A Saiyan's Journey

{Transitioning to Zuke}

"Kōichi, don't forget to bring back souvenirs!"

By the roadside of Morioh Town, Josuke Higashikata waved at Koichi Hirose, who was pushing a suitcase, and joked with a grin.

"Preferably some pizza. I really want to try authentic Italian pizza and see what it tastes like."

Beside Josuke stood Okuyasu Nijimura, who wiped his mouth as if imagining the taste of pizza and nearly drooled.

"There's no way to bring authentic pizza back, right? The flight takes over ten hours, and by the time it's here, it'll be cold," Koichi retorted, unimpressed by Okuyasu's idea.

"Besides, if you really want authentic Italian pizza, can't you just go to Tonio's place?"

Tonio was the chef-owner of the restaurant Zuke visited when he first came to Morioh. A chef from Italy, he could indeed make authentic Italian pizza.

Moreover, Tonio was a Stand user. His Stand, Pearl Jam, endowed his food with healing properties, far surpassing ordinary Italian pizza.

"Though Tonio's dishes are amazing… I still want to try what other Italian chefs can make," said Okuyasu, sporting a slightly silly grin. His Stand ability was formidable, but his intellect had always been lacking.

He was often teased with remarks like, "Strong Stand, but did you switch brains?"—a testament to his questionable thought processes.

"Anyway, Mr. Jotaro will be footing the bill for this trip, right? So why worry so much?" Josuke added with a mischievous smile, looking at Koichi. Though kind-hearted, Josuke had a cheeky side.

After all, Jotaro Kujo was backed by the Joestar family, and Joseph Joestar was a prominent American real estate tycoon. Money was the least of their concerns. Spending their funds on souvenirs didn't faze Josuke in the slightest.

"You guys..." Koichi smiled wryly and pushed his suitcase toward the taxi parked by the roadside. He opened the door and got in.

Despite their quirks, Josuke and Okuyasu were Koichi's good friends. Even without the threat of Yoshikage Kira, they had gone through many events together, forging a strong bond.

Closing the car door, Koichi waved goodbye to Josuke and Okuyasu through the window. Then, he turned to the taxi driver and said, "Please take me to the airport. Thank you."

Sitting in the driver's seat, Zuke calmly gripped the steering wheel. "No problem. You'll be there soon."

Indeed, the taxi driver was none other than Zuke. Having anticipated the approximate time Koichi would need a cab, he had been waiting in ambush.

To ensure success, Zuke had incapacitated the nearby taxi drivers. This way, his vehicle was the only option available.

Of course, the cab didn't belong to him. The original driver, knocked unconscious by Zuke, was temporarily stashed in the alternate dimension of his Stand, Blackbird:Void Miasma.

Once Zuke dropped Koichi off at the airport, he planned to release the driver. As for finding the route to the airport—no issue there. Before picking up Koichi, Zuke had flown over the area to scout the path.

Although Zuke had yet to fully recover his driving skills from before his dimensional travels, he had driven once before while sending Ichiri Gotō home, so he felt he was regaining his touch.

"Driver, you look so young, like a high schooler," Koichi remarked, noticing Zuke's youthful appearance.

High schoolers couldn't legally obtain a driver's license, let alone drive a taxi. So Koichi didn't suspect Zuke was a teenager—he merely thought he looked youthful.

"Is that so? People often say that," Zuke chuckled lightly. Once the cab had left Morioh Town, he discreetly deployed his Stand, Blackbird: Lover, into Koichi's body.

Unlike in the mundane world, the JOJO universe was teeming with Stand users. Zuke couldn't recklessly summon his Stand here.

Not that resistance mattered—Zuke could easily overpower opponents if needed. However, he wasn't Koichi's enemy and saw no need for violence.

A small black raven emerged from Zuke's fingertip, flitting through the shadows inside the cab without catching Koichi's attention. It quickly reached Koichi's ear and slipped inside without resistance.

Just as the cautious Joseph Joestar failed to detect Lover entering his brain in the original series, Koichi was similarly oblivious.

Good thing Zuke wasn't hostile; otherwise, with Koichi's lack of vigilance, he'd have died countless times by now.

Satisfied with the Stand's successful infiltration, Zuke continued driving Koichi to the airport.

"Thank you, driver."

Upon reaching the airport, Koichi grabbed his suitcase, thanked Zuke, and paid the fare.

Zuke smiled as he accepted the payment without saying much. During the drive, he had casually chatted with Koichi and learned that his trip to Italy would take approximately 13 hours.

Armed with this knowledge, Zuke planned accordingly—he would adjust the JOJO world's time flow to 0.5x speed. That way, 24 hours in the real world would translate to 12 hours in the JOJO world.

When Zuke reentered the JOJO world at the same time tomorrow, it would coincide perfectly with Koichi's arrival in Italy.

Koichi would soon encounter Giorno Giovanna, the protagonist of Part 5, shortly after landing.

Watching Koichi walk into the airport, Zuke stroked his chin. "Didn't expect my driving skills to still hold up."

Though it had been a long time since he last drove, Koichi hadn't complained about his driving at all. In fact, he even praised how steady the ride was.

With that, Zuke summoned the shadowy form of Blackbird. From its dark silhouette, he released a middle-aged man, unconscious, back into the driver's seat of the taxi.

This man was the cab's original owner.

Placing Koichi's payment on the driver, Zuke shut the car door and exited the JOJO world.

This trip's sole purpose had been to plant a marker on Koichi.

To be continued...

Advance 50 chapters are up on my Patreon!

pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus