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Vento Aureo SBR AU: Golden Blood
Chapter 13: Dynasties be Damned
Mista, Trish, and Narancia all sit awkwardly on the three seated couch as they look at the most intimidating display of a staring contest never seen in any way, shape, and form before. On one side of the living room sat both Bruno Bucciarati and ABBA staring incredulously at the tall, very tall, pink haired woman, who had a hardened glare on her. A glare only achievable from surviving a hard life, Hot Pants Joestar, mother of the notorious Giorno Joestar.
The tension between them was palpable, so thick it could be cut with a knife, and if it weren't for the overactive imagination of the three kids present, it wouldn't be incorrect to assume that they would come to blows.
"What does Giorno see in you, Mr. Bucciarati?" H. P. asked inquisitively. Each word felt less like the voice of a woman, and more so as a gunshot permeating through the humid air.
"We share exactly the same ideology, Ms. Joestar." Bucciarati's calm, deep voice responded, a juxtaposition to the power of H. P.'s.
"That being?"
"We both want the streets of Manhattan liberated from its grip and dependency on drugs, like Opium and cocaine. We believe a moral evil, a poison to society. It is an ideology that we are both willing to resort to using deadly force to maintain."
H. P. pursed her lips, nodding as she hummed in response. "So, it seems that he already told you about what that night, about what I told him…"
"He has, it is a noble goal, but having him join Passione as a mafioso is something I cannot accept. Something I already refused to help him with. It is not a place to be honorable, it is a place of indentured servitude because there was no other choice." Bucciarati's voice dipped down into sadness, as he remembered his padre, how he never wanted him to join the mob life even as Italy burned. "A choice turned into obligation with the price of blood."
"And yet you still attract the attention of young boys and girls who have nowhere else to go," H. P.'s gaze turned to the three children present. Mista, Trish, and Narancia, all extremely powerful in their own right, whether that be combative skill, or political power, still felt incredibly meek under the potent gaze of the ex-nun. "Why is that? So, they can become like you?"
H. P. didn't fail to notice ABBA's eye twitch under their spectacle lenses.
"So that they wouldn't…"
H. P.'s once stern, and rigid face melted into a softer, understanding gaze, because of this relaxation, she seemed to age forty years in a single moment. The wrinkles on her eye bags, the darkness of her eyelids, and grayness of her hair seemed to be more prevalent than ever.
"My biggest fear when it comes to Gio-jo is that he is going to chase a dream for so far that he will become in over his head, having to be caught up with Fate and Family legacy. Just like his surrogate uncle, and his father." She sighed, as she looked up at the wooden ceiling. "I just don't want to lose him to fate, just as I lost those two."
"I, uh… don't mean to sound insensitive, Ms. Joestar, but who are you referring to?" Bucciarati awkwardly cleared his throat.
H. P. let out a curt chuckle, as her lips twitched upwards slightly. "Of course, you wouldn't understand if I didn't give you more context." She sighs as she begins. "During the Steel Ball Run, I had a… moment with another participant. His name was Diego Brando…"
Mista nearly lost his absolute mcfucking marbles. Diego Brando, heralded as one of the greatest jockeys in the modern times, from Cheshire, England. His father actually met the man before the start of the Steel Ball Run, to which he didn't have a high opinion on. He was snarky, arrogant, exuded smarminess of the highest offense, but would always back his words with skill, precision. His father described him as a "bastard with a set of perfect teeth that needed punching, but you cannot bring yourself to because you believe every word he says as fact."
How did I not notice the similarities between Giorno and Diego Brando? The long, elegant hair, the blue eyes, the perpetual self-confidence unaffected by words or the environment, the fact that he even said his father participated in the Steel Ball Run. Diego Brando is his father! Mista thought to himself.
He clenched his teeth shut so as to not interrupt the conversation and seemed rude.
"After which we joined forces to… complete the race. However, he uh…" H. P. swallowed hard. "He died during the race I never… got to say goodbye to him." That day flashed in her mind. Diego's body was torn completely in half by the train, a smile on his face believing he had vanquished President Funny Valentine.
"I never got to tell him I was pregnant. Maybe in another life, in another time I would have married him. Maybe he would have loved Giorno, and vice versa."
Silence loomed over the house as she finished, only being broken up by the idle breathing of all 6 bodies in the room.
"And of the 'surrogate uncle?'" Bucciarati asked, calmly but with sympathy in his voice.
