This is a chapter I've really been looking forward to. A nice little epilogue to Golden Wind.

Purple Haze Feedback was written by Kohei Kadono as part of Jojo's 25th anniversary, and is basically a chance to finally give Fugo something of a happy ending, as well as wrapping up his character arc.

Now keep in mind, all of the new Stands you will see in this chapter were created by Kadono. As such, I won't be including them in the OC Stand Archives since I didn't actually create them. You can find more information on them on the Jojo wiki.

It was some months after the defeat of Diavolo. With the loss of La Squadra and the removal of Diavolo's supporters during the events of that time, Passione was in need of restructuring. There were two things of particular importance. The first was the removal of Passione's drug trade. The whole point of taking over the gang was to remove that stain from their future. The second was the transferring of all of Passione's funding from the now defunct lire to the new standardized euro.

This process was going to Fugo, who was an expert at accounting. Numbers-wise Passione's capital would seem to take a drop, but note for note their fortunes would remain the same. The real hit to their income would be the loss of the drug trade, but Giorno and his friends agreed that they didn't need any more drug-addled kids on their conscience. Giorno was now fully realized as the leader of Passione, with Rarity as his top advisor. Fugo, Abbacchio, Narancia, and Mista were all made into capos alongside Buccellati.

As he was doing his work, Fugo was listening to the newest album from Denki Tamashi, "Sounds of New Meridian". It was a Japanese group, but Fugo was always a sucker for jazz of any sort. And it made for good silent listening, or motivation to keep on his work. As he finished the latest set of paperwork, he got a call from Giorno. "You got good timing, I was finishing up for the day." 'Good, because I have an important job that needs your special power,' Giorno said, 'Meet me at the Stadio Guiseppe Meazza.' Fugo raised an eyebrow, but replied, "Alright boss. I'll be right over."

A special box was reserved for members of Passione on the day of the big game, and it was here that Fugo came to meet with Giorno. "What's the big issue?," he asked. "We've whittled down the members of Passione's narcotics team to a handful of members who decided to splinter off," Giorno explained, "I'll give you the full details shortly, but knowing you I felt a quick explanation would be warranted." He smirked. "Just so you don't feel like your patience was tested."

Fugo shrugged. "You've really come to know me. But it's not just me being sent, is it?" A knock came at the door. "Ah, right on schedule," Giorno said, "You may enter." Rarity entered with a young woman right around Fugo's age. He recognized her as Sheila Capezzuto, a recent addition to the Passione gang. Also there were two members of the Speedwagon Foundation. "As you're aware," Giorno said, "Passione has started working in league with Speedwagon. As part of our agreement, we've offered to personally deal with the last four members of the narcotics team."

"And you want me to head up a team to eliminate them?," Fugo asked. Giorno nodded. Fugo nodded in response. "I don't mind the field work, but considering how powerful you are, shouldn't you be leading this team?" "Normally I would," Giorno admitted, "But this mission has a part two to it." "We believe this narcotics team may have knowledge of a stone mask once sought after by Nazi forces stationed in Italy," one of the Speedwagon members explained. "As I said before," Giorno continued, "My father became a vampire because of the stone mask. The Joestar family may accept me as one of them, but there's still concern that I may be tempted to use the mask's power for myself."

Fugo nodded in understanding. "So you decided to have someone else go and destroy the mask as a compromise. Someone both sides can trust." "That's technically Rarity," Giorno pointed out, "Her grandfather is a friend of the patriarch of the Joestar clan, after all. And the Speedwagon Foundation is very loyal to the Joestars in large part because their founder was a loyal friend of Joseph Joestar's grandfather." "But the narcotics team we're going after is dangerous," Rarity admitted, "At least two of their Stands could easily defeat King Crimson. If they wanted they could have taken over Passione, but chose not to because of the easy money."

Giorno got out some files and laid them out on the coffee table in the middle of the box. "Now there are four members of this team. The first is Vittorio Cataldi. A known psychotic masochist obsessed with pain. He believes pain calls the life force inside of him, and that civilized life is lacking that life force. His Stand, and yes all four members are Stand users, is Dolly Dagger. It inhabits a dagger and changes its form, and lets him reflect seventy percent of all damage done to him to whoever or whatever is reflected in the blade."

"Sounds like he's self-destructive and doesn't even know it," Fugo noted. Giorno nodded. "Next we have Angelica Attanasio. A rather spacey young woman, and possibly a severe drug addict. Her Stand, Nightbird Flying, can afflict people with the final stages of drug addiction." "Nasty," Fugo said, shaking his head. "We also have Vladimir Kocaqi," Giorno continued, "Among the team he's the most sociable, no surprise given he's the leader. He has quite a history stemming back to World War II. His Stand is Rainy Day Dream Away, which can lock in any sentiment or thought in a person."

"Apparently it's such a deceptively intricate power," Rarity said, "That Diavolo didn't want to antagonize him." "And finally," Giorno said, "We have Massimo Volpe. The second son of the prestigious Volpe family, he became heir to the family name after his older brother disowned himself, changed his last name, and moved to Japan to become a chef. The Volpe family apparently values titles above all else, so to them it's an insult to have a member of their family, especially the eldest son, take on such a commoner's craft."

"And what about Volpe's Stand?," Fugo asked. "And here's where we get into the source of the narcotics team's resources," Giorno said grimly, "Volpe's Stand is Manic Depression. It's a colony Stand that can increase the biological functions of organisms by piercing them with its thorns. It can also turn salt into a powerful opiate, which can be injected for a drug-like effect. But the drug can only last for two weeks and its effect loses potency if it gets too far from Volpe's range." "I'm starting to see how this group gained power so quickly," Fugo said.

