Chapter 2 - The Ministry

Santo Joseph Orphanage, Naples, Italy, 23 January 1995

"Good morning Brother Pucci," said the children as I entered the chapel, having the duty to led daily Morning Prayer today. I smiled to them and noticed HIS SON already seated there as well.

"Good morning, children," I said softly while passing little Giorno's seat, he waved at me silently and I tussled his golden locks in return before resuming my walk to the pulpit.

As usual, at the foremost seat, Father Alexander already present there, helped by sister Eda to accompany him due to his advanced age. Before I passed him, I bow and kissed his hand as a gesture of respect.

"Good morning Father, Good morning Sister Eda."

"Ah, always been a blessing to see you in high spirit, as usual, Brother Pucci," said Father Alexander with a smile, before pointing his hand toward the pulpit, signing that I could start the morning prayer.

...

After we finished the Morning Prayer, I accompanied Father Alexander to walk into our office, while Sister Eda continued her way to herd the children into the dining hall.

Already seventy-four years old, Father Alexander practically dedicated his life to the care of children, with more than fifty years of experience. Being the director of this orphanage directly under Archdiocese of Naples, he is one of the well-respected senior priests here. He did freely admit that he was happy for me to join the staffs of this orphanage because he could delegate some of the administrative paperwork to me and focus more on educative and spiritual aspects. Of course, he hopes that I would stay here more or less permanently, so he could finally pass on, knowing that this orphanage, which has history stretching to hundreds of years past, is under a good management to ensure the children's needs could be fulfilled, being cared with love and kindness according to the teaching of God and His Church.

Father Lewis Alexander has seen better days in his past. He is a small old man with a hunched stature and wrinkled hands. His once full head of brown hair (that I knew from the old photos) now being a thin white crown around his head due to natural balding process, that could easily be mistaken for a tonsure (something which he doesn't really mind). He is still active most of the time despite having arthritis that forced him to use a walking cane to move around, but then, there is no shortage of younger people who are more than willing for him to lean on.

"Good morning Albert," said Father Alexander to our blind janitor, Johngalli Albert, causing the later to momentarily stop scrubbing the floor to point his face toward our general direction and nod in acknowledgment.

"Morning Father, morning Brother," said Johngalli in a polite, reserved tone.

"You have been our blessing here, helping with our works despite your disability, Albert," said Father Alexander as he put his wrinkled hand upon Johngalli's arm. "Jesus sees your devotion from the heavens, my son, and may the Holy Spirit bless the work of your hands."

"It was my pleasure to found myself still useful, Father. To a blind man like me, finding a purpose in life is like finding a little piece of Heaven..."

"We're glad that you found solace in your contributions to God and his Church..." said Father Alexander before we pass to our next staff, who currently heated the minibus used for transportation of this orphanage.

"Good morning Father, good morning Brother," said Paolo Mista, our driver who took care of the vehicles.

"Good morning Mista," said Father Alexander while looking toward the middle-aged, short-haired, and hairy-all-around man, with his trademark beard and mustache. "How is your family today?"

"Good, my boy Guido started the second trimester of his middle school today, he is still excited about the prospect of soon-to-be a grown man," said Mista, happily chirping about his son, the pride of his life despite their relative poverty. Of course, unlike Johngalli, who worked here over a higher calling, Mista worked here simply because he was previously an unemployed member of our Parish.

"He still read the Daily Devotionals we gave for his last birthday, right?" said Father Alexander with a smile.

"Of course Father, we are grateful for the Church's help to our family, I'm sure Guido will grow into a more devout Catholic compared to us, his parents..."

"God bless you and your family, Mista," said Father Alexander before we moved on to get into our office, and along the way, we meet our cook, Nero, pushing the serving cart full of children's breakfast menu.

"Good morning Father, good morning Brother," said Ravioli Nero as she walked past us. She is a young woman, just two years above my own age, and started working here not long before I joined this orphanage. She has a very distinctive appearance, her eyes have red colored iris over black sclera, giving her some sort of otherworldly appearance combined with platinum blonde hair.

"Good morning Nero, we hope that your cooking today is just as delicious as usual," said Father Alexander before looking toward the children's dining hall. "You could drop our breakfast later, after all the children have theirs, as usual."

"Of course, Father," said Nero with a polite bow as she continues her way toward the dining hall. She has always been a good woman, but she did confess something disturbing about her little brother, who apparently never contact their family even once since his disappearance two years ago, just after how the man who killed their cousin was found brutally murdered. Nero fears that his brother Risotto might've joined the mafia, who rumors said about this town being under their grip all along.

