Ganlu Town's "mayor," Sabote, fled for his life—panic-stricken like a stray dog, as if some terrifying vampire were right on his heels.
In truth, he'd never been this town's mayor to begin with. Not long ago, he'd been nothing more than a desperado who robbed and hunted travelers around desert settlements. By pulling strings, offering bribes, and dangling profit in front of people, he'd gathered a pack of thugs—then killed the original mayor and seized the oasis for himself.
With the oasis in hand, the criminal once plastered on wanted posters had flipped overnight into one of the country's "predators." As long as he greased the right palms and served the right people to the south, he didn't have to fear the day a sheriff might come to wipe out his little gang.
Today, Sabote had opened for business like always. Not long after, the desert lookout sent word: someone was driving a vehicle he'd never seen in his life.
He immediately realized a big score had come knocking.
—A monster called a "vampire"!
"It has to be one of those things! Run! Run as far as you can!"
Years of living with his tongue on the blade's edge made Sabote instinctively dodge the incoming bullets. Even so, his arm was clipped, and the blood loss left his head swimming.
He'd long ago hidden a stash—transportation, cash, and medicine—in a secret spot outside town, specifically for the day things went bad and he had to abandon everything and bolt.
He just hadn't expected that day to come so soon.
"Oh? Someone's coming."
Just as Ray Chu was about to give chase, he stopped. Outside the town, a plume of dust was racing toward them—and it cut straight across the path of the man he'd been pursuing.
A moment later, the two of them turned and headed back on a motorcycle.
No—calling it "heading back" was generous. The "mayor" didn't look like he'd come willingly at all; he looked like he'd been hauled back. And the moment he saw Ray Chu, his whole body started shaking.
"I-It's him! A v-vampire—he murdered innocent townsfolk! Sir, please, you have to avenge our people!"
There were still smears of blood and traces of bodies on the ground. Anyone could tell a massacre had happened here. But the young man who'd returned with the mayor killed the motorcycle's engine, glanced between Ray Chu and the scene a few times—then suddenly swung a fist into the "mayor" behind him.
"He can't be a vampire. You've still got a long way to go before you can fool me… Joseph Joestar!"
Teeth and blood sprayed. The freshly bandaged wound tore open again. The pain snapped what little restraint Sabote had left, and he rolled on the ground, wailing.
"W-Why?!"
Even then, he forced the question out through the agony.
Joseph leaned back, one hand casually behind his head. With the other, he pointed straight at Ray Chu, flashing a grin of bright white teeth.
"Because a vampire couldn't stand under the sun like that without a scratch! And those guys on the ground don't look like decent people, either. So there's only one truth: you're trying to paint good as evil. You're the real villain!"
Hopeless. This look-obsessed world was hopeless.
Because he was ugly, the moment he tried to play innocent, he got exposed. This world was filled with deep, deep malice toward bad guys!
Where was the savior of villains, huh?! When was he ever going to show up?!
"Damn you! I'll kill you!" Humiliated rage from a man steeped in evil made Sabote throw away his last shred of reason and lunge at Joseph.
"You don't even want the last scraps of dignity, huh? Truly ugly." Joseph's right hand clamped down like a vise on Sabote's arm. With a slight squeeze, the dagger Sabote had hidden slipped free and clattered to the ground.
"In that case, I'll send you to hell."
His punch drove in with brutal force, sinking deep into Sabote's abdomen. Sabote crumpled to his knees, coughing up a mouthful of black blood mixed with chunks of flesh.
That single blow had wrecked his internal organs. With the medical standards of this era, it was a death sentence.
At the same time, the moment Ray Chu heard the newcomer's name—paired with that exaggerated pose and a physique like a musclebound tank—something clicked.
He knew exactly what world this was.
After dealing with the fake "mayor," Joseph looked at the traveler before him—young enough to be called a boy. Ray Chu's striking looks made Joseph like him on instinct.
"Hi. I'm Joseph Joestar. I'm from England."
Joseph Joestar stood well over 190 centimeters tall. His whole body was packed with muscle and overflowing vitality, making him look bright and energetic—like he belonged under open sun.
Ray Chu nodded, keeping it simple. "My name is Ray Chu…"
...
"You're from China? I've seen plenty of your compatriots in New York, but no offense—Ray, you feel completely different from them."
Half a day had passed since they'd left Ganlu Town. Joseph lay sprawled in the passenger seat of Ray Chu's off-road speedster as they tore through the desert.
They'd met for the first time in Ganlu Town, yet both could sense the other's "justice." When Joseph learned Ray Chu was searching for a species called the Pillar Men, he immediately shared what he knew.
Because Joseph was hunting the Pillar Men too. It concerned the life and death of his beloved uncle, Speedwagon. And from the final words of a warrior he respected, the [Pillar Men] were somewhere in this country.
Their goal was the same, so they traveled together. And Joseph, fascinated by Ray Chu's vehicle, had the nerve to invite himself along.
Hearing Joseph's question, Ray Chu paused. In this era, the country in the East was still engulfed in war. Many of his compatriots had gone abroad for all sorts of reasons, but what awaited them wasn't a better life—it was humiliation, discrimination, and every kind of unfair treatment.
"Maybe it's because I'm a martial artist."
That answer lit Joseph up. "Oh! My friend, the moment I saw what happened to those thugs in town, I knew you weren't ordinary. But what's a 'martial artist'?"
Joseph had fully absorbed Western culture; the concept of "martial arts" was hard for him to grasp—just as people from the East often struggled to understand what the West meant by a "gentleman."
"A martial artist is someone who hammers their body and self without end—until they reach the pinnacle of evolution. Until one day, they surpass human limits and step into a higher realm."
Joseph fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "What you're describing reminds me of someone. A complicated man. He used to be a noble warrior… but when his Hamon could no longer hold back aging, he chose to become something else—something evil, but immortal. In the end, he chose to end his own life with his own hands."
Ray Chu's reply stayed calm.
"Desire is what drives humanity forward, Joseph. But I've never believed humans have limits. Just like your Hamon—it grants you youth and abilities beyond ordinary people. A creature's instinct is to evolve, and what humans do best is learn. By learning again and again, by summarizing and refining, we can reach an entirely new realm…"
---
T/N: JOJO! to be honessst i havent translated this for a while, so parden if i get some sstuff inconsistent, OUGH im not actually a fan of jojo and so i was like nah i dont wanna translate this yet, but now we caught up to the stocked chapters and GRRRRR well ill give it a go, i decided to not drop it :O but these 2 will be the only chapters for pikachu this week :OP
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl