Once aboard the steamship, the group looked around and began choosing their cabins.
After settling in, everyone gathered on the deck to enjoy the magnificent scenery. As the ship sailed forward, the waters remained calm and peaceful all the way, making the previous ordeal seem like nothing more than a random accident!
Only Jodio Joestar knew that the old man sent by Dio Brando on the plane was merely an appetizer compared to the many Stand User assassins yet to come!
The truly formidable opponents were still waiting further down the road!
Because of this, Jodio Joestar never let down his guard.
It was just that after searching the ship earlier, he hadn't managed to find the orangutan from the original story. With no other choice, he could only enjoy the beautiful scenery while waiting for the ship to dock.
Soon, as time slipped by, night fell once again.
It was time for dinner, and the six members of Jodio Joestar's group sat together around a dining table on the deck. Three waiters placed the food trays before them!
Devouring the meal like a whirlwind, they quickly finished dinner.
Yet just as everyone was full and satisfied, the waiters on the ship did not leave!
Seeing this, the others felt puzzled, and Mohammed Avdol spoke up directly: "What are you still standing around here for? Are you looking for a tip?"
Hearing this, Joseph Joestar snapped back to reality. He hurriedly pulled out his wallet from his pocket, took out a large stack of cash, and placed it on the table. Then he motioned for the waiters to take it as their tip.
The waiters looked at the stack of cash on the table, exchanged glances, and a strange gleam flashed in their eyes.
One of the waiters then made a seemingly casual move to pick up the stack of money.
However, Jodio Joestar, possessing Observation Haki, sensed that something was wrong. Just as he was about to warn the others to be careful, that waiter suddenly pulled a handgun from his clothes and opened fire on the group in rapid succession!
Several bullets gleaming with a purple light shot toward them with lightning speed!
"Watch out, everyone! These aren't normal bullets!"
By the time the others realized something was wrong and tried to dodge, it was already too late!
Fortunately, Jodio Joestar had never lowered his guard. He immediately summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra and used a laser to construct a massive wall of light that blocked the incoming bullets. As the bullets struck the barrier, the light instantly turned into flames and incinerated every last one of them.
The waiter holding the gun watched Jodio Joestar's move, a sneer curling on his lips: "Not bad! You've got fast reflexes! But it doesn't matter. Even though my gun didn't hit you, unfortunately, you've already fallen into our trap! Steel Dan, make your move!"
At the waiter's loud shout, the group glanced at the food they had just eaten as if suddenly realizing the truth, their faces turning pale with horror!
Then, clutching their heads, they collapsed to their knees on the ground, overcome with agonizing pain.
At that moment, one of the three waiters standing nearby casually tossed his hat aside and walked over with a mocking sneer! He grabbed the money from the table, counted it, and stuffed it into his pocket. The remaining two waiters watched him with a flicker of dissatisfaction on their faces, which vanished back to normal in an instant.
After collecting the money, the waiter known as Steel Dan wasted no time. He stepped directly onto Joseph Joestar's face and sneered: "I thought you guys must be some big shots since you managed to take down Gray Fly. I never expected you to be such pathetic trash! You completely wasted Lord Dio's caution by sending the six of us to deal with you. If I'd known it would be this easy, I could have taken care of all of you by myself. But you're a real stingy old man—you had all that cash in your wallet, and you only handed over a measly bit like that? What are you doing, brushing off a beggar?"
With that, Steel Dan bent down, ripped the wallet right out of Joseph Joestar's pocket, and then savagely stomped a few more times on Joseph Joestar's face.
His actions infuriated the others, who glared at him with burning eyes, wishing they could tear him to pieces. Yet the moment they tried to summon their Stands to fight back, excruciating pain flared through their heads.
After checking the wallet, Steel Dan kept his foot planted on Joseph Joestar's head, spat a thick glob of phlegm onto Jotaro Kujo's face, and said with utter contempt: "Don't bother wasting your energy. My Stand, Lovers, already parasitized your brains while you were eating earlier. If any of you dare to make a single reckless move, I can make your lives worse than death in an instant. Of course, don't even think about launching a sneak attack on me either—my Stand has a special ability: not only does it double the damage you inflict on me and feed it back to the people I'm controlling, but I can also implant Lord Dio's flesh buds deep inside different people's brains. In other words, whenever I feel like it, I can send you all straight to hell."
As if to prove his point, Steel Dan activated his Stand's ability. Kakyoin, who was kneeling nearby, instantly collapsed to the ground in agony, letting out a piercing shriek!
Seeing this, the group felt overwhelming fury, every pair of eyes fixed on Steel Dan filled with murderous intent.
Provoked by these stares, Steel Dan lifted his foot off Joseph Joestar's head, strode over, and delivered vicious kicks to the faces of everyone else. Finally, whether out of some natural incompatibility or not, Steel Dan singled out Jotaro Kujo, whose eyes blazed with unyielding defiance, and subjected him to a brutal beating!
Unable to stomach the humiliation, Jotaro Kujo instantly summoned Star Platinum, wanting to unleash a flurry of Ora-Ora punches on Steel Dan.
To everyone's shock, however, Star Platinum's attacks didn't inflict a single ounce of damage on Steel Dan. Instead, every single blow landed right on the bodies of his companions standing nearby!
Seeing this, Steel Dan grew even more vicious, his attacks escalating as he cursed continuously: "You brat've got some nerve, huh? What kind of look is that? Were you trying to get payback just now? Too bad your little plan fell through! I already told you, whenever you attack me, the damage just gets synchronized and multiplied onto the others. But since you don't know how to learn your lesson, I'll just have to teach you a proper method, master style! You suicidal fools actually dare to challenge Lord Dio? You're simply asking to die! Since you've landed in my hands today, I'm going to give you a proper welcome!"
With that, Steel Dan manipulated the Lovers Stands inside their brains, subjecting them all to a fresh round of torture.
Standing to the side, Hol Horse watched Steel Dan's antics, finding it increasingly hard to watch. He raised his Emperor gun, aiming at the group to put them out of their misery, only for Steel Dan to spin around and slap him across the face, knocking him flat onto the ground.
Glaring down at Hol Horse for daring to act on his own authority, Steel Dan cursed furiously: "Get out of here, you bastard! Don't get in my way! These guys are my prey, and until I give the order to kill them, nobody else touches them. Otherwise, I'll slaughter you, even if you are an ally."
And with that, Steel Dan launched into a merciless barrage of kicks against Hol Horse, making no distinction between friend and foe.