Dio's Backup Plan

September 29th, 1988.

In the lifeless, cold nights of Cairo, rhythmic sounds of an italian man's footsteps could be heard close to a ceirtan vampire's mansion.

"Ah! Hello sir Pucci." Telence T. D'Arby opens the gate to Dio's residence. "Lord Dio told me you were visiting today. Please, come on in."

"Thank you, Mr. Telence." The dark skinned priest acknowledges the butler before him as he crossed the garden, following the younger D'Arby to Dio's private room.

Opening the door to Dio's parlor, the vampire silently stood in place before recognizing his guest.

"Pucci, it's been too long. How have you been, my friend?" Dio sits down in his bed, inviting the priest to do the same.

"I've been doing fine, Lord Dio." Pucci bows before sitting alongside the undead man. "I see the scar in your neck has disappeared. Has your body been healed completely?"

"Indeed. The past few days have been extremely exhausting due to the amount of effort required to release my brother's phantom from this world." Dio gently rubs the purple star on his back. "Tell me Pucci, are you going to be busy for the next few weeks?"

"Nothing is more important that helping you achieve your goals, Lord Dio." The white haired teenager blindly offers his help.

"If so, I would like you to assist me one more time with my plan to achieve Heaven." Dio informs Pucci of his plan. "You see, the Joestar group is currently marching towards this manor as we speak."

"So you want me to take care of them?" Pucci deduces after a brief pause, having to recover himself from the sudden news.

"That would not be necessary." Dio denies him. "Doing so would imply that I am not currently capable of ending their lives. However, in the off-chance that they do manage to defeat me, I would like you to work as my scapegoat in case I don't live to achieve Heaven."

"What makes you think that way, Lord Dio?" The pries asks his partner in crime.

"As powerful as I am, I cannot predict my fate just yet, Pucci. The same way a man can't currently alter gravity." The vampire voices his worries. "You know I don't consider women above potential fodder for my offspring, but a particular woman has been making me worried about humanity's ability to alter fate. Ironically, her stand is named Karma Chameleon."

"Karma? As in the hinduist concept of causality?" Pucci ponders about the origin of Hitomi Furuya's stand name.

"Precisely. Her ancestry is connected to a clan of hamon warriors in the 1930s, and the way she's been interacting with Jotaro Kujo suggests that she plans on strengthening her lineage by combining it with Jotaro's seed." Dio explains. "Since her grandfathers failed to pass Hamon to the next generation, she appears to be atoning for their sins by joining on Joseph Joestar's quest for revenge."

"I see." Pucci nods his head. "Still, Karma is a fundamental concept in eastern religions, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's above fate. At best, I would say that the two concepts are intertwined, much like the four nucleobases of DNA."

"Regardless, fate could be on her side, which is why she is currently my secondary target after halting The Joestar family from thwarting my plans in case her mind is already set on helping them to the end."

"So what is my prevailing function in all of this?" Pucci wants to know how to please his master efficiently.

"In case they do manage to overcome fate, I will leave a diary with all the instructions you need to attain Heaven in my place." Dio surprises Pucci by trusting his ultimate plan onto him. "It will most likely be done by the time they arrive, so even if they manage to find it, you should be able to read their memories through Whitesnake."

"It would be an honor, Lord Dio." Pucci's lips tremble with the thought of seeing his beloved companion die without seeing his plan coming to fruition.

"Try your best to hide yourself from them. Avoid direct combat unless you have a clear advantage." Dio instructs the priest on how to proceed after his own defeat. "You are my last chance of suceeding, Pucci. I can't let you die due to useless mistakes."

"Understood." The catholic man stands up, exiting Dio's room in order to find a home to hide himself in.