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Chapter 57. DIO and the Sea
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A great fire.
It brought forth a vampire capable of threatening the entire world.
And corresponding to this vampire, a Ripple warrior.
Similarly, it was this very fire that buried them, who possessed powers beyond the world, once again in the roasting heat of this fire, beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
If this is their fate.
Then JOJO would willingly choose to accept this fate.
It is not that fate is invincible or absolute.
Rather, this fate itself is the one they most wanted to achieve.
Mr. Zeppeli probably thought the same way.
Looking at the tearful Erina, and the baby in her arms who survived on this ship, now a nest of undead, because her mother protected her with her life.
From them, JOJO seemed to see his own mother, who protected his birth in the same way.
He could almost understand the legacy that Mr. Zeppeli had passed down to him.
Old life will eventually fade, and new life will be born.
Is there anything in this world more beautiful and worth protecting than this?
My career is without regret!
But only JOJO feels such no regrets.
"Wait, wait! Wait a moment, JOJO!"
"Let me go, and think about it calmly again!"
No matter how cautious.
Even though DIO's attitude towards JOJO had become as cautious as Sima Yi facing Zhuge Liang, running away even from an empty city or a wooden puppet.
Even though JOJO was already unable to breathe or use Ripple, when DIO saw JOJO still taking an attacking stance, he still screamed anxiously for his undead to run away quickly, how could it be otherwise?
The power of vampires and undead only made their caution superficial.
After all, no one fears the bread they are about to eat.
Thus, JOJO successfully controlled the undead that even Ripple could not eliminate, using his frail Ripple to restrain the undead that ignored DIO's advice and continued to attack.
Using the undead's power to manually secure the ship's transmission shaft, preventing the accumulated steam and pressure from the steam boiler from being released and causing an internal explosion.
And successfully making DIO, who was awakened by the explosion and realized that if the ship exploded and shattered, he would be left in the vast ocean without any shelter from the sun, wait for death to come.
At the moment DIO impulsively attacked.
JOJO seized the opportunity to tightly bind his head to his chest.
"You're reluctant to part with Erina too, right?"
"And I can heal your wound, so you can live forever with Erina! JOJO! ... JOJO!?"
That's right, DIO would never accept this fate!
Even though he had obtained eternal life.
And was about to gain the best body in the world!
How could he accept the fate of dying like this?
Whether by temptation or deception, he must live forever!
But JOJO, this guy...
"This guy... is already dead...!?"
DIO's last hope.
Came with JOJO's body becoming increasingly stiff and solid, leading to the deepest despair.
-- February 7, 1889, Jonathan Joestar, dead.
Just like these seemingly epitaph-like characters were presented along with the increasingly black-and-white images before the audience, the feeling rising from the depths of their hearts was.
JOJO was dead.
Just as Zeppeli passed this hope to JOJO.
JOJO also passed this hope to others, to face his own death.
But the plot of Zeppeli's death was slightly different.
If the plot handling Zeppeli's death was constrained by the tight narrative, whether it was Zeppeli's courage facing death or JOJO surrounded by Ripple using the Ripple that merged with Zeppeli to evaporate Tarkus.
Pucci and the team could only highlight these scenes to compensate for the narrative shortcomings.
In this episode.
Pucci and the team, having ample time, laid the groundwork for this final outcome from the moment the title appeared.
Not only was there the plot in the original story where DIO was still alive and preparing to ambush JOJO after being challenged.
But there were also elements not in the original plot...
For instance, to fit JOJO's final life energy being entirely converted into Ripple.
JOJO, who exhausted his last Ripple, had his once strong and robust body now aged and weakened, just like Zeppeli.
With white hair and withered skin.
But even though JOJO had turned into such an old man, even though JOJO, now with no life, was left with nothing, Erina still loved him.
Everything was like the initial vow, that regardless of future wealth or poverty, health or illness, she would always be with him, unwavering until death.
From this most essential vow, came the most essential love.
Even if JOJO and Erina's time together in "Phantom Blood" might not exceed five minutes, how could they suddenly complete their love story with marriage?
At this moment!
Under this kiss between Erina and JOJO!
It was as if no love story could surpass theirs!
And how much did Pucci add to these changes?
The answer is: a lot.
Just like the final battle between JOJO and DIO.
It borrowed the same framework and unique directorial style of Akiyuki Shinbo, and in this episode, Pucci successfully portrayed how a former hero struggled to survive.
In contrast, even so, JOJO still dragged his life-drained, aging body to use all his strength to shield Erina from the shrapnel of the steam engine explosion.
Risking his life to tightly hold DIO's head, leaving hope for Erina and the others.
-- One can be knocked down, but not defeated.
Pucci, embedding countless references from previous works and famous scenes with this spiritual core.
His re-created "Phantom Blood."
Gave the viewers not just a short nine-episode story.
But a grand and fiery legendary tale as if witnessing another world's history.
It also made all the viewers who saw this ending.
Explode completely along with that ship.