Chapter 233. The Priest's Mindset
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The Stand ability of [The World] is incredibly powerful.
Paired with DIO's ambition to dominate the world and treat humans as mere food, he possesses an intellect that never succumbs to the allure of his own power. Wherever he goes, he uses human wisdom to uncover the truth behind this power—a vampire who is perhaps the most dangerous enemy not only in "Stardust Crusaders" but in the entire "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" series!
After all, the experience of the Pillar Men, who nearly faced extinction due to underestimating humans, still lingers fresh in our minds (Battle Tendency).
This knowledge isn't just clear to the audience; it's evident to Kujo Jotaro and the other actors of "Stardust Crusaders" too.
Otherwise, Polnareff and the others wouldn't assume Jotaro's silence was due to his difficulty in accepting the storyline, nor would they have tried to console him.
However, Polnareff and the others got it wrong.
While the above is mostly accurate, and while DIO, the final boss of "Stardust Crusaders", indeed intimidates many, Kujo Jotaro isn't one of those people.
DIO's actions only fuel Jotaro's rage and intensify his desire to unleash an "ORA ORA" on DIO!
So, after wrapping up the full-dive shoot, Jotaro's mood, although seemingly affected by recent story developments, actually took a turn for another reason.
Upon hearing Joseph's loud warning about [The World]'s true ability—time stop—he finally understood the truth Pucci had been hiding and the reason Pucci had once said DIO was nearly unbeatable.
From the moment he left the filming world and returned to reality, Jotaro's mind was consumed with one thought: how to defeat DIO!
"So, Mr. Jotaro, you're seeking an answer from me?"
Looking at Jotaro, who directly confronted him with the question of how to defeat "him," Dio's feelings were indeed complicated.
"Wouldn't it be better to ask Pucci instead?" Dio replied. "Unless Pucci intends to make this a story where the villain wins... which, in the "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" series, isn't something you'll see. If it were, I would've already triumphed alongside Kars."
"So Pucci, who crafted such an outrageous Stand ability, must have planned a way to counter time stop, much like his foresight when designing skills like vapor freezing and the Ultimate Life Form."
"It's just like in Kamen Rider…"
Here, Dio even cited a popular national series for reference.
Ignoring Black RX from the Showa era or the unbeatable character with "invincible" written in the description, time stop as an ability appears quite often in various works.
In "Kamen Rider", it's been seen multiple times, such as with Spade 10 from "Kamen Rider Blade" and Nogi Reiji's first form in "Kamen Rider Kabuto".
These works clearly depict how a protagonist without a time-stopping ability can defeat an enemy who possesses it.
So, Dio's message to Jotaro was simple—
See yourself out!
Of course, this was Dio's initial thought. He didn't know Kujo Jotaro well, so why should he spend his time giving him a pep talk?
But when he saw Jotaro's next move—or rather, the stack of bills Jotaro pulled from his pocket…
You think you can bribe me? This is an insult!
Dio intended to shout, just as his character did in "Stardust Crusaders".
But there was simply too much cash…
Thus, Dio immediately changed his tone, courteously ushering Jotaro in, pocketing the bills with a flourish. "...But as everyone knows, "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" and "Kamen Rider" aren't the same!"
"Borrowing ideas from other works would be lowly, but asking me, Mr. Jotaro, is truly seeking the right person!"
"No one knows time stop better than I do!"
"..."
…
"Hmm, would you say things are finally on track?"
Outside Dio's door, Pucci watched as Dio respectfully invited Jotaro in, stroking his chin in satisfaction.
Yes, just as Polnareff and the others worried, Jotaro was full of questions he wanted answered by none other than Dio himself.
And naturally, it was Pucci who pointed Jotaro in Dio's direction!
Just as Dio said, countless works have already explored ways to handle time stop.
In "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", too, especially as creator Araki frequently showed in "Stardust Crusaders" and the subsequent "JoJo" parts, strategies to counter time stop are plentiful.
The most classic example lies in "Stone Ocean", which fully demonstrates that, as long as one's speed is fast enough, time stop can be overcome.
Thus, facing Jotaro, who struggled with time stop, Pucci proposed the ultimate classic solution: [The World]'s Stand ability is invincible, but DIO isn't!
Even if DIO lacked a Jolyne, and a "donut" approach didn't seem quite effective at the moment, DIO—or rather, the Dio portraying DIO—must have something he cares about in his conscious, something exploitable.
Pucci calls this strategy—the Priest's Mindset!