"There's something else we should mention," Rarity said, "You remember Sale and Zucchero? Well they completely bought into the tale we told to allow Giorno to become boss of Passione, and as a matter of atonement for attacking us, they went after the narcotics team personally. It... Didn't end well for them. We found Sale's body floating in the middle of the Strait of Messina. His heart was ripped out. And there's been no sign of Zucchero." Fugo, remembering how much trouble those two were when they were hunting for Polpo's treasure, trembled. "Merda..."

Giorno nodded. "Yes, that's how dangerous these enemies are." He motioned to Sheila. "Sheila here will be assigned with you and Rarity as a third member, and we have a fourth waiting to meet you at a hotel in the city." Sheila nodded. "I'll strive to protect you, whatever it takes." "Let's not go overboard," Fugo said, "We've gone this long without losing any allies. And I'd hate to lose one just because they went on a suicide run." Rarity smirked. Sheila was rather attractive, and she could sense that Fugo might have been getting flustered at her rather minimal manner of dress.

At the hotel, as they waited for their fourth member, Fugo got to thinking about things. "Penny for your thoughts?," Rarity asked. "You've been sociable with me as of late," Fugo noted, "I think the only guy you hang around more than me is Giorno." "Well, we did swap bodies during the Requiem incident," Rarity pointed out, "Kinda makes it easier to connect with you. I believe that's why Mista and Trish eventually wound up dating." Fugo smiled. "She may not be a member of Passione, but she'll always be one of us."

He sighed. "I was just thinking back to my grandmother. Growing up, she was the only one I could really talk with. My grandfather wanted a title when he struck it rich, so he paired his son with the daughter of a bankrupt noble. I was the third son of that marriage, and the only one who showed promise." He scoffed. "My 'illustrious' entry into college at an early age came from bribery rather than the school recognizing my intelligence. I'd have been just as happy going through school normally."

He leaned back. "But my real passion was always in the arts. The musical talents of Bach and Mozart. The artistic works of Michelangelo and Da Vinci. The master architecture of Scamozzi and Bernini. If the best of the best lived hundreds of years ago, then why should I try to do anything more with my own talent? What's even left for me to do?" "Sounds like life as a gangster was your destiny even before the incident," Rarity noted. Fugo smiled. "I won't deny I've been able to accomplish more working with Buccellati than I ever could have at the university."

He then noted something. "Also, why use a American currency for a saying?" "Born in Manhattan, remember?," Rarity pointed out, "I'm technically Italian-American." Fugo facepalmed. "I keep forgetting your family history." He chuckled. "Reminds me of the first time I met Buccellati... When I explained how I knew he was a gangster, he talked for a bit about my situation, being jailed after beating that professor and getting disowned by my family. He flat out admitted he was the son of a fisherman and that he wasn't well-educated, and that he came to me because he needed my quick wit and extensive knowledge."

"That's a good point," Rarity noted, "You might be the only one of us who came from a high class family. Sure the Zeppelis might be well-known, but ultimately we're still working class. But wasn't Buccellati concerned you might want revenge against your parents?" "The thought never entered his mind," Fugo admitted, "As he heard me speak of what happened, he felt no such animosity. Truth be told there was none to be had." He closed his eyes. "And... He knew I had the eyes of a killer."

"When you get right down to it we're all killers," Rarity said, "We've each killed at least one person dealing with La Squadra and Diavolo's agents. Do you ever wonder what would have happened to your life if you hadn't met Buccellati?" "Sure," Fugo replied, "But I fit in so well with the gangster's life that I can't really imagine what it would have been like. Your earlier theory may be right, I was likely always meant to be a gangster." He turned his head away. "Though... I got a glimpse of what it could have been like... Through Narancia."

"Hope he's doing alright with his own duties," Rarity said, "He was real excited to get promoted to capo, but I'm not sure if he really has what it takes to run a territory." Fugo smiled. "I wouldn't worry. His book learning may be lacking, but he's street smart. Guaranteed his team is doing just fine." "Excuse me," Sheila said with a knock on the door, "We have two people authorized to be here at the door. One is the pizza that was ordered from room service. The other is our fourth member."

"Perfect timing," Rarity said as she went to address both. Sheila looked at Fugo. "Is it true that your Stand can infect anyone?" "Anyone I want it to," Fugo said, "It used to be too wild for me to control. Rarity showed that was only because I was afraid to get wild myself." "Could it infect you?," Sheila asked. "Sure," Fugo said, "At one time. Buccellati and I tested it by having Purple Haze infect a small part of me, which Buccellati cut away with his own Stand before the virus could kill me."

Sheila's eyes widened. "It was that power... That killed Illuso..." "Don't tell me, you had a deep connection to him?," Fugo asked, concerned. "He killed my sister," Sheila said, "I wanted to kill him, which is why I joined Passione. By that time Giorno came out as the boss. He told me Illuso was already dead by your hands. That's one reason why I wanted to join this team... To meet you, and thank you. My own Stand, Voodoo Child, is powerful, but I don't know if I could have used it to overcome Illuso's mirror world."

The two stared at each other, until Rarity came in, clearing her throat. "If you two are done flirting," she said, causing Sheila to get flustered, "Allow me to introduce our fourth member, Cannolo Murolo." A gangly old man with a clean-cut face and dressed like a classic movie mobster entered the room. He tipped his hat to the duo. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm a member of the analysis team." "He's also the one who recreated the photo of Santa Lucia Station for La Squadra," Rarity said, "In other words, that's why Ghiaccio was able to track us down in spite of our clever trick."

Murolo shrugged. "At the time I was just playing both sides on orders from the top. The idea was to pit Buccellati's team against La Squadra and wait for the dust to settle. It just turned out you had La Squadra just a little too outmatched. Hell, you could have even taken Risotto out if he hadn't decided to back off and try a smarter approach. Like, say... Looking for a certain building a certain someone might have taken a picture of." Fugo chuckled. "So you also told him about the picture of Trish's mother."

He shook his head. "The funny thing is I can't even bring myself to get angry at you, because ultimately those plans of yours lead to us taking over Passione." Murolo laughed. "Yeah, that Giorno is a far better boss than I could have expected. Just five seconds of talking with him trying to get a read on him, and I suddenly got the feeling he was the one examining me." He expression turned neutral. "Which reminds me. According to Giorno, you used know Volpe, even though he's supposed to be a closely guarded secret."

"That's because he's a former classmate of mine back at Universita di Bologna," Fugo explained, "I was only thirteen at the time, but my family had bribed the university to let me attend thinking my intellect was too good for ordinary school." The group started discussing the background of the narcotics team, and Volpe's role in it. Back when Diavolo started Passione, he fought against the abuses of older organizations. But this was only to get the trust of the people quickly.

Once he had an area under his thumb, he would replace the old drug trade with his own drugs, which Volpe supplied. "Risotto's team had wanted to take control of a drug route that baffled the oldest of professionals," Rarity noted, "But it seemed there was no such route. Volpe can literally conjure them from simple salt as if he were Jesus turning water into wine. They come fresh and spoil quickly, making it impossible to stock up on them or water them down."

She turned to Murolo. "Does your Stand have their location yet?" "One moment," Murolo said, "They're returning as we speak." All at once, a set of walking playing cards arrived at the table, coming in from places unseen. "Meet my Stand," Murolo explained, "I call it All Along the Watchtower. A full deck of fifty-three cards come to life. They can go anywhere, and see everything. This is the reason why the analysis team consists only of me... With my Stand I don't need anyone else."

He clapped as the cards formed into a tower. "They put on a delightful show as they feature their information to me, and since my Stand is split into fifty-three bodies any damage I take from Stand abilities is split fifty-three ways." The show was a bit confusing, but Fugo got the gist of it. The narcotics team was in Taormina, a commune on the island of Sicily. "I really have a bad feeling about this," Fugo said, "Nothing good ever happens in Sicily..."

Meanwhile, the narcotics team was in their usual warehouse, interrogating Zucchero. Or rather, what was left of him. Thanks to Angelica and her Nightbird Flying, Zucchero had lost control of Soft Machine and was now little more than a deflated balloon with a hole in it. "Figures Fugo would be one of the people Zucchero would target first," Vittorio said with a grin, Dolly Dagger waving between two of his fingers, "He and Narancia are supposed to be the strongest members of that group."

"Though if that correspondence from Diavolo a few days before his death is anything to go by," Kocaqi said, "That new girl, Rarita Zeppeli, is even stronger. Her Stand was able to match King Crimson with relative ease." He chuckled. "The power to erase time is not easy to overcome. Only a handful of powers are capable of doing so." "Still," Volpe said, "It's interesting what Zucchero said. The new boss, Giorno Giovanna. Not only is he intending to send Rarita after us, but also Fugo. I remember that name well."

"An old friend?," Angelica asked. "Fugo never really had anyone he could call friends," Volpe pointed out, "At least before he joined the gang. After... Who can say? We've been out of contact ever since he was expelled from Universita di Bologna. Suddenly the rumors of how Buccellati earned Polpo's favor are starting to make sense. They say he had the help of one capable of killing a lot of enemies at once. And to be honest, Fugo always seemed the type to snap and kill someone if pushed in just the right way."

"Rarita's no delicate flower herself," Vittorio noted, "They say she's the one who killed Prosciutto from La Squadra. It's not a easy thing, killing a trained professional assassin. Especially one capable of aging people to death with his powers." Volpe noticed blood coming Angelica's mouth and sighed. He walked over to and wiped the blood away. "Need a new fix?" "Yes please," she said. He nodded. "Manic Depression!" The small, skeletal goblin-like creatures appeared on Angelica's back and injected something into her, causing her eyes to glass over.

The problem with Angelica was that she suffered from a horrible blood disease. Regrettably it was a genetic one, so nothing from either medicine or Stand power could possibly cure her. Volpe had heard rumors that the town his older brother moved to had a Stand user that could repair things, but Angelica was not broken to begin with. The most he could do was use his Manic Depression to remove her pain, which to her felt like tiny needles flowing through her veins.

"The really sad thing is that she's an exception to a rule," Vittorio said, "That pain should allow her to survive easier, but that disease is slowly killing her. She's fated to die young. It's unfortunate. If not for that fact she'd be a great source of evidence to my assertions." He looked to Kocaqi. "Hey, when it finally happens we'll be doing the thing, right? The same way you let your sister die?" Kocaqi nodded. "Yes. I still remember my sister's final words as she passed. When I used my Stand to lock away her one final moment of hope, she said she felt as if she lived through eighty years of pure happiness."

He looked sad for a moment before clearing his throat. "Anyway, back to business. By now Passione has realized what happened to Zucchero and Sale. If both Fugo and Rarita are being sent, we can assume that two more powerful Stand users are being sent with them to balance out the numbers. I think we can safely assume that they've already tracked us down." "Let me take care of them," Vittorio said, "My Stand can reflect whatever they do to me. Even Fugo's little virus." "No," Kocaqi replied, "I'm the best choice against them."

Fugo smirked when he saw the sciopero, basically a strike, being organized in the ports around the Strait of Messina, especially since he recognized Abbacchio among the workers and officers. Abbacchio's new team was all about working with the police to target the worst criminals that weren't associated with Passione. While there were some in the police who didn't approve of Abbacchio joining a gang, they were all glad to be working with him again. Under his command, it got to the point where only Passione could get away with bribing the police anymore.

"So Passione organized this sciopero?," Sheila asked. "The less time the narcotics team has to prepare for our arrival the better," Rarity explained, "I've no doubt they expect us. We still haven't confirmed what happened to Zucchero, so it's likely he's being held and interrogated." They reached a warehouse where bloodstains had been found. Sheila summoned her Stand Voodoo Child, a rat-like humanoid, but Rarity stopped her. "We do have a key to this place. You need to learn subtlety if you hope to make it far in this gang." Murolo smirked as he got out a key and opened the heavy iron door.

