[Time Stop] was undoubtedly an invincible ability.
But were there enemies that even stopping time could not defeat?
Dio had seriously considered what kinds of enemies [Time Stop] could not overcome-
First were enemies so fast that Dio would not have time to stop time, such as Netero's [100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva] and the reborn Meruem.
Second were enemies whose defenses were so strong that Dio could hammer away at them without breaking through. The example was, once again, Meruem.
Third were purely ranged attacks, such as Zeno's [Dragon Dive]. At a sufficient distance, stopping time would only let him dodge, not defeat his enemy.
Fourth were large-area attacks, such as the [Poor Man's Rose].
Fifth were long-distance curses, such as those used by the Curse-Assassination Unit in the Succession War arc.
There were also things his physical body could not defend against, such as poison and traps. That was without even counting abilities of the same type, like Platinum Printer.
Viewed that way, Time Stop was almost exclusively effective against enemies obsessed with close-range, one-on-one combat, whose defenses were not particularly strong and whose Nen abilities had no fancy effects.
(Somewhere far away, Hisoka sneezed.)
But reality did not work that way. First, in many situations, even if Dio could not win, he could still use Time Stop to escape.
As an experienced Ripple user, Dio understood perfectly that when Ripple failed, it was time to run.
Second, as long as his ability to stop time remained secret, no one would deliberately gather so many bizarre abilities just to counter him.
At most, they would send stronger Nen users after him. They were unlikely to drop a Rose or deploy an entire Curse-Assassination Unit just for him.
There was another point Dio had to consider as a Stand User: a Stand and its user shared their injuries.
If he sent [The World] to attack an enemy, his Stand would have no aura to defend itself. No matter how thick the [Ken] around his physical body was, if his Stand's head got blown apart, he would die for real.
And judging by the Nen users' feats in the manga, while [The World] was strong, its speed and strength were not enough to completely overwhelm them.
That was also why Dio insisted on developing a Nen Beast. If a Nen Beast got destroyed, he could simply create it again. If his Stand lost an arm, it could not grow one back on the spot.
Combining his two requirements-[reduce the risk of exposing Time Stop] and [make it easier to flee from enemies he could not defeat]-
He made his Nen Beast's first ability [create dense fog that no one could see through]!
Developing a Nen ability meant dealing with the issue of [Nen Ability Capacity].
Simply put, just as a computer had limited storage, each person could only "remember" a limited number of Nen abilities.
If all he wanted was for his Nen Beast to produce [fog], developing the ability would be easy. But that would limit its versatility and waste his Nen capacity.
So when developing an ability, it was best to aim for a broader concept.
After careful consideration, Dio settled on the concept for his Nen ability-weather phenomena!
He would control the weather, just like [Weather Report], the invincible Stand wielded by Dominic Pucci in JOJO Part Six, Stone Ocean!
Of course, Dio considered it almost impossible to actually reproduce Weather Report's ability to recreate a biosphere.
Although Nen abilities were shaped by the mind, they undoubtedly had limits.
At most, he could do a little Weather Report cosplay.
However, having traveled through the JOJO world, Dio knew for certain that a Stand like [Weather Report] existed!
And if it existed, it could be conjured.
That was another way Nen abilities depended on the mind. Humans could not imagine a blade that cut through everything, so they could not conjure one.
But if they knew for certain that something existed, conjuring it became much easier!
Even so, for Dio, who had only been learning Nen for a month, creating such a Nen Beast-even a rudimentary version-was extremely difficult...
The armored car carrying Dio, the Twelfth Prince, and the others sped along the road and finally returned safely to the hotel.
Dio had also picked up the dolls left behind earlier.
"Your Highness! Are you all right? And the blood on your face..."
A guard had been waiting at the hotel entrance. As soon as he saw Mumuzawa's convoy, he hurried forward to open the door and anxiously asked whether she was safe.
Mumuzawa froze at his words. Blood? There's blood on my face...?
Oh, right. It was when Mr. Dio got hurt earlier...
