Early the next morning.
As descendants of the aristocracy, Yang Yun and Jonathan were preparing to take their exclusive horseback riding lessons.
Before they could even depart, however, a heavy black wooden carriage rolled into the estate, churning up a thick cloud of dust.
Jonathan looked on with curiosity, but Yang Yun immediately put away his sunny, gentle smile, his expression turning calm as his gaze locked forward.
"Here he comes!"
Yang Yun muttered under his breath, and a suitcase was promptly tossed down from the carriage.
Immediately after, a youth dressed in formal attire leaped out from the carriage like a falcon soaring across the sky to strike its prey.
The youth had a head of blonde hair, three distinct moles on his left earlobe, and facial features as sharp and chiseled as if carved by divine artisans—strikingly handsome!
Combined with his fair complexion, he even radiated a hint of an uncanny, alluring sensuality.
He was the very embodiment of the word "dashing" pushed to its absolute extreme!
This person was none other than the ultimate villain of JoJo that Yang Yun had been yearning for.
DIO! Dio Brando!
Seeing Dio before him, Jonathan upheld the politeness of a gentleman and immediately stepped forward to greet him warmly.
Little did he know that from this exact moment onward, his destiny had become inextricably linked to the person before him!
A fate that would extend even to his bloodline for centuries to come, spanning six entire generations of the Joestar family!
"You're Dio Brando, aren't you?"
"And you must be Jonathan Joestar."
Dio looked at Jonathan with contempt, though he concealed the disdain in his heart completely.
"Everyone calls me JoJo. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"And this beside me is my father's other adopted son, who is also my brother—his name is Yang Yun!"
As soon as Jonathan finished speaking, Dio and Yang Yun locked eyes instantly.
Having grown up struggling to survive in the slums, Dio spotted the hostility and wariness in Yang Yun's eyes at a single glance.
Though faint, he was certain he wasn't mistaken!
Although he had researched the structure of this aristocratic family beforehand, he had not yet revealed his true intentions.
So why this hostility?
Could it be that he was afraid someone would come to split the family inheritance?
At this thought, Dio felt even greater disdain in his heart. Truly, just a pampered young master born and raised in high society.
Even though he was just a stray taken in off the street, he had been living in luxury since childhood, never lacking for a house, money, or servants.
Naturally, he wouldn't want to see his lavish lifestyle diminished.
That was fine, however. He would devour and strip all of this away piece by piece, both materially and psychologically!
"Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you, I am—"
Dio smiled faintly and extended a hand toward Yang Yun, playing the part of a remarkably polite and innocent child.
Yet, having lived a second life and knowing the plot inside out, how could Yang Yun possibly not understand what the other was up to?
If Dio thought he could play games with him right now, heh—what a pipe dream!
Before Yang Yun could even reach out, however, Danny the dog came bounding over excitedly to welcome the guest.
In the next instant, Dio's eyes turned instantly chilling, flashing with a hint of ruthlessness as he raised his foot to kick Danny.
Before his foot could even fully rise, however, a flash of white afterimage darted past.
Then, Dio felt a sharp pain in his lower leg, as if something had struck him hard.
Distracted by the sudden, intense pain and losing his focus, Dio had no time to react before Danny knocked him to the ground, covering him in dirt.
The moment he hit the ground, Dio was consumed by sudden shame and fury, drawing back his fist to swing at Danny's head.
Just as the fist rose, however, Yang Yun grabbed Danny's collar and yanked him backward, causing Dio's punch to swing wildly at empty air.
"Please don't mind him, Danny is just very enthusiastic. Sorry for the trouble!"
While pulling Danny back and handing him over to JoJo, Yang Yun offered a gentle, warm smile as he extended a hand to help Dio up.
Guided by fate, he couldn't kill Dio right now, nor did he intend to lock horns in a life-or-death struggle from the very beginning.
So for the time being, he still had to put on a polite facade.
"Hmph!"
Realizing his successive failures and sensing that the other was putting on a hypocritical act, Dio let out a cold snort.
He slapped Yang Yun's outstretched hand away and hauled himself up on his own.
Yet his venomous gaze remained fixed straight on Yang Yun, as sharp and murderous as a blade.
After what had just happened, he knew he had misjudged his opponent from the start.
This seemingly foolish person was actually the hardest one to deal with!
Seeing this scene, Jonathan wanted to step in and smooth things over again, but George Joestar arrived just in time to interrupt.
With his father now present, Yang Yun, who had been on the verge of summoning Star Platinum, stopped himself.
Things proceeded much like the original plot: Dio quickly became a member of the Joestar family and targeted JoJo at every turn.
First by besting him in studies, and later by having his meals withheld over a petty oversight.
Though Jonathan knew the other was deliberately targeting him, he had no proof.
Coupled with the fact that the education he had received clashed starkly with this harsh new reality,
his once-happy life quickly devolved into an ordeal.
Throughout this period, Yang Yun never once made a move.
For one, the time wasn't right yet; for another, Big Jo needed to temper himself and witness Dio's pure, unadulterated malice firsthand.
