Time froze again.
Dio strode toward Jotaro; just as he drew close, Jotaro's hand twitched.
Dio seemed to realize something and raised his left hand.
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
He burst into laughter—bright, delighted laughter.
Even the viewers outside the screen could feel his glee.
They were puzzled—until they saw why.
Dio lifted his hand; a… magnet had appeared in his palm.
He peeled it off and reached toward Jotaro.
The magnet shot to Jotaro's twitching sleeve and clung there.
You planted a magnet on me, huh? When we were testing strength earlier?
Looks like one snipped from a wallet or notebook clasp.
Dio hadn't expected to be spooked by such a trick. He smirked at Jotaro. "Almost fell for it—sly bastard."
Outside the video, Dio now smiled as well. So—just a magnet? A cheap parlor trick; Jotaro must be finished.
It had scared him stiff moments ago; he'd thought Jotaro could move in the frozen world.
If that was all the enemy had, the next second would be his last.
With that, Dio lay back on the bed and watched the rest at leisure.
Inside the video—
"But!" Dio soared and lunged at Jotaro, sneering. "This cheap trick only proves your Stand can't move in stopped time!"
"It merely buys you a few seconds! This time you're dead! Die, Jotaro!!"
The World shot out, palm chopping toward Jotaro.
Viewers from other worlds doubted Jotaro would perish just because his ruse was exposed.
Tanjiro, Tatsumi and others had faced similar dead ends, yet turned the tables and beaten mighty foes.
This was the moment for a miracle.
And—!
Bzzzt—!!
As The World closed in, the camera cut to Jotaro's hand.
Color returned to it—and it truly moved.
Dio noticed.
Instantly, Star Platinum appeared, punching clean through The World's abs.
"What?!" Dio cried. The next second, Jotaro and Star Platinum turned gray again—time had stopped once more.
"H-he really can move… if only a twitch!!"
Dio's face was shock-struck; he saw the plan. "The magnet wasn't to fake movement—it was bait to draw me in! A trap!"
"Of course you can stop time!"
Old woman Enya's voice echoed in Dio's ears.
He glared at Jotaro, seething. "Damn it—of all people, a Joestar brat has grasped the secret of my time-stop in a single go!!"
BZZZT—!!!
Time restarted; Dio was sent flying into a crockery shop, legs shredded by glass.
Jotaro slammed into a bookstore façade, shaken. "Moved for an instant… that was enough."
"Landing one punch on him was already the limit."
Those words made it clear: Jotaro had just grasped the trick of stopping time, though only moments ago.
One punch—that was all he could manage.
JoJo World.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Don't tell me I'm seeing things!!!" Polnareff cried, staring at Jotaro in delight. "You've mastered the power to stop time!!!"
"That's the strength needed to Stand against DIO's Stand."
Kakyoin Noriaki smiled at the sight; the last few minutes had been almost too intense.
When DIO spotted Jotaro's magnet trick, everyone's breathing faltered, certain JoJo was about to die.
Yet, unbelievably, Jotaro spun around and punched DIO while time was frozen, sending him flying.
It was the most satisfying thing they'd ever seen!
"Jotaro! While we're watching the video, practice," Joseph Joestar urged, wanting him to train the time-stop ability right away.
"I'm trying…"
Jotaro summoned Star Platinum. Watching his on-screen self, he said calmly, "Star Platinum can evolve into The World? That shocks me."
So far he'd never seen a Stand user develop a second power.
Wait—Star Platinum had never had any special ability to begin with.
Thinking of it that way, everything made sense.
"Once JoJo learns The World's power, plus Star Platinum's strength…" Avdol's lips curved just imagining it.
In a way, that would be the mightiest Stand imaginable.
"Go for it, Jotaro!" Polnareff slapped his shoulder. "Master time-stop and almost no enemy on this road can touch you!"
"Not so fast." Avdol shook his head. "There's no such thing as the strongest or weakest Stand user."
"We still have to be careful—and make sure we don't become a burden to Jotaro."
"Right." Joseph nodded. "Avdol's correct. We're not the only ones with multiverse projections."
"DIO must have realized it too—he's probably furious by now."
Egypt, DIO's residence.
"Impossible…"
Exactly as Joseph predicted, DIO gaped at the screen, teeth clenched, eyes blazing.
Why, of all people, had a Joestar descendant stepped into the frozen world of stopped time?
And in his carelessness he'd actually been hit. Worse still—
Jotaro already knew. While he himself was perfecting The World,
the brat had been slipping into that same stopped-time realm, perhaps already standing in the domain DIO alone should rule.
At the thought, DIO itched to murder the one who'd posted the video.
...
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