The Start of a Golden Adventure

In the quaint city of Naples, many people enjoyed their time taking in the wonderful sights and attractions the lovely city had to offer. Shops and restaurants were busy as new and old patrons visited their locations. But within this beautiful city, one must always watch their back because you never know what could be hiding just around the corner.

"Hey, it's gone!"

"What?"

A woman shouted staring down at her plate. She along with her male companion were dining outside at a café. The woman had only turned away for a second only to find the food she as about to eat gone.

"Did you seriously eat my bread!" The woman shouted at her date.

"What?! No!"

"Then where is it!"

"I don't know!"

"Well, it didn't just disappear!"

The couple continued to argue back and forth while many onlookers watched. High above another individual watched from their perch atop of a building as the couple continued to squabble.

"Must be a weak bond, if it can be broken by bread."

The figure took a bite out of the woman's "missing" bread before they themselves disappeared.

Giorno Giovanna was many things, cunning, smart, and tactical, just to name a few. All of these talents combined is what won him his victory over Bucciarati. His victory over the gangster ensured the teen his first step towards his ultimate goal as a Gangstar would begin, but he still had one more thing he needed.

"There's something else," Giorno said

"Huh?" Bucciarati hummed cocking brow in question.

"I have someone else who'd also like to join."

Before Bucciarati could comment on the statement Giorno brought his hand up to his mouth he put his forefinger and thumb in his mouth blowing.

A whistle rang through the air further confusing Bucciarati.

A few blocks away a figure was darting across the city hopping from roof to roof. A few passersby's on the street only got glimpses as the thing darted overhead. The figure landed on the next roof but paused as a high pitch sound rang through the air. The figure's ear twitched and they turned facing east. They took off running roof hopping again this time going in a different direction.

"A whistle?" Bucciarati asked still confused. "What? Are you summing some kind of pet? An attack dog?"

A smirk came upon Giorno's lips. "She's not a dog per se, but she does attack."

Bucciarati's brows furrowed confused by Giorno's words. There was no time to ponder on the blonde teens perplexing words when a shadow appears overhead.

*CRASH*

Bucciarati gasped covering his face as chunks of the sidewalk flew at him.

"Wh-What is that?"

"Ciaossu~" A female voice spoke.

Bucciarati moved his hand from his face to finally see who had entered the area in such a dramatic fashion.

Standing before him was a rather tall girl with olive-toned skin. Her hair was a dark chocolate wavy brown that stopped at her chin with a fringe that obscured her eyes.

The woman's outfit was rather provocative in its design. She wore a brown skin-tight leotard, it had no sleeves but had a high neck collar. The leotard had a paw print design cut out in the center giving a small view of the woman's stomach. The leotard was backless so the woman's whole back was exposed, going all the way, down stopping just below her tailbone. Her legs were clad in thigh high stirrup tights the same color and material as her leotard. Her feet were devoid of shoes and around her ankles were white leather bands with silver spiked studs, she also wore similar accessories around her wrists. Her hands were clad in brown fingerless gloves, and she wore a white bandanna around her neck. Finally, and the oddest thing about the woman was that she had a leather holster strapped to her thigh and in that holster was a medium-sized book.

"Who is this woman?" Bucciarati thought

The mystery girl glanced over her shoulder looking to Giorno. "You called."

Giorno smiled nodding his head. "Bucciarati this is Fiamma. Fiamma this is Bucciarati. He has a power like us."

Fiamma raised a brow staring at Bucciarati before looking back at Giorno nodding her head.

"Same power? So this girl has a Stand too." Bucciarati thought

"The same as us?" Fiamma questions

"Yeah, he calls it a Stand. We're going to be joining his gang," Giorno said

Giorno and Fiamma trailed behind Bucciarati as he guided them to their destination while at the same time explaining the organization known as Passione. Fiamma had her head up often glancing up at the sky as she wasn't really paying any attention.

She wasn't one for keeping up with details she deemed minute. Fiamma liked simple things, she didn't need to know all the details about Passione. All she needed to know was how to join and what her orders were, simple as that. Besides, if she needed to know something important Giorno would tell her.

Fiamma finally tuned into the conversation when Giorno elbowed her to grab her attention.

