This was a touching conversation between a wooden father and son that moved 1.4 billion people.
"My son Giorno, not every mafia organization is like the one that saved you when you were little. They engage in underground dealings, especially 'flour crimes'."
"You mentioned on the phone that you want to become a yangge superstar through your own efforts. That kind of thing is very dangerous, so I had a little dinosaur do a simple investigation. Consider it a small gift from me, Dio."
"The Passione organization that currently rules Italy with an iron fist has a total of '756' members, with nearly half being Stand users—mostly talents selected by the capo Polpo using his Stand and the Arrow."
"To prevent their power from growing further, I had the little dinosaur steal the Arrow!"
At the same time, the little dinosaur appeared in front of Giorno with a golden Arrow in its mouth.
"Father..." Giorno stared in a daze.
"Master, left side, left side!"
"Takanashi-san, you're veering off!"
"Oh! I sense an evil aura!"
The playful voices of Takanashi Rikka, Dekomori Sanae, and Kitagawa Marin came from nearby.
"Don't interrupt me." Diego—with a watermelon rind on his head—raised a hand and continued casually:
"It's an enormous organization with a very complete system. Phones, transportation, mail, mass media, police, politics—almost every industry is under their control."
"The road to becoming a yangge superstar will be very dangerous from here on. I'll give you the intel later; it includes information on the Stand users. They're some pretty terrifying guys—like that capo Bucciarati who can put zippers on people anytime, anywhere, or that capo Risotto who inexplicably shoves scissors down people's throats, and one..."
Thwack!
"Wryyyyyyyyy!"
A wooden stick accurately struck Diego's head, which was buried in the sand. Red watermelon juice flowed down, interrupting his introduction.
That's right—because this man kept running his mouth nonstop, he was unanimously chosen by the group as the watermelon for the deadly watermelon-smashing game!
For safety, a real watermelon was tied to the part of Diego's head sticking out.
(Deadly Watermelon-Smashing Game: A designated area is marked, watermelons are placed on the beach, and multiple watermelons can be arranged freely within the area. Players are blindfolded, spun in place several times, and must rely on others' directions to hit the watermelon. Thus, it is an extremely dangerous game!)
Takanashi Rikka removed the bandage covering her eyes and flashed a V-sign: "Victory for the Evil King's True Eye!"
But Diego ignored all that nonsense. He licked the watermelon juice off his face, cleared his throat to readjust his aura, and once again faced Giorno seriously.
"My son, you have to listen carefully. The boss of this organization is a schizophrenic who likes making phone calls to frogs. He's a pervert, a murderer, commits every evil under the sun, and stops at nothing—"
Thwack!
Another heavy blow. More and more bright red watermelon juice flowed down Diego's face. He twitched and struggled a few times, his eyes growing dimmer as his head slowly drooped until his eyelids closed.
No... I can't move...
What happened? Have I, Dio, been defeated?
This seems like a fatal wound—I can't even move a single finger. After all, it's impossible that I, Dio, got buried in the sand.
The current time is April 4th, 4:44:44 PM. With the time difference, it should be around 11 PM in Sakura Country...
What are Hori and the others doing? Probably asleep already... Sorry for making you all worry...
Diego Brando...
—Dead—
(End of book)
...
The World!!!
The World snatched the pen, changed "Dead" to "Alive," and then vanished.
"Hmph hmph, I hit it too!"
On the beach, Kitagawa Marin stood with one hand on her hip, looking extremely smug.
Feeling The World's call and driven by the determination that a father absolutely cannot lose face in front of his son, that man opened his eyes once more.
'Light and dark'... 'Surface and underside'... 'Two-faced emperor'...
Why... why does that pink-haired man occasionally show two completely different faces?
Two... two... 'two'!
I, Dio... I, Dio, understand now. That's how it is. This is the only possibility. I have to tell Giorno...
As long as this secret exists for even one day, the deaths of others will keep bringing happiness to the boss behind Passione. Giorno will be killed by that pink-haired man...
