"…………"
Nianzi stood by the bed, staring wide-eyed at the mutilated corpse before her. It took every ounce of effort to recognize it as the ship’s captain.
For some reason, the captain had died in her room. His body was covered in countless lacerations from sharp weapons, and the entire room looked like a scene from a horror movie—even the floor bore a ritualistic blood circle.
The murder weapon seemed to be the small knife clutched tightly in her hand. She herself was drenched in blood, her arms aching.
What the hell happened?!
Nianzi couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She desperately tried to recall the events of the previous night, but her head throbbed with pain. All she remembered was feeling unusually drowsy after dinner, collapsing into bed without even reviewing her studies, and then waking up to find herself standing beside the corpse. The killer had to be her.
No point asking who did it—the evidence was right here.
A terrifying thought crossed her mind: Had she finally lost control of the darkness inside her, committing these atrocities in her sleep? But that didn’t make sense… Why would the captain be in her room in the middle of the night? There was no way she could have dragged him here from his quarters. And how had no one noticed? There should have been a commotion—what were the others doing?
If she were going to murder someone, the people closest to her would have been the first targets. But there was no time to dwell on that now. She had to figure out how to deal with this mess.
Anyone who saw this grotesque scene would immediately label her a dangerous lunatic, likely leading to an all-out fight with her companions. Cleaning up the scene? Not feasible. They weren’t idiots—they’d notice the captain’s disappearance soon enough, and the bloodstained room couldn’t be scrubbed clean in time. Not to mention, she was covered in blood herself…
And the most infuriating part? She hadn’t gained a single experience point from this! Did unconscious actions not count as her own kills? Even though she was innocent…
As her mind raced for a solution, someone opened her door.
"Everyone lost consciousness last night. The enemy must have drugged our food. Are you—?!"
It was Kujo Jotaro. He had been calmly explaining the situation when he froze, his usual poker face cracking for the first time in shock.
"What happened?"
[System Prompt: Kujo Jotaro has witnessed your crime. How will you explain this?]
A: Admit it was you.
B: Claim you don’t know—you woke up like this.
C: Blame one of DIO’s subordinates, convincing him the enemy framed you. (Requires a Deception Check.)
C! Definitely C!
Nianzi didn’t hesitate, but before she could speak, the dice roll failed—forcing her into Option A.
"I… I think it was me," she stammered, her pupils trembling uncontrollably.
So failing the check locks you into the worst possible answer?!
"I can see that," Jotaro replied sternly. "But why?"
"I don’t remember. I woke up like this."
Nianzi was surprised Jotaro could remain so composed in the face of such carnage. Meanwhile, the others, drawn by the commotion, approached.
"Is Nianzi alright? Anyone hurt?"
Joseph Joestar, Avdol, and Kakyoin Noriaki crowded around, only to freeze in horror at the sight. Joseph nearly shrieked, "OH… OH MY GOD!!! What the hell happened?!"
Avdol gagged, but Nianzi had no explanation—she was just as clueless.
Then, another voice came from the hallway.
"Is the young lady unharmed?! That captain was one of DIO’s men! He killed the real captain and took his place before the voyage. Our original plan was to infiltrate as passengers, but the young lady attacked us before boarding. The fake captain’s identity remained hidden, so he poisoned the food last night! I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you sooner—I was unconscious…"
It was the Frenchman who’d been implanted with DIO’s flesh bud. Now freed from the parasite, he seemed lucid and genuinely concerned. But when he entered the room, he too was stunned. After a long pause, he muttered, "Well… looks like the enemy’s been dealt with."
…Oh. So that’s what happened.
Nianzi finally understood. She hadn’t dragged the captain into her room—the fake captain, one of DIO’s lackeys, had sneaked in to kill her. But the darkness inside her awakened, and in her unconscious state, she’d fought back with brutal efficiency.
This only deepened her curiosity: Just what kind of person was she when that side took over?
"Honestly, I don’t remember," Nianzi said after a moment. "I was unconscious all night. Maybe I fought back in my sleep when he attacked me."
