Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: A New Universe
Chapter 142: Dream or Death
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"Are you insane!?," Fugo asked. "I'm just using the logic you love oh so much," Rarity pointed out, "If we all defect and you're the only holdout... How long until the boss decides to send you against us?" Fugo gasped. This was true. He now understood what Rarity was getting at. He'd either have to betray his friends, or betray the boss. There could be no middle ground. "You seem to grasp my intention," Rarity said, "You know what we're capable of, but the reverse is also true. So, to see if you even can fight us... We're going to fight here and now."
Art of the Dress appeared. "The rules are simple. The first one to land a punch on the other's Stand wins. Since my Stand had no true physical form, your virus will be useless, but it's still unpredictable and very ferocious. I'd say the odds are even." Fugo was sweating. 'I have to rely purely on my Stand for this... But I can't even properly control it! How am I supposed to win this!? If I can't even beat Rarity... What chance do I have against the others...'
But Rarity was giving him no say in the matter. "Purple Haze!" The violent Stand appeared as Rarity erected a crystal wall to protect her and the boat. The group watched through the crystal as the two Stands started fighting, but it was clear that Rarity was far superior. "Why is she doing this?," Abbacchio wondered, "It's obvious Purple Haze stands no chance. And it's not like she can convince him to get on the boat when she wins." "Not when," Giorno said, "If. Fugo can win this fight... He just needs to learn how to control his Stand."
"There's no way he can control his anger well enough to do that," Abbacchio pointed out. Then he saw Giorno's face and something clicked. "Unless controlling his anger is the wrong way to control his Stand..." Art of the Dress had Purple Haze in an arm lock. "Are you ready to give up, or can you still fight?," Rarity said, "I haven't yet landed a punch, so there's still a chance for you to win." Fugo, bent over like his Stand, was starting to boil over. "Damn you, woman! Don't you... TOY WITH ME!"
He instinctively made a punching move, and gasped when Purple Haze mimicked the move, managing to strike Art of the Dress in the face. Fugo could hardly believe it. "This is..." In that instant, he understood everything. 'This isn't just about the girl... This is about all of Italy, the country we love... Giorno wanted to bring justice to this country, and Buccellati thought Passione could give that justice... But now... Now this gang has no justice...'
He had known it in his heart, but his logical head wouldn't let him act on it. Rarity had forced him to give in to his anger, to lash out against what wasn't fair in the world rather than accept it. Just like what had happened with the professor and his dead grandmother. He sank to his knees as Giorno got off the boat to approach him. "Fugo... We need all the help we can get to stop the boss from terrorizing all of Italy, including the innocent." He held out his hand. "Will you... Help us?" Fugo teared up as he took Giorno's hand. "Si lo faro... Giogio..."
"I still think this is stupid," Fugo said later as the group was eating at a local restaurant. "Too late to take it back now," Abbacchio pointed out, "You already got on the boat." "I'm not saying I'm changing my mind, I'm just saying it's stupid," Fugo clarified. "You think vegetarians are allowed eat cheese?," Mista asked. "No," Fugo said, "Any milk or egg products are forbidden since they come from animals. Gelatin too, since it's made from animal bones. They also can't eat cake made with cream."
"Jeez, that sucks," Mista said. "It's not like they can't enjoy dessert," Fugo assured him, "Plenty of desserts don't use animal products." "Anyway, I'm glad you decided to join us Fugo," Buccellati said, "Because Rarity's encounter with King Crimson gave us an important clue to his weaknesses. He can't stop anything that has already started. If it tries to erase Rarity's crystal growth or your virus after they've already begun their work, he'll find it only affecting him faster."
"But that doesn't help the rest of us," Giorno noted, "We need to find out if any other weaknesses exist. While he's erasing time, only he can move, and anyone affected forgets what happened during that time. We need to find some way to counter that." "Our only chance is if we can find the boss's identity," Buccellati decided, "Once we have that, we can secretly assassinate him." "Yeah, but...," Narancia said, "Only Trish would have some clue to that, and we can't involve her anymore..." "It's fine," Trish said sadly, "Truth is... I've known all along what my father intended to do..."
She turned to the group. "The island of Sardegna. Mom once met my father there. She was on vacation at the time. He said he'd be back soon, then vanished without even leaving so much as a name or picture." "This would be before he founded Passione and erased all traces of his past," Abbacchio noted, "Meaning there might some clues on the island. If that's where he grew up, then that's where we'll find out about his past." "Trish...," Rarity said, "Why do this for us? You know what will happen when we learn about your father."
Trish nodded. "I know Rarity. But I want to know my origins, and I refuse to die before that happens!" Abbacchio chuckled. "Looks like you don't have to worry about her, Narancia." "Well, at least we have a lead," Fugo admitted, "But we still need to find a way out of Venezia before we can even think of heading to Sardegna." Suddenly, Narancia saw something swimming in his soup. "Guys, there's an enemy here!," he called out, "There's some sort of shark in my soup!" The group turned to see a shark fin in the soup. And it was moving.
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