JORGE JOESTAR Chapter 14: Desolation Row

Chapter 14: Desolation Row (廃墟の街 Haikyo no machi) is the fourteenth chapter of the light novel, JORGE JOESTAR. It returns to the perspective of Joji Joestar after the events of Chapter 12.

Summary
The plan to land on Earth has succeeded as they landed on the Arrow Cross House. Joji sees that everyone had survived, Kars had turned himself in a sphere-like shape. He slowly returns into his normal form, regenerating his burnt flesh. He learns that he had lost a version of himself, and only has 36 left. Pucci states that 36 should be enough, since 36 is 12 x 3. 12 and 3 are both holy numbers in Christianity, which had caught Pucci's attention. Joji continues to interpret the fourteen phrases into their current situation. With Nero Nero and Morioh being the elements of the "Rhinocerous bettle" and the Arrow Cross House as the "Via Dolorosa". Narancia plans to find Bucciarati, Joji stops him, telling him that they don't know where they are yet. They both send out their U-Boat to scout the area, Narancia then decides to enter a house. They see a sign in English labeled "Wastewood", and learn that they are in a foreign place, possibly America. They see an old car and an old manor, and find newspapers with the date written as November 11th, 1920; which had been 92 years ago. They enter the house through a window, Narancia congratulates Joji suddenly, he then asks why.

Narancia points to the garden outside the manor which had been decorated for a party, they find a welcome board saying, "Welcome to the Wedding Reception for Jorge Joestar and Elizabeth Straits". Joji realizes that this was the Jorge Joestar that Tsukumojuku had mentioned; because he was pure-bred English, Joji assumes they are in England. Joji asks if they should head to the other Jorge's house, assuming that they had traveled back in time; wondering if Kars had used a power to cause this. Pucci joins them and suggests they head for London, claiming that the "Desolation Row" is waiting for them there. They look through a basement, to see three men sinking their teeth into a little girl and eating her. Joji realizes that they were zombies like Giorno had described from Morioh's situation. Joji calls back his U-Boat and destroys them, they then plan to check the Joestar manor. As Joji knocks on the door, he turns around to see a figure dressed and face-painted like a clown. It shrieks, and Joji watches as walls close around him. Narancia tries to break the walls down, when suddenly a rope is formed and wraps around Joji's neck. The clown states that he must hang himself if he isn't a friend of a girl named Penelope. Joji realizes that this was a locked room from the cases, and states that he is not the Locked Room Maestro mastermind. It looks closely at his face, realizing he is not Javier Cortez which it had assumed, and disappears. The door opens, a girl calls out Jorge's name. Joji introduces himself as Jorge, assuming she is Penelope; a friend of the other Jorge. Penelope doubts him at first, he then pulls out his passport explaining that he is a private detective; Japanese though an English citizen. She realizes he is friends with Tsukumojuku, she then asks them to leave. A woman steps out and wishes to greet them, introducing herself as Erina Joestar. Narancia grows irritated, Joji silences him, he then looks to see zombies getting trapped into Penelope's locked rooms. Erina explains how Tsukumojuku had been friends with Jorge, Joji then explains that they had met in Nishi Akatsuki and how a lot had happened since then. Erina then asks what they had been doing here, Joji explains how they are searching for the Desolation Row, which would lead them to the Way to Heaven. This surprises Erina, Penelope then asks her if she could come with them, and that she will protect the manor during her absence. She convinces her and promises she won't get in the way, she then explains to Joji how she turned the entire island of Great Britain into a locked room. She looks to Erina and tells her that she will go with them no matter what, they then hug and promise that she will return alive. They mention watching over Joseph, Joji asks about him, and they show him a photo of baby Joseph. He knows that this is a Joseph Joestar, though not the adoptive great-grandfather of his; whose father was named Jodoh, and had married a woman named Maria Urias Zeppeli. Kars looks down at the child, Erina and Penelope back away from him. Kars states that he doesn't kill children, believing that history would be altered if he did. Joji brings Penelope to U-Boat, with Narancia, Kars, and Pucci waiting. Joji introduces Kars to her and explains that he is the Ultimate Being. She explains what had been happening in England, the other Jorge's life, and the fifteen locked room murders created by Javier and explains that these abilities are called Wounds. She even talks about the mass suicide at the burning church of La Palma with people drawing images of a Mothman that had been terrorizing them like a mass hysteria.

