November 1997, Japan
Water. Unrelenting water.
That was the first thought that came to his aching head as he came to. Looking around, he noticed he was in a hospital bed and an IV was in his arm. Next to him was a woman, presumably a doctor or nurse, with a name tag that read Holy Joestar-Kira. "You are very lucky to be alive right now, Josefumi-kun."
"Kira-sama?" Josefumi groaned.
"My son helped me save you, though with some attitude," continued Kira. "Had he waited a few seconds longer, you would have died from a brain hemorrhage."
"A brain hemorrhage?"
"Yes, when oxygen cannot reach your brain properly," Kira explained as she shook her head.
"So your son helped save me? I didn't think anyone ever cared about me," Josefumi asked sadly.
"People care about you, Josefumi-kun. Ever since the death of my great-grandfather, my family has always brought selfless service as a core ideal to strive for. So my children and I will always care for people like you."
"I wish my mother taught me that," he said quietly.
"Then consider yourself a part of my family," Kira said with the kindest smile Josefumi had ever seen. "You have a birthmark to match mine." She pointed to a star-shaped mark on the back of Josefumi's left shoulder. "That is the mark of unflinching nobility."
June 1877, England
Tears were still flowing as Johnny watched Danny run into the woods. Nicholas stood by his kneeling brother and softly rubbed his shoulders. "Danny will be happier free, and Father will never know what happened," the older Joestar said quietly. Johnny nodded in return, his eyes lost track of his old pet mouse.
When Johnny stood up, he hugged Nicholas tightly. "Thank you," he whispered. "I didn't want to kill Danny."
"I know, Jojo. But that's what it means to be a good person, to find more creative solutions to the world's problems. Sometimes, life is unfair, just like Father. And it's up to people like us to right the wrongs we are presented."
Johnny smiled at that. He wanted to be a good person, just like Nicholas. And one day, they would race horses together. The entire world would know of the Joestar Brothers' skills with horses and unflinching nobility.
June 2000, United States
"Dinner's ready!"
Jolyne Cujoh trudged into the dining room, her brow lowered into a deep scowl. "I want Daddy to be here for dinner!"
"Jojo, Daddy won't be here for another few days. He has important work to do in Japan," her mother sighed. She too missed her husband.
"But doesn't Daddy love me more than his work?" Jolyne asked.
"Of course he does, Jojo. The work Daddy does helps protect and provide for you."
"Then Daddy should protect me here at home!" she demanded.
"When I first met your Daddy, he told me about a long trip he took with Grandpa Joseph to save his mother from a sickness. I loved to hear that story from him, how despite not having a father he always knew the right thing to do. He called it the unflinching nobility of his family, his responsibility to help others," her mother explained. "It's something he is showing right now in his work, and it's something I hope you will show when you are as strong as him."
"Daddy is noble?" Jolyne asked.
"Yes, the noblest man I ever met. You have the same mark as he does to prove it, that star on your shoulder."
Jolyne smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. "I hope that one day I'll get to save you like Daddy saved Grandma Holly."
Her mother smiled at that. "I bet you will, Jojo."
March 1996, Italy
There was a tugging sensation in his shoulder as he looked at the man sitting on the sidewalk. He wore a dark hoodie with the hood up and a cup sat by his side filled with a few coins. This man was homeless, likely losing all his money from drug abuse.
Giorno lowered and put a few coins into the cup, some of the allowance his step-father started giving him. The homeless man looked up at him and flashed a smile, though he was missing a few teeth. "May God bless your pursuits just as you have blessed mine," he said hoarsely.
The child nodded in return. "Thank you, though I hope God blesses you more than me," he said politely.
"I see something in your eye," the homeless man continued, getting a better look at the child. "It's beautiful, like a rare diamond in the desert."
"My eyes?"
"Yes, the way your eyes sparkle as if you are part of something greater than you know. And the way they narrow at the sides to hint at something much darker. That your inheritance is of two great powers, good and evil."
"That doesn't make any sense," Giorno replied with a nervous smile.
"Look in a mirror, child. And see what I see: the two sides of a single coin, the coin of unflinching nobility."
Giorno nodded and continued on his way. He glanced back at the homeless man who had lowered his head back to the concrete sidewalk and wished that he knew what he was talking about, and that there was something he could do to get rid of the problem he and so many other people were struggling with.
December 1990, Japan
Josuke stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his hands up in his dark hair attempting to style it into a pompadour. His mother stood behind him, helping the young boy learn how to do it himself.
"I can't believe you still want to wear your hair like this, Josuke," she sighed. "It fell out of fashion when I was a kid."
"Mom, I want to be just like the guy who saved me! Even if people don't like it, I know I'll be just like him! Just like Grandpa!" Josuke said.
"You remind me so much of your father, too," Tomoko said. "He has that same need to help people just like you."