"After Diego's passing, Johnny Joestar and his wife, Rina stepped up to help me take care of baby Giorno. Using his funds to buy me a house, securing me a job at a ranch, and giving me connections. He was the one who allowed me to have Joestar as my last name, as I completely disowned myself after everything." She paused to wipe away the tears from her eyes. "He died in 1901… A rock crushed his head. Everyone believed Rina had murdered him, but it was then deemed accidental. No one ever blamed her for what happened. But it hurt me greatly and left Giorno devastated. Since then, he hasn't had any proper father figures in his life. Letting him develop his uncanny skills to be a walking calamity, all because no one was there to properly discipline him."
"I am very sorry for your loss, Ms. Joestar. I am sure raising a child, especially a child such as Giorno, was hard."
"Raising a child such as Giorno without a man is hard, but my boot is harder." H. P. chuckled dryly. "I'd do anything to protect him, just as you would protect your own."
"Every young child at some point has had to briskly follow an older man who knew what he was doing and tried not to get in his way. For most people it's their father. For boys such as Narancia and Fugo, it is Bucciarati." ABBA finally spoke. "Maybe Giorno can finally see Bucciarati as such."
"Speaking of Fugo…" Bucciarati interjected. "I noticed that since the first day he met Giorno he has been nothing but… hostile towards him. And he said something during their confrontation at the restaurant, and then Giorno shouted about Gyro Zeppeli, Fugo's deceased eldest brother. What was the root of his resentment?"
H. P. sighed. Welp, I knew this would come eventually. "During the Steel Ball Run, Johnny met Gyro, however, Gyro died before the end of the race. Since then, Johnny along with some Steel Agency operatives sent his body back to his birthplace of Naples, Italy. They used to be a family of the most skilled executioners under the king. But with Gyro's death, and the collapse of the Kingdom of Naples. The Zeppeli family fell off the face of the earth, losing literally everything. All because Gyro wanted to save a falsely convicted boy from being executed by him."
She paused as she reminisced of her old friends. "I talked to him after he got back from Italy, how he was denounced by Gregorio, how the Zeppeli family will never associate themselves with the Joestars again…"
"So, this all stemmed from Gyro's death?" ABBA asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yes. Now that I think of it, Fugo wasn't born during Gyro's lifetime, so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that his hatred for the Joestars was a result of his father's hatred. Never really understanding the full picture of it."
"The full picture?"
"Gyro died as a result of a secret operation, a conspiracy against Funny Valentine, president of the United States, who tried to achieve the most powerful stand ability of all time to unite the world under the American flag. Me, Johnny, Gyro, and Diego Brando worked together on that operation. Gyro didn't die because of Johnny, he was killed by Funny Valentine, before Johnny killed the president."
Another bout of silence loomed over everyone as they digested the information given to them. "Huh? Wait, are you saying you guys assassinated the President of the United States?" Narancia asked, tilting his head.
"Where do you think he disappeared to after the race? His body was completely annihilated by Johnny's stand, [Tusk Act IV]."
"Huh…" Mista pondered. "Now that you mention it…"
The entire conversation was interrupted by the front door opening. Giorno and Fugo were both caked in blood, whose blood is a mystery for them. They dragged themselves in, the dirty blond-haired boy sitting on a wooden chair, backward, and Giorno on the couch right next to his mother, before laying his head on her lap, both evidently completely exhausted.
"Gio-Jo, what happened?" Hot Pants asked down, concerned for her boy but it fell on deaf ears as Giorno fell asleep completely.
"I'll tell you what happened." Fugo groaned as he rested his head on his forearms. "We were attacked."
"AGAIN?" Everyone cried out, causing the resting Giorno to groan in displeasure.
"Again…" Fugo drawled out.
30 Minutes Earlier.
"I always thought gum should come in more flavors…"
Bucciarati and Ms. Joestar kicked both of us out so we can "get along…"
"Chicelets always end up tasting like shitty tobacco after 2 minutes. Why not change it up, maybe color it different too, like, let's say the color of my hair."
So far, he has been doing nothing but running his mouth about everything, in this case chewing gum.
"It does make a good way to mess with cops, especially when you jam their guns with it."
Every word that comes out of his mouth makes me want to strangle him more. See this is exactly why I say, "Lord, give me wisdom." Because if he gives me strength, I'm going to need bail money.
