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Chapter 54. ONE PIECE
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Originally, Pucci.
He wasn't aware of the resolve Araki-sensei had when creating Phantom Blood and how it led to Jonathan's death in the final chapter.
Nor did he know how, after this chapter was published, Araki-sensei became the first manga artist in the history of JUMP to kill off the protagonist during serialization.
He didn't know how Araki-sensei convinced his editor before drawing this chapter, or how he faced the readers of Phantom Blood and dealt with their pressure after the chapter was released.
After all, when Pucci first learned about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and was recommended to watch and immerse himself in the series, the first part, Phantom Blood, had long since concluded.
Naturally, he didn't experience the pressure. What he saw was only the more exciting next part of JoJo!
This was the Apollo 11 that Araki-sensei and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure brought to Pucci in his past life, causing him to completely forget. Killing off the protagonist in a work is never an easy matter, even though Pucci knew.
Only Jonathan's death would lead to the next part, Battle Tendency, and Joseph, the second-generation JoJo, who was very different from the gentlemanly Jonathan but possessed a charisma that rivaled Jonathan's.
It would also lead to the story of Stardust Crusaders.
But was this ending truly inevitable?
Akiyuki Shinbo couldn't help but ask. Unlike before, having passed the age of youthful passion, he found it hard to bear the impact of this Apollo 11.
Just like his original breakthrough work, "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha", which, after the failure of "The Soul Taker" and deep transformation in the other animation world, marked his return to the mainstream world with a declaration of comeback.
Although the various settings in Nanoha were innovative at the time, breaking away from the fairy tale conventions of magical girl works to make the story more realistic, and shattering the traditional black-and-white morality between good and evil.
Or the magical girls who looked more like high-tech humanoid Gundams rather than traditional magical girls. It was all like that.
But in this story, there was hardly any trace of Akiyuki Shinbo's own style. In contrast, another work directed by Akiyuki Shinbo around the same time—Tsukuyomi—was filled with the familiar flavor of Akiyuki Shinbo from OP to ED.
It could only be said that growing up means turning from a passionate youth into a dirty adult. Having toiled in the other animation world for so many years, Akiyuki Shinbo had become a dirty adult in every sense.
Therefore, for this unprecedented move in the industry, even though Pucci's words were filled with allure and indeed made him yearn for it, Akiyuki Shinbo would still prefer a more cautious approach.
After all, free-form creation and self-destruction are quite different.
"It's unfortunate, but the answer to your question is—this ending is indeed unavoidable."
After pondering for a while, Pucci shrugged and replied, "It's not an inevitability within the story, but a kind of... well, it's unavoidable in the same way as the significance of Zeppelin's death."
But to ensure that the subsequent parts of JoJo's story proceed smoothly, it's actually not difficult to make a slight change to this plot.
The second part is needless to say. Even for the third part, which has a deep connection with DIO and the ending of Phantom Blood, there are alternative methods to replace this plot.
For example, in a JoJo fan work Pucci had seen, DIO accidentally got Zeppelin's descendant into the Egypt fighting team.
With DIO's personality, he would definitely target the Joestar descendants to achieve eternal peace.
Thus, it would inevitably bring that invincible man before him, starting the story of Stardust Crusaders.
Making such a slight change to the JoJo story is really not that difficult. After all, in this parallel world, there is no original manga of JoJo, right?
To put it bluntly, even if Pucci did modify the later plot, the audience in this parallel world wouldn't know at all.
But this is just a modification of the plot.
"Akiyuki, you must have read the script of the second part, Battle Tendency, right?"
Since Phantom Blood was nearing its end and the choice of Sakata Gintoki as the protagonist for the second part had also been decided, the script of Battle Tendency, the second part that continues from Phantom Blood, was no longer a secret.
Therefore, Pucci asked, "So, what do you think are the differences between Joseph and Jonathan?"
"…"
Are you sure you want me to say it?
Upon hearing this question, Akiyuki Shinbo's expression was exactly that. Only after confirming that Pucci genuinely wanted to ask this did he respond in a slightly indirect tone: "Uh, Joseph's character does seem a bit fresher…"
"Alright, alright, just say that Joseph is nothing like Jonathan; I can understand that," Pucci interrupted. "Whether it's his style or combat style, if Jonathan is the standard English gentleman, then Joseph is the standard American rascal."
So you know that too. Akiyuki Shinbo also thought in his mind.
"So you understand why I insist on filming according to the original plot of Phantom Blood, right?" Not paying attention to Akiyuki Shinbo's small expression, Pucci continued, "Not only is Jonathan's death an Apollo 11 for us, but Joseph's unorthodox style, different from the mainstream protagonist, is also an Apollo 11 for us."
"If we don't have the courage to attempt to escape Earth's gravity, we'll never land on the moon or set foot on its surface!"
(PS: At the time when Hokuto no Ken was dominating the world with its straightforward macho style, Battle Tendency, which emphasized tactics and deception, showcasing the combat intelligence between characters rather than pure strength, was truly an outlier and, in some respects, groundbreaking.)
"Just like how Zeppelin passed his beliefs to Jonathan."
"Jonathan's death not only symbolizes the end of Phantom Blood but also marks the beginning of a great era... that's what I think."
No longer just a reader but now thinking as a creator, Pucci now seemed to somewhat understand the feelings Araki-sensei must have had at that time.
And the difference from himself, who could still see a bit of the future, was that Araki-sensei truly found the enlightenment and courage to move forward in the pitch-black wilderness!
"…"
In contrast, Akiyuki Shinbo fell silent. Then, he started to search the full-dive device for the things Pucci had written and transmitted earlier.
"…?!"
"Although I still don't quite agree with your adventurous approach, Pucci, but…"
Akiyuki Shinbo sighed helplessly, "Now that I'm on this Apollo 11 flying into space, it seems a bit too late to want to get off the ship."
"I can only try my best to check for any bugs before the spaceship reaches its destination to prevent any accidents or shipwrecks."
"...Haha, don't worry about it, Akiyuki!" Pucci laughed, "Our spaceship will definitely take us to the moon and get the ONE PIECE!"