A Handy Weapon

The taxi carrying Tonio slowly pulled away from the airport.

The taxi driver glanced at Tonio's young, somewhat introverted face in the rearview mirror and unconsciously used a more casual address, "So, kid, where are you headed?"

Tonio smiled shyly:

"Just drive towards the coast near Mount Vesuvius."

"Once we get there, I'll give you the specific location."

"Oh, right."

His tone suddenly became urgent: "Please, drive a bit faster if you can."

"My boss gave me a very important mission, and I need to get there as soon as possible."

"Understood."

"It's tough being a driver, I'll do my best to speed up."

The driver nodded cheerfully and, cooperating fully, slightly increased his acceleration.

The taxi sped through the bustling city streets, noticeably picking up speed.

Tonio, meanwhile, casually gazed out the window at the constantly changing, vibrant streetscape, muttering to himself with a touch of nervousness:

"My boss told me to find a bald guy at that location... but what does this bald guy look like?"

"Will my boss contact me again when I get there?"

He felt restless, burdened by the crucial task he carried, completely unaware that the boss he revered as a god was, in fact, "himself."

And at this moment...

As Tonio gazed out the car window unconsciously, he unexpectedly spotted a peculiar sight on the side of the street:

"A rock?"

"Why is there a rock next to this street?"

On this lively, bustling street full of life, right beside the passing pedestrians, was a pumpkin-sized, spherical rock.

The rock's surface was rough and unpolished. If you ignored the large "Danger" character carved onto it, it looked like worthless debris brought from some desolate wilderness.

Just sitting there in the middle of the lively market was truly out of place.

Tonio instinctively felt something was strange, but the taxi was moving quickly, and he didn't have time to get a closer look. The odd rock soon disappeared from his sight.

However, about half a minute later, as the taxi turned onto another street...

He saw another rock, identical to the previous one, right here.

"Another rock by the street?"

"Who's so bored they'd put these useless rocks on the main road?"

Tonio found it increasingly strange, and then...

"Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep beep~"

"Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep beep~"

This pink-haired young man, who looked perfectly normal and refined, suddenly acted as if he'd gone mad. While unconsciously mimicking a phone ringtone with his voice, he muttered to himself:

"Huh?"

"Is a phone ringing somewhere?"

"Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep beep~"

"Huh?"

The driver in the front seat was startled by this bizarre behavior:

"Um, kid, what's wrong?"

"Wh-why are you suddenly making those weird noises?"

Tonio completely ignored the driver's concerned and fearful greeting.

He frantically fumbled through his briefcase, but in the end, he just grabbed a wallet and held it to his ear as if it were a phone:

"Hello?"

"Is... is that you, boss!"

Tonio spoke to the non-existent phone, conversing with his boss, Diavolo.

Even though they were the same person, the Diavolo and Tonio personalities could still converse in this strange manner.

"Tonio."

Diavolo's voice appeared directly in his mind:

"You need to be careful."

"The enemy is likely nearby."

"What?"

Tonio's voice came from his mouth. To an outsider, it looked like he was talking to a wallet:

"The enemy is near us?"

"Could it be... that rock we just saw?!"

"Correct."

Diavolo in his mind instructed him very seriously:

"If a rock that clashed with its surroundings appeared on the main street, anyone would be compelled to take a second look, right?"

"But none of the pedestrians on the sidewalk just now noticed it, as if that big rock didn't exist at all."

"It's obvious this is..."

"A Stand's attack!"

Tonio gripped the wallet tightly, his expression turning serious:

"Normal people can't see Stands, so only I noticed that rock!"

"Th-then..."

His tone became flustered:

"What should I do?"

"Boss, will you help me?"

"Of course, I will help you, my Tonio."

Diavolo soothed his other "self" and then treated him like a tool to be ordered around:

"However, the enemy's identity and location cannot be confirmed yet, so it's inconvenient for me to reveal myself."

"Therefore, this enemy can only be dealt with by you for now."

"Don't be afraid..."

"I'll lend you my future-predicting 'Epitaph,' you can definitely handle it yourself."

Tonio, the sub-personality, was Diavolo's last line of defense for hiding his true identity.

If he couldn't guarantee his safety, couldn't ensure that everyone who saw his true identity would be silenced, Diavolo would absolutely not reveal his true face.

So, with this mysterious enemy not yet revealed, he chose to have Tonio act on his behalf.

"Understood."

Tonio seriously accepted the task his boss had assigned him.

At the same time, on his forehead, hidden by his pink bangs, a small face slowly appeared that ordinary people couldn't see—this was the characteristic of King Crimson's 'Epitaph' ability activating.

"The rock... will that rock appear again?"

Tonio observed the scenery outside the car window with complete focus, wary of the strange rock reappearing.

Then, the rock truly appeared.

But this time, it didn't appear on the side of the street; it appeared in the moving taxi itself.

That's right, Tonio didn't even notice how the rock appeared. The rock was silently placed on the back seat of the car, just inches away from him.

"Damn it!"

Staring at the rock, which was only half a meter away from him, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"'Epitaph'!"

Tonio activated the only ability he could use without hesitation, to foresee the enemy's possible actions in the next few seconds.

First second.

The rough, ordinary-looking spherical rock suddenly began to vibrate strangely.

Second second.

The rock, with a firm and slow posture, moved bit by bit towards Tonio.

Third second.

Tonio instinctively kicked at the approaching rock.

Fourth second.

Tonio died.

He died without a sound, like a centenarian who had passed away suddenly.

"This?!"

Both Tonio, who was currently controlling the body, and Diavolo, lurking in his mind, were startled by this terrifying vision of the future:

"If I touch this rock, I'll die!"

"I must... I must stay away from it."

"Don't come near me!!"

And so, without Tonio even realizing it, Diavolo briefly took over his body, activating "Time Erasure" with King Crimson, skipping past the period when he was touched by the stone.

The future was thus altered.

Completely caught off guard, Tonio, like a timid rabbit encountering its natural predator, startled and leaped from the back seat, tumbling into the front passenger seat.

The driver, who had been focused on the road, was roughly jostled by Tonio, nearly swerving the car and crashing onto the street:

"Hey!"

"What are you doing jumping up here, are you crazy?!"

The driver, yelling at Tonio with lingering fear, instinctively slammed on the brakes.

And that stone, as if unaffected by inertia—it maintained its slow, steady trajectory even as the taxi braked sharply, continuing to advance on Tonio, who had escaped to the front seat.

"Boss, wh-what do we do?"

"If I touch it, I'll die. How can I fight back?"

"Should I run?"

Tonio nervously said to Diavolo "on the phone."

"Don't be afraid."

Diavolo's voice was calm:

"As it stands, aside from its peculiar 'touch-and-die' property, this stone doesn't exhibit much power or speed."

"You don't need to run; just try to destroy it."

"Destroy it?"

"But..."

Tonio looked around for a suitable tool, saying with uncertainty:

"I can't touch this stone directly, and I don't have any readily available weapons..."

"Who says you don't?"

Diavolo retorted coldly:

"My dear Tonio,"

"Look around you, at the driver—"

"Human skulls are harder than most stones. Isn't that enough?"