The Japanese-style room in the Prime Minister's Official Residence was filled with the faint, smoky scent of agarwood. Kishibe Rohan sat cross-legged on the main cushion, his fingertips toying with a celadon teacup, a theatrical smirk playing on his lips.
The Prime Minister knelt on the side cushion, his back ramrod straight, a forced smile on his face. Several 'masters' in bizarre attire stood silently in the corners like human screens, the air so thick it felt like oil could be wrung from it.
The reason for this oppressive atmosphere was the American special envoy seated at the center. He sat casually in the main seat, not drinking tea, but rather a large bottle of ice-cold cola, a wide smile on his face as he awaited the conversation.
When Kira Yoshikage stepped in, he brought with him the coolness of an early autumn morning breeze. The American military commander behind him bowed to those in the room before turning to leave.
'I just hope he can put in a good word for me.'
But he couldn't have known that Kira Yoshikage hadn't even remembered his name, or rather, hadn't cared about it at all.
He wore the cheap suit that belonged to Kosaku Kawajiri, his expression as placid as a stone dropped into a deep pool. His gaze swept the room, pausing for half a second on the Prime Minister's stiff face, before finally resting on Rohan and a tall American man standing to one side.
He could tell that, although the Prime Minister was the true controller of this country, at this moment he was merely a peripheral figure; the real core consisted of these two individuals.
The Prime Minister even occasionally looked up at the American, observing his expression.
"Sit," Kishibe Rohan said, lifting his chin slightly and gesturing towards the empty cushion opposite the Prime Minister, his tone like that of someone addressing a late actor.
"You've arrived just in time; the tea is perfectly warm."
Kira Yoshikage sat as instructed, his movements rigid and precise, the edge of the cushion perfectly aligned with the tatami mat's seam. He didn't touch the tea, but instead placed his hands on his knees, his fingernails perfectly trimmed and rounded.
Then, with a standard, elegant posture, he picked up the teacup and took a gentle sip.
His precise and delicate movements made the eyes of the Mountain God's Messenger nearby flash with a glimmer of light. He couldn't help but nod in approval of such perfectly rigid etiquette.
"Mr. Kosaku Kawajiri," Kishibe Rohan said, setting down his teacup with a crisp clink of porcelain against the small rosewood table, "or perhaps... Mr. Kira Yoshikage?"
He observed Kira Yoshikage's expression with keen interest, as if appraising a newly acquired treasure. "No matter the name, it cannot conceal the... brilliance of your ability."
Kira Yoshikage remained silent, like a lifeless statue. At this moment, he felt as if he were lying in cold rainwater, the surrounding air seemingly solidified, directly choking him. The air rubbed against his lungs like sand, and he was struggling to breathe.
The malice of fate clung to him like a persistent disease; every breath he took carried the scent of rust. But amidst the difficulty, he was also very curious about what the other party had to say.
"Let's get straight to the point." Kishibe Rohan leaned forward slightly, an artist's fervor dancing in his eyes, mixed with a newly acquired, chilling coldness of power.
"The tranquility you seek is too narrow, like arranging a few grains of sand in a fishbowl and feeling smug about it." He tapped his fingertip on the smooth lacquered surface of the small table, a strange smile on his face. "True 'tranquility' is to control the rules, to transcend them.
Power can resolve everything. For example, you and I are enemies; you killed my relatives and almost killed me. But if you are willing to cooperate and work for America, to execute the upcoming great plan, I will not only let bygones be bygones but also speak highly of you to Commissioner Smith for a promising future."
"Is that all you have to say? Be his dog?"
Kira Yoshikage laughed as he listened to the other's words, raising a hand to point at the tall white man beside him. A trace of blood seeped from his mouth, but his mocking tone did not diminish in the slightest.
"It seems you should know that I was the one who almost killed you and did kill your neighbor's family, and I looked for you for a long time. Do you think I would believe the words of an enemy like you?"
The white man, however, heard this without a care, simply laughing heartily like him, completely unfazed by his sarcasm. Instead, he found the scene quite amusing, patting his stomach as he roared with laughter, leaving the Prime Minister somewhat at a loss.
