"Everyone, due to some exceptional circumstances, I would like to introduce our newest member: Takatsuki. However, you may still address him as Fugo."
Bucciarati might not have placed absolute trust in Takatsuki's words, but in terms of action, he signaled his trust—all while refusing to mask Takatsuki's true identity with a lie.
Showing trust in me while subtly signaling vigilance to the crew? Classic Bucciarati.
"Huh? But... isn't he Fugo?" Narancia blinked.
"Yeah, Bucciarati, what do you mean by that?" Mista added.
Neither Narancia nor Mista, having been knocked unconscious during the ambush, knew what had transpired. They simply felt an odd tension hanging in the air.
"It's a bit complicated to explain," Takatsuki interjected smoothly. "Just think of me as Fugo, though perhaps not the exact Fugo you used to know."
As he spoke, Takatsuki summoned his Stand behind him.
"This is my Stand, Heaven Stairway. Its ability allows me to touch a target's head to extract their memories and Stand powers into Discs."
Takatsuki disclosed his Stand ability directly to the group. In this world, a battle between Stand users was an information war, and laying out one's ability was normally a dangerous risk. Conversely, revealing it voluntarily was the fastest way to gain an ally's trust—it was equivalent to placing one's weaknesses in their hands.
The power inherited from Whitesnake was indeed terrifying, but which Stand ability wasn't?
Setting aside Sticky Fingers' ability to disassemble human flesh at a touch, even a standard, mundane revolver could kill a Stand user just as easily.
"Seriously?!" Narancia's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's so cool! Does that mean you can try out different Stand powers?"
"Hey! Narancia, is this really the time to be geeking out?!" Abbacchio snapped, his posture rigid with suspicion. "That is a deeply dangerous ability!"
Abbacchio remained deeply skeptical of Takatsuki, just as he was of Giorno. He hadn't expected another volatile element to crash their squad before they had even verified the reliability of the new kid.
"Take it easy, Abbacchio," Mista offered easygoingly. "If we're talking dangerous, which Stand isn't? Even my Sex Pistols can be lethal."
Mista continued reassuringly, "Besides, Fugo laid out his ability right in front of us, and Bucciarati already vouched for him. Rather than worrying about Fugo, shouldn't we focus on the enemy who ambushed us?"
"I agree," Giorno chimed in after studying Takatsuki in silence for a few seconds. "It's entirely possible the enemy has accomplices who already know we're on this yacht."
Giorno wasn't dismissing suspicion entirely—he was simply tabling it, redirecting their focus where it mattered most right now.
"Regarding that, the information was in this man's head," Bucciarati said, tossing Mario Zucchero's Memory Disc toward Giorno. "When it comes to gathering intelligence, Fugo's new ability is exceptionally strong."
Giorno caught the Disc. Though it took the form of a physical CD, it required no player—merely gazing at its reflective surface allowed him to scan the extracted memories.
"His name is Sale, and his Stand is Kraft Work," Giorno analyzed. "It can lock any object within its range completely in place while continuously applying kinetic force to it. It's a close-range power-type Stand... an absolute counter to you, Mista."
Having operated as a duo, Zucchero had been intimately familiar with Sale's capabilities.
"For real?" Mista rubbed the back of his head nervously. "That really is a hard counter to Sex Pistols. Is he already waiting on Capri?"
"If this guy named Sale is already stationed on the shore waiting for us," Mista added anxiously, "and he notices that it's us stepping off the boat instead of Zucchero..."
"No need to worry," Takatsuki cut in. "We just need to land ahead of time and take Sale out first."
Narancia stared at Takatsuki like he had grown a second head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did you blow a fuse, Fugo? Can we move faster than a motor yacht?! What, are you gonna swim over?"
"If you call it swimming, you wouldn't be entirely wrong," Takatsuki said, stepping over to the ship's railing. "While yachts are fast across the water, they still fall short of a full sprint."
Without another word, Takatsuki vaulted straight over the railing under their dumbfounded gazes.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Is he jumping to commit suicide?!"
"Save him!"
The crew rushed to the railing, expecting to see a splash. Instead, an utterly shocking sight greeted their eyes: Takatsuki hadn't sunk into the water at all. He stood firmly upon the ocean surface, rising and falling smoothly with the rolling tide.
"How... how is he doing that?!"
"Is it a Stand ability?!"
Looking up at the shocked faces along the deck, Takatsuki called out, "This isn't a Stand power. It's a martial arts discipline called Hamon Energy—a special energy generated through specialized breathing techniques."
The power of Hamon Energy depended on three core factors:
The rhythm of one's breath.
The practitioner's physical constitution.
The duration of training.
Among these, breathing rhythm and physical condition held the most weight.
Fortunately, unlike Stands, Hamon Energy didn't require one to be a "chosen user." While Fugo's physical constitution and innate aptitude for Hamon weren't top-tier, they were far superior to Takatsuki's original baseline human body.
Paired with Takatsuki's instinctual mastery of the breathing rhythm, he easily reawakened this world's native power within Fugo's vessel through conscious control.
"That's awesome!" Narancia leaned over the edge. "Can we learn it too?"
"Anyone can learn Hamon Energy, though reaching this level takes time," Takatsuki answered smoothly. "Once this crisis is over, I can teach you. For now, let's settle the business at hand."
Takatsuki held no intention of hoarding his knowledge, though Bucciarati still hesitated slightly. "Do you plan on going alone?"
"If I had my original body, bringing a few extra people wouldn't be an issue," Takatsuki replied. "In this body, however, I can't carry anyone else across the water."
"Then I'll go with you," Giorno spoke up immediately.
Giorno grabbed a life preserver off the deck and tossed it overboard. Mid-air, the preserver transformed into a lively sea fish, splashing into the waves below.
"I can have this fish carry me alongside you to the island," Giorno explained, landing lightly upon the creature's back. "We've both seen Zucchero's Disc and know what Sale looks like. Plus, as a new face, the enemy won't recognize me."
"Good. Then let's move—time is short."
Aboard the yacht, watching Giorno guided by the fish and the familiar silhouette sprinting across the open sea, Abbacchio turned to Bucciarati.
"Bucciarati... what did he say to you in private? Is he really trustworthy?"
Bucciarati stared off toward the horizon, his expression unreadable. After a long silence, he spoke quietly:
"Right now, there's no way to prove his words. But we will have our answer very soon. And if what he says is true... then we have a mountain of trouble ahead of us."