Chapter Text
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Giorno was looking over the documents which were piled up on his desk. Despite his appearance five months ago, Diavolo had kept everything organized and reports were easily accessible. It was no longer a surprise that he quickly found out if there was someone who intended to betray him.
The young Don sighed. There were still some members of the old Passione who could be a threat if he didn't take action soon, especially the narcotics team, and the issue about—
A knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. He recognized by the pattern that it was Mista. The gunslinger always took great care to knock three times. Knocking two times is the same as knocking four times since two times two equals four and four is bad luck, he had explained once.
"Come in."
Mista entered, closing the door behind him but not stepping further inside. "I know you're busy and all that but there's a guy who wants to talk to you. Doctor Jotaro Kujo, says he's here on behalf of the Speedwagon Foundation and the Joestar family."
Giorno hummed, he had heard of the Speedwagon Foundation briefly, but the Joestar family? What could they want with Passione, much less Giorno?
"Let him inside, please."
Mista nodded curtly. "But let me warn ya, the man's massive!", he said before leaving within the blink of an eye.
Not even five minutes later, Giorno heard knocking again. He decided to stand up and put the paperwork aside for now.
"Come in," he called, again.
Mista entered, this time, however, followed by a towering man who was wearing white pants, a white coat and a white cap.
Giorno nodded to his friend. "Thank you, Mista. You can go now."
The gunslinger wasted no second as he left and Giorno held his hand out for the man in front of him while taking a few steps closer to him.
"Doctor Kujo. I'm Giorno Giovanna. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Dr Kujo shook his hand and said, "I know. I assume your... teammate told you that I was here on behalf of the Speedwagon Foundation and the Joestar family."
"That's correct," Giorno confirmed and motioned to the two couches that were facing each other. "Please, have a seat."
They sat down across from each other and Giorno couldn't help but wonder why Dr Kujo was there. He hoped it wasn't too obvious on his face.
"Now, you're most likely wondering why I'm here and what the Joestar family would want from Passione."
Giorno nodded, but didn't interrupt.
"To sum it up," Dr Kujo continued, "The Speedwagon Foundation has been keeping an eye on you because of who your father was and since I'm both, a member of the Joestar family and occasionally work with the Foundation, I decided to come personally. Before that, a boy named Koichi was here five months ago. I believe you've met?"
Ah, yes. Koichi. Giorno remembered him. "Yes, I have met him." He couldn't help his curiosity and just had to know, "You mentioned my father. Do you by any chance know him?"
Giorno never knew his birth father, the photo in his wallet was the only thing he had of him. He had been wishing to find out more about him ever since he found the picture in his mother's drawer.
"That's why I'm here," Dr Kujo said. "But it's a long and complicated story, so I'll need you to listen carefully."
"Of course."
The boy watched him sigh deeply before he started talking again.
"Dio Brando— your father— was a British man who was adopted by George Joestar I in 1880 and therefore became the adopted brother of Jonathan Joestar. My great great grandfather."
1880? That was 121 years ago! How could it be? Giorno knew, there must've been a plausible explanation for it. If Stands existed, why shouldn't something like that be possible too?
Dr Kujo took a picture from the inside of his coat and put it on the coffee table in front of them.
"This is a stone mask that was made hundred thousands of years ago by the Aztecs. There are many masks all over the world, including here in Italy. According to the reports written by Speedwagon himself, these masks allow humans to become vampires. Apparently, one was in the possession of the Joestars and Dio used it to gain immortality."
Giorno didn't know what to think. His father was a vampire? From the late nineteenth century? How had his mother even met him?
"It gets even more absurd. Do you have a picture of your father?"
Giorno took his wallet out and showed the photo to Dr Kujo.
"How'd you get this?"
"I found it in my mother's drawer when I was about six years old."
Dr Kujo hummed, seemingly in thoughts. "Before I continue, let me ask you a question."
Giorno nodded.
"Why do you keep a photo of this man in your wallet? Answer as if a friend asked you and not me."