"We receive orders from a number of capos. The capo who'll be deciding where you two will join the organization is a man named Polpo. He's in this building." Bucciarati pointed up at a large fortified building.

Giorno gasped a bit as he looked up at the building.

"But this building…."

Fiamma tilted her head, "Ah, it's a prison," she nonchalantly stated

"Correct. Polpo was convicted of a certain crime and won't be out for 15 years. But he gives me orders from the inside and commands the organization. He can leave this place whenever he feels like it, but he doesn't. There's simply no reason to," Bucciarati explained

"But why?" Giorno questioned

"Maybe he's a coward." Fiamma bluntly pronounced

Bucciarati's mouth opened surprised by the woman's blunt statement.

Giorno waved off the older girl's words. "Don't mind her. Fiamma has no filter."

Bucciarati looked at Fiamma before waving off her comment.

"Giorno Giovanna, Fiamma, you're going to be interviewed by Polpo, and you have to pass. It's basically like any other job interview. What the interview actually entails will depend on his mood but whatever you do, don't let him find out your true intentions," Bucciarati said

"All right," Giorno said

"Simple enough," Fiamma said

"Oh, yeah. The Stand ability. I never asked how you ended up with that ability, are there others with it?" Giorno asked

"That'll also be answered once you get inside. If you pass, that is." Bucciarati said

Giorno and Fiamma entered the prison taken through a series of hallways. They arrived at a room with steel bar doors, several guards with guns placed inside.

"First place your belongings, watch, and everything in your pockets into the tray, then proceed to the next room for a body check. You girl." The officer addressed Fiamma. "That book goes in here too."

"Fiiiine," Fiamma spoke not really caring.

She and Giorno removed their items, placing them in the bin, before moving onto the next room for the body check. A female guard was waiting for them ready to begin.

"Stand right there and raise your hands over your head."

First, she started patting down Giorno. "Once you go through the gate please continue straight down the hall. N-28 is where Polpo's cell is." When she was finished with Giorno she moved onto Fiamma. "The room is divided with reinforced glass but you'll be able to talk to him. Touching the glass, giving him anything, and receiving anything from him are all forbidden." She pulled back from Fiamma ending the pat-down. "You have 15 minutes."

A buzzer sound and the gates leading to Polpo's cell started to open.

"Once you pass through, the gate will close. If something happens, please yell."

"We're going to meet him directly in his cell? Not in some visiting room?" Giorno questioned

"You don't know who he is?" Was all the guard stated

Giorno and Fiamma entered the cell and the gate closed behind them. The room was dark with eerie faces carved into the ceiling. The darkness of the room was washed away when a bright light came on revealing a small room behind a thick panel of glass. Within the room was a toilet, sink, a nightstand, some pictures, and a large bed that took up a majority of the room.

Giorno approached the glass staring into the room searching for Polpo. Fiamma, however, hung back staring intently at the bed.

Putting a hand on the glass Giorno leaned in.

"That left arm of yours," A deep voice spoke catching Giorno off guard. "Is it injured?"

The so-called bed formed an arm then a second one. It slowly started to lift off the ground morphing into a large man. He was huge and even though he was sitting down he still had to hunch a bit within the room, as his round body took up most of the space in the room. All in all, Polpo resembles a large pile of dough.

"Disg-"

Giorno covered Fiamma's mouth, a habit he's developed over the years whenever Fiamma spoke her mind at the wrong times.

Polpo faced the window looming over Giorno and Fiamma. "It's just your right hand," He gestured to Giorno, "but the fingers are slightly red, like you were holding something. Like lines that would be left after holding a bag. Which would mean that you were holding a bag in your right hand up until now. Why is that?"

"Well, uh...your right." Giorno looked at his hand. "I was holding a bag in my right hand because as you observed. I hurt my left arm."

Polpo pulled back from the glass with a deep chortle. He reached behind him opening a small secret compartment in the wall, revealing it to be a mini-fridge.

"I envy your ability to be so reckless with your body." Polpo pulled a bottle of wine out of the fridge. "Would you like some wine? I have some exquisite Chianti Classico. It pairs perfectly with some Scamorza cheese and caviar on a cracker." He spoke pouring the red wine into a glass.

