Thirty thousand kilometers. That's how long the Kujo group had to travel to get from Japan to Cairo. But at long last, they reached the capital of Egypt itself, the former home of the great pharaohs and still home to the mighty Pyramids of Giza and the nearby Sphinx. Stopping at a cafe nearby, Joseph walked up to the bartender with Avdol, Jotaro, and Polnareff. "Greetings friends," the bartender said, "How can I help you?" Joseph showed him a photo, created from Hermit Purple's spirit photography. It was the building that DIO was supposed to reside in. "We're looking for this building," Joseph asked, "Do you know where we can find it?"

The bartender looked at Joseph. "This is a cafe, sir. Would you care to order something first?" Joseph sighed. "Fine. Four iced teas." The bartender served the drinks, then said, "Never seen it before." Sighing, the four men downed the teas before returning to where Jonathan, Fluttershy, and Hol Horse were also asking around. "All the contacts I had while still working for DIO dried up," Hol Horse noted. "This picture is different from the building the Speedwagon Foundation was searching," Joseph noted, "Which means DIO moved at some point."

"Cairo has a population of six million," Fluttershy said, "And there's at least two million buildings. We just don't have the time to search the entire city. We need to narrow it down somehow." "I know that building you're looking for," came a calm male voice at the other end of the cafe. The group instantly whirled around. The man was sitting at a table designed for poker, and was also shuffling a poker deck, several drinks around him. It was clear from the way he shuffled that he was a professional.

Joseph approached the man. "You really know where this building is?" "That's right good sir," the man replied as he set up his cards in a series of small wedges with a single flip, "But the information doesn't come for free." "Fine," Joseph said, digging into his wallet, "How much do you need?" The man chuckled. "Money? Good sir, do I look like I need such things? I'm a gambling man, you understand. I live for the cheap, worthless thrills. But I'm also something of an expert at it, and as a result it's earned me quite the small fortune. So what I'm asking for, is the chance to wager. If you win, I'll tell you what you need to know."

"That's a nice offer," Joseph said, "But we don't have time for a poker game." "Poker?," the man said, "We don't necessarily need to gamble at poker. Any sort of game will do. If you want something quick, then how about this?" He pointed to a nearby wall, where a cat was walking. He then took two pieces of jerky from the plate in front of him and tossed them near the cat, landing quite a distance from each other. "Here's the game," the man explained, "We'll gamble on which piece of jerky the cat will go for first, the right or the left, from your perspective. A simple game, but the simpler ones are just as exciting in my opinion."

"Fine!," Polnareff said as he slammed his hand on the table, "I'll bet on the right piece!" The man smiled. "Good! Now the fun begins. My bet will be on the left. Let's watch, shall we?" "What makes you think he'll go for the right piece?," Fluttershy asked. "It's the meatier one," Polnareff explained, "There's no way the cat will pass it up. So, good sir. What happens should I lose?" The man grinned. "In that case... You'll be giving up your soul..." Polnareff looked confused as the cat picked up the scent. "Ah," the man said, "And please keep your dog quiet if you would. It's no fun if neither of us wins."

"You heard him, Iggy," Fluttershy said. "Don't worry, I'm great around cats," Iggy assured her. Just as it looked like the cat would go for the right piece, it veered left and grabbed that one first, then went for the right. "Damn it, Polnareff," Joseph said, "Now it's gonna be even harder to find that building." "Harder then you realize, Mister Joestar," the man said, surprising the group, "You see, I wasn't joking about Polnareff betting his soul. My Stand, Osiris, can steal the souls of those who admit defeat in their hearts. My skill at gambling makes the process easier. Observe."

Behind Polnareff appeared a giant purple humanoid, which dug its hands into Polnareff and pulled out a misty spirit. The Stand clapped its hands around the spirit, creating a poker chip with Polnareff's sleeping face on it. "Why you," Hol Horse said as he aimed Emperor at the man. "Now, now Hol Horse," the man said, "If you kill me before I even admit defeat, you'll never get Polnareff's soul back. You'll have to keep gambling if you want him back."

