The ENTIRE JoJo's Bizarre Adventure STEEL BALL RUN Story Explained

When it comes to mangaka, you could say Oda's the GOAT. Yusuke Murata, Kintaro, MOA, Takahiko Inoue. You could say all of these names, but you'd be wrong. The man himself, Hirohiko Araki, lover of beautiful men, stands above the rest. *Steel Ball Run*, part seven of *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* by Hirohiko Araki, is one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever created.

Just to put this in perspective for you guys, dude was in the lab for 16, pretty much 17 years. He expanded on the base world, his characters, their bloodlines, and descendants, slowly crafting a world that we all knew and loved to bits. Then, the twist of the century, which his fans despised at the time: he destroyed his previous timeline and decided to start it all over again, leaving his work up to complete fate. What came from it is almost indescribable. Like, the dude is a freaking genius. While sticking true to who he is and what makes the *JoJo* series *JoJo's*, he ended up crafting what is debatably the best part of this story so far, and something that rivals even the greatest stories out there.

So, of course, subscribe if you are new around here and leave a like, as it really helps out with pushing these massive videos that take months to edit to a bunch of new amazing people. Like, this thing took me a freaking year to get done. But either way, sit back and relax as we delve into the entire *Steel Ball Run* story by the GOAT.

[Applause] [Music]

So, as we do, kicking things off then, in a random Native American village, a few men informed the chief that the man named Sandman has been keeping the white man's box hidden in his tent. Funnily enough, this is considered a crime, which is a big no-no in his place, which, you know, makes sense for the time period and everything. So obviously, the villagers are quite pissed and start chasing them down on horses. However, the man with the prime 1800s Rizz manages to implement the white man's running style into his technique to outrun them on foot, screaming at him that his crimes are unforgivable. One of the tribesmen tries to attack, but Sandman bizarrely dodges and uses a horse's kick to launch himself into the air, where he can safely land on a rock formation while climbing away from his pursuers.

Now, a mysterious hand has materialized out of Sandman's arm, allowing him to get away with ease. Having escaped, Sandman climbs to the top of the rocky mountain. Once arriving there, though, he's immediately pummeled by his sister, who demands that he apologize to the village and explain that he never meant to insult the tribe. But, you know, Sandman's got a completely different idea. He wants to study the white man and their culture to protect everyone. The basic concept they live in is money. Now, there is no such thing as the ancestors' land anymore, and in his eyes, it only belongs to the person who holds the most cash.

But things get even more interesting when Sandman shows his sister a sphere with some depressions in it, while pointing out that he thinks it might be made by the white man. The sphere's dug so deep into the sand, as if a horde of people ran across the area. Blown away with the revelation, his sister just started wondering why he even mentioned that the white dude was nearby. Sam reveals to her that he was the only guy here and wasn't trying to look for gold mines or to steal anything. Her sister, though, is completely confused by this idea, since she knows the white man and his intentions. But Sandman tells her that the white man had been running and jumping all around, investigating the footprints on the ground. He jumps up, following the path of one jump, and remarks that the white man must have jumped at least 8 meters in one leap. Plus, he pointed out an unfamiliar hand marking, which to him proved that something else is going on here.

Samon states to his sister that it's time he leaves. And on that note, he brings out the white man's newspaper, which recorded in headline text that there's a Steel Ball Run race happening with a grand prize of $50 million. To him, that $50 million USD, that beautiful buckaroos, has enough of the white man's money to buy back his ancestors' wasteland.

Elsewhere, there's a guy named Steven Steel, who's in charge of promoting the race. He's also known as the badass boss, and he's not exactly having a good time. He's dealing with a ton of complex issues, and when a man reports the problems to him, which includes a kid falling into a pail of feces and an over-admission of culturally diverse entrants, he freaks out and yells to him to take care of it, as that is literally his job. As the assistant goes to leave, Steven points out that the press conference will begin in a moment, and that they should hit off in a second. Finally, the door closes, leaving the two people in peace. When all of a sudden, Steven jumps into the arms of his young wife, Lucy, expressing his doubts about whether he can handle the race. But Lucy reassures him.

"Um, one second, guys. Let me just search something here. Araki, what, what were you, what were you smoking when you started this arc? How many times is 14 going to 53?" Oh, we'll come back to that.

All right, a little while later, Steven is seen holding a conference, spelling all the details about the Steel Run race. The race is going to start at 10:00 a.m. on September the 25th, 1890, and their goal will be to make it first from the Pacific San Diego beach all the way over to New York, which is a whopping 6,000 km. First place is, we've just discussed, will receive $50 million US. Second will receive a million, third will receive 500,000, fourth 250k, fifth will receive 120,000, and so on, up through to 10th place, plus, you know, like additional prizes. For more info, though, he points out that they can actually read the rule book. But right now, the only condition for the participants is to be over the age of 16 years and pay a participation fee of $1,200 per person. And here's where it gets even crazier, guys. The players cannot change their horses or machines at all during the race. But due to the Second Amendment, everyone has the right to bear arms. This is just for the reason that, you know, who knows who might have to fight off some natives or wild people, and, you know, like, plus there's, you know, also dangerous animals out there. And as long as their intent isn't criminal behavior with their weapons and everything else goes.

Steven then backheads again with some more insider info. "Drop some of these star riders in the upcoming race." So, I'm guessing that we've got to remember all of these names for, you know, like, the upcoming parts of these videos. Like I've said in the past and other videos, these are usually my first read-through of the series when I like start doing the videos and and whatnot. So surely these are the big players that like we have to remember. They have to be. First off, here we've got the legendary Sahara Desert conqueror, who's done it not once, not twice, but traveled across the area three times. The man himself, after all. Next up, Wyoming's only ever anime character, character Cowboy Mountain Tim. From Far East, Do Han, who's actually a descendant of the infamous Genghis Khan that decimated Eurasia. And last, but not least, we've got the one and only Diego Brando, commonly known as Dio. Even though he is lowly common of blood, he was raised by royalty and is a total genius when it comes to horse racing. Yo.

So, uh, back to that question that I asked everyone before: how many times does 14 go into 53? You know, I just want to go back to it. Did everyone figure it out? When I, I want to know, 'cause this reporter is also thinking the exact same thing. He asks Steven about his goddamn wife, but he ain't having none of it, and he quickly moves on. And I'm just sitting here thinking, like, what the hell is going on with Steven right now? Like, what in the world is he up to?

Over at the registration booth, though, a tall man who turns out to be a man of great importance, called Gyro Zeppeli, drops some coins on the counter at the clerk's office and signs up for the race with a fat grin on his face. Suddenly, though, the sneaky guy tries to steal these random-looking balls that he's got attached to his outfit. Quickly noticing him, Gyro changes the dude's polarity by pushing the ball he tried to grab the ball upwards. Then, continuing to push, he eventually forces the ball thief to kneel with the dude in pain, complaining over this whack interaction of his. The clerk informs Gyro that it's $20 short on his participation fee. Realizing that the top-hatted fellow sneakily pocketed a few coins, he forces him even closer to the ground and demands that the f-loser give him his coins back so he can enter the race and win.

While laying there, an old man tells Poco Loco about a job offer from the landlord to plow a new field. But Poco Loco refuses since it's swampland. He believes that starting next month, he'll be at the happiest point in his life for 2 months because of what a fortune teller told him. Picking up the paper, he then sees an advertisement for the Steel Ball Run race and only wh decides to join. As Gyro is preparing to participate in the race by finishing off the entering process, a crowd begins to form around him. A thief tries to steal Gyro's participation fee but is caught by the onlookers and is taken to the sheriff. Gyro pays off the rest of the money and is just about to leave when another thief tries to revoke him by stealing a gun off a bystander. Staying absolutely as beautiful as a cucumber, Gyro asks the onlookers who ended up mobbing over the dude to give the thief's gun back, saying he won't even press charges. But there ain't no regular thief. Oh no, no, no. This dude comes at Gyro with a gun, trying to provoke him into using his special balls on him. The thief tries to reach for the gun again, but then backs off, claiming he was, he was just joking. The sheriff then approaches, and as he questions what the thief and Gyro were doing, the thief picks up the gun and points it at Gyro, intending to shoot him. Annoyed with this freaking weirdo now, Gyro unleashes his steel balls, hitting the thief in the shoulder before he could shoot. A weird, rounded pattern is then formed after he gets hit by the steel balls at such a high speed, leaving everyone in the crowd shocked. Again, Gyro warns the thief to let go of the gun. Watching Gyro himself then stroll away, the thief gets annoyed with what just happened and goes to shoot him. However, the gun is weirdly turned around on himself, causing the dude to end up committing suicide.

But that, that's the end of the story. Some of the onlookers asked the sheriff to arrest Gyro, but the sheriff refuses, saying that no laws were broken. And as Gyro is leaving like a Chad, our curious boy Johnny starts to follow him, intrigued by the steel balls. He tries to call out to him from amidst the crowd but ends up getting blended in amongst them. Not giving up, though, Johnny sneakily tries to touch the steel balls. Even though he's in a wheelchair, Gyro warns him not to touch them since they're still spinning. But Johnny just says, "Nah," and had to do it. Touching the ball for a brief moment, his legs then started to move.

After that first weird, like, incident just occurred, Johnny is still trying to figure out why he's come all the way to San Diego beach and what kind of changes he was expecting. And let me tell you, Johnny has seen some terrible things in his life. Johnny Joestar, the main protagonist of *Steel Ball Run*, is a former jockey who became paralyzed from the waist down after a tragic accident. Like we've been over, you see, when Johnny was just 5 years old, he started horse riding and was really good at it. The first thing he noticed when he rode a horse was the beauty of its muscles and the sound it made. It was like music to his ears. They called him JoJo or Joe Kid. Johnny was born into a wealthy family with a long history of horse racing, and he showed early talent and passion for the sport. When Johnny was on horseback, he got everything he ever wanted. Everyone flattered him from below and brought him wretches. Politicians and royalty from around the world just came to meet him. However, his father's strict and abusive coaching methods, combined with his own insecurities and self-doubt, made it difficult for him to fully enjoy the sport. As his skills improved over time, though, his father acknowledged his talent, and he became quite popular around America. He even won the Kentucky Derby at just 16 years old. One time, he went to a millionaire's home, and the guy's daughter and her friend started taking their clothes off after seeing him. Even though everyone called him a rookie, he thought he could race his horse faster than everyone else.

As Johnny then recalls some more of his past, he remembers a particular incident where he went to a play with his girlfriend. She urged him to cut the line since he was famous and could easily get away with it. However, when a man nervously complained about what happened, Johnny paid off the two guards to have him escorted out, causing the dude to become outraged. And because of this, the man returned only to end up shooting Johnny in the back. After fainting and falling to the ground, Johnny awakened in a dark hospital room where he sees blood being taken from his leg by an orderly. The suspicious nurse or orderly, I don't actually know what it is, informed him that he was just taking out some of his blood and taunted the poor Johnny for being abandoned by his friends and father. In agony, Johnny cried out, realizing that he'd been abandoned by everyone he loved. Needing to shut him up, the nurse shoves a newspaper in his mouth, allowing Johnny to see the headline about the Steel Ball Run race, predicted to start in around 2 years, which, it gives us a good timeline of like, how long Johnny's been incapacitated for.

As Johnny is still trying to uncover the truth about his past, he turns to Gyro now for some answers. However, Gyro seems more focused on his own goals and becomes angry at Johnny for interfering with his plans. Any moment of desperation, Johnny tries to grab Gyro's steel balls, but he quickly manipulates Johnny's limbs and hangs him up on the roof of a nearby house. Gyro threatens to cut all of Johnny's limbs off so he won't be able to walk again, showing just how dangerous and powerful the man can actually be. Despite the danger that he's in, though, Johnny remains determined to uncover the truth about the spin and how it affected his legs. He also wants to participate in the upcoming Steel Ball Run race so that he can keep a close eye on Gyro and try to unravel the mystery surrounding him.

As the sun rose on a new day, two races exchanged glances. The Steel Ball Run race had attracted an astonishing number of participants, far exceeding expectations. They realized that only those with especially bred stamina horses stood a chance of reaching New York. The racers felt a mix of determination and uncertainty, knowing the immense challenge that lay ahead of them.

Over with how main gangster Gyro, who's getting ready for the race, though making sure that he has all of his items prepped and ready to go. I actually freaking died when I saw this man choosing his pink teddy over over the scissors. Anyway, as he's about to to step out of his tent, he randomly notices that Johnny's wheelchair is lying on the ground near the fence of his own tent. Walking up some more and noticing that Johnny is being dragged all over the place by this horse, he then hears the continuation of the initial conversation we started off with here. Apparently, Johnny has been up all night trying to get up on the horse. But what they find even funnier is that he was sold a Dobbin horse, and in their eyes, it's an old horse that is unridable. Then, on top of that, throughout his struggles, Johnny somehow managed to send a massive splinter through his calf muscle. So don't always go as planned, I guess, do they? But here's the thing, Johnny is so damn determined to ride that horse, even if it means risking his own life. He's been threatening that if anyone tries to stop him from achieving his goal, he'll commit suicide. Some folks are saying that he's gone completely bonkers, and honestly, who can blame them? The way he's doing it, he could get stomped on by the horse at any moment. With all of the dudes suddenly rushing over to help him, thinking that he's in trouble, they ask if Gyro agrees with them. Obviously, Gyro thinks that it's practically impossible to ride a horse like that, but if he did manage it, he'd be beyond human.

With everyone here being near like the sign-up village that we saw in the earlier stuff, a random guy approaches and asks Gyro where exactly to head. Obviously, you know, like sending him on his way. Over at the registration building, it's revealed that that man, our boy Sandman, had finally made it to the Steel Ball Run race after getting away from the villagers who absolutely hated studying. Initially, the old silly clerk looks down on him for giving him mere cloth instead of the white man's money. I just love this part, shows how bored a Sandman is without him even like realizing it. But anyway, the clerk makes it clear to Sandman that the participating fee is $1,200 US. All of a sudden, though, Sandman blows on the cloth that he had handed to the clerk, literally blowing him away with what he sees. And off, while revealing the emerald gem hiding underneath. Thus, and because of this, obviously our man's participation is completed. The clerk hands him his change, but since Sandman is such a badass, he asks him to keep the change. When the clerk informs Sandman about his horse, he says that he'll cross the continent using his own two feet and not a horse.

So, with 30 minutes left until the race finally begins, Steven Steel is seen doing his best to create hype by showing everyone the trophy that the winner will get. The special trophy is frozen and 3 million years old ice, which was harvested from the South Pole. He also declared that, you know, because he's got mad scientists on the job and everything, this ice would be melted by the intense passion of the riders, and hopefully, as the first riders cross the line, the trophy should be available from it. When Steven's speech is finally over, he makes a complete fool of himself, though, joking about how the ice just melted a fraction by the passion he put into his speech. Lucy, being 14 and groomed as she is, and obviously not knowing any better, clapped her hands for a man while no one else even gave it the time of day. Steven is an actual man's dude, like it's crazy.

On the other hand, all of the riders are preparing for the race. The two folks from like before notice that there is something odd about our MC's horse. It keeps walking towards Johnny. It also licks him as he tries to get up. Our main boy still has a special obsession with Gyro's balls and says that regardless of the situation and intensity of the race, he'll make sure to discover more and more about these steel balls and the spin effect. Gyro exposes that hint has already been given to him and he knows it already.

Now, with only 2 minutes that are left before the race starts, Johnny asks his horse to look his face again. Then, as the horse bends down and miraculously flicks him up onto his back, finally, he made it on top of his horse like an actual. I love the section of panels right here, it's actually so damn hype, like when the horse leans down and flings him onto his back, it's like, hell yeah, man. As he sat on the horse, ready to go, he concludes that there is hope in the spin effect of the steel balls.

With a bang, the highly anticipated first stage of the Steel Ball Run race has finally begun, and it's going to be a wild ride. With over 3,600 different riders jockeying for position, this first section of the race covers a total of 15,000 meters through rough terrain and dried-out rivers. The race is divided into multiple stages, each with its own set of stages and obstacles. These challenges include treacherous terrain, dangerous wildlife, and other competitors who are willing to resort to dirty tactics to gain an advantage. As a fat bonus, the first racer to reach the end of the first stage gets a huge $10,000 bonus, and because Steven's a demon, an entire hour is worth of extra time. This is mainly to throw in a level of uncertainty, like, who knows what could possibly happen in the final hours of the race if a bunch of different people have time that they can deduct.

As Steven finished explaining the time bonuses, and the crowd began going wild with anticipation, the announcers notice a horse that's boosted in front of everyone else and immediately try to uncover his identity. Without a scope, the announcer managed to get a look at his saddle cloth and noticed that B636, known as the one and only Gyro Zeppeli, had left the confines of the massive group. Turning to an adjudicator, Steven asks who this man could be, but it's shown that there's no history of his past recorded at all. Meanwhile, and behind him, our main man Johnny deduces that because Gyro has an Australian stock horse, he's relying on his insane stamina to win the first stage of the race. As all of the other horses get agitated by the fact that they can't keep up with Gyro, Johnny noticing that two horses nearby were charging for him, implemented some insane rein work and managed to survive a freak horse pile-up. Behind him, with the announcer getting more and more hyped, he states that it looks like a challenger has also broken free from the group and begun chasing down Gyro. Of course, it's no one other than the prince of British horse racing, Diego Brando. But wait, that ain't all. Remember our Egyptian fire monk, the previous champion? Well, out of freaking nowhere, it's revealed that E'dor on his camel opened doors and came steaming up the lift to catch Gyro.

As Johnny watches from behind, absolutely astonished by the turn of events, he observes how E'dor is riding a camel instead of a horse in the race. While a camel, like, may not be as fast as a horse, its stride can actually accelerate enough to compete with a horse. On top of that, Johnny notes that a camel is much heavier, weighing one and a half times more than a horse. So, in his eyes, he's obviously going for the crutch technique. Suddenly, E'dor collides with Gyro, causing him to slow down and allowing Dio to begin catching the duo. To defend himself, Gyro takes out the steel ball and throws it down the path he's about to take. Watching it fly forth, he makes his way into a thick grove of trees. But once again, E'dor smashes into him, pushing Gyro up against an evergreen. However, to the surprise of Johnny, Gyro showed his horse riding prowess as he leaned out of the way, saving his leg before it was smashed into the tree. Despite his efforts to take down E'dor and be the one to get the bonus, E'dor ends up falling for his tricks as he goes to ram him once more. The time, as he lunged forth, Gyro made a quick dive out of the way, forcing his opponent into a cluster of cacti. The announcer screams in wonder, confused as to how he never noticed the cacti in front of them. Was it the grove or something else that blew his vision? Due to E'dor and his camel collapsing, though he has been eliminated from the race entirely, it's a shame, as E'dor was a professional horseman, or should I say, camel-like man. Had won a previous race and had many high expectations for him in this Steel Ball Run race.

Here, anyways, Johnny, who watched this go down, sees that Gyro's steel ball is still spinning on a rock nearby. Looking closer at it, he starts to see a visualization in the smoke of the same cacti E'dor just ran into. Just as randomly, the ball springs off the ground and returns to its owner. Johnny, utterly baffled, wonders if the steel ball's vibrations helped Gyro to look for a certain plant, such as a cacti, that could help with the situation. While Johnny is thinking to himself, the chair Gyro is moving forward with the same pace, saying that he will tackle everything head-on and get that time bonus.

As the racers approach the first checkpoint, the announcer begins to describe the stage and its challenging routes in more detail. 3,000 meters after the starting point, they had a dried-up river, followed by a gradual uphill. After a winding uphill, it will be followed by a down through some dudes' farming bushland. From there, it's a straight 2,000-meter dash to the goal, which is a Catholic church. Steven is utterly perplexed, trying to gain information on this mysterious Gyro Zeppeli. Meanwhile, while Johnny is following Dio, who himself is passing Gyro in an attempt to overtake him, he looks closer at them and is struck by the strange movements of Diego's horse and the fact that he's managing to gradually close the gap on Gyro. He knows Dio is an extraordinary jockey, so it may be a tactic to throw off Gyro and gain an advantage, or is it something else?

In front, Gyro looks back to see where Dio was, only to be told by him that he was surprised with E'dor's sudden exit. However, he was only a small fry, so it's to be expected. Looking back again to see how quickly his opponent is closing in, Gyro gets agitated to find that Dio's completely vanished from his point of view. Confused, he looks around, stunned with where he possibly could have gone, only to be baffled when Dio suddenly pulls up alongside him, revealing his impressive maneuvering skills. Johnny, having witnessed this all and how agile he was from behind, is left astonished by Dio's use of a specific horse running technique, one only the very best are privy to. This special ability of his, you could say, is one that utilizes the habits of animals, machines, and other specific things against themselves. When it comes to Gyro's horse, Valkyrie, it weirdly enough has a habit of slowing down slightly and changing its position to the left after every eighth breath that it takes. Knowing what to do, Dio then, as Valkyrie hits its eighth breath, sways and boosts forth, grabbing the lead of the race.

Behind, Johnny's still speculating if Gyro knows about how horses and other animals have habits. He knows that if he doesn't figure it out, then it'll literally be impossible for him to take back the lead, as Dio could just widen it the same way as he's taken it. However, it's not over till it's over, and Dio, expecting to just cruise ahead, counts down the breaths once more, only to be baffled as Gyro jumps into the sky to avert his horse's bad habits. Watching all of this go down, the commentator dreams that Gyro is now beginning to catch back up. Confused with just like everything that's happened, Gyro asks what's up with Dio. Turning around and calling him a country bumpkin, Dio explains that it is the technique of the pros, and it wouldn't even matter if he explained it to him.

With the JoJo hitting the bridge now, Valkyrie takes its eighth breath, allowing Dio to push three horse lengths in front. Leaning forth and patting old Valk, Gyro notes that he didn't have a clue his steed had any bad habits. To him, it's obvious that there are a bunch of insanely strong individuals here, but in his eyes, that doesn't matter. Taking out his steel balls once again, and with them already spinning, Gyro places two of the balls at the back of his horse's legs. Instantly, and because of the ball spin affecting the horse's muscles, Gyro's horse thrusts its feet downwards, sending Dio through the air on his seat while destroying the bridge below. This insane maneuver of his subsequently destroyed the boards of the bridge, taking Dio out with unreliable footing and making it impossible for anyone to jump over it. When he's done crossing, it's showing that the gap between him and the main group now is almost an entire river's width.

Continuing forth, and while the battle between the top racers continues, there's a special someone who is quite excited for the race, yet he's nowhere to be seen. Of course, this man is no one other than the legend himself, Poco Loco, who ain't even awake. Kiss. That's right. The guy who promised to buy his grandfather a brand new barn someday after using the money he'd get from winning the race is still fast asleep. Casually, he wakes up, noting that the night before was a blur. "These damn bugs, there was, there was so many of them, I couldn't keep count." Ready for the race now, though, he jumps up, zips up his top, and instantly comes to the realization that something's not right here. Looking at the clerk, he asks what the time is. Then, throwing that out of his mind and remembering that it doesn't even matter, as for the next 2 months, he will succeed in anything he does. Poco Loco makes his way to the starting line, jumping on his horse and boosting off. "Alg screams, and this is freaking awesome!" Due to everyone heading off before him, the ground was plowed, making it unrealistically easy for him to fly forth. Having started the race, Poco Loco questions why the fortune teller said he's lucky if he slept in on such an important day. On his horse now, though, he notes the smoothness of the ground, but again, is instantly questioning all of this as a clump of dung hits him directly in his mouth. Thinking again that he isn't the 1 in 1500 million, Poco Loco's mind is instantly reassured as he found a gold coin within the manure, considering himself lucky once again. He looks over to see a girl cleaning her chest and a wanted criminal whose bounty is worth 500 bucks, again fortifying just how real his luck is.

Suddenly, everyone in the group begins screaming that some Indian dude running on foot has led them all astray, and now they can't cross this random chasm in front of them. Since Poco Loco is like riding up towards the drop behind everyone else, he observes Sandman freaked jumped forth before he begins climbing up the steeper side of the cliff. Seeing Sandman doing his best to scale the cliff, Poco Loco gets fired up and flies into the air on his steed, not giving an ass about the consequences, as he knows for a fact that he is going to win this race and return home to live a happier life. His horse, though, barely lands on the edge and slowly begins to lose its footing. When Sandman, seeing this, tells Poco Loco to use his rope to lift his horse up to the top side of the cliff. After listening to Sandman's advice and reaching the top, Sandman and Poco Loco both raise their heads together. Seeing him on foot, Poco Loco wonders if he's managed to keep up this pace since everyone started back at the beach. Once he to win himself, though, Poco Loco boosts forth and eventually catches sight of the main group of horses, pulling up to them like an actual G. As well, he funnily enough asks the first person he sees, who just happens to be Johnny, where the leader in the race is, and it's revealed that all the way up in front, Gyro still leads the race.

As explained through, like, I'd say, big Steven, back on the train, watching the all that Gyro has just passed the 6,000-meter mark and is roughly 60 to 70 horses in front of everyone else. Johnny believes that Gyro is making a huge mistake by maintaining the same pace throughout the race. By doing this, his horse will eventually tire out and he'll be left behind in the dust. Instead, Johnny thinks the key to success is to conserve your energy and wait for the right moment to strike. According to Johnny, the best time to make your move is when you're just under 2,000 meters away from the finishing line. To him, though, this race was never really about winning or prize money, but to find the recognition from Gyro by besting him in this first stage. That way, he can find out the mystery behind his steel balls. The plan from now is just to keep the distance relative, then strike in the final 2,000 meters.

Randomly though, both him and Poco Loco are baffled as they observe Gyro making a tight turn and heading for some trees. Johnny and Poco Loco, without hesitation, then start chasing Gyro down the second road, while all of the other racers are left thinking about which path to take when they reach the forest. Eight horses, including Poco Loco and Johnny, make their way forth with Gyro making his way through the start of the forest. Now, Johnny looks over and notices that Poco actually closed his eyes. Confused, he looks closer and realizes that it's not due to fear, more that he's exuding so much confidence, allowing him to speed up and become the second person to enter the dangerous forest.

Meanwhile, on the train, the onlookers are watching in amazement as 3,600 horses split into two decisive groups. One is following Gyro's a-hell down the shortcut, while the other group is sticking to the longer, safer route. It's a risky move taking the shortcut, but Gyro seems confident that it will pay off in the end. Inside of the forest, though, as all of the competitors push deeper into the darkness, things start to get even more dangerous. Some racers are fighting each other, shooting rifles, and accidentally even taking themselves out. It's a brutal game of survival, and only the strongest will make it out alive. Johnny, who's relatively safe being the third person into the forest, can't help but wonder if Poco Loco's awareness and fear of the obstacles could transfer to his horse, and that's why he closed his eyes. Pushing that aside, though, he realizes that a bit of sweet thinking could actually help him and uses his brain to jump between some of the branches, allowing him to get in front of Poco Loco. Getting caught up on his silly old branch himself, Poco Loco's eye gets slightly scratched, forcing him to open them. And when he does, he gets hit by another branch that launches him right off his horse, seemingly ending his run.

Way out in front and boosting through the trees, Gyro starts tripping, snapping his head around back and forth. He was sure that he just heard something coming up behind him. His heart is quickly put to rest as he sees a riderless horse getting closer. To his complete bewilderment, though, he sees that yeah, ain't no one on top, but Poco Loco is 100% being pulled along by his boot, which is caught up in the stirrup of a saddle. Amidst all of this chaos, Poco Loco can't help but feel like he is the luckiest guy in the race. He's breezing through all of the trees, narrowly avoiding obstacles left and right. Gyro, on the other hand, is starting to get like worried here. He knows that he needs to avoid a lot more than just trees if he wants to win this race, so he takes out both of his trusty steel balls and plans to use the spin to manipulate the forest in front of him. He throws his balls forth as planned, heading the stumps blocking his path and causing them to bend to the floor, allowing his safe passage. Closing up on Gyro from behind while getting dragged, Poco Loco watches the balls return back to their owner, then sees the tree spring back to the original position. Keeping with his track of being graced by God himself, though, and due to the momentum that like the trees were under, it technically meant that they'd reverberate back and forth until they found their original position. And as his horse dragged him through Gyro's path, the rebound from the branches flicked him back up into the sky, breaking through the other side of the forest.

It's expectedly Gyro and first who successfully took the shortcut and has left the other racers almost 800 meters behind. But he's not out of the woods yet, and coming up behind him, someone else makes it through the forest. Someone else completely random, though. Gyro looks back and sees Poco Loco approaching, who himself screams that he really is the luckiest guy in the world. Like, who in the world would successfully land back on his saddle after taking a branch to the face that knocked him off, then a kick to the ass that flicked him back up and on? Still in disbelief about like this random's incredible luck, Gyro just wonders who the hell he is. In his eyes, he has to have some sort of ability, otherwise none of what just happened would have been able to occur.

As the riders race forth, the ultimate showdown between our top riders is about to go down, and they've only got a grueling 4,000 meters to go before they can claim victory. Things are about to get intense as the terrain gets rougher, and the infamous Devil's Downhill looms ahead. This treacherous stretch is a steep distance that could throw off the stride of even the most skilled horses and put the riders' lives in jeopardy. It's an exciting time in the race, almost like a climax, you could say, and all of the racers are strategizing about how to make it down the treacherous Devil's Downhill in one piece. The commentator screams out that the case of this area is that they need to keep a steady pace or rest their horses. Giving up on the inclines, it's all about the pure skill of the rider now. You can't speed up too much on the downhill part, as you've got to keep a steady enough pace on the uphill to stay competitive. But closing in on Gyro, there's one rider who's feeling pretty good and really doesn't have a plan in mind at all. Gyro just assumes that he doesn't need to worry about anything, as he hasn't made a mistake so far in the race. But this dude right behind him is still closing in. While the commentator screams that another soul has broken free from the main group, Poco Loco turns back looking at him, only to think that it doesn't really matter at all. He has luck on his side. Poco Loco keeps a firm grip on his horse's reins and stays focused on maintaining his lead. But as he's barreling down the hill, something catches his eye: a strange figure doing this weird little sneaky pose while perched on a fence. At first, he thinks, "Surely, he must be seeing things." But then the figure starts speaking to him, telling him to remember the cow. Poco Loco is like, obviously a little bit taken back by this, but the figure slides up underneath him and tells him to not get distracted, or he might fall off, and he's not meant to fall off yet. The figure disappears, making Poco Loco think that he might be hallucinating. But apparently, on his shoulder now, the thing tells him that maybe it's a hallucination, however, there's no chance he'll win if he holds his horse back. Vanishing from his back, a skill out. Poco Loco turns around to see it now emerging from his own hand. Realizing something, he decides to trust his instincts and fixes his eyes on Gyro, which is actually dope. Our boy's got a stand, but he doesn't actually have a clue at all what is going on with him. He just thinks he's chopping out.

As all of the riders rail it down the hill, Poco Loco screams up at Gyro that once he passes him, he will never be able to take the lead back. Not having heard what he said, Gyro tells him that he can't understand people with his ass, to which Poco Loco, like a king, just reminds that the freak falls behind before flooring the gas and bursting into the lead of the race. Seeing this event from the train, the commentator exuberates with the level of racing he's seen, says that number 777, which of course this man has the number that correlates to the path of abundance, Poco Loco from Georgia has taken the lead. What's even crazier to them is that Gyro is not even trying to take back the lead, but instead holding off for some bizarre reason. At the same time, even more racers start catching the front two, making the gap only around 20 meters or so. Now, the commentator knows it's risky to speed up in the tricky terrain, especially as they're about to start hitting downhill again. Gyro feels the same way, but as he flies forth, he starts taking guessing himself. If Poco Loco does actually have a strategy in mind, then this might all be on purpose, just like how he fell off on purpose back in the forest. Pushing all of the thoughts out of his head, though, he knows that if he just waits till the end before he pushes, then he'll be fine.

All of a sudden, the riders beginning to catch Gyro start tumbling down the hill behind him, proving just how dangerous the downhill parts are. And sure enough, Poco Loco, also in first place, has his horse stumble. As time begins to slow for Poco, he's just like, "Me? I'm lucky. Let's push. It's safe, Gyro. Let's go for it." Before all of a sudden, he seemed flying through the air, tumbling around, as predicted by the man himself, who watched all of this from behind. He didn't need to worry about a thing at all and rode on schedule heads to take the lead of the race. As the farm nears closer, but no, no, no, no, Gyro bizarrely says that Poco Loco starts to get back up, but while still moving at the same speed, it makes absolutely no sense. Yet, as he goes downhill on his hands and knees, he somehow picks up more and more speed. Turns out that below him is actually the body of a dead cow that must have passed a few months back, and when his horse fell, they landed on it. Gyro believes, and after witnessing another Godlike fate, states that it is a calculation. There is no mistake in Poco Loco's actions. It is not coincidence, nor him just being dumb. And in his eyes, he suspects that Poco Loco must have known about the cow on the course. Friendly enough, as Gyro questions everything, he notices that the horse also isn't even doing anything, and instead taking the time to rest. As the two slide down the hill on top of the cow's corpse, which is this, this is part of the oh my God, man, I love this. It's all too much for Gyro to take, and because of that, he decides to take matters into his own hands. With fierce determination, he pulls out one of his trusty steel balls and hurls it at a nearby rock, hoping to stop the cow sliding with it. But as the ball collides with the rock, something unexpected happens. A section of the rock separates, and Sandman, having landed on that same rock in the exact same moment, uses its momentum to boost himself forwards. While everyone's confused about like, who's this guy running on his feet instead of riding a horse, Sandman makes the best out of the situation and rushes down the cliff past the crowd to take the lead of the race.

With the final 2,000 meters left, Lucy and Steven Steel are on the train watching this race. Next to them, a random dude on the train screams in amazement, wondering who in the world the random dude running by foot in a race among horses was. While everyone's riding their horses, Sandman, being a legend, decides to dart up and over the formation of rocks to hold his lead. Begging Steven on the train, who's who's obviously a little bit of a noob when it comes to running, pipes up, revealing that yeah, it's usually impossible to run faster than a horse. In his eyes, though, he can see it, and it makes sense when you figure out what Sandman's doing. So, you see here, Steven is actually telling us that there's a specific technique you can use to achieve speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour as a human. And in his eyes, it all comes down to the impact when your foot hits the ground and the force that is generated. He explains the whole process of how when humans run, their feet hit the ground with the heel, causing the force of the energy that travels up the leg to knock the joints and the muscles around. Over time, they will become fatigued, and there isn't any way around it. If this is a running style, in Sandman's case, when he runs, his heel touches the ground only for a brief moment. This, this here is his secret jutsu. Even if his heel touches the ground, he never steps through. Thus, the floor of the impact is sent to the front of the foot, and then when he kicks the ground in the same moment, he uses the force to propel himself forward. This way, his speed increases every

Time he kicks off the ground and when he lands he kicks the ground a few times, letting out energy and reducing the impact again. The announcers believe that the whole earth is on his side, and as long as they never leave land, this race will continue to be unpredictable. As they hit the 13,000 M mark, the winds of Santana start to blow from Mexico. Just like behind Sandman, G is still adamant about some random power helping Poco Loco turn his luck around. The forest, the cow, everything—it can't be a coincidence.

At the same time, the funny-looking Stand of Poco makes his reappearance and tells his man that he will protect him from everything, so go ahead and do anything he wants. This only luck inside his bag. As the race progresses, we see G telling himself that he can't be staring at this man's ass any longer and needs to just go for it, pushing his horse to the limits. Gar charges forth and finally manages to take back the lead.

While observing this, Steven is surprised as he notices the two front runners beginning to run past hundreds of spectators. Looking around more, it says that almost 20,000 spectators are waiting for the races to reach the end of the first stage. Steven, I don't know if he's just being dumb here or something, but he's sweating balls for sure, wondering why so many people turned up. Bringing him back to reality, Lucy lets him know that whoever wins this race will be known as a world-renowned hero, so it makes sense that people want to see it.

Back inside the hustle and bustle of the herd, our main boy Johnny pets his horse for the work that he's put in so far, but knows that it can 100% keep going as his legs are in perfect shape. Boosting forth, he points out that they aren't far behind now, and the others dashed too early, so this is, this is perfect for him. However, and still not out of the race, Diego Brando appears from behind, quickly passing all of the other photo competition around him. Johnny knows that he's making ground because of another racing technique called the air pressure shield. This technique creates a wind block that helps riders avoid the incoming air pressure by hiding inside the aot track of the person in front. Johnny starts questioning if di about to use his horse as a shield as well, but throws those thoughts aside and boosts forwards either way to try and take the lead.

The announcers watching from the train scream that the trailing group is also now arriving and beginning to speed up. While out in front, Poco Loco has just made another bid for the lead. Oh, I love this, I love this story, man. JoJo fans and normal weaves, if that's even a possible thing. The first stage of the race will be over and just under 1,000 M now. The spectators can't contain their excitement as Gyro and Poco Loco battle it out for the top spot, cutting through the Mexican Santana. The flood of riders drive towards the end of the first stage.

G's not the only one facing tough competition, though. We've got Diego versus our main boy Johnny as well. Just in behind them, De tries to use his special technique on Johnny, but dropping down low, our boy flicks up some rocks into the Brett's face, protecting his racing line in the process. Out onto Pook's shoulder, his Stan tells him to just slide to the left and go around him. Poco knows his horse is at his limits. Still, he was given God levels of luck, so he can do anything he wants, and a stand agrees while advising him to say yo three times like a mad man. He screams out yo, yo, yo, confusing Goo and making him turn back to find out what's going on.

Out of the blue, though, an overpowered Sandman comes down off the cliffs, hits the ground, and bursts into the lead of the rice. As the races near, they go, Sandman's gap slowly starts to get railed in by the following four riders. There are only 100 meters left now, and everyone is determined to win. Getting a bit closer to the finishing line, Poco Loco listens to a stand and runs on a dead tree to gain a speed boost that sends him into the air. Still, it isn't Poco who takes the lead. Goo instead takes first place while complimenting Johnny for doing so well in the race so far. You see, you know those moments in any manga where people suddenly start spelling their success stories? Well, boys, G is that type of person. He reveals he's been on a sailing boat before, and there he learned that the more headwind a vessel gets on its sails, the faster it goes. Poco Loco, Dio, and Sandman are stunned to see that Gus using his cape like a sail to gain a speed boost.

With only 30 meters to go, G starts pulling away from the four of them, submeting his lead and blowing Johnny away with a big brainery he's just witnessed. Finishing the first stage, G Zelli submits his position within the stel bable run race with an amazing time of 18 minutes and 7 seconds. So many things happen in such a short amount of time. Time here, like, oh my Lord, I'm actually in love with this Iraqi. What in the world was they doing, not even thinking about reading this earlier? Probably the fact that there isn't a paperback version in English here, which we need anyway.

The end of the first stage sees the birth of a new king. Gyro gets $10,000 along with an hourtime bonus and 100 points, but the race is still not over. That was just the very beginning of it all. There are still a lot more stages to go, plus we've got to go over all of the other positions that people got in this first stage here, and luckily they have a brand new camera to capture the the final moment of the race for no confusion. So, the second position goes to the fastest runner, Sandman. Poco Loco secures the third position. However, the judges are confused by the fact that Diego Brando came out of nowhere and the last second and actually might have stolen third place, so they have to consult the footage for a better view.

After the race, there's an opening ceremony attended by the racers. There, Poco Loco is seen panicking about his luck possibly running out, and Dar was caught raging over how he didn't get first place. On the other hand, Steven Boss declares that he, along with his team, will camp here for the night and will start the second stage tomorrow. One of Steven's men whispers to his ear saying that it's information about G's of's background. The man explains that G departed Genova, Italy, in May and arrived in this country only the 22nd of the same month. G also didn't roll up to America in poverty, no, instead, it said that he entered the country on a ship that was owned by a royal family in Europe. It seems like Go is royalty or an important person for the government, which got everyone thinking about why he would he even participate in the race to begin with. It's not as of like he needs the money.

With the next portion of the race starting to take bits, Steven asks his little spy to find out more information related to Gyo. A few seconds later, the judge gets the result, and the announcer announces that G, a cell, originally won first place, but there's a huge twist. Since G disrupted Sandman, he's unable to get first place, which, you know, which is crazy. If you're wondering when Sandman got disrupted by G, let's just, uh, let's throw things back, let's throw things back a moment. So, back when Sandman showed up jumping over the cliff, Garu used his steel balls to smash that rock and an attempt to put off Poco Loco, but the judges who literally don't have a clue about that assumed that he was trying to harm Sandman and thus, just like that, Sandman won the first stage of the race. The second place get secured by Dio, and the third by Poco Loco, with good old Garu here getting put back to 21st in the standings. He still luckily you got a point. But who's the guy in fourth place? You like, I swear Johnny was like third right there at the end. That's Mountain Tim, like, who came out of nowhere and managed to stick his horse's nose in front of Johnny's, and he didn't have anything to do with this first part here, which is crazy.

When seen these unjust results, G gets angry and slams his steel balls down onto the table behind Steven. Steven explains that his position was altered by 20 spots since G used their weapon. As a result, G walks out of the party saying that the past doesn't matter, but he looks forward to tomorrow, and he won't talk to Steven anymore. Unable to end it there, and because of the ball's vibrations, he ruins the party by causing all of the expensive champagne bottles to erupt and fizz out.

Moments later, G and Johnny's quest for victory takes a dramatic turn when, just after leaving the area in frustration, G finds Johnny nearby. Knowing that Johnny is still curious about the steel balls, G seizes the opportunity to demonstrate their power by explaining to him their second lesson: muscles. He explains to Johnny how the muscle in someone's arm automatically knows to bend when they move. The flesh in general protects the the body by moving the muscles in front of vital organs. However, the steel ball will not let you do that. Instead, it acts only upon the skin, and if the skin is placed under some weird situation, the muscle won't act upon it. Revealing that the cor Johnny caught earlier is spinning in his hand, Johnny opens his P to take a look, then placing it up against the skin of his horse, he watches as it EGS upon the horse, forcing its leg up as he falls off in style.

But the throw doesn't stop there. Turning back and looking at Johnny, he tells him that the next stage they gring 1200 km desert crossing, but he believes they can cross the line in first and second respectively. With the combined skill and ingenuity, these two races are sure to make a formidable team in the upcoming stages of the race, and this here marks the true beginning of a new JoJo Group, which is dop. Is I love seeing the new group slowly start to form.

Later on in the day, Steven, along with his wife Lucy, go to a crime scene where three competitors were found in a terrifying state. After arriving at the spot, Steven is horrified to see the remains of the competitors lying on the ground. Instantly, sneaky Steven sends his wife off, as she couldn't possibly witness this gring scene. After Lucy leaves, he starts to wonder about the identity of the people who are stwn out in front of him. The sheriff reveals that they were all participants in the race, along with how it was reported to him that their horses were running out of their wild somewhere. The three of them were about 2,000th in the race until the 7,000 or 8,000 M mark, where they randomly vanished after falling off their horses.

Steven is still confused as is to like how they even ended up how they did. Trying to console him and possibly thinking that maybe it was the animals, the sheriff gives him an example of a vulture doing some crazy stuff in under 3 seconds flat. Other than that, he's almost certain that the scene was murder. The sheriff explains to Steven that they obviously can't figure out who's done it yet, but the culprit is likely to be hidden somewhere among the racers. That, to him, just makes the most sense. Still, though, it's whack that not a single person out of the 3,000 that you know like were racing here saw what happened. If it truly is the case that this madman is after the grand prize, then no one could be safe, and anyone could be taken out for the sake of winning it.

Because of what they just discovered at the end of the last arc, the sheriff is asking Steven to postpone the race, even if it was only for a moment. Pondering the idea for a moment to himself, Steven throws it aside, as he believes it's already too late, and everyone involved in the race is giving it their all. In his eyes, postponing it is impossible. Figuring that he was going to say there anyway, the sheriff informed Steven that that was the exact reason as to why he had already requested Mountain Tim to pursue all potential suspects.

While the two stand there discussing Mountain Tim, Wyoming's only other anime character finally makes his appearance. Funnily enough, the reason I say that is because this man somehow managed to get fourth in the first stage event without us even noticing him once. And some next-level Mr. Steal Your Girl smoothness, Tim steps up behind Lucy L, who some nearby flowers that match her dress, and asks if she's already married while offering those said flowers to her. Steven, sweating balls over the fact that Tim's trying to steal Lucy, weirdly gases him up while mentioning that Mountain Tim as a legendary cowboy who has a huge potential to win, so it makes no sense for him to take this random request. The sheriff, who's thought this all through with Tim, points out that Mount Tim is an important person, and due to that, once the second stage starts, there's a high probability of Mount Tim being targeted by the suspect nearby.

On his Ste, Tim observes the area, looking down. He notices these weird-looking patterns on the ground. They portray a unique method of killing, one that he's heard legions of similar deaths about. So, you see, there's an old Indian legion that speaks of a shooting star that fell somewhere inside of the Arizona desert. It said that if anything touches the spot of the tainted soil, that person or item will be able to pull out a mysterious power from inside of itself. At the same time, though, evil spirits will call out a deathly curse upon them. Knowing of the said curse, none of the natives ever stepped foot in that land. It also said that a white man came looking for emerald or in the desert and stepped inside of the spot, then returned home. Sadly, once he did arrive home, he took out others in a terrifying fashion before any moment of sudden realization for what he'd done, took himself out.

Back in Arizona, now Tim states that the first thing he was going to do is track down the person who has this very specific mountain-shaped marking on their horse hoes. Steven doesn't think some random markings on a horseshoe Tim saw is going to change anything, but Tim lets him know that it does. Through reading the markings on the ground, he can see that the person's horse went crazy after what the rider had done. Wondering if they checked out the random bottle next to the victims, Tim points out that there's something inside of it. On closer inspection, and realizing that it's a button, Mountain T with like the craziest use of a lasso anyone's ever seen, casually controls it to grab the button inside to inspect it even closer. Looking at it, everyone starts wondering about the connection of this object with the murders. How did this button even end up in there? The only thing that's for certain is that whoever did this is truly a dangerous killer, and this evidence is important. I love how like random JoJo is like, this is all just so Random at the moment. Like, there's no connection that we can even make to like how Tim's control. Like, it's all just so Random. Anyways, anyways, with only 5 minutes to go until the next stage begins, all of the spectators begin getting hyped over the next section of racing.

Stage two takes us from the Santa Maria Nolla Church all the way through to the Monument Valley in Arizona. There are over 3,700 participants still in the race, but it's expected to take anywhere from 12 to 18 days to complete the stage. Bringing everyone back to reality, the commentator screams for everyone to take their starting positions, and like the first stage, he tells them that each competitor is allowed to freely choose their own route through the deserts, obviously with the exception of passing through pre-designated checkpoints. If a player for any reason is forced to retire from the race, then their respective number will be shown as flags above the route. On top of that, covered wagons with medicine, food, and water will be following at a fair distance behind the race just to make sure that everyone has a fair chance of survival.

And so, the hustle and bustle at the start of the grid. Johnny, along with Gyro, and I, I know, I can't believe for the first two videos now, I went and stuffed up Gyro's name. I, I really thought it was Gyro, like Gyroscopic, like that's how I thought you said Gyroscopic, but it's not, it's Gyro. And now I just, I feel like the biggest egg on the entire planet. I think I heard up Nappa, the guy's doing like the thumbnails for this, and asked him, and I was just, oh my, I can't believe I did that. Anyway, anyway, continuing on, along with Gyro, they both seem to be discussing the other top competitors. After hearing that Sandman's rank number one in the popularity poll, Gyro asks about his own rank, only to instantly get hit with the cruel reality that he's lower ranked than his teammate, coming in at ninth, while Johnny was sixth. Reading further into it, Johnny explains that if Sandman does manage to take first, gain his points will increase up to 200, and he'll accumulate 2 hours and time bonuses. If that happens, he'll have an overwhelming advantage over pretty much any other competitor. Gyro, being like the straightforward man he is, starts wondering if Sandman could actually run over 100 km in one day. Looking up, Johnny reveals that he's afraid so. Plus, just to make the entire situation worse for them and better for Sandman, he states that Sandman is from Arizona, so technically this is his home turf. Glancing over at a nearby jockey, Johnny notes that the man he's looking at, Mountain Tim, is just as popular as them and a huge candidate for the section of the race. Mountain Tim is a cowboy, so it makes sense in Johnny's eyes for him to have terrible short-range but fantastic long-range stamina. However, he managed to sneak up and even pass them in the last section of the first stage without making a single sound. Jaru joked that it was because of his funky hat. Not listening to him, though, and while browsing the map, Johnny realizes that this section will become a battle over water. Unlike the first short section, the second one will put people to tests in all kinds of ways, and the distance they travel all depends on if they can make the journey without running out of fluids. Bringing up an old incident in the desert, Johnny explains to Goar that an entire cavalry unit vanished out of the blue one day. It wasn't due to war or an accident caused by man, no. In that year, every water hole had dried up, leaving the helpless unit to make the trick through the desert to look for an alternative water source. One day, they noticed the temperature start to rise past its usual amount. Still, they continued forth until every last man had died of dehydration. Hours before they perished, small cracks formed in their own dried-up eyeballs, causing them to all go blind. Even blind, they continued to wander aimlessly through the infinite desert, being slowly roasted by the sun. To prevent such an event happening to them, Johnny dots out the plan: direction to go to the first water point, and from there, head east to the second water point. Drowning out Johnny's conversation, the announcer screams that there's only 30 seconds before the beginning of the second stage. In front and ready to go, Doo pulls up his goggles, while everyone's favorite Poco Loco has all of his sacks tied up and ready to go on the back of his Steed. With it heading 10 a.m., fireworks are set off, signaling the start of the second stage. Instantly, and following in the same tracks as last time, Gyro once again pushes her here to take first place early on in the race. Confused with his level of speed already, Johnny just wonders what in the world is wrong with this man. Can he really keep this up for an entire stage?

Then, in a change of events that Johnny wasn't even Proby to, Jaro changes direction and begins darting off to the Northeast. Following him, Johnny quickly takes the turn himself. Simultaneously, the announcer screams that it looks as if Garro is aiming to cut across the entire wasteland and ignore all plotted out water holes. Screaming, Johnny asks his boy what the hell he's up to. He pleads for some kind of reason for this unnecessary use of speed. Hushing him, Gyro just says that others are going to do the same, plus this is the shortest route, so this way they can easily pass everyone, even Sandman.

As Jaro and Johnny are continuing to boosted towards the Northeast, the announcer lets them all know that a mysterious follower has joined their tale. Zooming in, they see that the person in hot pursuit of the leading duo is a random competitor called Mrs. Robinson, who, unbeknownst to everyone, supposedly has those weird-looking mountain-shaped horshoes. Having pushed around 150 horses in front of the random competitor, Johnny gets out his trusty book and confirms that this person is Mrs. Robinson. On the other hand, he informs Gyro that they're almost 6 hours away from the starting point now and they should have reached the top of the mountain they're on about now. Before moving forth, he just needs to make sure that they're on the right trail because if they get caught in the wrong spot, the larger mountains will be impossible for them to pass. Standing nearby and examining the map himself, Jaru doesn't give any response and just dwells on the map, flicking it around multiple times, trying his best to read it. Speaking up, he's skeptical, yet he still reassures Johnny that they're going in the right direction. Maybe annoyed with being told, maybe Johnny rages out, screaming that it's 80 km to the closest water hole, and if they do to it even slightly from the course, then they run the risk of death. Trying to push past this confrontation, G asks Johnny about how the revolutions he told him to practice with a cork are coming along. Shutting the two of them up, though, in an instant, a random really fast object passes right between the duo, catching them by surprise. Wondering what it was, they snapped their heads around to see a rider slowly coming up from behind the duo. What confused G, though, about all of this was the fact that the thing didn't really come from behind, but rather from someone in front. Baffled with it, Johnny just points out to Gyro that his ear has almost been shot clean off by whatever that thing was.

In the same moment, Johnny is also hit by this weird force, causing scratches and cuts to appear all over his body. Gyus starts panicking, screaming that it's coming from in front of them. Turning around once more, he now observes the racer running parallel to him and Johnny. Noticing the weird direction of the attacks, Johnny states that it has to be coming from in front, and it probably means someone is still hiding in the shadows. Still, after pulling out a cactus needle from his wound, he remembers a story about a type of cactus that was able to shoot out its needle called a choler when an animal or something draws close to these plants. As a response to the vibrations coursing through the ground, the cactus will shoot out its needles. Pointing out that the dude is like way out of even rifle range, and in his eyes, it's frankly impossible to think that the plants were purposefully aiming for them. Off his vibrations, G states, though, that if this dude did happen to have a motive, then it is a possibility that he also isn't worried about receiving a penalty for attacking someone and in reality wants them removed from the race. Coming to the realization that they are in a truly dangerous position, and with the rer turning in their direction now, Jaru advises Johnny to start running. Doing so, Johnny leans down to grab his reins, yet in that moment, they're pierced by a volley of choler dart, which in turn throws Johnny's weight placement off, causing him to begin falling off his horse. Then, on top of that, another extremely accurate blast of Troller DTS hits him directly in the face, sending him crashing into the ground. Having turned to look back at his falling partner, Gyro was also hit with a barrage of Troller darts. Luckily for him, he was able to chuck up his arm in time to protect his face. Jro believes that this has been Mrs. Robinson's intent from the very start and asks Johnny to get up on his horse already so that they can leave and continue the race.

