A Saiyan's Journey

Compared to Akira Otoishi, Yoshikage Kira's crimes are undeniably more severe—and by a significant margin.

Akira Otoishi used his Stand to commit murder, making it difficult to convict him of the killings. He was only jailed on charges like theft. On the other hand, Yoshikage Kira, lacking a Stand capable of erasing evidence, had his serial murders confirmed. His crimes were indisputable.

A criminal of such magnitude obviously had to be confined in a more secure facility—Morioh's prison couldn't hold such a notorious figure. After using "Red Hot Chili Pepper's" abilities to search Morioh's prison via electric currents, Zuke confirmed that Kira was no longer there.

How ironic that Yoshikage Kira, who refused to leave Morioh in the original story, had now been forcibly relocated to another city by the prison authorities.

Although "Red Hot Chili Pepper's" abilities have an extensive range, it was unrealistic for Zuke to use it to search every prison in Japan. Naturally, he decided to enlist someone else's help to locate Yoshikage Kira—none other than the SPW Foundation.

This foundation, which had served the Joestar family for many years, operates globally, providing financial and intelligence support. With their resources, identifying which prison held Kira would be a trivial task.

However, Zuke wasn't part of the Joestar lineage, so he needed their cooperation. During the events of Part 3, Zuke had considered reaching out to the Joestar family, but he didn't have any of their contact information then. Now, with the ability of "Red Hot Chili Pepper" to infiltrate any electrical current, acquiring their contact details was no longer an issue.

At this time, Jotaro Kujo was in the United States conducting marine biology research. His temperament had mellowed considerably since his impulsive high school days, becoming more composed.

However, even while engrossed in his professional work, Jotaro hadn't forgotten to investigate traces of DIO. Over a decade ago, they had traveled to Egypt to destroy DIO, but to their surprise, someone else had already eliminated him by the time they arrived.

From some of DIO's remaining subordinates, they learned that an Asian young man had killed him, but further details were unknown. To this day, Jotaro didn't know who that person was.

The man hadn't cleaned up the aftermath, leading to DIO's subordinates scattering worldwide and causing chaos. Jotaro had never stopped tracking these remnants. Recently, he became particularly intrigued by the possibility that DIO's bloodline might have survived—rumors suggested DIO's son was in Italy.

Jotaro had asked Koichi Hirose to investigate Italy because he was too occupied in the United States to go himself, so he entrusted this task to a reliable friend.

"Woof!"

Beside him, a Boston Terrier named Iggy barked, seemingly encouraging Jotaro not to overthink. Thanks to Zuke's earlier elimination of DIO and Vanilla Ice, Jotaro's team encountered fewer dangers upon reaching Cairo, allowing all members to survive.

Iggy, originally fated to die as a Boston Terrier, had unexpectedly lived much longer—possibly due to his Stand. Even now, he remained energetic and healthy.

Suddenly, the ringing of a phone interrupted Jotaro's thoughts. Iggy, understanding not to bark during a conversation, went silent.

"Hello, this is Jotaro Kujo. How can I help you?" Jotaro picked up the phone calmly, his tone neutral but professional.

"Hello, Jotaro Kujo. I won't introduce myself because you probably wouldn't care. I need your help finding someone."

The voice of Zuke came through the receiver—it sounded like a young stranger to Jotaro.

"The person I'm looking for is Yoshikage Kira. He used to live in Morioh and was arrested as a serial killer. He's no longer in Morioh's prison. I want to know where he's being held and if he's been executed."

"Who are you?" Jotaro frowned, unfamiliar with the voice.

"What's your reason for this request?"

"Over a decade ago, because of DIO's awakened Stand powers, your mother developed a Stand but was endangered by her inability to control it, correct?" Zuke anticipated Jotaro's agreement, knowing his sense of gratitude and justice.

"I eliminated DIO, saving your mother in the process. That makes me your benefactor, doesn't it? Helping a benefactor with a small task shouldn't be too difficult."

"What? It was you?" Jotaro's expression shifted dramatically. He had searched for years to identify DIO's killer, never expecting the person to contact him directly. Even Iggy, sitting nearby, perked up at the conversation.

"...Understood. I'll investigate for you. Wait a moment; I should have an answer soon," Jotaro agreed after a moment of silence.

He didn't doubt Zuke's story since only a handful of people knew about the Asian youth who defeated DIO.

"Can you tell me where you are right now?" Jotaro asked.

"I'm in Morioh, but only for today. After that, I'll likely move elsewhere," Zuke replied candidly. "We might meet again someday."

This remark hinted at future developments. Should the main storyline proceed to Part 6, Zuke expected another encounter with Jotaro, who played a significant role in that arc.

Of course, if Zuke desired, he could have used "Red Hot Chili Pepper" to meet Jotaro through the phone line, but it served no practical purpose. He didn't need Jotaro's Stand ability.

Jotaro's Stand, "Star Platinum," shared similarities with DIO's "The World," possessing immense power and the ability to stop time. Already having "The World," Zuke saw no need for a duplicate ability.

While fans joked that "Star Platinum" merely copied "The World," its time-stop ability had always been preordained. Even without battling DIO, Jotaro would inevitably have discovered it over the years.

This was evident from Akira Otoishi's reaction—if not for the time-stop ability, Otoishi wouldn't have feared Jotaro's "Star Platinum" so much.

To be continued…

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