The cat leapt onto the man's shoulder. "So that's it," Fluttershy said, "That's your cat." "You're not the only one who has a way with animals... Fluttershy, I think they call you?" the man said, "This one is well trained. I'll admit it's basically cheating, but if Polnareff didn't catch onto it, that's his fault. Ah, but I've gone far too long without introducing myself. I am Daniel J D'Arby, with an apostrophe after the 'D'." "I should have recognized you earlier," Hol Horse said, "I've heard all about you, the legendary gambler who's never lost a single game."

D'Arby held up the soul he had collected. "I must say it was very brash of Polnareff to just rush into a gamble without thinking. To me life is no different from gambling. You have your honest folk and you have your cheaters, and if you can't spot a cheater then you fail at life. The one who cries at this is a loser, but the one who accepts that they blew it can later become a winner." "You bastard!," Avdol said, grabbing D'Arby by the collar, "You won't get out of this in one piece!"

D'Arby grinned. "Tell me, Mister Avdol, do you remember what you were doing on September 22 of 1984, around 11:15 PM?" Avdol blinked. "How am I suppose to remember that?" D'Arby smirked, then got out a carrying book with many more poker chips. "I remember quite well. I was gambling against a man name Stephen Moor in California. He said the same exact thing you did. This here is his soul, with his father below him and his wife right next to him. If you'll check Polnareff's body, you'll see he's quite dead, and only the return of his soul can revive him."

Fluttershy looked at the large number of souls D'Arby had. "That's just horrible..." "It could be far worse," D'Arby assured her, "In this form they are completely oblivious to everything around them, unable to think or see. It's not unlike a deep, dreamless sleep that they can't wake up from. I prefer to keep them like this, because it's the game that excites me more than the collection. If you want to talk about horrible, wait 'til you meet my younger brother. That is, if you can even manage to get past me."

He looked at the group. "So what do you say? Care to keep gambling?" Joseph immediately cleared the table and set down a bottle of whiskey and a small glass, then filled the glass close to the brim. "Tell me, D'Arby, are you aware of what surface tension is?" "Certainly," D'Arby replied, "It's the force that keeps wine in the glass from overflowing. Why do you ask?" "You asked if we wanted to keep gambling," Joseph explained, "And I say yes. But this time I'll choose the game. We each take turns putting coins into the glass. The first one to spill loses."

He placed several coins on the table. "I'll wager my soul against Polnareff's!" D'Arby smiled. "Good! If you don't mind though, I'd like to inspect the coins and glass beforehand." "If you insist," Joseph said, "So long as you keep up your end of the deal." D'Arby shook his head. "Mister Joestar, I am insulted that you'd think like that. I am a consummate professional when it comes to gambling. When I make a wager, I uphold it no questions asked. My pride won't allow me to do otherwise."

Once he was satisfied, D'Arby allowed the game to start. "Will you be alright, Mister Joestar?," Avdol asked. "Don't worry about me," Joseph assured him, "I've made sure to plan this out carefully. I've won many games like this." 'The surface tension is strong enough to hold at least eight coins. I just have to stay calm and keep my hands from shaking.' He removed the glove on his right hand. "Before I make my first move," D'Arby asked, "Is it all right if I place more than one coin in?" "As many as you'd like," Joseph replied, "Just be careful not to drop too many in, or you'll lose quickly."

"Then I'll start with five," D'Arby said, picking up the coins and holding them over the glass. As he dropped them in, he held his breath, but the surface tension held. He then let out his breath in relief. 'I wasn't sure if I had miscalculated. Even with what I set up earlier, too many coins on my part and my trick is useless.' "Gutsy move," Joseph admitted, "But it's my turn now. I'll stick with one coin to start." As he held out the coin, Jotaro noticed Joseph had a piece of wet cotton hidden behind the coin, using it to add more liquid to the glass.

Joseph let the coin slip into the glass, using his skill at sleight of hand to do so without revealing the cotton. D'Arby growled. 'It's obvious he cheated to get more liquid into the glass, but from here I can't make out what he did. I'll hand it to the old boy, he's a gambler at heart. But he still hasn't realized that I hold all the cards here.' He moved to the side of the table and picked up another coin. He then grinned as he dropped the coin into the glass. Joseph was flabbergasted. "I'm not sure how you did it," D'Arby said, "But I can tell you tried to push the liquid to its maximum surface tension. However, you were quite mistaken."

