Chapter 241. This Atmosphere Where I'm the Only One Left Out
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What exactly had Dio told Kujo Jotaro back then?
Even though Dio had taken Jotaro's money, he hadn't lied to him.
Dio guaranteed that the money Jotaro spent would be well worth it.
But no matter how valuable the information was, Dio couldn't possibly tell Jotaro something he didn't even know himself.
That's right—Jotaro's hope of learning about Dio's weaknesses from Dio himself was utterly unrealistic.
Even with the power of money at work, Dio didn't lie. He pushed his brain to the limit, rummaging through long-forgotten memories to dig up weaknesses he had almost forgotten.
But this effort didn't help Jotaro at all.
After all, as an actor chosen by destiny, Dio's personality was the same as the original DIO's. There was no way he'd leave his own weaknesses unaddressed.
If there were any flaws he hadn't noticed before, then once he recalled them—especially with money prompting his memory—Dio would never leave them unresolved.
Impossible!
"Wait a minute! Jotaro, could you repeat what you just said?!"
Polnareff exclaimed, "You must've been joking just now, right?... Right?"
Initially, Polnareff only wanted to know what kind of information Jotaro had managed to obtain from Dio.
But now, he would rather not have been so curious.
Or he hoped Jotaro had simply misspoken in the heat of the moment.
Otherwise, how could Jotaro say something like this?
The calm demeanor Jotaro had shown earlier wasn't born out of confidence in how the Jotaro from "Stardust Crusaders" defeated DIO—it was just his usual expressionless face?!
No way!
That kind of thing must not happen!
As Polnareff felt his future turn bleak, the hope reignited by Jotaro's miraculous mastery of [The World] in "Stardust Crusaders" began to waver once more.
Especially since DIO, even with the intervention of deus ex machina, had demonstrated his god-slaying tendencies. Despair returned—more intense than before.
After all, Polnareff, as one of the actors in "Stardust Crusaders" couldn't just abandon the battlefield like a coward. He had to stay and look for a chance to defeat DIO!
In this context, he desperately wanted to believe that Jotaro had gleaned some critical, game-changing information from Dio.
Instead, Jotaro now told him that not only did he gain nothing, but he also inadvertently helped Dio eliminate his weaknesses?!
No wonder DIO had been so cautious in "Stardust Crusaders" even when Polnareff tried to ambush him.
Normally, as actors, they wouldn't develop that level of vigilance subconsciously.
So, this was the reason?
The offhand explanation he had given earlier turned out to be true?!
Damn it, why did he have to be so accurate about something like this?!
As Polnareff was on the verge of questioning his life choices, Jotaro's voice drifted over:
"That's right, Polnareff. It's just as you're thinking. It was around that time I realized Jolyne really had brought a monster to us."
"But perhaps because he's such a monster, dealing with him might actually be pretty simple."
Jotaro mused aloud.
Like how "Stardust Crusaders" had foreshadowed Jotaro's discovery of [The World]'s ability as similar to [Star Platinum], he inferred his Stand's potential to stop time from the script's hint.
Even after realizing this, Jotaro still went to Dio.
Beyond seeking advice from a "senior" about the experience and technique of time-stopping, he also aimed to deduce Dio's character through his behavior.
Especially when Dio mentioned that the duration of time-stopping could be extended with practice.
This revealed Jotaro's secondary goal.
Given Dio's subconscious tendencies, simply following the script without preparation might lead to disaster due to Dio's extraordinary improvisation.
However, it seemed Jotaro's impression of Dio in real life had successfully influenced his script persona.
"...?"
Polnareff, utterly lost, stared at Jotaro in confusion.
Wasn't everything Jotaro said about Dio highlighting how monstrous he was?
So why did it suddenly sound like Dio was weak?
Did Polnareff miss something crucial?
"I see, so that's how it is."
This insight came from Kakyoin Noriaki, who had been eavesdropping out of curiosity, since he had also exited the story early and missed the latter half of "Stardust Crusaders".
"You really thought this through, Jotaro! Hahaha, as expected of my grandson! You're as sharp as ever—just like me!"
Joseph Joestar chimed in with pride.
"..."
No, no, what was with this atmosphere where Polnareff was the only one out of the loop?!
Polnareff turned to Avdol with a look of hope.
"Sorry, Polnareff. I've also figured out what Jotaro is up to…"
Avdol gave Polnareff a helpless look.
"..."
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