Chapter Summaries

During a violent storm in 1997, Charlotte Day and her father Ian found an unconscious, badly wounded young man at their restaurant door. They brought him inside and began treating his injuries.

• A sudden storm knocked out the power across Laya Town.
• Ian and Charlotte were putting away tables and chairs when someone forced open the restaurant door.
• Ian found a wounded young man unconscious on the floor and dragged him inside.
• Ian examined the stranger’s wounds and told Charlotte to fetch cloth and bandages.
• Charlotte returned with the first-aid kit, and she and Ian began tending to the man by lamplight.

Dia discovered that he had acquired the Stand [The World], which merged into his body after he tried to call it closer. He set aside his questions and resumed his Hamon breathing because he was too tired to study the Stand.

• Dia learned that Stands were supernatural powers that could take humanoid or object forms and possess various abilities.
• Dia tried to make [The World] approach him, but it became a phantom, merged with his body, and vanished as the glass returned to his hand.
• Dia wondered whether the DIO head had brought [The World] to him, and a mental connection confirmed that the Stand was his.
• Dia put the glass down and resumed his Hamon breathing, unable to study [The World] in his current condition.

Dia tested his damaged Stand, [The World], and weighed returning to university to seek help from Cheadle Yorkshire. Concerned for Ian and Charlotte’s safety as danger approached, he decided he could not wait any longer.

• Dia used [The World] to stop time for about half a second and found its strength and speed still diminished.
• Dia recalled that Hamon had rapidly healed his injuries, while [The World] remained badly damaged and could not use Hamon to recover.
• Dia remembered that Cheadle Yorkshire was his university mentor and an expert in Nen, but his calls and letters had not reached her.
• Dia chose to stay with Ian and Charlotte because he feared they could be murdered without his protection.
• Dia sensed danger drawing closer and, watching the thunderstorm, silently made a decision.

Dio fought Blackbra, whose Nen-infused killing intent briefly caught him off guard, but Hamon let him resist and turn the battle around. Dio landed a powerful Overdrive before Blackbra's returning [Magic Ball] disrupted his follow-up, leaving both fighters still in the fight.

• Blackbra's killing intent momentarily stiffened Dio, but Dio's Hamon freed him, and Blackbra escaped Dio's Overdrive by blasting himself away from the wall.
• Dio and Blackbra sized each other up as Blackbra reached for a weapon and Dio advanced to prevent him from using it.
• Blackbra revealed his [Magic Ball] and hurled it at Dio, who stopped time and used [The World] to knock the baseball aside.
• Dio closed the distance and struck Blackbra in the waist with [Sunlight Yellow Overdrive], sending him flying.
• Blackbra called [Magic Ball] back, and the returning baseball grazed Dio's knuckles and spoiled his uppercut.
• Dio recovered his balance and realized that [Magic Ball] had a special ability, while Blackbra struggled to endure the Overdrive.

Dio defeated Blackbra after overcoming the [Magic Ball] and stopped him from escaping into the sewer. After reflecting on how much stronger skilled Nen users could be, Dio decided to leave and learn Nen Abilities.

• Blackbra realized Dio had overwhelmed him and tried to escape while the [Magic Ball] attacked Dio.
• Dio used [The World] to seize and burn the [Magic Ball] with [Crimson Ripple Overdrive].
• Dio caught up with Blackbra and killed him with Spring Fist before he reached the manhole.
• Dio reflected on his victory and concluded that he needed to learn Nen Abilities to face stronger opponents.
• Dio disposed of Blackbra's corpse and his damaged raincoat, then left as the rain eased.

Dio contacted his former mentor Cheadle Yorkshire and arranged to meet her at the National Medical University, hoping to trade a new research discovery for instruction in Nen. Cheadle agreed to see him, while worrying about the upcoming Vice Chairman Election and rumors surrounding Pariston.

• Dio tested The World during a bus ride and confirmed that its time-stop duration had increased by about 0.2 seconds.
• Cheadle called Dio to check that he had recovered, and he told her he was safe and wanted to discuss new research.
• Dio asked to meet Cheadle at the university, planning to use his Ripple research to seek her guidance in Nen.
• Cheadle agreed to meet Dio at the university and wondered how he had made a new discovery after his shipwreck.
• Cheadle thought about Beans's warning regarding the December Vice Chairman Election and the rumors that Pariston had been selected for the role.

Dio returned to the National Medical University to seek Professor Cheadle’s advice, but learned she had gone to a Secret Court hearing. When Cheadle unexpectedly called and urgently summoned him to the airport, Dio rushed there by taxi.

• Dio arrived at the National Medical University and ran into his former junior, Ellie.
• Ellie told Dio that Professor Cheadle had left to attend a Secret Court hearing.
• Dio called Cheadle, who answered and ordered him to come to the airport immediately before hanging up.
• Dio hired a taxi and paid the driver to race to the airport.

Cheadle brought Dio to a secret courtroom beneath Hundred-Ring Island and trusted him with the case file and the critical task of recording the trial. Judge Bell began the proceedings against Sangli, but announced a charge of tax evasion that contradicted the file’s description of espionage.

• Cheadle explained that she had chosen Dio to replace the missing clerk so the Secret Court could proceed.
• Cheadle led Dio through ancient ruins to the makeshift courtroom and instructed him to record only the facts.
• Judge Bell arrived with Sangli and introduced himself to Dio as the presiding judge.
• Cheadle gave Dio the case booklet, which identified Sangli as a decorated Minbo Republic officer accused of stealing state secrets and passing them to a foreign power.
• Judge Bell opened the trial and announced that Sangli was charged with tax evasion, leaving Dio confused.

Dio watched Officer Sangli receive a death sentence in the Secret Court, but Sangli revealed a deadly creature and triggered an explosion. Dio used The World to pull Cheadle clear of the blast, and they were hurled into a passage as the courtroom collapsed and buried the entrance.

• Dio suspected the silent Officer Sangli had been mutilated as Judge Bell read the charges and sentenced him to immediate execution.
• Sangli revealed a slug in place of his tongue, blamed Kakin, and threatened the court before the creature emerged and his body began to swell.
• Cheadle activated Dr. Yorkshire and rushed to shield Dio as the explosion began.
• Dio stopped time, pulled Cheadle backward with The World, and escaped the explosion's core.
• The shock wave hurled Cheadle and Dio through an iron door into a passage, and the courtroom collapsed, burying them inside.

After an explosion trapped Dio and Cheadle in a passage filled with Post-Mortem Nen, Cheadle lent Dio her Nen ability so they could protect themselves. They were temporarily safe, and Cheadle began investigating how the incident had spiraled out of control while expecting help from outside.

• Dio carried the unconscious Cheadle deeper into the passage and used Ripple to revive her.
• Cheadle recognized the surrounding aura as Post-Mortem Nen and activated [Dr. Yorkshire] to shield them.
• Dio revealed his Ripple, which dispersed the Post-Mortem Nen clinging to him.
• Cheadle used [Yorkshire Registrar] to lend Dio half her aura and share [Dr. Yorkshire] with him for six hours.
• Dio signed the contract and activated the borrowed ability, gaining a sterile suit that protected him from the Post-Mortem Nen.
• Cheadle began reviewing the suspicious events that led to the explosion, expecting her friends outside to organize a rescue.

Cheadle and Dio analyzed the trial explosion and the mysterious force that had moved them before Piyon contacted them from the Hunter Association. After learning they were trapped deep in the Ancient Dynasty Ruins, Cheadle memorized a map and led Dio toward the nearest exit.

• Cheadle explained that the prisoner was not charged with leaking state secrets because the stolen information had not initially been judged important enough for that charge.
• Dio and Cheadle concluded that Kakin had targeted the trial records, using the explosion and post-mortem Nen to prevent anyone from retrieving them.
• Cheadle questioned the unknown force that had pulled them from the blast and asked Dio about his healing ability, which he said could also strengthen the body.
• Piyon called Cheadle and reported that the entrance to the ruins was buried and blocked by post-mortem Nen.
• Piyon sent Cheadle a map showing their location in Passage Three, and Cheadle set off with Dio toward the nearest exit.

Cheadle explained Nen to Dio and offered to teach him in exchange for his help with a confidential task, which he eventually accepted. They emerged from the passage on Hundred-Ring Island, boarded a Hunter Association ship, and headed back to Loi City.

• Cheadle invited Dio to become a Hunter and join her team, but Dio declined joining a team while offering to help with his Ripple ability.
• Cheadle offered to teach Dio Nen in exchange for an undisclosed task and promised it would not harm him.
• After two hours of walking in silence, Dio agreed to help Cheadle.
• Dio and Cheadle exited a cave on Hundred-Ring Island, and Cheadle explained that her aura would help Dio awaken Ten when her ability ended.
• Dio and Cheadle boarded the Hunter Association's ship and traveled toward Loi City.

Dio woke from a nightmare in the Hunter Association lounge after punching Beans, then discovered he could use Nen and identified his affinity as Emission through Water Divination. Cheadle returned with a cake and found Dio and the others in an awkward silence after Netero left.

• Dio woke from a nightmare and accidentally punched Beans when Beans tried to rouse him.
• Netero introduced himself and Beans, then noticed Dio could see aura and had instinctively mastered [Ten].
• Dio released his aura as [Ren], prompting Netero to ask Beans to prepare Water Divination.
• Dio performed Water Divination, turning the water gold and revealing his Emission affinity.
• Cheadle entered carrying a cake, and Netero left with Beans after teasing her; Dio explained what had happened, leaving Cheadle and Dio awkwardly silent.

Dio wondered whether his dream involving Hisoka and The World held a warning, then followed Cheadle to begin training his Nen ability. After they left, the Nebula Lava Cake Cheadle had saved for dinner was gone.

• Dio considered whether he should prepare to kill Hisoka before their first encounter, since Hisoka's habit of holding back might give him an opening.
• Dio remembered that The World had appeared in his dream and glanced at Cheadle before he could summon it to examine it.
• Cheadle told Dio to follow her to the dojo on the top floor for his first Nen training lesson.
• Dio paused as if he had noticed something, then followed Cheadle and discreetly swallowed once he was out of her sight.
• Cheadle's saved slice of Nebula Lava Cake vanished from the table.