After all, it wasn't as if he could cover every single base and protect him forever like a nanny, right?
And so the days passed.
To vent his frustrations and grow stronger, Jonathan gradually became obsessed with physical training and boxing.
Though rather than an obsession, it was more of an escape.
Dio had already surpassed him in every aspect, leaving him to chase honor and the admiration of others solely through sweat and Strength.
Out at a crude boxing ring on the rural farmland,
Jonathan was basking in the pride of defeating yet another opponent and preparing to face the next challenger.
Yet when he heard that his next opponent was none other than Dio, Jonathan froze in place.
Faced with Dio's arrival, Yang Yun originally intended to step up in Jonathan's place.
After all, this was a rare and golden opportunity to beat the living daylights out of Dio under a totally legitimate pretext!
But when he voiced his offer, Jonathan refused—he wanted to face this alone and would never back down.
Yang Yun had no choice but to drop the idea, though he didn't give up entirely; instead, he approached Dio and the match organizer to make a deal.
If JoJo lost, he and Dio would step into the ring for a match.
Dio didn't turn down the offer, especially since the score from their previous encounter remained unsettled!
Watching Yang Yun turn and walk away, Dio narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on him.
Over the past few days, he had found ways to target JoJo, but he remained utterly stumped when it came to Yang Yun.
The other's competence and caution far exceeded his expectations.
He simply never gave him an opening to strike during their daily lives!
As Jonathan and Dio stepped into the ring, events unfolded just as they did in the original story.
Though Jonathan fought with everything he had, he was ultimately outmatched by Dio's unorthodox, street-brawling fighting style.
Even one of his eyes was gouged and scratched, blood slowly trickling down the corner of his socket.
"Brother Yun, am I really that weak?"
Faced with Yang Yun stepping forward to support him, Jonathan clutched his injury and managed a bitter smile.
"No! Your strength isn't inferior to his; he simply used techniques you disdain to stoop to!"
"Get some rest now! Watch how I avenge you!"
Yang Yun smiled faintly, then stripped off his outer shirt to reveal his muscular frame clad in a white tank top.
A Stand was the physical manifestation of spiritual energy, and the healthier a person's body, the stronger their spiritual energy would naturally be.
Therefore, to forge a powerful Stand, Yang Yun had dedicated himself to physical training since childhood.
Even at just twelve years of age, his raw physical power far surpassed his peers and even rivaled certain full-grown adults!
"Now it's your turn!"
With his fists raised in the ring, Dio looked arrogant and confident as he challenged Yang Yun.
"Then let's put it to the test!"
"I've been quite eager to experience your strength and fighting style, Dio!"
The moment Yang Yun's voice fell, Dio lunged forward like a gust of wind, his body shifting back and forth to leave a trail of multiple afterimages.
Seeing the heavy punch barreling toward him like a steel cannonball at close range, Yang Yun's pupils trembled in sudden disbelief.
What the hell? This speed was almost catching up to the speed he would have after becoming a Vampire!
"Star Platinum!"
Realizing the situation was abnormal, Yang Yun dropped any notions of holding back and let out a thunderous roar from the depths of his soul.
In an instant, a towering humanoid figure materialized and solidified directly behind Yang Yun.
Though invisible to ordinary people, in Yang Yun's eyes, it was a general clad in full armor!
Not only did it look towering and mighty, but every piece of its armor was embedded with flowing, brilliant particles of light akin to a river of stars.
Across its fists and forearms were stellar tattoos of dragons and tigers, exuding an absolute sense of divinity and Strength!
This was the first time Yang Yun had summoned his Stand at its full power, and the first time he beheld its true form.
"Whoosh!"
The moment Star Platinum manifested, it unleashed a punch under Yang Yun's conscious control.
Knowing he couldn't kill the boy, nor cause a public spectacle too shocking for the world, Yang Yun held back a significant portion of his power.
Yet even with nearly ninety percent of his strength restrained, that single punch sent Dio flying backward through the air.
"Ugh!"
As he flew backward, Dio let out the exact sound of agony that wasn't supposed to exist for another century.
Yang Yun had no intention of letting him off the hook there, however. As the owner of the world's only 6A-class Stand,
though Star Platinum could not stop time, it could briefly merge with the user, granting the Stand User a portion of its power.
Though faint, it was more than enough for Yang Yun.
With a sudden forward dash, Yang Yun reached out and grabbed Dio by the collar, his other hand raining down a flurry of wild punches!
Faced with the storm of blows descending upon him like raindrops, Dio tried to raise his hands in defense.
Yet a single punch left his nose bleeding and his face battered and bruised, robbing him of the strength to even lift a finger.
"Want to fight back? Useless, useless, useless, useless..."
Everything happened so abruptly that everyone at the scene stood frozen in a daze, staring blankly as Yang Yun relentlessly beat Dio.
It wasn't until Dio was beaten to the point of complete and utter incapacitation that Yang Yun finally tossed him to the ground like a dead dog.
And Dio, collapsed on the dirt after gasping for breath, twisted his features and burst into loud, bitter tears right then and there.