With blood beginning to blind his eyes, Johnny, while crawling, just screams out that G needs to abandon him and keep going. He knows he promised to cross the line with him, but he can't forget that at the end of the day, they are still rivals. This is a race, there is no reason for him to wait. And Johnny's blood-soaked eyes, he'll just have to catch back up after he's fit enough to ride. Gyro, like the actual king he is, though, is just like, don't worry, bro, I got you. Don't worry about a damn thing. Both rivals, so I'll hit off. However, the direction he ends up hitting often is towards the mental case that's supposedly damaged his boy. Boosting off in the direction of Mrs. Robinson, Garo pulls out both of his steel balls and prepares to let them loose by activating the spin. Noting this and remembering the first stage, Johnny advises him to not use them, as he got a warning on the previous section, and if he messes up now, there won't be another chance. But you know, Jarro doesn't really listen to anyone else other than himself, so in the end, he bursts the balls directly and misses Robinson. However, as soon as he does that, Jarro ends up taking a burst of Troller Dart to both arms, causing both of his steel balls to fall down into the desert sand. Simultaneously, they weirding where he opponent reveals these small weird flying bugs that crawl out of the location his left eye used to be in.

Then, all of a sudden, going on a little bit of a tangent here, and according to Mrs. Robinson, well, this man is highly influenced by the tradition of a small village where the loser of an argument would get tied up against a cactus. The idea behind this is that the remaining life they lived would be a slow and agonizing one. After their passing, even the cactus would place a curse on the dead man, and due to that said curse, he was brought back from the dead to be a slave to revenge, avenging a grudge that could never be resolved. Turns out that this was the village of Mrs. Robinson, and in order to separate himself from the others, he used a special technique on his body, one that allowed him to raise insects inside of himself. The reason that he reveals this vital piece of information is because now, in the race, he's using those insects to fly around and SE off all of the Chola Cactus needles instantly. And with the bugs having flown past a more cactuses, as end up pathora of needles shooting towards both Johnny and Gyro. Screaming like some evil villain, Robinson states that he won't allow anyone in this race to run in front of him. Paved with this dude's weird, these G just asks if he thought he could forget all about his precious steel balls that he knocked to the ground earlier. Looking around and noticing a small dust cloud appearing at the base of his horse's feet, Joe tells versus Robinson that he might not be as accurate with his aim, but that doesn't matter. The vibrations of the revolutions are now synced up exactly with him and his location, meaning that he literally made his escape impossible with the vibrations connecting with all of the troller around it. SS a huge barrage of needles from every direction that was physically impossible to dodge in time and subsequently probably killed Mrs. Robinson.

So, skipping forth a little while later, and still following in those same weirdly shaped horse tracks, Mountain Tim comes across Mrs. Robinson's horse, which had been left abandoned after his previous battle. Checking its feet, Tim confirms that this wasn't the murderer horse, as its shoe has a completely different design, but he's definitely on the right track, as the horseshoes he's looking for pass through this path around 30 minutes previous to his arrival.

Back inside the second stage, it's almost sunset time, 6:30 p.m. Johnny and Gar have traveled a distance of about 95 km on the first day across the desert and are now left with only 50 km or so until the nearest watering hole. The current rank is first. While camping at the S location as the Joo is stationed up around their fire, G, I'm assuming, tells Johnny about a 9-year-old boy named Marco. His family belonged to a line of servants to the aristocrats. Marco was also supposed to serve under a baron called Riy, and had to clean their hats and shoes. When the 9-year-old Marco's time of separation from his parents came, he was given a hopeful message by his father. His father said that this job will bring him happiness as long as he stays humble and hardworking. Because of this, every dawn Mar would wake up and brush the hats and the boots of the baron and his guests. However, the baron was plotting a Sinister plan to overthrow and assassinate the king. Luckily, the king's assassination was prevented, but treason is an extremely serious crime. For people who F over absolute power, all of The Baron's partners and the plot, along with their families as well, were all put on trial and sentenced to execution for this act. From the evidence found, the assassination plot was planned in the baron estate, and because Marco was seen as a part of their family, even though he was just a servant who shined shoes, they assumed that there was no doubt that he knew the method of execution was be hitting, and the states decision is absolute.

Anyways, while I'm guessing a big guy was telling Marco's story, or I completely misinterpreted that and Johnny had read about the story beforehand and this was just like a recap of it, Johnny managed to spin the cork of the champagne bottle that he carried with him all of this time. Watching a catch speed inside of his hand, he then watches as it travels up his arm before shooting off. Johnny wanted Gyro to watch him, so in astonishment, he screams out asking if he was Gyro. Though, had a lot going on inside of his head and just snapped back asking why does he have to watch all day. Not caring and more concerned with the spin himself, Johnny realizes that the cork disappeared and tries to find it. He searches under the Gar place up against the rocks and panics when he can't find the C at all. Getting smacked in the head, though, he looks up to see the horse's ass and feels what he thinks is damp poo rolling down his back, when in all reality, it's the cork that I'm assuming will shot up the horse's ass. But the bottle's cor can't be that important when you're camping in the middle of the desert with a lit fire at nighttime. Thus, Gyu senses a racer coming towards them and he asks Johnny to take out any weapons that he's kept hidden. Johnny tries to find the gun that he's kept on him since the beginning of the race, but he's unable to find it. Glancing over, he notices Garu spelled open bag and the weird case with a code of arms inscribed on it. See an article for a boy with a death sentence. He looks closer at the letter with a Cod of arms on it, curiously wondering if G stole it, as to have a Cod of arms without permission from a lord is illegal for someone inside of Europe. Looking closer under the headline text and seeing a title about 50 million needed for a retrial, Johnny comes to a huge realization. Appearing right behind him, though, Jarro scolds Johnny for going through his stuff, then standing there with an aura not seen yet from him, Jarro just leans down, grabs his bag, and leaves without saying a word. Johnny tries to explain that it wasn't on purpose, still, he questions who Jarro is, as he knows he's not from this country to begin with. Again, Jarro just tells him to stick to his own damn bag. Confused, Jonny just wondered why he didn't say anything more on this subject. He wanted to know why, why could G use this steal balls, what are his roots, is he trying to save that child all alone, are they related to the race or that eye dear Volo who re awok inside of part seven? She'll say, though, is that the answer to these questions will soon come once the writers reach the harshest point in the race.

In the meantime, G points out that the random riter really is Hing their way as slow dancer, then throws Johnny off his back. Jar also states that the balloons watching the race have landed, and this route might be an interference, a low one. He screams out trying to best to make this racist stay away, but to no use, as the dude continues riding forth. The guy like riding on the back of the horse here is called Andre Boom Boom, and he yells back, screaming that he means no harm at all and just came all of his way because we saw a fire in the distance, showing the swollen fingers on his hand. He nervously explains that he was bitten by a lizard when he was trying to take a dump, and now it's resulted in his swollen fingers. Seeing him getting off his horse now, Johnny asks like what the hell he's up to and questions what exactly he was bitten by. Screaming back that it was a poisonous yellow black striped lizard, he pleads with him to let him use the campfire to burn the wound and clean it. Jarro thinks that he could be faking it, but Johnny knows that the spotted salamander has a dangerous venom, and once it circles through the dude's body, he will undoubtedly die. Johnny asks if he's just going to let the dude die, but since Gyro just can't seem to trust this dude's story, he doesn't know. However, he does offer the random a piece of burning wood to go ahead and start his own campfire or seize the wound. Thankful for having his life saved, this mentally deranged racer then talk off his belt, wrapped it around his neck, flipped it over a tree, then dropped to the ground so that the connection tightened. Creeped out with like what the hell is up to, G questions Andre's actions. Andre is just like, bro, what are you on about? This is anesthesia, and he needs a painkiller for what he's about to do, plus he invented this trick. The feeling is absolutely insane, and he lets chicks try it on him all the time. Jesus, Andre, guys, don't be like Andre and never try that at home, but please don't try that at home. I would hate to see your mom walking on that. Anyway, Andre slices off his poison fingers to stop it spreading around his body, however, he still ends up passing out because of the connection around his neck. Seeing this, Jro tosses some fire to help Andre quickly seize the wound while pointing out that the strangling might have also been too much for him. Realizing that he's not moving anymore and getting pissed, now Jarro kicks Andre's blade and apologizes for being hard on him when he first arrived, but he had to be sure that he wasn't lying at all. Seeing the guy foam from the mouth, Jyra Relic starts the question if the man's even alive anymore. Johnny speaks up and lets his man know that his family rac's name on the he goes by Andre Boom Boom, under number C450, and he currently placed 10th in the overall rankings. Glancing down at his own boot, though, Gyro just notices how it's randomly being torn open, feeling that something just isn't right with all of this. He quickly looks around trying to figure out what it could have been before Johnny himself cuts Jar's thoughts off. Speaking up, he notes that also in ninth and 11th place is two people with the surname Boom Boom, which in his eyes means that he's definitely not alone and the family will be near nearby, making pace and galloping their way towards our main Joo.

Johnny and G's heads snap in the direction of two quickly approaching riders. The female begins crying, wondering if her bro Andre is dead. Her father, though, tells her to shut her trap, as men don't cry, even though she totally isn't a man. And even though Garro approached carefully, Andre is still currently giving it all that he's got. Sadly for Garro, he actually touched Andre's knife. Yes, it was never directly with his skin, but his boat did touch the blood-stained knife. With those mountain-shaped horse hoes nearing, Johnny pulls out the blicky and questions what the hell these guys are up to. Jar knows for a fact that like Johnny thought earlier, this is a three-man team, and they're all aiming for the 50 million. So if they get in any closer, he needs to use that gun on the guy on the left, while Gyro takes the dude on the right. Randomly, and before these plans can get put into action, though, bladed spikes shoot up, piercing Gyro's foot and taking him by surprise. Going to clutch at his leg, he explained to Johnny that he doesn't know what the hell's going on. His leg just feels like it's made of steel all of a sudden. Looking at the Kos Andre, Johnny wonders if it could have been him or the two guys closing in. Knowing that something's definitely wrong inside of him, J can only think of the time earlier where he had to kick away Andre's knife with his foot, and how now it seemed like some kind of poison had infected him. As the Boom Boom family came closer, Johnny pulled out his pistol, but it was taken apart in a matter of moment, and the detached pieces were then sent shooting into the side of Jar's body. Changing direction, all of the gun pieces then jammed themselves onto Jar's leg. Baffled with like what the hell is just watch, watching Johnny screams that it wasn't an old gun, like he hasn't even used it that much, but it just suddenly fell apart when he took it out. Then, on top of that, the rest of the gun is still being pulled towards Jarro, with Johnny just being barely able to hold it back. Looking at his wounds, Jarro can do nothing as each part of the pistol slowly starts to become one with his flesh. Noticing the knife now spinning in his direction, Johnny screams that now that isn't even moving towards him.

Over with the bone boom family, the sister questions if Andre was able to get the lizard venom out in time. Who father thought just just pissed that she was being loud, told her to split away from him and make her strike from the opposite angle. While she's off following those orders, Johny deduces that everything traveling towards Gyro is made from iron. There's even iron inside of someone's blood, so maybe they can control iron objects that way, through some sort of like metal manipulation. Flinging itself up off the ground, the knife is just barely blocked by G's steel ball, however, it still connects with the skin, getting stuck there. Seeing the father now closing in, Jar flings his steel ball in the dude's direction. Phe with a rotating orb of metal, Benjamin Boom Boom pulls up his hand and captures the ball's trajectory within his own fingers. Reticle activating his ability, Benjamin stops the ball as it slams into a figurative wall and begins getting ground down in size. Watching him reach out to grab the marble-sized steel ball now, Johnny can only mutter in horror that the ball was ground down in midair.

Sticking with her like complete and utter randomness, the bone Bo family's plan as then out of the blue exposed by La, who revealed that her father planned to win first place in the race, her brother would come in second, and she would take the third place. Meanwhile, Johnny and Gyro were still trying to figure out how the steel balls got ground up in midair. They realized that the Boom Boom family's power only works on iron, so in that case, these steel balls have to be made from iron. Eventually, the two alive Boom Boom family members surrounded Johnny and Gyro in hopes of getting their revenge for Andre. Jarro knows that unlike Mrs. Robinson from beforehand, these guys are nuts, and there has to be something superior that's behind all of this. Confused on what he means by superior, Jar can only explain to Johnny that well, he really doesn't know because he doesn't actually have a clue himself. Looking over at the mental case who somehow woke back up, Joe notices this wacky-looking lizard thing attached to him, wondering if Johnny also saw the thing on Andre. He instantly loses sight of it himself, and then, on top of that, the bleeding on his leg begins worsening as the parts start burrowing even deeper. J knows that it's because they now surrounded by all three of them, and the closer he approaches them, the stronger the effect of iron in his leg becomes. Pondering, he knows that if these guys end up right next to him, then there's a huge chance that the middle go straight through him.

After literally Lolly gagging with each other for a few minutes over the other side of the battlefield as they slowly restrict the size of the circle, Benjamin questions who will be the one to actually fully close in and land the finishing blows. Andre thinks that they might have some more guns, but Benjamin says he doesn't think so, plus it wouldn't even matter if they did because of their ability. Choosing to go himself, Andre speaks up, stating that he's prepared to get revenge for what happened earlier. Pulling at his other steel ball and activating the spin, Andre speaks up and points out that it's the other steel ball. Unconcerned with like whatever Gar was actually planning, La just thinks it'll be the same as last time. Splitting away from the group, Andre screams that it's time his family will take first place in this race. Throwing the ball in retaliation, though, Andre screams at Gyro that there's no way it's going to reach him. However, it wasn't actually aimed at him, and instead, he watched it as it flew straight up into the sky. Watching it fall back down now towards him, Andre activates his ability and screams that there's no way it to reach him before it hits Gy will be laid out on the floor dead. As the ball slams back down right next to Andre, though, completely missing him, a random rock is flicked up at a perfect angle in the process. Knowing that they only have power over iron, Jyu presumed that a rock could be shot, and seeing that it was about to hit, he immediately told Johnny to pack his bags and get on the horse, as there's still to of them to go, and frankly, these people are freaking weird.

Back over with Andre, it's Sean that as said by Jaro, a rock was shot up off the ground at a perfect angle that ripped a hole through Andre and left his family stunned on the steds and freaking Bo send it away from the Boom Boom family now. Jarro points out that after they gained some distance from them, the damage is slowly dispersing. Johnny wonders if it was a trick of some sort, or did they actually use something like a poison to make this effect. Believing that it's something more, though, Jar points out how they first made contact with him, then surrounded them, before slowly closing in to him. It looked like when you get stuck in the middle of all three of the people, it creates a powerful attack which attracts all iron in the vicinity to the center, almost like a massive magnet. Having gained some distance now, Jo feels like it's probably best to keep heading towards the watering hole 50 km ahead to get away from all current danger.

Back with the Boom Boom family, Andre reacts in horror over the gaping hole, while simultaneously his sister screams that the hole is even bigger than his freaking belly button. Screaming and filled with rage over his son's impending death, Benjamin pulls out his revolver and fires a bunch of shots towards the fleeing Ro ERS. Enraging him further, La says that they're too far away now and that their bullets are all lad. If they were iron, then they might have actually had a chance. There not done. Ben then points his revolver at his son and tells him to move slightly to the right, firing the bck with like literally no concern at all for who was on the receiving end. Benjamin then uses the blood-covered bullets to reain Andre's infused iron blood all over Johnny as he tries to escape. Happy worth like what he achieved here, being asked to see Andre's wounds, only to instantly tell him to harden up, as it's a tiny hole. Back when he was

Young, he fell off a cliff and tore his whole freaking jaw off and had to walk 5 km home. That hole, in comparison, is just like nothing. Still needing to taste revenge, Ben explains that their plan is to make it through Watering Hole faster than anyone else. And if they get there first, they'll destroy it. So if any other races come by, then they'll also be wiped out because they won't have any other water. Since they obviously just got lost by Tronny and Gyro, though Alli wonders how in the world they meant to catch up to them. But Ben, the big brain, reveals that it won't be them doing the chasing. Instead, he plans to have the guy tracking them find the Joo. La asks who it is, and Ben reveals that since this morning, someone figured out their tracks and has been following them ever since.

Blown away with the skill it would take to track someone through horse hooves, Andre asks who it could possibly be. Ben states that he can't exactly see from here, but it's most likely a sheriff, possibly even Mountain Tim, who he heard is good friends with the sheriff. In preparation for Mountain Tim, Ben uses his control over iron to manipulate the plates within his face while watching their father go through an excruciating transformation. Andre speaks up as he thinks he's figured out what big pops is planning to do.

Ben, on the other hand, reveals their past journey, stating that they were looking for mines on the Cursed Mountain inside of the desert. All of the Indians despised that mountain, but they gained power, and ever since then, they've only been happy. So if anyone tries to stop that, they will absolutely eliminate them. Seeing a glowing light slowly approaching from the other side of the hill, the boom boom family members get ready to lay their trap. Riding closer and having followed the family's tracks all day, Mount of blows out the light on his lantern and speaks up to whoever's nearby, stating that he was about to continue tracking them the next morning and camp here. But under the law of the United States in Arizona territory, he's been commissioned as an assistant sheriff and now he's placing this random under arrest for three murders during the race. He urges him to slowly walk out with his hands up, as depending on the situation, he technically has the rights to execute him.

Seeing the man shuffle out backwards with his hands up, Tim tells the man to keep moving back with those hands raised. But after he sees the F turn and realizing that it was Johnny Joar, who came in fifth place, he's taken by surprise when Johnny biffs a bloody horseshoe right at him. Having an otherworldly prowess over the rope, though Tim just flexes and catches the shoe. Noticing that a bunch of blood spray off his shoe when he caught it, he curiously tracks down the fleeing Johnny over to the edge of the thorny undergrowth patch, telling the fleeing dude that the chase ends here. Tim knows that if he wanted to go around the brier patch, then the dude would actually most likely escape before he could hit him off. Not wanting him to get away, Temp pulls off his glove and sends his lassu forth into the maze of thorny bushes.

Lassing this random Johnny dude around his neck, Tim asks if he should yank him out or will the dude comply. Pulling a knife from his pocket and attempting to slice the rope, Johnny is just baffled when he looks down to see a bunch of hands now coming out of the rope, grabbing his hands and stopping him from cutting himself free. Looking up and seeing fingers flying down this wacky ass rope, now the grip is tightened more and more by Tim before he completely subdues the man.

Back over with Tim, it's shown that somehow the rope has become one with himself and it's looped through all of his freaking fingers. Just to add to the awareness of the situation, Tim then merges his second hand into the rope and sucks a punch to the side of this random fake ass Johnny's face, screaming out in horror over the fact that Tim's fingers broke into pieces before traveling along the rope freely. Ben wonders if there's a possibility Mount Tim also went to that specific mountain and became a cursed man. Not worried, even if this is the case, Ben points out that Mount Tim had touched the horseshoe throwing earlier, and because of that, he's now indirectly touching him. All Ben has to do now to enact their plan is escape the rope's grasp. Unable to use the knife in his hand, though, due to like Tim holding it back, Ben manipulates the skin on his face to have a blade merge through and slice the rope around his neck. Surprised with how light his rope just became, Tim quickly reels it in while realizing that the dude most likely had two knives on him. Seeing the enemy's horse maker run through it now, Tim joins his hands back together and states that from memory, that dude's name was Johnny Joar, and honestly, he's surprised that he was the murderer.

Back over with the bonebone family, as Ben reunites with them, he explains that he's also changed his hoof prints to match that of Johnny's. So all that's left for them now is to let M him get AE and track down Johnny and G himself. Once he does that, the plan is for all three of these GS to chill out and watch while all three of the others get sucked together before exploding due to the magnetic force. King right back off, somehow the boom poom family has managed to flee from any sight of battle, and now our main boys Johnny and Gyro are being chased down by Mountain Tim. They don't know who it currently is, though, and in all honesty, they're at their wit's end as they've kept up the same pace for around 3 hours now.

Plat at his telescope, Johnny notes how it doesn't seem like a member of the boom boom family. The dude's riding skills have increased, plus he never saw a member in that weird ass hat. Jo knows that if they slow down, though, and let him get close, then the magnetism will start again. What they need to do is to get to the watering hole first, otherwise this will all be one big mess. With only 15 km to go now, both Johnny and Jarro push forth, trying to make a break for it. But after looking back and seeing that the dude's even closer, Jarro points out that he knows the guy. He isn't one of the boom boom family members, so it just leaves him confused as to why he's tracking them down like this now. Jany asks what the next plan of action is, but J tells him that they have to lose him. There is no other option. They can't let anybody get close to them in this desert stage, plus nobody following them at nighttime would be doing so without a mentally deranged reason.

Over with Tim, as he kicks up dust and gains more and more speed, he knows that the murderer of three participants is no one other than Johnny Joar. It's hard to believe, as he never suspected such a person to act like this, but the prints lead to him. Either way, it's certain that he used his curse ability for those murders, and him will arrest him dead or alive to put an end to the unnecessary bloodshed. Taking another glance over at Mountain Tim, Gyro is just confused with how he's I mean uphill but still gaining speed. Realizing what's up, though, Johnny points out that the situation isn't originally what they thought. Instead of just accelerating, it's different, but they never notice Jud to themselves also running. What's actually happening is that Johnny is also being pulled towards him from behind. Suddenly, all of the bolts in iron attachments on Johnny settle, detaches, and begins pulling him backwards with even more force. J calls out for his boy, but in that instant, he too is randomly hit by all of his horses' iron attachments and forced up into the air.

Watching from nearby, the boom boom family gloats over how their plan is all coming together. They knew Mountain had the speed to catch up and enter the Jo's magnetic circle. Now all that they need is for the three of them to clash together. Wanting to get in closer, La asks if they can get in close enough to watch them all explode, and their father agrees. However, Andre, who's still in pain over having a hole freaking blown in his stomach, starts noting that everything's blurring and he feels chills going down his spine. Ben, though, it's just like chills, son. Now it's not the time. This is far more important. Also, I completely forgot, but I left out so much wackiness from this family throughout the last video. They are all mentally insane. It was just impossibly hard to weave it into the story as they attacked our group. But anyways, anyways, confused over how in the world his body is also magnetized as well, Joe asks if Johnny ever touched anything or touched as that would make sense here. Thinking for a moment, Johnny theorizes that it could have possibly been the bullet shot earlier and something might have attached itself in. With Tim getting closer now, it causes Johnny to start getting pulled along the desert floor with him, unable to stop himself. Jro screams out for him, but in that same instant, his magnetization activates and he also starts getting dragged back. Knowing for a fact now that it's Mountain Tim who they're being dragged towards, Johnny screams that the boom boom family must have touched him as well at some point because it's all three of them that are being pulled towards each other now. Back when they first noticed the effects again, it was too weak for them to fully realize what was actually going on, but now as the three of them get closer to each other, the magnetic strength grows and multiplies. J questions why like Tim obviously hasn't fallen as well, but Johnny points out that he hasn't even realized what's going on since he's still running forwards. Screaming out in pain, Johnny notes that the iron in his blood is beginning to collect together, and that if all three of them do collide, it'll most likely result in an explosion. To fix all of it, he states that they need to get his attention now and urge him to get off the horse.

Getting closer, M notices that the two guys he was tracking now randomly on the ground and can even hear them yelling something. But due to the dust around Aljo, it's making it impossible for him to hear what they're trying to say. Figuring that like even if he could hear them, he most likely wouldn't stop, G decides that it's best to drag him off his horse himself. Pulling at a steel ball, Jo throws it up into the sky towards the quickly approaching Mountain Tim. Watching it fly off, Johnny doesn't think it'll reach and instead just get ripped back due to the magnetization. However, and always like big brain in every single situation, J had pre-priced this and states that of course it will return because of the magnetic force. But if it does return, the force in his eyes should be enough to knock him off his horse. All of a sudden, the steel ball slams into the side of a rock formation before, as previously predicted, shooting back towards Gyro due to the magnetic force, revealing his true plan. Gyro points out that he scattered some dust from those rocks, and inside of those rocks are iron scraps. He urges Johnny to brace, as since all of them are currently magnets, this is going to hurt like hell.

Looking up at the rock full above him, Mount Temp all of a sudden assaulted by a flurry of tiny iron shards that attract to his exact location. Back over with the boys, the exact same thing is obviously happening with them. However, due to Mountain him not suspecting the attack and knocked him back off his horse, subsequently bringing everyone to a pause. Finally realizing that a random force is pulling him, and then instead of falling, he's actually being dragged through the sky with his own pistol slowly starting to merge into him. Johnny screams that it's useless, everyone's already too close, and Mountain Tim's body is uncontrollably flying through the air now. Noting that the force of the magnets has become overwhelming, Johnny screams that his veins are about to burst. However, just before all three of them exploded, Mount T used its trusty rope to tie himself to the top of a rock, then merged each piece of his body into the rope so that he could transport himself to safety, safely out of the dangerous magnetic zone. Now Tim guesses that if all three of them get too close, then something not so pretty might happen here. Figuring that he totally misunderstood the Joo that he was tracking, he asks Johnny who this magnetic force belongs to and to explain in detail what exactly has been going on.

On nearby, looking through some binoculars and realizing that all three of them didn't explode, B complains that they need to cut that damn rope, otherwise all three of them could get away. Back over with uh, the trio, now hearing about the boom boom family's ability to control iron and realizing that all along the family was the real culprit. Mountain Tim tells the guys that they should get further away to losing the hold. Curious over what the hell is going on with Tim, though, Jo asks if he's even human, wondering what the steel balls are himself. Tim just asks Jo to explain his first. Jo states that it's just a part of his technique, and that there are still parts of the human being that are a great mystery. Knowing something about these mysteries of the human body, Tim goes on to say that 15 years earlier, when he was 16, he was a part of the army and was assigned to venture out into the unmapped parts of the Arizona desert. Sadly, the unit got lost, and all 16 of them wandered the desert for days searching for any signs of life and water. Having heard of the story before, Johnny asks if he was a part of that lost C units. According to Tim, the area that he got lost in was a spot the local Indians feared and called The Devil's Palm. The units' compasses were useless, and the ground was constantly moving due to quicksand. Mountains would come and go, canyons would form, and the landscape would forever change itself. The Indians say that the devil's Palm travels many miles in a day. Where it could be found a month ago, it would be lost the next. According to Indian tradition, a shooting star crashed there long ago, destroying absolutely everything. Now it's cursed. Nobody knows how large the area is, and nobody knows its location until they happen to see it themselves. Apparently, it's been traveling this area for tens of thousands of years. After a while of failing to find water, the horses and Tim's group sadly died, then those from the unit fell one by one. Even Tim was on the verge of being fried to death by the sun. However, that place was also a land that carried destinies. For an unknowing reason, Tim awoke half dead during the night. Nightly, a tiny bit of water had gathered on the rope, and his body was now absorbing it on its own. In that moment, his body became one with the rope, and because of that, he was the only survivor. Thinking on that moment for all of these years, Tim poses that it could have been a sort of gravitation. Through that gravitation, the devil's Palm has awoken the power to use hidden abilities inside of his body. According to him, the Indians call it a cursed ability, and perhaps it is cursed due to how it was only Tim who survived after the entire unit died. However, he personally calls his ability a stand. In his eyes, there is no mistake at all. The boom boom family must have also stepped into the devil's Palm to awaken a stand. Jar points out that the magnetic force is getting weaker and weaker, so he urges temp to keep moving further away. With his robe still gritting his teeth, he knows that the only way they can continue, though, is if they actually track down and beat the hell out of that stupid ass family.

Suddenly appearing behind him, though, La boom states that there is no need for that at all, taking all three of the guys by complete surprise. Bending down, La then proceeds to make some sort of like marking on the ground, while at the same time her dare dismounts his horse and begins to approach them. La proudly gloats that there ain't no need for them to find distance anymore, as the only direction the TR can travel now is closer to each other. Speaking up, Bean asks his daughter if she needs a hand with cutting Tim's rope, but she just states that she's not feeling so confident right now. Attempting to get the upper hand, Jar tosses the steel ball directly at La. However, as she places her hand on the marking she made on the floor, an iron sand suddenly shoots its way forth. Or simultaneously, that same lizard stand creature appears on top of Gyro, having stopped the steel balls' rotation. The salamander-looking stand slams both Johnny and Jaro together, leaving them with nowhere to go before darting up the cliff side towards Tim. Using his rope ability, Tim detaches his forearm, then uses the revolver that was stuck there to shoot all of its bullets towards La, who was unprotected below. Sadly for him, Ben quickly jumps in and has his stand up here to block the bullet in time, allowing the other one to fully get a hold of Mountain Tim. Following her dad's orders and binding everyone's hand so they can't retaliate now, she then follows up and cuts the rope holding Tim to the rock. Seeing this, Johnny screams out that they're screwed now, while up in front, Tim reacts to just how heavy he currently is with nowhere to go. The two boom boom family members gloat that it doesn't matter what they do now, it's useless inside of this boundary. Bending over and wondering if he has a hand free, Joe tells Johnny to do it. If he has a hand free, he just has to use the spin. He points out that like right beside him is a bullet. It's one of Mountain Tim's that he shot earlier, so it's made of lead and won't be influenced by the magnetic force, and all he needs to do now is to make it spin.

Looking up and seeing Mountain Tim seconds from colliding, Johnny just thinks that it's all too late now. Slamming into each other, all three of the guys scream out in pain as their bodies are constantly pulled towards each other. Jaru tries to get Johnny to remember, remember lesson three, and how when they were camped out, he did manage to spin the cork. The idea is the same now, he just has to do it with a bullet. Johnny screams that surely that was only a coincidence, but Joy urges him to believe in the spin. The power of rotation is limitless, and he just needs to trust him on that. Screaming that he must do it, Johnny has to save them. Johnny himself places the bullet between his index finger and thumb and wonders if he can really do it. He's only done it once before. He can't forget, though. This is it. This is why he signed up for the race, to find out the secret of the spin and learn it for himself. So in that case, he will do it, otherwise everything will end here. And just as Gyru screams that his body is beginning to burst, Johnny flicks his thumb forth and in that moment of pure astonishment, watches the bullets spin freely inside of his hand. Yelling to his boy that he's managed to do it, he spun the bullets. Or signs of winning the battle are suddenly ended when Ben stomps down on his arm, causing him to drop the bullets. Knowing the gravity of how dangerous these people are, Ben tells his daughter to step back and be on guard until all of this is over, as the dying often make some desperate final moves. Crying in pain now, Johnny can't believe that he failed and tells Jaro that he just couldn't do it. Randomly, Ellie begins freaking the hell out, though, almost crying. She tells her dad that he told her to be careful, but now she wants him to just come back because of that, that, that damn hand. She pleads with him to leave. However, as the confused man looks down to see what the hell she's talking about, Johnny notices some circular pendant emanating out from below his hand. The guys all look at him, wondering what the hell's going on, and in that moment, Johnny flicks his hand over to see what it could possibly be. All of a sudden, and looking at the nails dancing to top the tip of his fingers, Johnny freaks the hell out, wondering what in the world his fingernails are doing. Why are they spinning? Tim wonders if it could possibly be a stand, and Jar notes that for sure it isn't the same as when he uses his steel balls.

Over with La and screaming for her father to come back now, she points out that something's wrong with his leg. Looking down, a random part of the earth is then cut open, and Ben's leg is suddenly 72. Absolutely confused himself, Johnny looks at his finger now spinning at an even faster rate now before touching the ground again and sending a massive slash that completely slices the eldest boom boom family member in half. Looking at his hand, Johnny is confused and blown away with like what just happened, but realizes his fingers have come to a stop now. Angered for witnessing her father getting sliced into two, Al grabs Johnny from behind and begins to tear through his arteries with her sand ability. Suddenly, Johnny's fingernails begin spinning once more, and those legs that apparently no longer worked pressed down, allowing him to backflip out of his hold while also slicing the end of La's foot off. Confused with how his legs even worked again, Johnny crashes into the desert floor, and Jarru begins noticing that the iron sand that was restricting them is starting to lose its magnetic force. Johnny pleads with his man with any clue about what in the world just happened, but not having a clue over what it could have been, Jaru concludes that it's a power of rotation. He doesn't know about it and is just as curious as Johnny. Speaking up, Mountain tells them to make no mistake at all. This is a stand. Without them even knowing, they've all come under the influence of the Devil's Palm and are probably in their area right now. Grabbing his saddle and rushing towards the steed, Ghost Rider in the sky, Tim tells them to call their horses back, as if they are in the Devil's Palm, they need to get out of the area immediately. Man's suffering that next level PTSD, thinking he's rolled back into the Forsaken Devil's Palm. Now he's probably like remembering all of his dead fallen cavalry unit members and whatnot. But either way, looking at his hand and with sweat pouring from his brow, Johnny can't believe that he, he has received a stand. Snapping them out of their days, though, Tim screams out to them to get on their horses, as the ground will start moving and it could change at any moment. If they don't escape now, it's possible they'll get lost and never find the next watering hole. Screaming in anger, Al tells them to stop and get back over here, but knowing that she can't move, Tim tells the guys to ignore her ass. With their wounds, the family is finished, and they won't be able to escape. They'll probably run out of water by tomorrow, and the rescue team won't be able to find them at all. That's just obviously due to the fact that these Muppets are stuck in the Devil's Palm, and with it moving, the rescue team won't have a chance at finding them. Not done, La ominously tells Gyro that there is no way he'll reach his goal anyway. They are not the only ones after his lives, as someone else from his country is involved. The reason the boom boom f family was after his life wasn't because he came first earlier on; it's due to him having a $200,000 bounty placed on his head. Angrily peeved with this Muppet, Joe asks who hired them, but isn't given an answer as Tim tells them to hurry the hell up. The ground is already starting to move, and the previous tracks out of the area have begun to fade. With no time to be lost, finding out this super important piece of information about who's possibly after him, Jarro, Johnny, and Mountain Tim all leave the area and safely managed to escape the Devil's Palm. See all of their previously grievous injuries beginning to heal. Johnny, who's obviously curious, asks his boy what the hell he meant about someone from his country being after his life. Jarro stubbornly just tells him that it's none of his business, but fed up with having heard that already, Johnny demands to know, as he thinks he deserves some information after placing his life on the line for him. Plus, as he thinks about their encounter with Mrs. Robinson, comes to the conclusion that they too were after Gyro in the bounty. He demands to know what his reasons for joining the race is, who his official is, a p is it all related to the newspaper article? He has to know all of this now.

Flashing away, it said that every man needs a map, a map in his heart to ride across the wilderness. Joe's father always said this about once or twice every month, Mr. Zapel was summoned by the king's servant. On those mornings, no one spoke, and his mother would prepare a small meal. It was always the same meal: one of fish, bread, and wine that he would consume before heading to the king's court. On each visit, the king's servant would ask the young Jarro how old he was at that time, but it was all he would ask. The elders, Apali, was a doctor. He examined all ages, rich and even the poor, all in his home clinic. One day, as Gyro grew older, his father placed at his hand inside was a small shiny ball with markings all over it. He asked his child how he'd take this ball from his hand. Curious, Joe looked at his father's hand, wondering what to do. Suddenly, he smacks the dresser, causing a few bocks to fall while simultaneously grabbing and biting his father's hand in an attempt to get that ball. Raging from being bit, Mr. Zapel screams that he was talking about rotation and using that rotation to take it from his firsts. Dusting himself off, Gyu says that it's impossible, but his dad explains that he's slowly getting older now. It's okay if he wants to ride horses, but he has to learn about the spin now. He has to learn everything his father can do by the time he turns 13, just like his father taught him, and so on for generations. Wanting a reason, Jar asks why. What do these steel balls have to do with anything in their family? However, he's told that it's because the Zapali M have done this for years, so he can surely do it as well. As Jaro opens the door to leave, Mr. Zelli states it's easier to place the ball in one's hand rather than to take it away. Stunned, Jar suddenly realizes something is inside of his hand. Opening it, he sees the steel ball now spinning safely within his palm. After a few few years, that same servant asked Jaro how old he was now. With a young man now telling him 13. You see, when Jaro turned 13, his father told him that today he will come with him. But you know, like father-son workday, love to see it. Weirdly, that day Jar's mother kissed him also on the cheek in silence and prepared a small meal consisting of fish, bread, and a glass of wine. Following this, the two rode a carriage that took them to a large castle with very tall walls on its northwest side. Once they entered those walls, Joe's father told him softly that every man needs a map, a map in his heart to ride across the wilderness. He demands that he listened carefully, as with him being the eldest son of this Appell household, he needs to protect his family. True happiness is found within the family, family, family, family. Protecting your family relates to protecting your country. For the family to fall apart is to disdain your ancestors and future descendants. Stepping out of the carriage and taking off his coat, Mr. Zelli tells his son that from this day forward, he will be his assistant. For 380 years, this has been the job placed on their family by the former King. It has been their duty for countless years, and he needs to approach this duty with honor. Confused with everything that was just said to him, Joe asks what these buildings around them even are. Breaking the conversation apart, a random voice screams for an officer to come into the courtyard, as there is a dude who won't stop resisting. Walking over to the guard, Mr. Zapel asks if the priest was able to calm his heart at all, but the dude just tells him that he's, he's utterly uncontrollable. Turning around, he tells his son to wait on the spot until he receives some more orders from him before pulling up his executionist hood over his head and clipping his steel ball pouch. Mr. Zelli activates the spin while grabbing his blade from one of the headsmen. The sentenced man, who's trapped down on this like big block of concrete, screams for them to stop, as he doesn't want to die yet. Standing above him now, he tells the to be still and silence his heart. Placing the spinning ball on the back of the man, he tells him once more to steady his heart before suddenly swinging the blade down and finishing his job. The ball still spinning on the man's back then returns itself back to Mr. Zapali, as he catches it. Hing over to his son and giving him the blade, Joe tells him that his job starts now. He will be sanitizing swords. This has been the duty of the Zelli family for 380 years, as long as this system of execution exists in the con.

E. E. Well, his sentence was officially decided before a sentencing. One day, there was a criminal who was missing a bone in his neck. You see, a normal person would have a total of seven bones in the neck, so they thought this dude's got to be sus. However, Jar's father, Gregorio, is skilled enough to notice the difference and deliver a swift, normal execution. On another date, though, nobody noticed that another prisoner had had dislocatable joints that were able to bend in opposite directions, freeing himself. The prisoner takes one of the prison guards as a hostage and threatens to take his life if he isn't given the keys. Now, walking through the group of guards like he is him, though, Jarro, as a young man, steps forth, petrifying the criminal who asks what the hell he's doing. Without hesitation, Jaro throws the steel ball at the guard in front of him and uses the spin on his clothing, not affecting the guard at all. They spin wraps his top around the criminal's arms before continuing to twist him up so he isn't able to escape at all. A few months before turning 25 years of age and taking the role from his father, he brought up a complaint against the Court's decision regarding Marco's execution. Learning of these actions, his father was deeply disappointed and angered. Due to him approaching old age and having already made up his mind to retire from his job, he never yelled or raised his voice. However, in silent anger, his words were enough to make his son shiver. Calmly, he told his son that what he's done is useless and will only cause trouble for their country. Their family duty is not to decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. Speaking back, J explains that he just wants to complete his duty with consent, yet his father tells him that there is no consent, not even towards the worst criminals. Yelling now, he explains that the duty of your family is to carry out the order of the king. That is all. The law is the law. It is beyond consent. It is all God's will. Knowing that he's turning 25 soon, he asks if he's going to have to carry out this execution in his father's place, but his father refuses to answer, instead telling him that he shall never speak of it again. Treason against the government was the worst of all crimes. It didn't matter in an assassination plot if someone had only overheard it while shining shoes. If they never spoke up about the plot, they would also be guilty, even women and children.

As time passed and he got closer to turning 25, Gy was called out to meet with the king's servant on another occasion. There, he asked the young man how old he was now, but being overly annoyed with being asked that for years at this point, questions what he called him out here for. Asking if he was concerned for the boy, Joe gets annoyed and tells him that he's going to take the place of his father, who has poured his pride into the family line that will never change like it hasn't in the past, but he just wants consent. His dad told him not to mention it, though. He wants to make this duty the pride of his heart. Guilty or not, then needs to be consented. Pride and honor cannot exist without consent. He screams that he will place his life on the line for pride and honor. He just needs a way to save this kid. Not every law is right, and he can agree with putting a seemingly innocent boy to death. Thinking for a moment, the servant P his statement of putting Jar's life on the line for this boy. Confused about this, he clarifies that he's just making sure he's saying that he'd be willing to risk his own life if the boy was in fact innocent. Grabbing him by the scuff of his top, Joe asks what the hell he's even saying, but all he gets is a another question asking if he's able to do it. Looking at each other and with determination filled in his eyes, J replies that he does. The kid was only scrubbing shoes. Is it wrong for a person from his family to object? Being told that there is only one way to reverse the decision, the servant explains that if a war was to break out and the country is victorious, then the king must release an amnesty that everyone will be happy with. An amnesty is an exception where a criminal penalty is lightened. Blown away with this random piece of information brought up out of nowhere, Jarro questions what the hell is even saying, as currently there is no war. Gifting the young man a paper with headline text about a steel ball run race, the servant tells him that he has the skill of the steel balls for him. It's possible, and that's why he suggested this. Victory in this race will bring pride to an entire nation. The whole globe is watching this race, and if the winner arises from their nation, people will unite their heart as one across the sea.

Now, along the desert plains of Arizona, Mountain Tim, Johnny, and Jar Zelli charge forth towards the end of the current stage. At this stage in the race, nobody has actually come to realize it, but as Jyra Aell advances even further, and if this race is actually equivalent to a war between nations, then the more restless and aggressive those opponents opposing the king would become. On the other hand, oh, you come over, an escaped prisoner and a terrorist from Italy makes his way over a hill and enters a small nearby town. After reaching the town's office, two small men informed him that this town is based as a mid-checkpoint on their way to their overall goal. They also note that they expected to start seeing people early the next morning, and according to their current information, this dude's distance himself about a day in front of the main group. Where Sandman and Di have taken a completely different route, needing to check his number for the standings, Oya K Over moves his leg and reveals that he's Rider Number 24. Looking around the town now, Oyu Come Over notices that three horses have already been tied up and questions his current placement. Oya C Over receives information that he is currently fourth place. Big Mountain Tim had made it here first, despite Jar's argument that he was actually only a nick length behind and Johnny's complaint that he actually arrived here first. Either way, and seeing a wax seal on the floor, he picks it up and questions if a phone line is available here while giving it a small wh. Being told that there's only telegram and postal, oh you come over quickly rushes off towards a room without letting the two small men see where he vanished too. Making his way inside, it's revealed that the dude's actually breaking into the main trio's room. After finding the group's bags, Oya come over goes to go and open it up. However, in that moment, Mountain Tim reveals himself, having been hidden behind the curtain, and points his revolver towards the intruder. Turning, oh you come over lets him know that he's just here looking for Gyro and asks if he has any idea where he could possibly be right now. Annoyed because this Muppet doesn't know how to converse properly, Mountain him threatens him. Looking at up, the dude explains that Jar received a letter at this checkpoint, and the wax seal for it was left down at the office. Finding an envelope with a pro-seal, oh you come over assumes that it's probably what he's looking for. Behind him, Tim, who's probably just baffled with his full rummaging through his mate's stuff, grabs his shoulder. However, in that moment, Aya come over's skin tears away and sticks to Tim's hand. Not concerned for 10 behind him, Aya come over confirms his suspicion of Gy receiving a letter from the king's servant at stated of that someone had prepared a zombie horse 50 km north of here in the Red Canyon. The zombie horse has the power to heal fatigue and wounds. For the race, it will be of great help to you, and that was all that was there. Live, confused about like what in the world the zombie horse could possibly be, oh you come over finally addresses Tim and lets him know that he did not let go of the skin that he's just grabbed, and that he's just going to pop out of the room for a moment. Looking at the skin in his hand, small watches start materializing themselves, scaring him and causing him to actually drop the skin. Oya Kover, who hasn't even left the room, jokingly freaks out, letting him know that well, he's gone and done it now. Suddenly, some weird mushy like material shoots down, piercing Tim's hand before moments later exploding and seemingly taking out the rope man. Kneeling down, Oya kova is determined to stop anyone racing in the king's honor and will have officer Jaru Zelli dealt with. The explosion catches a nearby Johnny and Jaru completely off guard as they dive for cover, confused wondering what it could have possibly been. Seeing something in the road, Johnny screams out wondering what it is. Looking closer as the smoke begins to dissipate, the Joo react in horror when they see who they assume to be Mountain Tim laying lifeless on the road in front of them. Feeling a hand grab a hold of his leg, Joe snaps around to see a set of ropes slowly pulling the cowboy back together. Barely able to speak, Tim mutters for them to not come any closer and to get away from him, as there's someone hiding nearby who has the ability of a stand. Snapping the head around, trying to spot him, Oya come over slowly manages to sneak up through the remaining dust clouds and brushes his hands on Gyu's finger. Instantly reacting, the Italian jumps into the sky. However, as Tim screams out that it's too late since he touched his hand, J looks down to see a bunch of time bombs beginning to appear. Confused about what the hell these things are, Tim yells out advising Jaro to not release his grip, as if he does, then he'll explode. Wondering what in the world is going on with him, Jar is sure that things embedded in fingers are real, letting him know that they are stands. Tim elaborates that stands are energy brought forth from one spirit, and the explosions come from this energy. Once the pins fly off, they set off a switch, triggering the bombs, almost exactly like a landmine. This time delay between him touching someone and them triggering gives Oak Cova enough time to freely escape the explosive range. Johnny, if the curious fellow, speaks up and questions why it seems like Oak kova recognized him. According to Gyro, this explosive maniac is a a terrorist who 2 years ago blew up the king's carriage with a bomb. The king was never in the vehicle, however, five people, including two children, passed away due to his crimes. Eventually, he was captured, but even still managed to escape the country. Oddly enough, he actually had a fraction of explosive powder in his ear, then used it to take out a guard during his escape. Mocking him, the explosive merchant brings up how in the end, Gregorio took the blame for Oo Cova's jail escape and retired. Now he feels like it's S's wish that he just randomly happened to pass through this tiny select part of the Arizona desert. His skill with explosives became a special ability, and now he takes this as a mission from God himself. Giving one last piece of vital info, Tim explains that the quickest way to protect yourself from someone's stand ability is to quickly take out the stand user, as it will immediately render their ability void. Joking that it was super nice of him to explain everything, however, Oak over is sure he's disabled Gyro's ability to fight, and in his eyes, he's totally helpless. Kicking something forwards and spewing up a small dust cloud, Jaru looks over to see a small mouse running towards him. Looking closer and seeing mines attached to its back, Tim screams out for him to get away from the mouse before it explodes. Unable to do anything in time, the mouse explodes at the feet of Gyro, sending the trio tumbling backwards into the side of a nearby building. Seeing Gyro's grip weaken, Tim yells out for him to not let his ball drop. Sadly, one pin manages to detach itself from the big man's hand and drops to the floor. Tim immediately tells him to pick it up and plunge it back into his hand, but Johnny can only think on how the pen was located underneath the steel ball in his hand. From his point of view, it's pretty much impossible to put it back in. If he tries to put the pen back in where it was and opens his hand up more than the rest of the pins will fly out. Picking it up either way and literally not giving a flug, Jo smashes the pin through the back side of his hand, allowing him to move it to the underside of the steel ball. Stunned with what his mate just did, Johnny sees that the pins back and its original location and explains that it probably shouldn't explode now. Making his way over to his own horse, oh you come over points out that Jaru must have built up a good amount of sweat in his hand from all of that work. For him, it's only been 4 days since he received the ability, but he understands it completely, and there is not a single weakness to it. Turning and making his leave, O come over mocks them all as he points out that Jarro won't be able to even move three steps. He'll only sweat more and more until he excretes all of the pins. Looking down at his sweaty palms and seeing a pin start to leave his hand, Joe snaps back and screams for Johnny to get away from him. Realizing that the pins are draining out with his own sweat, Tim tells him to whip them away with his sweat. However, Jar reveals that all of the pins have melted into the sweat and are physically dripping away. For Gyro, he thinks the only way he's going to survive here is if he tries to attack O come over before he leaves. Noticing the change, OA come over thinks it's not the worst idea, especially if he knows he's about to lose his hand. Seeing all of the pens shoot loose from his hand, Jar yells for his boys to get even further back before winding up his arm and proceeding to throw the steel ball in O come over his direction. Simultaneously, as the ball leaves his fingers, our man's hand explodes, yet in that exact moment, he uses the spin from his steel balls to transfer the blast through to his own foot. Instantly, his foot violently explodes, dropping the Italian to the floor in a world of pain. Laying there, he reveals that this, this was the final secret of the spin of the steel balls. He moved the damage waves through his body and down towards his leg, and in his eyes, it's better losing a foot than his own hand. Up in front, Jar's steel ball slams into the terrorist's chest and begins rotating, however, it soon drops to the floor, allowing his escape. Rolling over on a silver chariot, Johnny hears.

His boy mentioned that the letter from the king's servant said, "Oh, you come over. We'll try and get the zombie horse before them." So they need to chase him down, darting across the desert on horseback.

Now, Johnny and Gyro, you Oya come over towards the zombie horse's location. Gyro tries to convince Johnny to turn back, as it's his country's problem. However, he refuses and continues riding forth with his boy. Johnny knows that he's heading towards the zombie horse, a gift given to him by the king, and he wants to see this horse that can heal fatigue and wounds. He questions if it could really fix that blown-up leg of Gyro's, or what about his own crippled legs. Unfortunately, Gyro tells him to not expect anything weird, plus he was just saying that he was initially in his way, annoyed because he's been stuck by his side since the beginning. Johnny rebukes that he doesn't listen to people's orders, and frankly, it's too late for them to split up now.

Boosting across a shallow river, Oya come over glances back at the approaching Joo. He knows he let them understand his ability, so now he just has to figure out exactly how Jyu works. How far can he throw those balls? Surmising from the previous distance Gyro threw them, he guesses that the fatal range must be within 20 meters. If he gets any closer to them, he's just done for. But if he can somehow escape out of the range, it'll be harder for him to take them out, since he also needs to get close for his ability to work. He questions if this landscape will be an advantage or disadvantage.

Getting to it, Oova begins pouring some water into his hand and into the stream below. Seeing him do this, Johnny calls out, questioning what he could be up to. Instantly realizing though, he pulls his reins back and screams for Gyro to get out of the water, as he's turned the water into bombs. Hitting for some rocks, he advises Gyro to do the same. However, Pro refuses and rushes forwards, either way, running through the water. The pins flick up behind the Joo before exploding. Knowing this, Joe tells Johnny that if they can just keep up the same pace, then they can make it through.

Regaining his composure and running past the explosions with his boy, Johnny listens as Jar says he'll get within 20 meters of him before slamming him with his steel balls. Glancing back, O you come over can see that the boy's got cocky and sped up, like he anticipated. Turns out that he actually wasn't running from them, but forcing them into this river. Not hesitating though, Joe tells him that they've just got to charge. If they slow down now, they're done for.

Looking over his shoulder and noticing that the explosions are getting closer and closer, Johnny looks in front to see Oya come over's horse hit something down towards them while running. Stunned and frozen in place, as they come to realize what it was, hundreds of wasps burst out of their nest and began to fly towards them. Seeing that they've also got freaking pins stuck to them, Johnny fires up his nails and gets ready to start taking them down one by one. Snapping his head back around again though, he can see that the explosions in the water are even closer now. Screaming out to his brosi, Joe tells him to not slow down, and he'll throw his balls out now. Fucking it around his hand to get the spin going, Jar whips his arm forwards and tosses his steel balls towards Oa overa.

Noticing the ball flying towards him, O come over chucks his hand up to block, but points out how Jo's still over 30 meters away from him. Even if this attack does reach him, he doesn't think it will be fatal. Suddenly turning in front of his face though, O come over watches in surprise as the balls heavy [ __ ] web and spin back towards the balls, while also capturing all of the wasps in the process. With the wasps just floating above them now, Jo tells Johnny to duck, as all of the wasps then explode, sending out shrapnel in every direction. "She just like, what the hell is happening, man?"

At the top of the waterfall now, Jar raises his head back up, only to immediately get struck in the cheek by something. Confused about what the hell just happened and what's in his mouth now, the boys look over to see a stream of smoke flowing towards and around them. In front and smoking on a table, alade Oa K overa continues to blow smoke back down towards the Joo, asking what the hell they should do. Joe tells Johnny to not open his mouth or breathe, and to stop the horses from breathing as well. Overhearing this, O you come over thinks it's utterly futile, as long as they're living, that is.

Suddenly, pins start appearing in the smoke, and the criminal asks them if they really thought he was only going to attack them with just water and wasps. He is built different, and reveals that even the air they breathe, literally anything he can touch, he can turn into mines. To him, Johnny and garro is simply no more than mice trapped in a cage being burned by fire. They are out of options and have no way to survive this. Stoked that they can't even breathe right now, Oa Kam overa announces that once he leaves this land, he's heading straight home to kill the king.

With this new found power, randomly the smoke thing thickens, and bro somehow loses sight of both Johnny and jarro. Noticing something shoot past him, O come over looks down and sees the spider web from before laying on him. Grabbing it and feelings something connected to the other end, he immediately assumes they're trying to send the wasps back at him. Ripping it in and screaming out that it's no use, O overa is just confused as he notices some weird blue thing spinning at the end of it.

And on the other side of the smoke, Jar reveals that all of the wasps have exploded. The buzzing sound he's hearing is actually coming from the spin of Johnny's nails and his attempt to pull the webon closer to cut the nails off backfired, drawing him into the range of Jar's attack. Plus, on top of this, the spin of Johnny nails also amplifies the power and range of Joo steel balls. "Going to laugh at the absurdity of the situation." O kova is stopped as a steel ball rips through the smoke and slams into the side of his head. Not hesitating at all, Jo rips out his other ball and tosses it into the other side of O over's head. Seeing the criminal fall from his horse, Jo's balls spin back towards him, and he tells Johnny to keep running, since first and second place is now for the taking.