"What do you think, Fugo?" Giorno asked as he plopped a piece of chewing taffy into his mouth.
"I think you should buy a sewing kit to shut yourself up." Fugo growled without looking over at the Joestar.
"I get it, you're glib," Giorno did not seem deterred in pestering Fugo as they walked down the busy streets of Little Italy. In his mind he thought maybe if he tried a little bit harder, he would get him to soften up. It was hopeful, but although the bubblegum haired boy had the gift of gab when it comes down to getting out of trouble, however, he does not have the same gift when it comes to trying to get someone to hate you less.
"You make it very difficult for me to like you, and if you're trying to change that by talking my ear off, you can stop now because you're not making it a compelling case."
"Well, it couldn't hurt to try!" Giorno smiled at the annoyed blonde who looks like he wants to be anywhere than in the current predicament they are in.
"It will hurt really bad if you don't shut it." Fugo began to seethe, getting increasingly frustrated at Giorno's antics.
"Hmph, no fun…" Giorno muttered, not noticing the stare of a man in a thick green coat staring down at them from a rooftop.
That boy with the blonde hair looks exactly like the boy in the picture that Kento gave me. The man, with a completely metallic hand, thought as he looked at the black and white photo of Fugo, ABBA, and Patrizia after the former's encounter with Spilla. He would know of Ms. Madonna's location. I will have to interrogate him… And who is that boy he is with now? A friend? Or a Nobody… Best to take him out to, as to not give me a problem later.
The man's metallic arm, which is a codependent automaton, transformed into a form of large muzzle rifle.
From his back pocket he grabbed a dark green steel ball before putting it in his arm blaster.
Since my humiliation against Gyro Zeppeli back in the Steel Ball Run, I have been fascinated by the power of the Spin, and I have been spending my years researching its power to weaponize it and enhance it with modern technology. And with the help of Herr Risotto, I was able to perfect my first Spin Powered Weapon: Wunderwaffe FVS 1907.
The Steel Ball from within the blaster began to Spin, generating energy which caused the accents of the arm blaster to glow orange. Let's get some target practice in. GERMAN SCIENCE IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!
The Steel Ball blasted out of the Wunderwaffe at top speeds, spinning through the air causing pockets of condensed air as the effects of spin course throughout the space between the man and the duo.
Fugo immediately feels something is off and decides to body-check Giorno to the ground. "WHAT THE HELL MAN, NOT CO-"
Suddenly the steel ball slammed directly into the concrete, embedding it, but despite it being lodged into the ground, its spin remained undeterred.
"SHIT! IT'S A STEEL BALL, GET DOWN!" The dirty blonde-haired boy cried out as he jumped for cover, as multiple concrete spheres flew out like a mortar, shattering stone, glass windows, and wooden beams. It also struck Fugo in multiple places. Arms, chest, and legs were warped as he tried in vain to evade the attack.
"GAH! FUCK! Ah-" He cried out in agony as he felt most of his ribs break, and the limbs that were damaged all had compound fractures, all breaking the skin.
Giorno, who remained unscathed by the attack, quickly crawled over to the bleeding and broken Fugo, grabbing him by his purple scarf and dragging him into an alleyway, unintentionally (or was it) choking him in the process as they got to relative safety. The man observed from the rooftop, frowning a bit to himself.
How unfortunate, I injured my target more than I wanted to. The consequences of his selflessness, on the Brightside, there will be less resistance from him during the interrogation. The man stepped back a bit before sprinting towards the edge of the building. Using the autonomous enhancements in his leg and torso, jumped powerfully into the sky, easily clearing the road before landing on the other side, on top of another roof.
"Holy shit, that hurt…" Fugo growled out as Giorno completely replicated the blonde boy's skeleton using [Golden Years].
"Oh, don't be such a baby, you were just winded." Giorno tried to reassure, but not bothering to wipe the small smirk on his face.
"Joestar…" Fugo seethed. "I felt my entire sternum shatter. You can obviously see the blood on my jacke- WATCH OUT!"
Giorno, without hesitation, somersaulted forward, grabbing Fugo by his collar and dragging him with him, just as a man slammed down onto the ground, causing spiderweb cracks to form on the ground. The man looked back at the two boys, his hood falling to reveal his mane of golden blonde hair, with a messy ponytail and flat top. The entire right side of his face was under a layer of metal, and his right eye was completely red and glowing.