"He didn't do anything suspicious!," Jotaro said, "At the very least, I can tell he put the coin in without cheating!" Joseph was freaking out, sure his trick should have worked. As he went to reach for another coin, his hands started shaking. But before he could make another move, Osiris appeared and took Joseph's soul. "Mister Joestar!," Avdol called out. "Mister Joestar realized in his heart that he was beaten," D'Arby declared, "That's why my Stand was able to capture his soul." Osiris sealed Joseph's soul in another poker chip.

Jotaro picked up the glass and emptied it to inspect it. He then saw a spot of brown was left behind on the outside of the glass. He then saw the chocolate bar and the table and connected the dots. "So that's it," he said, "You put a piece of chocolate under the glass while you were inspecting it. We never even noticed the glass was tilted because we were too focused on the surface tension, and of course the chocolate blended in well with the color of the whiskey. Once the chocolate melted it evened out the surface tension, allowing room for one more coin."

"That's why D'Arby moved before his last turn!," Hol Horse realized, "So the sun could melt it!" D'Arby grinned. "And of course with the chocolate bar in plain site," Fluttershy said, "Iggy couldn't have picked out a single solitary piece under the glass." "D'Arby!," Jotaro called out, "Get out your cards. I'll take you on in a game of poker." D'Arby looked surprised. "You're willing to risk it all in my best game? I'll not say no, but I am a little surprised."

"Jotaro, are you sure about this?," Avdol asked, "This man even outwitted Mister Joestar." "Yeah, he's clearly dangerous," Jotaro admitted, "His Stand's useless for combat, yet he's still far more powerful than any opponent we've yet encountered. I'll have to go all out for this." He sat down. "Let me try something before we start. Go ahead and shuffle the deck." D'Arby complied. When he was finished, he asked, "Now what?" "Pick out a card from the deck," Jotaro said, "Doesn't matter which, so long as I don't see it."

D'Arby picked up some of the cards in a pile and saw the Six of Hearts on the bottom of the pile. "The Six of Hearts, right?," Jotaro asked. D'Arby looked at him, shocked. "In that pile, from the top to the card I just named," Jotaro said, "Five of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, Jack of Spades, Ace of Hearts, Seven of Diamonds, Six of Clubs, King of Clubs, and Two of Diamonds." Curious, D'Arby fanned out the cards on the table. Sure enough, Jotaro was correct down to the last card. "Unbelievable," Jonathan said, "And D'Arby was the one who shuffled the deck."

"My Star Platinum's eyesight let's me see all the cards as you shuffle," Jotaro explained, "So I could tell the exact order of each card in that deck from top to bottom." "I see," D'Arby said, "You're only telling me this to limit my cheating options. If you wanted, you could keep that piece of information a secret to win easily. I must say, Mister Kujo, you also seem to have a gambler's spirit." He got out a brand new poker deck, the safety seal untouched, and tossed it to Jotaro to open. As Jotaro checked to make sure all the cards were in order, D'Arby started flipping through the pages of a book without looking at it.

At one point he stopped. 'Page... 556.' He went to look, and smiled as he realized he was right. 'Perfect, I'm great shape. My sense of touch is my greatest asset as a gambler. With it I'll be able to tell where the cards are even after they're shuffled. That will help me counter Jotaro's superior eyesight.' The game was shuffled by both parties and cut. "Now then," D'Arby said, "OPEN THE GAME!" They each flipped over the top card, D'Arby getting the Ten of Hearts while Jotaro got the Seven of Clubs, letting D'Arby shuffle first.

He carefully shuffled where Jotaro's Star Platinum couldn't see, then had Jotaro cut the cards. D'Arby then started to deal. But as he did, Star Platinum suddenly snapped D'Arby's index finger. "Nice try," Jotaro said, "But while you may be able to shuffle outside of Star Platinum's sight, dealing is another matter." He pointed to the deck, which had the second card from the top sticking out. "You were trying to deal me that card," Jotaro pointed out, "And doing so in a way that made it look like you were dealing them in order." Fluttershy grabbed the deck and looked through the cards. "He would have had three tens from the get-go."