Making their way along the edge of a precarious goat's path, the boys end up locating the zombie horse. Turns out that it wasn't actually a real horse, but instead a fresco artwork of a horse placed along the path. Pulling at one of the strings marking the artwork, Jar tears it off the wall and asks Johnny if he happens to have any wire he can connect it too, starting to stitch his messed up leg back together. Johnny asks what the hell he's up to, groaning in pain. Jar reveals that the zombie horse can actually heal wounds, so his people purposefully left a string there that he'd be able to sew with. The string though, can only heal up to a certain degree, but it's enough to rep the foot that was pretty much blown apart, which is crazy when you think about it.

Blowing away with Jar's own weird ass logic, himself, Johnny knows that sewing himself back up with that dirty ass needle is only going to result in more problems. Remembering that Jro told him his dad was in the medical field, though, Johnny questions if this is like one of their techniques. Quickly shutting himself down though, he can tell it's not some sort of technique, kind of like the steel balls, and is probably actually something bigger. Looking at Jaro, he asks if it's something like a standability. Letting him know that he's wrong though, Jaro says it's just a gift from the king.

As the litter skipping back in time to the year of 1191 AD, 5 meters under the yard of the Glastonbury monastery in the southwest of England, an old map written on parchment was discovered. It was a relic from the great Joseph of Arthea. This man wasn't just anyone. Joseph of Arthea was the saint who joined the era of the Roman Empire, took the body of the deceased Jesus Christ down from the cross after he was crucified. After taking him from the hell of Golgotha, Joseph cleaned the body before its final ritual. After this, he became a missionary and went on many journeys. He founded the oldest Christian Monastery, Glenury, on the island of Britain before later dying there. His map was called the Map of Joseph of Arthea, but sadly, nobody was able to understand the map. Not a single soul alive had ever seen these shores like those he drew, and it was a place no one had ever seen, a land nobody knew. People wondered what the purpose of St. Joseph during this map and the time of Jesus was for. Eventually though, the map began to fade from even the minds of the most inquisitive.

Weirdly though, 1500 years later, in the 16th century, the map was stolen and fell into unknown hands. Obviously, this is what we discussed just before. In 1911, someone ransacking the monastery and finding the map. Funnily enough though, this happened only a few years after the world of America had actually been discovered.

Back in the present day of 1890, and only 25 kilometers away from Monument Valley, Jarro and Johnny ride through the harsh terrain of America's Midwest when they are approached by a familiar-looking German rider on horseback. Turns out that it's no one other than the goat, Fritz Von Stroheim, who placed seventh in the first stage of the race. Johnny tries to tell Jarro to let him go past, since the horses' pulses are already sky-high, and if they push them any further, they could die. Getting in closer to the duo, Stroh reveals that he already has a cybernetic hand and shoots Jyro through his torso with it. Firing off another volley of shots, Stroheim forces the two riders off their horses, catching up to Gyro. The German shoots down Adam, however, the three bullets all deflect off in random directions. Screaming out that it hurt, Jo spins his ball in his hands while trying to regain his composure. Noticing that none of his shots had landed, Straw assumes that the steel balls have the power to control certain muscles in someone's body. Watching Jarro then tighten all of his muscles on his body, Stroheim fires two shots at his hands in an attempt to get him to drop his steel balls. Not successful, he points another pistol back at Johnny while demanding that Jo drop his steel balls, otherwise he'll kill his friend. Glaring at him, bro questions if he really wants him to drop his balls, like, is he 100% sure? Leaning back against the boulder behind them, Jo says that if he truly wants him to drop the balls, then he better go ahead and just do that. Slamming the back of his palms against the boulder, Char creates a bunch of similarly sized stone spheres that he sends in the direction of Stroheim. Stunned and unable to fire his gun in time, Stroheim is then assaulted by a flurry of rocks that send his ass directly into the shadow realm.

Lying there on the ground still, Johnny watches as TR picks his balls back up and hops on the back of his horse. Breathing heavily, Johnny raises himself up and slowly asks what the hell is even going on. Even if this race is world-renowned, there's no way his country alone could be behind all of this. Pissed, he demands to know why they constantly keep attacking him at every given opportunity. They aren't after him, only Gyro, so Johnny assumes that there has to be some sort of deeper connection between him and his country's terrorists. Reping that he is a servant of the king, Jro explains that if he's victorious in this race here, the king will release an amnesty, and that is all. He will cross this continent as number one, and if Johnny, in the process, thinks he's putting himself in danger, then Jar says he's free to travel separately. Turning Away, bro then leaves in silence.

Picking up his canteen, Johnny notices a cut on the palm of his hand and assumes he must have cut himself when falling off the horse. Confused on why he doesn't feel pain though, bro randomly watches the wound open up, and the hand of a mummy start to fall out. Even more flabbergasted as to what the freak is happening, a beam of light suddenly shoots through the mummified hand, causing Johnny to scream out in pain. Reeling back, he speaks up, asking J what the hell this is and for him to wait up as well. He tries to tell him to look at his left hand, however, after he sticks it forward, realizes it's completely healed, and the mummified hand has vanished. Not understanding what he was going on about, Jarro gets annoyed at Johnny's random ass antics, unsure of what he even saw personally. Johnny just tries to explain that something really did come out of his hand and then merged back in again. Somewhat concerned, Jarro asks if he hurt himself, but Johnny lets him know that it didn't hurt at all. Thinking to himself for a moment, he knows he currently doesn't feel pain, so questions if it's all hallucination. Shutting the idea down though, Johnny sh heart that it's not an hallucination or a standability of sorts. Watching his nails spin, he confirms once more that this is his ability by willing himself. He can spin the nails on his fingers, however, the same hand gives him the sense of something totally different. He's sure of it. Sure there has to be something in there in his left hand. It's not his left hand, so he can only wonder how long it's been hidden there.

Meanwhile, on a train trailing the Steel Run Race, Steven Steel, while looking at some images of the Devil's Palm, is brought up to date with it. His assistant explains that these photos were taken from a hot air balloon in the air, following the race. The competitors of the second stage are mainly running on two routes. Around 800 of them are choosing their desert crossing, while another 523 have dropped out after reaching the place in the picture. The main cause is obviously still unknown, but it's suspected to be accidents resulting from quicksand when passing through their area. Currently, the death toll is raised to 68, making things a real dilemma for Steven. Elaborating some more, the assistant tells Steven of how the locals call that place the Devil's Palm. Calling it an area is also kind of hard, as it continuously moves around like quicksand. This makes it nearly impossible to predict where the next Devil's Palm will actually appear. Geologists believe that the area is related to an ancient meteor crash, but its size and geological reason for why it moves around like a living thing are things nobody can even explain. The local apparati believe that the misery comes upon those who go near that land, and the Devil's Palm chooses its victims. Handing off the pictures though, and sitting back down, Steven questions if it was Jarro who was the first to pass through this land. Affirming this, the assistant relates that the balloons have lost sight of him, but he is in first place, accompanied by Big Johnny. Wondering something, Steven asks if after Jaru had made it through the Devil's Palm, was there any trace of him finding something. Confused about what he even means, the assistant questions him. Moving across the train carriage, Steven asks if perhaps Jyro found a corpse part. Utterly baffled, the assistant asks that he repeat himself, to which Steven demands that have balloons catch up and investigate Jarro. It may only be a part of the corpse, like an arm or leg, but this corpse is supposedly mummified, and he needs to find out if Gyro is carrying it during the race.

Regaining his composure, the assistant reveals that he's honestly surprised about this corpse thing, however, he needs to know if there's another purpose to this race, plus what even is this mummified corpse. Speaking in confidence with him, Steven says that without a doubt, they will make the Steel Bable Run Race finish successfully. That is the only purpose at the end of the day, but for the time being, they need to start an investigation into Gyro. Nodding his head and bowing, the assistant then leaves the room.

Lighting up his pipe, a curtain behind Steven opens, and a mysterious man tells him he'd like to make one correction. Sitting there with the two men either side of him, the dude says that it's not just a possibility that Jarro found it in the Was Palm, it's a fact. He's almost 100% sure, as the man they sent after Jarro, Oyu K over, probably pursued him to get the corpse part but was sadly defeated. Intrigued, Steven asks if he's saying that Jarro joined this race like them to specifically find this corpse. Saying that he doesn't know, the mysterious man in purple just says he could have found the corpse by pure chance, or perhaps he hasn't even realized that he has found the corpse yet, since that just like the Devil's Palm, is also the nature of the corpse. It chooses the person. Annoyed, he says that the real problem now is that after they get rid of Gyro, the corpse could get Relost or buried. Therefore, they need to investigate how the corpse is currently being carried.

Sudden his sweat balls, Steven tells the dude to hold on. "A sick, first of all, he doesn't even know much about Gyro and promised to cooperate extensively with him in this race. However, getting rid of someone was never something he signed up for." Questioning if they said to get rid of Gyro, Steven asks if it's not just about searching for this corpse like he was was originally told. Demanding that Steven listens, the man elaborates that it is justice for them to get this corpse. They will use any means necessary, as this isn't just any old corpse. This is one that mankind has been waiting for more than any treasure or hidden power. It is the main and only priority. Waving his hand, the grayhead man then opens up a briefcase, revealing the ancient map originally made by Joseph of Vera. Explaining that the Steelball Run Race passes through all located marks on this map, the fat do says as imperative to bring success to this race. When a large amount of people come together and pass through this route, those who have the ability are sure to find the corpse pieces scattered throughout the continent. "Peeve now," he tells Steven to watch his words, as this race wouldn't even exist in the first place if it weren't for him.

As the curtain behind him then you know moves slightly, a man steps out, revealing himself. The man's presence is quite intimidating, and Steven's anxiety grows as the conversation continues. Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Steven can only nod on submission, recognizing that the man is the one and only President of the United States of America.

Bringing the attention to an end, Lucy bursts into the room with a pot of hot coffee. Ra now an agent tries to intercept her since she doesn't have the perms, however, he knocks the pot out of her hand and almost spells it all over the president. While Steven is crying out, trying to apologize for this, Lucy notes how the pot mysteriously disappeared. Looking up, the president tells her to be careful, since it's above of her head now. Moments later, the pot then falls down from the ceiling, now empty, with Lucy being able to catch it. Bewildered, Lucy looks up to see something on top of the carriage. Seeing this, the president explains that the actions of his servants are called plans, not murders. They are orders that he gives out. Looking out of the window, Lucy can see the shadow of a mysterious figure standing on the roof. Confused, she questions why it's not wet. The full pot of coffee, where in the world did it go?

Back in the desert, Johnny and Jarro continue ride, discussing trivial matters to pass the time. Knowing they ain't far away now, Johnny asks if they should speed up a bit, but Jar thinks they'll be in first no problem, so it's fine. Suddenly, Johnny looks up and sees a flock of birds in the sky, wondering what it could have been. He snatches his head back to look at his boy, only to see that Jarro had vanished. Baffled, since it was literally as if he was torn from his clothes, Johnny can only watch, confused, unable to understand what's even happening. Seeing one of the steel balls spinning on the ground, Johnny turns around after grabbing Jar's horse and asks where bro is. Thinking on the spot, he's sure that he didn't fall from the horse, but maybe there was a crack or hole in the ground that he dropped into. With panic starting to sit in, Johnny gallops around aimlessly searching for his boy, when all of a sudden, Jar's horse also vanishes. Sweating and unable to tell what the freak is happening, bro whips out his gun and starts to fly a little about aimlessly, screaming out. He demands that Jaru answer him immediately and tell him where he went. Seeing the saddle vanish as well, bro fires off a volley of shots that do nothing more than ruin Jy's canvas bottle. Unable to tell what this is, Johnny is suddenly grabbed from behind by a mysterious force that starts to pull him upwards. Whipping his head around to try and get a look at his enemy, slices randomly start to cut into the side of Johnny's face. Pulling his gun up to try and shoot, bro was disarmed instantly and is even viciously sliced at. Wondering what it is or what's even above him, all he knows for certain is he can't currently see well enough. Activating his nail spin ability, Johnny thrusts both of his hands upwards in an attempt to slice what connection is holding him. Successfully slicing through something, Johnny drops out of the sky and is perfectly caught by his horse. Boosting off, dude just wonders what the hell just happened, as he was unable to even see anything. Knowing that it was from the sky though, he guesses that it has to be another one of them sneaky stand users. Screaming for Gyro once more in an attempt to find him, Johnny is certain now that this race isn't just about winning or losing, there's something else to it.

Darting across the desert and looking for any balloons, Johnny is unable to figure out how someone could be attacking from such a random angle, taking him by surprise. Even more, Slow Dancer then vanishes out from underneath Johnny. Not knowing where the hell his horse just went, Johnny crashes onto the ground and questions where the actual hell this is all coming from. Looking up and seeing some feathers slowly fall down in front of him, a hook then suddenly shoots out of it and sinks into Johnny's cheek. Being dragged by it now, he activates his fingernail spin ability and tries to cut the wire. However, he's unsuccessful. With no other escape, Johnny slices at the skin around the hook, cutting it free and allowing him to drop back down to the ground below. Watching all of his items then disappear up into that feather, he's sure that this has to be a standability. Wondering some more about it, he thinks that maybe it connects to a different dimension, and that's where his horse and JY were pulled away to. Seeing two more hooks then appear in front of him and quickly realizing they're heading towards him, Johnny starts to crawl away. Looking up in front of him, he notices a rock shelf with some empty space and rushes over, trying to get in there in time. Realizing that he won't be fast enough though, Johnny quickly shoots at the ground with his fingernails, creating a puff of dust that obscures him from the enemy's vision. Needing to try and jump to safety, Johnny then uses the spin of his nails and flams his body off the floor in the direction of the rock coverine. Landing just in front of it, bro was quickly able to crawl inside before the hook LED you onto him. Hearing something rattle above him, Johnny's almost certain that the enemy is directly above him now, and it seems they plan to kill him without any hesitation. Not knowing what they'd even gain from killing him, Johnny says they already have his horse, and if that dies, then he's out of the race for sure. Realizing something, dude looks out towards where Jarro was grabbed and notices that his horse and baggage are also missing. Curious, he starts to wonder if they might be searching for a specific item. Did the enemy follow them in search of whatever is in his left hand? Johnny himself only saw it for a moment, and when he did, he thought it was some sort of hallucination. The hand looked old and mummified, but even still, he sure he must have found it before he ever took notice of it, or more likely, it probably came to him. Finally feeling like he's understanding what the enemy is truly after, Johnny notes that they attacked Jaru first, thinking that it was something he had with him. Then they stole his luggage and horse in order to search those. After that failed, and since they didn't find it there, they're attacking Johnny as a sort of last stitch attempt to make sure that he doesn't have the hand or item on him. Remembering the people who just tried to take them out, Johnny was almost certain that this is their true goal during the race. Still, he's unsure as to what its purpose is and who the mummy even originally was.

Elsewhere though, this mysterious man who goes by Pork Pie Hat Kid reels in his hooks and starts acting like some sort of bird or something. "I'm not entirely sure, but you know, dude's dude's acting up. He's definitely got some uh, he's definitely on the spectrum for sure." That's sucking the ink out of a pen. And noticing that he doesn't see it anywhere, Pory looks back over to his water trough and assumes that Johnny Joe Star has the item that he's looking for somewhere hidden in his body. Behind him, it's revealed that a Kos Gyro has had his hair tied up and has been hung from the top of a nearby cliff. Dropped on the ground below him, the steel balls slowly begin to roll along the desert floor.

Back over with Johnny, he's still stuck under the same rock, wondering where in the world Gyro vanished off to. At the same time though, he's trying to think up some sort of plan when randomly the steel ball that he picked up earlier fell out of his pants and slowly started to roll towards the other one. Knowing that if he steps out from behind the rock and tries to grab it, he will die. Johnny though, then sees a random beetle making its way towards him, telling the little guy that this spot's taken and that he'll have to go elsewhere. Johnny thwacks it away, however, the moment he does this, a hog appears in his hand. Looking up and seeing that it was the damn beetle, do nothing as it flies out into the open, trying to pull him out with it. Digging his fingers into the boulder in an attempt to stay there, Johnny tries to slow himself down while thinking of a plan. Randomly though, he spots a group of beetles strolling towards him that since he can't defend against, crawl over his face before reverting back into another hook that skewers him. Unable to do anything, Johnny watches as his hand starts to fall apart, revealing the mummified arm inside. Since he knows that the enemy will take him down once he has it, Johnny comes up with the genius idea of straight up handing it over.

Suddenly, a random pink creature covered in stars emerges from the opening on Johnny's arm. After staring directly into its eyes, the creature, glowing in a pink aura, floats towards his ear and whispers something. Trying to get a better understanding of what he's saying, Johnny hears it ramble off "M Cruise, M Cru," before then jumping down his body and whispering the same words to Johnny's useless feet. Out of nowhere though, the ends of his boots explode, sending out a barrage of spinning nails. Beaming up at high speed, destroying the rock Johnny was just using for coverage. Due to them going so fast though, the nails continue up into the sky, even managing to enter Pork Pie's, you know, dimensional gate, taking him by surprise and slicing up a part of his face. Down below, and as this smoke slowly begins to clear, Johnny looks at his feet and the random thing in front of him before freaking out over the fact that his lame ass feet managed to do something. He questions what it means and if it saved him from his previous situation. Looking at the cute little pink guy muttering on his arm though, Johnny just screams at asking what the hell it is. "Replying, Chumi, apologies on my vocab errors with foreign names, by the way. English is goddamn hard enough as it is with me at certain times." After some more muttering, they stand and prints those same two words onto Johnny's arm before then returning into the same spot inside his left wrist. Clutching at his arm, dude can't believe that this random creature appeared, wrote something on it, then returned and assumes that the mummified hand has to have a will of its own. Noting that his feet aren't moving anymore, and how they only do when he's going to shoot nails, he wonders if it's possible that energy was taken from his body through the well of that random creature. Plus, what's even weirder to him are these random, not English letters that he just got tattooed onto his body. He thinks that this stable run race has way too many mysteries and it's confusing him. The goal of terrorists, Jar's homeland, and of course, the race itself. Realizing something though, dude starts to crawl and says there has to be more than just this left hand. There needs to be other parts of this mummy's body, and theorizes that if you combine them all, it will create the full body of a specific man. This person's corpse was long ago scattered across the land, and now the terrorists are trying to find them to put the man back together. On the surface, this is just a sport, however, the Steelball Run race is actually a conspiracy to collect all of these body parts. He questions what might happen if these parts all eventually come together, and if Jaro knew about the existence of it before joining the race.

Spotting Jaro's steel ball in the desert though, slowly spinning its way back home, Johnny instantly realizes what's up. Back over with Pork Pie, the kid's freaking out, counting up the teeth that was shot out by Johnny's previous attack. Getting over that, Pork is certain he knows where Johnny is hiding the thing he was looking for. He caught a tiny glimpse of it from above and watched it merge back into Johnny's left arm. Adamant on the mommy's location, Pork stuts back through his pan of water, trying to locate Johnny, only to find the smashed remains of the boulder. Freaking out and searching the immediate area with his hooks, Porkpie Hat Kid is unable to find any sign of Johnny. However, he does spot Jaro's steel ball slowly forming a line in the desert. Snapping his head around, Pie asks Jyro if he's awake. Not getting an answer, he spazzes out and smashes our boy around a few times with his hooks, guessing that Jaro had used his legs to throw one of his balls through the plate during Johnny's last attack. Poai hat chokes that this is pretty fun to him. He thinks that this means there are two different options: either the spin is telling Johnny he should run in another direction and escape, or is pointing him in their direction.

Over with Johnny, dude thinks it's pretty clear. Whoever Jarro is and whatever kind of orders he had received from his homeland don't matter. He is genuinely a good person, and it's clear to him that that won't change. Having been shown the direction of the enemy by JY steel ball, Johnny crawling through the desert sand vows to make it to the cliff in front of him and save Jarro so they can collect the rest of the Corps Parts together.

In an attempt to force Johnny to reveal himself, the Pork Haad uses his hooks to lift up random boulders and bombards the ples with him. However, he finds absolutely nothing, only missing again and again. Around 500 meters away from the mountain in front of him, Johnny deduces that PK can only see an attack from above, plus if he gets up into the shade of the rocks, he should then be able to climb without being spotted. Noticing that the hooks are starting to move further and further away, he kisses that the enemy can't find him anymore. However, to his complete surprise, Slow Dancer is then dropped through the dimensional portal. Stunned to see that his own horse is back, Johnny can only watch as it starts to sniff him out then move in his direction. Above Pork Pie, Joe said he can have his horse back. Horses are obedient and sensitive creatures, after all, who will always return to their masters by smelling out or listening for their breathing. Back down below and still covered in sand, Johnny just wonders what Slow Dance is up to. Changing direction and quickly boling towards Johnny, dude starts to freak out as he never expected the enemy to use his horse to find him. From here, it's still 500ish meters to the rock face, and needing to choose what he does next, Johnny decides that it will be a 1v1 battle right here, his nails against Pork Hawk's.

Suddenly, a random liquid starts to pour down from the sky above, causing Johnny to question what it might be. Toing their lip Match Into The Fray, the entire area quickly ignites, turning into flame. Noticing Johnny move in the sand below, Hawk states that he'll wait until he's been burn burnt slightly before he tears him apart with his hooks and finds the mummified arm. Stretching his arm out, Johnny tries to reach the other side of the Flames but is unable to make it and is eventually seen Catching Fire. Seeing his body stand up, engulfed in flames, Pork Pie shoots his hook forward and rips apart Johnny's body. However, as he pulls the remains in, notices that it's just a wooden look-alike underneath the burning surface. Johnny, with his nail spinning, explains that this ability has far surpassed a simple nail. That's more than that, it is a task, and from this point onwards, Johnny will continue to call this ability Task. And crazily enough, dude actually found like a dead log in the desert sand that he just used to carve into the shape of a man that, you know, like caught Pork by surprise and ended up Catching Fire, making him think that that was Johnny. But in turn, you know, it's not Johnny. Johnny was lying beneath the sand, and now with his enemy standing there utterly defenseless, Johnny shoots a barrage of his nails into the dimensional portal above him, hitting Pork By Hat Kid directly in the face and subsequently defeating him.

Afterwards, Johnny finally climbs to the top of the cliff and reaches Gyro's location, where he sees how dire his boy's situation has become. Thinking to himself, Johnny knows that from pretty much the beginning of this race, it's been a terrorist threat in itself. The race is Steven Steel, the sponsors. Johnny can't seem to trust anyone except for Gyro, and he really wants to know his opinion on this course. Grabbing his boy and pulling him down from the cliff face, Johnny asks if he's still breathing while frantically looking for the zombie string to help heal his new wounds. Going to place him on the floor, randomly another hook shoots out of his chest and latches onto Johnny's arm. Turns out that Pork Pie Hat Kid mly faked being dead and after climbing back to the top of the cliff, proclaims that he turned Gyro into the bait. Unable to retaliate, Johny faces the dilemma of giving the corpse part which made his legs work briefly, or death by ripping through Gyro and killing him before then subsequently dying himself. Johnny tries everything else possible, shooting his nails from his feet and hands in an attempt to kill Pork Pie Hat Kid, but fails each time. Pretty much, and since Joe is the bat now, Hawk will come out from wherever Johnny touches him. Needing it to stop, and in tears, Jny removes the left arm from his body and drops it onto the desert floor. Activating what remains of his Tusk ability, he pleads with the kid to just stop and take the hooks out, otherwise he'll destroy the arm himself. In a flash, Pork Pie then grabs the arm while simultaneously releasing Johnny and Jar from the hooks before running off into the distance. Victorious, finally happy that everyone will approve of him and he'll climb even higher on the rankings, he screams out that he's done it, and now he'll have both of them die, as Gyro is still the bait.

Back up above, Johnny, who was freaking out over losing his abilities, listens as J explains that his nails are still in the midsts of spinning right now. Down below, and as Pork Pie goes to examine the arm he just stole, realizes that the corpse nails are spinning. Turns out Jaru actually made them spin before he took it, and in that moment, Pork Pai Hat is suddenly sliced to shreds by the arm. Moment later, Jaru drops down and picks the left arm back up to examine it. Sensing Johnny waiting anxiously behind him, he decides to give it back before tending to the wound on his face. Randomly, he then spots two competitors sprinting across the desert plains and asks Johnny who they are. Looking in closer, Johnny recognizes them as Dio and Sandman, who still, like a goddamn legend, is running barefoot, and tells Johnny that they better get a move on to stand in front of them.

A little while later, every major contestant has seen boasting her towards the finish line. Just before they hit the 600-meter mark, Jarro uses his special coat trick and takes the lead of the race. Once out in front, he ducks a random newspaper that was probably thrown by a spectator, however, the same paper smacks Johnny in the face. He goes to throw it away, but before he can, notices something on it and calls out for his boy to take a look. Knowing they can win though, Jo tells him to wait and keep running at full speed. Johnny though, who physically can't believe what he sees, screams out, demanding that Jar take a look at it now. It's not unimportant at all. Somehow, the mountain pictured in the article has the exact same shape as one of the words burnt into his left arm. Quickly coming to a conclusion, Johnny states that these scars aren't just letters, they are place names, and it's telling them to go there because the next body part is there. Since J was pretty damn stunned with his Revelation, he dropped back slightly, allowing other competitors to fight over the lead. Taking first place in the second stage was Diego Brando, followed by the goats Johnny, Joar, Sandman, and finally Jar Zella. Stunned since he dropped down to fourth, Jro screams out at Johnny, asking why the hell he finished before him. And like previously, the riders here though, don't stop at the end of this stage and instead continue on into the third stage.

The third stage's route, the Rocky Mountain Breakdown, takes the riders on a windy course that weaves them through the mountains from Monument Valley to Canyon City, over a total of 510 kilometers. It is estimated that the riders will take around 7 days to complete this difficult section of the race.

In the presidential train, Steven nervously watches Gyro run ahead while muttering that it's a pity he can't help him. Over the other side of the carriage, the president's agent lets him know that PK P hat has failed and is unable to recover. Condescendingly telling his boy that it's obvious, he demands that he at least give him some information he doesn't know. Pulling out a cloth, one of the agents explained that he doesn't know what it means, however, Pork had it in his hands when he died. For some reason, there are shapes of Latin words burnt into the cloth fabric that, when translated, mean "to move one feet." Opening his curtain to examine it himself, the president looks to them for more information, relaying that something even more unexpected happened. He says it wasn't even Jarro who fought that kid, but Johnny. Therefore, it's not even Jarro who's hiding the corpse, but Johnny Joa, and then he just starts tracking him down immediately. Getting up and grabbing a beer, the president asks if they know how to drink an entire beer in one go. Stabbing the can with a pen, bro straight up shotguns his freaking beer, finishing it in a matter of seconds. Once done, he grabs grabs the cloth and covers the bean in it, while explaining that this is exactly what Pork did with the corpse part once he got a hold of it. From the thickness of it alone, he can tell without a doubt that it's either the left or right arm, and Johnny currently has it. On top of that, these scorched letters ain't just letters, but possibly even a message pointing them towards a specific location. Valentine states he doesn't even know what these letters mean, but he's always thinking, always unbuttoning his top to reveal his own little Latin tat along with his basic heart of a saint. Valentine says it doesn't matter, since they've now located two parts of a specific man's corpse. According to the map from Joseph of Arthea, there are nine corpse parts in total that are scattered across the entire continent. Valentine surmises that if Pork was really defeated, then Johnny must have decided to find the next parts. Posing that it's not actually a bad idea to let him do this thing, he says that if they do find the next one on the next route, he'd then know where three parts are, and he'd only have six left to find. Demanding that the assass and be sent in, the agents let him know that they already have. Quickly snapping his head in the other direction though, Valentine is sure he noticed something and opens the door just to check. Having quickly escaped the area, we see Lucy steel profusely sweating while questioning what it is she saw on that man's chest.

Elsewhere, as the pack moves deeper into the mountains, Jar stews over his current position in the race. Even if he goes and finishes first in this third stage, he will get the designated 100 points, however, he'll only have a total of 136. That total still falls short of Doo or Sandman, plus freaking Johnny. After coming in second, will take the lead with a total of 180 points if he wins this stage. Utterly baffled, Jo can't believe Johnny said he finished behind him, then break that promise just before crossing the finishing line. Snapping out of his internal rage, Johnny points out that he can see Doo randomly sitting on the ground just off to the right of the course. Grabbing his binoculars out, Jarro can see that dude's bleeding from the head and guesses he fell from his horse. He points out how it's a mountain course, so it could be that him and his horse ain't cut out for this type of environment. Johnny thinks it's a bit bizarre to see a pro horse rider fall off his steed, and by the looks of things, dude might even need to drop out of the race. Telling Jyro that it's time to hit off, bro instead chokes that he didn't realize Johnny was the kind of guy just to leave a man for dead. Who knows, the wound might be life-threatening, so our Italian gentleman says they should pop down and check it out. Johnny tells him to stay away from Di though, he can't be trusted and is a genius jockey who will do anything for money and to win. There are too many shady rumors, like one remarried an old hust lady only to kill her and inherit her fortune. Not listening to him, Jro just proceeds over in the direction of the fallen rider. After getting to do and noting how sharp the ground is around him, he states that his horse must have freaked out and fallen over. Questioning if Dio is okay, Jro asks if he wants them to call the rescue team for him, but only gets an evil clear in return. Surprised, Jonathan spots his grey ass fingers in cracked up wrist, causing him to question if he touched something contagious. Grinding his own teeth, Deo tells the Jo to get lost since he'll catch up and pass the by way. Smiling and getting back on his horse, Jo says that he looks fine. Whether it's a trap or not, they should probably just hit off now. Collapsing to the floor behind them though, as they head off, an exhausted Dio is then randomly seen surrounded by this skeleton of an ancient beast.

Later that same day, and after passing over a mountain, Johnny points out how we can slightly see the location they're looking for, since it's around 15 kilometers away. Johnny asks if they should push to make it there tonight, but Jar refuses.

And says the sun's about to set, so they should probably let the horses rest. To their surprise, though, freaking Dio comes out of nowhere, boasting up behind them. Glancing back at him, Joe notes how he looks super aggressive and tells Johnny to not let his guard down or let him pass them.

Deo, on the other hand, who's pulling up pretty damn quick, jokes that he's done for the day and they should have all stead crash out at the small village up ahead. He points out how camping is generally a bad idea in the mountains because of all the wild beasts in the area that come out only after the sun sets. Just the other day, Deo himself proclaims that he was attacked by a few cougars and rattlesnakes who blocked him from moving across a road. He tried to think of a way to get past. However, for some random reason, was able to pass over to one side of the road with ease. Questions the duo on what side of the road they think was easier to cross: the cougars or rattlesnakes? Not giving them any time to answer, though, bro laughs out loud while saying it was the rattlesnakes, of course, since they were asleep. Not really getting this drawn-out, dead-ass joke, the two just stare blankly back at Dio, heartbroken that they didn't get his joke at all. Dio tries elaborating more, asking if they understand it, but none of them reply.

Letting go of the reins, Deo announces how good he feels. Everything is so refreshing, the lightness of his body. It just sucks that the sun has to be setting right now. Annoyed, Johnny demands that Dio get away from them and refuses to travel with him. Pulling up alongside him, though, Big D just applauds Johnny for his performance and both the first and second stages of the race. From what he's heard, Johnny was badly injured in the past, so to see him doing this now is absolutely amazing. Having an airy feeling about this, though, Johnny just glances over to see more cracks appearing all over Dio's body, along with his back suddenly contorting in shape. Stunned, he then watches as Dio launches himself into a handstand onto the back of his horse and asks the others if they are able to do this as well. Slightly slowing down while watching the maniac rotating around his horse, Joe asks Johnny if this is something genius jockeys do, not knowing himself. Johnny just says that something is wrong and questions if they are really going to stay with him for the night. Joe says that even if they try to avoid him, wolves and other beasts might attack their horses. Overhearing this from a freaking ridiculous distance, D lets them know that it is safest to stay together, as wolves roam these parts.

A little while later, the Jo then spot the small little village and head over to it to greet the civilians who are already waving at them as they enter their own place to spend the night. Jaro points out how even up in the mountains here, people know about this race. Spurring out, Johnny screams asking where in the world Dio went to, which Jaro nonchalantly says, "There, he's probably talking with some of the villagers." Johnny, though, doesn't agree and says that he isn't going to think about sleeping in the same place with him. Understanding what he's saying, Jaro says they'll just keep an eye out on their horses, as they normally would anywhere else, and noticing a furnace in the other room, he then says he'll get some tea started along with some dinner. Hobbling his way over into the kitchen, Johnny slowly pours a cup of tea when he sees something peculiar out of the corner of his eye. Turns out it's the cracked-out Dio who's bizarrely gobbling down some stones. Sensing something behind him, Dio's head snaps back around and spots Johnny watching him through the window. Sniffing out a pleasant smell, Dio asks if he happens to be making coffee. He opens the door and tries to go in, however, Johnny demands that he leave. Not listening, Dio begins explaining why he was eating rocks. According to him, it's actually for digestion, as it helps your stomach crush what you've just had to eat. They called gastroliths, most me-eating creatures do it, and it's something he personally learned from birds and alligators. Since Johnny's making a cup of joe, though, Dio guesses it smells up and asks if it's all right to pinch your cup off him. Johnny questions if the wound he got earlier still hurt, however, Dio says that he doesn't have any pain at all. Aggravated with Dio's melodramatics, Johnny just tells him that his cup of joe is right in front of him, so grab it and leave. Stammering forward, Dio sniffs and tries to locate it but ends up asking Johnny for him to point out what one it is. Confused, since the cup is obviously right in front of him, Johnny asks if he can't see it next to the cans. Insulted with being told that he obviously can't see it, Dio jabs the ear a few times, opening his hand up. He releases a fly that he just caught and tells his fellow jockey to give him a break, his eyesight and physical stature are at their damn best. Still unable to see it, though, Dio goes back to attempting to sniff out the correct one. Thinking he found it, dude reaches forward but only knocks over all of the cans. Setting up, Johnny grabs the cup and shows Dio that it was literally right in front of him on the bench. Instantly snatching it out of his hand, Dio then launches himself across the room. Awkwardly standing there, he starts sipping on his coffee. Johnny remarks that the dude is freaking queer and something's definitely wrong with him. On closer inspection, he starts to notice that the wound Dio got earlier in the day wasn't a cut but in fact a part of his mouth, which was ripped all the way back to his ears. Bursting into the room, Jaro points out how many flies are randomly in the room and says it's probably best if they close the window that they're coming in from. Walking over to the door and opening it, Jaro, when he looks out, is absolutely stunned. Still screaming for Johnny to hurry up and close the window, he asks if he didn't notice the massive beast that's dead on the doorstep. Joe knows that a human wouldn't have been able to commit such a grotesque act and questions how long the corpse has been there. Realizing something himself, Johnny snatches his head around to see Dio fully transformed into a goddamn dinosaur. More specifically, or at least I'm assuming it's something like a velociraptor. Hearing this, Joe pops his head back inside only to take a direct hit to the head from Dio's tail that sends him rocketing out of the small house and off the side of the villager's cliff. Johnny calls out for his boy, however, bro, he has nothing in return. Snapping his head, he notices that Dio is now vanished from his side, appearing right above Johnny. Dio lands on him and pounds him into the countertop. Quickly activating Tusk, bro aims his hands towards the dino's head and shoots a barrage of fingernails into it. Rolling off the bench, Johnny guesses that Dio must have also been one of them terrorists and proceeds to shoot at him with another volley of nails. However, Dio easily maneuvers out of the way. Towering over Johnny, Dino Dio goes to slice his throat but is forced to dodge one of the steel balls as Jaro reappears through the doorway, beaten and bruised. Stunned, Jaro points out the dino's dynamic vision and how he easily dodged his steel balls, even though they're in close range. From the floor, though, Johnny sees his steel ball spinning and in that moment, it shoots back off the wall, slightly hitting Dio. Jaro goes to catch his ball but Johnny screams for him to look out. A fraction of a second later, Dino Dio falls down from the ceiling and pins Jaro to the top of the bench. Jaro questions if Dio is also after the corpse parts, or is he simply going to kill them and take it. Seeing how he was also super sensitive to fast movement, Joe wonders if something wouldn't be taken as a threat if it moved slowly and he wouldn't feel the need to dodge. Dio, intrigued by a random can that starts to roll across his floor, doesn't listen to Gyro but observes its slow movements. All of a sudden, Dio's steel ball explodes from the can, connecting with his throw of the ancient beast. Confident, Jaro lets them know he put the ball there, but how he got it in the can is a secret. "Just like, bro, what are you, what are you even talking about? I'm just utterly confused at the fact that's just the Rocky smoking gas. I feel like right there, by the way." Knowing that the ball didn't do as much damage as he wanted it to, Joe quickly tells Johnny that they need to hurry up and get outside, slamming the door behind them and asking Jaro what kind of ability this is. He explains that he's a dinosaur and it's most likely that his body has been fused with a dino ability. Not even knowing about dinos, since it's actually the 1800s and it was hella niche back then. Jaro elaborates on how in 1839, a scholar named Owen made the word up and started calling these huge creatures he discovered dinosaurs. Wondering why Dio has an ability that relates to something so ancient, Jaro says it could have something to do with the recent discovery of fossils and the cliffs of the Rocky Mountains. Suddenly, the letters on Johnny's arm start to glow, turning his head around to look at the word-shaped mountain. Jaro sees a brilliant white light glowing behind it, turning his attention back to the quickly disintegrating door. Bro tells Johnny that they need to gap it down the cliff right now. Disagreeing with him, Johnny states that they need to defeat Dio here and reminds Jaro that he needs to stay still after he breaks through the door, as he is unable to see motionless things. Right on cue, Dino Dio then smashes through the door. Jaro and Ram at high speed, though he came flying out and always sped straight off the edge of the cliff himself. Getting back to his feet, the dino then inspects the seemingly still courtyard. Laying on the remains of the beer, Johnny pleads with himself to not blink. Eventually, though, Dio turns and makes his way down the cliff, letting the boys think that they might have tricked him. Moments later, though, the dino returns, sniffing at the air and slowly making its way towards the beer's corpse. Towering above the Jo, now, Dio lashes out and attacks the bear with its tail. However, the boys don't move, and he actually ends up running off back into the previous building, trying to find them. Laying there, Joe quietly asks Johnny if they got away. However, seconds later, bro's steel balls come spinning out of the front door. Watching Dio then kick the ball towards the beer, Johnny realizes that the dude saw Jaro usually the ball in the first stage and screams out that he understands how it will eventually return to its master. Seeing Dio going to bite down on whatever the ball stops on, Jaro, like, "I don't even know what to call this at this point," uses the spin from his balls to flatten his legs and allowing it to continue on a straight path past him. Watching the steel ball then move on into a wall and stop, Dio dives after it, subsequently smashing his own head into the wall, dazing the dino. Since the dino ended up running off in search of whatever was behind the wall, Joe says that just now he realized something about the placement of the letters on his arm. Snapping his head back around to listen to him, Johnny places his hand on the beer and feels these weird stony parts on it. Getting his boy's attention, he says there's a strange noise coming from underneath them. All of a sudden, the beer corpse transforms into a gigantic T-Rex-like dinosaur and knocks the Jo off its back. Absolutely confused, Johnny screams out asking why the beer is now alive and what Dio's ability even is. Charging forth, the dino seemingly pins Johnny against the wall using the spin, though Joe squeezes him through the bars that cover the drainage and tells him to use it as an escape route. Plus, on top of that, he then elaborates how the letters on his arm aren't even letters, they're the shape of constellations. The shape and placement are pretty much the same with both, as in the sky and on Johnny's arm. For example, here, the Crux lettering is a representation of the North Star. The location of where the North Star then dips into the ground is actually where it's pointing them towards, hence why Morva is over those set of stars, as you've got to move there and get the corpse located in that location. Realizing this themselves, Jaro says they'll go now if Johnny's still up for it, to which he obviously confirms. Falling into a little bit of a throwback now, and while growing up on a farm, Diego discovered he had a rare talent for understanding and handling horses. Even though he was a very young child, large horses that were believed to be untameable would allow themselves to be led by him. One day, around 5 years into their stay on the farm, the man that originally arranged his mother's employment demanded favors from her, but she refused. The man appeared to give up and left her alone, only for it to be revealed later that he had sabotaged the Brando's ability to eat by smashing holes in the bottom of their food bowl as punishment. When it came to meal time in the hall where the farmhands would receive their stew rations from a pot, the man happened to be the one serving and Coy refused to serve the peer without intact bowls. Diego suggested that they could use their shoes instead, but his mother refused to discard what little dignity they had left, telling Diego that eating out of shoes due to lack of proper dishes was unacceptable. Diego understood and said that he would go hungry instead, but his mother eventually relented and told the man to for the boiling hot stew into her hands so that she could feed her son. Diego's mother stood there while Diego ate as quickly as he could, but she suffered severe burns to her hands regardless. Over the course of about a year, his mother's wounds became infected with tetanus, which resulted in her death soon after. Before she died, she told a then six-year-old Diego to use his talent with horses to rise from the pit of poverty that they had been trapped in. And then now, both Gyro and Johnny crawl into the sewer leading directly into the Rocky Hill where the corpse parts are presumably located. Diego sends his dinosaur minions down into the sewers and urinates on the duo, prompting more minions to come after them. Jaro, using his steel balls, manages to eliminate the small dinosaurs, and they actually return to their original state as sewer mice. As the Jo then escape the gutter, they are surrounded by the villagers who were turned into dinosaurs, both at the bottom and top of the cliff. Joe deduces that this was caused by Diego's ability to turn everything, humans and animals, into dinosaurs and control them under his will. They soon realize that they are actually two being transformed into dinosaurs due to Diego managing to wound them both earlier. Only Johnny's transformation is slower, particularly on Johnny's left arm, because of the inherent power of the corpse part to fight that infection. This urges them to immediately find the next corpse part to save Gyro and stop the transformation because the smaller dinosaurs had actually marked them earlier. Though the raptors had absolutely no trouble finding him and are already closing in on their location, prompting the Jo to leap across a massive ravine using the spin. Jaro uses the bulk of a tree as a rope, and they eventually reach their destination, knowing that the raptors will lose a lot of time having crossed that same ravine. Noticing the sand below them moving, the Jo sees that they are in the Devil's Palm, and the guardian of the eyes reveals itself from the sand. As Jaro's transformation continues into a dinosaur, Diego commands two raptors in front of him to jump into the ravine and uses them as springboards to cross it and get to the eyes first. Randomly, the stone guardian whispers "turbo" to the reptilian Dio. Johnny notices that the words the stander is whispering to Dio are identical to the ones on his left arm. Seeing his own markings then start to disappear, Johnny deduces that it's exposing the location of the next corpse part to Dio. Suddenly, the light from the moon beams down and perfectly reflects off the eyes Dio's holding before starting to burn the next set of words onto his arm. Seeing in the moment, though, Johnny begins firing at Dio. Unfortunately, Gyro, who is now fully controlled by the dinosaur ability, uses the steel balls to block the attacks, interrupting them. A man riding a dino reveals himself and starts criticizing Johnny for littering his nails on the gracious Earth. He also commended Dio's plan of jumping across a ravine, saying that turning him into a dinosaur and making him the leader was an extremely smart call. Johnny, confused by the conversation, wonders who this person happens to be. This interesting fellow then introduces himself as Dr. Ferdinand, a geologist and a biologist of ancient creatures. He reveals his stand ability called Scary Monsters, one he acquired 2 years earlier while searching for the Devil's Palm. As he examines the corpse eyes, he reveals that they are from a 1900-year-old corpse. Johnny asks what in the world he's talking about, since the continent wasn't even discovered around that time, but Ferdinand realizes he is clueless about the same corpse he's searching for, so he doesn't provide any more information to Johnny. After the introduction is out of the way, Johnny spits on the ground. However, it only annoys Ferdinand due to the lack of respect he currently has for the Earth. He explains that it was the same lack of respect that made the dinosaurs go extinct and questions Johnny's motive for finding the corpse. He adds that when all the corpse parts come together, it will become the corpse that will be respected by humanity, receiving true power and the eternal kingdom. Blown away, Johnny complements the idea but disregards guards his insane claim. Either way, seeing opposite him, Ferdinand then orders Dio to retrieve the left arm from Johnny and kill him. But randomly spots it on the ground instead. It turns out Johnny, who is now more of a dinosaur, actually dropped off the arm earlier so that he could jump even further with this new tail of his. He uses this opportunity to then attack Ferdinand, using the same tail to smack him across the dome and retrieves the dropped corpse eyes. Jumping towards his boy, he tries tossing them to Gyro, but the attempt is foiled by a random D saw as Dio then obeys an order to kill Johnny. He suddenly notices something out of the corner of his eye and turns, blocking a steel ball with his palm. Thinking Jaro is still under his control, Ferdinand orders him to stand down and calmly lay on the ground. Spazzing out himself, Johnny notices one of the eyes is missing and questions where it could possibly be. Realizing Jaro isn't doing what he just ordered him to do, Ferdinand demands that the Italian show his face, which he does, smiling. It is revealed that Jaro has the right eye, slowly merging into his face, subsequently curing him of the previous transformation. Painfully, the corpse side begins merging with Jaro's own, causing Ferdinand to question Johnny about what he just did with it, but bro says he didn't do anything and explains it could have actually just rolled towards Jaro out of complete luck. Dio, who is still holding the steel ball, glances down and sees a random eye now placed in the center, and with a flash, the steel ball launches itself from Dio's arm and directly connects with Ferdinand's eye. Johnny, standing there, notifies Jaro that the corpse went inside his right eye. However, Jaro, who seems completely unaware of what just happened, notes his enhanced sight and calls it a tuned-up version of the steel ball. Ferdinand then orders the dinosaurs to protect him by encircling him. Jaro, absolutely gassed up with his new eye, manages to spot his exposed leg using the steel ball. Biffing his balls into the air, bro perfectly ricochets one of them off the other and manages to hit Ferdinand in the exact spot he saw earlier, breaking the dude's leg. Catching his balls as they return back to him, Jaro decides to finish Ferdinand off and tells Chun to pick his arm back up and stop his transformation. Quickly fleeing from the protective circle they made around Ferdinand, the group of dinosaurs begin to surround Gyro and Johnny, trying to track the man down. Aljo hears Ferdinand's voice coming from a variety of locations but can't manage to locate him. As a pack of dinos go to strike down on the Jo, Jaro uses the spin and through the vibrations from the steel ball is able to see the bone structure of each beast. Examining the group, he locates Ferdinand hiding inside a specific dinosaur. Together, Johnny with his nails and Jaro with his steel balls attack Ferdinand. Instantly, the man is peppered by the volley of shots from Johnny before the balls follow up and send him shooting out of the dino's mouth. Laying there, beastly on the ground, Ferdinand turns back to see that his power was canceled out and that all of the dinosaurs have returned back to humans. Unfortunately for Dr. Ferdinand, though, dude meets a deadly end at the hands of the cougars he once controlled. When it comes to Johnny and Jaro, though, and after everything they've been through in this wild race so far, they finally manage to get the second corpse part. However, there's just one thing Johnny has to know: during the scuffle, two eyes rolled towards Jaro. Since they're nowhere to be seen now, he assumes Jaro must have united with both of them and acquired both of their powers. A tense silence then falls over them before Jaro answers, "Were they reluctant?" "No." Snapping their heads around, they notice someone else crawling up a small cliffside. Of course, it's no one other than Dio, who, after making the climb, reveals that he is currently merging with the left eye. Without hesitation, he backflips off the ledge with the grace of an Olympic diver before then transforming back into his dinosaur form. Somehow, like it's got to be the eye or something, but man kept his powers despite the death of the original stand user. Unable to give chase, the boys then just stand there watching as he leaves, pondering to himself now. Joe thinks it's over, Dio got them in the end, and the eye probably revived his dinosaur abilities. Knowing that he got away with one eye, Johnny thinks this proves that Dio longs for complete authority and power, and since he wants that, he'll most likely come looking for the other corpse parts, including Johnny's left arm. Things aren't looking the brightest for the Jo, but they still technically have an upper hand with the right eye now under Jaro's control. He's able to easily decipher the location of the next part. Taking things off-topic, though, for a second, Johnny remembers Dr. Ferdinand mentioning that the corpse was 1900 years old. In fact, he's pretty sure that Ferdinand said the corpse is old as hell, but Jaro dismisses the idea as completely impossible to start with. He points out how Johnny never listens to people, so he must have heard him completely wrong. Still not giving up, though, Johnny presses him some more and says that the terrorists know who this corpse belongs to, after all, that's the whole reason they're in this race. Pondering what Johnny just told him, Jaro wonders if it's really possible. Saint from 1900 years ago? Moving past this, and luckily for the Jo, though, they then find their horses on the other side of the mountain and continue their journey to the third stage. Before hopping back on Valkyrie, J tells Johnny that no matter how powerful a saint corpse may be, their power won't make you rich or get you girls or help you set free a person sentenced to death. At the end of the day, the race is still the most important thing, and they're still 60 km away from the end of the stage. Boo! Off they rush towards their goal, and over the next 55 km, somehow all of the racers end up grouping back together for the final stretch, with only 5 km left. After a grueling 510 km journey, the distances between all of the racers shrank, setting up another intense battle for the next set of points. Every major competitor who's a part of this lead pack makes a break for the finish line with only 3 km left. Dio currently has the lead in points, while Sandman is in a close second. Following him, it's then Johnny in third, Third Hot Pants in fourth, and Poco Loco in fifth. Sandman is only 10 points behind Dio, making him the biggest rival for first place in the whole race. Even with that, Dio continues to follow Gyro, who is now in sixth place. He appears to believe that if he defeats Gyro and ignores Sandman, he will win. He follows closely behind, and Gyro also believes he is ready to assault him, but Johnny knows he cannot risk getting disqualified because the balloons are currently watching. Instead, he will defeat Gyro in the stage without breaking any rules. In his eyes, moving past Gyro is equivalent to beating Sandman to the punch. So Dio actually decides to use his new dinosaur ability to take information from the Geo's horses, such as their breath rate, pulse, and stride length. As they continue the race, the racers come up to a large lake with two possible routes across. The left route is much shorter but a dangerous road on a cliff with many dangerous ups and downs, while the right is a safer but much longer to cross the finish line. Zan and Poco Loco take their chances with the cliff, while Doan Galo and Baraga take the longer route to the right. Looking down at the map himself, Gyro observes the map of the lake and finds that its depth goes up to around 2 m at its deepest and is 450 m long. Because of this, he decides to take his chance and goes through it, with Dio joining a while later, opening up a surprise third route, which is actually the shortest, cussing Gyro out as he watches him do this. Johnny joins the other two and decides to go through the lake. However, this plan isn't as genius as they think it is. The water resistance from the lake will make the horses feel the weight of carrying another horse on top of it. If they tie out too quickly, it'll only put them at a huge disadvantage going forward. Gyro already knows this, and that's why he's actually slowed his horse to a minimum speed to conserve as much energy as possible. It's a pretty smart plan, which is why Dio has immediately followed along. Johnny, on the other hand, thinks differently. Jer posed that the reason he lost in the first and second stages was because of minor mishaps and accidents, but the truth is, he just doesn't have a certain thing that'll help him win. In fact, the way things are going, he won't even be able to beat Sandman. Gyro has inherited everything he's ever known and used it to his advantage, while Dio has only ever stolen everything he has from his skill to his food. That difference will show when things get desperate, and it could end up allowing Dio to steal the victory at the end of the day. With that said, Johnny returns to the shore and takes the safer route to the right, and Dio moves full speed ahead through the lake. With Gyro, despite being abandoned by his partner, Gyro pushes on through the lake. He increases his speed, hoping to catch up to Dio, but because of all the weird things that Johnny said, Valkyrie starts to sense his agitation, and the swim begins to tire the horse out. Thanks to that, the horse isn't actually able to catch up to Silver Bullets. Meanwhile, Dio has taken the time to analyze Gyro's horse and knows exactly when it'll become overwhelmed by exhaustion. Thanks to that, all he actually has to do is keep a certain distance between them until then, and Gyro has no chance of beating him here. Dio finally makes it out onto land, placing him in the lead, right as the other racers make it through the final 500-meter sprint. Gyro urges Valkyrie to not run yet, even though Dio is currently pulling away. He then makes it onto land with the horse's left foot stepping on first, just like Dio had predicted, then he makes a mad dash towards the finish line like a bat out of hell in an attempt to shorten the distance between him and Dio. Gyro ditches his luggage as well as some of his clothes, everything from his blank even his saddle gets thrown off in an attempt to reduce the weight on the horse. Even with all of that, though, the horse reaches its top speed and can't catch up to Dio's horse. Suddenly, Joe's steel begins to fall behind due to fatigue, and Pooku passes him with the other racers quickly coming up as well. As a last resort, he uses the spin to squeeze the water out of his body to lessen the load on the horse and thus gain even more speed. With only 80 meters left, Joe speeds up and manages to take the lead from Dio. Knowing that he needs to take drastic measures to get his lead back, Dio spits a gastrolith at the ground, which rebounds and slightly wounds Valkyrie's leg, causing the horse to lose balance and allowing Dio to take the lead once again. The two then fight for the lead neck and neck until at the last moment, one final wrench changes everything. Johnny comes in from behind and passes both of them, taking the lead and leaving them in the dust. The race finishes with Dio and Gyro coming in second and third, and because it actually initially looked like the rock that Dio threw out just ricocheted and had Valkyrie, there's no proof that Dio purposefully tried to harm Gyro or his horse. Thanks to that, Dio is not disqualified. Thinking back on earlier, Gyro figures that Johnny may be right about his lack of hunger to win the race, and notes how bro also hungers to find the corpse. During this race, he decides to follow his example and search for the corpse part seriously to grow as a person. However, in one final twist, it turns out that Johnny wasn't even in first place here. The true winner of this stage of the race was Hot Pants, who actually passed the finish line an hour ago.