"...My son, that boss behind Passione..." Diego's faint voice came.
"Father, you..." Giorno sounded worried.
But soon, Diego's voice suddenly grew louder as he shouted at the thirteen-year-old Giorno: "...has a daughter named Trish who's really pretty! Giorno, you interested in dating?! Just say the word—I, Dio, will grab her for you and get her to give me a little wooden one to play with soon!!"
"...No thanks."
Giorno's face darkened, the words he originally wanted to say stuck in his throat. In the end, he decided to stay silent.
"Seriously! Giorno, let me tell you—that guy's daughter is seriously good-looking. She's just a bit timid. The little dinosaur almost couldn't resist and wanted to scare..."
Thwack!
This time it was from Dekomori Sanae.
"...almost couldn't resist scaring her a bit. I think her crying face would be really fun." Diego continued the unfinished sentence.
Meanwhile, Giorno's expression grew darker and darker... Dad, you're practically half-dead already—maybe stop talking...
"Damn it! Can't you let me finish before hitting?!" Veins bulged on Diego's forehead.
Bam!
"Wryyyyyyy!!!"
Diego burst out of the sand, grabbed the wooden stick nearby, and chased after the fleeing girls with murderous intent.
So... how many moms do I even have?
It feels like every single one of them has a really good relationship with Father...
Giorno stared troubledly at the intel he'd been handed. It recorded the names of Passione's Stand users, their Stand abilities, and even included physical descriptions.
The only strange note was on the BOSS line: Looks like someone with a short lifespan—feels like he'll die any second now. (The little dinosaur tailing him always forgets to record everything)
What secret could the BOSS possibly still have?! Isn't this basically pulling the organization's pants down?!
Eh, there's another sentence on the back...
"But my sixth sense has always been spot-on. If it's Giorno, he'll definitely win..."
...
"Waaah, Dio's mad—super scary! Requesting protection from the Saintly Chef!" While fleeing, Takanashi Rikka hid behind a resting chef in the restaurant.
It was a red-eyed woman in a black bikini and light jacket, long hair draped over her shoulders, a collar around her neck. She coldly stared at Diego.
"Dio...? You're the culprit who turned Rikka into a chuunibyou?" Hearing this, Takanashi Toka pulled out an oversized spoon from behind her—clashing with her icy demeanor. "Finally meeting you in person. Ever since she met you, she's been spouting weird phrases nonstop."
"Huh? What do you mean 'turned her into a chuunibyou'?" Diego frowned and pulled out an oversized fork of his own, facing her head-on. "That won't work on me. My, Dio's, cooking skills are NO.1! However...
There's a shadow of the God of Cooking, Little Fukki, behind you. How exaggerated—just through cooking skill alone, you've become a god, yet you yourself seem completely unaware..."
In Diego's eyes, a faint silhouette gradually appeared behind Takanashi Toka—the shadow of a god.
"Another severe chuunibyou, huh..."
Hearing this, Takanashi Toka lowered the spoon, pinched her chin in thought for a moment, then locked her gaze and called out: "Fine. Come with me outside for a bit!"
"Eh?" The commanding tone made Diego instinctively resistant, but then he reconsidered.
After all, she's Rikka's older sister. It's normal to worry about family. Better to clear things up.
Thinking this, Diego's eyes flashed as he followed Takanashi Toka to a small alley outside the restaurant.
The moment they arrived, a gust of wind hit Diego's face. That giant spoon was once again held right in front of him.
"You suddenly called me out here—what's the matter?" Diego leaned back slightly, expression calm, and asked in a steady tone. "If possible, please explain in the shortest words."
"Sorry for starting the conversation like this. I'm Takanashi Toka, Rikka's older sister." Takanashi Toka gave a slight bow, her voice still cold. "You seem fairly sensible, so I wanted to ask—what are your plans from here on? She can't stay chuunibyou forever, right?"
"Oh, I think I get it. After all, I told that Takanashi girl not to reveal her abilities in front of normal people." Diego was stunned for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. "Didn't expect her to keep her mouth shut so well—she didn't even tell her family."
