The team was resting for the night, ready to race for New York the next day. "We only have three more Stand users, including DeBorne," Sadao noted. "I hope we can win this at last," Antoinette said, "I still can't believe there are people that use their Stands for such terrible things." "Being a Stand user can be very lonely," Ryusei noted, "In fact in my school, there's only three Stand users. Me and Sunset are two of them. The third is another young man in our class." "You've seen this for yourself?," Sanji asked.

"Sunset hasn't," Ryusei clarified, "But I have, on occasion. The man is question is Noriaki Kakyoin. I've never heard the name of his Stand, but it's a green humanoid covered in white wrappings. The ability I've seen him use most often is to have it stretch out to amazing lengths in order to retrieve art supplies." "What sort of man is he?," Sadao asked. "Not sure of his personality," Sunset admitted, "Kakyoin keeps to himself for the most part. I don't think he knows me and Ryusei are Stand users, and the thought that he might be the only one leads him to not socialize."

"You've never told him you have Stands too?," James asked. "We live in different social circles," Ryusei replied, "Sure, we tried to hang out with him in order to let him know he's not alone, but he excuses himself before we can even really talk with him. I bet if he knew we were also Stand users he might be willing to socialize. I think he acts isolated on purpose to avoid people being afraid of him." "Me and Ryusei discovered each other's Stands on accident," Sunset noted, "It really helped smooth out our relationship."

"What about you, Antoinette?," Radames asked, "I've often seen you holding onto that locket." "It holds a picture of my best friend," she explained, "Back when she was still alive." "What happened to her?, Sunset asked, "I mean... If it's not too painful to tell." "I think I'd prefer to tell," Antoinette assured her, "It might ease the burden. It's no surprise I am French, but I didn't grow up in any of the major cities. Rather I grew up in the countryside. It was a small village with a tight-knit community. As such, I grew up being friends with my next door neighbor, Sherry Polnareff."

She smiled. "The Polnareffs were down to just a brother and sister in those days, their parents having been killed by disease. Sherry's older brother, Jean-Pierre, learned about my Stand and offered to teach me how to control it. He too is a Stand user, you see. However, three years ago something terrible happened. Me and Sherry were walking to school in the rain. I always kept my Stand out in those conditions to keep watch for hidden dangers. Unfortunately, the danger we found was too fast for Shout Out to keep up."

She started tearing up. "We saw a strange man standing with his back to us. The rain seemed to fall away from him in a dome shape. I knew at once he had to be a Stand user, and I somehow sensed he meant us harm. But before I could have Shout Out attack him, I felt something slice through my chest. It was so fast I didn't even see the attack. I was able to stay conscious, but I wish I didn't, as a horrible sight befell me. This man... He raped poor Sherry, then killed her when he was done!"

The group gasped in horror at Antoinette's words. "I was able to escape by turning into water and slipping through the raindrops," Antoinette continued, "I never got a good look at the man, but I did note something peculiar about him. For some reason, his left hand was shaped like a right hand. I told all this to the village. However, while they did start looking for Sherry's killer, they disregarded my account about the attack and the two right hands, believing that I was delirious from the incident. Only Polnareff believed me, and swore to hunt down the man with the two right hands. I have not seen him since. I plan to use my share of the prize money to hire a team of detectives to track down Sherry's killer, and perhaps also find what happened to Polnareff."

"I wonder what sort of Stand that man has," Sanji said, "Not only was it able to keep him dry in the rain, but it was fast enough to damage you before you could even see it." "Most Stand users keep their powers secret," Sadao noted, "We discussed ours to better our team synergy. And several other racers mentioned their powers because they didn't think we could outrace them." "How about you Rudy?," James asked, "We already got your history in World War II, but what about after?"

"You're wondering how a soldier could wind up on the street?," Rudy asked, "I guess it is strange, but I suppose my Stand might be to blame. After the war was done I still looked for the next big fight. I found it in Vietnam, but that proved a disaster. So many of my friends were killed there, it wasn't long before I broke down. I started spending away my pension, and before long I was losing everything. I had to take to the streets, but luckily my Stand insured I could survive."