Skipping forward now, on the 11th day of the fourth stage and 650 km from Kansas City, Johnny and Gyro encounter Hot Pants, whom Johnny recognizes as the third-ranking competitor with 155 points. He was identified as a lone wolf whose information is pretty much completely unknown. However, it is known that he is certainly no hellbilly from the way that he carries himself. The Jo think about what to do but eventually decide to ignore him. Hot Pants is actually out for vengeance and hangs a pair of nooses on a tree branch when he approaches the Jo. After a brief salutation, he boldly informs Johnny and Gyro that he will hang both of them, but they remain silent. Standing there, he accuses them of eating his cow, which he actually hired to graze on the current route so that he could, you know, find it then use it and eat it when he got to it, and says that the punishment for doing this is to be hung. He orders the two to put the ropes around their necks, as that is the lore of this country, and deems a trial unnecessary. Johnny is confused about what is happening, but Jaro recognizes the brand on Hot Pants' horse from the cow carcass that was mostly eaten by coyotes one they found hanging from a tree earlier, the same one which he had also taken some meat from. He tries to explain that they are not familiar with the laws of this country, but Hot Pants has already vanished from his horse. Suddenly, they find him Mia, and he wastes no time to attack using his flesh spray stand, Cream Starter.

Jaro tries to use his steel ball, but Hot Pants prevents him from doing so using his flesh spray. Johnny also attempts to attack, but Hot Pants uses the flesh from Jaro's arm and sprays Johnny as well, covering up his eyes. After this, Jaro's face then gets sprayed with flesh, which merges with his face, preventing him from breathing. Joey uses the spin on Hot Pants with his steel ball that is in his left hand and locks both of Hot Pants' hands for a brief moment. After that, Joe prompts Johnny to use the chance to attack while Hot Pants struggles to reach for a spray. Instead of attacking, though, Johnny goes on the route of dialogue and explains that the cow was already dead when they found it. It was killed through with a bullet wound, which they did not inflict on it, since they didn't use guns. After frying his nail ability, Johnny further elaborates that the wound on its flesh was from a large caliber, and the hole created by his ability does not match it. However, Joe still tells him to attack. Hot Pants finally stands down, though, and undoes the flesh that was sprayed onto Johnny and Gyro, allowing them to breathe once again. Like a master gunslinger, he puts away his spray and agrees with the points that Johnny gave, so he decides to embark on his quest for vengeance without giving an apology since they actually ate the meat of his cow as well. Before Hot Pants leaves, Johnny inquires if he acquired his stand in the desert of Arizona during the second stage, but he refuses to answer. And despite not being interested, he asks if there were others like that, a question Johnny and Gyro are still currently unsure of. After Hot Pants, the end of Parts, the area, Jaro expresses his dislike for Hot Pants and says he would have shot him, but Johnny seems sure that he's not in any group that wants them dead, namely the USA government or these terrorists. Jo reveals, though, that he has actually seen the word "turbo" when checking Hot Pants' spine with the spin scan in the earlier conflict. He analyzes that each character of the word leads them to a destination on the map. After decoding them using the binary system, they discovered that the coordinates of the next corpse part points towards Kansas City, which is conveniently the finish line of the fourth stage as well. Johnny realizes that Dio might also possess this crucial information, as he held the left eye. Dio no doubt had likely reached the same conclusion as them. Fortunately for Johnny and Gyro, the terrorists pursuing them were unlikely to understand the significance of the corpse parts. With two objectives in mind: securing the corpse parts and finishing the race first, the Joo press onward. 20 minutes into their journey, Jar and Johnny know notice a troubling pattern. No matter which direction they traveled, they always ended up returning to the same spot. Despite consulting their map and retracing their steps, they arrived back at the same road. Jaro, suspecting a trick by Hot Pants, suggested a different path, but once again, they ended up at the same location. There, they encountered Hot Pants, who revealed he was experiencing the same strength phenomenon. He admitted to being trapped in the forest for over an hour. Johnny and Joe, distrustful of Hot Pants due to his prior actions, assumed he might be the anomaly here. Hot Pants, however, proposed a truce, offering to collaborate and escape the forest. Jaro remained skeptical about it until Hot Pants presented high-quality roast beef sandwiches, a gesture of goodwill, winning the duo over. Nearby, the group spotted another house. Inside, they found Galo, another racer who appeared to be distraught and frustrated. Galo explained that he had also been trapped in the forest. According to the inhabitant of the house, the only way to leave was to kill him. Galo, exasperated and determined to escape, decided to challenge the mysterious man to a duel. The man stepped out of the house calmly, carrying a revolver in one hand and a folded newspaper in the other. Galo, confident in his abilities, warned the man to not underestimate him and demanded he reveal the path out of the forest. However, the man reiterated his cryptic conditions: "If you want to leave, you must kill me." Joe noticed the stranger's trembling hands and mocked him, believing that it was due to fear. The stranger acknowledged the observation but responded with sharp insight into Gacho's hesitancy, suggesting that Gacho himself was afraid of lying about his intentions to kill this man. The Jew then instantly began. Gacho fired first, but his shots missed. The stranger, unfazed by this, advanced five paces and fired a single round, striking Galo in the clever call. Galo's final desperate shots then failed to connect, and the stranger stepped closer, delivering a decisive shot to Galo's heart. With the man dead, the random dude with a sick ass goatee thanked him for the duel and returned to his cabin. Johnny, Jarro, and Hot Pants, having witnessed the duel from a safe distance, was shaken. The eerie circumstances of the forest, coupled with the enigmatic nature of the cabin's inhabitant, left them on edge. With no other option, the trio resolved to try their luck once more at finding the main road, hoping to escape the forest's oppressive group. Exhausted and desperate, the group tried a new tactic, marking trees at every turn to ensure they wouldn't circle back. Yet, despite their careful execution, they arrived once again at the now infamous cabin. Frustrated, Joe ordered the group to follow the marked trees. Johnny located the first mark but noticed something strange: the marks had multiplied, appearing on multiple trees in different locations. Investigating further, Johnny realized that the markings were all in his own handwriting, despite him only marking one tree at a time. Confused and alarmed, the group began to suspect that they were under the influence of a stand attack. Hot Pants quickly concluded that the man in the cabin must be responsible. However, Dio questioned the man's motive. If he was an enemy, why duel Gacho? Why trap them in the forest instead of attacking them directly? Hot Pants, fed up with the endless wondering, though, reminded the group that the man had told Gacho he could only leave the forest by killing him. He suggested confronting the man directly and overpowering him as a trio if necessary. Jaro initially rejected the idea, distrustful of Hot Pants and reluctant to engage the random stranger with a sick ass goatee. Johnny, however, pointed out that their delay could give Dio an entire day's head start towards Kansas City and the next corpse part. Gyro, furious at the thought of Dio seizing victory, reluctantly agreed to Hot Pants' plan. Hot Pants proposed the strategy: Johnny and Joe would speak to the man while Hot Pants were paid a hidden ambush using Cream Starter. Hot Pants detached his hand from his body and placed it alongside a stand on the cabin's roof, ensuring he could strike if necessary. Johnny and Joe approached the cabin where the man, now revealed to be burying Gacho, waved them away. To them, Jarro demands answers, like why he killed Gacho and what's his goal. The man, calm and unshaken, introduces himself as Ringo Roadagain. He ignored Gyro's question, stating that he preferred one-on-one conversations. Jarro, stubborn and suspicious, refused to step aside. Ringo then commented on Gyro's demeanor, noting that he was a killer by nature. He was a man who relied on strategy and counter-measures. He turned to Johnny, acknowledging a dark determination within him. They resolved to kill without hesitation. Jaro responded by throwing a steel ball at Ringo, but Ringo effortlessly shot multiple bullets at him. Recklessly, the steel ball shielded Gyro from harm, but the Gunslinger's skill left Gyro absolutely rattled. Johnny, bearing in, took over the questioning. Ringo, impressed by Johnny's persistence, revealed the true nature of his stand, Mandom, which allowed him to rewind time by precisely 6 seconds. He explained that he had been using Mandom to manipulate their movements within the forest by rewinding time and altering small details, such as the placements of their tree markings, which would ensure they would remain disorientated and trapped. When asked why he did this, Ringo revealed his philosophy: he sought to create what he called the true man's world, a realm where men could grow stronger through fear and decisive conflict. He had no interest in petty trickery or deception. To him, the duel was a sacred act, a path to self-equalization.

Convinced of Ringo's insanity, Hot Pants springs his ambush, using Cream Starter to see Ringo's hand. He warned Johnny and Gyro to prevent Ringo from reaching his gun. Johnny fired his nail bullets, but Ringo, undeterred, retrieved his s hand and activated Mandom to rewind time. The group was utterly shocked as Ringo evaded the ambush entirely. He twisted the knob on his wristwatch, explaining how a stand's power allowed him to rewrite the actions. Ringo then fired off his gun, disabling Hot Pants and injuring Johnny with a headshot. Enraged with this, Jo hurled a steel bullet at Ringo. While the attack tore off Ringo's ear, Jo was subsequently shot in the chest in retaliation. Despite his injury, Jar's resolve remained unbroken. Ringo, unimpressed by this, criticized Gyro's emotional outburst. He called Gyro a comfor bound by reactionary impulses and declared that such behavior, in his opinion, would never attain victory. Showing a strange sense of respect to him, Ringo spared Gyro and allowed him to leave the forest. He then dragged Johnny's limp body to the cabin, intent on retrieving the left arm corpse part from him. Before entering, Ringo thanked Johnny for the duel, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to test his ideals in combat. Outside the cabin, Jo lay slumped on the ground, battered and defeated. As a steel ball rolled to him, he noticed its distance and remembered the trajectory of Ringo's gunfire. Instantly, realization struck as it dawned on him that Ringo's shot had a fixed range. Johnny was actually shot outside of that range and likely wasn't dead. With this in mind, determination flared in Gyro's eyes. Clutching the steel ball tightly, he swore to himself to rescue Johnny and end Ringo Roadagain once and for all.

Flashing into the past, Ringo Roadagain's early life was plagued by severe physical Frailty. His skin was so delicate that even the slightest touch could cut it, and his health was so fragile that he often fell ill. Despite consultations with counselor doctors, no cure or explanation for his mysterious condition was ever found. Adding to the hardship, Ringo's father, a farmer, conscripted into the military service, deserted his post and was eventually captured and imprisoned. He succumbed to illness and captivity, branding the Roame family as traitors. Ostracized by the community, Ringo, his mother, and his two sisters were forced to wander the country in shame and poverty. At age 10, Ringo experienced a night that would change his life forever. He awoke to find a soldier, a deserter like his father, looming over him, eating a raw potato. The man choked Ringo with one hand and admired his soft, delicate skin. Ringo glimpsed the bodies of his murdered family members nearby, and when he screamed, the soldier panned him down and began to undress him, intending to inflict unspeakable acts. However, the soldier realized his gun was missing. Turning back to Ringo, he found himself staring down at the barrel of his own weapon. Despite his Frailty and trembling hands, Ringo had stolen the gun. Bleeding from the nose and struggling to breathe, Ringo listened as the soldier tried to manipulate him, offering empty promises and pleading for mercy. As Ringo began to cough and lose grip of the gun, the soldier lunged for it, but Ringo reclaimed it first and shot the man in the mouth, killing him. In the aftermath of the incident, something within Ringo changed. His once fragile body grew strong, and his eyes burned with resolve. Enlightened by the experience, Ringo found his purpose: to transcend weakness and reach the ideal he called the true man's world, a philosophy of growth through conflict and unwavering resolve.

In the present, Jo Zell approached Ringo's cabin with determination. Despite his injuries and aerations of his father, Gregorio Zell, warning him to turn back, Jarro pressed forward. He sought answers both about the divine corpse parts and the moral question surrounding Marco's execution. Joe declared that understanding his path was his priority, no matter the cost. Using spin scan, Jarro examined the interior of the cabin and discovered Ringo's knowledge of the next corpse part, taking him by surprise. He threw a steel ball through the wall of the cabin, striking Ringo directly in the face. However, Ringo activated a stand, Mandom, simultaneously rewinding time back by exactly 6 seconds and negating the attack. Ringo then emerged from his property, acknowledging Gyro's persistence. He explained that his stand allowed him to manipulate time and once again warned Gyro to leave. Ringo claimed that his death would be meaningless to his boss and that Gyro, clinging to sentimentality, could not hope to defeat him. Gyro, offended by Ringo's dismissal, revealed that he had used the steel ball to analyze Ringo's body. He identified an old wound on Ringo's left collarbone that, if struck, would paralyze his left side and render him unable to use Mandom. Identifying his ability, Jarro kicked down the door and challenged Ringo to a close-range duel. The duel was swift and brutal. Ringo shot Gyro in the chest, sending him crashing into a table, but not

Before Jaro Steel Ball managed to strike Ringo's left collarbone, just as Jaro predicted. The injury numbed Ringo's left arm and heart, disabling his ability to rewind time.

Desperate, Ringo aimed his gun at the knob of his wrist watch and fired, successfully triggering M&M time. Then, he rewound to the moment before the jewel started. Ringo, now knowing his weakness, used the second chance to defend his vulnerable collarbone. This time, he shot Jaro in the shoulder, intending to finish him off for good.

However, J had actually anticipated this. Using his steel ball, he launched a shard ofo from the collapsing ceiling, striking Ringo's collarbone through his own wrist. The move, which was actually planned during the first six seconds, left Rango vulnerable once more.

Rango commanded Jaro for his ingenuity, admitting that he had been outplayed here. He acknowledged that Joe had surpassed him in the jewel but remained committed to his ideals, even as he laid dying. Rango thanked Jaro and welcomed him to the true man's world, urging him to continue seeking his path of light. Refusing to let Rango use another six-second rewind, Jaro then delivered the finishing blow with his steel ball, ending the man's life with the jewel.

Over, Joe quickly ran over to Johnny and checked on him, who luckily still had a faint pulse. Though exhausted and battered, Joe found solace in their survival here. The battle with Rango here had deepened his understanding of resolve and the nature of strength, solidifying his determination to continue the race and uncover the truth behind these corpse parts. Ringo, a man who sought enlightenment through fear and combat, had met his end. But his ideals and the haunting memory of his jewel would linger in Jaro's mind as he pressed forward in the Steel Ball Run Race.

As sunset neared, Gyro and Johnny found themselves a full day behind the race's leader, Dio Brando, and with only 2 hours left until darkness. In the aftermath of their battle at Rango Road against Cabin, the duo uses Cream Starter, with the unconscious Hot Pant's stand ability, to heal Johnny's head wound and dislodge the bullet there.

When Johnny wakes up, Gyro lightens the mood with a comedic gag that makes Johnny laugh, though Gyro warns him not to steal his material. Reflecting on the recent ordeal, Johnny expresses concern about encountering more opponents as formidable as Ringo. Gyro acknowledges the danger but insists they must press forward, even if it means risking their lives. Standing there, Johnny agrees, feeling emboldened despite the uncertainty that lays ahead of them.

As they prepare to leave, Jo discovers Hot Pants' hidden stash of sandwiches and considers taking them. While Johnny, upon checking up on Hot Pants, uncovers her true identity as a woman in disguise. Surprised but choosing not to reveal this to Gyro, Johnny focuses on their journey forward, reminded that Hot Pants still has more points on the race than them.

On the road, Gyro and Johnny spot balloons in the distance, used by race officials for surveillance. Jo warns Johnny to speak carefully and cover his mouth to avoid their lip-reading capabilities. Soon, they encounter fellow racers, Poco Loco and Sandman, who confirm that Dio is currently in the lead, having chosen a route with fewer rivers. Sandman also warns of an impending storm that will make the final stretch to Kansas extremely treacherous. Before leaving, Sandman explains that his cooperation with them stems from repaying a perceived debt to Gyro for his earlier stage victory.

Trusting Sandman's information, Gyro proposes waiting out the storm before finishing the race and then pursuing the next corpse part. Johnny, however, disagrees, recalling the empty bird cage at Ringo's cabin. He deduces that Ringo had probably sent a messenger pigeon with the corpse part's location to the government. If Dio plans to secure the corpse part before the race, Gyro resolves to push through the storm so that they can keep up their current pace.

In Kansas City, amidst pouring rain, President Valentine discusses the race's developments with his assistant. He grows suspicious of Steven Steel's motives, theorizing that Steel might actually be planning to betray him, driven by passion rather than gain. His assistant doubts this, though, warning that eliminating Steel here could completely destabilize the race. Valentine then shifts his focus onto the spine, the next corpse part. According to the map from Joseph, it lies near Kansas City. Possessing the spine would greatly simplify acquiring the remaining parts. Determined to locate it, Valentine orders all of the government stand users to converge on the city.

Across the street, Lucy Steel spies on Valentine's conversation, using her lip-reading skills she learned secretly. A Steel Ball Run staff member interrupts her, frustrated by her lack of focus during their lessons. Dismissing him, though, Lucy pays the man off and tells him to leave her alone. Left alone, she despairs over her husband's likely fate but notices a carrier pigeon landing nearby.

Ringo's second pigeon, spotting Ringo's carrier pigeon outside the government building, Lucy decides to act. She approaches the building's guard with a lunch box for Steel, using the distraction to sneak inside. Reaching the roof, she locates the pigeon and breaks into its cage, finding a message containing the spine's coordinates. Before she can escape, though, Lucy hears a voice approaching. She quickly hides beneath the cage as Valentine and Blackmore both arrive, searching the roof for the pigeon. Blackmore quickly deduces that Ringo sent two pigeons and that one has already delivered its message. Noticing tampered locks and damp footprints on the ground, he concludes that an intruder is present, adding to Lucy's already terrible situation.

At worst, when a pigeon's feather drifts out from underneath her cage, Valentine obviously spots it, prompting them to search below it. However, before they can investigate further, the pigeon bursts free from beneath the cage and flies off, distracting them. In an instant, Blackmore uses his stand ability to fuse with the rain, pursuing the bird and capturing it with his attached jaw.

Back inside the building, now Lucy flees down the stairs, tears streaming down her face as she avoids security personnel. Blackmore, back above, notices a trail of dropping water leading downstairs and alerts Valentine. The president deduces that a new enemy is within the building, someone working against him and aligned with Johnny and Gyro's cause. As alarms blare and chaos erupts, Lucy clutches the stolen message. Despite the danger, she resolves to deliver the coordinates to Gyro and Johnny, knowing the information could turn the tide in the battle for the corpse parts.

The government agents soon arrive on the floor Lucy is on, so she hides inside a room and locks the door. She begins to cry, bearing regrets and feels she only made things worse for her husband, Steven Steel. Now, he will be taking the blame for all of her actions here. Meanwhile, Valentine asks if Blackmore thinks the intruder is a stand user. Blackmore analyzes the situation. He states that a stand user wouldn't hide under the pigeon house and believes the intruder is one of their own, given their escape route. While Valentine thinks of who else knew about the pigeons, Blackmore points to the drops of water leading down the stairs. He volunteers to corner the culprit from outside the windows to block their escape and would recover the litter by any means possible. Blackmore then walks on the raindrops to examine the rooms from the outside.

After making a quick call, Lucy peeks out of her window but upon seeing Blackmore on a search for her, immediately hides again. However, he noticed her movement. Lucy, beginning to panic over the idea that she has been found out and that other agents are probably going to be sent to this room, manages to get to the bathroom in time before the agents could bust down the door she was currently behind. After the agents break into the room and only find Blackmore there, they ask where the intruder is. Blackmore obviously points them to the bathroom where Lucy just ran into, so they prepare to break open the door. Valentine also orders that the building's sewage system should be blocked in case the litter gets flushed away.

Desperate, Lucy begins to cry but randomly, a rope drops from the event in the ceiling. Of course, it's no one else than the freaking Goat Mountain Tim, the person she had actually called earlier. He's able to rescue Lucy just before the door is broken down and the guys all storm in. They storm the room and find that it is completely empty. Moments later, Steven Steel also arrives at the scene to investigate what the ruckus is about but is ordered by Valentine to head back to his room.

Blackmore is asked what he is going to do and he notes that there were two intruders: one who is on the roof and another who helped with the escape. Inspecting the phone, he believed that they must have called for help before stepping out into the rain. In a different room, Steel receives the lunch box that was initially brought to him by his wife. However, he is confused since he already has one outside the room. Blackmore observed the interaction. Lucy and Mountain Tim then arrive at a warehouse. He explains that he dropped out of the race in the second stage after receiving grueling injuries from O Yoba's bombs and considered himself lucky to be alive. He also says that he was honored that Lucy called him for help.

Lucy then begins to cry with Tim holding her, who notices that she is actually starting to shake as well. He inquires what she had gotten herself into, but she refuses to answer, saying he would be in danger if she did. He insists for a while and declares his love for Lucy. Unfortunately, she turns him down as she is Steven Steel's wife. Which, you know, these guys got to calm down with going after this 14-year-old. It's it's kind of wild right now, but I I know it is the freaking, you know, icing. H you do whatever. And this was more normal back then. Like some of the terminology Jojo has used in the manga here itself is specifically taken from, you know, old times and whatnot. Like he uses "queer" as like "queer is weird" or whatever, which just doesn't happen nowadays. Like the last time I read that was in one of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books.

Regardless of the outcome, Tim acknowledges all that she did was to protect her husband. He then advises her to look for Johnny and Gyro, for they can be trusted since they share common enemies and assisting them will most likely be a saving grace for Steel. Mountain Tim then finally wishes her luck before he departs.

Later on, Lucy uses a map along with a key she stole to locate the spine. She recognizes that the destination is a local landmark called the Green Tombstone. Due to how close it is, she figures it wouldn't take any more than 30 minutes by horse and decides that she will go and dig up the spine first before handing it over to Johnny when he arrives in the city.

In the rainy street, Tim notices a presence, which turns out to be Blackmore. Blackmore reveals that he checked with the telephone operator and asks Tim if he received a phone call from inside the government building. He inquires about the identity of the caller, but Tim remains speechless for a while, then decides to shoot Blackmore in the chest. He shoots him a couple more times, but Blackmore begins to fuse with the rain. He recreates his mouth on Tim's shoulder, then he asks for the person's name once again, promising that he will only get away with a light punishment if he complies here. However, Tim doesn't say anything and instead uses his stand, "Oh Lonesome Me," to extend his arm and bind Blackmore. Before he could shoot Blackmore once again, the dude counters by pulling the lasso, which extended from Tim's arm, and cutting his face apart.

Blackmore then reveals his stand called "Catch the Rainbow," which enables him to stabilize raindrops in mid-air or use them to cut anything that crosses their path. Additionally, he can also fuse with those raindrops. Once again, he asks Tim who he received the phone call from and says that he would spare his life and even take him to the hospital if he answered. Tim finally speaks, saying he never expected to die on a beard, but what he really wanted was a place to come home to. Disappointed that he didn't really get what he wanted in the end, Blackmore ends up killing Mountain Tim.

After this, he checks Tim's body and notices a spot close to his chest that is particularly weird. He examines it and determines that the intruder is quite short and held their head to his chest while crying. He concludes that the intruder was indeed a woman and suddenly gets a realization. He recalled the time he observed Steel through the window and how he thought it was strange that he had two lunch boxes. This allows him to draw the conclusion that Lucy was indeed the intruder. Blackmore immediately heads to the staff headquarters, asking for Lucy's location. Since she wasn't in her hotel room, the staff informed him that she actually took a horse and headed to the north side of town an hour ago. Following this, Blackmore goes after her, believing she could be at the corpse part's location.

Meanwhile, it's shown that Lucy has already retrieved the spine. As this storm rages on in the open plains, Gyro and Johnny can see the trail of Dio's horse in front of them. Jo analyzes that Dio is about 5 minutes ahead of them since his tracks haven't washed away yet. Suddenly, the storm gets worse, and since the duo are still like hours away from the city, Johnny suggests that it would be impossible for them to go any further. However, Gyro objects that Dio won't stop here. He believes that this is the best time to track him down and make an impression on Dio that will last with him for the rest of the race.

At the same time, Dio uses the left eye. He notes having a bizarre feeling that is in pain and sees a vision of the corpse part he's after. He comes to the realization that someone must have dug it up and feels the spine piece approaching, wondering who did it. Meanwhile, Lucy, within the storm, begins her journey to Gyro and Johnny. However, Blackmore catches up to her and inquires about the bundle that she's holding. Quickly, he then seizes the spine from a defenseless Lucy and asks if she can see his mask. She remains speechless, so Blackmore assumes she can't. He informs her that even though she wielded the spine, she is unable to become a stand user, implying it would be of no benefit to her. He adds that Valentine would decide her and her husband's fate and leaves her in the rain alone, crying.

Blackmore then connects a telephone to a telephone pole nearby and calls the president, but he is asked to wait on hold while awaiting the president's answer. Blackmore takes a peek at the spine. He admires it and begins to feel anxious, wanting to take it for himself. His envious clear is broken when he discovers that he and the pole have somehow teleported to the middle of a town. He tries using the phone again to see if anyone is on the line, but the telephone line is now completely disconnected. The new environment confuses him, as he finds that the telephone pole he's on is now pierced through the top of a carriage. Blackmore then randomly catches a glimpse of Jesus Christ, crowned with thorns and bearing the crucifixion marks. At first, he is startled, but he begins to feel honored by this vision, since no one has ever met him in modern times. However, in that moment, he gets shot in the neck by Lucy. As he falls to the ground, Blackmore is confused by her goal, since she is not a stand user. Lucy, then looming above him, shoots him a couple more times before packing up the spine and fleeing the area.

While laying there dying, Blackmore is teleported to a forest area with the pole and wonders if he is moving. He notes that the bending of space around the pole was the cause of this movement. He and Lucy had moved 30 to 40 km ahead, a distance that would usually take up to 4 hours to travel by horse. He suggests it was the power of the spine that caused that phenomenon, including the storm. It could be a result of the corpse parts currently trying to unite together. Blackmore then uses some raindrops to seal his injuries, knowing he will die once the storm is over. However, he accepts his fate, believing it is a punishment for his envy. With his new insight, he goes forth to retrieve the spine with religious determination.

Meanwhile, Gyro nearly falls off his horse. Johnny thinks the storm is bothering him, but Gyro explains that he saw something heading towards them with the right eye. For a brief moment, Johnny points ahead, revealing that Dio is right ahead of them now, so he urges Gyro to ready his heart as they charge forward. Recalling the past stage, Gyro reminds Johnny of the time he said he couldn't beat Dio and asks for his current opinion. Johnny acknowledges that he has grown and developed his style of horse racing. However, Dio is more hungry than before and wants the corpse part more badly than them, so the duo agree that they need to defeat him here.

Suddenly, Dio stops his horse. Noticing this, Johnny warns Gyro that he realizes they're following him. Looking up, Gyro points out that there are no balloons in the vicinity, so they use this chance to attack Dio. However, Dio surprises them with a semi-dinosaur form and dodges both of their attacks. Immediately, he reveals he stopped his horse to warn them. He makes it clear that this will be the last time they come close to him, and if they do so again, he vows to kill them both. After that bone-chilling threat, he dashes off at full speed. Johnny figures that he aims to get rid of them early, and at the speed he's moving, the fights would be over in the next 2,000 meters.

Johnny and Gyro struggle to navigate the muddy terrain as Dio intentionally flings mud in their direction. Gyro contemplates on how to overtake Dio, but Johnny warns him that their current speed would amplify the impact of obstacles like bumps on the ground, which could bounce back and disrupt their horses. Johnny deduces that there must be a single optimal path for maximum efficiency at their speed. Conveniently for Dio, his dinosaur senses allow him to identify this path with ease. Johnny suggests waiting for Dio to make a mistake and choosing his course, but Gyro, too impatient, dismisses the idea, believing it wouldn't leave a lasting impression on Dio. Ignoring Johnny's caution, Gyro attempts to seize the lead but fails. Johnny points out that Dio will only pull further ahead, and V's breathing has already become regular due to Gyro's rash actions. Thus, Johnny suspects this is precisely Dio's strategy. However, Gyro views waiting for Dio's error as a coward's move.

As the race thing continues, Gyro tries again to take the lead, only to fail once more. Johnny notices Gyro's mounting frustration and fears that his repeated impulsive attempts will ultimately cost him the race. Sitting there himself, Johnny ponders how Dio can be defeated. Eventually, Gyro begins to lag behind, reflecting on Ringo's philosophy. He decides to abandon Dio's super-efficient path, instead taking a different route to find the light. Johnny, realizing that he can no longer hear Valkyrie's hoof beats, turns back to see that Gyro has disappeared, leaving him to wonder where his companion has gone.

Up ahead, Dio also senses a change in the rhythm of Galipan. Moments later, Dio notices Gyro suddenly reappear directly behind him. Johnny is equally shocked, questioning how Gyro managed to align himself so perfectly with Dio's path without the latter making any errors. Now the two horses are in sync, the rhythms identical. Furthermore, because of Gyro's proximity, the mud flung up by Dio's horse no longer affects him, and in a sudden turn of events, Valkyrie seizes Dio's whip and disposes of it. Dio, observing Gyro's unshakable determination, notes a shift in his gaze and no longer seems focused on him. Despite Gyro's apparent confidence, Johnny knows Dio will fight even harder to maintain his lead now. Johnny also realizes that Gyro's position is precarious; even a slight disruption in his gallop would cause him to crash. As the riders then approach the hill they must climb, all of them prepare for the next stage of the race. Dio, Johnny, and Gyro ascend the hill together. Dio, struggling to distance himself from Gyro, notices his horse becoming increasingly exhausted. He realizes that Gyro isn't trying to anticipate his movements but is instead following instinctively. Dio predicts that if they continue at this rate, both horses will collapse simultaneously, potentially giving Johnny the chance to take the lead.

Johnny carefully analyzes the situation, considering the possibility that all three horses could collapse. He observes Dio's inaction and, knowing his ruthless nature, begins to feel uneasy. In the lead, Dio secretly employs fleas transformed into tiny dinosaurs to attack Valkyrie. Johnny, suspecting that Dio had already set a trap, approaches to shoot him with his nails. However, Dio is quicker, partially transforming into a dinosaur and striking Johnny's arm with his tail, nearly breaking it and exposing the corpse arm he absorbed. As Dio then strangles Johnny on horseback, he dismisses his efforts as futile. Gyro readies a steel ball, prompting Dio to mock his attempt. Meanwhile, Valkyrie, agitated by the dinosaur fleas, begins to falter. Confident of his victory in the race and his claim to the next corpse part, Dio declares an early triumph. However, Gyro reveals that the steel ball in his hand is not his real weapon; he had already thrown another ball earlier, matching the horse's speed, which now moves with deceptive slowness. Dio finally notices the steel ball but dismisses it as a bluff and ignores it. The ball, however, hits him, knocking him back off the horse, though at the last second, he manages to cling back onto it. Simultaneously, the dinosaur fleas abandon Valkyrie because of obviously the master being hurt and them having to leave. When Johnny looks back, he sees Dio's horse collapse, unable to continue. Johnny immediately celebrates, but Gyro, furious, punches him. When Johnny demands an explanation, Gyro counters by questioning why Johnny attempted to attack Dio. Johnny defends his actions, explaining that Dio was shaming and attacking Valkyrie. However, Gyro argues that Johnny's actions marred the image of a perfect victory. Johnny assures him that Dio's horse is now useless and that they have achieved this without breaking any of the rules. Still, Gyro warns that Dio will return with an even stronger desire for revenge.

Later, Gyro apologizes for punching Johnny, admitting that he's battling something within himself and recognizing that a true man's world will not be easy. As they continue, the duo spot something in the distance. Johnny identifies the figure as a girl, while Gyro dismisses her presence as bad luck. Obviously, this is probably some like old wives' tale or something, the same one with like having chicks on a boat as bad luck, or the hundreds of wives' tales there are. Lucy approaches them, explaining that she sought them out after learning they were on the same route. Although she receives a frosty welcome from Gyro, who warns her to keep her distance, she pleads for their help and reveals she has brought them the spine. Lucy explains the president's plan to kill Steel and her decision to bring the spine to them for protection. Gyro instructs her to ensure she wasn't followed, but Lucy suddenly notices flesh on her arm and begins crying. Johnny also notices that the sound of the rain has changed. The caution proves warranted, as Blackmore confronts the trio. Johnny and Gyro attack simultaneously, but Blackmore uses raindrops to deflect their projectiles and punch off their arms. He then positions sharp raindrops around him, restricting their movements. Immobilized, the trio watches as Blackmore approaches Lucy. He accuses her of committing a sin equivalent to Eve's and taking the apple, and declares her existence a crime. Blackmore claims that the corpse has chosen to rest on their continent, intending to resurrect in the new world, concluding that Lucy's actions were evil. He resolves to kill her here and now. Johnny, desperate, tries to find a gap in the raindrop barrier to fire a nail bullet. Before he can act, though, Blackmore detaches his hand, using it to strangle Johnny while declaring his intent to seize all of the corpse parts. Observing the injuries on his hand resemble tunnels, Gyro deduces a way to move his arm without injury and receives a steel ball. Blackmore prepares to kill Lucy, but Gyro launches the steel ball, which bounces off raindrops and closes in on him. Blackmore defends himself, but the friction generated by the ball's spin weakens his defenses. As Blackmore creates a rain blade to strike Lucy, she suddenly notices the rain evaporating. In that moment, the steel ball breaches his defenses, striking Blackmore in the face. The trio, because of this, is being freed from their bindings, but Lucy warns them that he may rise again. Gyro remarks that Blackmore was already gravely injured when he arrived, unaware that Lucy had previously shot him. As the rain then ceases, it confirms Blackmore's death. Obviously, you know, as he said before, when the rain would stop, he he'd die and whatnot. But it was just fed with Steel Ball Run and with like a lot of JoJo's in general, the deaths were always super quick, you know, like we have this massive buildup or kind of like battle between the two, this this chase or something, and then the death just happens, boom, like that. There's no, you know, carry on. There is a few of like more important characters and whatnot, but yeah, continuing on.

Johnny inspects the spine only to discover it's now missing. Unnoticed, the spine climbs up Johnny's t-shirt and fuses with him. Overwhelmed, Johnny collapses to the floor, revealing a map etched onto the earth. Surely, bro gets his legs back now, can actually freaking walk for the first time in like 50 chapters or wherever we're at at this point.

As the fourth stage of the race nears its end, Gyro leads the pack with Johnny close behind and Dio, Han of Mongolia, trailing them. I I to love how Dio's from Mongolia gets me every time. The growing storm from the day before has reduced the number of contenders from 1,918 to just 468. Preoccupied with his own thoughts, Gyro casually asks Johnny about his final position, but he doesn't get an immediate response. Meanwhile, the spectators erupt in cheers and fervent betting. Amid the chaos, Steven Steel anxiously searches for his wife Lucy, while the president's aide informs him of a new complication: their intruder is no one other than Mount Tim, and they've heard nothing from Blackmore. Enraged, the president mutters about traitors, vowing zero tolerance as they continue their search for all of the corpse parts. Despite his internal fury, he waves to the crowd as though everything is perfectly fine. Lucy eventually rushes into the arena to find her husband, a move that doesn't escape the president's notice.

Gyro, still determined, though, to know his placement, since, you know, obviously they all passed the finishing line for this stage and they're getting given their placements later, they don't exactly know where they are right now. Scans the racers arriving at the finishing line. Familiar faces like Poco Loco, Hot Pants, and Sandman are already present. When the results are finally announced, Norisuke Higashikata is declared the winner. Gyro places third, and Johnny finishes fourth. Disheartened by his loss, Gyro notices the elderly Higashikata by the water barrels, attending to his horse. Over there, Higashikata strikes up a bizarre conversation with Hot Pants, proudly displaying his two belly buttons and even offering her a chance to touch them. Hot Pants, clearly uncomfortable with this, tries to avoid further interaction. Meanwhile, Dio arrives in 54th place, shocking many racers who just assumed he'd abandoned the competition earlier on.

Back when Johnny merged with the spine corpse part, a map had formed onto the ground due to the iron and the stand reacting to the spine's magnetic properties. The map revealed the locations of three corpse parts: the right arm, both ears, and both legs. As Lucy observed this, confusion clouded her thoughts like a lost driver searching for a parking spot. However, her confusion was cut short as Gyro and Johnny began questioning her. Gyro, glaring at Lucy, demanded to know if she was aware of whose corpse the president was seeking. Lucy, visibly distressed, denied any knowledge, explaining that the president relied on an old map to guide the race. Johnny pressed further, asking if the president was a stand user. Lucy admitted she didn't know but revealed that the president had the corpse heart embedded in his chest. With this information, Johnny and Gyro deduced that the president was indeed a stand user. Lucy, having nothing more to offer, then stood by as the duo planned the next move.

After assessing the situation, Gyro instructed Lucy to claim she never left Kansas and sent her horse back to corroborate the story. When Lucy refused, though, insisting she needed their help to rescue her husband, Gyro refused outright and instead tasked her with stealing the corpse heart from the president. Johnny protested this, pointing out that Lucy was only 14 years old. Finally, a man of like a good stature, right here. But Gyro dismissed his concerns. Gyro yelled at Lucy, urging her to prove her love for her husband by completing the mission, and even handed her an eye corpse part to aid in her task. Carefully, Lucy agreed to the mission. Gyro then erased the map from the ground, and the group prepared to head back to Kansas.

Elsewhere, Dio Brando lurked in an alleyway, waiting for the president's aide. Once with him, he presented the left eye corpse part, offering it in exchange for a meeting with the president himself. The aide, uninterested, though, just began to leave, forcing Dio to halt him by revealing critical information: Gyro and Johnny know the locations of the next corpse parts. This immediately picked the aide's interest, as well as the president, who observed the exchange from a nearby balcony. Feigning ignorance about the corpse parts, though, the aide questions Dio's demands. Dio requested nothing less than Manhattan Island all for himself and the position of mayor in exchange for the corpse parts, which I just yet the entirety of Manhattan Island is crack up. The aide initially dismissed his outlandish proposal, but Dio added that a traitor was among their ranks and had returned to Kansas with Johnny. This Revelation unsettled the president, leading to the aide reluctantly agreeing to Dio's terms. As a part of the deal, Dio demanded a stand user as his second command. The president approved, and a stand user who had been hiding nearby was introduced for a demonstration of his skill. The stand user turned a beehive into a swarm of bizarre frogs. Despite the aide's warning, though, Dio attempted to defend off the frogs with bottles, only to injure his hand in the process. Realizing the stand user's potential, Dio accepted him as his ally. The president, though outwardly cooperative, made it clear that Dio was merely a tool to be used and discarded once his purpose was served. The tension between them lingered, foreshadowing greater conflict in the future.

As the fifth stage of the Steel Ball Run Race begins, the racers press on towards Chicago. By day eight, Johnny and Gyro have traveled 800 km from Kansas City, with now only 2 km from the Mississippi River. Johnny surveys their competition: familiar faces like Poco Loco, Dio, Hot Pants, and Sandman, who are sprinting ahead through the corn fields. Among them is an unidentified figure, but Johnny just shrugs off the mystery and suggests they take a break. Gyro actually agrees with this, and they stop at a nearby barn. If the eccentric man, Gyro then belts out a freshly composed, horrendous song to a surprise. Though Johnny humors him with reluctant support. While they rest, they boil some water, and Gyro reveals a letter he received from the Vatican. His query about whether or not a corpse belonged to a saint was met with a curt reply: no records of such a person exist. Gyro finds the vagueness suspicious and shares his uneasiness with Johnny, who admits he doesn't believe the corpse is a saint but suggests the Vatican might be withholding the truth out of fear. As they debate, tension rises, and Johnny's persistence drives Gyro to tear the letter in frustration. The argument is cut short, though, when Johnny burns himself trying to handle the boiling water. Both racers then grow alert as the sound of clopping hooves echo from the cornfields. Johnny then notices noises from the nearby barn, previously empty, and alerts Gyro. Cautiously, Johnny readies himself to tear down the barn door with an axe, as Gyro, next to him, climbs the ladder to get a better view. Johnny warns him to stay still. The axe head suddenly shreds through the door as if it were paper, and Gyro instantly realizes something is gravely wrong. Testing the phenomenon, Johnny throws the axe at the ladder, which also disintegrates into pieces. Johnny yells out for caution, shouting that the enemy is definitely manipulating the surroundings. The barn then begins to collapse, and a falling piece strikes Johnny's leg, causing severe injuries. Before they can act, Dio emerges from the cornfield, accompanied by grotesque dinosaur-like creatures made from corn. Unable to move, Johnny uses his nail bullets to protect the horses, while Gyro warns Dio to keep his distance. Ignoring the warning, Dio advances, prompting Gyro to attack with a steel ball, but it rolls harmlessly off Dio's neck and is obliterated. Suddenly, Dio then begins to cry out for help, seemingly unaware of his actions. The racers realize he's being controlled, but their attempts to stop him are futile; even Johnny's nail bullets ricochet off him. Moments later, Dio's body begins to disintegrate, just like the barn around them. With the barn collapsing further, Johnny uses his bullets to hold off the falling debris, and Gyro supports with his steel balls, though they are too destroyed. Gyro urges Johnny to dig a hole with his nail bullets for safety, but the hole is too shallow for them to get in. Johnny, distracted though by a shadowy figure in the cornfield, insists that Gyro should save himself instead. Gyro tries to pull Johnny out, but sadly, it all collapses in on top of him. Dio and his horse, however, are shredded upon impact, leaving only the monstrous corn creatures. Realizing that the chaos must be Dio's doing and that he likely has a partner, Gyro uses his remaining steel ball to dig Johnny out of the wreckage and shield him underground. While this works, the steel balls are destroyed, leaving Gyro weaponless. Despite this, Gyro motivates Johnny to keep fighting, fueled by his friend's determination. Johnny struggles out of the debris, ready to face whatever comes next.

As the duo regroups together, Johnny's resolve wavers, worried about how to make it to Lake Michigan with only his nail bullets. The path ahead is daunting, but neither racer is ready to back down, even as shadows of the enemies loom ever larger.

Johnny was born Jonathan Joestar in Danville, Kentucky. His family was incredibly wealthy because his father owned several farms and had won the Triple Crown horse race seven times. One evening at dinner, Mr. Joestar caught Johnny dipping meat under the table and asked him about it. Feigning innocence, young Johnny remained silent, giving his father the chance to lecture him on his manners. His father kept pressing him until Johnny reluctantly revealed a white rat. Mr. Joestar immediately became angry and told him to drown the rats. When Johnny protested, his father grabbed him by the shirt and threatened him further. Terrified, Johnny ran outside before crying by the pole. His older brother, Nicholas, joined him and asked if Johnny really planned to drown the rat. Johnny lacked the courage to go through with it. However, Nicholas then suggested that they let the rat go and to prove that it had died, they could bring their father a stuffed rat from the school lab. Johnny, feeling relieved, hugged his brother and set the rat free on their property.

Years passed, and Nicholas only got better at horse riding, breaking record times with each race, leaving Johnny in awe of his older brother's talent. One day, Johnny noticed another younger boy on the property and asked about him. An old man told Johnny that the boy's name was Dio and that Mr. Joestar saw promise in him. As time went on, Nicholas was strapped onto a temperamental horse named Black Rose. He controlled the horse effortlessly until one day, he just couldn't anymore. The horse kicked up so much dust that people began to realize something had to have been wrong. It became much clearer, though, when the horse continued to run without Nicholas on it. They rushed to the scene, and one of the workers shouted that he had seen a white mouse, which had startled the horse. Johnny, standing there, then watched in horror as they tried to revive Nicholas, but tragically, he never woke up.

Seven years later, Johnny became a professional rider, taking his brother's place. He won multiple races and made the papers. One day, though, Johnny noticed that his boots were ruined and went to Nicholas's room to grab a new pair, but his father stopped him. An argument ensued, and Mr. Joestar called Johnny a disappointment, saying that he would never win a race as long as Dio was on the same track. Despite his father's disapproval, Johnny insisted on taking the boot, leading to a struggle between them. During the confrontation, Johnny accidentally elbowed his father, sending him crashing into a mirror. Sadly, shards of glass got lodged in Mr. Joestar's neck. As he lay there dying, he told God that he had taken the wrong son. With tears in his eyes, he expelled Johnny from the property, never to see him again.

Johnny, now alone, promised to make it on his own, and he eventually did. However, he could never forget that the white rat, his pet, had been the same one that killed his older brother. Haunted by this, Johnny was certain that karma would one day come back for him, that his fate would eventually catch up with him.

Fast forward to the present, Johnny feels the same way as he hangs on to Gyro's horse, being chased down by Dio and an unknown enemy. He fires his nail bullets at the attacking corn dinosaurs, taking out only two while the others continue to pursue. Racing through the cornfield, Gyro's foot and Johnny's torso is injured as well. Johnny spots the enemy and tells Gyro that he can see him running through the field where still Dio is lending him the dinosaurs. They realize that the enemy's power works with sound, which travels through space and reaches their bodies. In a panic, Gyro announces that Valkyrie can't take much more damage, so he asks Hot Pants to fix his horse. To make matters worse, though, flying dinosaurs join the attack. Johnny, drained from his past, begins to lose hope. He tells himself that fighting is futile, as fate has finally closed in on him. Gyro, unwilling to let him give up, though, yells at Johnny to jump off the horse and detach it. Johnny obeys, and the two of them end up digging into the mud to protect themselves from the sound-based attacks. Still under the mud, Johnny feels a burning sensation in his tongue, and Gyro experiences a similar pain in his hand. They realize the enemy must possess additional abilities. Johnny suffers another attack to his eye, and in desperation, he complains about his fate, irritating Gyro. Annoyed, Gyro tells Johnny to shut his ass up. He then asks Johnny if he's looking down on 250 years of Spin family history. He announces that what he's taught Johnny so far is only the basis. Since they are cornered, he offers to teach Johnny the next step in rotation: Lesson Four, leaving Johnny surprised that there is yet another level to learn. Obviously, you know, he's kind of surprised 'cause bro thought he'd learn everything there is to know, the Steel Ball's rotation and whatnot.

With nothing but a thin layer of mud separating them, the flying monsters unleash burning sounds that consume our favorite racers bit by bit. Gyro then tells Johnny that he'll have to admit he can't do it four times before Gyro can help him with the ultimate secret. This, Gyro explains, is what Mr. Zapel taught him. Though Johnny is still absolutely confused, noticing Johnny's confusion, he begins to explain how his family has been striving for infinity. He draws a perfect rectangle in the mud and explains that it is called the golden rectangle, with a ratio of 9 to 6. The ratio has been subconsciously used in masterpieces like the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mona Lisa, and even the Venus de Milo. Still confused, Johnny laments that he doesn't understand the point, prompting Gyro to reveal that his father taught him how to create this golden rectangle with his hand. To clarify, Gyro draws another perfect rectangle inside the first one, then another inside of that. Then he links the center point to each of the rectangles and forges a perfect spiral in the process. This realization nearly blows Johnny's mind, but that's not all. Gyro also wants him to use this golden ratio to spin his nail bullets, enabling him to attain the power of infinity. Looking at the situation in front of him, Johnny uses up the first "I can't do this," and before he can repeat himself, his throat begins to burn from the inside. Gyro tells him that he can say he can't do it three more times before he will then give him his perfect rectangle belt buckle. Apparently, if Johnny can spin his nails according to the buckle, he'll achieve the infinite spiral. Gyro tries to demonstrate by spiraling a rock on top of the buckle, but it doesn't work because the rock is too rough. Moving on, though, Gyro then manages to spin the mud they've been hiding under long enough for Johnny to shoot at the flying monsters. While Johnny laments that his nail bullets haven't grown stronger, Gyro points out that the corpses of the monsters are going to fall down on them. In response, they both jump into the water, only for the flames to follow them in vain. When they come up for air, Johnny screams that he can't do it and repeats it, just to get Gyro to give him the belt buckle. Unfortunately, Gyro counts all of this as one attempt, adding that Johnny will have to say it two more times. Pissed off, Johnny wonders if this is a test and points out that they don't have time for such things because the enemy is already leading them towards the perfect trap. Gyro tells them to calm down, but they soon see new monsters lining up by the shore. Both racers panic, and Gyro announces that they need to locate the enemy. They scan the surroundings but can't pinpoint the location of the stand user. Trying to stay afloat now, Johnny yells that he just caught a glimpse of the enemy but has no idea where he's gone off to. This gives Gyro the idea to search for a place without sound, since the enemy attacks them through sound and can even carry it using the monsters they've been facing. Pointing at the shore, Johnny warns his friend about the approaching sounds, prompting Gyro to tell him to shoot randomly. Unfortunately, Johnny starts to panic and asks for the belt buckle as if it's his right. This pisses off Gyro, who responds with an uppercut for his damn lack of respect. Gyro then explains that the Zapali family rule requires a person to genuinely say they cannot do it four times. Bleeding from his nose and mouth, Johnny tries to argue about Gyro's choice of words, but they are again attacked before he can do so. Annoyed, Johnny shoots sporadically at the field, clearing a path that actually reveals Higashikata. Johnny complains about not obtaining the power he needs and repeats that he can't do it. While he's busy complaining, Gyro uses the perfect ratio to create a rotation in the water, temporarily deflecting the sound attacks. Sadly, Gyro loses an arm and a leg afterwards, and Johnny is forced to keep him afloat. Gyro asks Johnny about the sounds bouncing back from across the river, reminding Johnny that he has to say he can't do it one more time. Still lurking in the fields, Higashikata watches as Johnny screams at Sandman to go and get Hot Pants to try and heal Gyro. This draws Sandman's attention to Higashikata, but before he can move a muscle, the tribesman ambushes and stabs him to death. Afterwards, he calmly heads to the river and washes the blood from his dagger. With Gyro barely holding on now, Sandman insists on taking the corpse parts they've gathered, as it would make the perfect bargaining chip with America. All he cares about is obviously getting the money his tribe needs to survive in these changing times, so saving them is no longer an option. Johnny screams in frustration as the sounds then close in on their location. Grabbing the belt buckle, he scolds the unconscious Gyro for not giving it to him earlier and laments for the fourth time that he can't do it. At this moment, things begin to slowly make sense to him. He realizes that all the perfect rectangles created by the Zapali family must have been imitations of the real thing. He starts by noticing the rectangle and a butterfly, then in trees, and soon enough, he realizes that even Gyro has been using nature as the template all along. With this understanding, Johnny prepares to fire off another attack using his nail bullets and the golden ratio. Johnny uses his finger as the axis, and it helps his nails spin like a drill. He then takes his upgrade for a spin, and the one shot he fires blows a hole in the water, which sucks in all of his sound. The only downside to this is that the [ __ ] nail doesn't grow back straight after; in essence, he only has one attack per finger. Aiming up again, he then fires off a second attack at the field, in a bid to hit Sandman. It doesn't work, though; however, it does help him understand more about how to use this ability and make Sandman become.

More cautious, Johnny. Fire! Straight had Sandman this time. However, Sandman uses the literal manifestation of the word "wosh" to deflect it instead of the bullet shooting off into a nearby tree. The difference between the Stand abilities drives Jo into depression, and he cries out to the past, out to Gyro, apologizing for being useless.

Just then, the hole from one of his previous shots begins to move. Sandman watches it until it randomly destroys one of the monsters. Worse off, the same hole then makes its way to Sandman and blasts a hole in his leg. Both he and the [ __ ] then begin to question this new occurrence, but Sandman has no time to dwell on it because another bullet seems to be chasing after him. He jumps onto a tree branch for safety, but like a homing device, the nail follows him up the tree, leaving Sandman with literally no choice but to let go before the nail destroys his lady fingers.

Keeping this in mind, Johnny fires more attacks, which go on to take out the remaining monsters. With Sandman then realizing that he has a real threat on his hand, he watches Johnny intensely as he swims to Gyro's side to update him on the new development. Still bleeding from his leg, now Sandman actually comes closer to the shore. Sand [Music]. In a silent stab, him to death or blow him apart using his Stand ability. Johnny, now aware of his limited ammunition, takes stock of his remaining bullets. In the blink of an eye, Sandman leaps towards him to attack, but Johnny is ready. He clasps his hands together and fires one nail bullet at him.

The bullet sinks into the ground and then begins to chase Sandman like a relentless predator. Sandman, using his sound ability, stays afloat just long enough to deduce that Johnny's bullets only chase for about 7 to 8 seconds. He mocks Johnny for only having one shot left, but Johnny doesn't hesitate. He fires the nail bullet, and Sandman, thinking that he's dodged it, is randomly caught off guard. The bullet blows past them and passes through the wing of an unknown butterfly. This activates the homing device, and the butterfly lands right on Sandman's back, only for the rotation to continue.

The hole then rips through the tribesman's body like a mole coming up for air and continues to do so in a bid to reach his heart. He tries to stop it with his bare hands but is unsuccessful. By the time the bullet ends up stopping, obviously near his heart, Sandman is severely injured, his hand destroyed beyond repair. His blood pours into the Mississippi River, but he's lucky to have avoided losing his heart. Here, despite his grave injuries, Sandman still threatens to kill Johnny now that he has no bullets left, but Johnny remains unfazed. He pulls out Gyro's belt buckle and warns Sandman to step back if he knows what's good for him.

With this, Johnny reveals one last rotation stored within Gyro's belt buckle. He then threatens to end Sandman if he so much as moves a finger. Sandman, in his foolishness, accepts the challenge. He attacks Johnny, but Johnny's Steel Ball flies through Sandman's chest like it's made of butter, smashing the heart of Sandman's Stand to pieces. With a forced smile on his face, Sandman drops to the ground. His last words: a wish for a sister to find happiness. She kind of Sandman. I really wanted to see Sandman, or Soundman as we know him now, make it through to the end of the race and possibly even win here, but that ain't out. It worked in the end. What sound man did.

