A Saiyan's Journey

After taking the bus back to the outskirts of Cairo, Zuke rented a room at a hotel. Sitting on the bed, he held the arrow he'd taken from the box, feeling a bit nervous.

He could vaguely sense that this arrow seemed to be selecting him, which gradually eased his earlier worries.

After all, awakening a Stand has nothing to do with one's physical strength and is entirely dependent on innate qualifications. Even the strongest physical condition would be insufficient for a Stand awakening if one lacks the necessary qualifications.

However, this arrow was somewhat unique. Known as the "Arrow" used by Yoshihiro Kira in Part 4, it automatically seeks out those with Stand potential.

In the plot of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4, Yoshihiro Kira used the arrow's tracking ability to find individuals with Stand potential, awakening their Stands to hinder the main characters.

Now, the arrow seemed to act like a weakly magnetic compass—not pointing directly at him, but still leaning toward him.

This meant that the arrow acknowledged his qualifications, recognizing that he could awaken a Stand. In the original story, all the arrow's targets awakened a Stand, boasting a 100% success rate, so Zuke felt confident he could also awaken one.

What made him nervous was the nature of his Stand's ability. He wasn't expecting a time-based ability, but something like the "Heaven's Door" power would be nice.

"Let me see the power of a Stand from the JoJo world."

Zuke raised the arrow in his right hand and stabbed it into his left. Though according to Part 6, just pricking his finger would suffice, he felt a sense of ritual was necessary.

Besides, Jolyne Cujoh's Stand in Part 6 wasn't very strong initially, and he wondered if it was because the wound wasn't big enough.

While it might just be superstition, Zuke chose to play it safe. After all, even if he punctured his hand, his body, strengthened by Ki, would heal faster than an ordinary person's and wouldn't hinder his combat ability.

A moment later, the sharp blade of the arrow pierced Zuke's palm, but...

Clang!

The blade seemed to strike a tenacious surface. Although his skin indented slightly, the arrow failed to pierce his left hand.

"…Ah, right. I forgot to turn off my Ki."

Zuke was momentarily stunned, then remembered that he maintained a continuous flow of Ki throughout his body to avoid oversight in Dragon Ball.

In the Dragon Ball world, bodily durability relies on Ki, and if one relaxes, neglecting to shield their body with Ki, their durability plummets.

Instances like Goku getting scratched by a bullet, knocked out by tranquilizers, or shot in the chest by Frieza's laser happened when he'd let his guard down and withdrawn his Ki.

Naturally, Zuke didn't want to face such a predicament. Since gaining full control over his Ki, he had begun making Ki protection a habit.

He'd already grown accustomed to this feeling, as the Ki shield didn't make his body feel like iron; it felt quite normal to the touch.

But breaking through his defense wasn't so easy.

Having fully acclimatized to this, he'd forgotten he still had his body shielded with Ki, causing the arrow to leave no mark.

"This at least shows I've successfully integrated Ki defense," he thought, pleased. Zuke removed the Ki shield from his left hand, then infused more Ki into the arrow to make it sharper, just in case the stab wasn't potent enough.

The next instant, he thrust down, and his left hand was easily pierced. Pain surged from his palm as a mysterious force began to flow through the wound.

Zuke knew it was likely the virus from the arrow.

The arrow's Stand-awakening mechanism is simple: the arrowheads are crafted from extraterrestrial meteorite material and carry an alien virus that invades the body through the wound.

The virus is lethal; without sufficient qualification, a person would die from it. Those with the qualification, however, are immune to its harmful effects.

Survivors, as a reward for overcoming this biological selection, awaken a Stand, undergoing a transformation on both mental and spiritual levels.

The virus isn't the Stand itself but serves as a filtering mechanism.

Through his Ki perception, Zuke sensed the foreign matter invading his hand, but soon he felt the pain ease, and even the wound began to close.

Observing this, Zuke understood—the virus had finished testing him. He had passed its test with hardly any pain.

As the wound healed, Zuke sensed a transformation in his spirit and soul, a new force swelling within him, ready to break free, like an animal shedding its skin.

Curiously, a name surfaced in his mind, as if by instinct. He whispered it with a feeling of innate recognition:

"BlackBird!"

A black shadow surged from his back, a swirling mass of darkness taking form, molding into a tall figure.

Draped in a black feathered cloak, with flowing dark hair and studded black clothing, the figure was entirely cloaked in darkness, embodying Zuke's newfound power.

Turning to face this imposing black figure, Zuke sensed it as an extension of his own body, controlled by his will and brimming with potent spiritual energy.

"So, this is my Stand… BlackBird!"

To be continued…

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