The Prime Minister finally looked up, his eyes filled with bewilderment and shock, but his throat still produced a dry, hoarse sound as he offered a dry piece of advice.
"Mr. Kira... the future Mr. Rohan describes... is... the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere... no, it's a global new order! Your power is... is a valuable strategic asset!
The American side... has already expressed the highest level of... sincerity..."
But as he spoke, he couldn't continue, because he wouldn't believe it either if he were in Kira's shoes... "Strategic asset?" Kira Yoshikage finally spoke, his voice as flat as a taut steel wire, devoid of emotion.
"More than that, I'm quite curious, Kishibe Rohan, what exactly have you done? To make America value you so much, and why is your Prime Minister so obsequious?
Although our Japan is merely a dog of America, on the surface, you are still a national leader, aren't you? If you're going to bow, you should bow to the American President."
Kira Yoshikage took a light sip of tea, and the air around him began to soften. His gaze towards Kishibe Rohan and the Prime Minister was filled with confusion and incomprehension.
And the American, seeing his reaction, revealed a terrifying effect: his entire face split open directly.
Indeed, it split open; his entire head was almost divided into two halves, revealing a large number of internal mechanical structures. At the same time, the muscles on his body twisted and twitched, scattering like small snakes, revealing large sections of metal.
The American finally began to speak, in pure Japanese, but his voice was not human-like; instead, it sounded like a machine.
"Mr. Kishibe Rohan will tell you the answer to the first question, but I will explain the second question to you."
He raised his hand and moved it slightly. The skin and muscles on his hand dispersed like a small sapling, revealing four gun barrels beneath. His four fingers were, in fact, four guns. "Watch closely!"
He casually pointed at the wall next to him, "Bang!"
Four bullets directly penetrated the wall. Then, with a flick of his wrist, his entire hand flipped open like a clamshell, revealing a large black hole hidden within his wrist, from which a flame erupted, utterly shocking Kira Yoshikage.
'What the hell is this? A cyborg? Where did this come from? Is this still the JoJo world?'
But the American didn't stop his performance because of Kira Yoshikage's shock; instead, he became even more enthusiastic, laughing even harder. The muscles on his hand twisted and organized themselves, directly transforming into the Prime Minister's face.
Then, the muscles on the side of his abdomen receded to both sides, revealing a huge cavity, from which a Gatling gun grew out. He then tossed the face-shaped clump of muscle from his hand into the air.
The Gatling gun began to spin, and instantly countless bullets poured out, completely shredding the clump of flesh.
"See that! This is the technology of our great America! Our American technology is the best in the world!"
"With the power of our technology, although we cannot see your so-called Stands, dealing with these guys is very easy. If I want to, I can easily have one person directly replace another, and no one else will even notice.
How about it? Interested in becoming the current Prime Minister of Japan?"
The American pointed at the Prime Minister, who was now covered in cold sweat, like a pig or sheep waiting to be slaughtered. The priests and monks nearby silently closed their eyes, pretending not to see.
They merely served the government's power, seeking benefits for the forces behind them. As for who held that power, it was unimportant to them.
"Forget it. The life of such a political figure is clearly not tranquil, and it's not what I want."
After another sip of tea, Kira Yoshikage became utterly calm. The unknown is what frightens people most, and now, the other party's technology was no longer unknown.
Isn't this just the technology of the German army from World War II? It seemed they had improved it, added flesh manipulation functions, and modified a few more components, but essentially it was still the same. It no longer had the power to frighten him.
The American, seeing his reaction, also fell silent. He stopped speaking, but his red-glowing eyes stared intently at Kira Yoshikage. Finally, he suddenly laughed with a sense of relief, "Interesting. Then let Mr. Kishibe tell you."
He calmly sat back down, the mechanical structures on his body once again covered by flesh. The clump of almost shattered meat also struggled and crawled back, covering his body.
Then he waved his hand, and several people came over carrying a large platter of fresh red meat. He placed his hand on the meat and began to eat.
