Lee Sin's Bizzare Adventure - Chapter 21
Palermo, Punta Raisi Airport
After making his decision, Diavolo packed his belongings in half an hour and took a taxi to the airport.
“Hello, I need a ticket to Naples,” he said politely to the front desk clerk. “Any class will do, as soon as possible, please.”
His tone was so courteous that it was hard to believe he was the same man who had earlier exuded an aura of darkness and dominance.
Because, in fact, he wasn’t.
At this moment, he was not Diavolo but “Toby”.
Diavolo suffered from a rare form of dissociative identity disorder, possessing two distinct personalities: the dominant “boss” Diavolo and the subordinate “employee” Toby. He could freely switch between these personalities, adopting entirely different behaviors and characteristics.
The most peculiar aspect was that when he switched personalities, Diavolo’s appearance and physique would also change. As Diavolo, he appeared as a well-built, muscular man with strong, chiseled features. As Toby, his body would deflate like a balloon, transforming into a slender, timid young man with delicate, youthful features.
Under these circumstances, even if people saw Toby and Diavolo with their own eyes, they wouldn’t connect them as the same person.
Therefore, Diavolo often used his Toby persona to navigate the world, hiding his true, sinister identity behind this gentle, kind young man’s face.
Moreover, Toby had no knowledge of his dual existence. He genuinely believed he was a loyal employee, faithfully serving Diavolo.
“Please hurry,” Toby pleaded, leaning on the counter and gazing at the young woman behind it with his innocent eyes. “This is an important mission from ‘the boss.’ I must get to Naples as soon as possible.”
“Alright,” the front desk clerk replied with a sweet smile, naturally developing a liking for the shy young man. She busied herself with the computer, but soon her expression turned apologetic.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Toby,” she said, “there are flights to Naples, but none can depart right now.”
“What?” Toby was taken aback. “But… I have to get to Naples quickly, or the boss will punish me!”
“I’m sorry,” the clerk repeated. “Naples is currently under air traffic control, and most northbound flights are delayed.”
“Air traffic control?” Toby was visibly sweating with anxiety.
“This is an uncontrollable factor,” the clerk explained patiently. “You must have seen the news these days, right? This is a special period, and flight delays are normal.”
Seeing Toby’s anxious expression, she tried to comfort him. “Maybe wait a bit? If everything goes smoothly, you could leave in one or two hours.”
“This…” Toby hesitated, while the dominant Diavolo in his mind contemplated.
Lee Sin’s speedboat would take at least six hours to reach Naples. If they departed within one or two hours and flew for an hour, he could still arrive before Lee Sin.
Though this was an unfortunate delay, there seemed no better option.
“Damn…” Diavolo regretted his modest approach. “A private jet would be handy now.”
2:48 PM: Approaching Naples
The speedboat neared the coast of Naples under the afternoon sun, illuminating the bay with shimmering light.
The majestic Mount Vesuvius stood tall outside the port city, basking in the bright sky.
While nature’s beauty was on full display, Lee Sin had no mind for sightseeing. Instead, his attention was captured by the “strange birds” in the sky:
“My God…” he muttered, genuinely shocked for the first time in seven hours of peril. “Those are F/A-18 Hornets, supersonic fighter-attack jets!”
“And there…” He squinted at the direction from which the jets were taking off, spotting a colossal steel beast on the sea. “An aircraft carrier?!”
Lee Sin’s curiosity got the better of him as he turned to Andrew and asked, “Hey, fatty? Is there a naval exhibition going on here?”
Andrew hesitated before explaining, “Sir, you don’t know? The port of Naples is the base of the ‘American’ Sixth Fleet!”
“The Sixth Fleet’s Naval Command and the Southern European Allied Command are stationed in Naples, so it’s not unusual to see American warships.”
“And… have you not been watching the news?”
“The Americans just declared war on the Balkan League, and Italy has become the front line of the conflict.”
“The Balkan League is just across the narrow Adriatic Sea, barely a few hundred kilometers away.”
“The bombers delivering ‘freedom’ across the sea all take off from Italy.”
“For instance…” Andrew pointed at the steel giant in the water. “From that aircraft carrier.”
“Uh…” Lee Sin frowned. “The Americans and the Balkan League?”
As a half-hearted military enthusiast, no, as a citizen of the Dragon Kingdom, he was well aware of the unjust war of 1999.
But…
“Isn’t it 2001 now?” Lee Sin asked in disbelief.
In his memory, the story of “Golden Wind” took place in 2001, so he assumed he had time-traveled to that year.
However, Andrew’s astonished expression and response were a bad sign.
“What 2001?” Andrew looked puzzled. “It’s 1999, March 26th!”
“This…” Lee Sin’s face turned awkward.
He had traveled all the way to Naples, planning to seek help from two key characters in the story. After all, he knew very little about this world and had no idea where to start in his counterattack against Diavolo and the organization.
Bruno Bucciarati and Giorno Giovanna were his only leads.
But now, he found himself two years earlier than the original storyline.
“Two years… hitching a ride on the plot isn’t going to work.”
“I’ll have to find Giorno and Bucciarati and see if they can help me.”
“Wait…” Lee Sin suddenly realized something. “Giorno is 15 when he appears, right? So, he’s only 13 now?”
“Thirteen…”
“If he started school late, he might not even have finished elementary school!”
Realizing this, Lee Sin began to lose confidence in his plan to find allies in Naples.
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