Creating Anime In A Fantasy World

Chapter 254: The Premiere of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure! (Part 16)

The story on the silver screen pressed onward.

Jonathan lay gravely injured, his body wrapped in bandages. Speedwagon, ever loyal, searched desperately for some way to ease his suffering. But in the dead of night, he stumbled upon a sight that made him stop in his tracks.

A blonde woman was by Jonathan’s side, tirelessly tending to him.

She wiped at his burns again and again, her delicate hands red and blistered, yet she seemed not to notice the pain.

Through her devotion—her countless repetitions of that simple act—Jonathan finally stirred awake. His hazy eyes focused, and recognition dawned.

It was her.

Erina—the girl from his childhood, the one he had once cherished and lost.

Their reunion was instant, as if no time had passed. Old feelings rekindled in a single heartbeat.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city’s dark alleys, Dio was on the move. With the aid of the shady poison seller, he stalked the night, searching for followers to bend to his will.

His survival was no longer a mystery. Dio lived. And his ambition—to spread his evil across the entire world—burned brighter than ever.

Once his body had recovered enough to move, Jonathan returned to the ruins of the Joestar estate, frantically searching for the Stone Mask. But no matter how he combed through the rubble, he found nothing.

And then, on his way back, fate placed a stranger in his path.

A peculiar man stood before him—dressed in immaculate white, with a curled mustache and an almost eccentric air about him.

“Jonathan Joestar,” the man said, his gaze sharp. “So you survived, even after facing the power of the Stone Mask.”

Without warning, he extended a finger and pressed it into Jonathan’s abdomen. Jonathan froze, unable to move.

“Empty your lungs. Expel every last drop of air—leave not a single breath behind.”

The man withdrew his hand. Jonathan, startled, realized something astonishing: the pain in his mangled right arm was fading. The injury that had left him crippled was… healing.

“My arm… it’s— it’s healed? How is this possible?!”

“I am Baron Zeppeli,” the man declared. “Courage alone cannot defeat the Stone Mask.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened. He could scarcely comprehend it. Just one touch, and his fractured arm felt whole again. A miracle.

“What did you do to me? Who are you, really?!”

“Too many questions at once, JoJo,” the baron replied calmly. “That wasn’t me. It was your breath. The power of your breathing eased your pain.”

“What…?”

“If you truly wish to understand, then follow me. But know this: the moment you learn who I am, your destiny will be forever changed.”

And with the appearance of Baron Zeppeli, the story was pulled into new depths of mystery and suspense.

. . .

The theaters erupted with gasps.

None of the audience had expected the sudden shift, the introduction of a strange man with powers that seemed almost divine.

The realization hit them: if Dio still lived—if he possessed the terrifying strength of the vampire—then Jonathan would need to grow stronger as well. Much stronger.

And perhaps, this Zeppeli was the key.

Whispers filled the air.

“Who is he really?”

“What is this strange power he’s using?”

“Could it be… some kind of magic?”

Excitement surged. The viewers were hooked, their curiosity burning as brightly as Jonathan’s determination.

On the screen, the baron led Jonathan to the riverside, where he explained the art he called Hamon.

He demonstrated its power with a single punch—striking a frog resting atop a boulder. The frog remained completely unharmed. The rock beneath it, however, split apart with a deafening crack.

Jonathan’s jaw dropped.

Then came the revelation: Dio still lived. The Stone Mask had not been destroyed. Both remained in the world.

Zeppeli revealed that he had spent decades pursuing the cursed artifact. His life’s mission had been to find it, and to destroy both it and the evil it birthed.

Now, he extended an invitation.

“Join me, Jonathan. Together, we will end Dio.”

Meanwhile, in the shadows of another city street, Dio grew ever stronger. By draining the blood of helpless humans, he restored his body to peak condition. And now his ambition was clear: he would gather those of wicked heart and forge an army—an army that would conquer the world.

Back by the riverside, Jonathan’s training began. Under Zeppeli’s guidance, he learned the secret of Hamon. And as his lessons unfolded, Zeppeli began to speak of his own past—

The truth was revealed.

The Stone Mask—cursed artifact of blood and darkness—had once been in Zeppeli’s very own hands. In his youth, he had unearthed it from the ruins of an ancient civilization.

But on the ship that carried him home, disaster struck. A crewman, out of careless curiosity, placed the mask upon his face. In an instant, his body warped, and he slaughtered every soul aboard.

Every soul… except for one.

The sole survivor was Zeppeli himself.

And the man who had worn the mask that day… was his own father.

That tragedy became his burden. From that day forth, Zeppeli swore to pursue the mask, to destroy it, and to eradicate the evil it unleashed.

Years of searching had led him to a single answer: the Hamon.

The breathing technique that stirred life-energy within the blood, creating vibrations akin to the very rays of the sun—the one force vampires could never endure.

Jonathan, shaken to the core, clenched his fists.

“If that’s what it takes… then I’ll master it. I’ll master Hamon, defeat Dio, and save this world!”

Time passed.

It was Speedwagon who brought fresh news: in a mountain town called Windknight’s Lot, Dio’s trail had finally surfaced.

Without hesitation, Jonathan and Zeppeli set out with him, their destination the very heart of danger.

But midway through the carriage ride, the horses came to a halt. A foul stench filled the air.

The road was blocked—by the corpses of several headless horses.

Before anyone could speak, the carcasses convulsed. From within their hollow torsos emerged a monstrous figure.

Jonathan’s breath caught. Speedwagon staggered back.

But Zeppeli stood firm. His expression never wavered. With a single motion, he intercepted the creature’s charge, his Hamon technique flaring like sunlight.

And then, in that moment, he turned to Jonathan—not just to fight, but to teach.

“JoJo. Do you know the flea?” Zeppeli’s voice thundered. “A tiny insect, that recklessly challenges humans thousands of times its size. But tell me—would you call that courage?”

Jonathan blinked, stunned by the question.

“No. That is not courage. True courage is born of fear—of mastering fear! Fear disrupts the rhythm of breathing. But when you seize control of it, when your breath flows unshaken, then Hamon will rise. Hamon itself is the hymn of humanity! Humanity’s greatness lies in courage—and without courage, these undead are nothing but fleas!”

With that proclamation, Zeppeli struck down the vampire in a single dazzling blow.

But then he did something unexpected. Instead of finishing the enemy himself, he thrust the burden onto Jonathan.

“JoJo,” he said coldly, pressing a glass of red wine into Jonathan’s hands, “this is your trial. Strike down the creature. But if you spill a single drop of this wine—know this—I will abandon you.”

The ultimatum was merciless. Yet Jonathan did not hesitate.

He gripped the wineglass tightly and stepped forward.

Every step was agony. The weight of fear pressed down on him, suffocating. But slowly, he understood. This wasn’t cruelty—this was Zeppeli’s way of forging his spirit.

‘So that’s it… This wine—it’s the biting wind he spoke of. I can feel it. The Hamon flows from the glass, into my arm, down into the earth itself. I can sense it—the life vibration of the creature hiding nearby. This wine… it’s a Hamon detector, a gift from Master Zeppeli!’

Jonathan’s heart blazed. His entire body thrummed with energy, as though ready to ignite.

“I’ve found you, vampire! Take this—through the wall! Hamon Overdrive!”

With a shout, he thrust his palm forward. Hamon surged, racing through stone and earth, and in an instant pierced the lurking monster hidden in the shadows.

The vampire screamed once, then fell silent—reduced to dust by the power of the sunlike Hamon.