"You f***ing cheater!" The roar of anger broke through the lively chatter of the bar, silencing the place.

A middle-aged man slammed his hands on the table, his face twisted with a mixture of anger and desperation. Beads of sweat glistened on his brow, evidence of both his fury and his horror.

He had just gambled away his entire paycheck and had nothing now!

The bar's atmosphere shifted uncomfortably. The other men seated around the table avoided his gaze, their own expressions mirroring his despair.

"My wife is going to kill me when she hears about this.." One of the other man murmured with a dead expression, while the other man sited at the table agreed. They, too, had thought tonight would be one of fun and fortune, only to leave with empty pockets and heavier hearts.

At that very table full of sadness only one man showed no signs of regret. He leaned back in his chair, lazily collecting the cash he had won and pulling them into a large pile before him. His broad hand moved unbothered by the heated accusations.

"Can you prove that?" The young winner asked, his voice sharp and cold.

The accuser faltered under his gaze. "I-I…" And his anger dissolved into a pitiful silence.

The other middle aged man at the table opened his mouth to retort but found himself holding back tears instead.

After all, the large man who won their cash was to scary! His presence was overwhelming: tall and imposing, his muscular frame rivaled that of a professional athlete. A shadow cast his black cap obscured most of his expression, adding an air of mystery to his already dominating aura.

"Then shut your mouth," Hearing no real answer the young man growled, his tone low and threatening. His words sent a ripple of unease through the table as the other avoided eye contact.

Within moments, everyone retreated, muttering curses under their breath as they shuffled away, their wallets significantly lighter. The young man, left alone, leaned forward, adjusting his hat with a satisfied smirk. His expression revealing no guilt or remorse as he gave a nod of approval to the figure next to him

There stood a silhouette far more bizarre. Towering even higher than the young man, with long, flowing hair and a face of unnatural hue. Like a ghost his body was transparent, Its purple skin shimmered faintly under the dim light of the bar, muscles rippling with every slight movement. Yet, contrast to the eye catching colors, no one in the bar seemed to acknowledge its presence. It stood there, an enigma, as though it were part of a world only the young man could see.

Now, who is the young gambler? He is Johan—or at least, he had been Johan. Now he did not know himself. After all, his journey to this moment had been anything but ordinary.

***

It all began with a stray bullet.

One moment, he was walking down a crowded street, daydreaming. The next, he was plunged into darkness, staring at an infinite expanse of stars. It didn't take long for him to understand why: he was dead.

Floating in the void, a voice, a presence as vast as the cosmos itself, explained his fate. Johan hadn't been particularly good in life, but he hadn't been terrible either. Mediocre. Forgettable. Not virtuous enough for paradise, nor vile enough for damnation. And so, the universe offered him a deal.

A gray door materialized before him. The voice boomed, "You may live again, Johan. Your deepest wish shall be granted and you will keep your memories, but in return, you must answer our call when the time comes."

Johan blinked, but did not say no, he was still to young to die.

But what was his deepest wish? Wealth? Fame? Power? well some cool anime power could never be lame but still, none of those. Then it hit him—a memory so vivid it made his head ache.

He had always been painfully short. Standing at just 5'5", his height had been an insecurity as a man. To make matters worse, his youthful face refused to age beyond that of a teenager, often leading people to mistake him for a 16-year-old. It didn't matter that he was already 20, his appearance betrayed him at every turn, it got to the point where he had lost all his confidence.

He remembered confessing to his high school crush, only to be met with a cruel laugh, "Maybe when you'll be taller, in your next life." The rejection had shattered the last bit of his confidence as a man, leaving him to live in the shadow of that insecurity ever since.

Now, standing in the presence of eternity, he clenched his fists in anger and just like a chihuahua, he bark- I mean he yelled. 

"I… I want to be tall and manly!" Johan's voice rang out, a few seconds later, his cheeks turned red from embarrassment.

The stars seemed to hesitate hearing the answer, the vast presence growing quiet before finally responding. "...sure?" holding back a giggle, the presence continued "ahm! Very well. But let's make it so you don't die before we even call for you."

Then without warning, Johan was thrust through the door. "Hold on! I still have more questions!" He screamed but before he could get an answer the darkness gave way to blinding light, and then… he was someone else.

When he woke up, he found himself towering over the world at a staggering 6'5. But it wasn't just his height that had changed. His reflection in a nearby window revealed a face that was not his own.

Sharp jawline and a muscular build, the faint scowl beneath the shadow of a black cap, he recognized this visage instantly. It was the character named Jotaro Kujo, one of the most iconic and manliest protagonist he had ever seen in anime.

His smile turned intro a wide grin as he held back his happiness from leaking out.

"Yare yare" he muttered and lowered his cap, trying to sound cool. Behind him a purple man looked at him in disapproval.