"You can think of me as someone who returned from the future. Because of certain actions I took previously, I was punished—forced to guide events back onto their predetermined track, back into the groove of what you call fate. Bucciarati, do you mind if we talk in private?"
Takatsuki looked directly at Bucciarati.
Bucciarati stared intently at him in return. Beside them, Giorno and Abbacchio clearly harbored deep suspicion toward this intruder, yet Bucciarati reached a firm decision.
"Fine. But first, restore Mista and Narancia to normal."
Takatsuki nodded. "No problem. To show my good faith, I'll explain my Stand ability to you. It's called Heaven Stairway—it can extract a person's Stand ability and memories into Discs. When all Discs are pulled out, the person ends up like this."
Nudging the lifeless Mario Zucchero at his feet, Takatsuki turned back to the three astonished men.
He just disclosed his own Stand ability without hesitation?!
"A power that can pull out someone's Stand... doesn't that mean..."
Takatsuki pointed straight at Giorno: "Precisely. An extracted Stand ability can be granted to an ordinary person who lacks one. Holding multiple Stands imposes a severe mental burden on an ordinary human, but I am different. Heaven Stairway can consume Discs to assimilate them into its own roster of techniques. However, a Stand devoured by Heaven Stairway can never be restored to its original owner."
He sighed lightly. "Unfortunately, due to fate's interference, I've lost the vast majority of my strength. This is all I have left for now."
Right in front of the three, Takatsuki inserted Zucchero's Stand, Soft Machine, directly into the optical drive slot manifested on his own chest.
"This guy's ability is to deflate people or objects into flat, skin-like sheets, which can then be layered over solid objects. His method of concealment was draping a secondary yacht directly over this ship. The transition is going to produce a bit of motion—hold on to something."
As Takatsuki's words fell, the vessel beneath their feet shook violently. Warned in advance, no one panicked as they watched the single yacht peel apart, revealing two identical yachts parked side-by-side, differing only by their registration numbers.
Bucciarati gestured toward Abbacchio and Giorno. The two nodded and leapt onto the secondary yacht, quickly locating the two unconscious squad members within the cabin.
After receiving the clear signal across the hull from the pair, Bucciarati did not immediately have them bring the unconscious duo back. Instead, he turned his focus back onto Takatsuki.
"What is it that you want to say?"
"Bucciarati, I need your help. I came here to fulfill your and Giorno's dream—and to save your lives in the process."
Leaning casually against the railing, Takatsuki looked at Bucciarati. "You might find it hard to believe, but your chance to kill the Boss is coming. After meeting Pericolo, he will assign you a new mission: escorting the Boss's long-lost daughter to meet him. And upon meeting the Boss, your resolve to kill him will become absolute."
"My... resolve to kill the Boss will become absolute?"
Bucciarati found it hard to imagine. While he felt deeply betrayed by the Boss flooding their territory with illicit narcotics—and genuinely supported Giorno's ambition—he had not yet made the conscious choice to commit outright treason against the Boss.
"Indeed. What do you think the Boss plans to do after his daughter is delivered to him?"
"If what you say is true," Bucciarati pondered, "he would likely want to protect her, giving her a new identity to start life fresh."
"Exactly—that is what you currently assume. It is precisely because you still harbor such naive expectations about Diavolo that you will feel utterly betrayed at the climax of that mission, cementing your resolve."
Takatsuki pointed a finger at Bucciarati. "Diavolo's true motive is to murder his daughter with his own hands, wiping out every trace of evidence in this world that could ever expose his identity."
"─────!"
Bucciarati's breath hitched. Raised on deep family bonds—a man who had joined the mafia strictly to protect his own father—Bucciarati could not comprehend it.
To murder his own flesh and blood merely to conceal his identity... Can a creature that does such a thing even be called human?!
If that's truly the case... then I really will betray the Boss. But...
"The Boss's name is Diavolo?"
"Correct. On your original path, your team would have clashed with La Squadra Esecuzioni, who are also hunting Diavolo, and three of your members would have perished during the desperate flight from the Boss's pursuit. Originally, my prior intervention allowed certain people destined to die to survive. Though fate caught me off guard this time, its script is far from airtight. So, what do you say? Will you become my ally? To defeat Diavolo, and to protect your subordinates?"
Looking at the familiar face offering an outstretched hand, Bucciarati paused.
"Before I answer, I want to know... what happened to Fugo?"
Takatsuki chuckled softly. "Rest assured. My soul was simply dragged into this timeframe by fate, temporarily occupying this youth named Fugo. Once I align events with the trajectory fate demands, I will depart. To him, this entire experience will feel like nothing more than a passing dream. In the original timeline, Fugo chooses to step down and leave the group the moment you decide to betray the Boss. That is precisely why fate chose his body for me."
"You keep speaking of fate. Is fate truly impossible to alter?"
Takatsuki stroked his chin. "A familiar question. Plenty of people have asked me that. Philosophically speaking, there are countless answers. But if you're asking about the tangible, absolute fate that governs this world... my answer is yes."
He leaned in slightly. "However, fate is not as absolute as you think. Or rather, it leaves plenty of blank canvas for us to paint over. Do you remember Rolling Stones?"
Catching the subtle shift in Bucciarati's expression, Takatsuki knew he had his answer. "I see you remember. Rolling Stones was never a curse; it merely prophesied the dictates of fate. Back then, you believed you had beaten Rolling Stones and defied fate, but you hadn't. After you left, the stone carved out two more faces: Narancia and Abbacchio. Along with you, Bucciarati, fate carved a single absolute outcome."
"However, fate only locked in a single result: the cessation of vital signs for you three. As for the manner, the method, the process, or the precise timing... none of that was set in stone."
Takatsuki flipped his wrist, producing a Disc and tossing it over to Bucciarati.
"Even without me, that fate was destined to unfold. But... what do you say? Shall we exploit the loopholes in fate together? Want to try defying these cursed destinies and taking your lives back into your own hands?"
Holding the Disc in his palm, Bucciarati stared at it for a moment before looking up firmly. "Though your words sound hard to believe, I've decided to trust you this once. What is our first move?"
"You will be proud of this choice, Bucciarati. Right now, we still need to handle an enemy Stand user lurking on the island who aims to steal Polpo's fortune. He can be taken care of easily. After that, outside the public restroom where you hid the treasure, Pericolo and Trish will meet us disguised as cleaning staff. Once they accept the treasure, you will be officially promoted to Capo and handed the escort mission. As for the finer details... we'll discuss them when the time comes."
"Understood."