"That glass is so small does he even need it? Seems like such a waste, he could easily just drink straight from the bottle," Fiamma thought

"I've been told that we're not allowed to give you anything or receive anything from you," Giorno said

"They're just saying that." Polpo leaned against the wall taking a minuscule sip of wine. "What people say and what they do…." Polpo held up a remote clicking a button on it. A segment of the wall, next to the fridge opened, "are vastly different."

Within the second hidden compartment was a small collection of contraband items. Things a person locked up in a prison shouldn't have, some of the items including firearms and a grenade.

"He got everything he wants in here. I bet he doesn't even have the ability to walk on his own legs anymore, he's definitely staying in here because it's safer for him. If he's got the power to get these things in here he could easily get out, but then again he might not be able to get out. They'd have to remove the glass window and even then it'd be a tight fit. " Fiamma thought

"That's the best and worst thing about people. The only downside to being in this cell is, well, the fact that I can't admire Michelangelo's great painting in the Sistine Chapel," Polpo said

Giorno and Fiamma stared at the large man as he snacked on some crackers and cheese.

"Bucciarati told me all about you." He gestured to Giorno. "But nothing about you."

"Of course he knows nothing we've barely talked," Fiamma commented

"So you want to join our organization? Hmmm….Giorno Giovanna, was it? And Fiamma…."

"It's just Fiamma." She said

"No, last name?" Polpo asked

Fiamma shook her head no.

Polpo shrugged his shoulders. "Well, why don't we get this interview started?" He put another cracker in his mouth along with his own fingers.

Fiamma blinked not sure she was seeing things correctly as Polpo took a bite out of his own fingers. She glanced at Giorno catching a small surprised look on his face confirming that she wasn't imaging Polpo's odd choice of snack.

When the two looked back at Polpo his fingers were back to normal, and he was finishing off his glass of wine, he also had a fancy lighter in his other hand.

"What do you think is the most important thing when it comes to choosing someone, Giorno Giovanna, Fiamma?" Polpo questioned

"Is it what they're capable of?" Giorno guessed

"Oh? And what exactly are you capable of?" Polpo sked

Giorno raised his hands opening them as several things fell out. Money, a wallet, an ID card. All belonging to female officer.

Polpo made an impressed sound pushing his face against the glass.

"I borrowed a few things when she was patting me down. Of course, I'll be returning them to her when I leave," Giorno said

Polpo laughed. "Do you have anything else?"

"Other than that, the only skill I have is being able to completely fold my ear into my head."

To prove it Giorno performs his little party trick earning more laughter from Polpo.

"That's rather amusing," Polpo looked to Fiamma, "And what are you capable of?"

"Ah….I'm strong."

"How strong?" Polpo questioned

"I've been attacked more times than I could count living on the streets. I've even been stabbed. Yet here I stand. Easily one of those other men could be in my place, but instead, here I am," Fiamma said

Polpo stared at Fiamma before he broke out in deep laughter. "Your quite amusing and gutsy too. But...there's something else that's far more important, and that's trust. The most important thing when it comes to choosing people is trust." Polpo started to pick at his teeth. "In comparison, being smart pr being talented means as much-" He pulled out a piece of cracker, "-as this piece of cracker between my teeth." Then he flicked it against the wall.

Before she could even say a thing Giorno covered her mouth.

Polpo held up the lighter. "This test is all about seeing how trustworthy you are with this lighter's flame."

A small door was opened and Polpo placed the lighter there.

"Take it, and make sure the flame doesn't go out."

Giorno walks over going to pick up the lighter, as his hand got closer the flame flickered.

"Whoa, there. Be extra careful to make sure the flame doesn't go out. Fuller, the 17th0century theologian, said, 'He's my friend that speaks well of me behind my back.' In order to join our organization, you'll have to show how trustworthy you are when we can't see you. For 24 hours, you two will hold onto that lighter without letting the flame go out. If you can do that, I'll approve of you joining the organization. Simple, right. The lighter has plenty of fluid in it. All you have to do is sit quietly in a room until 3 PM tomorrow and make sure the flame doesn't go out. If you two are careful individuals who work hard to make sure it doesn't go out, the flame shouldn't go out. Which means your someone we can trust. However,….if your the kind people who is taking us too lightly, and you fall asleep, sneeze, or knock it over, or a sudden wind blows the flame out...it means that your trustworthy, and I can't allow you to join our organization. Now take the lighter."