The group moved inside the large warehouse until they reached a large stain on the floor. Sheila nodded. "Voodoo Child!" The rat Stand shrieked and started pounding at the stain. "ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI!" Countless cracks started to form in the ground, which soon turned into lips that began speaking all at once. All the thoughts of people that had been in that warehouse at one point or another.

"So that's the power of your Stand," Fugo realized. "Before she joined the gang," Murolo explained, "Sheila had to identify her sister's killer. This is a representation of that, a Stand meant to bring secrets to the surface and find clues." Finally, as Sheila dismissed various unrelated voices, there was one Fugo recognized. "Stop. I'm hearing Volpe's voice now. I recognize it from the university." Sheila seemed confused. "It's just repeating 'obey you' over and over."

"Your Stand did suggest the narcotics team was fighting," Rarity said to Murolo, "Maybe Volpe tried to pull a coup but got beat by Kocaqi." "Well, the details don't matter," Fugo noted, "Our task is to eliminate Volpe, not profile him. The point is we have confirmation of the route his team took to Taormina. Sheila, did any of the voices belong to either Sale or Zucchero? It may offer a clue as to what happened to Zucchero." "Zucchero was saying something about his Stand getting out of control," Sheila said, "And Sale wondering why his heart had popped out of his chest."

"Simply popped out?," Murolo asked, "I think I can guess what happened. Sale's Kraft Work locks in kinetic energy, right? He probably used that to stop the heart of a member of the narcotics team. Unfortunately, the one he used it on was Vittorio." Rarity shook her head. "His Dolly Dagger... He would have been in pain because of the thirty percent damage he stills takes, but the remaining seventy percent damage would have killed Sale." They headed over to a yacht they'd be taking to Sicily.

Fugo smiled. "Takes me back to that little treasure hunt. Who knew a simple search for ten billion lire would lead to us taking over all of Passione?" He got out a small picture they had taken before that fateful quest. Buccellati had insisted that Giorno and Rarity be included, and Rarity's Art of the Dress insured the automatic camera could be used despite lacking a tripod. 'Our fates changed on that day,' he thought, 'And a lot more as well.'

Sicily was an island that had been conquered more times than any other location on Earth, yet to this day, despite being part of Italy, the locals called themselves Sicilians rather than Italians. This in spite of the fact that Sicily had assimilated so much culture that it was impossible to tell what was uniquely Sicilian. It was a place that bred both light and darkness in equal measure. Much is made of the invasion of Normandy in World War II, but what many forget is that it was the Allied invasion of Sicily that truly cemented the defeat of the Axis.

It was also the place where Archimedes made his home, passing on his knowledge before being struck down by invaders. And Guiseppe Fave wrote about the great human spectacle here, before being assassinated by the mafia he campaigned against. That was why Fugo felt nothing good ever happens in Sicily. It was that sort of place. "I remember the reason why we're targeting this group," Fugo said, "The human body naturally produces narcotics in response to suffering. But if it's taken externally, all it does is amplify that suffering."

He looked up. "Me, Giorno, Buccellati, we understood. People are free to do what they want, but what about those around them? The families that get concerned about them. Those who sell drugs are insulting everything that makes us human by taking advantage of weakness." He remained silent. "What's up?," Sheila asked. "I'm just reminded of when I helped Narancia get into Passione," Fugo said, "I showed him my Stand, Purple Haze. He didn't have Aerosmith at that point, but he could see the outline of Purple Haze, showing he at least had Stand potential. So I sent him to take Polpo's test, knowing it wouldn't kill him."

"I wonder if Buccellati didn't do the same with Mista," Rarity noted, "Show him Sticky Fingers to see if Mista could at least make it out. Buccellati already suspected Mista had Stand potential. It seems he only recommends those he knows will survive the test." As they arrived at Sicily, a light rain started pouring in. "Seems Kocaqi himself is preparing a welcoming committee," Rarity noted. The others looked at her. "I suspected Kocaqi's Stand might have something to do with rain from its name," she explained, "So I checked the weather report around Sicily before we left. No rain was expected for today."

They parked the yacht at the base of a sheer cliff to avoid the ports. Fugo, Rarity, and Sheila started using their Stands to climb the cliff wall, Fugo carrying Murolo on his back. "Kinda going slow, aren't you?," Murolo noted. "I need to be careful not to release my virus here," Fugo explained. Murolo looked confused. "I thought you could control the virus now." "I can," Fugo clarified, "But I only have six capsules to work with per day, so I need to conserve them."

They soon reached the top of the cliff. "Hey Rarity," Fugo said, "If the narcotics team still has Zucchero..." "If you're talking about that bit where I could track anything the crystals from my Stand have touched," Rarity said, "That was only because of the increased spiritual strength we experienced when we both swapped bodies. I lost that ability when we swapped back." Sheila suddenly started sniffing the air. "What's up with her?," Murolo asked. "Sheila apparently has a naturally song sense of smell," Fugo said, "What do you have, Sheila?"

"Someone's vomit," she replied, "The stomach acid is heavy, rotting, but not fermenting." The group looked at each other. "Fugo, go with Sheila and find the source of that smell," Rarity said, "Me and Murolo will check the city for signs of the narcotics team." "Got it," Fugo said. He followed the young woman through the narrow city streets until they reached a dark stain on the ground. "The source is here," Sheila said, "A man drank often, but did not habitually do drugs. Clearly not a member of the team."

"Someone under the effect of Manic Depression then," Fugo noted. Sheila nodded. "But the reaction is too powerful. Too... Too raw. Meaning he didn't take this as a drug." Fugo recoiled. "If he was directly under Volpe's influence..." He and Sheila turned in response to a sudden groaning sound, and spotted a rippling in the pavement. Fugo recognized it immediately. "Not this time...," he muttered, and he and Sheila leapt out of the way as Soft Machine appeared trying to stab them.