[When Takanashi Rikka's Stand first awakened:
Takanashi Rikka (rushing home excitedly): Saintly Chef! The kingly power sealed in my right eye has been unsealed!
Takanashi Toka (picking up spoon and smacking Rikka's head): Looks like your head's itchy to me!
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Takanashi Rikka (covering eyepatch): Ow! My kingly power dissipated!]
Back to reality, Diego tilted his head in thought for a moment. Since normal people couldn't see Stands, he communicated with the light sprite and reached out to grab a nearby beam of light scattered by the Tyndall effect.
With a slight effort, he snapped it like an old farmer expertly breaking off a plump ear of corn. In Takanashi Toka's shocked gaze, the light came away in his hand.
"So, Miss Toka—can someone who truly possesses the power of light still be called chuunibyou? This is reality." Diego answered his own question and began performing acrobatics with the light sword.
"Hey!"
Diego hung upside down on the light sword, body twisting like a swimming dragon, legs straight up toward the sky, upper body firmly pressed against the blade's back. In an almost physically impossible pose, he maintained a precarious balance on the slender sword and performed various circus tricks.
"Hah!"
Soon after, Diego jumped down. His golden hair scattered wildly, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth as he pointed at Takanashi Toka. "Since you think I'm chuunibyou—can a chuunibyou do this?"
Thud thud thud...
Hearing this, Takanashi Toka's expression changed. She strode forward and smacked Diego on the head with the spoon.
Thwack!
"Ow!" Even though he felt nothing, Diego still tilted his head back and clutched it with both hands.
"What are you doing? Don't you know that's dangerous?" Takanashi Toka frowned and complained, then beckoned and turned to leave. "But I get it now—you really do have unbelievable abilities. Come back to the restaurant with me. I'll make you a few dishes as an apology."
"No way. You think offending ko no Dio can be brushed off so easily?" Diego kept up his tantrum. "Even if I, Dio, starve to death, I'll never eat a single bite of your cooking."
"Don't worry—it's on the house. As the head chef, I rarely serve just one customer personally."
"You think..."
The scene shifted—back inside the restaurant.
"You think throwing some random dishes at me will fool me, Dio (chew chew chew) daring to boast to me, Dio (chew chew chew) you'll regret this (chew chew chew)"
Dozens of empty plates were stacked beside Diego. He was devouring everything with gusto, cheeks stuffed full.
"Okay, okay—regret, regret. Next dish is Neapolitan pizza: thin crust with San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, baked 90 seconds in a volcanic stone oven—edges slightly charred and crispy." Takanashi Toka brought the pizza to Diego's table with a faint smile.
For a chef, this kind of reaction from a customer was the greatest affirmation of her skill.
"Mm mm, Dio, I want some too!" A sneaky hand reached for the pizza. Takanashi Rikka poked her head out from under the table, trying to snatch a bite.
Slap...
"Agemasen—this is food for me, Dio." Diego had long forgotten his vow to never eat it.
Diego casually pinned down that little hand. Under Takanashi Rikka's pitiful gaze, he evilly stuffed the entire pizza into his mouth.
Crunch!
"Those puffed-up cheeks are super cute—! My emotions are just skyrocketing on their own!" Kitagawa Marin beamed, holding a camera and radiating a mix of excitement and adorable mischief.
Captured a hamster-cheeked photo of Dio-kun...
?
Kitagawa Marin's expression changed as she looked back and forth between the photo and the puffed-cheek Diego in front of her.
Why did the photo capture Dio-kun's cool pose instead?! And he's even doing a V-sign!
ᕙ(☆＞ڡ O)
"Hmph hmph..." Diego—who had secretly stopped time—was snickering.
The encounter between people is both ordinary and miraculous, and 'ordinary' is precious. No matter what, Dio wanted to protect that 'ordinary' life.
Diego's bizarre adventure in Italy continued amid endless joy.
Today's result: Giorno—defeated!
(After absorbing the organization info and snapping out of it: Where's Dad?)