The flesh was directly absorbed by his hand; it seemed his hand could 'eat' like a mouth.
At this, Kira Yoshikage's eye couldn't help but twitch. 'Why does this feel somewhat familiar? Is this guy a Pillar Man?! Or a vampire?!'
For a moment, Kira Yoshikage was incredibly glad he had come today; otherwise, leaving this guy alone would likely be a disaster. Good thing, good thing.
Kishibe Rohan ignored his shock, casually grabbed a piece of meat from the American, and began to speak while licking the meat.
His action of licking the meat reminded Kira Yoshikage of his action of licking a spider in the anime. "You must be very curious, aren't you, why I went from being a prisoner to my current position in just a few days."
At the same time, his tongue continued to lick the meat, saliva coating the piece, which looked quite disgusting. But his ability to lick things and speak without affecting his voice was truly impressive.
His gaze calmly met Kira Yoshikage's, the murderer who had almost sent him to prison. "Because I used my ability to control many people. Although I couldn't control these ministers and the Prime Minister—their families all hired capable individuals.
However, several ministers hoped I could help them modify certain people's perceptions, to help them love Japan more and achieve ideological and cultural unity, so I was released.
The Prime Minister, too, hoped I could help make the populace trust him more, to keep him in this position, so I gained power. Morioh, as it is now, is the Prime Minister's reward to me."
As he spoke, he glanced at the Prime Minister, who offered a dry, forced smile.
"In a sense, it's now my private property. If you're willing to join us, you can also have a Town just like it.
You can't imagine how powerful my ability is, how popular it is. Now, others are already cooperating with me, because if I want to, with the help of Master Jakushin, I can directly control all of Japan."
As he spoke, he pointed at a monk nearby. The monk, seeing this, put his palms together and chanted a Buddhist prayer. Kira Yoshikage looked over; it was an old monk with white eyebrows and beard, appearing incredibly compassionate.
"All sentient beings suffer, and the mortal realm is this boundless sea of suffering. There must be a sage to guide them, and Mr. Kishibe is that sage. I must naturally assist him."
Kishibe Rohan paid no attention to the flattery, but continued his introduction. "Master Jakushin is a great master of Buddhism. In your terms, he is a Stand User who awakened his Stand through his own efforts. His ability is to accelerate time, speeding up a person's physical body through mental acceleration.
And it doesn't consume a person's lifespan!
Coupled with my ability to correct others' thoughts through writing, hahahahahahaha!"
As he spoke, Kishibe Rohan broke into a manic laugh, throwing his head back and howling, his hair wildly fluttering as if electrified. But then he suddenly lowered his face.
"So now, the esteemed President of the United States wants Master Jakushin and me to work together to write millions of books, to help them complete the ideological correction of certain regions.
To spread the ideas of freedom and democracy, to help them break free from past ignorant ideologies, to overthrow old dictatorial regimes. In return, the President will promote my manga as propaganda, spreading it throughout the entire world! So that everyone, even those in the most remote corners, can see my manga! To make me the greatest mangaka in the history of this world!"
Watching his gradually twisted smile and hearing the American's mechanical applause, Kira Yoshikage understood. He understood everything.
Isn't this just an attempt at a color revolution? And then using the identity of the greatest mangaka to string along Kishibe Rohan for help.
However, Time Acceleration combined with Heaven's Door is truly a perfect match, and it doesn't consume lifespan. This is practically a divine tool for instigating color revolutions, no wonder those Americans value him so much.
If it's truly successful, it might indeed overthrow half the world in one fell swoop. With tens of millions of books or newspapers, they could control a vast number of people in minutes.
After all, even without this treasure, they managed to succeed in many regions. With this thing, it would be even smoother sailing.
"Sounds interesting. So what do I need to do?"
Hearing this, Kishibe Rohan and the American both laughed. "Excellent, Mr. Kira, you are indeed a clever man."
"What you need to do is very simple: use your ability to silently blow up the Capitol Building and the Twin Towers."
"Huh?"