"Fritz von Stroheim?" Giorno gasped, taking an unconscious step backwards.
"You know this stronzo, Joestar?" Fugo asked, readying his battle stance.
"Yeah! He fought Gyro during the Steel Ball Run according to my Uncle Johnny. And for the record, GOT HIS ASS HANDED BY HIM!" Giorno taunted the ever-stoic Stroheim, who didn't even flinch at the remark.
"Gyro Zeppeli… He was a smart, powerful man. And a worthy opponent…" Stroheim spoke robotically, and in a deep Germanic accent. His constant deadpanned stare made him seem less like a man, and more machine, especially with the metal covering half of his face. "He broke my organic body beyond all repair, but I do not hold any sort of qualms, as he did what he needed to do to survive. And… he taught me a valuable lesson on the power of the spin."
"Then, why are you trying to kill us if you ain't got no qualms?" Giorno asked.
"Because he has information that I need," Stroheim pointed at Fugo. "You are of no use to me… Be gone."
"What type of information?" Fugo questioned.
"The location of Patrizia Madonna…"
Giorno and Fugo gave each other a knowing look, before steeling their resolve yet again for the impending, inevitable fight they are going to have with the German Cyborg. "You're going to need to pry that information out of my cold dead hands…"
"A shame…" Stroheim muttered loudly.
He raised his arm again, before letting out another golden blast, which shot out another steel ball which blitzed through the air. Giorno and Fugo both ducked behind to separate trashcans on each side of the alley's walls.
"Fuck… Shit… He got us drilled in good…"
"Okay we can get out of this as long as we tag team him." Giorno tried to reassure Fugo, who only just shook his head.
"Can't, I already used [Spin Doctor]'s steel balls earlier today, and I can't produce more until tomorrow. So, the game is up…" Fugo sighed. "For what it's worth you seem like a complete fucking asshole and I'm glad you're going to fucking die with me."
"Oh, for Christ's sake. Get a hold of yourself. YOU'RE A ZEPPELI, DAMN IT. ACT LIKE ONE. [Spin Doctor] may not be able to produce steel balls, but it still got two hands, right? Use them!" And with that, Giorno got out from behind the trash can, rushing straight towards Stroheim, leaving Fugo with much to think about.
"Oh? A full-frontal assault, he is planning something as no one can be this foolish." Stroheim fired another steel ball at Giorno.
"[GOLDEN YEARS]!" Giorno cried out as he turned into a western banded gecko, touching the steel ball with enough precision to springboard off the projectile, and, using the spin that coursed through the air and his body, flung himself into the wall, sticking to it.
Gecko Giorno began to skitter across the wall, which caused Stroheim great confusion. Aiming the Wunderwaffe, trying to pinpoint his next move. Is he trying to distract me? Or use up my Steel Ball projectiles? If so, I have a tool for this job.
From his holster, he pulled out a Luger P08 and began to fire at Giorno 7.65x21 Parabellum (or just .30 Luger). Gecko Giorno was quick to dodge the bullets. As the 8th bullet impaged the brick wall, he hopped from off the wall, turning back into a human, trying to forward wheel kick Stroheim, who just sidestepped the bubble gum hair boy. Giorno then decided to try and punch the German cyborg in the solar plexus, only for him to smash his fist into cold steel, full force.
"OW! SON OF A BITCH!" Giorno gripped his hand in agony. "Oh yeah, that's definitely broken…"
"You fool!" Stroheim yelled out in utter disbelief. "Did you seriously try to punch my entirely metallic torso?"
"How the fuck was I supposed to know it was completely made out of metal?" Giorno cried out as tears brimmed his eyes.
"You foolish boy, use your common sens-" WAPOW!
Stroheim flew several feet after getting socked directly in the face by [Spin Doctor] on the still flesh and bone part of his face. "Thanks for the advice…"
"Heh, I knew you'd come around…" Giorno said as he quite literally snapped his broken and bruised fingers back into their original places.
"Shut it, what's the plan?" Fugo asked, not taking his eye off of the German Cyborg, who is currently trying to pick himself off the ground.
"First, we need to disable that arm cannon-thing. It shoots steel balls with the Power of Spin. Then, it's just a matter of how much damage he can take before it is completely inoperable. You got any steel balls on you?"
"No."
"WHAT TYPE OF SPIN USER ARE YOU, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE ON YOU AT ALL TIMES!"