Dio discovered that Ripple strengthened his Nen and gave it properties from multiple categories, then decided to train both abilities together. Cheadle left to handle work at the medical university while Dio continued his training.

• Dio combined Ripple with his aura and found that Water Divination showed the properties of Enhancement, Transmutation, and Emission, which Cheadle identified as Specialization.
• Dio wrapped his aura in Scarlet Overdrive, making the water taste intensely spicy and confirming that different Overdrives gave Ripple Nen different properties.
• Dio named the combination Ripple Nen and decided to train Ripple and Nen simultaneously because the two methods did not conflict.
• Cheadle gave Dio instructions about the Mountain training method, then returned to the medical university to prepare the record of the previous Secret Court hearing.
• Dio resumed practicing Ren and Ten while Cheadle quietly took responsibility for reproducing the hearing record.

Dio worried about his dwindling savings before Chairman Netero invited him to lunch and confronted him about the Secret Court incident. Netero advised Dio to conceal his abilities and then assigned him a commission, offering to lend him a Hunter license.

• Dio realized that three days of rent at the Hunter Association had consumed more than half his savings, and he refused to accept Cheadle's offer to cover his expenses.
• Beans told Dio that Chairman Netero had invited him to lunch, and Dio followed him to the reception room.
• After lunch, Netero revealed that Cheadle had reported the Secret Court incident to the government and suggested Dio's ability had caused it.
• Netero warned Dio not to reveal his secret in front of people he did not trust and advised him to hide his killing intent until after killing someone.
• Netero asked Dio to take a commission that would begin in a month and offered to lend him his Hunter license.

Dio accepted a commission starting August 27 despite being unable to use Netero’s Hunter License, and prepared to develop his Nen ability before the dangerous assignment. He considered how to combine Ripple’s varied properties with Nen, but left his exact ability unfinished.

• Dio decided to accept Mizaistom’s commission after recalling Netero’s advice that true power was forged outside a training room.
• Mizaistom told Dio the assignment would begin in twenty-three days and warned that experienced Nen users might attack.
• Dio resolved to master Hatsu before the commission, knowing that its opponents would be more dangerous than the amateur he had previously killed.
• Dio reviewed Ripple’s different Overdrives and its repulsion and adhesion properties, which he and Cheadle had tested together.
• Dio considered using a restriction tied to The World’s time stop but concluded that he first needed to develop his ability further.

Dio joined Drobada’s team at Loi City Airport for a mission protecting the Twelfth Prince in the Kakin Empire. The team prepared to fly to Flin Airport, with Dio serving as deputy captain and handling perimeter security against outside attacks.

• Dio arrived and greeted Drobada, who was impressed by how well Dio concealed his aura with [Zetsu].
• Dio assessed Drobada’s Nen and reflected that his training in [Zetsu] had improved.
• Drobada ordered the black-clad team to move out for their 8:50 a.m. departure on August 24.
• Dio prepared to serve as deputy captain, carrying a large-caliber handgun requested from Mizaistom.
• The team’s role was to guard the Twelfth Prince’s perimeter while the Royal Guard handled close protection; three Private Soldiers sent by the Kakin Kingdom’s Fourth Prince would protect themselves.

Dio stayed in the private soldiers' quarters and used a card game to draw Bokushin into conversation. He introduced himself as Bai Lianna, leaving Bokushin poised to question him.

• Dio stationed himself in the private soldiers' quarters, where Jipa challenged his presence and Bokushin warned him about Tserriednich's wrath.
• Dio released a threatening Nen aura and said he would kill private soldiers who endangered the Twelfth Prince, frightening Bokushin and Jipa into silence.
• Bokushin tried to placate Dio by offering to play cards, and he agreed to a game of exchange cards.
• Bokushin proposed that the loser answer a question, and Dio added a ten-thousand-Jenny penalty for refusing to answer.
• Dio prepared the cards and told Bokushin his name was Bai Lianna.

Dio played cards with Bokushin through the night, using the game to extract information about her and the Fourth Prince while winning nearly two million Jenny. By dawn, Bokushin was exhausted and humiliated, while Dio considered how her abilities and intelligence might matter in a future clash with the Fourth Prince.

• Dio used The World to see Bokushin’s cards and repeatedly beat her at card swapping while asking questions about her life and the Fourth Prince.
• Bokushin refused to discuss the Fourth Prince and paid Dio for an account number instead, then continued playing through the night.
• After 232 rounds, Bokushin had lost most of her savings and revealed extensive personal information before escaping when Dio went to the bathroom.
• Otosin woke and wrongly assumed Bokushin had spent the night with Dio, so Bokushin knocked him out.
• Security officers gathered to watch Bokushin, who feared her money, personal information, and reputation were ruined.
• Dio coordinated the landing arrangements with Drobada and reflected that he had targeted Bokushin because she was a Specialization user among the Fourth Prince’s Private Soldiers.