Johnny drags Gyro to the shore, trying to wake him up. As he does, Johnny notices his pit rat. Just then, Hot Pants arrives, shining like a lady in armor. She asks if the corpse parts have been stolen. After confirming that the Heaven, though, she pulls out a bag and steals the spine and left hand of the corpse from both Johnny and Gyro. She knocks Johnny out before taking a moment to mourn over the stolen corpse parts, crying as she caresses them. Afterwards, she mounts her horse and rides off.

Johnny eventually regains consciousness and finds himself on a raft, washed up on a new shore. Gyro's leg and hand have somehow been fixed, and their horses are tied to nearby trees. Obviously, Johnny is left completely confused about Hot Pants and the strange turn of events that have just happened in front of them. A Hell family had kept their true identities and professions hidden for 350 years, with only the man of the house, his wife, and the eldest son aware of the secrets. The secrecy was enforced by direct orders from the king. In their daily lives, the family was widely known as doctors, a lifestyle that Gyro was thoroughly educated in from a young age.

One day, while Gyro was asleep with one of his patients, his father returned home unexpectedly. In a panic, he had the woman get dressed quickly before his father arrived in the room to sell the story to him. Gyro used his Steel Ball to make her appear old and saggy. His father, believing his son was administering treatment, accepted the scene and left. As soon as he was gone, Gyro and the woman burst out into laughter. Bro then restored her youthful appearance but noticed the ring mark left on her finger. Suddenly, it makes him realize that if his father had discovered the truth about this, he would have been killed.

Any present. Gyro wakes up covered in snow and notices Johnny hunting for a rabbit with his nail bullets. Johnny successfully catches the rabbit and brings it back to the campfire. There, he explains that certain herbs, especially chamomile, seem to help his nails grow back faster. He shows off his nail abilities to Gyro, who brushes them aside and informs him that he can hear horses approaching from 10 kilometers to the south, which is just insane. The fact that he knows that. Johnny speculates that Dio is behind upshoot, while Gyro acknowledges Dio's involvement in Sandman's attack at the Mississippi River. He believes Dio is at least 2 days behind them.

Johnny rings up Hot Pants, though, pointing out that the bag she used to collect the corpse part bore the crest of Dio's country. He also notes that she didn't, for some reason, take all of Johnny's corpse part, which confused him. Johnny concludes that Hot Pants was likely sent by Gyro's country after Gyro sent them a letter about the corpse part and a bold claim. Johnny suggests that the corpse parts might belong to Jesus Christ. Gyro, absolutely unfazed by this, asks Johnny if he still intends to chase the parts. But dude responds that without them, he would return to a lifeless existence.

Placing his ear to the ground, Gyro determines that they are indeed being followed by more than one horse, 11 marching in perfect rhythm. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Gyro urges Johnny to move, but Johnny reminds him that the corpse parts are close by. Randomly, Gyro's Steel Ball falls off him and into a small spring on the ground, prompting him to check it out. He discovers that they are above a shallow swamp. As he dips his hand into the water to retrieve the ball, he realizes it's missing. He then catches sight of a young girl in the woods holding her Steel Ball. When she runs off, Gyro gets on his horse to chase her, leaving Johnny to note that she's heading in the same direction as the other corpse part.

This pursuit leads them to the base of an ancient tree, at least a thousand years old. The girl then disappears into a hollow in the trunk, while Johnny searches for the corpse part nearby. He ends up throwing mushrooms into the spring. Despite the map indicating that the ears and right arm are at this location, Johnny finds absolutely nothing there. They eventually enter the hollow and discover the girl talking to dolls as though they were real people. When Gyro introduces himself, he unintentionally terrifies her. She points out to the lines she had drawn on the ground to mark the boundaries of her space, forcing Gyro to enter through the designated front door she made. After he does this, the girl finally introduces herself as Sugar Mountain.

While scouting outside, Johnny observes that the girl appears to be alone and possibly blind. Gyro notes himself that despite this, she is fast enough to steal their belongings. Sugar Mountain then offers Gyro gold and diamonds, claiming they are items she took from him. However, Gyro demands only the return of a Steel Ball. She returns the ball along with his treasures, rewarding his honesty. She does the same thing with the mushrooms that Johnny placed in the spring, and when he chose the honest answer, she gave him matuk mushrooms instead. This behavior makes the two racers suspicious, and an impatient Gyro begins searching her belongings, finding nothing. Gyro confronts her aggressively, causing Sugar Mountain to panic and attempt to hit him with her cane. As their conflict escalates, she presents them with two choices: scraps from the left or a grand banquet from the right. Both are unnerved by the sudden appearance of these options. Gyro quickly realizes that her actions are tied to some sort of test. When he asks what would have happened if they lied about the gold or Steel Ball, she reveals that thorny vines would have torn out their insides. To her rule, Gyro throws a piece of paper and Johnny's watch into the spring. Sugar Mountain then presents a choice between the money and a Bulgari watch, and when Gyro denies this, dropping them, she rewards his honesty with money. Using this logic, Gyro cuts off the rabbit's ears and tosses them into the spring. As expected, they are then given a choice between the rabbit ears and the corpse part ears. Because of this, Gyro becomes convinced that Sugar Mountain must be a guardian of the corpse parts. Obviously, when Johnny ends up answering honestly, the ear corpse part merges with his body, drawing Gyro's attention to the way the corpse parts are naturally drawn to one another. Gyro then immediately mounts his horse, urging Johnny to follow him in pursuit of the right arm. Sugar Mountain tries to warn them that they must use the gifts she has given them before sunset, but Gyro dismisses the warning. Johnny, however, takes it seriously and asks for clarification. She explains that according to the rules, if they fail to use everything before sundown, they will turn into fruits on the ancient tree. Sugar Mountain reveals that her parents are among those trapped as fruits on that tree, and that she and her successors are bound to serve as guardians. Whoever fails to use their gifts before sunset becomes a fruit, freeing someone else who in turn becomes a new guardian.

As our favorite racers make their way through the snow, Johnny remains preoccupied with Sugar Mountain's ominous warning, well Gyro is more concerned about the 11 men chasing them in synchronized rhythm. When they discover they're carrying $50,000 in cash alongside gold and diamonds on him, Gyro decides to stop and inquire about a piece of land from an old man they encounter. After the old man confirms that the land is his, Gyro offers him all the money along with the gold and diamonds as payment. However, the old man refuses, suspecting them to be swindlers and even points a gun at them. Gyro tries to explain, but the man dismisses him, claiming the money and jewels are fake. Seeing that it's a waste of time, Johnny suggests they head to town where they can spend their real money. Stubbornly, Gyro hands the old man his watch as a further attempt to seal the deal. This, however, violates Sugar Mountain's rules, causing roots to sprout from Gyro's legs, leaving him incapacitated. Johnny, realizing the gravity of the situation, yells at him to retrieve the watch immediately. According to Sugar Mountain's rules, they are forbidden from giving away or losing the gifts bestowed upon them. In exchange for this test, Gyro has been granted the right arm of the corpse part along with the cash and jewels. Johnny manages to snatch the watch back from the old man, and as soon as he does, Gyro's leg returns to normal. This realization leads Johnny to suspect they're dealing with a scenario akin to the devil's palm, where the ancient tree continues to test them to determine if they are truly worthy of the corpse parts. Frustrated, the old man tells them to leave, but then notices the matuk mushrooms they're carrying. He offers to trade it for a hell on his property, and Gyro negotiates for a deed of ownership, and the deal is made.

Later, the two racers arrive in the nearest town where they indulge in a meal at the most expensive restaurant. To their surprise, though, they spend only $500. Afterwards, they switch the horseshoes on their horses with the random ones from town, hoping to throw their pursuers off their trail. They attempt to spend more money at a but when roots begin to sprout from Gyro's leg again, they abandon the plan. Next, they visit a pawn shop to appraise the gold. The appraiser values it at $30 million, but since he lacks sufficient cash, he asks them to return in a week. When Gyro pressures him to exchange for whatever amount of cash he currently has, the roots reappear, forcing them to reconsider. Instead, they opt of purchasing another property. The appraiser then shows them a complex for sale, and within 5 minutes, they finalize the purchase, though they overpay for it. They receive cash as change, overdue rent from tenants, and documents providing government compensation for rights to an iron vein on the property. In an instant, they become even wealthier.

As the day progresses, they notice the decoy horses have been intercepted by the pursuers. Hiding and sneaking out of the back, Gyro realizes they are still carrying $30 million on them. This time, roots sprout even from Gyro's eyes. Desperate, Gyro suggests that they enter a casino, reasoning that gambling is a surefire way to waste all of the money. Inside, Johnny uses a wheelchair due to the worsening root problem and warns Gyro of the risks. Gyro, however, remains optimistic, arguing that gambling outcomes are 50/50, win or lose. True to his words, the situation doesn't get worse, but they do end up winning another $1,000. Gyro, kind of annoyed at this point, puts Johnny on door duty and tells him to watch for the enemies while he handles the betting. With this, he bets the entire 30 million on red and watches the dealer spin the roulette table. As the ball spins, the roots worsen, and Johnny panics. When Gyro becomes physically attached to the roulette table, he admits he saw the dealer cheating, meaning the odds were no longer 50/50. Instantly, the roots of the curse got even worse because it became certain that they would lose here. In a last-ditch effort, Gyro yells at Johnny to collect the chips, as he's the only one still mobile. When Johnny attempts to do so, casino security intervenes, pointing guns at him. To make matters even worse, on top of the fact that normal people can't even see these roots, Johnny also becomes rooted to the table. Desperate, he asks Gyro where the ball will land. Before Gyro can respond, though, the 11 pursuers finally arrive. Ignoring their arrival, Johnny presses Gyro for an answer. Reluctantly, Gyro hesitates but finally says black. The roulette wheel spins, and the ball lands on red 27, seemingly a loss, but in a twist, Johnny secretly uses his Tusk ability, firing a nail bullet to create a moving hole that shifts the outcome. Instead of losing, they win big, doubling their wealth to a staggering $60 million. Because of this, the curse momentarily loosens its grip, and the roots stop spreading. The situation, though, does escalate when one of the pursuers fires at Johnny, but he deflects the bullet with his nail bullet, causing it to hit a security guard instead. Gyro then finishes the attacker off with a Steel Ball. As the pair regroups, Gyro nervously asks Johnny about the remaining 10 enemies. Before Johnny can respond, though, one of the defeated enemies replicates himself from his corpse, ambushing them and shooting Gyro's arm into oblivion. With Gyro's arm bleeding profusely, Johnny is forced to take the lead.

"You make it, you make it!" He fires his nail bullets at a doppelganger-like enemy, but somehow misses. The other two clones sprouting from the main corpse, for his trouble, Johnny takes a shot to the shoulder, missing any vital point. The enemy aims straight for Johnny's head, leaving Gyro to step in and save him once again. Gyro uses his Steel Ball to carve an ungodly hole in the head of the enemy and with the same rotation, twists his arm to take out his own kin. With all three down, Gyro retracts his Steel Ball, while Johnny freaks out over the increasingly bizarre situation. Unfortunately, more doppelgangers begin to emerge from the corpse. As Johnny tries to make sense of it all, he quickly screams out to warn his partner, firing a nail bullet just as a head pushes out of one of the bodies. Gyro advises Johnny to target the corpse on the far right, but before Johnny can get off a shot, six more doppelgangers appear. Realizing that they're outnumbered here, they two dive behind a pillar for cover as more bullets rain down on them. One of the clones closes in, stopping just on the other side of the pillar. Seizing the moment, Johnny fires a nail bullet through the pillar, boring a hole straight into the clone's brain. As the dude's body drops to the floor, Johnny notices that more doppelgangers emerge from the marks on the back of the fallen ones. Gyro confirms his suspicions, adding that the enemy can freely jump between corpses. Uneasy, Johnny attempts to shoot the next man who will emerge, but Gyro reminds him he only has one nail bullet left and seven enemies to deal with. Making matters worse, Gyro's artery has been nicked, leaving him with only a minute or two to live unless he can stop the bleeding. Desperately, Gyro searches for a string to tie himself up, but the only string available is in Johnny's backpack, currently lying in the center of the chaos. Left with no other option, Gyro reaches out to some shady gamblers also taking cover nearby. When he asks for the string, they rudely refuse him, claiming it's not their problem. In a last-stitch effort, Gyro offers them his watch, worth about $400,000, but he's interrupted when Johnny shouts that the enemy is crawling towards them by hiding in the corpses. Still scanning the battlefield, Johnny spots a pistol near one of the bodies and suggests they grab it since it still has bullets. Gyro shoots the idea down, though, refocusing on his need for strength. Before they can act, though, the doppelgangers surround them with pistols drawn. As the clones prepare to fire, Johnny uses his last nail bullet to strike one of their hands, manipulating its rotation so the clone sporadically shoots at its allies. This only gives them a reprieve, and Gyro has to hold Johnny back from going after the abandoned pistol. Three more doppelgangers then close in, but Gyro uses his Steel Ball to [ __ ] the foot of the main host. Because of this, the enemy's counterattack only grazes Gyro's hand instead of heading its mark directly. With no other options left, the pair is once again surrounded by enemies ready to pull the trigger. Resigned to death here, Johnny just starts to pray. Suddenly, bullets tear through the air from the opposite direction, riddling the enemies until their bodies collapse, looking like a tatted pair of stockings, which is, you know, kind of fitting for this time of year. As the dust then settles, Johnny realizes they've been saved by the shady gamblers from before. Their leader then tosses Gyro some string. When Johnny, confused, asks what was going on, Gyro explains that he made a deal using the $60 million they earned earlier. He reveals he used all of the money to hire these men as bodyguards, who incidentally are assassins, but that's beside the point here. The leader collects Gyro's chips and demands the land deed promised as part of the deal. The pair hands it over without hesitation, and when they check the time, Johnny notes it's not even sunset yet. While Gyro patches his arm up, Johnny celebrates that their transaction with Sugar Mountain is finally complete. As they then step into the snowy streets, Johnny estimates it will take about 7 days to recover from this incident. He speculates that aside from the president sending more men after them, they should be fine by the end of the sixth stage. Gyro, however, reminds Johnny that the president still believes they possess all of the corpse parts that Hot Pants stole from them. Because of this, Johnny suggests that they leave town before nightfall, but fate takes another twisted turn. Roots sprout from Gyro's body, pulling him into a nearby wall right in front of Johnny. Panicking, Johnny pieces it together: they haven't yet used up the corpse parts. With less than an hour left until sunset, Johnny struggles to accept that Sugar Mountain expects them to part with something extremely important to them. Still grappling with his life-altering decision, Johnny watches in anguish as more of Gyro's body transforms into wood and merges with the wall. For a fleeting moment, Johnny contemplates even abandoning Gyro, reasoning that he's the only one to come to the curse. Soon, Gyro disappears entirely, leaving Johnny to scream out his apologies in the middle of the street, alone.

At the ancient tree, Sugar Mountain sits at its base, watching Gyro reappear as a fruit. Disappointed that the racers failed to break the spring's curse, she finds solace in her parents' freedom as she then prepares to return to her fruit form. Her parents point out something unusual: Gyro is shrinking on the tree. Meanwhile, in the town, Johnny collapses with tears in his eyes, overwhelmed with guilt. Suddenly, Gyro emerges from the very wall he just disappeared into. The twist here was actually that one of the doppelgangers had survived the earlier shootout, and Johnny handed him both corpse parts. Still suspicious, though, the doppelganger confirms with Johnny that he won't attack him after he mounts his horse. Johnny assures him and watches as the man stashes the corpse parts in his duffel before riding off into the snow. Back to his normal self, Gyro questions why Johnny surrendered the corpse parts to an enemy. Johnny clarifies, though, that he exchanged them for an open bottle of wine. As per the rules of the ancient tree, this brings Gyro back to a pivotal moment in his past, assisting his father during surgery. Father was saving either a mother or son using the other's tissue for survival. Gyro struggled with the moral weight of the choice, hoping for a solution. He urged his father to find a way to save them both. His father explained that only a miracle could accomplish that and passed the responsibility to Gyro, emphasizing their role as the palis to make such calls. He likened the uncertainty to a tennis ball hitting the net, its fate determined by only God. Returning to the present, Sugar Mountain appears to pay her respect to the racers, remarking that those who sacrifice everything often gain it all in the end. Gyro and Johnny then share a drink, toasting to the next corpse part. "Merry Christmas, Gyro." "Merry Christmas."

Elsewhere, Dio Brando is approached by Mike O., a henchman of President Valentine. After exchanging pleasantries, Mike informs Dio that the ears and right arm of the corpse are now in their possession. Dio, however, is more concerned whether Gyro and Johnny have been eliminated. When he notices Mike's hesitation, he presses him further, his piercing gaze demanding the truth. Reluctantly, Mike admits they managed to survive. Getting to the point, Mike presses Dio to honor his end of the bargain, specifically revealing the identity of the Kansas City traitor. Still mourning Sandman's failure, Dio divulges that the traitor is likely a woman or possibly a small man under 51 kgs. Armed with this information, Mike reports to the president in Chicago. Skeptical, Valentine dismisses the idea of a woman infiltrating the government facility. "Like, how could a woman ever infiltrate the government? That's impossible." Mike suggests that she could be a Stand user, but the president counters that she would have had to bypass Mounted Tim, who had already been thoroughly vetted. Mike, though, then presents him with a list of 147 women and 135 men as the suspected criminal, but the president tosses it aside, instructing him to focus on Dio's lead: a woman who can read lips. Lucy Steel obviously makes the names of people on this list to strengthen his case. Mike reveals the phone used by the traitor to contact Mountain Terman. Using a golden nail, he transforms it into a balloon animal and releases it onto the phone. The balloon bursts, reverts to its nail form, and embeds itself into the phone, now capable of tracking the last user. Releasing more balloons into the president's office, Mike asks for permission to kill the traitor, and Valentine grants it.

Meanwhile, Mr. Steel faces inquiries from government officials about his whereabouts and those of his wife and daughters during the last stage. They also question him if any of them can read lips. Baffled, Mr. Steel assures his accordance. He'll investigate this after informing Lucy that he's heading to the racing office. Mr. Steel departs, left alone. Lucy panics, recalling Gyro's warnings. Despite her love for her husband, she steels herself and gazes at the corpse's eye, resolving to steal the president's heart. Determined, Lucy sheds a tear but quickly composes herself. After this, she visits the library to check out books from the first lady's collection: "The Sign of Four" and "A Secret Engagement." The latter, detailing a moral act between women, surprises Lucy but also inspires a plan. Positioning herself now on a park bench alongside the first lady's path, Lucy pretends to read "The Sign of Four." The first lady notices and initiates a conversation, recognizing Lucy as Mr. Steel's young wife. Lucy feigns exhaustion, collapsing onto the first lady and accidentally groping her. Pierced, apologizing profusely, now Lucy falls again, brushing her lips against the first lady's neck. Though the guards try to intervene, the first lady assures them that it's fine. This here confirms to Lucy what she had previously suspected: the first lady harbors an attraction to women. The first lady takes Lucy back to the Chicago residence and grows increasingly comfortable with her, to the point of insisting that Lucy call her by her first name, Scarlet. Lucy plays coy, pretending she couldn't possibly do that, but Scarlet brushes off her protests, demanding instead that Lucy call her name like she's angry with her. Seizing the moment when she spots the president outside, Lucy yells out, "Scarlet!" The first lady is thrilled by the display, savoring every second of the attention. As Scarlet then offers Lucy tea, she casually reveals that her husband usually takes afternoon naps. Lucy feigns ignorance, prompting Scarlet to shift the topic to marital issues, inquiring if Lucy and Mr. Steel are currently having problems. When Lucy remains silent, Scarlet fills the gap with her own chatter, first joking about marrying the president for power and money, then claiming she was just kidding. She begins reminiscing about their first meeting, rambling about his silent footsteps regardless of the flooring and his ability to play the mandolin with his feet. Eventually, Scarlet tires of talking about her husband and focuses on Lucy. She starts fiddling with Lucy's nose and lips before asking her to yell her name again. Lucy obliges, and Scarlet, clearly aroused, suggests something shocking: she asks Lucy to sit on her face. Scarlet soon falls asleep, allowing Lucy to pour out the rest of the tea and psych herself up for the next phase of her mission: stealing the corpse's heart from the president. She sneaks to a nearby room and later cracks open the door to the president's room, confirming Scarlet's claim about his nap. However, the president isn't fully asleep and notices the door creak open. He immediately sits up, demanding to know who's there. To his surprise, Scarlet enters the room. Except it's not actually Scarlet. Lucy, disguised herself using Hot Pants' Miracle Cream, which allows her to mimic anyone's appearance, has taken on Scarlet's face. The president, fooled by the disguise, scolds her for interrupting his nap. Lucy's preparation for this disguise came earlier when she met Hot Pants, who sprayed her with cream and gave her specific instructions. During their meeting, Hot Pants revealed knowledge of Lucy possessing the right eye of the corpse, terrifying the young girl. While Lucy tried to pry more information about the corpse and its connection to the Vatican, Hot Pants shifted the focus back to the mission, refusing to take Lucy's place and urging her to strengthen her resolve.

Back in the present, Lucy's disguise holds, but the president grows suspicious when he notices her odd behavior. He reminds her that weirdly enough, she's never been in his room before. Just then, Lucy spots three of Mike's tubular bell balloons in the room. Their movement unsettling to her. Lost in thought, she snaps back when the president yells at her to buy time. She nervously explains that the balloons are creeping her out. The president, though, just satisfied with her voice's authenticity thanks to Hot Pants' cream, again reassures her that the tubular bells are security measures designed to detect a specific intruder's scent. Realizing time is running out, Lucy takes a bold step. She climbs into bed with the president, caressing his lips as a distraction. Beneath her index finger is a potent sleeping drug given to her by Hot Pants, which she uses to knock the president out for two whole minutes. With him unconscious now, Lucy uses the corpse's eye to locate the heart. Just as she grabs it, a tubular bell pierces her leg. Though Lucy struggles to remove it as it burrows deeper, transforming back into its nail form. Amid her pain and panic, she notices that the president possesses additional corpse parts beyond just the heart. Overwhelmed by growing agony, she screams, but things escalate when the remaining tubular bells launch towards her. At that moment, Scarlet, woken by the commotion, rushes into the room. She pauses upon locking eyes with her carbon copy. Both women stare in stunned silence until Scarlet realizes the truth: this has to be Lucy Steel. Outside, Mike senses the burst of one of his tubular bells in the president's room. The first lady initially feels pity for Lucy, likely moved by the young girl's distressed demeanor. However, that pity quickly turns to rage. Without warning, Scarlet pulls a gun on Lucy, promising to blow a hole in her pretty little face. Before Lucy can react, Scarlet fires, and the bullet tears through two of her fingers. Overcome by pain, Lucy scrambles to dodge as Scarlet fires again, eluding both the guards and Mike to the commotion. Though only grazed by the subsequent shots, Lucy musters her courage and lunges at Scarlet, only to take a bullet to the leg in the process. Despite the injury, she manages to knock the first lady to the ground. The tubular bells, following their programmed scent, begin forcing their way under the bathroom door where Lucy has retreated to. Desperate, Lucy locks the door, but the balloons slip through the cracks, closing in on her from behind. Scarlet, who's woken back up, launches a vicious attack, biting and strangling Lucy while twisting the nail embedded in her leg. Lucy screams in agony, tears streaming down her face. Meanwhile, and just outside the bathroom, the commotion has woken the president. The guards burst into the room, trying to assist the chaos inside. Lucy faces both Scarlet's unrelenting assault and the approaching tubular bells. In a moment of desperation, Lucy transfers the face cream Hot Pants had given her onto Scarlet, tricking the tubular bells into targeting her instead. Mistaking Scarlet for Lucy, the balloons burrow into her head, bursting into nails. Scarlet collapses in a gruesome, bloodied heap, giving Lucy a moment of respite as she lies sprawled on the bathroom floor, wrecked with pain and guilt. Meanwhile, the guards inform the president of the unfolding crisis. Mike, peering through the bathroom window, struggles to see through the fog. Spotting movement, he locks eyes with Hot Pants, who has now appeared inside. Lucy takes the opportunity to reveal the three corpse parts that she had actually hidden in her bag. At the same time, the president realizes that his own corpse parts are actually missing. Without hesitation, Mike begins his counterattack by manipulating the metal screws and flesh of the bathroom window and flinging them into balloons of various sizes, which rapidly fill the small space. Lucy warns Hot Pants of their effect, but Hot Pants reassures her and stretches out a hand to spray Mike. Anticipating this, the henchman activates a set of shutters, slicing Hot Pants' hand clean off. The dismembered hand explodes on contact, scattering body fragments onto Mike, but he remains undeterred, inflating more shutters into snake-like balloons that slither into the bathroom. Gripping her bleeding arm, Hot Pants warns Lucy not to move, inadvertently alerting Mike to the presence of a second person there. As the henchmen then send more shutters hurtling towards the bathroom stall, Lucy and Scarlet's corpses are partially exposed. This enrages Mike further, and he orders the guards to prepare to break down the door. Filled by fury, Mike climbs through the window, vowing vengeance for the first lady's death. He attempts to inflate his nails, but instead, his face begins to swell grotesquely. Unbeknown to him, the fragment from Hot Pants' exploded hand had entered his body, sabotaging his ability. Hot Pants warns him that inflating any more nails will cause his head to explode, but Mike ignores the warning, inflating one final nail. Instantly, his head violently bursts, leaving him lifeless on the bathroom floor, which is, you know, insane, and I don't even know if I can show that on YouTube. But continuing on, the guards finally break the door down, only to find a blood-soaked scene. Lucy, still disguised as Scarlet, sobs were laying on the floor, claiming she is unheard. The president immediately rushes to her side, relieved to find his wife safe. Meanwhile, Hot Pants escapes through the drainage system, leaving Lucy behind with the corpse's arm and a plan that they previously discussed. Lucy remembers Hot Pants' instructions: she is to obviously blame everything on her, from the break-in to the theft of the corpse parts and even the Kansas City incident, so that her husband was kept in the loop. Hot Pants promised that Steven Steel would be briefed and that Lucy would have to assume Scarlet's identity until the race concluded. When the president questions her, Lucy blames all of the chaos on Hot Pants, claiming that she fought to protect him. Satisfied, he thanks her and takes the corpse's arm. Left alone, Lucy reflects on the sacrifices she has made and the people she holds dear: Gyro, Johnny, and her husband, Steven Steel.

On a different part of the snowfield, Wikipeo and Magenta. Magenta endures the bittering cold. By the way, I really hope I got Wikipeo's name right. I know it ain't hard to read and look at, but yeah, sometimes the pronunciation really gets me. So, you know, like I said, freaking Gyro's name like Gyro for some reason for the first like 20 chapters. But either way, as Magenta taps on a thermometer, he notes that the temperature has dropped to 35 degrees below zero. Both men agree that no racer would currently dare to cross the frozen lake, fearing their horses wouldn't survive it. Wikipeo's thoughts wander back to his past. His younger sister had always dreamed of seeing the ocean, and on her wedding day, she finally had the chance. She married a wealthy financial commissioner, a match Wikipeo had arranged, believing that it would secure her future. However, the marriage fell apart within 6 months, and one night, Wikipeo visited his sister only to find her face bruised and beaten. Enraged, he sought to confront her husband, but she begged him not to. The situation worsened when her sister accidentally knocked over a vase, revealing that because of the beatings, she had gone blind in her left eye. Determined to protect her, Wikipeo sought the Pope's permission to annul the marriage. This action infuriated her husband, who retaliated by attacking Wikipeo and mocking his sister. Their feud culminated in a duel, despite his sister's tearful protests for them not to. At dawn, Wikipeo faced the commissioner, both armed with their Steel Balls instead of swords. Their weapons clashed with a spark of steel, and Wikipeo's ball struck true, piercing his opponent's eye. Though victorious, Wikipeo was ambushed by hooded men the commissioner had brought along with him, who attacked him for breaking their supposed rule of fairness. Despite his protests, Wikipeo was exiled from his homeland, bringing shame to his family. Worse still, his sister died a year later, leaving him without a cause to even fight for. And honestly, here I really want to bring this up early on in the series, just because a lot of people who, you know, first read Steel Ball Run and everything don't seem to understand this meaning here or like what happens at the very end of the story as well. But like this here is just proving what Johnny's mouse represents and fate, pretty much. His sister ended up dying a year later, leaving him without a cause to fight for. Even though he did all of this and was exiled from his homeland, it meant nothing in the end because his sister technically died. But that's just fate, you know? You do what you do in the time that you're given. Either way, I don't want to get into it too much now. Um, I want to speak on it more when I do finish, obviously, Steel Ball Run and everything in general. We're still got quite a few chapters to go, but you can kind of see that over the last hour and a half of the video, fate has kind of started to play more of a prevalent role in the series, and it's something that I think you should all just like, kind of pay notice of in the background. I don't always bring it up because obviously I've had to shorten things so much because the chapters get so long at specific points, but yeah, it's extremely critical to the story. Back to the main story now.

Sometime later, President Valentine approached Wikipeo with an offer. In exchange for tracking down the corpse parts in the sixth stage and assassinating Gyro and Johnny, he would be granted citizenship, permanent residency, and a high-ranking position in his government. Left with no purpose in life, pretty much, Wikipeo accepted these offers. Now in the snowy fields with Magenta, the duo track their targets. Magenta's incessant coughing and lame-ass jokes test weaker people's patience. Opening a map, our boy estimates Johnny and Gyro's location is near Lake Superior or Lake Michigan. Magenta's ramblings, though, about flying machines do little to distract him from the main machinations ahead. Meanwhile, Gyro uses a Steel Ball to check the frozen lake's thickness, finding it at only 43 cm thick, currently too dangerous for them to cross. Johnny suggests taking a ferry, but Gyro hesitates, distracted by a wolf currently trailing them. It turns out that it's not actually trailing them because it wants to murk them and everything Johnny had fed it once in the past, earning its persistent attention and probably protection. The pair then spot three other racers: Poco Loco, the who's still in it, Noruki Higashikata (who I didn't mention, but I think I put a note in that he obviously survived at the end there, meaning that the Higashikata bloodline lives on and everything, and you know, Gyro's still going to be a part of the story and Moria and all that kind of jazz), and obviously Baraga, all riding towards them. With only 15 km to the next stage's goal, it's clear to the boys that all of the others plan to risk crossing the frozen lake here. The stakes are extremely high. First place earns obviously 100 points, and Gyro dreads Poco Loco gaining an insurmountable lead. While debating their options, Johnny touches the snow and notes the proximity of another corpse part, specifically the feet.

Over with the others, Poco Loco reaches the frozen lake first and without hesitation rushes forth, spurring Gyro's concern. Johnny notices two more riders: Ando of him, Wikipeo, and Magenta. Gyro recognizes Wikipeo and quickly realizes that they have to be enemies here. As Poco Loco then speeds across the ice, Wikipeo hurls a Steel Ball in the boy's direction. Gyro counters with one of his own, but Wikipeo's superior ball deflects it and scatters smaller projectiles called satellites towards the racers. So, if anyone's confused with, you know, why the dude actually has a Steel Ball and everything here, these satellites, or the 14 Steel Balls that are embedded in the main Steel Ball of Wikipeo's weapon, were designed for Imperial guards of the Empire. Instantly, Johnny and Gyro drop to the ground, narrowly avoiding injury, but the delay allows Wikipeo and Magenta to close the gap. Johnny laments about being targeted despite not possessing any corpse parts, but Johnny identifies Wikipeo's Steel Ball and recalls how the man was actually presumed dead. As they prepare to defend themselves, a strange phenomenon begins. Johnny's body starts to randomly fall apart, and Gyro soon experiences the same thing. Despite the disorientating effect, Gyro tries to keep his friend calm. For Wikipeo and Magenta, though, the only goal they have in mind is to defeat the Zell Golden Rectangle and complete their deadly mission.

For into the past once more. Gyro remembers a time when he and his mother were presented with a female patient who had fallen down the stairs and arrived at their facility in critical condition. A quick X-ray with the Steel Balls revealed something odd, prompting Gyro to confront his mother. He recognized the patient as one of his father's cases, and her optic nerves in one eye were weirdly destroyed. Despite his mother mimicking his father's usual stern advice to focus on saving her life instead, Gyro remained determined to restore her sight. He proposed rejoining her severed optic nerves with a Steel Ball, but his mother tried to steer him back to the immediate emergency. Ignoring this, Gyro asked if the woman had any family, but was only told that she had a brother, Wikipeo, a former Imperial Guard who was already dead. Undeterred by the situation's taboo nature, Gyro studied the golden ratio through nearby leaves, sterilized his Steel Ball, and operated on the woman's damaged optic nerves.

Back in the present day, Johnny and Gyro's horses press forward as they try to make sense of their bodies seemingly falling apart. While Johnny panics, Gyro yells from to calm down and reveals that their pursuer is Wikipeo, a former Imperial Guard from his country. He explains that they have been struck by Left-Hand Attack here, a condition induced by Wikipeo's specialized Steel Ball technique, Wrecking Ball. The technique's shock waves alone were enough to distort them, causing a temporary inability to sense or perceive anything on their left. When Johnny frantically tests this and confirms the loss of feeling, his panic spikes once more. Gyro warns him that the enemy will likely strike from their blind spots and orders him to turn constantly while looking to the right. Following this advice, Johnny spots Magenta, Magenta high above them, perched on a sled and armed with a shotgun. Reacting quickly, Johnny fires his nail [Applause] bullet. As Wikipeo acknowledges Gyro's knowledge of his abilities and identity, Johnny's somehow managed to dismantle Magenta's gun, proving their continued effectiveness. Suddenly, the boys realize Gyro has been shot in his left hand, a wound he couldn't perceive due to Attack Here. Enraged, Gyro retaliates with a Steel Ball, but that too is deflected. Both racers grow alarmed as they realize something unusual is happening. Wikipeo slowly advances towards them on foot, forcing Gyro to remind Johnny of their opponent's dangerous skill sets. With his nails starting to grow back, Johnny laments on the situation being pursued despite not really having any corpse parts. Gyro speculates that Wikipeo might know the location of the next part and is trying to eliminate them because they're currently too close. Johnny disagrees, though, citing that only the corpse's spine, currently with Hot Pants, can pinpoint the next part's location. The enemies remain positioned on either side of them, with Wikipeo recalling his earlier encounter with the final of the 11 doppelgangers. During that encounter, he noticed the rough map by Johnny's feet depicting the Mech Straits and an image of an animal. This combined with President Valentine's warnings about the corpse parts' ability to merge with other entities draws Wikipeo's attention to the wolf trailing Johnny and Gyro. Opposing them, Johnny's nails finish growing, but he struggles to find a reference for the Golden Ratio amidst the barren icy landscape. Before he can act, Wikipeo hurls two more Steel Balls towards them. Gyro counters with two of his own, but his efforts are in vain as Wikipeo's Steel Balls knock them aside with absolute ease. Turns out that the ex-Imperial Guard has actually anticipated their reliance on nature for the Golden Ratio and left them grappling with a massive disadvantage in the wide-open snow fields.

In the past, back when Gyro treated Wikipeo's sister for her injuries, he had also tried to fix her eyesight in the same surgery. After it came to an end, he laid a match and swung it across her eyes, trying to confirm if his surgery worked. Sadly, it did not. So Gyro ended up beating himself up and calling himself a failure. In return, though, the patient still thanked him for treating her wounds, given that she had been blind long before she reached this hospital. This didn't stop Gyro from feeling like [ __ ] though, and he made things worse by comparing himself to his father.

Fast forward back to the present. Gyro and Johnny can only watch as Wikipeo's Steel Ball continues to approach them. Gyro then yells at his friend to shoot down the satellites with his nail bullet, so Johnny tries to shoot down as many as he can, causing them to start deflecting. Mike, taking in the environment around him, though, Magenta abruptly picks up a shotgun and blows a hole in the wolf's head, catching everybody off guard. Johnny is so distracted that Gyro has to pull his attention to the two satellites still making.

Their way towards them. He manages to shoot one down, but the other still comes straight at them. Luckily, D is dumb enough to protect his friend by using his good hand to block the satellite from hitting them. Of course, it also gets destroyed, but it doesn't stop Magenta from drawing closer to them as well.

Johnny laments about using up all 10 of his nails and gets a lecture from Gyro instead of a helpful suggestion. Apparently, Waipo is the kind of hunter that takes away the advantages of his prey one at a time, applying his training from his time as an Imperial Guard. This is also why he chose a frozen strap to remove the advantage of the golden ratio. Meanwhile, Wiki himself is busy feeling proud of Magenta for taking the wolf out so they won't have to chase it down.

After taking care of Jarro and Johnny, moments after this, the left hand of Taxier begins to take effect, and Magenta begins to disappear before their eyes. Still on the floor, Johnny screams in an attempt to warn his friend, but Gyro is too engrossed in trying to grab his steel ball before his left side disappears completely. Unfortunately for our boy, he doesn't make it in time, and his body starts to fall apart.

Opposite them, a creepy Magenta wields his handgun and resolves to shoot Jarro first because Johnny is currently out of nail bullets and can't really do anything. Little does he know that Johnny had already grabbed a hold of a steel ball. He then uses the track marks and the snow to speculate the enemy's location, and just as he is about to get shot, he throws the steel ball with as much force as he can muster. Too surprised to move in the face of this, Magenta gets struck by the ball, and only spilled blood serves as proof that he actually got hurt.

Before the races can even celebrate, though, Joe senses that the enemy will seek vengeance soon, so he pushes Johnny as they take cover while screaming out about the wound on his shoulder. Magenta begins to shoot sporadically in the Jew's direction and complains to Wikip about the left half of Taxier not being effective enough. Rebutting this, though, the ex-Imperial Guard lets him know that his entire hand would have been taken off if Jarro gained access to the golden ratio.

Magenta grits his teeth in frustration before firing off more shots, this time heading Jar square in the guts. The bullets keep flying as Johnny starts frantically searching for the missing steel ball. Through clenched teeth, Joe mutters that the ball isn't lost, it's lodged in his stomach. Summoning his resolve, he fishes out the bullet Magenta headshot into him, even as Maga himself curses under his breath. Wiki Aipo warns his partner about Jar's next move, but it's already too late.

With absolute precision, Joe aims and sends the bullets flying straight from Magenta's face. Magenta reacts just in time, activating his stand, 20th Century Boy, to deflect the projectile. A brief calm descends on the battlefield as Gyro and Johnny finally regain perception on their left sides. The missing steel ball then also comes into view, glinting in the snow. Both races exchange a quick glance before turning their eyes towards Magenta, who smirks and mockingly dares Johnny to retrieve it, claiming he doesn't care if he does.

Now, during this lull, though, Joe contemplates whether the wolf they had seen earlier might have actually been the host of the next corpse part. Before he can voice his thoughts, though, Wiki Aipo snaps him to stop wasting time talking to the enemy. Realizing his mistake, Magenta raises his gun to fire again, only for a bullet to fall from the sky and pierce straight through his skull. Jarro then smirks, mocking him while asking if he forgot about the one that he'd seen flying earlier.

The sight sends Wiki People into a rage, and he immediately closes the distance between himself and the two races. Jarro, visibly armed now, yells at Jonny to brace himself and prepare to counter the relentless foe. As the enemy closes in, J grips his steel balls with bloodied hands, his breath uneven, while Johnny, trembling but resolute, readies his nail bullets. His voice cracks with urgency as he screams, demanding guidance from his partner. Gyro, ever focused, keeps harping on about finding the golden rectangle, a concept Johnny is beyond tired of hearing about. Exasperated, he snaps back, reminding Jarro, for what feels like the hundredth time, that they're in a world of ice, not a geometry textbook.

Wiki Aipo readies his attack, and the tension thickens. It claws at Johnny, his breath hitching as Jarro barks an order, "Cover him while he makes his way to the wolf!" The part-time doctor has a wild theory: if he can just get to the wolf, there might be some part of it tied to the golden rectangle. Or, maybe, the corpse part hidden within aligns with that elusive perfect ratio. But Wiki Peo doesn't wait for Jarro to finish dreaming up his plans. Instead, he lets loose a steel ball. Its precision unmistakable. Jro is forced to respond, hurling one of his own, not as a direct counter, but as a calculated move aimed straight at the enemy. The result: Wigo's steel ball randomly veers, leaving Johnny to fend off all of the satellites himself.

Jo's voice cuts through the storm of action, shouting at Johnny that he must stop every single one. Johnny only manages to destroy most of them. One satellite, though, sneaks through, slamming into his arm with a sickening thud. As he grunts in pain, Jro finally reaches the end of his own struggle. W Aipo's steel ball hits the ground near him. It's a light swarm, absolutely spent. Johnny shouts out a shaky confirmation: "The satellites are all doubts worth together." They then watch as Jar's steel ball collides with Wiip Pipo's chest, the impact forcing blood from his mouth and a gruesome spray.

However, that doesn't cut Wikip down. With a painful gasp, he rotates another steel ball against his left side, countering the effects of Jar's attack. His labored breathing echoes around him, almost mocking in its persistence, like an overweight man after an uphill sprint. To both Johnny and Jar's shock, W Aipo somehow knows how to use this Aell family rotation. Annoyed with this, Jo doesn't waste time. He sprints over to the wolf as Johnny gails a frantic warning, "W Kipo is preparing another steel ball attack!"

The ex-guard's weapon then sails through the air, but Jo counters instinctively, sending one of his own in response. Yet, the unexpected happens: Wikip depo's ball targets the wolf instead, shattering the ice and exposing the poor creature to the bitter cold beneath. The wolf howls, blood messing its fur, but they move. By his time for Wikip peo. Now, with everyone bleeding, their breaths fogging the icy air, Wikip peo smirks through the pain, declaring it was obvious Jar would chase after the golden rectangle. With a flick of his wrist, he recalls his steel balls, the weapons floating back to him with an eerie precision.

Jo tries to do the same, but his movement falters, his left half succumbing to the creepy paralysis of a Taxier. Amid the chaos, Jaro and Johnny try to figure out when the satellite struck them. Still, our Italian boy Bo remains obsessively focused, scanning for anything resembling the golden rectangle. Desperation gnaws at him, and he questions if this is how his life will end. Will Wikip people actually beat him here? The thoughts send his mind spiraling until Johnny's anguish scream jolts him back.

Falling into the past, Jo's memory then stirs as he remembers his father's voice. "There Aell family believes in miracles," the old man had said. "If ever in doubt, pray for one." And if summoned by that prayer, J's eyes catch sight of a snowflake, perfect in its symmetry. Hope ignites in his chest. With renewed determination, he throws his steel ball. The two projectiles clash mid-air, and against all odds, Joe's steel ball shatters Wikip peo's. Wikip peo, dazed and clutching his chest, stumbles in disbelief.

Johnny, if perceptive, realizes something strange. It's snowing, but only around Wikip peo and Gyro. He pieces it together: the water from the broken ice has somehow frozen in the air, forming snowflakes, and within those snowflakes, Gyro has managed to find the golden rectangle. Armed with his revelation, Joe throws another still ball, now guided by the golden ratio. It pierces Wikip pipo's weapon effortlessly, tearing through his defense and leaving a clean, devastating wound.

[Music]

An Johnny, meanwhile, figures out the bigger picture. The 11th doubleganger had to have glimpsed the wolf because the spine reveals the location of the next corpse part. That's why Wikip pipo ended up targeting the wolf, as it must be hiding the fragment within it. With the battle's outcome clear, Gyro and Wikip exchange words. Gyro doesn't take credit for the snowflake miracle, but Wero insists it was just that, a miracle. Then, shockingly, the ex-guard attempts to stab himself with a dagger, but Jarro, quick as ever, deflects the blade with his last steel ball. Wapo, resigned, urges Jarro to end him, warning that his employer won't spare him anyway. But Jarro drops a bombshell: Wapo's sister is alive. His father had hidden her in the countryside, and her pursuers, deeming her blindness a curse, abandoned their hunt. We could too clutches his bleeding chest, struggling to process this truth.

But Joe's focus shifts as their horses bolt in a frenzy. A glance reveals the wolf still standing despite its injuries. Johnny, bewildered, questions how in the world the freaking wolf is alive. Jo points out to a log beneath the shattered ice and produces that the satellites only grazed the wolf. This log also marks an old path the natives once used to cross beneath the frozen lake. This revelation clarifies another detail: Poco Loco must be blindly winging his way forward, calling their horses back, though, and not worrying about it for the time being.

Jal and Johnny plan to patch up their wounds and continue the race. Before they leave, though, Jo turns to Wiki Aipo, offering one last piece of advice: "Protect Lucy steel. If he needs a reason to live, let it be that one." Riding off, Jo then leaves Wiip to ponder his new purpose.

Honestly, found it quite cool that in the end, both the Italian boys could, you know, kind of come to an understanding and, you know, work together. Hopefully, we can see them kind of pair up together in the end and both use the steel balls in some kind of like combination attack. Having the uh ex-guard paired up with the Executioner could be a freaking dope pass battle to read through. But either way, as the sixth stage of the race barrels towards its conclusion, Johnny feels the need to kind of share some of the survival tactics that have kept them and their horses alive through their grueling journey. Covering over 50 to 70 kilometers daily, their pacing isn't just strategic, it's essential. They deliberately avoid pushing harder and ignore any reckless competitor who speeds past, which, you know, we definitely have not seen that. And Johnny's experience, those riders always crash and burn long before the stage ends.

When crossing the unforgiving Arizona desert, they adapted to the terrain's cruelty. During the day's searing heat, they sought shelter and whatever shelter they could find before waiting for the night. Under the faint glow of the moonlight, they'd resume their trek, their horses enduring long stretches without water, sometimes up to 4 days. Narrow paths marked with wither boo crosses warned them of bandits lurking nearby, and rivers became a constant gamble. Were they safe to cross, or did they hide predators like venomous snakes waiting to strike? After each nerve-wracking challenge, Jarro would brew a potent Italian coffee, thick as custard, which is disgusting, and loaded with enough sugar to kickstart a dying man's heart. The revitalizing drink worked wonders, not just for Johnny and Jarro, but also for their horses, to whom Jarro occasionally shed their concoctions.

In these snowy regions, survival demanded a whole new level of caution. They braced against the biting wind, pushing forward only when it struck from their sides or behind. The moment it roared head-on, however, they halted their progress entirely, retreating to a nearby cottage or digging a hole to hunker down until the wind shifted. These moments tested their limits, but fate often played a cruel hand. The closer they drew to the stage goal, the harder the conditions became, and yet, as if summoned by some unspoken agreement, the other major races always seem to emerge at this point, each conserving their strength for the final desperate sprint.

As Gyro and Johnny push towards the finish line, two familiar competitors, Poco Loco and Hikishi Taka, appear from absolutely nowhere, charging after them with an intensity that makes it clear they're leaving nothing behind. Johnny, confident yet dismissive, marks Poco Loco, calling him a "third-rate rider at best." But Jarro narrows his eyes and quickly realizes the truth: Poco Loco is already in first place.

Meanwhile, Pooku's stand clings to his shoulder, its voice calm and reassuring. It urges him to not worry, insisting that the wind is on his side. The stand repeats its mantra of good fortune, but Poco Loco can't help but push back, reminding it that Jar crossed the frozen straight before him. The stand, unwavering, counters with a simple fact: "Poco Loco still caught up, didn't he?"

With a blizzard raging around them, Joe declares that losing another stage is not an option. He demands a status update from Johnny, who estimates the remaining distance to the goal is around 6 to 800 meters. When Jaro presses for exact precision, Johnny splits the difference, calling it a 700-meter sprint. As the blizzard begins to clear, though, an enormous crevice reveals itself ahead of them. Pool Loco, if the believer in his stand's declarations, takes the crevice as yet another sign of his luck. He and his stand celebrate, convinced that their victory is absolutely inevitable.

Meanwhile, Jar and Johnny huddle in urgent discussion, plotting a way to cross without losing speed. After some quick calculations, Johnny issues the plan: "J should throw one steel ball, and neither of them should slow down." Acting in perfect synchronization, Johnny charges his nail bullets with the golden rectangle, while Gyro hulls his steel ball forward. The nail bullets collide with the steel ball mid-flight, peeling it apart until it stretches into a narrow, gleaming bridge spanning the entire crevice. It's impossibly slender, yet sturdy enough to support both riders at full gallop.

I, I honestly could not believe this when I first read it. Like, the insanity was crazy. I just like, what? What?

As Jar and Johnny race across the makeshift bridge, Poco Loco and his stand watch in stunned silence, the disbelief palpable. Moments later, the races burst through the dissipating blizzard, greeted by the thunderous roar of the crowd waiting at the sixth-stage goal. For the first time, Jro finally crosses the line first, with Johnny hot on his heels. I think it's the first time he might have actually got first in the first stage as well, but I can't even remember, it's been so long at this point. The spectators immediately erupt into cheers, hailing Gyro as the man who conquered both the blizzard and the frozen straight.

While the crowds celebrate, other races trickle in, claiming the constellation positions. But elsewhere, in the unforgiving snow, a wounded Magenta struggles to stay upright. He collapses face-first into the icy ground, cursing his missing fortune, wishing the airplanes had been invented already. He laments that dying in a snowfield is the most pitiful end imaginable. His bitterness fuels his hatred for Wicked People, whom he vows to kill for what he perceives is betrayal. Adding to his anger, more is Lucy Steel. Magenta overheard JY mention her, and now she occupies his thoughts. Though his intentions remain unclear, which, you know, pause, mate, you don't want to do anything too crazy there.

Meanwhile, attention turns to the next stage, a daunting 1300 km stretch known as the Philadelphia Triangle. It begins at Lake Huron in Meo City and ends at the stage goal in Philadelphia. So, skipping into the past again, and about 4 weeks ago now, which is crazy to think that it's been this long inside of the A Steel Run Universe, on the outskirts of Chicago, Mr. Steel discovered what appeared to be the lifeless body of his beloved wife, Lucy. He was told the cause of death was a head injury, and his screams of anguish echoed throughout the area as he desperately called for her, as though his voice could pull her back from death. The guards on sight tried to calm him, but he was inconsolable. His cries were relentless.

When Mr. Steel finally mastered the courage to look at the body one last time before it was covered, his grief gave way to a chilling wave of confusion. Something was wrong. Although the face undeniably belonged to Lucy, everything else felt off. He knew in his heart this wasn't his wife, but who would believe him? Any argument he made would be dismissed as denial, grief clouding his judgment. What Mr. Steel didn't know was that the real Lucy was alive, hidden in the president's mansion, stilling her dangerous role as Scarlet Valentine.

Flashing back to the present, and now 12 days into the seventh stage, roughly 145 km east of Philadelphia, near Gburg, which is, you know, go to Gettysburg, G, and Johnny set up a camp for the night. The two friends pass the time by playing cards while Johnny flipped through a catalog searching for a new knife to replace his worn-out one. Once he's settled on a choice, he handled the catalog to Jarro, suggesting he picked something as well. To Johnny's amusement, Jar picked out a teddy bear of all things.

Their quiet night, though, was interrupted when they caught sight of Hot Pants galloping past at breakneck speeds. Alarmed by this, they quickly ensured their location hadn't been compromised. Jarro, ever quick on his feet, suggested they tail her as well, snuffing out their fire and hastily packing up their belongings. They left Johnny's old knife still stuck in the remains of a roasted chicken and Jar's newly chosen beer from the catalog mounted on their horses. They pursued Hot Pants, keeping to the shadows as she led them to the nearest town. It was an intense chase through the alleyways. They almost lost her once but ultimately tracked her down when they spotted her horse tied up outside a ramshackle building.

Johnny asked what he was going to do after he caught her, and Jarru said it matter-of-factly that he was going to beat the crap out of her, then he's going to beat the [ __ ] out of her some more until she spills the truth about the corpse parts and what she's actually planning to do with them and why she's working with the Vatican. Without wasting any more time, they stormed the building. J threw the front door and Johnny through a side window, but instead of finding Hop Pants, they encountered a nun seated amidst the rubble. Jo questioned her about whether she'd seen anyone enter the building and asked if there was a hidden compartment or back room they might have entered. The nun dusted herself off calmly before explaining that the building was the town dump and that she was only here to dispose of trash. Jarro, though, remained suspicious, convinced that Hot Pants was hiding nearby and possibly in possession of even the corpse torso. He told Johnny to keep an eye on the nun while he then checked the back.

As soon as J left, Johnny turned to the nun, declaring that he knew she was Hot Pants. He expressed frustration about not having told Jar she was a woman and demanded to know why she was collecting the corpse parts to begin with. Hot Pants, though, just remained silent, her growing nervousness evident as she asked if Johnny had the corpse's legs and urged him to not let them go. Angered by her evasiveness, Johnny shoved her to the ground, ripping off her disguise as he pressed her for answers. Hot Pants finally broke down, warning him to not call Gyro back into the room, as doing so would ensure both of their deaths. She revealed that all the corpse parts she had gathered had been taken from her.

Before Johnny could react, something bizarre began to unfold. A toddler-like figure emerged from her chest, addressing her as "big sister" while stroking her face. The apparition became more distinct. A bluish film began pouring out of Hot Panther's body, enveloping her completely. She tearfully confessed her failure to gather all the corpse parts but maintained her inability to fulfill the mission as a member of the church. It was then that Johnny sensed an enemy nearby. H Pence urged him to purify it with water if he had no other choice, even if it meant sacrificing something dear to him. Panic set in as Johnny screamed for Jar, who was out back investigating, to get back in here.

J stumbled upon the teddy bear that he had already left behind at the previous camp and picked it up, confused by its sudden reappearance. At the same time, Johnny noticed the discarded knife and chicken lying next to him, inexplicably present inside the building. Before either could make sense of the situation, a voice spoke to Gyro from the shadows. By the time J realized what was happening, Civil War had already taken a hold. Johnny's body began grotesquely merging with the knife and chicken, while J found himself being absorbed by the teddy bear.

