A Saiyan's Journey

With a swift kick to the local thug's stomach, he was sent flying, crashing into the wall and slowly sliding down.

"Ugh…"

The thug curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach. He retched the moment he opened his mouth—even though Zuke had held back his strength, it was still too much for an average person to endure.

"How disgusting. Don't let your vomit splatter on me. If any gets on my shoes, you'll be licking the floor clean."

Zuke glanced disdainfully at the thug, whose eyes were nearly popping out of his head, then looked at the other unconscious gang members sprawled around him, shaking his foot a little.

After all, these were just regular people. Zuke had questions to ask, so killing them outright wasn't an option.

Since he'd already killed Elec, Zuke no longer felt any psychological discomfort with killing. However, he also knew he had to learn to control his strength.

These thugs were the perfect test to figure out what level of force could bring intense pain to a normal person without killing them.

That way, if he ever found himself in a similar situation in the real world, he'd know just how much force to use.

"I... I was wrong, please spare me. I won't do anything like this ever again."

The thug, now terrified, didn't care about the searing pain in his stomach. He quickly kowtowed in apology, fearing that Zuke's next kick would land on his head.

A footprint was clearly visible on the wall beside him—a mark of the kick Zuke had just unleashed. The thug was well aware his skull was not as hard as that stone wall.

If Zuke hadn't held back, that wall would have been smashed, much like how Bacterian in Dragon Ball smashed a wall with his elbow.

Who is Bacterian, you ask? He's the henchman that little Goku defeated in three strikes during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. Zuke's combat power is a bit higher than his now.

"Hand over all the money you have."

Zuke commanded the thug to empty his pockets—he had no currency for this world, so it was as good a time as any to collect some.

If they weren't in Cairo, then the money these thugs had on them could at least cover his travel expenses.

Hearing Zuke's words, the thug quickly nodded and hurriedly went around to collect all the money from his companions. He didn't dare try to escape—Zuke's speed was clear to him. Just a moment ago, Zuke had closed the distance and delivered that kick in the blink of an eye; there was no way he could outrun him.

"It's... it's all here."

After gathering his comrades' money, the thug also handed over his own wallet, hoping Zuke would let them go once he'd taken it.

Zuke pocketed the cash without a second thought, then continued questioning him:

"What year is it now? What month and day? How far is it to Cairo?"

Ordinarily, these questions would seem absurd—no one, even if they didn't keep track of the date, would forget what year it was.

Even if he had been locked up for years, he wouldn't be this out of touch.

However, the thug was in no position to argue. The excruciating stomach pain made him suspect he'd suffered serious internal damage, and he only wanted Zuke to leave so he could get to a hospital.

"It's 1987… December… December 26th!"

Having just passed Christmas, the thug was able to recall the date even in his pain-addled state.

"December 26, 1987… Excellent."

Zuke nodded in satisfaction. He couldn't remember the exact timing of JoJo's third arc, but he knew DIO's death was slated for January.

So, he had entered JoJo's third arc just in time, with a month left before DIO's demise.

Since his main quest required him to kill DIO, Zuke wouldn't let the Joestar group handle it. He had to strike before them.

While he could consider teaming up with the Joestar group to take down DIO, waiting for that moment seemed too time-consuming.

Moreover, at this point, the "Arrow" needed for a Stand awakening should be in DIO's possession. Without a Stand, dealing with DIO would be risky.

Even though his combat power far exceeded human limits, DIO's Stand, The World, had the ability to stop time.

If time was stopped, no matter how strong Zuke was, he'd be at a severe disadvantage.

If Zuke had a power level of over 100, he might be confident enough to crush DIO's head before he could activate his time-stop.

But unfortunately, his combat power was only around 40; while shattering walls was easy, he couldn't prevent DIO from reacting.

Besides, he'd have to get close to DIO, or DIO would likely pummel him from a distance with The World.

The World's destructive power was rated as an A, placing it among the strongest Stands, second only to exceptions like Star Platinum, which also could break walls with a single punch.

In other words, Zuke didn't have much of a power advantage when dealing with The World.

"I still need to acquire a Stand."

After considering his options, Zuke realized that acquiring a Stand was essential to defeating DIO. With a powerful enough Stand ability, combined with his own strength, he could easily bring DIO to his knees...

Well, maybe.

"We're not done yet. How far are we from Cairo?"

Although Zuke had been thinking intensely, only a moment had passed. He kicked the thug again, pressing him for an answer.

"This... this is Cairo, just the outskirts."

The thug dared not lie, answering quickly to avoid another beating.

"If you want to go into the city center, just take a bus."

"I see. Got it. You may go."

Zuke looked at the battered thug and nodded, finally letting him go.

This meant he wasn't far from DIO's mansion and, by extension, from the "Arrow."

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, six Arrows were explicitly mentioned. Diavolo had unearthed them and sold five at a high price to an old woman named Enya.

This Enya happened to be one of DIO's followers.

"In the original, Yoshikage Kira once bought an Arrow from Enya in Egypt, mistaking it for a decorative piece… which means Enya might currently be in Cairo's antique market."

With this thought in mind, Zuke exited the alley and, following the thug's directions, found the bus to downtown Cairo. He boarded, planning his next steps.

"First, I'll head to the Cairo market and see if I can locate Enya. If I can buy an Arrow before Kira does, everything will fall into place."

To be continued...

Dear readers, this is a new piece of fiction, so please donate your power stones so it can reach the maximum audience. I will be grateful for your magnanimous acts.