"That makes sense… Sleepwalkers can’t control their actions. It must’ve been a vicious struggle. We all knew we might have to take lives in this fight against DIO. At least you’re unharmed."
Though disturbed by the brutality, Joseph and the others accepted it. After all, DIO’s followers were ruthless criminals—those not under the flesh bud’s control were especially depraved. If they didn’t kill, they’d be killed. And given that the fake captain had targeted a young woman first, his intentions were obvious. He’d gotten what he deserved.
"That bastard had it coming!" the Frenchman suddenly burst out, glaring at Nianzi with righteous fury.
"…But what do we do with the body now?"
The group fell silent, staring at the corpse.
…
Nianzi used her spectral hands to toss the body overboard. Sharks immediately swarmed, dragging the fake captain into the depths.
While Joseph and Jotaro investigated the remaining crew, Avdol and Kakyoin reluctantly grabbed mops to clean the blood-soaked room. Meanwhile, Nianzi learned more about the Frenchman.
His name was Polnareff. His younger sister had been brutally assaulted and murdered by a Stand user with two right hands. While hunting the man for revenge, he’d encountered DIO, who implanted a flesh bud and sent him to assassinate the Joestar group.
Polnareff thanked Kujo Jotaro for helping him remove the flesh bud and freeing him from DIO's control. Since DIO was scouring the world for evil Stand users to serve him, Polnareff thought there might be clues about the man who killed his sister. So, he decided to join their group on their journey to Egypt.
"Last night, we all fell into a deep sleep. If Nianzi hadn't sleepwalked and reacted in time, everyone would have been in danger… I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened. Thankfully, you killed him."
System Notification:
Polnareff expressed agreement.
So, he might have been thinking about his sister just now, which led to his empathy. If he ever found his sister’s killer, he’d make sure to tear them apart!
It seemed they had managed to slip past this crisis, but from now on, they’d have to be extra careful…
Nianzi let out a quiet sigh of relief. Soon, everyone fell into silence, and after dealing with the aftermath in that room, no one brought it up again.
Joseph Joestar and Kujo Jotaro questioned every sailor on board but found no suspicious individuals yet. However, they still had three days before reaching shore, so they couldn’t let their guard down. They decided to reassign the rooms.
"This proves that being alone is dangerous. There are six of us now, so pairing up in twos will help us watch each other’s backs. Let’s decide who’s rooming with whom."
After explaining their current situation, Joseph Joestar earnestly proposed his idea.
"That makes sense. It’ll help prevent enemy ambushes."
Polnareff, who seemed naturally outgoing, quickly relaxed and became more casual. He waved a hand and said, "I’m fine with anyone! I don’t hog the bathroom or have any bad habits. You guys decide first!"
"Right."
Joseph acknowledged, then turned to Nianzi. "Ladies first. Nianzi, you pick your roommate. Even though you’re a girl, everyone here is trustworthy. We’ll give you privacy when needed, but given the circumstances, it’s best to stick together."
They assumed Nianzi would choose someone closer to her age—either Kujo Jotaro or Kakyoin Noriaki. After all, everyone was used to Jotaro’s popularity. Just standing on the street, he’d have girls screaming for him left and right. So, this outcome would’ve been expected.
Joseph subtly glanced at Kujo Jotaro, as if hinting at something. Jotaro’s expression remained unreadable, but he didn’t object or ask not to be chosen.
Choose your roommate:
A: Joseph Joestar
B: Muhammad Avdol
C: Kujo Jotaro
D: Kakyoin Noriaki
E: Jean-Pierre Polnareff
F: Insist on staying alone.
This was clearly a prime opportunity to develop relationships—why even hesitate?
Nianzi almost immediately raised her hand and declared, "I’ll room with you."
"?!"
Her words made Joseph, who was drinking tea, spit it out in shock. The old man coughed violently, barely recovering before asking in disbelief, "...Why me? Wait, it’s not appropriate for an old man like me to share a room with a young lady like you!"