Dashing away from this for a moment, though, as the seventh stage of the Steelball Run Race nears its end, the stakes are higher than ever. The grueling journey, which began with 3,825 races in San Diego, has dwindled down to just 61 participants. After braving the Arizona desert and the frozen straight, the survivors are now locked in fierce competition. Poco Loco holds first place, with Jarro and Johnny trailing closely behind in second and third. The seventh stage of the race is pivotal, as the remaining stages are significantly shorter: 75 km for the eighth and a mere 12 km for the ninth, culminating in New York City. Fans around the globe are placing their bets, confident that either Gyro or Johnny will claim the ultimate victory.

Meanwhile, President Valentine grows suspicious of Jarro and Johnny, realizing they've strayed slightly from the main race routes. Because of this, he deduces they've discovered another piece of the Holy Corpse, likely the Torso, and formulates a plan to intercept it. Gyro, struggling to resist Civil War's power, finds himself sinking deeper into despair. The teddy bear, a manifestation of his sacrifices, is now embedding itself into his body. The stand user, Axel Row, watches from the shadows, reiterating his philosophy that progress demands sacrifice. Jaru retaliates with a steel ball, but this stand effortlessly evades, dissembling itself.

Mediated, frustrated, and determined, Jo attempts to retrieve his steel ball, only to find it inexplicably multiplying. Ten identical balls begin spinning around him, each carrying a weight of his past mistakes. Inside the building, Johnny battles his own torment. Hot Pants warns him of the dagger, but Johnny dismisses her concerns, vowing to help her instead. She declines, though, urging him to focus on saving Jarro before he is too consumed. As the toddler-like figure caresses her face, Hot Pants is flooded with memories of her darker sacrifice years ago in the woods. Gathering nuts with her brother, they were attacked by a grizzly bear, and desperate to save herself, she pushed her brother into the bear's path, sacrificing him to the beast. Haunted by guilt, she sought solace in the church, dedicating her life to seek forgiveness, a forgiveness she hoped to find by gathering the Holy Corpse.

Hot Pant's confession gives Johnny a sudden realization: the enemy stand user possesses the Holy Corpse parts and has manipulated events to lure them into this trap. But as he processes this, the knife in his arm continues to spread, forcing him to act immediately. Recalling Hot Pant's device, Johnny's canteen strapped to his horse, he makes a break for it, only to be intercepted by a white mouse. The sight of the mouse paralyzes Johnny. It's unmistakably Danny, the same white mouse whose death indirectly led to his brother Nicholas's demise. Shaking off the shock, Johnny fires his nail bullet, but Danny evades them, taking refuge in a nearby shoe. Johnny ends up cornering the mouse, though, and shoots again, only to hear his name whispered from the shoe. To his horror, Nicholas's bloodied head emerges from the shoe, accusing him of causing his death. Before Johnny can react, Nicholas lunges at him, wrapping spectral hands around his throat. The assault dredges up painful memories of his father's disappointment, of being blamed for wearing Nicholas's boots, and other things. The film-like substance then begins to envelop Johnny, suffocating him.

As he crawls towards the canteen, outside, Gyro is trapped in a similar nightmare. The multiplying steel balls now encircle him, each representing a failure he tried to bury. One in particular, tied to a botched execution under his father's supervision, merges with his hand and bursts into that same slimy film. Calling out to Johnny, Jo warns him about the enemy, but Axel Row remains unfazed.

Inside, Johnny faces Denny once more. The mouse is too quick, though, and manages to escape all of the bullets as it leaps into the air. After this, Johnny tries to dodge the vermin, but it simply sinks into his skin, just like everything else, and doubles as another film of slime around our racer. Luckily, Johnny was never actually aiming for the mouse in the first place, so he draws closer to the real target: the canteen. The moment the water touches his face, the mouse retracts and makes a run for it, and the knife, which has transformed into that like slimy light covering, simply melts away.

Regaining his composure, Johnny reveals a hidden plan. By boring holes into the ground, he's managed to access a nearby well, flooding the area with purifying water. Empowered, Johnny declares his intent to rescue Gyro and reclaim the corpse parts. The mouse, now clearly a part of Civil War, speaks. It acknowledges Johnny as the one in possession of the Holy Corpse's legs and warns that the battle is far from over. With renewed resolve and his nails fully recharged, Johnny braces himself to face X Row.

As the white mouse darts up the stairs, he raises his hand to fire, but before he pulls the trigger, a calm, commanding voice whispers behind him, "Do not shoot if your heart is wavering." Startled, Johnny turns to see the figure of Jesus Christ standing behind him. The Savior advises that hesitation in his heart will close the path before him, warning Johnny that clarity of purpose is essential. As quickly as he appears, the figure then vanishes, leaving Johnny even more bewildered. Yet, something miraculous occurs: Johnny's legs begin to twitch on their own, a faint glimmer of life returning to his long-paralyzed limbs. The white mouse then lunges towards him, but Johnny reacts swiftly, dousing it with water from his canteen. Determined, he shouts to Gyro, announcing that he's coming to his aid. Hearing this, EX Ro smirks, confident that Civil War will complete its attack.

Meanwhile, Jo struggles for air as the suffocating film tightens its grip. Desperate, he shouts a warning to Johnny about the stand user's proximity. Johnny charges forward but falters when confronted by a collection of familiar objects scattered in the rubble: old books he discarded because he didn't want to read them, a set he borrowed but never returned, and a forklift clover gifted to him by a girl he wanted to forget. As he contemplates their sudden appearance, the white mouse seizes the opportunity to attack. Johnny reacts instinctively, firing a nail bullet, but the clover begins sinking into his arm, transforming into that same suffocating film. He quickly purifies himself with water and fires again, this time successfully hitting the mouse as it scurries into a cupboard. Relief is short-lived, though, as a shard of glass sinks into his skin, revealing the spectral form of his father emerging from it. The figure of his father blames Johnny for Nicholas's death, his words dripping with contempt. Johnny struggles to dismiss it as another illusion, but the weight of guilt bears down on him. His trembling hands lift, aiming to fire at the apparition, but his resolve wavers once again.

Jesus appears, urging Johnny not to fire if his heart remains unsteady. Fighting back tears, Johnny denies the holy advice, believing inaction is more dangerous. When his father lunges at him, Johnny fires a shot, grazing his ear. Blood pours from the wound as his father collapses, clutching at the injury. Johnny, choking on emotion, threatens to fire again but stops, realizing he never truly discarded his father from his life. He steadies himself, though, getting ready for his next shot.

When Jar's voice cuts through the air, Jarro, having used his steel balls, has pinpointed Axel R's location. He directs Joury to fire exactly to his left, trusting his partner. Johnny fires a barrage of nail bullets, striking the sand user directly in the neck. Axel Row collapses to the ground, commending Johnny for his actions, even as his blood pours from his wound. But his praise carries a sinister undertone: "Home, his death completes Civil War's ultimate act." As Axel R's lifeless body crumbles, another version of himself rises unscathed. Johnny stares in shock at the duplicate, and Axel explains that by killing him, Johnny has inherited the burden of all his discarded sins.

[Music]

The hands of those sacrificed by Axel began crawling their way toward Johnny, pulling at his limbs and breaking his bones. The stand user reveals the horrifying truth: the current town they're fighting in is the very one he betrayed during the war. Gettysburg years ago, as a lookout, he failed to warn his comrades of an advancing army, choosing to instead hide and save his own life. The town was absolutely slaughtered, and the guilt consumed his own. Over the years, he sacrificed countless others to cleanse himself, all to claim the Holy Corpse. Now purified through Johnny's unwitting acceptance of his sins, Axel believes himself entitled to the Divine Relic.

As the ghostly figures tear into Johnny, Jesus appears once more, repeating his cryptic message about a wavering heart and the new path. In that moment, clarity strikes Johnny like lightning. Instead of aiming at the ghosts or Axel Row, he turns the golden rotation upon himself, firing a nail bullet directly into his own freaking head. Axel Row, absolutely stunned by this, watches in disbelief as Johnny collapses, seemingly sinking into the ground below. The ghosts, however, waste no time tearing Johnny's remains in half, swiftly extracting the corpse legs from the lower half of his body. Wrapped up and helpless, Gyro can only watch as Exor Row clutches the legs, shouting that he has secured them. Meanwhile, the ghosts continue to dig furiously, searching for Johnny's upper body. Axel orders them to find the remaining portion of the spine, no matter what it takes. What they don't realize is that Johnny had cleverly hidden his upper body beneath the earth in a rotational position. Directed by Johnny's stand, now Tusk, they failed to notice the racer's hand slowly emerging from the hole.

With a single fluid motion, Johnny shoots his opponent through the chin, briefly raising only a part of his face to confirm that the shot landed. Once certain, he surfaces further, astonishing Gyro by revealing that he hadn't been torn apart after all. While Axel starts to bleed out, Johnny methodically picks off the ghosts, keeping his left hand hidden in the rotation, allowing him to shoot from entirely different angles. As the chaos unfolds, Jro can't help but marvel at how powerful Johnny has become. He realizes that Johnny has mastered the golden rotation, using his nail bullets to carve out an infinite path within it. By shooting himself with the rotation and finding the smallest possible rotation within it, Johnny can move freely within the hole. Jar's awe grows as he understands that Johnny has discovered a new technique, one that the A P family had never achieved.

Still bleeding, Axel orders his ghosts to hold on to Johnny, but every time they try to grab him, Johnny retracts into his hole only to resurface and shoot them again from another angle. He repeats this process until he finally gets a clear shot at Axel, before promptly spraying the man's brains across the wall in front of him. Johnny surfaces one last time, only to find Axel now removing his helmet, revealing that he's actually perfectly fine. Axel reveals, though, that Johnny cannot kill him, as this stand had transferred all of his sins to Johnny. Civil War's ability allows Axel to be revived whenever Johnny sacrifices him. Axel continues to gloat, claiming he now holds The Corpse's spine, which was once part of Johnny's back. With that, Axel merges the spine with the remaining parts of the corpse, announcing he'll soon find the skull.

Johnny and Jarro exchange worried looks, realizing that Axel intends to abandon them in the rubble with the ghosts still on their trail. As expected, Axel makes his escape, merging with the corpse parts as he steps outside. Suddenly, a spiral appears on the wall near Axel, and Johnny's hand shoots out, grabbing the corpse before it can fully merge with Axel. In retaliation, Axel pulls out a dagger and charges at Johnny from the other side of the wall, only to find that Johnny is no longer there. Refusing to let go of the corpse, now Johnny ignores Axel's threats and even goes as far as to snap the wrist of the corpse. This sends Axel into a frenzy, and he attempts to stop Johnny by stabbing his hand. However, the force of the rotation is so powerful that it breaks the dagger. Impacts, confused, Exel starts to wonder what would happen if someone other than Johnny were pulled into the hole. Unable to believe Johnny would destroy the corpse part, Axel grows increasingly desperate, feeling that Johnny's mission is becoming clearer with every passing moment. He continues to stab at Johnny's hand, but instead of hitting him, he only nicks the corpse. Even Gyro is scared of what Johnny is planning, and as Axel starts to throw a tantrum over all of this, Jar realizes that Johnny has the look of someone willing to sacrifice everything here, even his humanity. Seeing this, Jo throws out a desperate plea, urging Johnny to give up the rather than destroy it. Johnny, however, replies firmly that he won't back down. Axel screams that he'll prove both Johnny and Jro to be worthless, then lunges at Johnny, aiming the dagger with intent to strike his hand. However, it gets pulled into Johnny's rotation once more, where it's violently torn off. But somehow miraculously, Axel's s arm appears right next to Johnny's neck and stabs him. Axel, now shouting that he's won, pulls the corpse in closer to himself. However, once again, this celebration is short-lived. Johnny immediately sits up, removes the dagger from his neck, and flashes a knowing grin. He explains that he intentionally allowed Axel to kill him so all of Axel's sins and ghosts would be transferred back into him.

As Axel then begins to panic, Johnny warns him to leave the corpse and escape while he still can, making it clear that victory belongs to him and Gyro. In a final desperate move, Exel pulls out an X, of course he does, with his remaining hand and demands Johnny kill him, only to be shot in the neck from outside the building. It turns out that President Valentine had actually been watching the entire time and now makes his presence known. He commends Axel for his effort, explaining that he didn't shoot any vital organs to ensure that Axel's sins wouldn't pass over to him. The president then pulls the holy corpse towards himself. When Johnny asks why he intervened, the president simply says he saved Johnny's life. It turns out that the president had orchestrated the entire situation, from the Steelball Run to Axel's interference, all to get his hands on the corpse. Here, Johnny attempts to shoot him in a final act of defiance, but the president is far too quick, escaping before Johnny can even land a hurt. As Johnny screams and fires in vain, the president reveals that he now possesses all of the corpse parts except for the skull, its left eye, which obviously Doo Brando has, and the right eye, whose location is a mystery. But, you know, that's probably with Lucy. The president concludes that the right eye must be in the hands of someone in his circle, a traitor, perhaps, which is, you know, like pretty good uh deduction from his behalf. Obviously, it's not in his circle, but they are in his circle, they are a traitor, but yeah, I know it's not. Yeah, anyway, moving on.

With the race almost over, only 145 km remain and 5 days left to go. A few days or hours later, it's not really said, but Jarro and Johnny finally reached the seventh stage goal, but they place sixth and seventh respectively, crossing the finish line a full 45 minutes after Dio, who came in first. First, Drro is so disappointed by the result that he doesn't even look up as they ride past the cheering crowd. The two of them exchange some words together, lamenting the loss of all of the corpse parts while trying to figure out what the next move could be. Suddenly, three men from the crowd pull out guns intended to kill them on the spot. Johnny reacts quickly, using his new technique to shoot the hands of the two culprits, disarming them before they can fire. The third man raises his gun, but Jar's steel ball manipulates the man's arm, forcing the weapon into his own freak mouth. With the immediate danger dealt with, Johnny points out that the president won't hesitate to eliminate them now. J brushes it off, though, remarking that just making it to the end of the race in one piece is an accomplishment on its own. He draws Johnny's attention to the placement board, highlighting Di's first-place finish. Johnny, equally surprised at Doo's comeback, reminds Gyro that Doo also possesses The Corpse's left eye, forming a new plan. Joe declares that they'll ambush Dio, take the eye, and settle the score after what happened with Sandman, which is kind of cool to see that they, they feel bad obviously for taking out Sandman and him turning sides and, you know, going over to the enemy and whatnot. So obviously, they feel like they need to take revenge for, you know, the enemy I guess manipulating Sandman and changing sides. But either way, the eighth and ninth stages of the race have been combined into one continuous run. The eighth stage, which spans 140 to 145 km, with the final goal set in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, at the back of his car, Mar, Mr. Steel, mourns Lucy, staring at a picture of her as tears roll down his face. Doubt eats away at him. He questions whether the body he buried was truly hers and wonders where his real wife could be. The danger surrounding the race stand users, the president's involvement, looms ever larger in his mind. He considers the possibility that someone may have switched faces and struggles to understand why Lucy, an ordinary housewife, would be drawn into such chaos. His thoughts, though, are interrupted when he notices a newspaper featuring the president on the cover. Scarlet, standing behind him in the image, jogs his memory. He recalls the last time he spoke to Lucy, realizing the last person to see her alive was Scarlet. Curiosity drives him to tear Scarlet's image from the paper and compare it to Lucy's photo. The hands are eerily identical, but the truth remains hard for him to grasp. Suddenly, Magenta, Magenta appears, scared and ragged, asking Mr. Steel for a moment of his time. Out of curiosity, Mr. the steel obliges, holding up a ruler as requested by the dude. Magenta then uses the measurement to fire a shot through the carriage door, hitting Mr. Steel nearby.

W Aipo, of all people, hears the gunshot. 5 days earlier, as we all know, he had met up with Johnny and Jaro with a disgust that he would try and find Lucy. Weipo believed Lucy had drowned, but Jo explained how hot pant used her ability to alter the girl's appearance, confirming Lucy was still alive and likely near the president. Wiki Aipo had made it clear that while he wouldn't betray his country, he would do his best to protect Lucy. Now, Wiki Aipo approaches the carriage, calling out for Mr. Steel, but receiving no response. On top of the carriage, Maga takes aim at Wiki Aipo, but his shadow gives him away. Wiki Aipo reacts swiftly, throwing a steel ball at the same moment Magenta fires. The bullet grazes Wiki's shoulder, while the steel ball clips Magenta's eye. Magenta, enraged, fantasizes about slowly dismembering Wiki Aipo. Seeing no other choice in this battle, W Aipo releases the satellite from his steel ball, but Magenta activates his stand and starts to deflect the attack. With Magenta currently preoccupied, Wiki Aipo climbs onto the carriage and attempts to stab him with a knife, but the blade shatters against Magenta's tough exterior. A desperate strike with another steel ball as well fails to wound Magenta but causes the carriage to lurch forward as the horses panic. Weipo realizes that Magenta must have overheard their conversation about Lucy back at the Frozen Straight and returned to exact revenge on her.

In the chaos, Wikip manages to recover the image of Lucy and Scarlet that Maga had stolen from Mr. Steel. Attempting to wake Mr. Steel himself, Wikip peo is again interrupted by guards pointing guns at him and demanding he identify himself. Keeping calm, Wiki Aipo remains focused on just disposing of Magenta, who now knows Lucy's secret. He uses his satellites to quickly disable the guards with his left half ATT attack.

Meanwhile, at Valentine's residence in Philadelphia, the president plays the violin while Lucy sits by his side, flipping the pages of his sheet music. When he takes a break, he comments on how long it's been since they've been together and reassures her that the race is finally nearing its end. Drawing Lucy closer to him, Valentine's tone becomes much more intimate. Lucy steels herself silently, resolving to bite her tongue and die if he discovers her identity or asks her to kiss him. Her attention spikes as The Corpse's left eye, hidden in her pocket, randomly begins to move. The eye suddenly rolls out of her pocket, and Lucy, now panicked, abruptly grabs Valentine's face to prevent him from noticing it. She leans closer, pretending to initiate a curse, though all she can think about is whether or not the eye is being drawn closer to the rest of the corpse.

So, flashing into the past, Lucy Steel was once called Lucy Pendleton, the second of six children born to Adam and Alice Pendleton. The family owned a farm, but after Alice passed away, their father fell into debt with the mafia just to keep it running. The mafia presented two options to him: either they take the land, or one of Adam's children. In the end, they chose to take a child. Unable to let go of his elder son, Adam offered up Lucy to work as a servant for the mafia. Not long after this, a soldier named Steven Steel appeared at their residence, seeking to repay Lucy for her past kindness to him. She had encouraged him during a difficult time in her life, which had changed his path significantly. Upon learning about the family's tough predicament, though, Mr. Steel offered to instantly take care of the debt. Adam feebly argued that once the mafia takes something, it never returns it. In response, Mrs. Steel suggested a plan: he would claim that Lucy was damaged goods and lawfully married to him. This way, he could take responsibility for the debt instead, without it being like a whole big deal. Adam initially resisted, but Mr. Steel reasoned that Lucy would otherwise be used as a and likely wouldn't live to see 25. After more convincing, her father relented, and Lucy became Mrs. Steel.

During a conversation one day, Lucy told Steven that she remembered the first time she saw him and admired his strength. She expressed a desire to become his real wife someday. Steven, fortunately not being a cruel man, told her to focus on getting an education and promised to never touch her. His only wish was that she would avoid dating someone associated with the mafia in the future. I really wanted to mention this earlier on, cuz obviously when I first started reading Steel Ball Run, as you all know, at the beginning of this video, I, I just assumed Steven was like a dirty dog going after a 14-year-old, which is so cocked. But, you know, obviously, it turns out dude actually has better morals than pretty much every single other person in the story. Bob, Johnny, and seemingly Jar, who've also seen Lucy as just a young girl. There's no, there's no intentions towards her, unlike seemingly everyone else who has some weird intention towards Lucy. But either way, continuing on, they developed a peculiar but close relationship. However, when the Steel B Run Race began, Lucy grew worried about her husband, who had been hired as a promoter. This anxiety continued until she met the boys, Chyro and Johnny, who obviously didn't believe for a moment that Mr. Steel had never touched her. Fair enough, you know, obviously fair enough.

Back in the present now, Lucy is trying to keep the president distracted as The Corpse's eye nudges a nearby door. Aware of potential dangers, the president asks what she's looking at and what fell. Lucy panics, convinced she's about to be discovered. True to her fears, the president brushes her hand aside to investigate, taking a few steps forward. He finds nothing. Much to Lucy's shock, she begins to wonder where the eye could have gone, but soon notices that the space beneath the door is large enough for it to fit. She realizes that the eye must have been drawn to a larger part of the corpse. President Valentine continues to question her, though, and Lucy grows even more terrified. He eventually concludes she must be curious about what's behind the door as well. Her panic intensifies, but she quickly composes herself, pretending to be intrigued by a present her husband supposedly kept for her behind the door. The president, though noting her strange behavior, blocks her and tries to kiss her. Lucy dodges his advance, though, and declares she has a question for him. Intrigued, he allows her to ask.

It she questions why the president would follow a race from state to state. Obviously, this leads freaking Valentine into a lengthy explanation about the nature of power, using a napkin analogy.

He asks her to choose between the napkin on the right or the one on the one on the left. When she chooses the left, he declares she's wrong, using this to explain his belief that the first person to act, whether in choosing a napkin, valuing money, or understanding electricity, determines the course of society. He expands on this, claiming that only those who take the initiative wield true power.

As he grows more animated, he uses Jesus Christ as an example, leaving Lucy to wonder what in the world this dude has to do with the freaking race. With aura overflowing his body, the president dismisses her confusion as he leans closer, proclaiming that he will attain an insurmountable amount of power. This notion excites him, prompting him to demand that Lucy remove her clothes right now.

After dismissing the guards for privacy, he pours himself into Scarlet, a drink. He clears the table, lifts her onto it, and shares its history. Removing his shirt, he reveals scars from his time as a tortured soldier. Lucy, desperate to escape, pulls a knife out to stab him, but he catches her hand. Despite discovering her true identity, now Valentine remains fixated on making an ear, undeterred by her betrayal. Which is again, wild, man. Like, she should have stayed with Steven.

As Lucy tries to bite her tongue, he stops her by wedging the knife between her teeth. When he leans in to lick her face, the cream hot pants that applied onto her slides onto him, exposing Lucy's disguise. Distracted by this, the president doesn't notice as Lucy somehow stabs him in the neck. Immediately, he collapses to the floor, bleeding profusely. Running off, Lucy cowers, realizing she just attacked the president of the United States of America. He tries to call for help but vanishes beneath a dining chair before reaching the door. Baffled, Lucy grabs another weapon and searches for him. Summoning her courage, she lifts the chair and finds him underneath it, unarmed. As he rises, Lucy realizes that this is no ordinary man. He is also a Stand user, perhaps even the devil itself.

Sobbing like the child she is, Lucy can't bring herself to kill the president. She backs away, putting some distance between them, and begins to analyze the situation. She becomes convinced that the devil is on the president's side and immediately concludes that Gyro and Johnny cannot possibly defeat him. Desperate, she prays for her husband's safety before pulling off her boot to use it as a decoy.

Before long, President Valentine recovers thanks to a Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, and hits outside after noticing the doors are open. He spots Lucy's ball in the hallway, but in reality, she's actually hiding beneath the dining table. Once he leaves to investigate the boots, Lucy drops to the ground and sneaks into the room where she saw the Corpse's eye go. Picking up her boot, Valentine uses her Stand to confirm that Lucy hasn't left the area. Intrigued by her defiance, he follows her back into the dining room, but she's nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, Lucy, trembling with fear, searches for a way to escape while also looking for the Corpse's eye. As Valentine approaches the entrance, he declares that he knows about Hot Pants' role in the conspiracy. He threatens Lucy, warning her to not kill herself before he finds her. To drive his point home, he promises to kill her husband, her father, and siblings if she does attempt to. Panicked, Lucy notices the fireplace nearby and considers scaling up the chimney. Unfortunately, it's too narrow for her. Defeated, a bright light flashes from the fireplace, illuminating the silhouette of Jesus's thorn-pierced head on the floor. She catches a glimpse of the corpse part pinned to the walls of the chimney before a strange hand, belonging to a figure with wings as white as snow, reaches out and grabs her. The figure pulls her in, filling her with light.

At that moment, Valentine breaks down the door and finds Lucy shivering in a corner. Calmly, he asks if she saw the corpse in the fireplace. When she doesn't answer, though, he rambles about the importance of finding the head and explains how he had the corpse part in two separate places. Then, recalling that Lucy possesses the left eye, he demands it from her. Instead of answering, Lucy asks if there is someone in the chimney. Apparently, the figure spoke to her, saying she would bear it. Valentine, however, only cares about the eye's location. He rough handles Lucy in frustration, only to discover that he now has a baby bum with a silhouette of Jesus's head imprinted on it. Cold sweats run down Valentine's face as he realizes she holds the final corpse part's location, which will only be revealed when she gives birth.

Meanwhile, Wekapipo and Magenta are in a heated conflict not far from the Steel residence. Wekapipo, the ex-guard, knows he only needs to wait for Magenta's Stand to deactivate. His thoughts, however, are more preoccupied with Lucy's safety. Attempting to warn Mr. Steel of the impending danger, Wekapipo speaks to him briefly, but his attention is drawn to a small blue dinosaur seemingly emerging from Magenta's Stand and running off. As Wekapipo wonders about this, he notices smoke rising from Magenta and discovers dynamite strapped to his opponent's chest. Without panicking, Wapo springs into action. Using perfect rotation, he throws a steel ball at Mr. Steel, pushing him out of harm's way. Another steel ball then hits the horses, releasing satellites so they cannot perceive their left sides. This causes a massive accident moments before Macha's dynamite explodes. Though Wekapipo's actions save Mr. Steel, he himself is severely injured, with pieces of the carriage piercing him as he falls into the riverside alongside Magenta and the wreckage. Out of spite, Magenta curses the ex-guard and shoots him in his shoulder, unaware the Wekapipo had already set a plan in motion. Suddenly, ropes attached to the carriage axle, directed by Wekapipo's steel ball, wrap around Magenta, dragging him down into the water. In a panic, Magenta summons his Stand, 20th Century Boy, to protect himself from drowning. However, this Stand's defense immobilizes him, leaving him trapped underwater.

Like, bro is literally down there with the thought that, yeah, someone will eventually come and get me and save me. It just reminds me of, you know, like when Wolverine at the end of, I can't remember what X-Men movie it is, but he gets shot into the river and he's just kind of like stuck there drowning constantly. Wapo watches in disappointment before swimming to the surface. It is then that he realizes the lizard he saw earlier was one of Dio's dinosaurs. This revelation confirms that Dio now knows Lucy's secrets. Meanwhile, Magenta remains at the bottom of the river, unable to move and too afraid to release his Stand because, obviously, if he does, he'll drown. He resolves to wait for Dio, convinced the eraser will come to his aid. While there, Magenta recalls Dio saved his life. Back at the Frozen Straits, an event that made him feel their fates were intertwined. Having acted on Dio's instructions, Magenta had been investigating Mr. Steel for him, but you know, that ain't continuing on any further now.

As Lucy and the president themselves wrestle with their predicament, though Gyro and Johnny push forward in the eighth stage of the race. Wekapipo, alive but injured, makes his way to the shore and rushes to Mr. Steel's side, while Magenta continues to linger at the bottom of the river, waiting internally for rescue.

The scene now shifts to the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, about 400 meters south of where we currently were. There, Gyro and Johnny pursue their chase to investigate some tracks they spot along the way. In a strange display, Gyro picks up a piece of dirt, licks it, and mutters some Latin words under his breath. After spitting it out, he declares that Diego Brando's horse was here no more than 5 or 6 minutes ago. Gyro pulls out a map and traces Dio's route, confirming that the racer has no intention of leaving Philadelphia anytime soon. This peaks Gyro's curiosity, and he speculates whether Dio plans to strike a deal with President Valentine. Johnny, still confined to his horse, quickly dismisses the idea. He explains that Dio doesn't work with anyone. The whole Sandman incident was purely opportunistic, and as we know, that was correct. You know, they kind of just teamed up because Valentine made them, I guess. Johnny concludes that Dio is likely hunting for the remaining corpse parts for his own personal gain.

Before Gyro can set off on his horse, though, Johnny stops him. He urges that they need to take the opposite route, as Dio can easily track their sand using his dinosaur Stand. Johnny points to another hoof print, swearing that someone else is also trailing Dio. Gyro brushes off his concerns but freezes when Johnny insists he's seen the same track earlier. After a moment of deliberation, both racers consider the possibility that the president has sent someone to follow Dio, perhaps because he's discovered the Corpse's skull.

As they continue tracking Dio, they come upon a park. Johnny, using his cane observation, spots their target and informs Gyro that Dio just went down an alley on the opposite side of the park, with the Independence Hall just beyond the valley. Gyro suggests splitting up. He'll take the right side of the park, while Johnny goes down the alley. Before they can act, though, Johnny stops Gyro, pointing out that Wekapipo is also chasing after Dio. Gyro is baffled by this, as Wekapipo had agreed to protect Lucy, not join the hunt for power-hungry racers. Because of this, Gyro wonders if the tracks they found earlier belong to Wekapipo's horse, but Johnny confidently says they do not.

Johnny breaks the silence to ask Gyro what he plans to do if Dio fights back. This question jolts Gyro's memory of the garbage dump sites and the look in Johnny's eyes, cold and remorseless. When Johnny declares that he's prepared to shoot Dio if it's necessary, Gyro snaps at him, yelling that killing is not an option. Johnny, taken aback, places his hands on his hip and stares. Gyro responds by grabbing Johnny's shirt, reminding him that they're not terrorists. The plan is simple: beat Dio, take the Corpse's left eye from him, and use it to locate the remaining parts. Though Johnny nods in agreement, it's clear from his expression that he's not entirely on board with this. Still, he tells Gyro otherwise to avoid further conflict between them.

With their plan set, Gyro moves around the alley while Johnny keeps watch through binoculars. While watching, Johnny spots another horse on the far side of the building but doesn't have any time to warn Gyro about it. Meanwhile, a figure approaches Gyro from the left, and to his shock, Valentine appears to approach him from the right. The man on Gyro's left is called Disco, whose Stand ability, which we'll get into soon, proves to be particularly troublesome. Now sandwiched between two dangerous opponents, Gyro readies himself. Johnny watches from a distance, yelling his partner's name and attempting to warn him about Valentine. However, he can't help but wonder why such a high-ranking figure would appear without backup here. Realizing he's surrounded himself, Gyro, like the freaking goat he is, just crosses his arms nonchalantly, leaving Johnny to panic on his behalf.

Just then, Johnny stretches out his hand, aiming to shoot whoever makes the first move. Before he can act, though, a bullet tears through his face. The impact knocks him off his horse, and he collapses onto the sidewalk, bleeding heavily. As Johnny lies sprawled on the ground, his attacker looms over him, leaving Gyro in a dire situation. Obviously, Johnny just struggles to process what the hell just happened. The sudden attack caught him off guard, but the sound of the gunshot is loud enough to startle even children playing in the nearby park, so obviously it draws Gyro's attention. He quickly scans the area, revealing someone hiding behind a tree, prompting him to shout at the assailant on his left to just stay put. Disco, walking out, raises his hands in mock surrender, but Gyro remains wary.

Meanwhile, Johnny's attacker, a snowy figure as dark as midnight, continues to point his gun at him. Summoning what dwindling strength he has left, Johnny tries to fire a nail bullet. However, the man fires first, shooting Johnny's hand and redirecting his shot. Johnny's leg, previously limp, though suddenly twitches uncontrollably. The sensation feels eerily similar, and even his attacker is seemingly taken back by the unexpected movement. Refusing to back down, here, Johnny attempts to shoot another time, only to be met with two bullets to his chest. There's more blood. Paws around him, Johnny feels his life slipping away. The second gunshot causes Gyro to panic for his friend's safety, but before he can react, Disco unveils a strange golden grid, a checked box covered in random letters and numbers. Gyro, too focused on the surroundings around him, doesn't notice the grid immediately. He steps onto one of the boxes without hesitation while shouting a demand to know how many enemies there are. His quick assessment reveals that there are probably three: the assailant before him, the one behind the tree, and the one attacking Johnny. As for Johnny, his opponent steps on his injured hand, ensuring that he can no longer retaliate. The man then lowers his gun closer to Johnny's chest, preparing for a final shot. However, the attacker remains unaware of Johnny's perfect ratio inching its way back to its master. The realization hits him only when Johnny fires and he vanishes into a swirling spiral. Frustrated, the attacker fires twice more, but Johnny effortlessly evades the bullets and retreats into a nearby gutter. Believing that Johnny's wounds are too severe for survival, the Stand user shrugs off his escape. Throwing Gyro still shouting his friend's name, grips his steel ball tightly, torn between chasing after Johnny and dealing with his immediate threats. As Gyro then takes a step, Disco activates his arm console, matching a button on the grid Gyro unknowingly stepped on. Before Gyro can react, the steel ball he threw earlier reappears behind him, striking his back with brutal force. The impact sends him tumbling, coughing up blood. Disco then smirks, relishing Gyro's confusion. Not giving him a moment to recover, the Stand user pulls six nails from his coat. To Gyro's shock, Disco throws the nails at himself before pressing another button on the console. The nails vanish, only to reappear around Gyro's legs, piercing through them in multiple places. Gyro cries out in pain, struggling to stay upright as blood drops from his leg. Hurling curses at his opponent, he tries to make sense of the situation, but Disco calmly closes the distance, forcing Gyro to stumble backwards. It's then that Gyro notices the strange grid beneath his feet and realizes it's some kind of homing device. Despite the pain, Gyro's mind races. He recalls Wekapipo standing near the horses earlier and wonders why the ex-guard would get involved now. Everything seems to be spiraling out of control. Dio, Wekapipo, even President Valentine have made their move simultaneously. Gyro grimly concludes that the president must have the Corpse's head and that the enemies are here to finally eliminate them. Disco, unbothered by Gyro's struggle, pulls out a small bottle with a symbol that marks it as obviously toxic. Gyro glares at the man, demanding to know what he's going to do. In response, Disco unscrews the bottle, releasing a sizzling liquid from it. The toxic substance immediately begins to eat through the ground. Struggling to stay on his feet now, Gyro takes heavy breaths, the pain from his injuries weighing him down. It dawns on him that Disco's method of using the grid to attack seems unavoidable, making him nearly invincible. To make the matter worse, the Stand user attempts to pull the liquid onto himself. Luckily, intending to transfer the attack remotely to Gyro, or at least his Stand ability, isn't it Chocolate Disco? That's my ability. Standing. He offers no further explanation, pulling out another bottle of acid and smashing both bottles together, sending toxic liquid spraying everywhere. Seizing the distraction, Gyro makes a run for it. Disco quickly activates his arm console, though, to trigger an X-Y axis attack, but Gyro counters by hurling two steel balls at him. Disco deflects him with his Stand ability, though one steel ball grazes Gyro's face, leaving a smeared mark like a muddy football, while the second strikes him from behind, sending him crashing face-first into the dirt. Gyro struggles to sit up, his steel ball spinning on the ground behind him. Aura flashes across Disco's face as he prepares another attack, but when he taps his console, the aid lands on a part of the grid where Gyro isn't standing. Confused, Disco smashes more acid bottles and channels the contents through the grid, only for the liquid to fall harmlessly onto empty spaces. Gyro remains silent, watching as Disco's frustration builds. Finally, the racer rises to his full height and strides calmly towards his opponent. Enraged, Disco hurls nails at Gyro, but they too miss their mark, landing far from their intended target. Smirking, Gyro finally offers an explanation. He reveals that the rotation of his spinning balls has created an ear lens, refracting light and distorting Disco's perception. In simple terms, what Disco sees and reality are two entirely different things. This is why none of attacks have been landing. Desperation takes a hold of Disco as he pulls out a handgun and aims at Gyro, but before he can fire, Gyro closes the gap between them and launches a steel ball at point-blank range. With a quote about their closeness despite not currently dating, Gyro's steel ball smashes into Disco's shoulder, causing him to misfire and shoot himself in the foot. Disco cries out in pain, but Gyro, annoyed by the noise, presses another ball into his throat and demands to know who attacked Johnny. In a last stitch effort, Disco activates his grid on himself, only for Gyro to retaliate with a swift motion. He places a steel ball at the back of Disco's neck, knocking him unconscious. Afterward, Gyro drags Disco's limp body across the park to the gutter where Johnny had disappeared earlier. Crouching beside it, he wonders about his friend's condition and assumes Johnny must need medical attention.

As Gyro watches some children play nearby, a chilling thought crosses his mind. Someone still might be chasing Johnny. Suddenly, he bursts into the children's midst, hoping they have a clear line of sight to the crime scene. Startled, the kids scatter in fear, but Gyro shouts for them to stop, assuring them that there is no need to be afraid of him. He explains the situation with Johnny and shows them a picture of Dio, asking if they recognize him as the culprit. This time, the kids don't run, but they remain quiet. Frustrated, Gyro yells at them again to stress the urgency. Finally, three boys step forward and confirm that Dio is the man they saw. Before they can, though, two girls carrying an infant brother interrupt him. They point to a photo from Gyro's coat pocket, identifying Wekapipo as the one who shot Johnny. The children then begin arguing, boys shouting they saw Dio, while girls insisting it was Wekapipo. Gyro, overwhelmed by the conflicting stories, raises both pictures and asks everyone if they saw only one man. They all agree, but when he presses for a name, the boys point to Dio, and the girls point to Wekapipo. Exasperated, Gyro yells at them to stop freaking arguing. Taking a moment to think for himself, he considers the possibility of Stand-induced illusion, after all, the kids wouldn't have a reason to lie about it. An elderly man then interrupts Gyro's thoughts, claiming he witnessed everything. He tears a page from a sketchbook and shows Gyro a drawing of President Valentine, insisting that the president was the one who shot Johnny. Gyro then feels a cold sweat form as he listens to the man. He questions who the man is, but the old man casually reveals he's just a painter who frequents the park. To prove his credibility, he even offers to testify before authorities. The children, confused by their accusation, protest that the president couldn't have possibly been involved. The argument then splits into three factions: the boys proclaiming Dio, the girls accusing Wekapipo, and the old man pointing to Valentine. As chaos unfolds, Gyro suspects that a Stand attack might already be at play. He reviews the facts, reassures himself that he defeated one enemy Stand user, and resolves to find Johnny, certain his friend is alive somewhere.

Meanwhile, Dio meets with Wekapipo and cryptically remarks that Johnny is better left alive, teetering on the brink of death, but not beyond it. Wekapipo, unfazed, asks if Dio kept the fact that Magenta is still alive a secret. Dio smirks, brushing off the question and replies that everything is going according to his plan. Skipping away from Dio, though, the story now takes us on a journey with some historical circumstances as evidence, so make sure to pay attention to all of us.

In the Gospel of John, the first verse of the chapter mentions the beginning of the world. The fourth verse mentions how there was life in a certain man and how this life was the light of men. The fourteenth mentions how the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Around 2,000 years ago, this man arrived with a way of faith that the townsfolk deemed too dangerous. For this reason, he was crucified. However, despite it being medically impossible, this man arose from the dead 3 days after his execution and was found by Joseph of Arimathea, who wrapped him in flax cloth. Setting up the man thanked Joseph and announced that he would be going east from here. Joseph asked if he would ever see him again, so the man drew nine locations and the sun, and simply said that everything is circular. If it rotates, then he disappeared into the light. The nine locations looked like places on a map, but no one could figure out where they were. Because of this, Joseph documented the information and kept it hidden. The man that had risen 3 days later vanished from the public eye and traveled east like he said, learning the language and culture of those he met. He eventually reached very far east, where he built a ship with the help of locals. He then sailed even further east across the ocean until he reached the farthest end of the Earth, where he spent his remaining days with a select people. No one knew his age or how long he had been traveling for, but when he died, the Earth tore open in an earthquake followed by a mighty storm that washed away everything. His body never rotted, but it was torn into nine pieces, scattered by the wind and sand to the east. Animals, birds, and even fish helped carry parts of them along. The last encounter with humans happened in what is now San Diego, where his heart was found by a soldier. The soldier, who was from a missing regiment, merged with the heart and brought him back to life. He was the only one to survive, eventually rising to the top of the country. This was obviously Funny Valentine, and he soon realized there must be more pieces of this corpse, so he began to search for them.

Now flushing back forward in time and near the beginning of Johnny's incident, Wekapipo spies on him and Gyro from across the park. He notices a group of men on horsemen approaching and hides behind a wall. He figures that Gyro and Johnny follow Dio to the park, but he knows they can't handle the situation alone, especially with the president's men everywhere. When he spots Dio on horseback, Wekapipo wonders if Dio could be the ally he needs to defeat the president. He tries to approach Dio, but ends up crossing paths with Disco on the other side of the park.

Now Wekapipo spots a handgun lying on the ground. He shakes his steel ball and squats, only to witness the gun move seemingly on its own. He immediately realizes it has to be a trap and wonders why a loaded gun would just be left there on the ground, unaware that someone is hiding behind a flag nearby. Where Capo keeps his focus on everything else at that moment, the cloaked man activates his Stand, attacking Wekapipo and subduing him, but not before Wekapipo lets go of his steel ball. Immediately, the satellites are unleashed, confusing the random man. Taking advantage of the situation, Wekapipo grabs the handgun and fires at his attacker, landing bullets in his face, arm, and torso. However, he soon realizes that he's been shooting at Johnny this entire time. Mortified, he watches Johnny, bloodied and still alive, telling himself it's impossible. Obviously, this is when Johnny then immediately disappeared into the gutter out of the alleyway.

Now the two girls catch Wekapipo with the gun, so obviously they weren't lying. Panicked, he runs back into the alley and discards the gun where he found it. He wonders why Johnny attacked him from behind and if someone else is involved. Just then, Dio appears and mentions that Johnny should be alive, confirming that everything was going according to his plan. Wekapipo wonders what Dio was up to moments before he realizes he was being lured into the park by him.

8 minutes earlier, Diego had dismounted his horse near an Independence Hall, having glanced at the first lady's picture and remembering that it's what Lucy Steel looks like now. He notices the kids in the park playing, pondering his next move. He knows for sure that the president's men will make things difficult here. One of these soldiers then appears behind Dio, pointing a gun at him. Dio activates his Stand, morphs into half a dinosaur, and takes out the soldier. He then quickly changes into the man's uniform and, as Sergeant Dio, heads towards the Independence Hall to assassinate the president. Before leaving, he camouflages the soldier's body at the base of a nearby tree. He then senses something in the air, but as planned, he moves towards Independence Hall, knowing that all corpse parts are now complete, including the head.

The president then steps outside alone, and Dio seizes this opportunity, preparing to assassinate him. The moment Dio crosses paths with President Valentine, he catches a glimpse of Lucy Steel being rolled away on a stretcher, looking like her real self now. This confirms that her secret has been exposed. Dio, trying to make sense of what is going on, is distracted by two guards yelling at him, questioning him what he's doing inside. Unfortunately, this brief distraction is enough for President Valentine to slip away. The guards then show Dio three pictures: one of Johnny, one of Gyro, and the last of Dio himself. Feigning ignorance, Dio sniffs the air and immediately realizes that the president has slipped past the trees outside, unescorted. This realization fills Dio with urgency. He grabs both guards by their faces and transforms them into lamps to clear his way. Fearing that the president is up to something, Dio resolves to tail him, now knowing that his departure likely means someone else is trying to gain the upper hand. He knows he must act quickly here to assassinate the president before someone else can beat him to it. As he changes out of his current clothes, Dio wonders about the president's Stand and decides it's too risky to confront him without understanding what it is. He decides to instead use Wekapipo to fulfill his mission.

In that moment, Dio rides past Disco, go, and stops to sniff the air, realizing that the president is stalling by hiding just around the corner. At this time, Dio continued to lead Wekapipo on, and as Wekapipo turns the corner, Dio morphs his horse into a dinosaur. Immediately, Dio climbs atop one of the nearby buildings, and Wekapipo follows, but he's shocked to find that Dio has vanished. Dio, from above, though, watches him, hoping that Wekapipo and the president will fight, revealing the president's Stand ability in turn, which is kind of crack up there, you know, like Dio's just kind of using everyone, how typical to like who he is as a person. He's just someone that loves to use people, manipulate.

However, things take a turn for the worse when Wekapipo shoots Dio down from the rooftop. Having barely touched the ground, Dio is then attacked by Wekapipo's steel ball, which plagues him with left-half attacks. Here, spotting a handgun nearby, Dio picks it up and fires wildly at Wekapipo, landing bullets in his face, hand, and torso. In a twisted turn of fate, though, Wekapipo walks into the alley unharmed, leaving Dio freaking confused with what's going on. Dio looks back at the person he just shot, only realizing it was Johnny now.

As Dio tries to exit the alley, three boys block his path. This doesn't concern him, though, as he's more focused on the president scene growing stronger. So obviously the boys also weren't lying, as well. Dio discards the flag and the handgun onto the ground, continuing to watch as the real Wekapipo then freaks out in the distance. Dio concludes that the president must have lured him into the park with the intent of having him kill Johnny. He transports his horse back to the ground and mounts it, heading towards the real Wekapipo. He then tells him that Johnny is best left alive, on the verge of death, but not beyond saving. Wekapipo asks if Dio stayed silent about Magenta being alive, but Dio points out that they got along well enough. He then asks the Italian if he shot Johnny. To watch Wekapipo glares, still confused, and like, honestly, some Iron Man even scripting this part of the text here, I was just freak confused reading it back. I was like, what was they saying? I feel like I've read this twice now. Dio then sniffs the air again, turning his attention back to Wekapipo and asking if he witnessed him shooting Johnny. Dio was certain that he shot Johnny but feels that he didn't actually do it. Wekapipo, dazed, admits he doesn't understand what the hell Dio just said. Obviously, they're trying to figure out what's going on and who actually shot Johnny.

Dio gets off his high horse and tells Wekapipo that now isn't the time for allegiances. He tells them that the president was the one who shot Johnny, not them, and he knows this because of the scent. Because of this, Dio sends out some of his Raptors to trace the president's scent, declaring that the dude most likely wants the left eye of the Corpse and still plans to kill all of them. Just as they're discussing this, the Raptors are killed by something invisible to them. Wekapipo asks if Dio saw what happened, but Dio is shaken and begins to wonder if the bystander is the president in disguise. His half-baked theory is proven when two more Raptors are torn to pieces at a distance from the civilian. Dio panics, realizing that the president has to be drawn closer to them. He then sends off two more Raptors to check the space between two nearby buildings and instructs them to attack anything they find there.

Meanwhile, Wekapipo brings up what Dio said about him shooting Johnny, saying he couldn't understand it at the time, revealing the truth. Wekapipo states that he probably killed Johnny himself, stating that he didn't have a choice because he thought Dio had set all of it up. Dio, though, just repeats his claim that Valentine is responsible, leaving Wekapipo to wonder who really shot Johnny. Here they are both distracted, though, when something strange grabs onto Dio's Raptors, but instead of killing them, it pulls them deeper into the alley. Dio, who had attached his fingers to their tails, wonders where the enemy is dragging the Raptors. The scent unmistakably belongs to the president, but the Raptors are pulled too far away for Dio to track them. At this point, Dio tries to convince Wekapipo to work with him, pointing out they'll both be attacked if they don't. Just then, though, the shredded corpses of Dio's Raptors are flung from the rooftop, and President Valentine descends with his Stand, D4C. He attempts to punch Dio's head off, but Wekapipo and Dio, by throwing a steel ball at Valentine, miss the strangest thing happens, though. The steel ball seems to go right through the president's head, leaving both Wekapipo and Dio in a daze. Feeling unfulfilled with this kill, Wekapipo takes some solace, though, in the fact that he can still protect Lucy Steel, even if it means making an enemy of the entire country.

Meanwhile, Dio reflects on the president's Stand, realizing that Valentine's head passing through Wekapipo's steel ball only confirms his suspicions that Valentine's ability is not one of vanishing or transforming. Despite this, Valentine recovers quickly and attempts to attack Dio. Fortunately, Dio senses the danger and dodges the president's punch. He retaliates by grabbing Valentine's face and smashing his head into the wall mercilessly. Just as Dio prepares for another strike, Valentine vanishes into the wall, leaving Dio perplexed, swearing that Valentine was within his grasp just moments ago. To make matters worse, Dio can smell the president nearby. His suspicions are confirmed when Valentine suddenly reappears from behind him, emerging from Dio's back. Dio swings his elbow in an attempt to strike him, but the president escapes just in time. Valentine retaliates, bringing both fists down to crush Dio, but Wekapipo intervenes once more with a steel ball. The satellites detach, as seen by the president, and in turn, Valentine begins to lose sight on his left side. Wekapipo rushes towards Dio and asks whether they should flee or try to finish before ataxia fully takes a hold of him. Dio opts to stay and tests the waters by throwing a P at the president from his left side. The P connects easily, causing the president to bleed. Encouraged by this, he transforms into a half-dinosaur, half-man form while thanking Wekapipo for the opportunity. He then moves and swiftly to the president, smacking him across the face with his claws. Dio grabs him by the chest, but Valentine vanishes into a nearby flag. Dio, still able to smell Valentine's scent, approaches the flag carefully, determined to check it out before ataxia gets the better of him. When he raises the flag, Dio's suspicions are confirmed: bits of the president are leaking out. However, the situation takes a turn for the worst when Valentine pulls only half of Dio into the flag with him, escaping while leaving Dio stuck. As if it wasn't enough, a replica of Dio appears, followed by another replica of the president. Amidst the confusion, Valentine retrieves the Corpse's eye from Dio and quotes about finally completing the collection of all the corpse parts. He mocks Dio, questioning what will happen to the half of Dio's body that's come into contact with himself from a neighboring world, stuck there. Dio barely has any time to process this before chunks of his body begin to fall apart.

To clarify this situation, we are taken back to 4:10 p.m. when everyone experienced their own version of the same event. Had actually seen Dio crossing paths with Disco and slipped easily into a nearby flag with a dirty plan in mind. He then briefly appeared to Johnny, who was trying to stop Gyro from heading into the alleyway. Valentine peered out of Gyro's horse and picked up the same handgun he had used to shoot Johnny multiple times. The street painter had actually witnessed the sequence of events, and soon after, Valentine saw Wekapipo peeping out from the corner and Dio spying on him from above. With this knowledge, Valentine manipulated the event, creating three versions of the truth by merging neighboring worlds. As a result, Wekapipo and Dio vividly remember being the ones who shot Johnny, each believing they had done it themselves. This confusion is caused by the president's Stand, which allows him to create neighboring worlds that exist simultaneously in the same space. By merging these worlds, Valentine can make multiple versions of the same event seem like they're all happening at once. The president's Stand is known as Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, or Dirty Deeds Done Cheap, D4C for short. Obviously, a weird and coded name, but undeniably a powerful ability. He likens the multiple versions of events to a sponge, explaining that the holes from different versions can overlap. From a single hole for humans like Dio, this creates a body that starts to break into sponge-like pieces, leading to their death. Valentine, however, can move between these parallel worlds at will, and it's clear that he only dragged half of Dio's version into another world.

Infuriated by it, Wekapipo tries to attack Valentine, but is too slow. The president delivers a brutal punch, knocking Wekapipo and his steel ball to the ground. Valentine turns to mock Dio, declaring that two versions of the same person can never coexist in the same world. As he taunts Dio, the more his body seems to break apart. Bleeding out alongside his doubleganger, Dio clings to the hope that a miracle will occur, convincing himself that if this world is like the original, his Raptors should appear soon. Unaware of this, Valentine walks away, confident that Dio's death is imminent. However, a sewer lid suddenly pops off, and multiple Raptors emerge. Dio's hopes are also reignited when Johnny's hand emerges and shoots Valentine in the neck. Wekapipo is shocked by this, but Johnny quickly follows up with another shot, which Valentine blocked with his hand. Johnny, emerging from the drain, prepares to fire again as Dio praises the Raptors for guiding Johnny to their location. It turns out that Valentine lost possession of the Corpse's eye due to Johnny's previous attacks. Due to this, the president now clings to the wall, starting to bleed out. When Valentine tries to grab the eye again, Johnny ruthlessly opens fire, shooting Valentine in the head, shoulder, and heart. Valentine collapses, and Wekapipo screams that Johnny has finally killed him. Unfortunately, Dio disagrees. He points out that the eye is missing and informs them that Valentine sacrificed one version of himself, allowing him to return to the original world unharmed. This realization sparks a plan in Dio's mind. This is his only chance to find his way back. He notices that the president's body dropped near a door and theorizes that this door must be how Valentine returns to the other world. Dio concludes that if he can get between two random objects, he can return as well. His urgency is underscored by the other version of him suddenly breaking apart and dying in front of him. Dio quickly manipulates his boots, ra, and uses it to signal Wekapipo to pull his legs in the base world. As Wekapipo draws closer to them, Dio stretches out his hand to his alternate world counterparts. The alternate Wekapipo is skeptical by this, so Dio's attempts to convince him seem futile until the alternate version of Dio, thought to be dead at this point, suddenly opens his eyes and pulls Wekapipo's leg. This pushes Wekapipo towards the real Dio, bringing both versions of the ex-guard closer to the flag. In one swift motion, Dio pulls the alternate Wekapipo into the flag, using him to replicate himself. Sadly, though, this means that the real Wekapipo must die. Dio apologizes to him before watching both versions of the ex-guard disintegrate into nothingness. Looking around, Dio notices blood stains at both the sewer entrance and the door. He suspected Valentine had used. Frustrated, Dio curses Valentine, fli-staling the Corpse's eye, and realizes that there was only one eye in the alternate world. He touches the flag from which he escaped, acknowledging that Valentine can simply swap between bodies by summoning them from parallel worlds. It becomes clear that their world is unique, though, as the Corpse only exists there and in the alternate world. The Steel Ball Run is about diamonds, not the corpse parts. With renewed determination, Dio vows to test his theories and then go after the president again, knowing that the corpse part must be his.