"Fugo," Sheila said, "That was Soft Machine, wasn't it? Has Zucchero betrayed us?" Fugo spotted Zucchero's deflated form and considered the situation. "No. If he had he wouldn't be in this state. Look, he's moving at the nearest sound. He's trying to get away, trying to escape Manic Depression's range." He leapt down to Zucchero and shot a capsule from Purple Haze into him. The virus was directed more at the narcotic than Zucchero, allowing him to reinflate himself. Starting to recover his sight, he soon recognized Fugo. "Thank... Thanks, Fugo... They... They got Sale... Saw what happened when he tried to attack one of them..."

"We know," Fugo said, "We found his body." Zucchero coughed a little as his body started to readjust after spending so long being flattened. "Couldn't keep Soft Machine under control... Those four are dangerous when working together. But... Right now their leader split off... Said he could take you all out himself..." Sheila gasped. "You were just a decoy to separate us. He must be trying to go after Rarity and Murolo." Zucchero looked confused. "You guys brought in Murolo? Not sure if he can be trusted."

"That's only because he doesn't trust anyone save for Giorno," Fugo pointed out. Zucchero chuckled weakly. "That kid..." Fugo stood up. "Think you'll be alright by yourself?" "I've already served my purpose to those assholes," Zucchero said, "And it'll only take me a few minutes to recover." They ran off, as Zucchero tried to pick himself up. 'Sorry I couldn't you help you, Sale... But maybe if I can get back on my feet I can make up for it.'

Meanwhile, Rarity and Murolo entered the Teatro Greco. The open air theater was completely deserted because of the continuing rain. Murolo sighed. "I was hoping to mingle with the tourists and attract less attention on our way into town." "That was never an option," Rarity noted, "Not when Volpe and his team know we're after them." Murolo carefully scanned the theater until he found an elderly man carrying an umbrella and standing straight. "Ah... I see what you mean."

Indeed, the man matched the photo of Kocaqi. "I'd hoped to catch Fugo as well," Kocaqi said, "But you sent him off with the young lady. I must admit, I never expected such an action." "There's more to our mission than you realize," Rarity said. Kocaqi narrowed his eyes. "Yes... There must be. With how powerful Giorno is, he could easily come here and kill all of us before we even had time to approach him, let alone damage him." He sighed. "I have so much to say about each of you."

"This rain is your Stand, isn't it?," Rarity said, surprising Kocaqi. Rarity smirked. "I checked the local weather before coming here. I was raised as a farm girl, so I got in the habit of checking local weather reports for wherever I'm traveling." Just then, Fugo and Sheila showed up. "That was faster than I thought," Kocaqi admitted, "But I can still work with this. After all, I know quite a bit about all of you." Sheila didn't give him a chance to keep speaking, using Voodoo Child to strike at him, scratching him and creating a pair of lips.

However, all it said was how happy it was. "What was that supposed to be?," Kocaqi asked. "That was supposed to expose your deepest guilt," Sheila said. Kocaqi smiled. "Sadly it doesn't work on me. What I did to my sister was likely the kindest thing I could have done, so I've nothing to feel guilty for." He grinned when the look of surprise on her face. "That's what I need to win this. It seems you'll be the first I defeat." Sheila grunted, then rushed at Kocaqi.

He grinned as she approached, but that grin faded when Voodoo Child plowed its fist into his stomach. "What... What happened...? I locked in that thought of defeat you were having..." "So you can't read minds," Sheila realized, "You rely on cold reading to make your Stand work. What you thought was a look of defeat was actually an idea that I'd have to rely on Voodoo Child's incredible strength." She smirked. "And you just locked that idea in me, so now I'll only be using that strength... And I'm guessing you can't undo that power once it's locked in!" Voodoo Child went to attack, pummeling Kocaqi.

"ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI ERI!" The final attack punched right through Kocaqi's brain, killing him instantly. At that moment the rain stopped, and Sheila felt her adrenaline fade. She stumbled a bit, only to get caught by Fugo. "You alright?," he asked with a grin. "I'm never doing that again...," she muttered. "We should cover our tracks before moving on," Murolo suggested, "The others members will know Kocaqi's dead from the stop in the rain, but we can at least keep them from finding where we encountered him." Fugo nodded as he popped out another virus capsule to dissolve Kocaqi's body.

Meanwhile, back in Napoli, Giorno was speaking with Kakyoin, a representative of Speedwagon, as well as Polnareff, who was a point of commonality between the two groups. "I understand that Speedwagon doesn't completely trust me yet, given my father's history," Giorno said. "That's merely the group as a whole," Kakyoin clarified, "On an individual level, well that depends on the person. While you do have similarities to DIO, I can tell after speaking with you that you are nothing like him."

Just then a young man entered the room. "Pardon the intrusion boss." Giorno nodded. "Gentleman, this is Gianluca Pericolo. His father Nunzio used to be a capo for the group before sacrificing himself for the good of the gang. It was Gianluca who convinced the other capos to remain loyal to me, and he was rewarded with his father's territories as a new capo." Gianluca bowed. "Murolo's just sent us a progress report regarding the removal of the narcotics team. He's confirmed that Vladimir Kocaqi is dead and his body has been disposed of."

Giorno nodded grimly. "A shame to lose such a fine man. Given his history I had hoped we could get along, but he refused to disband his team's narcotics distribution. My hand was forced." "There's more news," Gianluca said, "Mario Zucchero was found alive and well by Fugo and Sheila. We've sent a pickup team to the port in Sicily to retrieve him." Giorno smiled. "Good. He'll be given a place of honor at Sale's funeral. They were friends and partners from what I know of them. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. The report said nothing about the other three narcotics team members, correct?"

