The JOJOLands - Chapter 24
Dolphin Bank's Debt Collection, Part 3 (ドルフィン銀行の取り立て その③, Dorufin Ginkō no Toritate Sono 3) is the 24th chapter of The JOJOLands and the 981st chapter of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga.
Summary
In the yacht cabin, Jodio Joestar urgently realizes that they are in an emergency situation, as he recalls how Rohan yelled at him about their current Lava Rock being the only remaining one. Due to the vast amount of cash surrounding them, the Lava Rock they possess is deteriorating. Acca Howler is increasingly agitated over the Lava Rock's crumbs. Nonetheless, Charming Man, disguised as Yokohama, urges him to sign the paperwork so that Dolphin Bank has his approval. Acca angrily silences "Yokohama" and interrogates the group about the Lava Rock, pointing a gun at Charming Man's head.
Seeing Jodio whisper to Dragona, Acca shoots three bullets into the wall behind them, demanding that Jodio stops whispering. He suspects whether they are actually bank employees and wonders who they are. Key West interrupts him, wanting to speak with Acca for his own safety since she doesn't know what he's looking for. Howler points his gun at Key West instead, asserting that only he will be asking the questions on the ship and anyone who doesn't give him an acceptable answer would be killed. He then aims his gun toward his sailors, who raise their hands up. Key West hands Acca the Dolphin Bank staff register showing that Yokohama and "Pink" are employees, but Acca shuts her up. He opens up one of the suitcases and lets all the cash spill out onto the ground, ordering Dragona to step into the cash.
Charming Man grows concerned, but Jodio calmly whispers a plan to him. First, he points out how Acca called Dragona a woman, but they should tell Acca that "Pink" actually isn't a woman despite looking like one. Moreover, they should be able to continue with their negotiations. Jodio told Dragona to slightly alter the printing on the bills using Smooth Operators, making them counterfeit. Thus, the bills having no value would prevent them from being attracted to the Lava Rock, and the Lava Rock would also stop deteriorating. Charming Man clarifies to Acca that Pink is a man, but Acca ignores Charming Man and momentarily doubts himself, noticing that nothing is happening to the bills surrounding Dragona.
Refusing to back down, Acca does a body check on Dragona, but finds nothing, even inside the pendant where the Lava Rock was originally being kept. Jodio now holds the Lava Rock, which was likely brought into his hand by Smooth Operators. Suddenly, Key West reports that police and fireboats have appeared outside the yacht, surrounding it. An electrical issue onboard has caused a fire. Jodio points out that it's probably because of the three bullets Acca had shot into the wall. Key West urges them to evacuate, but Charming Man refuses. He presses Acca to quickly complete the land exchange since the police would likely raid the yacht, not because of the fire, but in order to seize Acca's land for the state government. Jodio declares that even though the whole situation sounds absurd, Acca needs to hurry and make up his mind since he should understand that nobody can fight against the movement of money. Key West strongly advises Acca against signing while Acca stresses about his decision.
The scene shifts to a flashback, detailing the troubled past of Paco Laburantes. Paco's father immigrated to Hawaii from Mexico to work at a poultry farm. Since he would stay with random women and return home as a violent drunkard, Paco's mother left the house and never returned, leaving Paco alone to suffer from his father's abuse. One day while punching Paco, his dad was surprised about Paco having such tough muscles. Despite how he was treated, Paco deeply loved his father. Later, in his first year of high school, Paco snatched a checkbook from a woman's purse on the street. By pressing his hand onto its embossed seal, he transferred it onto his skin and used it to stamp fraudulent checks he created. Although he initially did it on a small scale by withdrawing a few hundred dollar amounts, he got arrested when trying to cash in over $10,000 and had to drop out of school.
Paco was actually trying to accumulate money for his father's defense after he was charged for murder. Paco's father had been drunk and passed out on the side of a road, only to find the corpse of a man he didn't recognize next to him with a knife stabbed through his back. Since the knife had the fingerprints of Paco's father, he faced serving a prison term of over 10 years. Paco needed over $30,000 to get insurance and a lawyer to defend him. Later, the school principal, Meryl Mei Qi, confronts Paco on a shady street after seeing him speak with mafia members. She informs him that he and his father were setup by the mafia; the man that was killed was one of their benefactors who became a nuisance to them, so they framed Paco's father and are taking advantage of Paco by pretending to be nice and loaning him money. She hands Paco her business card with Iko Iko's address, urging him to graduate from school and inviting Paco to visit her for help.
In the present, Paco and Usagi learn from a school security guard that Meryl Mei just stepped out from her office with some police officers moments before they arrived. She hadn't left any note for them, so Paco asks for permission to enter her office. Inside, they find the broken keyboard, drops of blood all over the table, and Meryl's detached fingers on the ground. Usagi starts screaming and crying. Realizing they abducted Meryl Mei, Paco furiously swears revenge against those responsible.
Appearances
Author's Comment
Gallery
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Ultra Jump April 2025 Cover -
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At a Confessional Stickers in Ultra Jump April 2025 -
At a Confessional Stickers in Ultra Jump April 2025 (Sample)
Trivia
- The documents that Charming Man wants Acca Howler to sign has text from the "This is Love" article by Yasmin Mogahed and "Degrading Influence of Fashion" by Utako Shimoda.[2][3]