"A second deal," Hol Horse realized, "A popular trick used by cheats in poker, especially those who can tell which card they're holding just by touch. Normally the move is too fast to catch, but Star Platinum's eyes spotted it easily." "Well spotted...," D'Arby admitted, "But isn't it a little harsh to break my finger like that?" "It could have been worse," Jotaro said in a mocking tone, "At least you still have your finger." As Avdol went to get a young boy nearby to deal instead of D'Arby, D'Arby got out some cloth and used it wrap his fingers in a makeshift splint

"I'll use this to serve as a reminder... Not to underestimate you," he said, "This will be my biggest game since May 17 of 1985. My opponent that day was a Japanese business owner. I was able to win eight pieces of real estate from him in addition to his soul. But it was the hardest fight I ever had. None have beaten me in gambling before, but out of those who tried he came the closest." He had tossed the poker chips containing Polnareff and Joseph's souls to Osiris. "I'm not here to fight for DIO! I'm here to fight as a born gambler!"

And with that, the two chips were split into stacks of six. "I'm sure you know the rules of poker," D'Arby said, regaining his composure, "But allow me to give a few pointers. You can fold a hand at any time if you think you'll lose. You must open with one chip, and place chips every round after, so you need more than two chips to play." "In that case," Fluttershy said, "I'll throw my soul in as well as Jotaro's. That way he'll have an even number of chips to match yours."

Jotaro nodded. "Fluttershy are you sure?," Hol Horse asked. "I'm no good at poker," Fluttershy admitted, "If went up against D'Arby I'd lose too easily." "There you have it D'Arby," Jotaro said, "Two souls against the two you already have." "Good!," D'Arby said, "Winning six of the chips in each of my stacks earns that soul. Since none of your chips are marked, I can't take either of your souls until I have all twelve." Osiris created two stacks of chips to act as the collateral for Jotaro and Fluttershy.

Avdol came back with the boy, who agreed to deal. D'Arby set down a chip, and the two looked at their hands. D'Arby called for two cards. Jotaro threw down a chip of his own and called for three. "Your face is hard to read," D'Arby admitted, "A good poker face is essential in this game. Then again, I like a challenge." He tossed down another chip, which Jotaro called. Three chips on each side were placed as the two of them showed their hands.

Jotaro had a Two Pair with Eights and Nines, but D'Arby had a Two Pair with Jacks and Queens. "Impressive for a first hand," D'Arby admitted, "But the round goes to me." He gathered up the chips. The next round began as D'Arby looked at his hand. He saw three Kings. "I'll take one card." He then noticed Jotaro never looked at his hand. "What's the matter Jotaro? Not going to look at your cards?" "I don't need to change them," Jotaro declared, shocking all but Fluttershy.

"D'Arby," Jotaro said, "How about we up the stakes a little? I'd like some information regarding the rest of the Glory Gods. But since I'll need something of equal value... Guys?" Hol Horse, Jonathan, and Avdol all nodded, as three more stacks of chips appeared. "That's three souls for the knowledge of the other Glory Gods' Stands," Jotaro said. "What the hell are you trying to pull, boy?," D'Arby called out, starting to lose his composure again.

"It's not like any of us could beat you," Hol Horse said, "I've played my fair share of poker but could never win a single game." "And I'm too honest to cheat," Jonathan admitted. "I get far too emotional," Avdol noted, "I wouldn't stand a chance against you. Our best bet here is to put our faith in Jotaro." D'Arby shrugged. "If that's your intention. Boy, I said I wanted one card." The boy nodded. D'Arby mentally grinned when he saw it was the final King.

'I didn't expect it to be this easy,' he thought, 'To think I can get them all in one fell swoop. The boy may seem clueless, but he was trained by me in the art of shuffling and dealing. In fact, he's even better than myself. Little do they realize all the people in this cafe work for me.' "I'll accept your terms," D'Arby said, "And since you're adding all those chips, I'll throw in all of mine as well. Additionally, I believe I originally offered you the location of DIO's estate, yes? How about I include that as well?"

"But Jotaro has nothing left to raise with that!," Avdol called out, "Unless you actually plan on taking Iggy's soul too!" "I'm too much of an animal lover to take a dog's soul," D'Arby said, "But there is one other person I can think of. Your friend Kakyoin, still recovering in Aswan." "Deal," Jotaro said, without hesitation. D'Arby was shocked. 'I was sure that would make him break down!' "Jotaro, how can you do that without Kakyoin's permission!?," Avdol demanded.