Meanwhile, Gyro reaches the sewer entrance and instantly recognizes the blood as Johnny's, believing that Johnny saw something. Dio resolves to follow Johnny instead of pursuing the president or Dio.

At 4:39 p.m. in Philadelphia's Independence Hall, Lucy Steel is confined to a room, overwhelmed by a mysterious voice she believes belongs to the Holy Corpse. The voice urges her not to cry but to cut something. Her mind briefly flashes to the radiant light she'd seen from the corpse parts in the chimney nearby. In an adjoining room, two attendants, let's call them Tweedledee and Tweedledum, discuss President Valentine's whereabouts, admitting they have no idea where he is. As Lucy listens, her breathing grows heavier. When the conversation shifts to her husband, Steven Steel, the attendants reveal that the president has explicitly forbidden any treatment for him. The topic shifts again, this time to Lucy herself, with the two unaware that she's awakened nearby. Tweedledee remarks on how rapidly her pregnancy has progressed, speculating she'll give birth by the end of the day. His prediction unnerves Lucy, whose sweating and labored breathing intensifies. She suddenly rises in pain, catching the men's attention. Tweedledum quickly prepares a sedative to render her unconscious again, while Tweedledee leans against the door, rationalizing their actions as merely following the president's orders. Despite her distress, Lucy hears the voice once more, urging her to cut something. Frantic and desperate to secure medical help for her husband, Lucy charges towards the door, knocking over bottles of medicine in the process. Tweedledee races to restrain her, allowing his colleague to inject the sedative. As the voice then repeats its plea not to cry but to cut, Lucy makes a shocking move. Just as she's about to get injected by the serum, then she cuts off her own solidified tears from her left cheek and wields it like a blade. Chaos ensues. Tweedledummer suddenly loses his footing, slipping on the spilled drugs. He lurches forward and accidentally headbutts Tweedledee in the left eye, leaving him injured. Seizing the opportunity, Lucy bolts out of the room. In turn, Tweedledee tries to go after her but ends up stepping on some shards of glass and sending them flying into his left eye. Both men, now extremely injured, collect the floor, bickering over their blunders. Determined to not let Lucy escape, though, Tweedledee instructs Tweedledummer to intercept her from the rear while he moves in from the front. Their plan somehow works, and Lucy is cornered by them, but as Tweedledummer moves in to inject her, a rat scurries out from a nearby closet, startling Lucy into leaping onto Tweedledummer, and in the chaos, Lucy grabs a nearby door for support, inadvertently yanking it open and slamming it into Tweedledee's already injured eye. The commotion escalates when a guard from the adjacent room enters, pushing the door into Lucy, who collides with Tweedledummer. The sedative needle then ends up somehow in the freaking guard's neck. Dazed, the guard begins to lose control of his body and fires his weapon, hitting Tweedledee squarely in the left eye yet again. At this point, Tweedledummer begins to notice a bizarre pattern. He's always tripping, and his colleagues always end up injured in his left eye. Despite his realization, Lucy uses the momentary chaos to escape once more. When Tweedledummer goes to give chase, he slips on a patch of blood, falling onto a door handle that once again pierces his eye. Finally finding a hiding spot, Lucy takes a moment to reflect on the situation that's going on. The voice, the bizarre chain of events, what does it all mean? She reaches up and peels off another tear solidified on her right cheek, pondering these strange powers which compel her to act.

At 4:30 p.m. on the streets of Philadelphia, Gyro, a horse, rides with his own horse and Johnny's in search of his friend, using the steel ball to aid his efforts. After some time, the ball resonates at top a sewer gate, signaling Johnny's exact location. Without hesitation, Gyro opens the lid and pulls Johnny out. Though battered and bleeding, Johnny urgently tells Gyro about his assailant, but Gyro insists on tending to his injuries first. He explains that he can partially heal Johnny using the zombie horse thread but acknowledges that this marks the end of Johnny's participation in the Steel Ball Run. Despite this, Johnny seems absolutely unfazed. His priority is to recount everything to Gyro that just happened. He explains that he was shot by both Wekapipo and Dio, but their actions were manipulated by President Valentine's mysterious ability. Gyro listens as Johnny details how the president moved between objects and people, including the time he shifted between their horses' backs at the park and the moment he pulled half of Dio through another world using a flag. Johnny also describes how Valentine's ability led to the death of Wekapipo. Gyro, though calm, admits he believes Johnny's story. He asks what became of the idea he had been carrying, and Johnny reveals that Valentine had sadly escaped with it. This leads Gyro to conclude that Valentine had spared Johnny only because his mission to collect all the corpse parts was already complete.

As Gyro continues stitching Johnny's wound with the zombie thread, Johnny mentions something extraordinary that happened at the park. His legs, paralyzed since, you know, the Corpse's spine part was taken from him again, began to move. Though hesitant to believe it, Gyro listens as Johnny demonstrates his legs trembling with unsteady movement before he collapses face-first back onto the ground. Frustrated, though, Johnny just curses the false hope the corpse parts gave him, pounding the ground as he wishes they could push further. Gyro, trying to inspire his friend, though, begins his story about stups. He explains how they were invented in the 11th century to help writers absorb power through the lower body and use it in combat. He elaborates on the flow of energy, likening it to the technique of the steel ball, where power is channeled from the legs to the hips, shoulders, and arms in a helix shape before reaching the fingertips. Johnny listens intently, realizing this principle could counter Valentine's ability. He questions Gyro, only to learn that Gyro has never applied it himself. The Zappali family specialized in execution, not mounted combat. However, Gyro notes that Johnny Joestar's lineage, with its history of horseback riding, could possibly make it easier for him to master the technique. Revitalized with

This Johnny urges Jyro to finish trading his wounds. Though pursuing Valentine and the corpse part seem futile to him, Johnny insists they rescue Lucy Steel, their final trump card.

Meanwhile, Lucy is pushing her husband, Steven, on an emergency stretcher towards the back of Independence Hall. She peeks out to see a single guard manning the coach quietly. She sneaks Steven into the coach, but the sound of his body thudding inside catches the guard's attention. He picks up his shotgun to investigate, only for Lucy to confront him with her solidified tears wielded as a blade. She orders him to drive the coach, claiming she wants to test something out. Fearing surrender, the guard pretends to drop a shotgun but quickly draws a handgun instead. Suspicious of Lucy's intentions, he becomes too distracted to notice the stretcher swinging towards him. It smashes into his face, knocking him into the rider's seat.

Lucy then rushes over to Steven's side, but the guard recovers, aiming his handgun once more. He steps forward but trips on a horse strap and is dragged a short distance. Lucy pleads with him to just relent and drive the damn car, but the guard instead removes his boot and runs back to the exit, shouting for help. His yells disturb a hive of bees, which immediately starts swarming him. Swatting at the insects, he finally succumbs, taking his place in the damn rider seat. His frantic gestures appear as salutes to other guards, who unknowingly return his gesture.

With this, Lucy seizes the moment, cloaking herself and Steven inside the coach as the coach begins to move. Lucy hears this strange voice again, instructing her to head left. She releases the orders to the guard, who complies, albeit it's obviously pretty damn begrudgingly at the standpoint. The voice continues, telling her to not stop until they reach the Delaware River. Though confused and suspicious, Lucy follows the instructions. The voice adds that she should find a shop upon arrival but goes silent when she starts to question it.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, President Valentine is monitoring her through the Corpse's eyes. Every whisper that she hears is actually his doing. The Corpse, favoring Valentine, has aligned itself with him as its chosen ally. When Lucy finally reaches the Delaware River, her worst fears are confirmed. Valentine is waiting by the docks. Mortified, she realizes he has been guiding her all along. With a triumphant demeanor, Valentine welcomes her, instructing her to board the ship bound for the final location on the map.

As Lucy steels herself on the ship Blue Hawaii, she writes the vessel's name on the corner of her dress and tears it off, leaving it as a potential clue for someone to find. Before she can act any further, though, Valentine instructs her to bring the entire coach aboard and hide it in the holding area below deck. This command unnerves her, and she hesitates, staring at her unconscious husband. Finally, Lucy cries out, begging Valentine to treat Mr. Steel, insisting she is the only one that he needs. The president remains unshaken, though, telling her to descend from the coach. He claims that with it, hitting now, he'll have the facilities to save her husband. Lucy obviously doesn't believe a freaking word this dude is saying, sensing deceit from him.

As Valentine approaches her, he explains with unnerving calm that they must cross the sea because it is the Corpse within her that wills it. He paints a picture of an idyllic outcome, a life of peace and happiness once the journey has come to its completion. But Lucy only sees betrayal, suspecting he plans to kill both her and her husband. Desperate, she tears out her tear blade and attempts to attack him with it, but Valentine catches her hand effortlessly mid-swing. Pressing close to her, he speaks in a tone both condescending and chilling, claiming she has found good fortune in his eyes and that he hopes she sees the same in him.

As his words grow more sinister, he suddenly notices the torn piece of fabric missing from her dress. Valentine abruptly steps away, scanning the area. His sharp gaze lands on the scrap of her dress caught on the dock's railing. Lucy's panic intensifies as the president retrieves the note. But rather than harm her, he solemnly swears by the Corpse that he will not kill Steven Steel. He then tears the note into pieces and discards it into the river.

From here, Valentine moves over to, you know, that guard that was just taken on a freaking roller coaster ride by Lucy and was some extremely calculated manipulation. He tricks the man into unwittingly sealing his own fate. He then retreats to the ship's interior to study a map, keeping Lucy within his sight through the window. As the boat seems to leave, by a stroke of complete fortune, a bird defecates on one of the note's fragments drifting in the river, attracting a school of fish. The fish nudge the piece closer to the shore, where sea rats carry it to the dock.

Just as the rats then reach the area, they scatter at the arrival of a horse driven by none other than Diego Brando. Di, having tracked Valentine's to the docks, feels disappointed not to see the president immediately here. He suspects that Valentine is still close but briefly contemplates his next steps if Valentine has truly vanished. Before he can act, though, Hot Pants ambushes him, spraying her meat solution directly onto his face to suffocate him. Once connecting, she sprays again, blocking his airways even further and forcing Diego to send his Raptors after her in retaliation. Hot Pants skillfully combines the Raptors with her meat spray, though immobilizing them before returning her focus back to Diego. She declares that they need to talk, aiming to incapacitate him further.

As she gets close to him, Diego somehow seizes her by the neck, pressing her airways against his face. In a desperate counter to regain himself, trapped, Hot Pants uses her spray to then create a freaking mouth on the ground, allowing her to speak through strained breaths. She bargains with Diego, revealing she is the only one with Lucy's scent. She promises a deal: if Diego gives up the Corpse Part, she will provide him everything else – Valentine's life, his assets, and even his political power. She sweetens the deal by offering him information about Diego's father, Dario Brando, who abandoned him and his mother to die. Obviously, I didn't really go over that too much earlier on in the story because it's very, very similar to what happens if you've all seen Part One of JoJo's, which I'd imagine the majority of people watching this have probably seen Part One. But yeah, this revelation stuns Diego momentarily, loosening his grip. Hot Pants seizes the moment to break free, gasping for air.

As both of them then release each other, though reluctant, with this, Diego agrees to the lady's terms. He sends his Raptors to obviously follow Lucy's scent, which soon lead them to a piece of her dress. Unbeknownst to them, Jyro and Johnny are observing this all from a distance with binoculars. They deduced that Diego is most likely using Lucy's trail to locate Valentine and decide to join in the chase.

On the far side of the river, Diego and Hot Pants discover the Blue Hawaii, but Hot Pants quickly deduces that Lucy and Valentine are no longer on board. When Diego demands to know how she can tell, she points out that Steven Steel's stretcher has been abandoned by the train tracks nearby. Realizing their targets have moved, Diego rushes over to pursue the train before it gains speed. Valentine, however, has anticipated their movements. Hot Pants catches a glimpse of him through her binoculars, opening a door on the back of the train and releasing two figures. To her freaking shock, they are replicas of herself and Diego from another world.

Diego immediately recalling WipePe's demise at the hands of Valentine's duplicates, shouts a warning to Hot Pants. He yells that if they encounter their counterparts directly, annihilation is inevitable. With this, the grim realization sets in, as the president has raised the stakes in the deadly game.

Up on the train, Lucy and her husband are stationed in one of the train cars, but Steven has no say in the matter. He remains obviously unconscious and unaware of what's going on. Meanwhile, Lucy grows uneasy, her body betraying her as she begins to sweat unnaturally. Reaching for a glass of water, she notices something bizarre: the water is splitting apart, as if defying freaking gravity. Feeling stranger by the second, Lucy clutches her belly, suspecting it to be the source of this anomaly. Her suspicion turns to horror when her fingers suddenly shed from her hand, flying off as though blowing apart. Looking down, she sees her hand morphing grotesquely, its form resembling the Corpse's influence. The horror then escalates as her body begins shedding in pieces – her head, her skin, everything, splattering against the train's carriage walls. Her screams echo, but the transformation continues mercilessly, leaving Lucy to fear she's becoming the Corpse itself.

And another part of the train, Valentine observes Hot Pants and Diego pursuing them from horseback. His frustration boils over, and he directs his blame towards Lucy, muttering cryptically about a napkin being the missing piece to his puzzle. Determined to stay ahead here, he resolves to ensure the napkin will soon be his.

Without wait, Valentine shifts into another alternative universe where the versions of Diego and Hot Pants in this reality have already caught up to the train. In this world, Diego warns his counterpart to not come within 5 meters of the president, recognizing the deadly stakes. Yet, as they board the train, Valentine is already waiting for them, holding a diamond in his hand. He explains the nature of this world, though the alternate Diego and Hot Pants are only confused by what the hell is going on. Before they can react, though, Valentine ambushes them and presses their bodies against the door, using his stand ability. He forces them out of this alternative world, back into the original timeline.

The replicas of Diego and Hot Pants materialize in front of their real-world counterparts, who are still chasing them. The real Hot Pants freezes in disbelief, but Diego, having anticipated this, warns her to avoid contact with their doubles at all costs, lest they face annihilation. Then unexpectedly, he asks her for some damn money. Confused but compliant, Hot Pants hands him some cash. Diego, happy, dismounts his horse and warns her in a stern tone: either listen to him or face death. It appears hostile, but Diego's actions have calculated purpose here.

Diego floats the money in the air between himself and the replicas, while Hot Pants begins questioning their identities. As Diego rushes past the replicas, the alternate Diego attempts to follow, only for the floaty money to collide with the bill in his pocket. The contact immediately inflicts a grievous wound on him. At the same time, Hot Pants suffers a similar fate as the bill grazes her. With both of them injured now, the replicas deduce that the real Diego is after their diamonds. Despite his injury, the alternate Diego charges forward to intercept his counterpart, leaving the Hot Pants replicas to clash.

The real Hot Pants warns her alternative self about the danger of contact, but her double is too stubborn to heed the warning. Predictably, both of the Hot Pants simultaneously use the meat spray, hitting each other in the process. The sprays fall to the ground, and their wearers collapse shortly after, even their hats moving upon contact before annihilating into a burst of destruction. Blind and desperate now, the two Hot Pantsers group around the area, trying to find the sprays. Sadly, though, only one spray is within reach, and the real Hot Pants pleads with her double to not touch her, warning of the annihilation that would happen to him. True to form, the replica ignores her, and their hands merge upon contact with the spray, immediately their limbs fragment like sponge before bleeding out profusely.

Thinking fast, the real Hot Pants summons her horse to clear her eyes of his spray and flees. She then wastes no time making it run for it afterwards and restores her arm using the very same spray. And then it dawns on her that this was what Diego was going on about, only for her to see him already boarding and stretching out his hand to her. With no time left, she rushes to grab the real Diego's hand, but also notices that the replica is already on the train. Hot Pants shouts to Diego about the chaos unfolding, but he remains composed, claiming it was all a part of his plan.

Right on cue, the alternative Diego and Hot Pants confront their originals. The real Diego, having probably predicted this, swiftly opens a nearby door, trapping the doubles between it and the wall, forcing them back into their own world. So, what happened here is that Diego's move exploits the singular weakness of Valentine's stand to the replicas' own existence against them.

Meanwhile, Gyro and Johnny are trailing behind the train. Johnny peering through his binoculars observes the unfolding chaos. He points out that the action has already started up ahead. Gyro, taking a closer look, notes that Valentine seems to be aiming for the ocean. Annoyed about it, he stresses the urgency of stopping the president before he can reach his destination. Johnny's gaze, though, then shifts, and he notices a startling development: several other racers, including Poco Loco, Babayaga, and Norisuke Higashikata, are converging on the ocean as well. It's clear that the Steel Ball Run race is finally entering its final and most dangerous phase.

Upon discovering the president's location, Diego informs Hot Pants that Valentine and Lucy are in the lead car of the train. He lingers silently outside, but his quiet presence only heightens Valentine's suspicion. Diego calmly explains that the president has no means of escape here, since the Corpse can only exist in this world, so Valentine has to stay close to it, keeping it under constant watch.

Suddenly, Hot Pants begins to falter, though, struggling for breath as a haunting memory resurfaces: the moment she sacrificed her brother by growing him to a grizzly bear. Overcome with guilt, she vows to claim the Corpse as an act of redemption, declaring her willingness to pay the ultimate price this time, if necessary.

Meanwhile, Diego's own ambitions begin to crystallize. He too intends to claim the Corpse, driven not by redemption, but disdain. To him, humanity is a congregation of pretenders. He recalls how society turned a blind eye to his mother's death, burying it beneath indifference. Fueled by righteous fury, Diego resolves to send above these hypocrites, wielding the Corpse's power to reshape the world. He decides that it begins here, with the president's demise.

At that moment, Valentine notices something startling: Lucy's body is undergoing a transformation as the Corpse begins to assimilate her. Pulling away the cloth that she had been hiding beneath, he accuses her of having been the head of the Corpse all along. Yet, his growing excitement at seeing the completed Corpse is abruptly interrupted. Diego attacks him without warning, lunging forward and slashing at Valentine with his claws. Valentine instantly summons a stand, deflecting the majority of Diego's strikes with precise movements and retaliation. He throws a punch aimed at the dinosaur user, but Diego evades effortlessly, landing gracefully on a nearby sofa. Valentine pauses, noticing the metallic taste of blood in his mouth; a cut had definitely landed despite his defense. Diego, observing this, smirks and declares that he's already discerned the president's weakness. He vows that he won't rely on brute force like crushing him between fists or slamming him against walls. Instead, Diego promises to eviscerate Valentine piece by piece, spilling his insides onto the floor.

Without hesitation, he launches another relentless assault. Valentine retreats towards the nearest door, attempting to wedge himself between it and the wall, but Hot Pants' hand materializes through the keyhole, slamming the door shut. She then steps forward, proving she's still very much a part of this fight. Now trapped between the two adversaries, Valentine dives behind a nearby sofa, aiming to use it as a gateway. Hot Pants, though quick to anticipate his move, alerts Diego, who kicks the sofa away with feral precision. He then lunges at Valentine, his claws poised for the man's throat, but Diego holds, realizing that if he continues his trajectory, he risks creating the exact situation Valentine needs: a space to wedge himself between the floor and another surface. Adapting swiftly, Diego slashes at the wrists of Valentine's stand, forcing the president backward in a single brutal motion. Valentine crashes against the wall, his wrist split, bleeding profusely. He glances behind him, noticing the curtains – a potential escape for him. But before he can act, Hot Pants intervenes, yanking the curtain away and shouting at Diego to end him.

Seizing the moment, Diego molds his fingers into claws and tears into Valentine's throat. Overcome with excitement, Diego inadvertently knocks over a jar of water, spilling it across Valentine. The liquid provides just the opportunity the president needs; it becomes his second. Covering Diego lunges to try and stop him, but it's it's too late. Valentine vanishes immediately. Hot Pants panics, despite insisting that Valentine's injuries are too severe for him to recover. Diego, however, remains composed, explaining that Valentine's stand allows him to swap places with alternative versions of himself from other worlds. The only way to truly kill him is to strike a fatal blow instantly.

Diego then warns Hot Pants to stay away from the walls, urging her to remain calm, as he is faster than the president. However, neither of them anticipate the nearby cupboard. Valentine's arm slowly emerges, swinging the weight of a drawer into Hot Pants and slamming her against the wall. Before Diego can intervene, Valentine then appears behind her, stabbing her with D4C. Worse still, he brings forth two identical replicas of himself, surrounding Diego with three Valentines. Yet, Diego doesn't flinch; instead, he roars at Hot Pants, asking if she's ready. Then he charges into the fray. The three Valentines unleash a coordinated assault, battering Diego as he then leaps into the air to escape them. They follow mercilessly, pummeling her midair, but Diego signals Hot Pants, who quickly deploys her meat spray, camouflaging Diego as one of those Valentines. The ruse actually works, and in the chaos, Diego swiftly slashes the throat of the two replicas, reducing the threat to only one. Sensing his doom, now Valentine attempts to flee, but Diego intercepts him with a precise strike through the side of his neck. Desperate, the president now hurls himself through the train window. Diego immediately follows him, though knowing that Valentine intends to use the falling shards of glass just like he used the spilled water. Before anticipating this, Diego shields Valentine from the glass, denying him the opportunity.

At the same time, Hot Pants rushes to Lucy's side. Unsatisfied with his current blow, Diego deals a final brutal blow to the president, slashing him from hip to torso in a single vertical strike. He slams Valentine onto the ground with force, fulfilling his grim promise, as the man's insides spill out. Yet, even in his final moment, he has one last trick. Summoning the remnants of his strength, he locks his legs tightly around Diego and hurls him beneath his still moving train.

Inside, Hot Pants senses something amiss and quickly peers out of the window to assess the situation below. Diego, broken and bloodied, drags himself forward using only his hands. Despite his horrific injuries of being, you know, pretty much driven over by the train, he declares with defiance that he has won the battle against Valentine. Tragically, these are his last words. The relentless train then slices him in two, leaving his lifeless body scattered on the tracks, his insides painting a grim trail.

Meanwhile, Johnny and Gyro scour the forest alongside the train tracks. Johnny brings their search to a halt and peers through his binoculars, carefully studying the tracks ahead. His voice then starts to tremble as he announces Diego's death. Skeptical, Gyro snatches the binoculars from him to confirm it, and while he does so, Johnny adds a chilling detail: though Valentine was caught beneath the tracks, he managed to escape by slipping into another world. The grim realization of their predicament weighs heavily on Gyro. With a resigned tone, he remarks that their journey has turned out to be far more perilous than he imagined. Johnny nods in agreement, emphasizing that everyone involved faces mortal danger. He speaks of Valentine's unparalleled strength, not just because of his stand, but also his ruthless determination. In a somber moment, Johnny points out that the president now possesses the entire Corpse, casting a shadow over anyone who dares to confront him. Turning to Gyro, Johnny reminds him that this might be his last chance to leave the race and return to his homeland. Gyro, after a moment of introspection, simply changes the subject, brushing off the idea of leaving in an effort to lighten the mood.

Gyro proposes they exchange secrets. He first offers to go, revealing that Gyro is merely a pet name for him; his real name, he confides, is Lucius Kaiser Spinelli. Even his youngest siblings are completely unaware of this fact, and he asks Johnny to keep it between them. However, our boy is already grinning with excitement. Ecstatic, Johnny asks if Lucius Kaiser is pronounced Julius Caesar in English, marveling at the grandeur of the name. He jokes that Gyro's father must have been remarkable to name his son after the legendary Roman general. Obviously, I did want to say Julius Caesar, but I'm just, you know, I'm just trying to keep it as legit as possible for the story. Gyro, cutting through Johnny's enthusiasm, though, urges him to share a secret of his own.

After some hesitation, Johnny admits his full name is Jonathan Joestar. He explains that people stopped calling him JoJo after he began going by Johnny, a change he made to distance himself from his past. Gyro presses for something more personal, though, and reluctantly, Johnny reveals a peculiar and deeply embarrassing secret: he has a strange fetish involving bugs, specifically, he finds it fascinating how a girl's skin turns red when bitten by a mosquito. Both men laugh awkwardly at the bizarre confession before solemnly swearing never to share each other's secrets with anyone else.

The conversation shifts back to the mission at hand as they ride towards the train carrying Lucy. For a moment, Johnny adjusts the stirrups of his saddle and taps his horse on the side. Unexpectedly, the roll of his boot begins spinning at an incredible speed. The rotational energy flows up through his legs, across his torso, and into his fingertips. This phenomenon, unnoticed by Gyro, sets Johnny apart in ways yet to be revealed. Gyro, oblivious to Johnny's newfound ability, fixates on practical matters. He wonders aloud who might be operating the train, reasoning that there has to be an engineer driving it. Johnny acknowledges the thought but remains distracted by what's going on with himself. His attention is then drawn to a caution sign behind them warning of bears in the forest.

Skipping back to moments before, as the wheels of the train threatened to crush President Valentine, he manages to stow away to another world, summoning a replica of himself in this alternate world. The replica leaps away from the train, avoiding the crushing fate of the original Valentine. From here, the new Valentine instantly grasps the situation, recognizing that the base stand has been passed on to him. He realizes that he must return to the original world to fulfill his mission. Without hesitation, he abandons his dead replica and uses D4C to return to the original world.

Meanwhile, Gyro and Johnny continue the pursuit of the train. Johnny notices the broken window of the lead car, the one housing the president and Lucy. Soon, they cross the welcome sign to New Jersey, signaling they've traversed the entire continent. Now, they can even see the Atlantic Ocean in the distance from where they actually stand. Johnny once again spots another bear caution sign, this time pointing it out to Gyro. To their surprise, Gyro admits that he's been noticing these signs too, wondering how many of them have been placed in the area. Johnny finds it strange that they've only encountered these signs after turning around, never seen them heading out. What's even stranger is that these signs appear to have moved closer to their positions in a very short amount of time. Angered, Johnny uses his nail bullets to shoot the sign down, shattering it upon impact. Gyro also follows suit, sending his steel ball after the remnants of the sign, smashing it into even smaller pieces. With their focus sharpened, the two riders remain vigilant, watching both 12 and 6 o'clock positions. Gyro, who's kind of just baffled with it, questions why the sign seems to be stalking them. They agree that something is definitely amiss and continue to strategize. Johnny speculates that a new enemy might be involved aside from the president and suggests that the train's engineer could be a possible suspect. Gyro nods in agreement, but their conversation is interrupted when they notice a small pool of water nearby, teeming with freshwater fish. Unfortunately, these fish are feral, and they leap from the water, attacking Johnny and Gyro. Johnny opens fire, taking down as many fish as he can, while Gyro uses his steel ball to do the same. Despite their efforts, Gyro was bitten by one of the fish. He flings it off before checking the bite and then urges Johnny to move away from the pool. The two quickly realize that staying around the pool would only waste their time, so Gyro shifts their focus back to Lucy Steel, their true objective. Johnny, who's obviously concerned about his mate being bitten, asks Gyro if he was affected. Gyro lies, though, urging Johnny to focus on catching up to the train. He vows to confront the engineer regardless of whether he's connected to the fish attack or not.

After riding for a bit more, they turn back to find both the bear con sign and the fish-filled pool still behind them, as if they've never left.

Back on the train, Hot Pants grows closer to Lucy, confused by the strange crystal-like appearance of her body. She assumes that Lucy has absorbed the Corpse Part and now fully embodies the Corpse. Her attention shifts when she notices flies landing on a glass cup, but as she watches, something seems to move of its own accord. This unsettling observation makes her recall the battle between Diego and Valentine, but she realizes she still doesn't know who actually emerged victorious in it. The oddness of the situation deepens when she notices the space around her growing increasingly compact; everything seems to be drawing closer, as though the car is actually shrinking. Hot Pants wonders if she's losing her mind, but the sight of Valentine entering the cart confirms something is definitely wrong. She calls out to him, but he ignores her, more intrigued by the strange ability that seems to be causing objects to converge towards each other. Valentine, distracted by the unusual shift in Hot Pants' fingers, watches as her nails move from the usual positions to the back of her palm. Worse still, she realizes there are flies inside her hand. Before she can react, D4C punches her into the nearby window, shattering the glass. Unfortunately for Hot Pants, the window is now too small for her to escape through, and she finds herself trapped, surrounded by the shards of glass. Valentine, unaffected by Hot Pants' plight, declares that a new operation is in play. This is not the work of the train's engineer, but something far more sinister.

As objects continue to converge on Hot Pants' body, including shards of glass and the window frame, she becomes overwhelmed. Outside, Gyro and Johnny, still pursuing the train, eventually come to the horrifying realization that the strange phenomenon they've been witnessing is not the result of a sign or a school of attacking fish. Instead, the entire plot of land seems to be pursuing them; the very land itself is somehow chasing after them, and it explains why they've seen the same sign and pond as they've traveled. Back on the train, Hot Pants tries to fix herself with her meat spray, but it's futile. Objects continue to invade her body, and she bleeds uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Gyro and Johnny do their best to catch up with the train. Valentine, observing from the window, realizes that all the convergence is due to Lucy Steel's influence. The Corpse, now manifesting its power, is pulling everything towards her. The president himself, grinning with twisted delight, knows that the Corpse has become his ally. After some careful consideration, he realizes he was slightly mistaken in his earlier understanding of the situation. True to his thoughts, a bright light begins to emanate from his finger, eventually spreading to his entire hand. As a test, he reaches out to touch a nearby glass cup, only to have his hand fade right through it. He swings his hand up and down, trying to make sense of the strange phenomenon, and soon discovers that he's interacting with a gap in space. Everything begins to click as Valentine realizes that he can now enter and move within this gap – a gap created by Lucy. A quick glance out of the window reveals that rivers, houses, mountains, and even entire lands are being drawn towards this Gap. To his amazement, Valentine discovers he can control this Gap. Lucy, as the possessor of the Corpse, has somehow unlocked the next stage of Valentine's stand ability.

Outside, Gyro is carefully trailing the edge of the train, searching for a way in. During his dangerous reconnaissance, he encounters the train engineer, whom he had promised to deal with earlier. However, the engineer's hands are stuck to the train brakes, and he's missing a leg, slowly bleeding out in this peculiar hostage situation. Unaware of the true nature of Valentine's ability, Gyro shouts at the engineer to stand up and threatens him with a steel ball, demanding that the engineer put his hands on the wall. Thankfully, Johnny, who understands what Valentine's powers are, intervenes. He explains to Gyro that the president has trapped half of the engineer in another world using his ability, and the engineer is completely innocent to everything that's currently going on. Gyro falls silent with this knowledge, trying to process all the new information. He looks back at the engineer, noticing that the man's limbs are tied to his body in the alternate world, and that his replica is bleeding out, dismembered. Still, Gyro mistakenly believes that the engineer has to be some sort of stand user, speculating that he somehow stuck another person inside a mirror. Johnny once again corrects him, though, explaining that it is all part of Valentine's stand ability. Johnny emphasizes that the engineer is not in this situation and has nothing to do with the chase. However, Gyro insists on hearing the truth directly from the engineer, and in a desperate plea, the dude wails for help, explaining that he was instructed to not let go of the brakes, or else he would sink into the mirror and die. He admits that he did not listen at first, which resulted in him losing a freaking leg. It dawns on Gyro that the man stuck inside the mirror is a replica of the engineer in another world, and the same person can't meet the double without facing annihilation. This Revelation shifts Gyro's perspective, but his thoughts are interrupted when the engineer pleads him to release him once again, limiting the numbness creeping into his fingers. Gyro apologizes and suggests the engineer try to undo the rope tying his limbs to his replica, but he quickly dismisses the idea, realizing that touching his double would immediately lead to his death. Now desperate, the engineer pleads for Gyro to break the mirror, but the suggestion makes no sense. After a brief moment of consideration, Gyro tells the engineer that he's beyond saving, but urges him to hold on to the brakes as long as possible. If they managed to defeat the president here, the dude will then be freed, and you know, like won't even be bleeding or anything, 'cause his limbs will come back. With that, Gyro then moves on.

Meanwhile, Johnny and his horse close in on the lead car, where they finally come face to face with Valentine. Without exchanging pleasantries, Johnny preps the fire as nail bullets at the president. However, Valentine quickly uses Lucy as a shield. Despite this, Johnny continues shooting, and Valentine even admits that Johnny's move is impressive. Contrary to Valentine's conclusion on what the bullets are most likely going to do, they not only hit Lucy but rotate and then speed their way towards him. In a panic, Valentine throws Lucy onto a nearby sofa and stumbles backwards. He attempts to contain the rotations within a newspaper, hoping to use his ability to transfer them to another world. Unfortunately, his powers fail, and the rotations bore through his hands. Taking advantage of his momentary surprise, Johnny fires two more nail bullets, both of which strike Valentine's hand, practically breaking his wrist in the process. A golden light then emanates from Lucy, and Valentine's injuries are transferred to a group of men working in a distant field, which is [ __ ]! That's Valentine's hands then return to normal, but the men are left with gaping holes in their hands. Confused, Johnny wonders what the hell just happened, but Valentine quickly deduces that Lucy is behind the miraculous event. He begins referring to her as a goddess, marveling at the fortune and misfortune she brings to the world. Deep in thought, Valentine realizes that only fortunate things are drawn to Lucy, while misfortune things are repelled. This explains how Johnny's bullets were redirected to the unfortunate farmers, which why why are the farmers unfortunate? Probably because they have to work outside or something, I'd imagine. But it Valentine compares this to his napkin analogy from earlier on that he had explained to Lucy. He now believes he has obtained the first napkin, the key to his power, glory, and happiness.

As Johnny contemplates whether to shoot Valentine again, Gyro notices a strange wound on his arm. It resembles the fishbite wound from earlier, but it's moving up his hand in a disturbing way. The wound continues its journey until it reaches Gyro's neck, which suddenly begins to bleed profusely like a broken faucet. Valentine, now fully aware of the power Lucy grants him, decides it's time to eliminate Gyro and Johnny. He resolves to begin with Johnny, seeing him as a greater threat. Gyro struggles to stop the bleeding from his neck, but it seems pointless. He starts to suspect that this is an attack from Valentine, blaming it on the damn fish that bit him earlier, as it weakens him by the side of the train. Just then, he sees his horse galloping towards him with Johnny close behind. To Johnny's surprise, though, Valentine, still on pursuit of him, leaves the train but doesn't touch the ground, leaving Johnny to wonder what he's stepping on. Taking advantage of this brief distraction, D4C attempts to land a punch, but Johnny, actually fully absorbed in the moment, notices and retaliates. He fires his nail bullets, but they enter Valentine's Gap in space and get deflected to an army base on the opposite side of the freaking Earth. A glimpse into the Gap shows the base being destroyed with a soldier losing his head as a result of Johnny's attack. Valentine, observing the consequences, points out that once again, humans elsewhere are bearing the brunt of his misfortune. That's when the concept of the Gap finally clicks for Johnny. He urges the horses to go faster, trying to distance himself from Valentine, only for the president to reappear in front of him moments later. Under pressure, Johnny swerves his horse and narrowly avoids the president once again. However, Johnny soon realizes that the forest is now closing in on him, and if he doesn't attack fast, he'll be trapped between the forest and Valentine. Wondering if the Corpse is behind all of this, Johnny pushes forward, determined to stay ahead of the president and his Gap. But Valentine easily catches up and tries to strike Johnny with D4C's hand. Just in time, Gyro reappears and uses his steel ball to swap the stand's hand away. Seizing this moment, Johnny turns and fires his nail ballet again, but they are once more deflected, this time landing in a war-torn country, causing the deaths of two children. Valentine seizes the opportunity to lecture Johnny, asking if he saw what was inside the Gap. He explains that the Gap is a consequence of karma, with others taking the brunt of any harm directed at him. D4C attempts to strike Gyro, but the blow misses. Gyro, ready for a fight, then prepares to throw a steel ball. However, Gyro's condition worsens as a scratch similar to the one on his neck reappears on his hand and begins to travel upward. It seems to only worsen him whenever it comes into contact with Valentine's Gap, and Gyro fears that the injury will reach his head or heart eventually killing him. Johnny, sitting there, eventually notices Gyro struggle, but his focus remains on Valentine, who's sneaking in for another attack. Fortunately, Johnny narrowly escapes D4C's strike by leaning as low as possible on his horse. He then shoots the coupler connecting the lead car to the train's engine, causing the engine to surge forward, leaving the area. D4C tries again to strike Johnny, but Johnny's practice with limbo proves useful as he leans even damn lower, narrowly avoiding the attack. The train cars disconnect, becoming stationary, and forcing Valentine, who still has to keep an eye on the Holy Corpse, into a tight spot. Johnny now rides ahead, but Gyro, overwhelmed by the pain from his ever-worsening injury, falls from his horse. He laments his inability to do anything about it and starts coughing up blood. Johnny, realizing the gravity of the situation, screams Gyro's name and brings his horse to a halt. Gyro, still struggling, complains about the injury to his heart, while Johnny spirals into despair himself. He lays there on the ground, memories of his past flood his mind: his brother's death, his father's claim that God took the wrong son. Lying there, Johnny laments that they're about to lose just as they were making progress. He tells Gyro that they cannot defeat Valentine now that he controls the entire Corpse. Unable to move, Gyro listens quietly as Johnny rambles about how Valentine will return to the train and use the Gap to come after them, a Gap that deflects any harm to him, only making injury worse in the process.

After listening to Johnny's pessimistic rant, Gyro, still bleeding, slowly gets to his feet. He reminds Johnny of the stupid story he told him earlier about using the horse's power to improve one's rotation. Johnny dismisses the idea, though, feeling that a technique relying on leg movement is pointless for him given his current condition; he's a freaking paraplegic. Gyro brushes off his friend's doubts, though, and reveals that he used that same technique moments ago to throw his steel ball. A brief silence follows, and after this, Johnny steals a glance at Gyro's steel ball in the distance, only to continue ranting about no type of rotation coming close to what the Gap is capable of. Gyro, though, just picks up his steel ball, agreeing that it seemed like a hopeless situation until now. When he lifts the steel ball, he notices strands of Valentine's hair somehow caught within it. Johnny is skeptical with this, not seeing how some hair could be significant at all, unless Gyro is implying that he actually hit Valentine. Gyro admits he didn't see the result clearly, but he's certain there's a rotation passed down through his ancestors, one that has never ever been seen before. It's the same rotation tied to the use of stirrups, the one used by knights, and he passed to break through the defenses of their enemies. Curious, Johnny asks what kind of rotation Gyro used to throw a steel ball, but Gyro admits he frankly has no idea. All he knows is the result: he managed to pull some of Valentine's hair from within the Gap. With them, yet they both mount their horses again, staring at the now stationary train car. Gyro pumps himself up to save Lucy, but Johnny remains preoccupied with the mysterious result Gyro had just mentioned to him.

Johnny and Gyro remain fixed on the train as they quietly plan the next move. Gyro brings up the golden rectangle, sparking Johnny's interest. He encourages Johnny to harness the horse's power by applying the golden rectangle to it. In essence, Johnny needs to get the horse to run in perfect form. But Johnny's confusion is obvious. Noticing his friend's confusion, Gyro elaborates: they need to extract rotational energy from the horse, but it can only be done through the golden rectangle. He advises Johnny to let the horse run in a way that the animal believes is best, almost as if it's thanking it for being born and living under the sky. Gyro believes that once the horse achieves the golden rectangle, they'll have the power to defeat Valentine. With that in mind, they begin to move forward.

From the train window, Valentine watches with confusion as Gyro and Johnny, instead of running away, ride their horses towards him. He's convinced they know it's futile to challenge someone in control of the Corpse, so what gives? He's perplexed that they don't seem to despair. Just then, Valentine's attention shifts to Lucy, who suddenly falls from her chair, sparkling in the sunlight. She gasps, struggling to breathe, and Valentine crouches over her, informing her that she's about to die. Cradling her in his arms, he explains that while she will die, a goddess will be born because she's turning into the Holy Corpse. He promises to build her a shrine, then leaves the train car to confront the racers outside. Gyro remains calm and hopes Johnny will only shoot at Valentine when the horse is fully into the golden rectangle form. But Valentine doesn't wait for them to reach him; he jumps down from the train and onto the tracks itself. At that moment, Gyro and Johnny urge their horses into action. Valentine wastes no time, however, activating D4C and his Gap ability. He then merges with the grass, flattening himself and moves alongside the tracks in a fall that sticks to the ground. Having seen this, Gyro and Johnny are just caught off guard by this new tactic. Gyro wonders if Valentine flattened himself because he's aware of their plan to use the horse's power of rotation. He quickly shouts to Johnny, urging him to escape to the right side of the tracks while he jumps to the left. For some reason, though, Valentine chooses to chase Johnny, flowing through the grass like the snake he is. Impatient, Johnny fires a round of nail bullets off, but Gyro yells from a distance that it is not time yet. Sure enough, Johnny's bullets only strike sand, and Valentine resumes his pursuit. Meanwhile, Gyro continues to watch Johnny's horse, looking for signs of the perfect rectangle, yet something is just always off with it. Gyro hopes that Johnny can remain calm long enough for the horse to acclimate the necessary power for the golden rotation. Sadly, Johnny's impatience is evident, and he shoots at Valentine again. This time, the bullets phase through the Gap, killing an unsuspecting person somewhere far away. Frustrated, Gyro yells at Johnny again, emphasizing that the horse has not achieved the perfect rectangle. The trees, like before, then continue to close in on Johnny, and he tries to evade the president, but it dawns on him that this was likely Valentine's plan all along: to push him into the trees so that he can use his capability effectively. With no other options, Johnny resolves to ride through the trees. But just then, Gyro notices that the horse has achieved the perfect rectangle. He shouts to Johnny, urging him to attack now that the golden ratio is possible. With one fluid motion, Johnny immediately aims his hand at Valentine, but just as he prepares to fire, a tree branch strikes him, throwing him off balance. Despite this, Johnny does not hesitate. He steers his right hand with his left, ready to fire, but before he can, D4C suddenly appears and delivers a devastating karate chop, smashing Johnny's hand at the exact moment he releases the nail bullet.

Obviously, only President Valentine and his stand D4C have the ability to travel between dimensions. However, there is one other force in the natural world that can cross these boundaries: gravity. Thanks to gravity's pulling power, Valentine can move between dimensions and maintain his human body and mind, hence, you know, the Gap. If gravity were to abandon him, he'd lose his form and scatter across various dimensions. It's clear that gravity follows Valentine and D4C wherever they go. If anyone could weaponize gravity, it would be the one force capable of defeating Valentine, as it could pierce any dimension he attempts to hide in. Unfortunately, this kind of power has never been seen in this world.

Back with our main boy, Johnny's smashed hand falls to the ground, but that's not enough to stop Valentine. D4C grabs Johnny by the neck, knocking him off his horse for Gyro to witness. As D4C strangles Johnny, Gyro throws his steel ball in an attempt to save his friend, but it passes through the Gap, shattering a nearby food cart and killing two random bystanders in some part of the world. The steel ball then returns to the tracks, its rotation now lost. Now on the ground, Johnny is vulnerable and D4C seizes the chance to strike again. Despite Gyro's frantic cries, it seems nothing can stop Valentine. However, the sight of a white mouse running across the field distracts the president. He can't figure out where it came from or whether it was drawn to this place by the shifting landscape. Strangely, D4C's hands are pulled away from Johnny, forcing Valentine to glance towards the train. He tries to resist the pull, but it's futile, realizing that someone is moving Lucy. He's shocked to find that she's fully transformed into the Corpse. Johnny now coughs up blood as Gyro watches the strange pull on Valentine. The source of the disturbance is no one other than Mr. Steven Steel, who has recovered just enough strength to move his wife's body. Blood pours from his own wounds, but he keeps on freaking moving. Despite his agony, Mr. Steel is determined to get Lucy away from Valentine. Outside, Mr. Steel screams out for Gyro, pleading for him to take Lucy away to safety before the transformation is complete. He explains that her breathing has returned briefly after escaping Valentine, though she had stopped breathing before. Almost too weak to move any further, Mr. Steel's body starts to give out, but he finds the strength to beg Gyro to save Lucy's life. Valentine approaches Mr. Steel, though shocked to see that he's still alive. Opposing them, Gyro faces a choice: help Johnny or save Lucy. Gyro chooses Lucy.

But before he can reach her, Valentine leaps into action, manipulating the Gap to cover the distance in a matter of seconds. Seeing this, Joe spurs his horse on, apologizing to Mr. Steel as he races towards Lucy. Mr. Steel, ever determined, though, yells that he's counting on Gyro.

In one swift motion, Gyro manages to scoop Lucy up as he rides away, narrowly evading De for's attack and managing to put a little distance between himself and Valentine. Frustrated, Valentine exits the Gap and watches helplessly as Gyro makes his escape.

Mr. Steel and Valentine return to the train. Pressing his neck against it, Valentine starts one of his good old speeches, taunting the dying man. He mocks Mr. Steel's fragile will to save Lucy, repeating his infamous nepin analogy while digging his fingers into Mr. Steel's bullet wounds. In a surprising twist, though, Valentine shows mercy to him, remembering his vow that he wouldn't kill Mr. Steel. He releases the man but quickly returns to stomp on him, intensifying his sufferings.

Valentine then turns his attention back to Gyro, now phased as the ocean seems to be drawing closer to Lucy, just as everything else is. Meanwhile, Gyro feels his wound creeping up his arm and quickly looks over at his SED hand, now lying next to Gyro's steel ball. As the wound travels up further, Johnny realizes that it's moving faster now, hitting for his heart. He screams in agony as the wound reaches his shoulder and, in a desperate move, shoots himself in the chest, hoping to prevent the wound from reaching his heart. Using the perfect rotation, Johnny leans on a nearby tree, allowing the wound to transfer to it. The tree then snaps in half as the wound flows into it. Johnny, beaten, crawls towards his secet hand while calling out to Gyro, who is too far away to hear.

Though over with them, and as Valentine manipulates the Gap to catch up with Gyro, Johnny struggles to grab the other steel ball that's left. To his shock, he notices something that's attached to it: Valentine's ear. Johnny refuses to believe like his eyes at first, but when he picks up the ball, he realizes that it has to be the president's ear. Quickly glancing at Valentine, Johnny notices he seems completely Una-aware that his ear is currently missing. This here is all the proof Johnny needs to confirm that Gyro has indeed applied the golden ratio with his horse's power. He realizes something must be going on for Valentine to be completely unaware of his missing ear, but Johnny can't quite figure out what it is yet. Knowing that he doesn't need them, Johnny abandons his SED hand and Valentine's ear, reaching instead for Joe's steel ball. He then mounts his horse and, as he rides off, he notices something unsettling: the Atlantic Ocean has reached their doorstep, even quicker than he thought it would have. Even Jaru sees it, but curiously, wherever they step, the water seems to give way.

A second glance at Lucy reveals something remarkable: her breathing has normalized, and her skin, once crystalline, is returning to a more human texture. Because of this, J realizes that the distance they've put between Lucy and Valentine has made this possible, and for the first time, he allows himself to hope that she could possibly be saved. But there is obviously still the problem of Valentine being alive, and J can't figure out a way to shake him off completely. He had noticed the ocean moving towards Lucy and understood inevitably that it would probably surround her, so he made the decision to run towards it, turning the ocean into the Battleground for his confrontation with the president.

True to his suspicions, Valentine doesn't back down as well and continues to follow. Dr. plans to use the massive ocean to his Advantage, knowing that Valentine has to exit the Gap to attack. The ocean is an extremely dangerous place for him, and Jo believes the president could possibly drown if he tries to fight there. He also considers a scenario where Valentine escapes into one of his infinite worlds, but that only offers a temporary safety. The moment Valentine then returns to this world, he could possibly drown. The only option left for Valentine would be to stay within the narrow strip of dry land created by Lucy's corpse. Getting ready, Job appears for his chance to strike, confident that this is the moment they've been waiting for.

As Valentine then closes in, he speaks, his voice calm yet probing. He asks Gyro why he's still riding a horse despite knowing how dangerous the light from Lucy makes him. Valentine obviously assumes that Gyro should be dropping Lucy and flaming for his life, but instead, Jar has ridden into the ocean to face him. Valentine considers that Jo's repeated use of his steel balls might have some deeper purpose but dismisses the idea. He knows that Jo acts based on theories, unlike Mr. Steel, who acts on ideals and dreams.

As Valentine then moves closer to Gyro and Lucy, he continues to puzzle over what the racer is trying to do. Gyro holds Lucy tightly, watching in horror as her body begins to return to its crystalline form. Valentine, ever drawing closer to her light, and Gyro can feel the tension rising. Johnny, still struggling to stay alive himself, mounts his own horse, determined to get close enough to warn Gyro about the golden rectangle, an unseen force capable of making people impervious to pain, even when injured.

Suddenly, the wind blows against Valentine's here, and he hears a rustling in his ear. This sound is so persistent that Valentine reaches up his hand, frozen in place when he realizes that his ear is gone. It dawns on him that when Gyro first threw a steel ball back when he thought nothing had happened, that was when Gyro had taken his ear. As Gyro appears to attack with his remaining steel ball, Valentine is shaken by the realization that he might be facing defeat here. Johnny, watching from afar, knows that Gyro has no idea about the ear he took as a trophy. He's determined to get close enough to inform him about the golden rotation, the power that allows someone to be unharmed even after taking a severe injury. But Johnny fears for Gyro, knowing that the president is now aware of the danger possessed by the steel balls.

Gyro, however, remains unaware of his success worth the ear he's taken as a trophy. He's focused on the currently approaching Valentine, thinking that one of his steel balls will be enough to try and finish him off. Johnny, however, is pretty certain that things have changed now and that the president is aware of what Gyro can do. The two opponents think close the distance between them with each passing second. Gyro himself celebrates as his horse finally achieves the golden rectangle, while Valentine realizes that Jar's secret lies in his horse's power. From his own position, Johnny can see that both sides clearly and knows one steel ball will not be enough to defeat Valentine. The president will most likely aim to kill Jo's horse here first, and with that, Johnny's fear for his friend grows even stronger.

As President Valentine grapples with his new-found disadvantage and inur, Johnny charges towards the confrontation, determined to get the other steel ball to Gyro. Meanwhile, Valentine takes stock of everything that could harm him. Jo's horse is obviously the biggest threat, followed by Johnny, and surprisingly, the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. He mutters a cryptic saying about how the first person to misread a move will lose the battle, convinced that he won't be the one to make that mistake. Valentine, now more focused than ever, is certain that the golden rectangle has been attained by Gyro. As Gyro grips his steel ball tightly, waiting for the moment to strike, Valentine vanishes beneath the waves, using the ocean and the ocean floor as his gateway to another dimension.

Gyro quickly realizes what he's up to and circles his horse, never allowing himself to be caught off guard. When Valentine reappears, it's clear to him that Valentine can't stay hiding for too long, as the ocean will drown him if he stays in it. While waiting for his opportunity, Johnny shouts out at Gyro, warning him that Valentine now knows about the horse's power and the new rotation. This does a new level of caution in Gyro, but he doesn't know that Valentine has already resurfaced beneath the Atlantic waves with a replica of himself, leaving Gyro confused about which version of the president is the real one.

Johnny, noticing his friend's dilemma, yells that the president is the one who took damage to his ear. Gyro, keeping this in mind, watches as both Valentine surface from the water. They here initially concealing their ears, but when they move, the wind reveals that the one on the left is Jar's target. However, J's gut tells him that this actually may be a trick, and he bases his suspicions on the fact that the real Valentine must be in control of D4C. With that, Jo notices the light from Lucy's skin is pointing in a direction entirely different from where both versions of Valentine are standing. It's pointing directly behind him. Trusting his instincts, he makes a decisive choice to throw his steelball behind himself. Luckily, his gamble pays off. The steelball spins with such power that it tears through D4C's hand, causing Valentine to lose several fingers in the process. The president immediately tries to retreat into the Gap, but the steel ball follows him, smashing his head. Worse yet, the ball stays within the Gap, transforming into a nightmarish entity. No one has the ball breaker, thanks to the golden rotation that perfectly aligns with the dimensional wall. This disturbance wrecks havoc on Valentine's Gap, causing him to weather his left side begins to age rapidly, losing all hair and shriveling his skin. The impact of the steel ball forces Valentine anded stand out of the Gap to him, crashing onto the piece of a narrow dry land.

Johnny, watching an excitement, screams that Jro actually pulled it off. With a steel ball returning back to his side, Jo faces off against two decoy versions of Valentine, both armed with guns. They have no control over D4C or the corpse, so they're really no match for Gyro. Before they can shoot, Jo hurls a steel ball at the one on his right, hitting him square in the chin. The rotation then forces the man to shoot the other replica. Even worse, the rotation continues, causing the surviving replica to then aim the gun at himself and blow his own freaking brains out. Out the two versions of Valentine fall lifeless into the ocean almost simultaneously, leaving Johnny to scream that they've definitely won here.

Gyro gives him a brief acknowledging glance as he catches his steel ball, but upon closer inspection, J notices something strange: spots of dust on a steel ball and looks back at Valentine. D4C is still active, and Valentine, lying on the ground, asks what of them Miss. Ready the one move. He then joins D4C to sit up, declaring with quiet resolve that it definitely wasn't him. It's at this moment that Gyra realizes he's bleeding from a wound in his stomach. Standing there, Valentine glares at him, wondering if another steel ball attack is coming from the raser anytime soon.

