High Voltage (story arc)

High Voltage (ハイ・ヴォルテージ) is the twenty-first story arc in Steel Ball Run.

It narrates the tense race between Johnny, and Diego Brando from Another Universe who now wields THE WORLD.

Summary
After healing Steven, Lucy, and himself, Johnny contemplates the end of his search for the Holy Corpse. After observing the last horse-riders still in the race pass by, Johnny realizes that the Corpse has been stolen by a last unknown enemy. It went totally unnoticed and Johnny spots familiar horseshoe prints, leading to him identifying the culprit as at least a Steel Ball Run contestant. Being informed by Steel that the Corpse is probably headed to the final stage of the race in Manhattan Island and determined to take back the Corpse, Johnny continues the race and pursues whoever stole the Corpse. The final stage: the Manhattan Rhapsody, a 15 km dash through New York's streets.

Before the 9th stage, the racers still have to reach Union Beach. In the way, Johnny catches up to the mysterious culprit, but as Johnny shoots him, the rider and his horse disappears and reappears behind him. Johnny turns back: it is Diego Brando from an Alternate Universe, wielding the time stopping Stand THE WORLD, who attacks him.

A flashback reveals that Valentine continuously searched for a Stand user he could entrust the Corpse to, and who could beat the Golden Spin, and met Diego. Convincing him to follow him to the base world, he hid Diego underground in case his initial plan wouldn't work. Johnny is unsaddled and shoot several nail bullets at Diego. Both realizes what the other is capable of, and aim to devise at plan which will counter the other's power.

Johnny Joestar finishes the 8th stage at the 5th place, and as the announcer declares that even at the last stage, anyone among Johnny, Diego, Pocoloco and Norisuke Higashikata can seize victory. In the ferry used as a transitional rest between the 8th and 9th stage, Johnny analyzes Diego's timestop and concludes that Diego mustn't see the attack coming. Disembarking, Johnny meets with his father George Joestar, and they silently reconcile, George publicly apologizing for his son, who rode through America. It is a Johnny with renewed will who pursues Diego.

Another shot of the Golden Spin nails throws Diego off, who sees that the timestop doesn't completely affect Tusk. Using gas and matches, Diego tries to light Johnny and his horse up from afar, but Johnny opens the ground with Tusk ACT4, disappearing in the sewers. Diego is now in a weak position, unable to see the next attack. He then lets his fangirls hug him, who are killed in Diego's stead by the rotation. Johnny joins the rest of the racers on the Brooklyn Bridge, for one final attack. Johnny shoots his Golden Spin nail as Diego stops time.

Chapters

 * 090 (842). High Voltage, Part 1
 * 091 (843). High Voltage, Part 2
 * 092 (844). High Voltage, Part 3
 * 093 (845). High Voltage, Part 4

Volumes

 * 23 (103). High Voltage
 * 24 (104). The Stars and Stripes Forever

Trivia

 * The name of the story arc is a reference to the AC/DC album and song of the same name.