She tells them the story of Antonio Torres and how he hid in the body of a commander in the air force and had seemingly killed Jorge, with Lisa Lisa having to kill the commander. He had stated that he had over 920,000 clones of himself before he was killed, with Penelope accidentally creating locked rooms out of his bodies, now surrounding Great Britain. With Kars listening to the conversation, he calculates that there were exactly 984,576 clones with the given time period, and asks Penelope what had happened to the rest. Because of her silence, he calls them foolish for leaving them out. Joji thinks about the time connections of zombies from their time period to the other Jorge's, and believes Antonio may have time traveled just like Tsukumojuku. When Tsukumojuku had mentioned losing his case with a skin sheet of Antonio, Joji assumes that the skin sheet of Antonio may have traveled through time with him. Pucci walks up to Joji, and explains that they only need one more Rhinoceros beetle, a spiral staircase, two singularities, and a secret emperor. He explains that they already have obtained the fig tart, since Kars' burning flesh had smelled like it. Narancia approaches them with a phone in his hand, with Bucciarati on the other end.

He asks where they are, Joji explains that they are in Great Britain. With Bruno doubting him, claiming that there is no such place, Joji explains that they traveled to another universe before the it had died and was reborn. Bruno explains the situation currently back in Morioh, with the broken Arrow Cross House ceiling being fixed, and the American army's navy units surrendering, unable to contact their HQ. He explains that Morioh's barrier had broke, and now the entire town is covered in pitch black with no light or stars; with the Arrow Cross House being the only place with light. Nero Nero had also been knocked away from Morioh, and now they're searching for a deceased Diavolo's minions. He explains that they had found two bodies on the study carpet in the House, and shows Joji some images of them from Abbacchio's Stand, Videodrome. With their throats slit like Tsukumojuku, they discover that the unidentified corpses with Yoshikage Kira and Diavolo. Videodrome replays how they were killed, Abbacchio explains that the Stand only records everything that happens to someone for twenty-four hours after midnight, but cuts off at the moment of their death; and realizes that there was no record of them from midnight until eight AM, the estimated time of their death. He explains that Videodrome should be able to replay everything they did in that time. But no such thing exists for them. Until eight AM, the men were somewhere else, in another world. He tells Joji to not worry about their deaths, for they had murdered many innocent people and had deserved to die. They explain their Stand abilities, being Killer Queen and King Crimson, which were time-manipulating Stands.

Joji thinks about their abilities, and finds a connection between that and the Arrow Cross House. And assumes that Tsukumojuku had learned how to use the House's time-traveling power to his advantage. They go to the Cube House and smash its ceiling, and enter its doors. They go through what seems to be a vertical shaft that could bend time, Narancia shouts saying he can see London. Pucci states that this must be the Desolation Row, and hears a voice calling out his name. They turn to see a man claiming to be Funny Valentine, but appears much younger. Joji assumes he's from the other world. He talks to Pucci, guiding him to complete The Way to Heaven, stating that they must travel to the United States, to search for the. He asks Pucci if he had found the "Singularity" yet, and introduces them to his "Spiral Staircase". Behind Funny, a tall man with a crown of thorns on his head stood there, it was the same man who had been floating in the air above Cape Canaveral. The adopted son of the Joestar family, Dio Brando. Pucci sobs, calling him the Lord, and casts out Whitesnake; with arrows appearing all over it, and he begins to float. Things around them begin to attract towards him, as he is the center of gravity. Cracks run down Whitesnake, and a Stand appearing on a two legged horse emerges, which Pucci reveals to be Made In Heaven.

As Dio holds up his hand, the entire wall surrounding Great Britain forms upside-down revealing the upper half of a giant boy whose eyes looked down at them; a combined version of all the Antonio clones that Penelope had made the wall from. It grabs Pucci out of the air, Dio calls out to it stating that it is supposed to clear the outside instead. The fused Antonio swallows Pucci, returning the gravity to normal. Pucci then activates Made In Heaven, time begins to accelerate, and the universe dies and is reborn again thirty-six times. Bringing the island of Great Britain, it sends them back to 2012, they land on Morioh and flip it over. Joji asks where Pucci went, Kars replies saying that he is somewhere beyond the ends of the world; they look up to see that Pucci wasn't floating up there anymore.