Gyro and Valentine face off once again, but the circumstances are different this time. As they lock eyes, Lucy's skin crackles with energy, a fissure of light slicing through it. Despite the ominous crackling, Gyro doesn't hesitate. He secures as Lucy, unwilling to let anything stop him now. Despite half of his own body aging, Valentine somehow managed to rise once again. Johnny looks at the half-bold president and realizes that Gyro only needs one more strike to end it all.

Valentine strides purposely forward towards Gyro, but the racer is distracted by his own wound, trying to stop the bleeding. With this, Valentine seizes the opportunity, taunting Gyro that his injury is hing straight for his heart. He suggests that Jo could step into the fissure of light Lucy is admitting to read himself off the wound, claiming that the injury could simply be passed onto someone else. However, stepping into Lucy's light isn't as simple as he makes it sound.

The force messes with Valentine's energy, and his other half begins to age as well. The president watches in awe of the infinite rotation, recognizing it as the pinnacle of Gyro's power. D4C, though, lands another hit on Jar's abdomen but quickly retreats back, trying to avoid more damage to himself. Our boy clutches his stomach, but when he looks at Valentine, he sees that the president has also lost all of his here and looks like a shriveled old man. Despite his appearance, Valentine still has formidable amounts of strength. He brags that he has gained the favor of the goddess and is always one move ahead of them.

Johnny and Jar don't seem to understand why Valentine is bragging so. The president explains further: a fissure coming from Lucy is creating walls that lead to another dimension. These walls can draw in everything from grass to sea coasts but will send away all things unfortunate to other parts of the earth. Valentine then reminds Gyro of the time he tried to use the dossier to track his location and how Jo steel ball had to cross the dimensional wall to reach him. During that moment, a wall of light scraped off a small piece of the ball, sending it to another part of the earth. That scrape, Valentine explains, has caused Jo steel ball to lose its perfect rotation.

Hearing this news strikes Johnny hard, though he remains silent as Valentine continues speaking. This scrape transformed the steel ball from a perfect sphere into an elliptical shape, which significantly weakened its effects. Valentine mocks Gyro, now claiming that Lucy wasn't his downfall at all; she caused it instead. Gyro, now bleeding more heavily than before, feels the injury creeping towards his heart. His chest grows, and Johnny watches, heart sinking, as Joe suddenly loses his grip on a steel ball. The ball falls to the ground, and Gyro collapses beside it. Valentine gloats, taunting Jar that he should have known he would lose the moment he relied on the steel ball. Lifeless on the ground, the ocean water begins to creep over Jar's body, and Johnny, unable to contain his disbelief, begins to tremble uncontrollably. He grits his teeth and shivers, holding on to Gyro's remaining steel ball as memories flood his mind.

He remembers the very first time they met, when Johnny had rolled his wheelchair into traffic and had almost been kicked by J's horse. Gyro had jokingly warned him to not let Dy by horse kick replace infectious diseases as the leading cause of death in the country. From that moment on, they had shared countless adventures together, with Gyro teaching Johnny the art of rotation, one lesson after another. Johnny recalls the time they fought enemies and allied with stand users, all while running in the steelball run race and trying to win. From the bottom of their hearts, he remembers how JY had once torn off the hand of Johnny's favorite teddy bear and how they had worked together to master nature's power in order to beat Sandman. Johnny's mind drifts back to a simpler time when he asked Jo why no lady had ever read on a saddle. Jo had responded that the goddess of victory would be jealous, but Johnny had jokingly claimed that Lucy was the goddess back then. Joe had simply told him to ride with it if he believed it. Before then, explaining an analogy about a tennis ball bouncing against the nets, Jo had said that sometimes it was in those moments that you need the grace of a goddess to help you make sense of where the bull would land.

Now, with his heart shattered and his body drenched in sweat, Jonny struggles to breathe, his chest tight with grief. But Valentine doesn't allow him to grief long. He turns, ready to finish Johnny off, leaving the young man helpless as he watches Gyro get consumed by the Atlantic Ocean.

So, yeah, I Dr. was an absolutely amazing character who pretty, like, he really got me into Steel Run. His antics at the beginning, just him in general, you know, like he's just an amazing character. But it's quite sad to see that he's, you know, like, I guess he's never going to see, you know, his goal play out or what happens with Marco and the other things that could have possibly happened for the Zapali family later in life. But I, I'll speak more on that when we do get to the end of the story. Either way, just to mock the death of J some more, though, and push it in further for Johnny, the president, not satisfied with the state of Jar's injury, takes extra measures to ensure the racist stays dead. Valentine pulls out a handgun from one of his replicas and shoots Jaro multiple times in the chest. He then tosses the gun into the ocean, and blood begins to float out from Jar's body. Johnny watches in horror, tears stained on his cheek, as he screams out in agony. His closest friend, his brother in arms, is gone.

Valentine, however, steps forward, determined to finish Johnny off as well. With Lucy, she remains asleep throughout the chaos, her light still radiating softly. As the president keeps her close enough to tap into her power, Valentine's grotesque appearance, shining and mocking, ignites Johnny's Fury. Without thinking, Johnny fires a nail bullet at the president, but as always, it gets redirected. This time, it strikes a poor hunter in a distant, impoverished land, ruining his only chance to catch his meal. Johnny's rage reaches a boiling point, and he continues to scream, unable to contain his emotion. Desperate for a way to get back at Valentine, he realizes that his horse might be the key. He knows he has to make it run to channel its power and create the perfect rectangle, but first, Johnny fires two more bullets at the ground near Valentine, hoping that his home inability will land and actually damage him. Unfortunately, the bullets redirect once again, causing the tragic death of two people in a train crash. This moment of failure solidifies Johnny's realization: without preventing his attacks from touching the dimensional wall, they're useless. The key to his victory in this battle obviously lies with his horse.

With renewed determination, Johnny prepares to ride once more. As he races forward, he finally finds the right rotation, but Valentine, I elusive, disappears into the ocean waves before Johnny can strike. With no choice but to act quickly, Johnny shoots at Valentine, but once again, the attack has diverted, this time into a circus where it unlocks a lion's cage, allowing the beast to rip off its caker's head. Johnny remains undeterred by it, though, focused solemnly on the waves in front of him, knowing Valentine is bound to resurface. He keeps his sight locked on the ocean, waiting for the prison to reappear. As expected, Valentine does resurface, but this time, he's ready. Using D4C, he slashes Johnny's horse's neck. In one swift motion, the poor animal collapses, sending Johnny tumbling to the ground, bleeding from the attack. Both he and the horse lay in agony, struggling to hold on to life.

Johnny, battered and broken, weakly swings his hand, trying to use whatever strength he has left to defeat the president. Valentine, ever the strategist, crouches behind Johnny's fallen horse to obscure his line of sight and begins yet another long-winded speech. He talks about the moment he was inaugurated as the president two years ago. His hometown celebrated with a dinner in his honor, with freshly slain lamb was served as part of an ancient custom. Villon compares the trials Johnny and Gyro have faced to offerings, sacrifices for his greater goal. He mentions how everyone from Boom Bone to Dio was merely fresh lamb to be slaughtered for his ambitions. This sound of Valentine's words only enraged Johnny further, but he's too weak to mount a proper attack.

Noticing Johnny's exhaustion, Valentine continues proclaiming that the power of the corpse will one day bring happiness to this country. Admidst all this, Johnny can't stop thinking about Jar's last words, especially lesson five. He continues pointing his nails at Valentine, but as he reflects, Johnny realizes he's only got one shot left. Valentine taunts Johnny, urging him to fire as he steps closer, mocking Johnny's weakness. But Johnny, focused on deciphering Jar's message about the detour, remains calm despite his looming death.

Then, in an instant, Johnny has an epiphany. With a swift motion, he throws Jo steel ball at his dying horse, L, not at Valentine, much to the president's surprise. The reason he's done this is because Johnny remembers lesson one, when Joe had warned him to never get his hopes up. It's at this moment that Johnny understands the true meaning of lesson five: J had known all along that Johnny would need to take this roundabout path. The steel ball that was just thrown triggers the horse's power, and the horse jerked, sending Johnny flying into the air, leaving Valentine scrambling to anticipate Johnny's next move. Floating there, he now realizes what Gyro had planned. Land his friend had foreseen his defeat and hidden the key in his final lesson. Johnny had managed to decipher it, and now media, he channels the perfect rotational energy. He prepares to unleash his final nail bullet with the power of Tusk at four.

Before unleashing his final tech, Johnny takes a moment to thank Gyro for showing him the way. Valentine, noticing that Johnny has forcefully summoned the power of his horse using Joe's steel ball, begins to understand the gravity of the situation. Realizing what's about to happen, he desperately screams at D4C to return to the light, but Johnny is beyond stopping now. The president continues shouting at his stand to hide, but just as D4C begins to sink completely into the light, Johnny's nail bullet grazes his hand, spreading across the surface of the Domin wall. The particles of the attack cause tiny cuts to appear on DC's face, and they simultaneously manifest on Valentine's face as well. Johnny's attack, now amplified by the ultimate rotation, is enough to send his stand, Tusk, into its most powerful form. Tusk's new-found strength allows it to pry open Valentine's dimensional walls with nothing but sheer force, leaving the president utterly baffled by this incredible display of energy. Valentine, though, realizes that the only reason Gyro's steel ball couldn't accomplish this feat was because it had become an elliptical sphere, while Johnny's stand wasn't just an object; it was a stand with immense power. Tusk then successfully breaks the dimensional wall, and Valentine begins to feel the overwhelming fear of what could possibly come next. He knows he can't hide from Johnny anymore. Desperately, he attempts to retreat further into the light, but it proves useless. With no other option, he makes a plan to escape to another dimension, but just as he's about to act, Johnny's voice calls out from outside the walls, asking him who he thinks will be the sacrifice between the two of them.

Tusk, now fully empowered, catches up to Valentine, or rather, D4C here first. With unrelenting force, Tusam reigns a barrage of punches down on the stand. Valentine's face is utterly pummeled with each blow, each punch a reminder of how little mercy he should expect. Tusk continues to strike until both Valentine and his stand are sent deep underground, buried beneath the dirt. Valentine gasps to the a, struggling to breathe. He teleports to another dimension, but even there, he ends up trapped underground. Panicking, he sends DEC to locate his replica in this new world, and with time running out, Valentine desperately pleads with DEF C to hurry. Soon enough, though, the replica appears, standing at the edge of the ditch. The Valentine from the base world fades, knowing that the mission will soon continue as his replica takes control and becomes the original. Valentine DEF SE begins to update him on the events that have transpired. Valentine glares at the alternate Johnny and Lucy, who are completely unaffected by his actions. He promises that he will return to the base world to claim the holy corpse and kill Johnny Joar. Before leaving, D4C adds one final note: Tusk has broken through the dimensional wall, and Johnny is now out of nail bullets.

Unexpectedly, Valentine's leg twists backwards, though facing the opposite direction from the rest of his body. A quick glance at D4C reveals that the stand is similarly affected. The reason for this: its atoms are spinning uncontrollably. Val soon begins to spin as well. Standing there, Johnny and Lucy in the alternate worlds just watch in confusion as the president spins wildly, unable to stop himself. After a few moments, Valentine halts, but his body is still spinning uncontrollably, forcing him to stumble back into the ditch. As he falls, he tries to command DEF SE to climb to the top, but the stand too is caught by the spin. It struggles to ascend and instead falls back into the ditch, deepening Valentine's predicament. As he falls, it turns out that his body is digging itself deeper and deeper into the Earth, and he refuses to believe that Johnny's attack could have possibly caused this. Sadly for him, though, as he runs out of his oxygen, the reality sits in: there's no choice but to escape to another world.

Here, once again, Valentine transports himself, finding himself yet in another ditch and another dimension. Quickly, he sends DEC to locate his replica. When the alternate Valentine arrives, the president orders him to finish off Johnny Joar. Back in the base world, the original Val Valentine then gasps his final words, urging his replica to hurry. In the alternate dimension, Valentine takes control of D4C and attempts to use a door to transport himself back to the base world. However, the spinning resumes once again, throwing him into chaos. Because of this, the president and Def for SE continue to spin uncontrollably, and soon they find themselves back in the same ditch where Valentine had been trapped. They fall deeper into the Earth as the spinning persists, and it dawns on both Valentine's that D4C is the source of the torment here. It becomes clear that Johnny's attack from Tusk is following the stand wherever it goes. The question remains: how long will this torment continue?

Back in the base world, an injured Johnny crouches beside the ditch, clutching his sides, silently hoping that Valentine will return one more time. At the exact same moment, Lucy finally wakes up from her slumber. Meanwhile, Valentine appears in yet another dimension where D4C manages to claw its way out of the ditch. The president, still waking, remains trapped in the hole, wondering how many more times he'll have to endure this torturous process of being buried alive. His moment of celebration is short-lived, though, as D4C begins to spin once again. Upon closer inspection, it's revealed that the stand's very insights are full of smaller rotations, and soon enough, Valentine and Def fory are back where they started: the ditch again. Back to eating dirt, Valentine laments his futile travels through a dozen or so dimensions, wondering how long it'll be before he can escape Johnny's relentless rotation. Despite all of the pain he suffered, he swears that he will return to the base world to eventually kill Johnny Joar.

Desperate, Valentine travels to yet another world, trying to find his replica before the rotation takes full effect. He notices the Johnny of this world being cradled by Lucy, and as the spinning begins, Valentine, now forced to crawl, sends De forc to search for its replacement. However, there's not a single replacement in sight. Instead, he spots a passing carriage, something he has been searching for in every single world he's visited so far. With the help of D4C, Valentine immediately jumps onto the carriage and shuts the door behind him, praying that this change will finally stop the rotation. Miraculously, his body then seems to stabilize, and the president, now hopeful, screams out, thinking he's one, believing that all he needed to do was get away from the ditch. However, just as Valentine announces that the rotation has ended, his body starts to spin again. The force of the rotation destroys the rear of the carriage, pulling him back down towards the Dead. Screaming in disbelief, Valentine is left to wonder if Johnny's rotation is truly infinite as the force drags him deeper into the Earth.

Valentine's spear reaches its peak. He refuses to accept the fact that he is doomed to be buried alive forever, shouting that it simply cannot be happening to him. Years earlier, when Valentine was just 7 years old, his mother entered his playroom to introduce him to a captain from the Army's Cavalry. She told Valentine to listen to the man's story. As the captain began to to speak, he revealed a handkerchief dated September 20th, 1847. It belonged to a dear friend of his, a soldier who had a habit of marking the dates of everything he owned. If he bought a pair of boots, he would write the date on them. If he bought a chair, he would engrave the date. He even engraved the date of his wedding on his underpants, which amused his friends. The soldier, who was also a friend of the captain, met an unfortunate fate in the war. Captured and tortured by the enemy, he was repeatedly asked for information, but he never gave anything up. Despite the intense pain, he held onto the handkerchief, which symbolized his love for his family and his country. It was the one thing that kept him going during his suffering. Realizing that the enemy could possibly confiscate his handkerchief, he had to hide it. With nothing else to hide it in and stripped of his clothes, he bowled it up and stuffed it in his eye socket after he was blinded during his torture. The captain then revealed that the man who had endured such suffering was no one other than Valentine's father. The captain had found the handkerchief when Valentine's father was about to be buried, and he shared this painful story to explain the importance of patriotism. He handed the handie chief to a young Valentine, saying it was a symbol of his father's strength and resolve.

Back in the present, Valentine clutches the handkerchief as he sinks further into the ground. Its significance gives him the strength to fight back against his face. He holds it tightly and vows to return to the base world to face Johnny once again. Meanwhile, Johnny watches anxiously as his nails grow back one by one until the last one on his right hand completes its growth. Just then, Lucy, now fully recovered, approaches Johnny barefoot, calling his name softly. She wonders what the hell happened, but Johnny tells her to stay back, warning that the battle is still far from over. As he speaks, Valentine somehow reemerges from underneath Johnny's coat. Without hesitation, Johnny raises his hand to shoot Valentine, but the president immediately begs him to stop. He admits that Johnny's infinite rotation has completely defeated him, conceding that Johnny is the true victor here. However, at an effort to save himself, Valentine proposes a deal with him. He offers to bring Gyro back to the base world, but only if Johnny spares his life. He warns him that Johnny won't be able to fulfill his mission if he's killed here. Johnny, glaring at the president, is obviously torn between the desire for revenge and the offer before him. Valentine presses him, urging him to make a choice, and as he does this, tears begin to well in Johnny's eyes as he's forced to confront the gravity of the decision before him.

Johnny's gaze hardens, a cold, calculating look settling over his features, one that Valentine has come to fear. This is the same look that Johnny had when he was capable of ending a life without hesitation. The target now was Valentine, and the method: death by nail bullet. Valentine, desperate and panicked, begs for his life once again, knowing all too well that his only hopes lie in the the power of D4C and its ability to reach into alternate dimensions to bring Gyro back. But Johnny, with unwavering resolve, silences him with a harsh command to shut up. He promises to end everything right then and there, bringing it into Valentine's life.

As Johnny's focus remains fixed on the president, something strange begins happening to Lucy. The corpse begins slowly peeling itself out of her body, starting with her hands and then moving her way up towards the skull. Johnny can only brief, weary glance in her direction before returning his gaze towards Valentine, who was desperately trying to manipulate the situation. Valentine himself continues his pleading once again, pointing out that only he seeks the corpse parts and that everything he has done, the steelball run race, the sacrifices, the deaths, was all in pursuit of that goal. He once again then uses Gyro as his trump card, reminding Johnny of his friend's body, which would likely rot away in the ocean if nothing is done. He argues that any alternate Gyro brought into this dimension would not face the risks posed by multiple versions of the same person meeting, as Johnny is obviously well aware of.

On the other side of the situation, Lucy herself grows weaker as the corpse continues its extraction from her body. Valentine continues his plea, though now more urgent, telling Johnny that all he should do is stop the infinite rotation. Hence says that Johnny should fire a rotation in the opposite direction, canceling out the positive and negative forces, neutralizing the effect. Again, Valentine plays his last card: Gyro, begging for him to do it. Johnny, caught in the heart of this impossible situation, begins to tear up. He asks one final time if Valentine will truly bring Gyro back. Valentine swears on its promise to do so, but Johnny, consumed by doubt, wonders if he will honor his word after all. Valentine reassures him, saying he will ensure the safe passage if Johnny stops the infinite rotation.

Johnny's realization, though, comes a little bit too late, as he begins to understand that the Gyro Valentine will bring back is one he does not know. Valentine tries to downplay this revelation, convincing Johnny that Jo will be Jo once he steps into the base world, regardless of his origin. Johnny, however, remains unsatisfied with the explanation, rejecting the idea that Jo's essence would remain the same. With a solemn tone, Valentine tries to justify his actions, claiming that his choices were driven by patriotism and the desire to protect his country. Here reminds Johnny of the Holy Corpse's ability to rid the world of misfortune, and now handing it over to a power-hungry person could cause irreparable damage to him. The corpse represents the perfect balance, a tool to ensure the safety and happiness of his country. Valentine's speech grows more impassioned as he declares that the sacrifices made during the war, including the deaths of many, were necessary for the greater good. He asks Johnny to understand the importance of his actions, even though they have caused immense pain.

Johnny, panting heavily and struggling to keep his composure, clears at Valentine, then at Lucy, who's suffering grows more apparent with her. The corpse's extraction continues relentlessly. Johnny, though, just speaks his mind, telling Valentine that he wants to believe in him as a righteous man, but without a single piece of concrete proof, he remains uncertain. Johnny fears that if he should stop the rotation, Valentine could take advantage of his mercy, sending an assassin or army to eliminate him once he lowers his guard. Valentine, however, undeterred by Johnny's speech, insists that he has already made a vow. Johnny still demands proof, though, and Valentine hesitates for a moment before pulling at a piece of Hot Pants's meat spray, revealing that it belonged to the version of Hot Pants he brought here from another dimension. Valentine offers this as proof of his sincerity, tossing it at Johnny. He points out that the spray can heal Lucy, who will likely die if the corpse completely leaves her body. The spray could also be used to heal Johnny's hand or his horse's neck, a gesture that helps convince Johnny to give it a try. He applies the spray to his horse's injury, and the wound immediately begins to heal before his eyes.

Valentine, seen that Johnny is obviously wavering, she's a personal story about his father's handkerchief and the lesson Had taught him about patriotism and sacrifice. He explains how he had traveled across multiple dimensions seeking a reality where his father was still alive. Sadly, in every single dimension, his father had long passed, and the handkerchief, a symbol of his duty and honor, was all that remained in every one of them. As Valentine's tail winds down, Johnny glances at Lucy, then back at Valentine. The moment is charged with tension, the final decision hanging in the balance. Johnny, caught between his doubt and the desperate desire to believe in something greater, prepares his nail bullets. It's a moment of choice: whether to end the life of the president or trust him to save or destroy everything. In the end, Journy raises the gun, unsure of the outcome, but knowing this will be the decisive moment. The weight of this choice pressing heavily on him.

The a is thick with tension as Valentine remains silent, carefully watching Johnny's every move. His gaze flickers once more towards Lucy, whose life continues to slip away as the corpse slowly exits her body. Johnny, after a long, contemplative silence, finally speaks, his voice steady yet laden with the weight of his decision. He declares his trust in Valentine and the belief that the president is walking the right path now. Valentine's expression softens, and he thanks Johnny quietly, acknowledging the trust he's been granted. Johnny then reaches down into the soil, pulling a gun. He stares at it for a moment, the weight of its significance pressing on him. Without a word, he tosses it towards Valentine, who watches the weapon arc through the air, unsure of Johnny's intentions.

Johnny, he doesn't let him ponder for too long, though. He explains that the gun is his. It's the same one that ended Jar's life. It was the weapon Valentine had used to fire into Jar's chest, the one that had been carelessly discarded afterwards. Johnny, still seething with quiet anger, offers Valentine a test: to pick up the the gun. Valentine hesitates for a moment, unsure of what Johnny expects, but Johnny's voice cuts through the silence, telling him that he believes in him. He wants to save him from the infinite rotation, but that nagging doubt lingers. Johnny still fears that there could possibly be a surprise attack, so he urges Valentine to pick up the gun and prove that he has no intentions of betraying him.

Valentine, after a long pause, squats down to pick up the weapon, but he stops just inches away. Rising, he declares that his heart and actions are guided by justice. With that, he swiftly moves to reveal another handgun tucked beneath his coat. As Valentine pulls the weapon free, something strange happens: the gun that Johnny had thrown combines with the one Valentine now holds. Before Johnny can react with what's happening, Valentine fires, and Johnny responds in kind, launching a nail bullet towards his opponent. The two men are struck almost simultaneously: Johnny in the abdomen and Valentine in the neck. Blood pours from the president's mouth and nose, but he doesn't stop. He continues to shoot, relentless in his assault. Johnny, reeling from the pain, retaliates with three more nail bullets, all of them finding their mark as well. Johnny's shots sink into the president's chest. With a final, agonized cry, the president collapses to his knees, his blood pooling around him as his life slowly slips away.

In the stillness that follows, a voice whispers to Johnny. It's Gyro's voice, soft and distant, but unmistakable. Johnny looks up, his heart heavy, as he sees his friend Gyro ascending towards the light. Gyro, with a calm that belies these circumstances, tells Johnny that he is okay with how things turned out. He wants his friend to never reveal his true name, though, and says his very final farewell. Johnny's heart breaks down as he reaches out to the ascending figure, tears streaming down his face. He apologizes, regret and guilt consuming him, wishing he could have done more for Gyro. But with Gyro's ghost showing no signs of slowing, Johnny whispers his own farewell to him. As Gyro fades from sight, Johnny takes aim, his last bullet aimed straight at Valentine's head. Instantly, Johnny fires, and as the bullet strikes, Valentine's body crumbles into nothing. D4C, standing behind Johnny, collapses into dust as his master falls to the ground lifeless. Valentine's handkerchief, once so symbolic, slips from his grip and tumbles to the ground below.

Johnny, now bracing himself for the immediate explosion, shields himself as pieces of D4C scatter like shattered Lego. The torment doesn't end there, though. Johnny's infinite rotation then kicks into gear once again, and Valentine's body is violently spun, his atoms scattered and buried deep underground. Despite Valentine's death, the pain of losing Gyro is absolutely unbearable. Johnny's tears flow freely, his grief consuming him, his screams in agony, each cry a testament to the loss of his friend. All the while, Lucy and the Holy Corpse have already parted ways, their journey now a thing of the past.

Johnny, feeling the waste of everything that had just transpired, ties up the Holy Corpse with some white cloth and rope. He then glances over where Lucy and Mr. Steel are locked in an emotional embrace, their reunion poignant and heartfelt. Johnny watches them, his heart heavy, but they're too absorbed in the moment to notice his silent pain. Thanks to Hot Pants's miraculous meat spray, obviously, Johnny had healed Mr. Steel, Lucy, and even his own hand, which is now whole again. This is obviously a miracle indeed. And as Johnny stands on his own feet again, he approaches the pier with a solemn tone. He informs them that Valentine is dead and that his stand has been destroyed. He goes on to explain that after his death, he believes he returned to another dimension, and that no human in the base world is aware of the fact that Valentine won't be present to greet the victors of the Steelball Run Race. The three survivors taken the surroundings, gazing at the emptiness that now lurches all around them. Johnny also reiterates that obviously, there's no one left for them to fight.

Lucy, still processing everything that's just happened, obviously because she was asleep for half of it, notices Johnny standing and puzzled, asks how it's possible. Johnny crouches down and tells her it's happening little by little, a miracle that wasn't quite as dramatic as he expected. Obviously, bro just wants to be able to walk again. He then presents a healthy Lucy to Mr. Steel, assuring him that everything is now over. With this, Lucy embraces Johnny, thanking him profusely for everything he's done. Far off in the distance, though, the dust kicks up as a pair of horses approach. The racers from the Steelb Run are already closing in on them. It's Poco Loco leading the pack with Higashikata and Baby Yaga trailing close behind him. Mr. Steel observes that the race is likely going to be a success, and he expresses deep gratitude, feeling that he had lost all hope in making it to the closing ceremony. Lucy, breaking quiet moment, though, asks Johnny what his plans are now. Johnny admits that he honestly has no idea. He lifts a pair of oculars to his eyes and begins scanning the horizon, looking for Jar's body. He comments on how the coastline is now receding and how he could never be okay with the idea of Jar's body being washed away to the sea. As he continues his search, Johnny reflects on Gyro's mission to win the Stable Run Race, not for fame or fortune, but to grant an amnesty to a little boy from his home country. Johnny says that he wants to tell J's country and his father about the kind of race the sun ran across the continent. But as he looks to his left and right, frustration overtakes him, and he crouches down, annoyed. Without a word, Johnny then mounts his horse and continues searching the area. Lucy, concerned about his odd behavior, asks if something just happened. It's only then that Johnny reveals the Holy Corpse is gone, along with the blanket it was just wrapped in. Lucy refuses to believe him, but Johnny points to some tracks near them, announcing that someone came close enough to steal the corpse. The realization then sits in with them: there's still an enemy nearby. Johnny takes up his boculars again and resumes his search, terrified with what could happen. Mr. Steel pulls his wife into an embrace, and Lucy laments that she doesn't understand what's currently going on. She theorizes that someone must have been hiding nearby and watching them all along. Johnny confirms her suspicion, proving that the corpse had indeed been taken and mounted on a horse behind them. What infuriates Johnny, however, is the fact that he didn't hear a damn thing: not footsteps, not even the slightest sound of breathing. Johnny, though, is sure of one thing: that the thief is heading east. Lucy then grows increasingly frantic, asking Johnny if Valentine is truly dead and if he is, what the new enemy's mission could possibly be. Johnny informs her, though, that the corpse is truly important, so much so that many more people are even willing to die because of it. At this moment, our boy becomes certain that he has actually come across the horseshoe prints before, and even more certain that it belongs to one of the participants in the race. He resolves to not let the cops get away and turns to Lucy as he asks her for a favor. He begs her to continue the search for Jar's body and to keep Valkyrie, his horse, safe while she's at it, seeing as she, like, currently owes him her life. This is just a small task for her. Just then, Mr. Steel interrupts, revealing some crucial information about the race. Johnny listens, paying just enough attention to hear that Valentine had actually built an underground shelter beneath Manhattan Island. Steven speculates that the shelter was likely meant as a safe place for the corpse once all the parts were united. Johnny considers this and realizes that no matter who's chasing after the corpse, be it an army or another stand user, none of them would be able to reach it once it's in the shelter. Mr. Steel is also certain that the thief has to be heading towards the shelter beneath Trinity Church, which also happens to coincide with the ninth stage goal of the Steelb Run Race. As things then kick up a level and with only

45 participants remaining and about 30 minutes left in the eighth stage. The final stretch of the race is about to begin. People from all walks of life have gathered at Union Beach, eagerly waiting the remaining competitors. The commentator goes wild, recounting how many people have died and been injured during the race to this point. Despite the controversy surrounding the event, thousands have come to witness the finale.

The final stage of the race will take contestants from Ratan Bay and Union Beach to Brooklyn, Gravon Bridge, and then on to Coney Island Seagate Pier, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge before finally reaching Manhattan Island's Trinity Church. Unfortunately, Bara Yaga, in the midst of the last edge of the race, has had to retire after his horse suffered ghastly injuries from the scorching desert sands.

Meanwhile, Johnny is still tracking the Horseshoe Prince of the thief, which seemed to coincide with Poco Loco's path. However, Johnny is certain these prints don't belong to Poco Loco or Higashikata. Instead, he's convinced he's seen him before somewhere else. And sure enough, just as he's pondering this, he sees the silhouette of the thief ahead. Johnny gives chase, but the thief disappears once again, vanishing before Johnny's eyes.

As Johnny scans his head, trying to locate the thief, he spots him again. This time, behind a mish fin. Looking forward, Johnny sees the confirmation he needs. The thief is carrying the corpse, and the Horseshoe Prince matches exactly. However, he's confused. Why would the president trust anyone else with this corpse? Why is this person also heading into the shelter? Valentine belt rushing it all aside, though, Johnny decides to figure out how to cross this fence, or also considering whether or not he should just shoot the thief from where he currently stands. But as he draws closer, Johny realizes he is currently out of range. Instead of shooting the thief, he fires at the fence, bringing it down, and ping the culprits. He chases him down the street, but just like before, the thief vanishes right before his eyes. Johnny once again is left standing confused.

When suddenly, the thief reappears right behind him. Back on the coast, though, Lucy catches Mr. Steel's attention and points out that the Horseshoe Prince of the thief began at the bottom of the ditch where Valentine was buried. Looking at it, Mr. Steel can't deny the truth. They're dealing with someone who came out of the grave, mounted on horseback. Johnny, still pursuing this thief, quickly turns around, sensing someone behind him. Without hesitation, he fires a nail bullet, only to realize with a jolt that the thief is no one other than Diego Brando.

Now reunited with both halves of his freaking body, Dio using his stand, The World, freezes time just before the nail bullets reach him. And in retaliation, pulls a barrage of knives at Johnny. With multiple knives inches away from Johnny, Dio swats aside Johnny's nail bullets using a knife of his own. He then jokes that he knows Johnny quite well, noting that not a single thing seems to have changed about him in this world.

You see, President Valentine had actually come across this version of Diego Brando during one of his many travels through various dimensions. Obviously, this is Part 3. Dio's Valentine had big Diego not to leave, claiming that he had finally found Dio alive. In response, Dio pointed out that Valentine was the one who seemed to actually be dying between the two of them. The politician, though, quickly dismissed the remark and launched into a tale about a place known as the Bass World. He informed Dio that if they didn't swap, he would soon die by Johnny Joestar's hand.

Intrigued, Diego listened as Valentine explained how Johnny's infinite rotation was powerful enough to chase him through multiple dimensions. As Valentine then droned on about it, Diego began to pretty much just lose interest in the whole thing. Seeing this, Valentine in big Diego to capture the Holy Corpse part on his behalf, though claiming that whoever controlled the corpse would control the world's good fortune. Valentine admitted he wasn't afraid of dying but could never let the corpse fall into Johnny's hands. Determined to keep it in America, he trusted the corpse to Dio, even revealing a secret shelter beneath Trinity Church. Valentine then proposed a plan where Dio and his horse would wait in a ditch. This would allow Dio to use Dio for's ability to travel to the Bass World if his plan to deceive Johnny failed. He also warned Dio again about Johnny's infinite rotation.

Back in the present, when time resumes, Johnny screams in surprise as several knives come at him. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Johnny shoots wildly, his nail bullets knocking most of the knives out of the air. Still, three knives get through, stabbing him. The force of the attack sends Johnny flying off his horse, slamming into the ground with a painful scream. But even as he writhes in pain, he does not stop attacking. Unfortunately for Johnny, Dio manipulates time once more, positioning himself in front of an electrical pole. Johnny finds knocking down the pole, but Dio easily manages to slip away. Johnny's infinite rotation, however, activates its homing function, and the attack burrows through the ground in pursuit of Dio. Dio freezes time once more, narrowly evading the attack, but he knows he cannot afford to be careless. Because of this, he resolves to stay out of Johnny's range and formulates a plan to counter Johnny's infinite rotation, a warning Valentine had obviously passed down to him.

As Dio rides off into the sunset, Johnny, still clutching his wounds, wonders who the hell this new version of Dio is. His short Dio obviously died on the train tracks in New Jersey, and this new Dio doesn't have the dinosaur stand. Johnny remembers. Johnny pulls the three knives from his body, gritting his teeth as the pain floods his senses. As he stares at the knives, he ponders his current situation. He soon realizes that Dio's ability to move instantaneously through space isn't due to speed alone. It must be time manipulation, and Valentine is the only person who could have brought Dio to this world. Valentine's actions then become clearer to Johnny. The president must have brought Dio here to ensure that no one else could get the corpse, even if Valentine himself died.

Nearby, though the crowds are in an uproar as the goal of the eighth stage comes into view, Johnny could obviously care less about the race at this point, but he still ends up crossing the line in fifth place. Immediately after finishing, though, his focus remains on locating Dio. As Johnny arrives at Union Beach, the MC announces that all contestants will board individual ships to cross the bay, aiming to reach Coney Island in Brooklyn. The ships will depart in the order of the contestants finished in the eighth stage, with a 15-second interval before the race resumes. At that moment, Poco Loco is currently in first, Dio in second, Higashikata in third, and Johnny in fourth. These four racers are all announced as possible winners, with the MC adding that the winner of the ninth stage will receive a $10 million bonus.

On his own ship now, Johnny urges the captain to speed things up so he can catch up to Dio. The captain, however, is a stickler for the rules, threatening to disqualify Johnny. Johnny, uninterested in such concerns, offers the captain money to speed up. The captain, who's just a loser man at this point, obviously refuses, declaring it an insult to the race and warns Johnny that bribery is a criminal offense. Johnny, though, quickly claims that he was just joking and buries his face on a map of the area that they're heading to. He takes notes of the possible routes to the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge, all while his mind remains focused on not losing Dio. The thought of Dio's time manipulation reminds him of Ringo, who could only rewind time by 6 seconds. Johnny resolves to stay within Dio's range after time stops, figuring out a way to possibly outwit him before the remaining 13 km of the race finish.

As the ships all sail, Johnny uses his rotation to fish for some food, then cook up his catch on board. As the ship begins to dock, Johnny listens closely for the announcement, ordering Dio to move, his eyes never leaving the path that Dio might take. During the 15-second interval, a man pushes his way through the crowd and reaches the front, ignoring the insults from other people. With a glance, John Ethan randomly sees a white mouse and spots his father in the stands, holding his hat in his hands. Obviously, Johnny is completely stunned to see him, and in turn, his father bursts into tears. He's come all this way with Nicholas's boats, the same boats that had forbidden Johnny to touch. They share a moment of silence before the MC interrupts, announcing it's Johnny's turn to resume the race. Johnny, tears in his eyes, bulls into action as he races ahead. His father feels compelled to share their story with the crowd. He admits how he mistreated his son and how Johnny managed to make it all the way to New York from the West Coast despite that. Honestly, I, I need to speak on this right now, bro's dad showing up for clout. He's, he can feel the freaking aura flowing off Johnny, and that is the only reason he's come back to his son. He's like, oh my God, my son's about to win $50 million, or he could win a [ __ ] bag right here. I better go and meet back up with him.

Seconds later, Johnny is hot on Dio's heels, chasing him into a narrow street. Johnny rears his nail bullets, knowing that they won't even hit him unless he's in range, but Dio is always one step ahead. Johnny, unaware, rides into a trap of wires that he had set up. In a split second, Johnny shoots at the wall the wires are attached to, but it's too late. The wires spring, trapping Johnny. A large chunk of the wall then falls on him, smashing him in the face. But Johnny refuses to give up. As though getting hit in the face wasn't enough, part of Johnny's knee gets caught within the wire, knocking him off his horse and leaving him on the ground with a ghastly injury.

Johnny fires his Perfect Rotation into the wall closest to him. To Dio's surprise, the rotation follows him around the corner. Even more startling, a hand then emerges from the rotation. Just like when Johnny for Axel Row, Dio is momentarily stumped by this and in a panic, he stops time to avoid the hand's touch. Summoning Z-World, he attempts to cut it off, but to his shock, the hand twitches even while frozen in time. This sends a wave of fear running through Dio, which grows even worse when Tusk starts to burrow out of the hole. The moment the eyes meet, Dio realizes he is face to face with the source of the infinite rotation Valentine warned him about. Dio theorizes that gravity could be the reason Tusk is moving through space-time, and he quickly abandons his plan to cut off Tusk's arm, deciding instead to put some distance between himself and Johnny. Stand with Tusk retreating back into the hole, the rotation dies down. Johnny, now regaining his own composure, remounts his horse and continues the chase, fully aware that Dio represents his greatest challenge yet.

Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, Lucy and Steven still are frantically searching for a way to contact Johnny. After trying several phone lines, Steven Grimley informs Lucy that it's now impossible to stop Dio, as the boats have crossed the sea and all the guards are busy searching for the missing president. Lucy, however, has deduced herself that Dio emerged from the ditch, but she's unsure of how to focus her worry. Because of this, Steven offers her a hug, trying to comfort her, as he jokes that all they can do now is really pray. He reflects on how now it will all come down to which one of them is chosen by the Holy Corpse. Lucy, worried, wonders what will happen to Johnny if he cops the lines with the person currently holding it.

Back on the race course, Johnny continues to track Dio, who is now running right behind Poco Loco and Higashikata. Johnny himself realizes they're about to cross the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan, but he's stumped by the fact he can't get any closer to Dio without falling into another one of his traps. Johnny formulates a new plan. He needs to find a way to attack Dio without him being able to see or hear it coming. A Walter Johnny seems like the perfect opportunity to catch him off guard, so bro PLS the fire has infinite rotation through it. Suddenly, Johnny sees a strange container fly through the air, though from Dio's direction. It hits the ground, and Johnny wonders why Dio threw it, but before he can process this, Johnny notices the can seems farther away than he remembers it. Suddenly, it dawns on him. He's been doused with gasoline. Panic sits in as he turns to see Dio holding a handful of unlit matchsticks. Dio ignites them with a stand, confirming Johnny's worst fear. He was doused during the 5 seconds Dio stopped time. Dio then pulls the same trick again, throwing all lit matchsticks in Johnny's direction. Just as time resumes, Dio gloats, thinking his plan is complete. He taunts Johnny, proclaiming that Tusk will now be destroyed and that the corpse belongs to him. With that, Dio gallops away, seemingly victorious.

Johnny, now on fire, is nearly driven mad by the pain, but he quickly uses the Perfect Rotation to summon Tusk, who wastes no time creating a path underground to the sewers. Realizing that he can't survive unless he puts out the flames, Johnny knows the sewers are his only hope. Here, admitting that Dio has outwitted him once more, Johnny makes a vow. He will not stop until he shoots Dio with Tusk Act 4. Johnny and Tusk leap into the sewer drain, landing with a splash that drenches them both in filthy water. Despite the mess, Johnny doesn't mind. The fire is extinguished, and he can breathe easier, knowing he's still on the fight. Now, without hesitation, he begins galloping through the murky drain, ears untuned to the sounds of hooves echoing from the streets above. Dio, cautious as ever, glances back but finds no trace of Johnny. The absence obviously makes him uneasy, yet he presses forward alongside the top two racers. With the Brooklyn Bridge just up ahead, the MC announces the final leg of the race. After crossing the bridge, the racers must turn left at City Hall, charge down Wall Street, and finish with the Trinity Church inside.

As Dio then closes in on the top two positions, the crowd buzzes with a single question: Where is Johnny Joestar? The mention of his rival's name sends Dio into deeper thought. He speculates that Johnny must be using the sewers to stay out of sight and prevent him from freezing time at critical moments. The strategy alarms Dio, as it means Johnny could attack at any time. Down below, Johnny is seen carefully tracking their movement while waiting for the perfect moment. Finally, Johnny detects Dio's position and unleashes Tusk Act 4, sending the ultimate rotation surging upward. But Dio, ever the strategist, surrounds himself with adoring female fans. To the onlookers, it seems like an act of charm, but Dio uses the crowd to shield himself. When Tusk breaks through the surface, Dio immediately freezes time and sacrifices forty women to the infinite rotation, their bodies torn apart with their limbs spiraling into oblivion as they succumb to the unrelenting force. Disturbingly, though, the crowd's density works in Dio's favor, as more women even flock over to replace those just lost. From the sewer below, Johnny hears the chaos and Dio's taunts echoing through the streets. Dio mocks him, claiming that the deaths of the women are Johnny's fault. Then, with a showman's flair, Dio pushes the remaining fans aside and resumes the race as though nothing happened.

Seething but undeterred, Johnny bursts out of the drain, only to realize his attack failed to reach Dio. Determined to close the gap, Johnny rides his horse to its limits, charging back onto the bridge. Dio catches sight of him from the corner of his eye, spurring him to pick up even more speed. With the crowd's density increasing, more. Johnny knows this is his best chance to get close to Dio before spectators obstruct his path again. He forces his way forward, overtaking two racers and positioning himself directly behind Dio. From afar, the MC notes the strain on Johnny's horse, wondering aloud if it can enjoy the pressure. Undeterred, Johnny pushes even harder, forcing Dio to pick up the pace as well. Soon, the two are neck and neck, taking the top spots in the race, Dio in first and Johnny in second.

As the chase intensifies, Johnny recalibrates his strategy. He reviews everything he knows: Dio's ability to stop time and the 5-second limit it imposes. With this knowledge in mind, Johnny begins planning an attack that will outmaneuver Dio within the narrow window. Dio, however, is absolutely no fool. He produces that Johnny must have figured out the constraints of his time-stopping ability. Smirking, Dio promises himself he'll make a decisive move, a sacrifice that will secure his victory and impale Johnny Joestar. Glancing back and looking at his opponent, Dio taunts Johnny to make his move. At that exact moment, Johnny's horse achieves the golden rectangle, its steps resonating with perfect harmony, draining power from this phenomenon. Johnny fires his ultimate rotation, aiming directly at Dio. But just as the attack is about to strike, Dio freezes time, leaving the rotation suspended in midair.

As Dio halts time once more, he dismounts his horse and examines Johnny's suspended nail bullet, marveling at the intense rotational energy surrounding it. With just 4 seconds remaining before time resumes, Dio pulls out his pistol, aiming to finish Johnny off. Yet, to his frustration, the freaking trigger jams. With just 3 seconds left, Dio opens the cartridge and discovers one of the bullets protruding slightly. Working quickly, he removes it and hammers it against the gun's chamber to reshape it. With 2 seconds left, he reloads the bullet and [ __ ] the gun. At the final second, Dio raises the pistol, aiming it directly at Johnny's head. When time unfreezes, Johnny reacts instinctively, diverting his own shot just enough to graze Z-World's shoulder. Dio fires back immediately after the impact, his bullet piercing Johnny's neck and flooding his ear way with blood. As Johnny then collapses, gasping for breath, he fires off a wild barrage of nail bullets in all directions. Both men tumble from their horses, Johnny falling to the left, Dio to the right. The MC erupts into commentary, struggling to make sense of the chaotic exchange.

Back with the boys, Dio rises unsteadily before advancing towards the bleeding Johnny with a sneer. He mocks him for being thrown from his horse, knowing full well that Johnny's ability to harness the infinite rotation depends on riding Slow Dancer. But Dio's confidence wanes slightly when he recalls Valentine's warnings. The infinite rotation is destined to return regardless of its wielder's current state. This revelation visibly shakes him, but he is prepared. Mounting a world, he waits patiently for Tusk Act 4 to reappear. As expected, the ultimate rotation manifests, spiraling up the world's leg. Without hesitation, Dio severs his stand's limb, roaring in pain as he detaches the leg. Dio then kicks the dismembered leg, still spinning wildly, back towards Johnny. The leg, of course, lands at his grasp, and before Johnny can react, the infinite rotation begins unraveling his body. His cells spin violently, distorting his form as he struggles to stay coherent. Desperate, Johnny fires another nail bullet at Dio, but this spin disrupts his trajectory, causing it to fall to midair. Helpless, Johnny stares at his trembling hand, betrayed by the very force he once had mastered. Dio smirks, though, recalling Valentine's previous advice. The infinite rotation, when applied to Johnny, would disrupt both his body and soul. The president had assured him that this is the only method guaranteed for victory, even if it required a great sacrifice. Limping on his barely re-attached leg now, Dio climbs atop his horse, his focus shifting to the finishing line. The race then resumes with the remaining contestants, including Slop, Poco Loco, and Higashikata, chasing after Dio. The MC, bewildered by Dio's injury, continues his explosive commentary.

With only 1,000 meters left, Dio pushes his horse to its limit, maintaining his lead. The distance between them shrinks: 500 meters, 300, 100. With each stride, bringing him closer, leaving his competitors scrambling to get in front. Meanwhile, in back, a little bit, Johnny summoned Slow Dancer to a side, barely able to grip the stirrup now due to the relentless spin tearing through his body. He collapses once more, tears streaming down his face as he struggles to even kneel, watching helplessly as the MC declares Diego Brando the winner of the Steel Ball Run. The crowd erupts in cheers, confetti blanketing the scene in a celebratory storm. Dio, however, is unmoved by the victory. His mind is consumed by Valentine's instructions, specifically the details about the underground shelter beneath the church. The president had explained the shelter's exact location, accessible through the cemetery and catacombs, and emphasized that once sealed, no Stand user would be able to open it for 80 years. Confident that the Holy Corpse would remain his ally, Dio follows Valentine's instructions meticulously, placing the corpse in the shelter. As he locks the door, Dio confronts the lock mechanism of the shelter before recalling Valentine's detailed instructions. The plan was simple: let the shelter's elevator descend with the Holy Corpse, never to rise again for the next 80 years. This would ensure the corpse remained entombed beneath the Earth, far beyond the reach of any adversary.

Meanwhile, Johnny sits broken on the Brooklyn Bridge, consumed by despair. He accepts that his end is inevitable, that soon he'll disintegrate into nothingness, scattered like dust. Back at the shelter, Dio hesitates, the key hovering over the lock. Speaking aloud, he declares his faith in Valentine's plan before proceeding. But just as he reaches for the key, he notices a silhouette near the stairs. Upon closer inspection, he finds it's Lucy, clutching a cloth-wrapped package. Immediately, Dio's instincts flare, as this happens to be no coincidence. Without a second thought, he sends The World to grab her, pinning her against the wall by her throat. Expecting an ambush, Dio surveys the area, searching for Mr. Steel. However, when he finds no sign of him, Dio turns his attention back to Lucy. As she struggles to breathe, he demands to know her purpose. Gasping, Lucy declares that she has crossed the continent for the sake of happiness. Dio leans in, then pulls back, coughing. He taunts her, mentioning her husband, Steven Steel, and promising to silence him permanently for knowing too much about the shelter. However, Dio also admits he's unsure of what to do with someone as cute as Lucy. We couldn't go to the Final Chapter without one more damn Lucy take. Either way, Lucy, undeterred by his remark, reveals her true purpose. She came in case Johnny failed to reclaim the corpse. She insists the Holy Corpse does not belong to Dio. Her words infuriate him, and he tightens his grip on her, unleashing a torrent of threats, promising to kill her after breaking her spirit. As Dio rages out, his hand brushes the package in her arms. He snatches it away and begins to unwrap it, but pauses to demand what it is. Lucy calmly responds, "It's something that you lost."

In a flashback, we find Lucy desperately searching by the train tracks the day prior, armed with a butcher blade. Her husband, terrified with what she's doing, pleaded with her to explain, but Lucy refused, focusing instead on her objective. Way back now, she had actually overheard Valentine's explanation about objects from alternate dimensions annihilating each other upon contact, and obviously, this revelation filled her plan. In the present, Dio unwraps the package and freezes in shock as he holds the severed head of the original Diego Brando. Panic overtakes him, and he immediately summons The World to stop time, hurling the head across the room. He screams that he must escape this area now, dragging his injured body up the stairs. He berates Lucy with insults and threats, but before he can act further, the head somehow merges with his own. Dio's screams intensify as his body contorts, the features of both Diegos blending grotesquely. Even the Stand, The World, begins to shatter, its form decentrating alongside its master. Time resumes, and Lucy immediately collapses to the ground, clutching herself. She gasps for air.

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Mr. Steel arrives on horseback, offering Johnny his assistance. The horse's momentum reignites Johnny's resolve. He uses its energy to create a reverse infinite rotation, directing it at himself. The counter-spin stabilizes his own body and mind, allowing him to rise once more. Turns out, though, that together, the Steels, out of everyone in this freaking story, have turned the tide, ensuring Dio's end and that Johnny would survive. It's why Steven Steel is the GOAT.

The Steel Ball Run race finally concludes with Poco Loco being declared the official winner, earning the $60 million prize. Slop John B claims the $10 million bonus for winning the ninth stage, while Dio, being disqualified for failing to appear, becomes a footnote on the page. The president's absence leaves the crowd restless, but the mayor of New York placates them with a speech falsely claiming Valentine's absence was for security reasons. Surprisingly, this only bolsters Valentine's reputation, with his approval rate skyrocketing. The race, which has now finally come to its end, lasted a brutal 4 months and generated a staggering $71 trillion in revenue. Like, that is unfathomable amounts of money. Like, I don't even know if Apple's made that amount of money over their lifetime. Put inflation on that thing as well, bro is literally what's the next thing up from a trillion? I think that's what he's made.

Mr. Steel donates the entire sum to charitable causes, though silencing critics who, you know, pointed out the race's massive human cost. Later, Mr. Steel then also returns to the shelter and locks it himself, declaring that no one person or nation should possess the Holy Corpse. He thinks that Dio's annihilation is proof of humanity's unworthiness to wield its current power.

Johnny, having survived in the end, bought a ship bound for Europe, carrying a large wooden box with him. At the gangplank, the ship's captain stops him, citing rules against transporting corpses. Johnny, absolutely unfazed, though, asserts his determination to bring his friend home. When the captain calls for reinforcements, Johnny dispatches them effortlessly with his rotations, leaving no room for negotiation, as his ship then finally departs. Johnny notices Higashikata on board. They exchange a silent gesture of respect before parting ways as well. Alone on the deck now, Johnny gazes at J's Steel Ball, reminiscing about their journey and what they've done together. He whispers a safe prayer for safe passage across the Atlantic Ocean, vowing to honor his friend's legacy.

Years later, and I'd imagine after good old Johnny got there, the Kingdom of Naples underwent a revolution, abolishing its monarchy and becoming a republic. The young boy that Jar wanted to save received an amnesty but sadly succumbed to an illness after it's not actually known whether it was shortly or long after, so we can never say how long the boy lived for, but it's just something I thought I should add in because to a lot of people, they feel like it, it voids pretty much all of Jar's story, but in reality, you know, just because he died doesn't mean it voided Jar's story. Jar's story was about fate, and fate literally played its part. This whole story was about fate. Either way, the Zell family is rumored to actually have abandoned their role as royal executioners and disappeared entirely, their fate remaining a mystery. Johnny Joestar's tale, though, a revival and perseverance, becomes legend, a story of faith and resilience, and the unbreakable bond between two friends. And honestly, like, what an amazing story, man. I don't even need to understate that. The story is a 10 out of 10. No one should ever, ever say that it's anything below 10. This is an amazing story. It finishes amazingly. There are white-to character deaths, which is something that a lot of stories, especially in in Shonen and like other mangas in general, they just don't seem to understand as the weight that a death can hold, and when it's a good death, and this is just proof of it. Obviously, please subscribe, man. My voice is freaking going right now. Help me get to 300,000 subscribers. That would be absolutely amazing, and I can't thank you enough. Obviously, leave a like as well, and help push this video to say 10,000 likes. If we get to 10K likes within a year or something quickly, I'd imagine we'll get there. I will also do Part 8 of JoJo's. Also, let me know down in the comment section below, just what your favorite point of the entire story was or what stories you want me to cover in the future. I love getting your guys' recommendations as it as it gives me new series that I can, you know, fill my shelf with and, you know, get into. It's just a lot of the time sitting here scripting these videos and then editing, I don't have any time to research new series, and I feel like I don't know what people are into anymore, and it's just like, I, I can't thank you all enough for the comments letting me know what you guys all want because 90% of the time, I base my videos off that. But either way, enough of me rambling on, as per usual, if you want to support me even further, and it's greatly appreciated if you do, go over to my Patreon, where you can get early access to all of my content, usually like a day beforehand, sometimes a few hours beforehand, it just depends, but you'll also get your name featured at the end of every single video. Also, I do the exact same thing for YouTube members. Sometimes the videos just go up there a little bit later because copyrights and all that kind of jazz slow me down. Enough of me rambling on, though. It's been a long video, and you all deserve to go back to whatever you're doing. So, it has been your professional degenerate diolo, and I will see you all in a bit. Bye. Thank you all so much, by the way.