"No, sir," Gianluca confirmed, "Murolo and Rarity found Kocaqi by himself. It's clear he planned on taking them out personally by himself." "A bad tactical decision," Polnareff noted, "All four combined would be more than an equal number of assassins could handle. Kocaqi must have fallen victim to a trap that so many Stand users, myself included, fall into... Overconfidence in their powers." Giorno turned to Gianluca. "Make sure to keep me posted. If I cannot be reached, send any information to Buccellati." Gianluca nodded and bowed. "Yes Boss."

Giorno was not the only one who had learned what happened to Kocaqi. Just as Murolo predicted, the sight of the rain suddenly stopping was enough to clue the other three members that he was dead. Angelica was sitting in a corner sobbing. Vittorio was biting his lip hard and smashing his head against the wall, his Stand preventing him from dying as a result, as bite marks and indentations were appearing in another wall. Volpe remained silent, but the sadness in his eyes was evident.

"They're more dangerous than we thought," he finally said, "We should have all been there, like we were with Sale and Zucchero. Now we're weaker." Vittorio finally stopped hitting his head, having gotten all his frustrations out. "Then maybe we should go after it, like he wanted us to." Angelica stopped crying long enough to look at him. "You really think it will work? Kocaqi knew more about it than us, but even he seemed skeptical about it. And he only intended it as a last resort."

Volpe nodded. "He talked about how the Nazis were obsessed with the idea of eternal life. They learned of the stone mask, which could supposedly bring about a human's full potential, and even supposedly found a more evolved form of human beneath the Coliseum. But the mask that was supposed to be here in Sicily was never found. By the time they could find it, the colonel in charge of the search, Rudol von Stroheim, was killed in Stalingrad, and the allied forces retook Sicily shortly thereafter."

"And now we need that mask to avenge Kocaqi!," Vittorio declared. Volpe sighed. "Very well. But we still don't know exactly what it can do. All Kocaqi knows about it is the instructions to activate it. Blood is life. Whatever that means." The three of them left the room, leaving behind a horrid sight. The room was full of guts and gore, the end result of Volpe's Stand at its worst. Outside, Volpe muttered, "Just what is this stone mask?"

Shortly thereafter, the group found the room in question. Rarity gingerly stepped around the blood and viscera, her nose wrinkling from the smell. "Reminds me of the Sicilian mafia back in Manhattan. They would always make a messy show of their kills as a way to send a message." "This was no message," Sheila noted, "They were no partners of the narcotics team." "She's right," Murolo said, "They were Sicilian gangsters, born on the homeland. They had no involvement with Passione. They must have been friends with Kocaqi, but turned on the others when he died."

Fugo surveyed the room. "All things considered, I think we can assume Volpe killed all of them personally. This definitely fits with what we know Manic Depression can do." Murolo nodded. "Agreed. It's hard to be sure, but from the amount we can see, I'd say there were at least twenty men here. That shows just how dangerous Volpe is." He spotted the cards from his Stand arriving from around the room. "Fugo, can you clear a spot on the dresser over there?" "Fine," Fugo said, "But this is three capsules I've used so far."

"Then let me clear it out," Rarity said, "We need all the virus we can muster against Volpe. Art of the Dress!" Her crystalline Stand appeared and created a smooth surface over the messy dresser. Murolo smirked. "That'll work too." The cards did their little song and dance and Murolo frowned. "They're going for the mask! Kocaqi must have told them were it might be before he went to confront us!" "One death of their team and they go for it?," Sheila asked, "I'd heard they were tight-knit but seriously. The other three working together might have a chance against us."

"At least this explains why Giorno was so convinced they'd reveal themselves," Rarity noted, "They won't care who gets in their way as they track down the mask, so all we have to do is follow the carnage. Murolo, where are they heading?" Murolo kept clapping as the cards continued their act. "Ortygia," he said. "They're following the coast down to Syracuse," Fugo realized, "The mask must be in one of the ruins on the island. Likely left by the Pillar Men who originally created them."

"If we know where they're going we just need to be able to get there ahead of them," Murolo said as he got out his phone to call in a helicopter. Soon the group was flying along the route they expected Volpe and the others were taking. Fugo chuckled as he shook his head. "When Narancia hears about this part he'll be so jealous." The helicopter came within a couple minutes. "That reminds me," Sheila said, "What happened to Diavolo's daughter, Trish?" Fugo smiled. "She went back to her career as a singer. Officially she's been taking a trip across Italy to get over her mother's death."

"Giorno trusts all of us to let us in on the secret," Murolo said, "But I gotta say... Why'd it take Rarity practically kicking your teeth in for you to decide to go along with the rest of the group?" Fugo looked out the window of the helicopter. "I was scared... Scared that this would lead to Buccellati's death. In the end it turned out my fears were unfounded." "I heard Mista was the first to side with you guys," Sheila said. "He always the type to do what his heart told him," Fugo noted, "Of course, the fact that there were already four people in the boat meant he had no trouble getting in first, since that would make him the fifth person to get in."

Rarity realized something. "I'm just glad his mind wasn't on the fact that there were four people in the boat period." Fugo blinked, then facepalmed. "Wow..." He then spotted something, a small bird flying near the window. "Pilot how fast are we going?" The Passione pilot checked the gauge. "We're at 250 kph." Murolo grimaced. "Merda! That's no bird, it's Nightbird Flying! Angelica's spotted us!" Unfortunately, the effect took the pilot quickly, causing the helicopter to tailspin as the passengers, except for Murolo, flew out the open door.

Rarity acted quickly, growing crystals on her own back first, using the same trick she used to torture so many other enemies to cause herself pain and snap her out of the drag-addled state Nightbird Flying was starting to put her under. She spotted Fugo and Sheila nearby, but couldn't find Murolo. 'He should be fine on his own. He knows where the stone mask is, and his Stand makes him hard to kill.' "Art of the Dress!" She aimed for Fugo and used the same trick, snapping him out of his stupor. He in turn grabbed Sheila's hands before pinching her cheek, waking her up.