Known only in whispers as Passione, and formally said to never exist at the first place, they are said to indirectly control both the Police Force and most other mafia groups in all Italy. It did say something when one of the first advice I receive from Father Alexander was never trying to mess with the mafia here. This city did have an unusually high number of crimes, and thugs who run drug trades roaming free on the streets without fear of police repercussions. Father Alexander did say that all we could do is to pray to God and trying our best to be spiritual guidance to the children so they won't end up being victims of the drug trades. But to directly confront the thugs who sold the drugs to children is one of suicide because apparently, the mafia here has a reputation of invincibility.

Not that was my problem at the first place, when I think deeper about it, my aim here is to simply raise Giorno in accordance to the road to Heaven, mold him into a worthy successor of HIS FATHER, and bring salvation to Mankind through the way discovered by LORD DIO. Of course, we will eventually cross our ways with the damned Joestars and their ilk, especially the accursed Jotaro Kujo for what he has done. But for now, Giorno is still far too young, and I can't risk losing my focus, so I heed Father Alexander's advice well and never tried to look at this city's mafia problem.

Of course, waiting until Giorno become a proper adult means waiting until he finished his education and at the meantime, arranging for another priest to become my own successor, and then I could move in the guise of joining a Mendicant Order if only to be able to assist Giorno further to fulfill HIS plan. Perhaps planning our moves in advance depending on what information we get, with a goal to gain the memory of Jotaro Kujo and worked our way from there. But that was still in the far future, and I believe Gravity will eventually bring us here.

For this moment, I should use my current work here to lay the foundation that will eventually lead us to build a Stairway to Heaven. I have formulated a basic plan, and that involves being a well-respected priest with an excellent, unblemished track record to turn myself beyond suspicion. If things go as planned, I will be ordained in two or three years, and things would move on naturally by Giorno's own Gravity once the foundation has been set.

As long as the Passione mafia never harmed us directly, I intend to just ignore them. Sure, I disagree with their drug trade and found them as amoral, but I need to focus my plan, Giorno and the salvation of mankind must come first.

...

"Ah... This coffee could deceive us that we have gone closer to Heaven, Brother Pucci," said Father Alexander half-jokingly after he sips a cup of Cappuccino that I made for the two of us.

"Thank you Father, but if Heaven could be reached by just a fine selection of ground coffee, steamed milk, chocolate powder, and cinnamon, that would be the easiest Salvation of mankind," I replied with a smile as sipping my own cup of coffee.

"Heh, Cap-Pucci-No... There's no wonder why you made the best coffee here," said Father Alexander while looking outside the door. "Anyway, if I must be honest, Brother Pucci, when my arthritis comes, I start to think that maybe Albert's condition should be not too bad. Being able to move around unhindered despite his blindness, while for me, the simple walk has become a painful chore of its own."

I looked outside the door and found Johngalli diligently scrubbing the floor, taking a short look toward the small blue satellite hovering above him, rotating slowly with its four rectangular wings while the key-like antennas swinging softly, detecting presences around him and even beyond.

Well, there is no need for Father Alexander, or any non-stand users here to know the true reason why Johngalli could work mostly unhindered by his blindness. Of course, having his stand always being shown serves a double purpose for us. His ability to sense any presences beyond what human eyes could see shall be useful for our security purposes, and if anyone noticed about the weird blue satellite hovering around him, they must be a stand user or has immediate potential to be one. So far though, only I and Giorno being stand users, and thus it was never a problem.

"God bless everyone with different blessings father," I said while sorting through today's mails. "You know how hard it was for him to start his work here..."

Back then when he first comes, around two years ago, and essentially begging me to be let in with whatever I planned to avenge our LORD DIO. Our relationship here is complicated, at best. He is one of the last four true survivors of OUR FELLOWSHIP, and due to Fate, somehow found me in his attempt to continue HIS mission.

"I know, that's why I gave my thanks to Our Lord, as he gave the chance for a poor blind man to found solace in life with his work to the Church."

Johngalli reminds me too much with N'Dhoul and Vanilla Ice, a blind follower of HIM, figuratively, and literally in case of him and N'Dhoul. Now motivated almost solely by revenge, it was a hard time arguing with him to consider the bigger picture that is the road to Heaven.