Giorno with careful hands reached for the lighter covering the flame as he and Fiamma stepped out of the cell.

"All visitors must go through another body check when they go through the gate." An officer spoke surprising the two.

The gate opened and in came the female officer.

"Wait! Polpo didn't tell you anything?" Giorno said

The officer paused mid-step, "What?"

The guards all went into defense mode raising their guns pointing them at Fiamma and Giorno.

"And you said I have the big mouth," Fiamma stated as she put her hands up, she really didn't feel like getting shot.

"I'm going to pat you two down now!" The Female Officer declared with an authoritative tone. "Let me remind you two that it's prohibited for you to accept anything from him!"

It wasn't bad for Giorno to assume that Polpo had bribed the guards considering all the junk he had in his room. But now that the guards caught wind that he might have taken something from Polpo, it was going to be much harder for him to get the lighter out, wit the flame intact.

"Visitors, put your hands up and proceed forward!"

Fiamma stepped up first hoping to buy any time for Giorno to come up with a plan. As she walked forward Giorno put his hands up following after her. With her sensitive sense of smell Fiamma was able to pick up the scent of burning flesh meaning that Giorno was cupping the lighter in his hand, the flame still lit.

The female officer patted down Fiamma first, but in Fiamma's opinion, she was doing a half-assed job, especially since the officer kept her eyes on Giorno.

"Your good," She said to Fiamma

The Officer next moved onto Giorno. She spent a great deal inspecting every part of him. Fiamma noticed the officer had done that the first time as well too.

"Do you like younger men?" Fiamma suddenly asked

The Female Guard paused in the search of Giorno looking at Fiamma.

"What did you just say?" The Female Guard asked her voice tense.

"Your hands are lingering on his body. You did that the first time too. So do you like younger men? Just a warning he's only 15," Fiamma said

"What!?" The Female Guard gapes pulling her hands away from Giorno, like the boy was on fire. Her cheeks were red from both anger and embarrassment. "H-How dare you!"

Giorno held back his smirk, no matter the situation he knew he could always rely on Fiamma to back him up, she made the perfect distraction, even if she didn't realize it herself. Fiamma's blunt mouth wasn't always a bad thing.

"Y-You're good to go! You may leave the facility." The Female Guard stuttered

Giorno felt relief as he and Fiamma left the room.

"Bahahahaha!"

Koichi frowned, his day wasn't starting off very well and the rapturous laughter on the other end of the phone isn't helping either.

"Hope it's not funny!" Koichi cried

The laughter died down to stifled giggles.

"Your right….it's fucking hilarious! Hahahaha! I can't believe you were only in Italy for a few minutes before you got robbed!" Hope laughed

"Hope!" Koichi cried again.

After a few minutes of more laughter Hope finally settled down and spoke calmly into the phone.

"I told you to wait for me-"

"I know but-"

"Italy and Japan are very different." Hope let out a sigh. "I should have warned you though. Well, what's your next move Koichi?"

"I found where the boy lives and I'm going to get my stuff," Koichi declared

"Hmmm there's a good chance though that he already sold off your things," Hope said

"Please don't say that!" Koichi shouted

"Alright, alright, calm down. Just tell me where you're going and I'll meet you there."

Exiting the prison Giorno and Fiamma stood side by side.

"Good job Fiamma," Giorno complemented

"Huh? What did I do?" Fiamma questioned

Giorno just gave a slight chuckle shaking his head.

"By the way isn't that lighter still burning your hand?" Fiamma asked

Giorno opened his hand relieving not the lighter but a white flower. Fiamma stared at the flower until a flame ignited from the top.

"Just in case, I turned the lighter into a flower and hid the flame within," Giorno said

"Smart," Fiamma commented

"Is this flame Polpo's Stand ability?" Giorno questions aloud

"Could be, how else will he know if the flame goes out or not?" Fiamma said

"Let's hurry back to my dorm," Giorno said

"Okay."

~Gold Wind JoJo!~