JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven.
A spin-off game that weaves together the storylines of JoJo Parts 1 through 8.
It tells the story of Jotaro and his companions working to save allies who should have died, gathering the Saint's Corpse to rewrite fate, and ultimately defeating "Heaven Ascension DIO" — the mastermind pulling the strings behind everything.
Shin hadn't played it himself, but he'd watched plenty of playthroughs —
After all, "Heaven Ascension DIO" had once been practically notorious in the fandom. A Stand ability capable of rewriting reality at will, even reaching across parallel worlds — it was essentially unbeatable.
If not for Star Platinum being an almost perfectly natural counter against him at the level of fate itself, Shin genuinely couldn't work out how a DIO with "The World: Over Heaven" was ever supposed to lose. No one knew what Araki had been thinking — but that was JoJo for you, a world where destiny trumped everything else.
After hearing old Joseph Joestar mention things like "the Saint's Corpse" and "traveling from the future," Shin had pieced together the full picture of what was in front of him.
Supplena Island. The villa terrace.
"So that's how it is!" Old Joseph set his teacup down on the table with a decisive clack — startling Suzi Q, who sat nearby as the maid and future wife of his younger self — and fixed the room with a serious look:
"DIO is not dead. He's still operating in the shadows, pulling strings behind everything! The anomalies on this island are proof — in my memory, Esidisi never had a Stand!"
"I'm worried that Kars and the others may have also—"
"Hey, old man — whoever you are — who exactly are you going on about?"
The discordant voice came from beside them. It belonged to a young Joseph Joestar, arms folded, expression the very definition of unbothered:
"Lisa Lisa is willing to trust you because you took down a Pillar Man, and I'm grateful that you gave me the antidote from Esidisi's body — but that doesn't mean Caesar and I are going to swallow this wild nonsense!"
"Time travel, Stand abilities — if you're going to make something up, at least make it believable!"
"I've heard of DIO from Speedwagon — I know he was a vampire who died fighting my grandfather in a mutual destruction years ago. But that's all he was. A vampire. However many of that kind showed up I could take them all out without breaking a sweat right now!"
Young Joseph's voice was dripping with confidence. He had just completed Lisa Lisa's ripple training — he was ready to go one-on-one with a Pillar Man without flinching.
"Our enemy now is those awful Pillar Men... er, no offense, friend!"
Naturally, Shin was exempted from that statement.
Catching himself, young Joseph shot a covert glance at Shin, who was sitting off to the side quietly teaching Meruru to read an Italian novel, and reined in his swagger just slightly.
There was good reason for him to be on his best behavior around Shin.
— Specifically, the incident roughly half an hour ago, when he had taken Shin for another Pillar Man sent by Kars, launched a full ripple assault — and found it completely ineffective, followed immediately by being taken apart in return.
Rolling his dislocated arms — now back in their sockets, still aching — young Joseph reflected that this was probably why Grandma Erina had always drilled into him that prejudice was wrong.
If every member of Kars's group was fully immune to ripple like Shin, young Joseph figured he and Caesar might as well not even bother fighting — better to grab the Red Stone of Aja and sprint for the most remote mountain range on the planet.
"You're too green, kid. This situation is different!"
"If you keep being this careless and arrogant, you'll end up making an irreversible mistake one day! That's advice from your future self — take it."
Something seemed to stir a bad memory. Old Joseph glanced at Caesar, who was watching the exchange in silence, and his voice came out sharp.
"'Future self,' my foot. You've been ogling Suzi Q with those shifty eyes since you got here. Stealing my identity is clearly just an excuse!"
"She's your future wife — my wife — and I'm just looking! What's wrong with that?!"
"You pervert — Suzi Q is going to be my girlfriend, she has nothing to do with an old creep like you!"
"You — why, you little — let old me teach you a lesson you won't forget —!"
The two Josephs — one elderly, one young — had dissolved into a shouting match and were both half out of their seats, ready to come to blows, when a sharp female voice cut across both of them and brought the whole thing to a halt.
Lisa Lisa strode onto the terrace — well past fifty, yet looking for all the world like a young woman. Her gaze swept over the two Josephs — one old, one young — with an expression that managed to be both complicated and deeply tired at once, and resolved into a sigh.
"Don't be rude to our guests, JoJo."
"I'm not being rude to him, Lisa Lisa! This old fraud made up a story to steal my identity — clearly just to get to Suzi Q—" Young Joseph still looked unconvinced.
"He is your future self. I could mistake anyone else in this world — but never you. On that, I am prepared to swear to God."
Lisa Lisa removed her sunglasses. She studied old Joseph slowly, as though committing every detail of him to memory.
"Because — you are my child, JoJo."
"Why would you never mistake — wait, what?"
Young Joseph had opened his mouth to argue, and then he stopped.
"My — my child? Me — ?!" Young Joseph pointed at himself, jaw dropping.
"Yes. No mother could ever fail to recognize her own child. No matter how many years have passed. No matter what he's grown into."
"You've had a hard time of it, Mr. Joestar... or would you prefer I still call you JoJo?"
"...Either is fine. Mother."
Old Joseph drew a measured breath, steadied his pulse, and lowered himself back into his chair as calmly as he could manage.
In sharp contrast to the young Joseph currently frozen in what could only be described as total petrification, old Joseph was the picture of composure.
"Forgive us for making a spectacle in front of you both."
"JoJo has always been this way — he thinks himself a cut above, and has never quite learned to take other people's words seriously..."
Lisa Lisa drew the Red Stone of Aja necklace from within her clothing — catching the light with a quiet gleam — then turned to Shin, her gaze carrying a quiet question.
"Let us get to business, young man."
"I've brought what you asked for. Now it's your turn to explain how you intend to deal with Kars. Lay out your plan — if you would."
...
More updates around midnight — just got home, ran a bit late
To be continued…