"Do you have a Steel Ball on you then, assclown?"
"No, I don't use Spin."
"Funny how that works…" Fugo grumbled as Giorno scoffed, rolling his eyes. "We'll have to steal one from him. Let's do a Hercules Beetle pincer movement, I got high, you get low…"
"WE ARE GOING IN FOR THE WIN, YEE-HAW!" Giorno used [Golden Years] to transform himself into a wolf, sprinting at the Cyborg at top speeds.
Stroheim raised his arm to blast another steel ball directly at the wolf but was forced to dodge when [Spin Doctor], along with Fugo, tried to drill a punch through his brain. Dodging backwards, Giorno lunged at the German, taking a big bite of his reinforced metal legs. A wolf has an average bite force of about 406 pounds per square inch (psi,) crushing the leg ever so slightly before getting whacked on the top of his canine head with Stroheim's metal arm, letting out a doglike yelp.
Stroheim looked up just as [Spin Doctor] threw another haymaker, but the German was quick to dodge it, trying to reciprocate with a punch of his own using his human first into the blonde boy's cheek. Fugo ducked and rolled completely out the way, watching as Stroheim's fist punch a hole through the brick wall behind it.
"The hell? That was with your flesh arm, how are you so strong?" Fugo asked, obviously a bit shaken by the fate he just evaded.
"Exoskeleton." Stroheim simply replied, pulling back the sleeve of his military green cloak, revealing the steel exoskeleton which traveled down his forearm into metal knuckles which added to the strength of the punch.
"Shit, Giorno, we gotta run. We're completely outmatched!" Fugo yelled out as he turned tail, sprinting out of the alley with Giorno not far behind him.
"You can run, but your stamina is limited by your human bodies. I have no such weakness!" Stroheim shouted before jumping upwards with an exoskeleton assist.
It was true, since the Steel Ball Run, Stroheim had to replace nearly all of his organs due to them being destroyed by Gyro's onslaught. Which included his entire respiratory system. Now he had no real reason to breathe because everything is mechanical, meaning he could simply run the duo down until they collapsed with exhaustion, something that is very apparent due to the entire day of insanity they went through, constantly fighting the rest of the Pact of Blood.
However, Stroheim would be lying if he said he didn't miss the simple pleasure of feeling his body at all. The only parts of him that remained organic was the left side of his face, his left arm, and his reproductive system. He constantly felt numb, and cold, which slowly chipped away at both his mental health and sanity.
"On the roof! He's on the damn roof!" Giorno shouted as both boys sprinted down the streets, looking over his shoulder he saw the German Cyborg jump over streets and land on roofs with ease. "Shit, he's catching up fast!"
"Use your stand and turn yourself to a horse, maybe we can have a chance to lose him." Fugo suggested, focusing on the path in front of him, rather than the hazard behind him.
"I don't know if you know this," the bubble gum haired boy wheezed out in exasperation. "But I can't turn myself into anything larger than a Utahraptor, otherwise I will drain all of my energy and pass out!"
"I don't know if you know this, Joestar, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW BIG A FUCKING UTAHRAPTOR IS!" Fugo retorted furiously. "Turn into a Utahraptor then, let me ride on top!"
"Absolutely fucking not, that sounds humiliating!" Giorno fired back just as Stroheim propelled himself off the roof with an exojump, landing right in front of the pair and immediately firing the Wunderwaffe at them.
Both dodged yet again, but the Steel Ball made a sharp curve, slamming into Giorno's backside and throwing him off his feet, sending him starfishing through the air and slamming chest-first into a brick wall, before landing on his head. He immediately grabbed his head as he began to unconsciously kick his legs from his brain stuttering. His peripherals were completely blurred, and the patches of his vision that weren't spotty were now tinted completely red. Not only did he get a concussion from the attack, but he also burst an eye vessel.
"Ugh," Giorno tried to muster everything in him to try and not vomit then and there. He then slurred out, "The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race..."
"Have you gone idiot? What the hell are you even saying anymore?" Fugo yelled out, totally not concerned. No sir. And for the record, Giorno has.
"I might be crazy, but even I couldn't make out what he said…" Stroheim mumbled as the Steel Ball returned to his hand, placing it back into the Wunderwaffe. "It is just you and me now, child. Surrender and I will consider letting your friend here live."
