Chapter 12: DIO: I'm Reporting Someone for Using Cheats
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly the moment Shirou Emiya spoke those words.
For Jotaro Kujo and the others, who were obsessed with finding DIO's location to defeat him as quickly as possible and save Holy Kujo, they were currently hypersensitive to any information related to DIO.
"Emiya, you'd better not be joking," Joseph said gravely, stopping his movements. "This isn't like deciding where we should go for dinner."
"I am certainly not joking, Mr. Joestar," Shirou replied.
As he spoke, he pointed toward the photographs in Jotaro's hands.
"Prophecies aren't always 100% accurate. I cannot guarantee that the contents I once foresaw will continue to play out without the slightest modification. However, regarding the method by which you all found DIO's location in that prophecy—I can inform you of that ahead of time."
"..."
Joseph looked at the photos in Jotaro's hand, then turned back to look at Shirou, who was pointing at them. As the person who had spirit-photographed these images, Joseph was certain he wasn't so old and senile as to miss a glaring clue.
But the way Shirou phrased it...
After a brief pause, Joseph guessed: "Me?"
"Yes, you," Shirou nodded.
"Is it that I'll suddenly be able to spirit-photograph a picture of DIO's location at some point?" Joseph asked, somewhat uncertainly, following that logic.
If that were the case, he'd have to have the SPW Foundation contact Japanese camera manufacturers immediately. He'd need to buy up their entire stock—and maybe their production lines—just to ensure he had enough cameras to smash.
"No, actually, I don't know which specific photo it will be," Shirou shook his head. "But just because I don't know doesn't mean Jotaro won't. With [Star Platinum's] eyesight and precision, it can discover things in these photos that we can't see, like small animals.
For instance, the Nile fly—a specialty found only in a specific region."
No complex problem-solving was required; Shirou simply gave away the answer. This was the luxury of having seen the plot in advance.
Jotaro reacted instantly. Through [Star Platinum's] eyes—which were more precise than the most advanced computer analysis equipment currently available—he began scanning the anomalies in the dark areas of the photos.
As Jotaro took a notepad and pencil from a drawer to sketch an enlarged version of the anomaly based on that information, Shirou continued to guide them: "Just in case, Avdol—since you are more familiar with Egypt—could you find an illustrated guide of flies to compare and confirm?"
By the time Joseph and the others fully processed what was happening, they naturally had no objections to Shirou's suggestions.
"No problem," Avdol said. "Jotaro, can you take me to the library here?"
Joseph marveled at the sheer absurdity of [Star Platinum]. Though he had seen its speed and power in the detention cell, seeing Jotaro scan and sketch a fly that was practically blended into the shadows of a pitch-black photo made Joseph feel that [Star Platinum] deserved the title of "Spirit Photography" more than his own [Hermit Purple].
"And then there's you, Mr. Joestar." Shirou turned to Joseph.
"May I ask: is the reason you can't accurately spirit-photograph DIO's location because DIO is interfering with you? Or is it that [Hermit Purple's] precision is insufficient to capture the exact location?"
Logically, this should be an issue with [Hermit Purple's] D-rank Precision. By the timeline of Part 4, where the story should have been Joseph's home turf, Jotaro's expectations of Joseph were limited to [Hermit Purple's] ability to dive into electrical wires to track [Red Hot Chili Pepper], rather than directly photographing the user. When it came to finding Yoshikage Kira, it was a total dead end.
But that was the senile Joseph of the Part 4 timeline. The Joseph of Part 3 could not only photograph pictures, but he could also project thoughts onto a TV, read minds, and use sand to create a Marauder's Map-style tracking map.
Furthermore, when Joseph spirit-photographed DIO, DIO could indeed feel it and use a similar type of Stand ability to interfere. This was why Shirou wasn't quite sure which category Joseph's current situation fell into.
"DIO can interfere with my [Hermit Purple]?!" Joseph asked, sweating profusely.
He had only said it in passing earlier. Could it be that [Star Platinum] really possessed spirit-photography powers? Joseph recalled Shirou saying that [Star Platinum] and [The World] were the "same type" of Stand.
"Yes. Because DIO's current body belongs to your ancestor, Mr. Joestar, DIO actually possesses two Stands right now. One is DIO's own Stand, and the other belongs to your ancestor."
Shirou continued, "As it happens, your ancestor's Stand is the same type as your [Hermit Purple]."
Shirou said this very casually, but to Joseph, it was a massive revelation.
'Two Stands? DIO has two Stands?!'
What kind of special treatment was this? Everyone pays two dollars for the bus, but this guy gets an extra seat for half price? Even if the second Stand was just [Hermit Purple]... No, it was terrible because the second Stand was [Hermit Purple]!
It wasn't just that DIO could interfere with their photography or photograph their location in return. Joseph had already discovered that [Hermit Purple] could conduct the Ripple. In other words, just as the vampire Straits used a Ripple-conducting scarf to ground Ripple attacks like a lightning rod, DIO—possessing a Stand similar to [Hermit Purple]—would likewise gain immunity to the Ripple!
"Of course, this is a special case occurring because DIO's head hasn't yet fully fused with your ancestor's body," Shirou added. "Once DIO completely merges with the body, he will only be left with [The World], his own Stand."
'Good, good. The Ripple's effectiveness against vampires remains.'
Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to fight an blood-sucking monster that wasn't afraid of the Ripple a second time.
"So, Mr. Joestar, if [Hermit Purple's] precision increases when DIO isn't interfering, could we do this?"
Shirou pointed to the sketch in Avdol's hand as the man was about to walk away. "Instead of photographing DIO's location, photograph the location of this fly to indirectly lock onto DIO."