four or thirty-five by then—a substantial improvement, enough to put them a whole realm ahead of Tang the God King.

"Oh, hey. I'm level fifteen." A sudden realization made Jodio stop running.

"You leveled up?" Oscar asked, envious and resentful. They had both started with level-ten innate power, so why was Boss so ridiculous? It had taken Oscar nearly two years to reach level thirteen, though his health had been poor back then. It wasn't fair. He wanted to use arrows too!

"Hoho. So that's why Silver Chariot couldn't eject its armor. The ability was hidden here." Jodio suddenly grinned with satisfaction.

"Locked away until level fifteen. You got me there. I didn't see that coming."

←To Be Continued

Currently available information:

Level 15 Stand: Silver Chariot

User: Jodio Joestar

Destructive power: C, speed: B+, range: D+, stamina: C, precision: C, development potential: B+

Stand ability: At level fifteen, Silver Chariot gains Armor Ejection in addition to its basic combat abilities. It can shed its armor for greater mobility in battle. Silver Chariot is more vulnerable in this state, but its speed becomes terrifying, and it can create an effect similar to Shadow Clone.