Chapter 252. Where is Cujoh Jolyne? Cujoh Jolyne is Working Overtime
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Despite the fact that Sora and Shiro only realized Pucci's disguise before this point—merely through a simple rearrangement of sequences via cinematic language—and despite DIO's perfectly natural performance that made it seem like he truly killed Jotaro, they were misled.
Just like DIO, who believed Jotaro had indeed been killed, there was a strange sense of "affectionate camaraderie" toward Pucci.
However, this "camaraderie" only extended toward Pucci. Or perhaps it was simply frustration fueled by a competitive spirit, a desire to regain their footing.
When it came to Jotaro and the ending of "Stardust Crusaders", when Shiro shouted a certain iconic line and decided to rank it among the top ten lines they most wanted to deliver someday—just waiting for the next chance to utter it directly to Pucci, the true mastermind, it was already clear what was happening:
Anger!
Resentment!
Fear!
...All of these emotions, along with DIO's increasingly overwhelming presence after draining Joseph's blood, together with his changed attire and hairstyle, became deeply etched into the hearts of all "Stardust Crusaders" viewers.
No one could truly know—
What was Jotaro's mental state when he saw DIO personally present Joseph before him and drain him dry?
And what about the audience witnessing this scene?
No one knew.
When [The World]'s five seconds of stopped time passed, and DIO nonchalantly uttered, "Six seconds have passed," while moving freely in the frozen world, even crazily drilling into his forehead with his finger as if it were a drill—how did the audience feel at that moment?
Again, no one knew.
When DIO brought down the steamroller, crushing Jotaro into a bloody pulp, and declared with maniacal laughter his intent to dominate humanity—alongside [The World]'s seemingly endless time-stop growth—what emotions could the audience possibly have felt?
...Within this brief span of less than half an hour, almost every viewer witnessing these events found their brains overwhelmed, leaving nothing but blank spaces.
Even Pucci likely didn't anticipate such a reaction.
As mentioned before—
Although in his previous life Pucci had already watched "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", he started late.
Or perhaps it was sheer curiosity about JoJo memes that drew him in.
When watching "Stardust Crusaders", Pucci already knew from later parts of "JoJo" that Jotaro wouldn't die at DIO's hands.
As a result, while watching the final showdown, Pucci's mindset was akin to watching memes...
Yes, it sounds absurd.
But how could anyone resist when DIO had so many iconic moments?
"ZA WARUDO!"
"This is the greatest high!"
The sheer impact of Takehito Koyasu's voice acting was unforgettable.
In such a context, it wasn't despair but hilarity that filled Pucci.
Every time the show reached a supposed moment of despair, Pucci would burst into laughter, barely managing to finish the episode because the story was genuinely engaging.
For this reason, Pucci didn't find anything problematic about the episode.
If anything, it solidified DIO as the ultimate actor.
His expressions alone could rival any meme-worthy moment delivered by Koyasu.
Pucci completely overlooked how those without spoilers—watching "Phantom Blood" through "Stardust Crusaders"—would never assume protagonists were immune to death.
From the moment DIO appeared, everyone who entered his mansion in Egypt met their demise.
One after another—be they beloved characters, past protagonists, or mere bystanders—
none escaped DIO's murderous grasp.
The carnage unfolded before the audience's eyes, reminding them that murder was a crime—
thanks to the golden spirit awakened by "Stardust Crusaders" and other "JoJo" stories.
So, when Jotaro made a full comeback, stopped time, and froze DIO like an insect in amber, how could the audience not erupt with excitement?
It was like a man holding his breath underwater for a minute, just as he's about to resurface for air—[grab!] someone drags him back down!
If the audience were the man holding his breath, they now felt like the one dragging him back under.
An unprecedented thrill.
They were utterly euphoric!
"I think I finally understand DIO a little," Narancia shouted excitedly, mimicking DIO's gesture of drilling into his forehead with a finger, though less forcefully.
"This feels so good! This is the greatest high!"
"That's right, Narancia! This is the first time I feel you're a genius!"
Even Mista and Fugo—somehow watching this episode together—joined in the antics, echoing, "This is the greatest high!"
As "Stardust Crusaders" progressed further, and DIO was ultimately defeated by Jotaro, the collective ecstasy only grew.
It was the dawn of a new generation of "JoJo" fans.
So much so that, even as DIO was mercilessly defeated, his death scene on-screen was accompanied by a barrage of identical bullet comments: "This is the greatest high!"
As for Cujoh Jolyne during this time?
Of course, she had long logged off.
Still, she was joyously grinding away at her overtime shift with great hope~~!
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