"You really lost everything?," Sadao asked. Rudy smiled. "Well... Everything except my dog Iggy. We often traveled together out in New York. Iggy's a very rowdy Boston terrier, and he also has a Stand." The group looked shocked. "An animal can have a Stand!?," Ryusei said. "Sure," Rudy said, "It's not very common, but animals are living things with souls just like humans. In fact, they're probably very capable of controlling their Stands. Heck, Iggy was able to use his Stand to become the alpha male of the stray dogs around the city, even getting a couple female dogs all to himself."

"I guess that just leaves me," Sanji said, "You already know about my history with the Speedwagon Foundation. Up until recently my job within the organization was allowing Jonathan Joestar, the current family patriarch, an environment where he could focus his Hamon and maintain his life. But a couple years ago, when Dio's coffin was discovered empty, he stopped his meditation and he and his grandson began efforts to locate him. Participating in this contest is my chance to ask around America and see if any rumors of his appearance are abound. So far I've had no luck." The group then went to sleep, ready for the final leg.

With only three Stand users between Team Kujo and the finish line, they headed into Tumbling Run, where they met the next rival, Kewtri Truex. His Stand resembled a robotic humanoid turtle, and was in fact called Rolling Turtle. It's only power was to create an impenetrable shell around him, but he was able to move just as fast as normal even with it on. This basically made him a weaponless tank, so the team had to get creative to take him out before he tried to ram them.

Luckily, there was just enough space at the bottom of Kewtri's shell for Antoinette to slip under in her water form and strike at him, knocking him off his bike. "We're coming into New Jersey," Sadao said, "Just over two hundred kilometers to go until we reach New York. We've almost made it." "This has been one hell of a bizarre race," Sunset noted, "But I guess that's what happens when Stand users gather together in one location. Let's hurry, we still have a way to go before we reach the end."

The final Stand user they had to deal with before DeBorne came as they entered the New Jersey Turnpike. Michael Phoenix and his Stand Rainbow Phoenix, a costumed warrior in rainbow colors that could conjure a flaming bird construct that safe-guarded Michael as he traveled. "Kinda reminds me of Gorenger," Sadao noted, "Seriously, Jotaro always watches Super Sentai, he never seems to miss a single episode." Antoinette once against provided the means to attack Michael, the water spray from Shout Out leaving an opening that Ryusei exploited with Time Judged All.

With Micheal knocked out and out of the race, that just left the mystery of DeBorne and his Stand. "This entire time we've been plagued by police under the mistaken impression that this is a street race," Sanji noted, "And the police HQ in each city we've passed through has had to do some odd explaining to Valentine Motors. I've checked in with Speedwagon, and each officer involved in these events swears that they either experienced this months ago, or never experienced it. One or the other." Sadao's eyes widened. "Damn... I think I know what sort of power DeBorne has."

DeBorne raced through New York to hit the finish line near Manhattan. As he was hoping he's run into Team Kujo, he suddenly saw them as they came up behind them. "About time," he said, "Now I can eliminate them here and grab the steel balls I need to win. Dark... Schneider!" DeBorne's Stand, a hulking menace of a humanoid wearing dark purple and black armor and having an exposed brain, emerged. In an instant, the streets suddenly became congested with traffic.

"I knew I had your power figured out!," Sadao announced, "You can compress time to a single moment, can't you!?" DeBorne's eyes widened. "You figured it out? I'm a little surprised, I thought my power came off as more complex. But yes, my Dark Schneider can compress all the events within a year of the current day into a single moment. Those caught within the effect are left with lingering thoughts not dissimilar to deja vu, though Stand users can recognize the phenomenon for what it is."

"But there's no way your power can affect everything," Sadao noted, "And it can't last forever, otherwise this entire race would have been congested with civilian traffic." DeBorne chuckled. "That's some impressive insight. Indeed, my power only extends to the borders of whatever city I happen to be in, and the compression ends automatically after just five minutes. But within that time, everything a living being has done happens simultaneously."

Dark Schneider then seemed to manifest something in his hands. "By the way," DeBorne said, "My Stand can use the energy generated from the compressed time to attack. Dark Schneider!" The sudden bursts of energy sent Sadao, Ryusei, and Sanji running off the road and into the nearby subway tunnel. DeBorne then found himself having to defend against the other Stands, but Dark Schneider was a powerful fighter in its own right, capable of holding them off. 'I just need to get one ball,' he thought.