Fugo glanced down at Giorno, whose sky-blue eyes were unfocused, and his pupils were both varying in size as blood oozed out of his cracked skull. He looked unsure of where he was, who he was, and which direction was up. Very different from the confident, always grinning Giorno that he'd want to strangle.
We are Zeppelis… Fugo can faintly hear his father's voice whisper to him. You would make Gyro proud.
"No." Fugo responded as [Spin Doctor] roared out threateningly at the German Cyborg.
Stroheim's face betrayed nothing as he let out a blast of the Wunderwaffe, to which the Zeppeli spin dodged it, rushing towards him. Stroheim tried to aim his arm cannon for the Steel Ball to return into the barrel, only for the dirty blonde-haired boy to get on the ground and kick him in the chin, sending him staggering back. Fugo then spring boarded into the air, flipping to and counter spinning the Steel Ball to halt it.
"You may have weaponized Spin, but you neglected to use its other uses." Fugo spat.
Stroheim let out a grunt of annoyance before strafing backwards, pulling out his pistol and loading it from the top before firing at Fugo, who used Spin to tighten the flesh of his arms. The Spin User hissed in slight pain as the bullets impacted his hardened skin, feeling like he was hit by a marble, rather than a bullet. "Spin may be used to destroy, but also enhance."
Hello, Golden Rectangle. Fugo smirked as he saw that the proportions of Stroheim's robotic eye were 16:9. Using the dimensions of the Golden Rectangle, Fugo launched the Steel Ball, swerving right in front of the German Cyborg and slamming into the wall beside him. The Power of Spin sent shards of brick at Stroheim, embedding themselves deep into his mechanical parts, which is highly inconvenient for him. "[SPIN DOCTOR]!"
ARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARUARU! The purple plague doctor stand roared out as it pummeled Stroheim with its clawed fists. The German Cyborg withstood the attack, never feeling the cracks that were forming all over his body. Instead, he took a swing of his exo-powered right arm, creating an shockwave from how fast and hard he punched, knocking Fugo backwards. Now, it was the Zeppeli that was on the defensive.
Stroheim loaded another Steel Ball into the Wunderwaffe, and fired it at Fugo, who in turn, launched a Steel Ball of his own. Both opposing Spin forces nullify each other, dropping on the ground unceremoniously. The dirty blonde-haired boy lunged to pick them both up, but the German activated a magnet, causing both Steel Balls to return to him, just as the Napoli landed. He angrily punched the ground, as he prepared himself for another Steel Ball onslaught.
What Fugo wasn't expecting was for Stroheim to immediately punch him, dead center in the chest with full force. The exo-boosted punch was loud, but the shattering of the boy's ribs was louder, resonating throughout the street he once stood on. For the second time today, he had his entire rib cage, including his sternum completely annihilated. He coughed out a concerning amount of blood and fell to his knees, a telltale sign of the ribs piercing his lungs.
"Damn it." Stroheim sighed. "I really did not mean to kill you, but you left me no other choice. I will find Patrizia Madonna, with, or without your help. You're going to bleed out, or drown in your own blood, but you…" He turned his attention back towards Giorno, who lay on the ground, still concussed. "You've seen too much."
"Uh…" Giorno wheezed out as the blonde-haired German loomed over him, loading another Steel Ball into the Wunderwaffe.
"Close your eyes and take deep breaths. This will all be over soon; it will be entirely painless. This is my definition of mercy…"
Giorno turned his head to see Fugo finally collapsed onto his elbows as a cascade of blood seemed to be endlessly flowing out of his mouth and nose, making strange noises no human should be making. The entire world seemed to slow around the bubblegum haired boy. No…
Stroheim fired his Wunderwaffe directly at Giorno's face, but in one last ditch attempt to save himself from his impending mortality, the boy leaked a bit of [Golden Years] from his fingertips in an attempt to turn the Steel Ball into a bird, or rabbit, or something. His finger glowed golden before touching the cold hard steel of the Steel Ball, but something strange happened.
The golden glow brightened to exceptional levels as the Steel Ball rotated faster, letting out what seemed like short volts of yellow electricity. Before either Giorno or Stroheim had the time to admire or try and comprehend what was happening, a shockwave of gold blasted from out of the Steel Ball, launching the German Cyborg at least 20 feet away while also giving the Joestar a sudden boost in energy as his concussion seemed to disappear.