But she did not answer the guard's question. She merely said, "I'm fine," then walked alone toward Dio and Drobada, who stood silently in front of the car.
They had been out for less than a few hours, yet they had already encountered such a meticulously planned attack.
Even she would not believe that nothing was wrong behind the scenes.
Lieutenant Ralph must have begun investigating immediately, but the guards had still failed in their duties.
At this point, it was fair to say that Mumuzawa trusted none of her guards except Dio and Drobada.
"Mr. Dio, Mr. Drobada, thank you very much for doing everything in your power to protect me today. I will notify the Kakin Royal Family so that you receive additional commendations."
Mumuzawa had been raised as a royal heir since childhood, and she knew exactly what to do in such situations.
Once she was out of danger, her royal upbringing reasserted itself, and she naturally began trying to win their loyalty.
At the same time, she wanted Dio to know that she remembered his efforts to protect her.
"We were only doing our duty. There is no need to go to such trouble, Your Highness."
"Yes. It's just a shame we couldn't save those other equally loyal guards."
Drobada answered solemnly, while Dio made a show of expressing his regret, without picking up on any other meaning.
The three Royal Guards who had accompanied them-two men and one woman-had all died in the first wave of the attack.
Just as Dio thought the pleasantries were over and the Twelfth Prince would return to her room with her personal maid-
She suddenly spoke up.
"Then could I ask you to take me back to my room, Mr. Dio? There are a few things I'd like to ask you."
"...No, Your Highness. That is the job of your Royal Guards and maids."
Dio straightened his back, kept his gaze fixed ahead, and answered calmly.
Huh?
Drobada gave him several incredulous looks.
"Huh? No, I..."
Mumuzawa had not expected such an inexplicable response from Dio and froze for a moment.
His unconventional reply left her at a loss for words.
Behind Mumuzawa, the guards' expressions had already changed. They stared at him as if to say, What is this guy talking about...?
Did he only hear "back to my room" and miss "ask you a few things"?
Dio, however, was perfectly calm.
He knew what Mumuzawa wanted to ask about. It could only be the supernatural power known as Nen, but answering all her questions was not part of his job.
Nor was agreeing to the inevitable request afterward to teach her Nen.
The Twelfth Prince had left a very good impression on him, and he did not want to damage their relationship with a blunt refusal.
So he simply answered the first half of her request, indirectly declining the questions that would follow.
Seeing Dio keep his mouth shut, looking as though he had no intention of saying anything more, Mumuzawa could only give up. She offered a few reassuring words and told him to rest and recover.
The group returned to the hotel.
After such a major attack on their first outing, Dio figured they probably would not go out again before the auction began.
After all, Mumuzawa was not particularly fond of going out.
Dio was happy to stay in the hotel, too. He had more important things to do.
"Mist, mist~"
In the spacious room, Dio sat cross-legged on the floor with his cheek propped on one hand, watching a strange white creature swim through the air and make odd noises.
This was the weather Nen Beast he had envisioned. A sudden inspiration during that morning's battle had allowed him to conjure it on the spot.
The weather Nen Beast suddenly flew toward Dio, rubbed against his cheek, then flew into his hair and flattened into a puddle.
Yes, it had a mind of its own.
Dio had no idea which step had gone wrong.
In his plans, this Nen Beast was not supposed to be conscious. But perhaps Ripple was too powerful as life energy and had actually given rise to a conscious Nen Beast.
Nen Beasts of this kind were generally the specialty of Conjuration users, such as Kite's [Crazy Slots].
However, Dio, who used Ripple to imitate [Specialization], also had an eighty-percent chance of successfully developing Conjuration abilities.
Dio reached into his hair and lifted the little cloud in front of his eyes.
"Since you have a mind of your own, I should give you a name..."
Looking at the Nen Beast he had just "given birth" to, Dio recalled the name he had decided on before he had even begun designing it.
"I'll call you-"
"[Atmosphere Creator]."
Before you continue