Silver Chariot (story arc)

Silver Chariot is the third story arc in Stardust Crusaders.

It narrates the duel between Avdol and Frenchman Jean Pierre Polnareff in Hong Kong.

Summary
After their plane landed off the coast the Hong Kong due to the machinations of Gray Fly, the group discusses their status over a meal in a Chinese restaurant as they cannot take another plane with endangering the lives of others further. Using Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days as a reference, Joseph Joestar suggests they take a route by boat across the India Ocean to Egypt with Muhammad Avdol agreeing with the decision.

The group is then joined a French tourist who asks them for help reading the menu. Joseph decides to let the man join them as he orders the wrong food due to his failure to understand kanji. But the Frenchman reveals himself to be another of DIO's assassins as he is immediately attacked by Avdol's Magician's Red. The Frenchman summons his Stand Silver Chariot to deflect the attack at a turned over table. The flames hit the table and turn into a clock, at which point the Frenchman introduces himself as Jean Pierre Polnareff while leading the group to the nearby Tiger Balm Garden to courteously allow Avdol to use his Stand without restraint.

The fight begins almost immediately, though not before Polnareff makes a prediction that Avdol would die by his own flames. Silver Chariot starts the fight off with a flurry of sword strikes, most of which Magician's Red quickly dodges and counters with several fire blasts. Polnareff further demonstrates Chariot's power by deflecting the shots toward a nearby statue and carving it to resemble Magician's Red. Avdol retaliates with his special technique, Crossfire Hurricane, and launches an Ankh-shaped flame at Polnareff, whom is able to once again deflect the blast at Avdol himself. Seemingly burnt by his own flames as Polnareff predicted, Avdol launches Magician's Red at Chariot. Polnareff strikes back before realizing his Stand attacked the craving of Magician's Red Avdol used as a decoy to land a Crossfire Hurricane on Polnareff.

While it seemed to be the end, Polnareff claps while revealing his Stand absorbed the flames while casting off its armor. This now enables Silver Chariot's speed to greatly increase to the point of producing several after-images. Though overwhelmed at first by the Stand's onslaught of attacks, Avdol reveals a variation to his previous technique, Crossfire Hurricane Special, which is able to strike Polnareff by shooting several ankhs, once of which comes straight out of the ground. Defeated while offered a knife to commit suicide so would not suffer being burned alive, fighting the temptation to stab Avdol from behind, Polnareff refuses to take a cowardly act and accepts his death with honor. This convinces Avdol to extinguish the flames upon seeing Polnareff's act of chivalry. The group discovers a flesh bud on Polnareff's forehead, which Jotaro easily removes. Later at the docks, Polnareff joins the group in hopes that he might cross paths with the man who murdered his sister.

Chapters

 * 011 (124). Silver Chariot, Part 1
 * 012 (125). Silver Chariot, Part 2
 * 013 (126). Silver Chariot, Part 3

Volumes

 * 03 (14).The Empty Ship and the Ape

Anime

 * 04 (30). Tower of Gray
 * 05 (31). Silver Chariot

OVA

 * 03. Silver Chariot and Strength