"What's happening!?," she called out. "The tailspin must have knocked us out of the helicopter!," Fugo realized, "Rarity, where's Murolo!?" "I couldn't see him!," Rarity admitted, "But knowing him, he'll be fine! We should focus on not becoming stains on the pavement below!" She took the crystals on her and Fugo's backs and created some makeshift gliders, Fugo grabbing Sheila bridal style to carry her down as they made a landing. The helicopter landed in the water, sealing the fate of the pilot at least. Murolo was more up in the air.

Sheila blushed when she realized she was still being carried by Fugo and cleared her throat. "You can put me down now..." Fugo got flustered, but carefully dropped Sheila's legs. "What now?," Sheila said, "Call for help?" "Won't work," Rarity noted, "They already know we're here. If Murolo survived he'll make a beeline for the mask, and might even get whichever member of the narcotics team was sent to retrieve it, Vittorio if I had to make a guess." "Leaving Angelica and Volpe for us to deal with," Fugo noted. He summoned Purple Haze. "I have four capsules left, after that I'll need to rely on Purple Haze's brute strength for the rest of the day."

"Luckily Art of the Dress never runs out of crystals," Rarity said, "I'll handle Angelica, you two look for Volpe." Elsewhere in the area, Vittorio was celebrating. "Alright! Blackhawk down!" "It wasn't a Blackhawk," Volpe reminded him, "And it's not over." "Don't forgot extreme shock from pain can undo my Stand's effect," Angelica said, "And Rarita's Stand specializes in causing pain." "Okay, so we can assume at least two survived," Vittorio said, "Maybe three. I can finish them off."

"No," Volpe said, "By now they've figured out we're looking for something. Angelica and I will wait here and ambush them. You go for the mask. You work best alone and have the greatest defense." "You're also faster than me at the very least," Angelica reminded him, "And unless some miracle cures me, Volpe needs to stay nearby to administer Manic Depression." Vittorio sighed. "Fine..." He headed off. "Just make sure to keep falling back as you wait so we can meet up quicker!" Volpe nodded.

As Fugo and Sheila were driving through the city, a call in from the two-way Rarity had given them. 'This is Murolo. I managed to escape the crashed helicopter. I'm making my way to the ruin.' "Good to hear you're alive, Murolo," Fugo said, "We're cleaning up with the last remaining members. Keep on guard, we suspect one of them was sent to retrieve the mask, Vittorio most likely." 'Vittorio I can handle,' Murolo assured him, 'In fact, he's probably the only team member I can handle. I'll leave the other two to you. Be careful.'

Unfortunately, driving through the city wasn't easy. Nightbird Flying was affecting just about everyone in the city, causing terrible traffic conditions. The sharp crystals in his back kept Fugo awake, but Sheila didn't have any, so Fugo kept pinching her cheek every once in a while. "By the way," Sheila said, "I know you never intended to torture Illuso when you killed him, but he suffered anyway, likely regretting he was born. So... Thanks." "I didn't really do much," Fugo clarified, "Just finished him off. Giorno and Abbacchio did much of the heavy lifting."

Just then, Fugo had to hit the brakes. Volpe was standing in front of them. "His Stand is only dangerous if he hits us," Sheila realized, "If we run him down..." "That might not work," Fugo said, "It can increase biological functions... But I get the feeling he can control the frequency at which they're increased. If he wants the stone mask... I can only think of one reason why." Sure enough, Volpe grinned. "At least Fugo's smart enough not to try ramming me. Not that it will help. Manic Depression!"

His Stand appeared and stabbed him, accelerating his body to point of near evolution. He gave an inhuman breath as he stepped forward, grabbing a nearby car. Getting a bad feeling, Fugo put their car in reverse as Volpe threw the other car at them like it was a basketball. "That's why he wants the mask!," Sheila realized, "He's exhibiting strength equal to that of a vampire, but he must not be able to sustain it! He needs to mask to make it permanent, and then push beyond it!" "If Manic Depression gets used on a vampire," Fugo said, "It could make them as strong as a Pillar Man!"

Vittorio had reached the Duomo in Syracuse, where the stone mask was supposed to be. Once he found it, he grinned. "Now we've won." Just then, he heard the sound of clapping, causing him to whirl around in confusion. 'Angelica's Stand turned all of Ortygia into zombies. But this clapping is too rhythmic, so who could it be?' He then realized he was no longer holding the mask. He soon spotted it moving along the floor like a cockroach, too fast to be normal.

He followed it out to the hall and gasped. There in the hall, clapping, was the familiar form of Murolo. "Keep it right there for a moment," Murolo said to no one in particular as he pulled out a knife and pricked his finger. He let a drop of blood hit the mask, causing curved spikes to shoot out from the rim. "If someone was wearing this, those spikes would pierce their brain," he noted, "Looks like this is the real deal." Before Vittorio could do anything, Murolo pulled out a gun and fired at the mask, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

Vittorio stepped back in shock. "You didn't... Do you realize the power that mask can give!?" "All too well," Murolo admitted, "And it's why the boss wants it destroyed. We weren't entirely sure where it was, but we figured you did. Of course, things went faster than expected. I'll admit, I was surprised that it only took one death to send you running for the mask." Vittorio growled. "You're dead! Dolly Dagger!" He immediately slit his own throat, making sure Murolo was kept in the blade's reflection.

Because of his Stand's power, Vittorio only got a small scratch, but to his shock, Murolo was not harmed at all. He then saw a playing card fall to the ground. Looking up, Vittorio gasped. The ceiling was covered in playing cards. Murolo then pointed to the nearby joker card, which was dancing like it was in a drunken stupor. 'No,' Vittorio realized as he thought this, 'Like he's in a drugged hallucination!' "It's not that your Stand or Angelica's can't effect me," Murolo clarified, "In fact, they can. But that effect is divided by fifty-three. Rarity probably realized this as she went to save Fugo and Sheila."

