Chapter 242. You Should Have Aimed for My Head
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Dio, the chosen actor, when paired with a script that fits him perfectly, portrays DIO as a villainous savior beyond any doubt, both inside and out.
Joseph and the others had already witnessed this vividly during the filming of "Stardust Crusaders". However, perhaps because they exited the story early, they didn't experience this as viscerally as Polnareff.
After all, Avdol was gone early, having fallen victim to DIO in the [Cream] arc. Even with the story's initial setup—where he fled after encountering DIO in Cairo and didn't dare return to Egypt alone—the fear of DIO had long been overshadowed by the courage he rediscovered during his journey with Jotaro and the others. Asking Avdol to relive that terror would be nearly impossible.
Similarly, Joseph and Kakyoin shared a comparable experience. Though they were luckier than Avdol, managing to confront DIO and even witness [The World]'s time-stopping Stand ability before dying at its hands, they succeeded in passing on critical information about [The World]'s true power to Jotaro.
Thus, they acknowledged DIO's strength but didn't view him as unbeatable.
The only exception was Polnareff, who had been humiliated during his assassination attempt on DIO, only to be effortlessly countered. This left him grappling with his doubts while Joseph and the others could clearly see Jotaro's plan and intentions.
And what does Jotaro means when he said, "Defeating DIO is simple."
"Actually, Polnareff, it's exactly as I said," Jotaro explained. "As we know, Dio, whether in reality or during full-dive filming, is terrifying. I have no idea where Jolyne found such an actor…"
"But precisely because of that, Dio has an absolute confidence in himself. It's a trait inherent to someone like him. So, defeating Dio—or rather, defeating DIO's subconscious in the full-dive filming—is simple: you just have to mislead him into trusting his own judgment."
Jotaro patted Polnareff on the shoulder, snapping him out of his dazed murmuring: "It's really that simple?" Then Jotaro gestured toward the "Stardust Crusaders" scene unfolding before them.
"Look, just like what I did in the story," Jotaro continued. "Even though DIO was suspicious of whether I was playing dead, as long as I convinced him I was truly 'dead,' he let his guard down more than anyone else would."
...
"W-What!?"
DIO, who had been confidently prepared to use a nearby street sign to decapitate Jotaro's "dead" body, now looked on in horror.
The street sign, which had been aimed at Jotaro's neck, miraculously bore an indentation—shaped perfectly to avoid cutting him. Moreover, standing beside DIO was none other than [Star Platinum]!
"ORA!!!"
"TOKI WO TOMARE ZA WARUDO!!"
[Star Platinum]'s roar and DIO's shout occurred almost simultaneously.
Just as with Polnareff's earlier sneak attack, DIO intended to rely on the same trick. But Star Platinum wasn't just equal to [The World] in speed (both being rated as Speed A)—its Stand ability was equally potent.
"No matter if you stop time, I will crush your skull, DIO!"
Crack! Crack!
With the sound of brittle chips snapping apart, Star Platinum's fist struck true. It shattered DIO's head entirely, taking even his skull with it.
...
DIO: You should have aimed for my head.
The mocking words DIO once spat at Polnareff during his assassination attempt were now being thrown back in his face by Jotaro.
Since DIO was so eager to be struck on the head and, like a third-rate villain, loved revealing his own weakness during moments of triumph, Jotaro was determined to show him what "true defeat" looked like.
"DIO's a monster who survived a century underwater—this won't kill him so easily. We still can't let our guard down."
Sure enough, from the rising dust and the crater left by Star Platinum's punch, DIO struggled to his feet, battered but not defeated.
Vampires truly defied logic. Not only could they regenerate casually, but even their brains could heal. However, biology still played a role. With his brain damaged, DIO's body spasmed uncontrollably, his limbs twitching and refusing to obey.
"Smell that? You should know what it means now—I doused you in gasoline."
Jotaro tossed an empty gas can to the side and pulled out a lighter.
"Kicking someone when they're down might seem cruel, but with you, DIO, I don't feel an ounce of guilt."
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