Stardust Crusaders: Around The World

The Sun

With Steely Dan finally defeated and saving Joseph on time, the Crusaders got their wounds treated and checked in at a hotel to rest for the remainder of the day. The next day, to avoid the politically unstable route from Iran to Iraq, they crossed the Arabian Sea from Karachi to the United Arab Emirates.

They made a stop at a dealership and Joseph signed a contract to purchase a high end vehicle.

While Jotaro and Noriko waited for Polnareff and Joseph, Noriko kept looking around, sensing something was strange. Her attention immediately turned to Polnareff and Joseph.

"I have one question, Mr. Joestar." Polnareff said. "Why are we taking such an expensive car through the desert? Wouldn't it be better to use an off-road vehicle instead?

Joseph stopped and glanced at everyone with a smirk, "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough." He then tosses the keys to Polnareff.

"Let's go."

*&*&*&*

The Crusaders hit the road in their new fancy vehicle. Joseph and Polnareff sat in the front while the high school students sat in the back.

"Honestly this country is so amazing!" Polnareff exclaimed while driving the vehicle. "Every house is practically a mansion."

"Indeed," Joseph agreed while looking at the map. "Houses like these would cost around anywhere between three to four billion yen in Tokyo." He looked up at the passing mansions. "It's not that unusual here, though. Twenty year agos this place was deserted but thanks to massive profits from the oil crisis, this place grew into a dream-like city."

"It may be hot outside, but with air conditioning, it's really comfortable here." Polnareff stated. "So I really can't complain."

The Frenchman glanced at the rear-view mirror and noticed Noriko looked troubled and was glancing behind the car.

"What's wrong, Noriko?" Jotaro asked the red-haired girl, who also noticed her sudden change of demeanor.

"I-It's nothing." Noriko replied with an assuring smile. "I'm just enjoying the view of this beautiful place. This place is so wide open that it'll be easy to spot anyone who's following us. But... I just can't seem to shake the feeling that someone's watching us, so I can't help looking back."

"Yeah, I can't blame you." Polnareff said. "I feel the same way. With all these different Stand users attacking one after another, you kinda have to keep your guard up constantly."

"Anyway," Joseph said while looking at the map. "As for the route we'll take..." He then pointed at a location on the map. "Yarpline is about one-hundred kilometers northwest from here but because of the mountains and desert, the road curves a lot. Since it's a two-day trip by car, the villagers usually take a Cessna to travel through. I think we should go to the village first, buy a Cessna, then use it to fly across the Saudi Arabian desert. Our travel will be shortened by a lot and we won't have to worry about putting innocent lives at risk since we'll be the only people on the plane."

"I apologize for interrupting, Mr. Joestar, but who's going to pilot the Cessna?" Noriko nervously asked, hoping it wasn't going to be him.

"I am!" Joseph cheerfully answered.

Noriko wasn't happy about this and neither was Jotaro. The delinquent's expression darkened and leaned back against his seat.

"I really don't wanna board on a Cessna with someone who's been through three plane crashes." Jotaro said.

Noriko chuckled under her breath while Joseph frowned at his grandson.

Clearing his throat, Joseph looked back at the map. "Well, anyway, our first order of business is crossing the desert to reach Yarpline. It should take a day by camel."