Giorno paused. Why did he... He took a deep breath. "I've never exactly had a father figure in my life and my mother was barely there to take care of me. My stepfather and her weren't at home when I found the picture and I was too focused on it to hear the front door. When I saw my mother standing in the room, my first thought was that she'd get angry at me for snooping through her things.
"But she sat me down on her bed, instead. She explained that this man was my biological father and that he was either dead or somewhere on the other side of the world. Back then, I only heard that my father was dead and that I would never be able to meet him. Looking at the photo, I've always wondered how he would've been. Would he have been just like my stepfather or would he have treated me lovingly?
"This picture is what brought me closer to my mother, in a way. So, it became important to me. When I was younger, I would often wonder if I was like him at all. There are still times when I do."
Dr Kujo hummed, taking all the information in. "That star on his left shoulder is the Joestar birthmark. Every family member has it. It's like a bond that connects every family member.," he then said. "Have you ever checked your left shoulder?"
Giorno shook his head slightly. "No, I have not. However...," he hesitated. "Didn't you say my father was adopted? Surely there could've been no way for him to have the birthmark."
Dr Kujo nodded. "That's the point. If you look closely, there's a scar around his neck. That scar is separating his head and Jonathan Joestar's body."
Giorno's eyes widened. How could that be possible? "How...," he began but the words died down on his tongue.
"In 1888, Jonathan died on a ship, along with all the other passengers. Only his wife, Erina, and a baby made it out alive. That's what should've been, anyway. What people didn't know was that Dio managed to get out in a coffin. More or less a hundred years later, in 1983, the coffin was found. That's how he was able to escape to Cairo."
That was a lot to take in and Giorno felt like this was not everything. "If he was in Cairo, how did he die?"
Dr Kujo sighed, which didn't help Giorno at all. The dreading feeling was getting even bigger.
"You have a Requiem Stand, right? So you know about the Stand Arrows."
"Yes."
"Now, like I mentioned before, every member of the Joestar family is connected. When Dio pierced himself with the arrow to obtain his Stand, the rest of us got a Stand too. My grandfather Joseph, my mother and me. But people with no fighting spirit aren't able to survive having a Stand and my mother was one of those people. She had fifty days before her Stand killed her and my grandfather and I left to hunt Dio down, along with three other men and a dog."
He sighed again and Giorno knew whatever he was going to say now, it'd be unpleasant to hear. So far, his father didn't seem to be how he had imagined. It was disappointing, to say the least.
"I don't know what you hoped to hear about Dio, but it must've been far from all of this. Dio was a ruthless and cruel man, ready to go great lengths to get what he wanted. I admit, his ambition was admirable but it would've been better if he had used it for the right things. Your father died because I killed him to save my mother and to avenge my three friends who died because of him."
Giorno didn't react for a moment. He didn't know how to react. His father was basically the biggest piece of shit to exist and his killer sat in front of him. The young Don could already feel the headache coming in.
On one hand, he understood why Dr Kujo had to kill his father but a small part of him couldn't help but ask what about me? What about the boy who could've known his father?
What about Haruno?
Giorno quickly forced himself to regain his composure. "Are you here to kill me, Dr Kujo?", he asked.
Dr Kujo leaned back. "No. If I was, I would've made it clear from the beginning. I'm merely here to answer your questions about Dio and to tell you that you're a member of the Joestar family. Our family. Plus, there's a favor the Speedwagon Foundation has to ask. If it's not too much trouble, of course."
Giorno hummed, nodding. He hadn't even seen his Stand but Dr Kujo seemed to be a powerful User. Giorno was relieved to know that he wasn't this man's enemy. But... was Dr Kujo his enemy?
"Of course not," he replied. "However, before we discuss business matters, I would like to ask something."
"Sure."
"Do I..." He hesitated. Should he really ask? But Giorno had to know! And there was no other way than to directly ask. "Am I similar to my father?"
He heard Dr Kujo take a deep breath in. It seemed like he had anticipated this question.
"You are, in some ways," he answered.
Giorno didn't know wether to think of it as good or bad.
