(SPOILERS FOR STONE OCEAN ENDING)

Emporio Alniño clung tightly to the dolphin he was riding on as they glided through the water. How could everything have gone so wrong? A brief triumph had occurred just minutes ago with the arrival of Mr. Joestar, Jolyne’s father, whose Stand could stop time. How could they possibly lose against Father Pucci? Yet, for whatever reason, Mr. Joestar had failed to reach Pucci in time, and Pucci had struck with such immense speed that no one had any time to react. In seconds, amidst a spray of blood and exposed bone, the only people who had ever cared for Emporio these past few months were floating as decaying corpses in the sea. He would have surely been killed, had he not been dragged underwater and lashed to a moving dolphin by Jolyne, who had survived the attack and was now trailing right behind them, hanging on by a string that emanated from her unravelled arm.

Suddenly, there was a noise from far behind them, coming closer. Emporio was afraid to look, but he still glanced back. There was a figure in the distance; a human shape, straining to reach them. And from it came a most terrifying cry:

“JOESTAAARRR!!!”

It was a yell of raw anger, intense hatred not toward any person or thing in particular, but toward an entire bloodline. A family of heroes who had, up until now, relied on their pride and courage to triumph in the face of adversity. And now, there was only one member left fighting, Jolyne Cujoh—and she was Pucci’s next target.

“DID YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD GET AWAY? THAT YOU COULD HOPE TO OUTRUN ME!!?” His eyes were coal black and burning with the unstoppable desire to shred them to pieces where they stood.

Emporio tried to blink away the tears blurring his vision. He had never believed for a second that they were in the clear, but now, seeing the priest homing in on them, the reality of their impending doom hit him. With one last burst of strength, he yelled, “Jolyne! Grab onto the rope!”

But Jolyne wasn’t listening; she looked almost curious to see what he was going to do next. Indeed, it seemed almost as if they were about to lose Pucci. His figure began to get smaller as the distance between them began to increase.

Jolyne began to speak, muttering to herself, almost in a whisper.

“With your Stand’s speed, you could no doubt outrun this dolphin and catch up with us. But do you really have the energy to do that, Father Pucci? How far can you swim before you tire? Five hundred metres, six hundred metres maybe?”

“I WON’T LET YOU GET AWAY! NEVER!!!” Pucci summoned his Stand, which appeared in a blast of psychic energy: Made in Heaven. They gained on the dolphin, galloping with unnatural speed through the water, vibrating as though they were breaking the very barriers of space and time. “I cannot have any trace of you in my new world! You have to be eradicated!!”

Now Jolyne’s arm had unraveled up to her shoulder; the string was lengthening. Emporio tried to pull on it, but failed to reach it. In desperation, he yelled again: “COME ON! THE ROPE’S TOO LONG! PULL IT!”

“Emporio…”

Jolyne turned to him, her expression as stoic as ever. But in those eyes there was a twinkling of pain. “We’ve lived through so much because of the sacrifices of our friends. Because Annasui took the priest’s blow through the heart for me, I didn’t die. Because Hermès attacked the priest, I managed to buy enough time to catch this dolphin with my string to escape. Because my father…” Her voice faltered. “Because my father protected me from those knives, I’m still barely alive right now. Maybe it’s always been this way, ever since the very start. My father told me that my ancestor, Jonathan, sacrificed his life on that ship long ago to make sure his wife and child would live to see another day…”

“JOLYNE! GET ON THE DOLPHIN!”

Jolyne wasn’t looking at him. “The dolphin will take you somewhere safe. I’ve heard that when they carry people on their back, they swim carefully so as not to tip them over…”

“Jolyne, what are you saying? We need you! Come on!”

“I can’t.” The finality of her tone struck him. “He can sense me. No matter where you go, you won’t be safe if I’m there. I can feel his presence, too. It is intertwined with the Joestars…”

“What?” Emporio couldn’t believe it. “You can’t do this...Please…”

“Go on alone, Emporio.” Jolyne’s voice was comforting but firm. “We’re all counting on you… Everyone that we lost along the way: F.F., Weather, Hermès, Annasui, my father—Jotaro Kujo—and everyone else in this world. You have to survive, for us. You’re our only hope; our star, shining brightly in the darkness, reminding us that at the end of this long night, the sun will shine again.”

With that, she severed her string and turned to face down Pucci. Emporio wept, calling her name as he moved further and further away on the dolphin, leaving her behind in the water—until she was out of sight, defiantly yelling:

“COME ON, FATHER PUCCI!”

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