His compressed time effect wore out as they passed a nearby subway. "You're outta time!," Sunset noted. "I'll just activate it again," DeBorne said, "There's still time for me to--" "Hey DeBorne!," came Sadao's voice. He looked up to see Sadao, Ryusei, and Sanji racing in off the subway tracks. Against all odds, they had managed to navigate through the tunnels and reach the race course once more. Sadao smirked. "Let's play the sweet electric jazz! Gotta Keep It Real!"

Gotta Keep It Real rushed out as Sadao came down, slicing through Dark Schneider before it could react. DeBorne coughed up blood as he felt the attack, wiping out as he lost control of his bike. As he got up to try and get back on his bike, someone stepped on his hand. He looked up and gasped. It was Enya, still young looking after a hundred years thanks to Dio's blood. "Looks like you've failed to meet his expectations," Enya noted, "Such a shame. You and your father are about to learn the price for failure." DeBorne's scream was heard by no one.

Meanwhile, Team Kujo finally reached the finish line. Seeing the cheering crowds, they each held up the steel ball they collected, marking each of them as the winners. "Congratulations to Team Kujo!," Valentine announced, as each of them was handed the money as promised, "I knew I could count on you all." He smiled as the group exchanged congratulations and high-fives. 'This event never happened in a similar universe I know of, but it's interesting to see. Though much greater conflicts are certain to occur in the near future.'

"So they were unable to hold up their ends," said a voice. In the shadows was the familiar form of Dio. Enya slid into the bed he was sitting on with him. "We didn't really need the money they could get from the Steel Ball Run, but it would serve as proof of their commitment to our goals." Dio finished writing in his journal. "I have the full formula completed. But there is still a problem. I've felt the sensation of someone watching me. I'm positive it's Joseph Joestar, Jonathan's grandson. This body I now have is that of Jonathan's son George Joestar II, and the connection is still there."

"That is an unforeseen complication," Enya noted, "That Italian man found six other arrows in the tomb where Twilight's father found the one that gave her her Stand. He chose to sell me five of them, but kept one for himself for whatever reason." "You gave one to Pucci, as I asked?," Dio said. Enya nodded. "I don't know what sort of power he'll manifest, but given his loyalty it's certain to be one that will serve your cause well. I also gave one of those arrows to a Japanese man while we were setting up our business there. Speaking of businesses, Nijimura was given another of the arrows."

"So we have the last one in our possession," Dio noted, "Plus the odd one out with the scarab carving. That was collected by one of my new servants." "That new ability you obtained is perfect," Enya said, "With it we don't have to worry about being tracked because of people walking about in spite of death certificates." "Now there's only one thing we need to worry about," Dio said with a grin, "Our future. Soon the Joestars will come searching for me. To continue moving would be foolish, sooner or later they'll track me down. Let's stay here for a while, and wait for them." Enya smiled as she and Dio lay down.

"So," Rudy said, "I think I'll return to my friends around the city. For better or worse, this is my home." "Me and Sunset will be returning to Japan," Ryusei said, "We still have college to plan for." "I shall go back to my home in Egypt," Radames said, "I have much work to do to get my shop set up." "I think I'll head for my hometown in Morioh," Sanji said, "There's a rather nasty Stand user I've been hoping to track down ever since he first showed up seventeen years ago."

"I'll check in with my friends here in Manhattan," James said, "Something's been bothering Mister Joestar lately and I wanna make sure he's all right." "I shall start looking for a detective agency that will assist me," Antoinette said, "At the very least, I should be able to get help finding Polnareff." "What about you, Sadao?," Sunset asked. Sadao smiled. "I think I'll head home early," he said, "After this adventure, I feel like spending some downtime with my son." He headed off for the airport, never suspecting his son was soon to have his own bizarre adventure.

There's been speculation that DeBorne's Stand would have some form of time manipulation, and here it is. And with this, the Steel Ball Run arc is complete. Starting next chapter, we get into a long one with the Stardust Crusaders arc.