He chuckled. "Her Stand makes her well suited to take out Angelica. And since Sheila already killed Kocaqi, I guess that leaves it up to Fugo to finish off Volpe. Sounds rather perfect. After all, here I am ready to deal with you." Vittorio realized what Murolo was implying. Dolly Dagger reflected seventy percent of the damage Vittorio took, meaning he still took thirty percent. But that seventy percent was turned into 1.3% against Murolo. However, there was still a chance. He could only do this fifty-one more times, since one card was holding the effect of Nightbird Flying and his last attack took out a different card.

"Right now you're probably thinking you can just cut through all my cards one by one," Murolo said, "A good idea on paper. But that's the thinking of a man who claims to have no fear. But a man without fear is a man without hope. I know, because I used to be like that, until I met Giorno. Before then I thought I was invincible, which was the reason why I pit Risotto and Diavolo against each other. Giorno turned that around on me. He said, that I hadn't really betrayed anyone, because no one gave me the chance to betray them, since nobody ever really trusted me."

He chuckled. "He saw right through me. That's when I realized that Giorno Giovanna is a man you do not want to disappoint. It was the first time I'd felt shame, felt fear, felt... Well, any emotion in general. Now you may be asking why I'm bothering to talk with you if I'm here to kill you. Well, here's the thing. Giorno already tried negotiating with Kocaqi, but he refused to negotiate, so we never bothered giving him a second chance. Volpe... He's too dangerous. Negotiation was never an option for him. And Angelica's time is limited."

He pointed to Vittorio. "But you... You are different. The boss feels you are worth salvaging. You have a chance here to forge a future for yourself. Now I'm not asking you to trust me, or Giorno. That's something that needs to be earned. But the first step, is up to you." Vittorio seemed to hesitate for a bit, but nonetheless he lifted his dagger and screamed, stabbing himself over and over, trying desperately to cut through every card Murolo had to finally kill him.

He thought he scored a victory when he saw a trickle of blood come from Murolo's lips, but he was so damaged from his attempts that he died from his injuries before he could be sure. In reality, all he had managed to do was cut Murolo's lip. Murolo sighed as he wiped away the blood with his handkerchief. "A shame... We could have used you. Resquieta in Pace." He decided to check in with the others, but no one was answering the two-way. "I hope they're all right."

By now Rarity was starting to feel numb, even the pain from the crystals starting to fade. Not to mention there were zombie-like citizens coming in from all sides. She still had enough clarity to push them all back with a few crystal walls. Her only target here was Angelica, she wasn't about to hurt innocent civilians. At that moment, she felt something drive into her side. She looked to see it was a knife, and she spotted what looked like Angelica running away from her.

'She must have made her way through the crowd as I tried to clear space,' she thought. She carefully removed the knife, covering the wound with her crystals as she did to stop the bleeding, before pointing at Angelica. "Art of the Dress!" Art of the Dress' body exploded, sending crystal flying into Angelica, causing her to scream out in terrible pain. As Art of the Dress formed itself a new body, Rarity made the crystals dig deep into Angelica's body. It soon got to point were she had to dispel the crystals from her back since they were starting to hurt again, meaning Angelica was starting to die, her Stand dispelling.

Angelica managed to reach Volpe as the crystals started to reach her organs. "Angelica!," he called out. "Massimo...," she said weakly, "It hurts... It's worse than... Worse than the disease could ever be..." She reached up weakly, turning up his lips into a smile. "There... You look... Much cuter like that..." At that moment, she fell limp like a puppet with its strings cut, the crystals having reached her heart. Holding her lifeless body in his arms, he began to cry.

"You always thought we were the same," came Fugo's voice. He had seen the whole thing and was right behind Volpe. Volpe turned around, venom in his eyes. "You never cared about anyone, and thought I was a hypocrite for pretending to care. But it looks like the reverse was true. I just never had anyone to truly care about until I encountered Buccellati... Just like you." Now confronted with his own hypocrisy, Volpe roared into the night sky. "Damn you... Fugo!"

He ran at Fugo full speed, his Stand fully active to kill the man he hated from the moment he first laid eyes on him. It would be the last mistake he ever made. Earlier, Fugo had placed one of Purple Haze's virus capsules in his mouth, hiding it in his cheek. Now he waited until Volpe was right within five meters and bit down on it, spitting out the contents as Volpe was right in his face. Volpe gasped when he saw this, but it was too late.

Murolo arrived just in time for the horrific show, Rarity coming up as well. Sheila was already watching in horrid fascination as Volpe was consumed by the virus. His last thoughts were of his brother, Tonio. 'Arrivederci... Tonio... I hope your restaurant was a success...' This was the last thing on his mind before his brain lacked the mass for any more rational thought. Fugo looked to the others one by one. "Mission accomplished. Let's go home."

Back in the restaurant where the group had all met Giorno and Rarity, Fugo was thinking something to himself. 'We all joined Buccellati because we believed in him. Because he had changed our lives. But it wasn't until Giorno had joined that Buccellati had his own turning point. Others called it Buccellati's team... But looking back, it was Giorno who was really in charge. And Rarity? She likely had her own turning point when she met Giorno. Perhaps she was also a turning point for him.'

"Fugo," Sheila said as she approached, "Everything's set up. Our team is starting to get formed." Fugo nodded. He wasn't sure if anything would really develop between him and Sheila, the way it had with Giorno and Rarity, but they seemed to have good chemistry together. Almost like Fugo had been Sheila's turning point. But either way, only one thing hadn't changed. Passione would work to protect the future of Italy, with Giorno leading the way.