Dio

Giorno's father's name was DIO Brando, but everyone called him Dio.

This was also the only information he had about his biological father.

Whenever Giorno tries to ask his mother about his biological father, she reacts like a possessed cult follower, excitedly and mysteriously ordering him to shut up.

Over time, he gave up trying to understand his biological father.

If it weren't for Willy's Stand ability awakening the fear buried deep in his subconscious for many years, Giorno wouldn't even know that he had met his biological father as an infant.

In a sense, this gave him an opportunity to understand his father.

However.

The current situation is completely different from the naturally heartwarming scene of "father and son meeting".

Without needing to know more, just recalling that look in his eyes that instilled a lifelong fear in him, Giorno knew that his father was probably not a good person.

And then, "Dio" appeared alive right in front of him.

He sensed a nauseating evil emanating from the handsome, sinister-looking man, through an inexplicable sixth sense.

The five-pointed star birthmark on my shoulder was slightly warm.

Giorno stood cautiously with his companions, staring solemnly ahead at his "long-lost father."

"Is this your dad?"

Li Qing's slightly surprised voice stirred the deathly silence:

"How come he looks so young?"

"Haha, so Giorno, you're most afraid of your own dad?"

"Etc."

He suddenly realized something:

Giorno's dad seems to be a very powerful guy?

Although he had only watched two episodes of JoJo, Li Qing still had a vague idea of what was going on.

After all, he clearly remembered that the two episodes of the anime started with a man whose hair and hat were growing together, sending his henchmen to Naples to find Dio's son.

The man whose hair and hat were fused together looked like the main character.

The fact that the "protagonist" is so wary of Giorno's father shows that he is no ordinary person.

"Could it be..."

Li Qing's face immediately turned extremely ugly:

"Giorno, your dad isn't Stand User either, is he?"

"Yes."

Giorno touched the rib that "Muda" had just broken, coughing up blood as he spat it out:

"Don't look at me like that, Li Qing."

"I don't know about his Stand ability either."

"The only thing that can be confirmed now is that the guy's Stand is very strong. Its destructive power and speed are far superior to Gold Experience. No, it is probably several times stronger than Bucciarati's Steel Chain Fingers."

"Well?"

Just hearing this made Li Qing's scalp tingle.

Steel Chain Fingers' punching power and speed were already among the best in his memory.

If it's several times stronger than the Steel Chain Fingers, wouldn't it be even more domineering than the King Crimson he encountered this morning?

In this way.

Even without considering the Stand ability, the opponent could easily defeat him in his current weak and vulnerable state with just a normal attack.

Li Qing and the others were too afraid to move, while Willy, who had been terrified by the sudden change, finally came to his senses.

He vaguely sensed that although the original Meat Chunk had disappeared, his transformed clone still possessed overwhelming power.

No, it's not just powerful.

From Willy's perspective, "Dio" exudes a unique charm.

This charm transcends gender and age, much like the chilly wind that suddenly blows after an autumn rain, sending shivers down your spine and chilling your body, yet inexplicably stirring your heart.

As he watched, Willy suddenly felt an urge to bow down and worship him.

But

That was clearly my stand-in!

If he's my double, shouldn't he be the one obeying me?

With that thought in mind, Willy mustered his courage and tentatively said:

"That... my friend"

"Shut up!"

That "Dio" actually spoke.

That deep, powerful, and penetrating voice was exactly the same as the one Giorno had heard in his distant memories.

"Poor, so poor!"

"Such a weak and impoverished being is not qualified to be my friend."

"If you really want to win, shut your mouth and kneel down at my feet, Dio!"

"Yes, yes!"

Willy shuddered.

He was not angry at being disdainfully insulted by his own stand-in; instead, he felt lost and confused.

Before Dio could even command him, Willy had completely abandoned the dignity he had just regained and knelt down before him with utmost humility.

"Master Dio!"

This feeling is wonderful.

After completely prostrating himself at the man's feet, Willy actually felt a sense of peace.

Just as a dog serves its master and a wolf follows its king, he too found his own "redemption".

"Very good."

"Leave the rest of the battle to me, Dio!"

The blond man laughed arrogantly, then turned his dark red blood-red eyes coldly toward the front.

"Hey, hey."

Li Qing felt increasingly uneasy. "How can this guy still talk?"

"Giorno, he's not really going to become your dad, is he?"

"No."

"Dio" proactively answered the question:

"I am not that Dio, nor do I have any specific memories of that Dio."

"However, Giorno's memories became a 'medium,' a medium that connected me with the 'Dio' who actually existed on Earth."

"I have inherited Dio's power, personality, intellect, and way of thinking one hundred percent!"

In other words...

"The one standing here now is also 'me,' Dio who has surpassed humanity!"

The phantom who called himself Dio stood in the dim shadows of the alley, his arms outstretched as if to embrace the whole world.

No one dared to interrupt his declaration.

In this tense and deathly silence, "Dio" broke the silence once again:

"That piece of trash only really wanted to kill Bucciarati and Fugo."

He bluntly referred to his own form as "useless," and then offered Li Qing a suggestion with a playful, mocking smile:

"You, Giorno, and two other guys."

"If you obediently hand over Bucciarati and Fugo and swear to become my subordinates, I can spare your lives."

"Are you kidding me!"

Without the slightest hesitation.

Upon hearing this "tempting" suggestion, Li Qing immediately showed his disdain.

The strange and indescribable aura emanating from "Dio" was indeed very strong, and even Giorno and Bucciarati, whose willpower was far stronger than that of ordinary people, were not able to help but be intimidated by it.

But

Li Qing, who identifies himself as a "gamer," has never felt any fear about this:

"Hey, just because you have 'brains' doesn't mean you can turn the world upside down."

"It's clearly a soulless phantom, a substitute that imitates the existence of others."

"Since it's such a fake existence, don't imitate human behavior and put on such a clumsy performance!"

He straightened his back, his eyes filled with contempt as he looked at "Dio".

But "Dio" was not angry.

He seemed to have truly inherited the original's spirit, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor even in the face of Li Qing's mockery.

Is that really the case?

"Since you're so bold, then take two steps forward!"

Dio looked at Li Qing with amusement, seemingly anticipating his next reaction.

Li Qing would certainly not back down at this crucial moment.

"Just take two steps, I'll just take two steps!"

"I refuse to believe you can really be invincible!"

While remaining fully alert to any unknown Stand ability the enemy might unleash, he took a large, seemingly reckless step forward.

However, in the next instant...

It's not just the next moment in Li Qing's consciousness, but the "next moment" in the truest sense.

Dio suddenly smiled at him:

"Hehe. What?"

"You speak so firmly, but are you wavering in your heart?"

"Look at your legs, Li Qing."

He reached out and pointed at Li Qing, who still looked completely bewildered:

"You didn't move forward at all; instead, you backed away!"