Giorno springboarded upwards, standing around and whipping his head around, finding Fugo picking himself off the ground, looking around confused, and no longer making weird noises every time he breathed. What the hell, did the Steel Ball cause the energy from [Golden Years] to dispel everywhere? If that's true, then…
Giorno watched as Fritz von Stroheim struggled to his feet. Mein Gott. What was that power? Stroheim breath hitched slightly as he stood u- Wait… He put a hand on his chest.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I'm breathing… Stroheim tore the buttons off of his military green jacket, and instead of finding cold, cracked metal, he saw white flesh. I can breathe. He looked around, not knowing what to do. I have a mission; Herr Risotto is trusting me to do this.
The German Cyborg(?) steeled his resolve once more, aiming Wunderwaffe, only to realize he hadn't reloaded since trying to execute Giorno. He cursed to himself as he reached behind him to grab his pistol.
"HOLD HIM!" Giorno screamed as both he and Fugo launched themselves at Stroheim, the latter using [Spin Doctor] to restrain both of the German's arms.
The Bubblegum haired teen launched himself into the air and grabbed the metal face plate of the German. If I was able to send a wave of [Golden Years]'s energy and turn his entire chest back into that of a human, then what if… "[GOLDEN YEARS], OVERDRIVE!"
Giorno's hand once again began to glow an iridescent gold, reverberating throughout Stroheim's entire body. Unfortunately, due to the exoskeleton, the German was able to rank his arm away from Fugo, finally grabbing his Luger and aiming it at Giorno, but the dirty blonde-haired boy was faster, grabbing the gun by its barrel and-
BANG!
"ACK, SHIESSE!" Fritz screamed out as he rolled on the ground in agony. "THAT- THAT REALLY HURT!"
The German began to wheeze, trying to ignore the flaring pain in his right hand, as blood squirted out of the wound. He began an uncomfortable laugh that sounded more like a high-pitched wheeze. "I felt that… I can feel… everything!"
Fritz couldn't believe it, but he felt pain again, a feeling he completely forgot about since the Steel Ball Run. He completely forgot the pain he felt when those stone balls crashed into him, taking him entirely out of commission and having to have most of his body replaced with autonomous enhancements, which he became addicted to. But now he can feel! Feel the warm air, feel the heaviness of his arm cannon, feel the cold iron of the exosuit on his skin. And it feels invigorating!
Slowly he reached up his left sleeve, and detached the Wunderwaffe from the stump, letting it drop to the floor before crushing it under his foot. He then dropped his Luger P08 in front of Fugo as a sign of surrender.
"I am done here…" Fritz said with a small smile gracing his face. "I will cease my pursuit… I am going home to my wife and daughter, but if you decide to shoot me as I do so… I understand."
And with that, Fritz von Stroheim turned around and began his trek home.
"Von Stroheim!" Giorno called out, causing the German to pause. "Why are people attacking us to get to Patrizia Madonna?"
Stroheim didn't look back as he said, "That is something I cannot disclose. But rest assured, you will not hear from me again."
Stroheim resumed walking, and Fugo snarled, opting to pick up the Luger, pulling at its slide slightly; he can still see the bullets in the compartment. He pointed the gun at the slow retreating figure of the once cyborg, finger already on the trigger.
That was, until Giorno grabbed it and turned it into a squirrel, which scuttled away as it tried to comprehend its newfound existence.
"Joestar…" Fugo bitterly whispered, but with the unmistakable tone of tiredness in his voice. "Why?"
"He is no longer a threat to us…"
"Don't give that buona fortuna bullshit again-"
"I am not… I just gave him his humanity back. And I don't think he is going to waste it anymore. Give an enemy what he needs, and his past loyalties will be forgotten by him." Giorno responded flatly, turning around and trudging back home.
Fugo doesn't follow at first, staring at Giorno as he walks. Right when the dirty blonde-haired boy started to think of him as a friend, his merciful ideal put him and the rest of the group's safety in jeopardy. What was stopping Stroheim from passing off information with the rest of his colleagues and others who want to abduct Trish? However, unlike just now, he would be prepared to fight the oncoming threats with maximum efficiency.
Fugo looked out into the horizon, hoping to find Stroheim's silhouette again, but it had completely disappeared. He then decided to turn around, and followed Giorno back to Bucciarati's.
Fritz von Stroheim's Status: became human and decided it was not worth it, RETIRED!
End of Episode 13