"But I never met my father, Mom."
"I hope you will one day and see just what I mean. You have the same birthmark as him on your shoulder. He called it unflinching nobility."
"Unflinching nobility? What does that mean?" Josuke asked as the two finished the pompadour.
"It means doing the right thing no matter what, to protect the people you care about, and even the people you don't."
"Doesn't Grandpa have that too?"
"He sure does and I believe you will have it just like Grandpa and your father. And just like that stranger you want your hair modeled after."
February 1980, Japan
"Mom, I'm home from school," the young boy called out as he took his shoes off after entering his home.
"That's great, Jojo!" Holly Kujo called out as she entered the living room. "How was your day at-Oh my God what happened!"
Jotaro Kujo's face was battered and bruised and his knuckles had dried blood on them. "I saw some high schoolers bully a classmate so I hit them," he replied simply.
"You beat up older kids?"
"No, they hurt me more than I hit them. But I couldn't let them hurt him! You always said that true evil bully the weak, so I had to fight them!" Jotaro explained himself.
Holly smiled and kneeled down to hug her friend. "I'm so proud of you for standing up for your friend. What was his name?"
"Noriaki, he's a quiet boy in my class."
"I'll make sure to tell his parents what happened. It's good that you know what evil is and can stand against it, Jojo. It's something that every member of our family does."
"I thought Grandpa Joseph's story was like a fairy tale, Mom," Jotaro said.
"Oh, he loves to embellish the stories of his travels. But he still fights against evil, just as you do. It's that unflinching nobility he told me about when I was a little girl."
September 1930, United States
Central Park was never as pretty as the postcards made it look, at least that's what Joseph thought to himself as he walked through it. It was filled with homeless people in makeshift tents barely surviving.
"You know, I met your grandfather in a place not too different than this," Uncle Speedwagon said as they walked through what was called a Hooverville. "He showed me a path of nobility that was beyond simple birthright. It was something you lived in your everyday deeds, no matter what economic status you fall under."
"Uncle Speedwagon, all that's left of my family is Granny Erina, so a lot of good that nobility does," Joseph retorted.
"Don't say things like that, Jojo. Your grandfather and father were some of the most noble men I have ever met, and if it wasn't for Jonathan, I would still be living in the slums of London. And besides, it would break Erina's heart if you said things like that."
Joseph nodded. "Granny Erina won't tell me what happened to my grandfather. She says knowing too much would bring me a similar fate."
"I'm afraid she is correct. Knowing the truth killed your parents, Jojo. She couldn't stand another Joestar meeting the same fate," Speedwagon sighed.
The two walked in silence for a few moments. "Why are we here, Uncle Speedwagon?" Joseph asked.
"I want you to see what happens when greed festers in the hearts of the powerful. These people were made homeless because of greed. Evil is when you exploit the weak for your own gain," he said.
Joseph took a long look at the jury rigged homes that filled the space of Central Park. People of all colors and ages sat around campfires, and Joseph swore to himself that he would never turn out like this.
Speedwagon clasped his shoulders. "Do not take the wrong message from this experience, Jojo. This is not about being like them, it's about preventing this from happening in the first place. People like us have the power to improve their lives and we have the duty to do so. Your grandfather taught me that in his unflinching nobility."
With a whistle from the Londoner, a few people from the Speedwagon Foundation brought carts of food and blankets for the homeless masses. "I've already hired several dozen people from this place, but I wish I could do more," Speedwagon said.
Joseph nodded and moved to help pass out blankets with the other Speedwagon Foundation members. Many parents cried tears of joy when he brought them warmth for their children and thanked the boy profusely. There was a calming feeling in his left shoulder when he did so, as if his own family was affirming to him that he was doing the right thing.
February 1874, England
Jonathan Joestar wrapped himself into his blankets in bed, and his father sat next to him. "What does it mean to be a gentleman, Father?" the boy asked.
"It means to be noble at all times and help others no matter what. The truest mark of a gentleman is how he treats those of lower status," George Joestar answered. "And being a gentleman does not mean you are rich, a gentleman can appear in any form. Our lives were saved once by a gentleman by the name Dario Brando, who was terribly poor. But because he took pity on me and saved our lives, I owe him everything."
"They can come from anywhere? I want to be a gentleman too!" Jonathan said eagerly.
"I know you do, my son. I believe that you will exemplify all that is good in this world. You will be kind, just, and strong. You will fight not because you want to, but because you have to. A gentleman does not pick fights for his own gain, but fights for the honor of someone else."
"Like who?"
"Maybe a young woman's honor will need protecting or a great injustice will present itself to you. You may not know what your future will hold, Jonathan, but I believe you will make the world a better place."
Jonathan smiled at his father. "I love you, Father. Good night."
"Good night, Jojo. I love you too."