Dio, who had gotten back up, had regained his composure. He no longer advanced recklessly, his wary gaze remaining fixed on Yamcha.
In all his life, he had never encountered someone who toyed with him so easily. Most importantly, as a vampire, he was at a physical disadvantage.
"Is this guy a monster?"
Though Dio himself was a monster, he couldn't help but think Yamcha was the true monster here.
"Not going to continue? Come on, just a little more and you might actually land a hit on me, King of the World!"
Yamcha taunted Dio with an air of provocation.
Yet Dio only stared at him, full of dread, not taking another step forward.
"Zeppeli, did you train this Sir Port?"
Zeppeli chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I'm not capable of that. This guy's a total monster. He even learned Hamon after taking just one punch."
To learn Hamon breathing after taking one punch… What kind of talent…
Even masters like Adan and Straizo, who were considered one in ten thousand, fell silent after hearing Zeppeli. Master Tonpetty sighed, acknowledging that there's always someone stronger out there.
Seeing that Dio no longer wanted to fight, Yamcha regretfully turned to Jonathan and said, "Hey buddy, he's all yours now."
"You know, if not for the mercy of God, I'd have wiped out all these London-accented bugs (Dio + zombies). Just like Uncle Marsha's puppets—silent and still."
Once he started translating himself, he couldn't stop.
Yamcha was having fun, but didn't participate in the fight anymore. He left Dio to Jonathan and instead helped Zeppeli and the others take care of the endless zombies.
Once he understood how Hamon worked, all it took was a light poke to turn a zombie to ash.
Though Dio now wanted nothing more than to kill Jonathan, Yamcha, and the others, after Yamcha's beatdown, he was already thinking of retreating.
Dio was a scheming warlord-type character. Once he realized the gap between him and Yamcha, retreating became the obvious choice.
Unfortunately for him, Jonathan—ever the brute—wasn't going to let him escape. Sword in hand, he gave chase.
After a fierce battle, Jonathan's fist pierced Dio.
As Dio fell and turned to ash, Yamcha fell into deep thought.
Dio was dead.
Yamcha clearly saw this world's Dio vanish along with his body.
Which raises the question: if Dio is dead, will the events of Part 3: Stardust Crusaders still happen?
If Stardust Crusaders doesn't exist, then Parts 5 and 6 won't either. If Part 6 doesn't happen, the priest won't accelerate time to create a new world. That means… other than Part 2's Kars, none of the later plotlines will occur in this world.
So how will this world develop?
"Let's run an experiment."
With Dio's "death," the original anti-DIO team quickly disbanded. Adan and the others continued their journey to find the Stone Mask. Zeppeli stayed behind to continue teaching Jonathan Hamon.
After presiding over Jonathan and Erina's wedding, Yamcha quietly left this world.
But before he left, he spent all his money and took countless treasures with him. The most precious among them was a gem.
It was a perfect red stone without a single flaw—rumored to have once been in the hands of a Roman emperor.
Its name: the Red Stone of Aja.
However, the greatest gain from this journey was Hamon breathing.
This technique was incredible—it synergized perfectly with Yamcha's other abilities, and that's exactly why he was determined to master it.
Practicing Hamon breathing = enhanced life energy = enhanced Ki and Nen = enhanced power.
Way more effective than simple gravity training.
Ki, Hamon, and Nen are all forms of life energy. Integrating Hamon into Ki drastically improved both training speed and quality.
Back in the Dragon Ball World
Yamcha carefully stored away the precious Red Stone of Aja. This was the treasure that helped Kars evolve into the ultimate lifeform.
As for how Kars would find a substitute in that other world… well, Yamcha didn't care.
Same old motto—none of his business.
The desert redevelopment plan had already begun.
With Yamcha's massive financial backing, all kinds of high-end equipment and materials were poured into the construction. Especially the training rooms—they had to be equipped with the most advanced tech.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows—Yamcha would never settle for just one hideout.
Especially since the desert had always been his home.
Puar, still in preschool, was still attending transformation school and it wasn't break time yet. When Puar returned, Yamcha planned to surprise him.
"Major Brown, here's the info you requested."
A Red Ribbon Army officer respectfully handed Yamcha a thick stack of documents.
They were filled with names—lists of all past participants of the World Martial Arts Tournament.
Yamcha had told Master Crane he'd participate in the 20th Tournament, and he wasn't joking. He really planned to join. The first step was to confirm some specific information about one particular contestant.
The sister of Master Roshi—Fortune Teller Baba's most powerful warrior: Devilman (a.k.a. Messenger from Hell).
The main character Goku first appeared in the 21st Tournament. The winners of previous tournaments weren't clear, but the story did mention that Devilman participated in two earlier tournaments and won both.
To be crowned champion among countless martial arts masters, he had to be quite powerful. But his strength wasn't the most important part.
Devilman had a move called Devilmite Beam—his trump card. It was a terrifying technique that amplified any evil in someone's heart, causing them to explode. Even the slightest malice could cause massive damage. Only those pure of heart were immune.
Yamcha didn't consider himself pure-hearted, so he'd definitely be affected. Thus, he had to prepare countermeasures in advance.
This wasn't cowardice—it was caution. He didn't fight unprepared battles.
After all, in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, when Frieza came to Earth post-Namek arc and both Trunks and Goku didn't show up, it was Yamcha who defeated Frieza and his father—despite the overwhelming power difference.
Yamcha didn't know if the Devilman in his current world had that same level of power, but that move was worth taking seriously. After all, he wasn't on Frieza's level yet.
According to the information, Devilman had already participated in two tournaments and won both.
Yamcha shook his head regretfully. Honestly, he would've liked to fight Devilman—to test his current strength.
"Corporal Xiong, spread the word. If anyone performs well at the World Martial Arts Tournament next month, they'll be eligible to join my personal forces."
"Yes, Major!"
His subordinates were still too weak. If anyone promising appeared, they could be trained. Yamcha had no interest in personally doing Red Ribbon Army missions.
Using the tournament to evaluate and select capable fighters wasn't a bad idea.
The current date was April 7th. With a full month remaining, he had time to visit other worlds.
"Sergeant Wolf, use this list to make purchases for me."
As he watched his subordinates busy themselves, Yamcha turned and headed toward the training room.
Not having to do everything himself… really was a blessing. It saved a ton of time.
(End of Chapter)