"He knew the risks going into this," Jotaro assured him, "I'm sure he'd understand." D'Arby then realized there was a cigarette in Jotaro's mouth, with no sign that he had even lit up in the first. "Jotaro! Where did that come from!?" Jotaro looked confused. "What, my cigarette? Why, did you want one?" Now D'Arby was starting to sweat. 'For a moment I could swear I saw Star Platinum light that cigarette. Did... Did Jotaro use Star Platinum to do something with the cards!?'

He looked at his hand. 'Okay... I should still win this... I have Four Kings. There's only three hands that can beat that. Four Aces, a Straight Flush, and a Five of a Kind using the Joker. Jotaro was dealt a bad hand that couldn't possibly get any of those no matter how many cards he swapped out, unless he switched all five. There's no way Star Platinum is fast enough to do that without me seeing it.' He then gasped when he saw Jotaro was drinking a glass of orange juice.

"When...!?," D'Arby stuttered, "When did you get that juice!?" He growled. "Fine! Let's show our cards right here! I have a..." "Hold on," Jotaro said, "I can still raise at this point." "R-R-R-R-Raise!?," D'Arby called out, his Rs trilling as he did, "But what could you possibly have left to raise with!?" Jotaro slammed a new stack of chips onto the table. "I wager my mother's soul!" "WHAT!?," D'Arby called out as he stood up. "Jotaro, are you serious!?," Avdol demanded. "Holly's dead if we lose here anyway," Fluttershy pointed out, "We've got nothing left to lose."

"So D'Arby," Jotaro said, "The only thing you have left to raise with this... Is the secret to DIO's Stand!" D'Arby nearly lost his mind at that moment. As it was he wound up reeling back and tripping over the poker tray. "From his reaction I'd say he knows the secret behind DIO's Stand," Hol Horse realized, "But DeKurliss mentioned it... That those who reveal that secret without DIO's express permission will be killed as a traitor." "Then Jotaro must have some great confidence in his cards!," Avdol realized.

As D'Arby started hyperventilating, Jotaro spit out his cigarette. "So what'll it be D'Arby!? Call or fold!?" D'Arby stumbled back to the table, his fist clenched as he crumpled the cards in it. 'I'll say it... I'll say it... I'm the best gambler in the world... Call, call, call, call, call, call, call!' However, for as much as his mind could say it, his mouth just didn't want to listen, only able to wheeze pathetically. 'That's it,' Hol Horse thought, 'Jotaro's good as won. I took a big gamble myself turning on DIO, but I'm a hired mercenary so the stakes aren't as high. D'Arby is one of DIO's elite guards, which changes everything.'

Sure enough, the mental strain proved so bad on D'Arby, that his hair turned white and he wound up passed out while still standing, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. As he toppled over, causing the table to go with him, Polnareff and Joseph's souls got released from the poker chips, returning to their bodies. "In his heart he had to admit defeat," Jonathan noted, "So his Stand released our friends." He then spotted D'Arby's hand. "Look at this. He had Four Kings."

"Four Kings!?," Avdol said, "Then what was Jotaro's hand!?" He looked at the cards and gasped. It was a complete garbage hand, Jack of Clubs, Ace of Hearts, Ten of Hearts, Six of Spades, and Eight of Diamonds. "Ah!," the kid said, "So I did deal him crap after all!" "There was no way I could out-cheat D'Arby," Jotaro admitted, "Not even with Star Platinum. But I knew I had a good chance to out-bluff him. But still, good thing I didn't look at my cards, or I'd have had a heart attack."

"You mean to say we bet our souls on such a worthless hand!?," Avdol called out incredulously. D'Arby must have recovered enough to hear, because he started giggling like a madman. As he did, the rest of the souls he had collected also got released. "His mind is too broken to give any more information," Jotaro said with a sigh, "We got lucky on this one. Despite his Stand not being able to fight, he was strong enough to beat all of us." The others nodded as Polnareff and Joseph started to come to.

I know some people expected Fluttershy to try taking on D'Arby. Yeah, no. You want a OC female protagonist who can easily out-gamble Daniel J D'Arby, see Hanabi Moon over at Blooming Adventures.