"If we go by physical appearance, you're his spitting image, aside from the eye color. When Koichi had told me that your hair turned blond without dyeing it, I immediately thought of Dio. The reason the Speedwagon Foundation felt the need to observe you in the first place was because we were wary that you could be a threat like he once was."
His father was so dangerous that they thought it could be inheritable? Giorno's inner conflict was more and more growing; he hated it. But that also made him think. Polnareff had once mentioned that Gold Experience Requiem's Stand Cry was exactly like the one a former enemy had. Could it be that Polnareff had been accompanying Dr Kujo thirteen years ago?
Only one way to find out. "Dr Kujo, do you by any chance remember if my father had a specific Stand Cry?"
This question seemed to have taken him by surprise. It was understandable, asking about a Stand Cry hadn't been on Giorno's mind either.
"He had one," Dr Kujo then answered. "It was muda, I think."
Exactly the same as Gold Experience's, Giorno thought. "Gold Experience Requiem has the same Stand Cry. Thinking about wether they were inheritable or not was not on my plan, to be honest."
Dr Kujo hummed. "No, I don't think anyone would plan on thinking about that. Much less considering it to be a possibility. But, how did you even come up with asking that?"
"My second-in-command, Polnareff, had mentioned once that it reminded him of a former enemy but he never specified who his enemy was. Is there a possibility that he accompanied you back then?"
The man's eyes widened with surprise but also recognition, answering Giorno's question.
"Jean Pierre Polnareff. He was one of the three men who went with us. We met him in Hong Kong during our journey but he had been against us at that time. Dio was able to manipulate people to obey him by placing a flesh bud on their forehead, and Polnareff was one of those unfortunate people. He was originally on the mission to avenge his sister and joined us after Avdol, my grandfather's friend, defeated him."
Giorno noticed that he wanted to say something but decided against it. Instead, the boy answered the unasked question. "Polnareff contacted us during our mission to escort the Boss's daughter to him. We didn't know who he was, at the time, and were suspicious at first. At the Colosseum, where we were supposed to meet him, Diavolo had reached him first and killed him. At the same time, Polnareff's Stand had taken the Arrow, which caused a body swap for everyone. Polnareff's ghost, if you will, has been stuck in a tortoise Stand User ever since."
Dr Kujo pulled his cap down, concealing his eyes. "He always had a knack for getting himself in trouble whenever we left him alone for five minutes."
Giorno was taken aback slightly by the fondness in Dr Kujo's voice. They were clearly good friends.
"If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to see him after this," he then said.
"Of course. I'll bring him."
"Thank you," he smiled slightly, barely noticeable. "Now, back to the matters at hand. Like I said, you look just like Dio but there are also a few traits that remind me of him. Judging from what the reports at the Foundation say, you have his ambition and act ruthless towards your enemies. You also have a certain aura that Dio had. His charisma. To sum it up, you could be his mini-me if you truly wanted to. But you also have a generous and righteous heart. You're kind and determined. The best of both worlds, if you will. The fact that you use those traits to do the right thing say enough about you."
Giorno was beyond relieved. Sure, he'd still be up at night because of his inner conflict but he could live with that. Hearing that he was a good person despite having the traits to be the opposite was oddly comforting to him. But there was still something bothering him.
"Are there any records about vampirism being inheritable?"
"Not that I recall. From what I know, it's unlikely to happen but it would be better if you look out for any signs. Whatever those may be."
"Right. What did the Speedwagon Foundation want from Passione?"
"The stone mask that I mentioned. One is here in Italy. I'll give you the document later. However, I don't want you to personally go near it, given the history."
Giorno nodded. "I understand. We'll take care of it."
"Thank you."
As soon as they were done, Giorno went to get Coco Jumbo. He was still in the middle processing all the information. It truly was a bizarre situation to be in and he'd most likely end up fighting his mind instead of sleeping but at least he now knew what his father was like. Of course, this brought up new questions and speculations but Giorno would let his future self worry about it. He never would've thought that familial bonds would end up being so complicated.
However, he now had a possible solution for his dilemma with the leftover members. Perhaps, Dr Kujo's visit was far more useful than it had already been.
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