"Of course, he serves Our Lord and His Church through his manual labor, Father..." I said while thinking how it was started all over again. Our fated meeting here because of HIS Gravity, the Fate that unites us all in the unlikeliest circumstances.

After our last meeting in Egypt, back in 1988, LORD DIO sent him to track one of the missing Arrows of Fate that was entrusted to Yoshihiro Kira, together with another bearer of the arrow, Mansaku Nijimura. But for somewhat reasons, Mansaku choose to betray him, leaving the blind man stranded without his weapon, money, and even papers, during the transit at New Delhi.

Being denied his chance to go to Japan and fulfill his mission, Johngalli ends up being forced to go to Home for The Poor run by Missionaries of Charity and work there for two months, trying to earn enough money to pay his way back to America. Perhaps it was Fate, or perhaps it was due to Faith, but a blind American being stranded in India did pique the interest of Mother Teresa herself, and soon Johngalli was taken back to the US by a Catholic Veteran Charity, as one of his former company mates recognized him.

Having honorably discharged over medical issues, despite being one of the best sniper in US Army, he end up living through his admittedly meager pensions, before gaining enough money to bought a new rifle and almost started working as assassin again when a chance meeting between him and Father Julius (who returned to America after I transferred my study here, and somehow also worked for said Charity) indirectly told him about my presence in Italy, and Johngalli literally begged him to be permitted to work here, even on the lowest job available for a blind man.

"Of course, Brother Pucci, I found his job to be an exceptional example, despite or maybe even because of his blindness. This orphanage never being cleaner than this in my whole life," said Father Alexander with a slight chuckle.

I suppressed my urge to smirk, the people at the Charity are easy to manipulate if you know how to properly press their buttons, or so to speak. A multilingual blind man, a Catholic veteran of US Army nonetheless, willing to work manual labor at an Italian orphanage is just something they literally can't ignore, especially when Johngalli brought out the aspect of Devotion through works. Of course, once he arrives here, he asked me if he could buy a new rifle, but I actually demand him to prove his 'Devotion' first by not having a weapon until the time was right and played the role of a devout, blind Janitor to the fullest. Because he was desperate to be let in into my plans, he is more than willing to spend his time scrubbing the floor and cleaning toilets where he also has additional job of helping me keeping track of Giorno.

Of course, being a stand user himself, little Giorno also aware of Johngalli being one of HIS FATHER'S friend, and so far, their relationship turned out to be one of mutual respect. I can't help but smile every time little Giorno offers to help Johngalli with the floor scrubbing, sure it might be unbecoming for a SON OF HIM, but considering Our Lord Jesus Christ also washed the feet of His Disciples...

"Brother Pucci... Might I ask you to go on an errand today?" said Father Alexander as he read a letter.

"Of course Father, I am yours to command."

"Could you act in my stead as a counselor to a troublesome street child? He was caught yesterday after breaking into a home and beating up an old woman. The Police asked me to come, but my hip disagreed with me today..."

"Of course, Father..."

"Good then, I'll call the Police Office to inform them that you will be the one coming in my stead," said Father Alexander as he lifted the phone and punched the numbers. "You might go there after breakfast, told Mista to drop you at the Police Office, and told them that you are looking for the street child known as Narancia Ghirga."

...

Naples Police Office, Naples, Italy, 23 January 1995

"And that should be it, Brother," said Mista to me when we arrived in front of the Police Office. "Are you sure you don't need me to stay here, he might be just a remorseless street rat, beating up an old woman like that, I understand why Father Alexander did not want to meet him at the first place."

"But it was my duty to listen to his problems, and counsel him that God will always be looking for him, as he cares for all His Children," I said with a smile, looking that Mista want to bet that I would get out from Police Office in a fifteen minutes up to half an hour.

"Father Alexander tried that with some other street rats; he often ends up being forced to get away because they are often too aggressive to be handled... And considering that rat was supposed to attack a police head-on during his arrest..."

"Just drive back to the Orphanage, don't worry about me, Mista," I said with a smile. "After all, even if that was right and I only spent half an hour with him, I could simply flag a taxi or ride a bus back to the Orphanage. You have no need to wait for me here."

"I don't want to say this, Brother... But... May God bless you in this futile endeavor..." said Mista with a sour smile as he climbs back to the minibus.

Well, being a counselor for street children... It can't be that bad, right?

...

"Ah, welcome Brother, Father Alexander has informed us about you... But be careful, this one is a nasty one, I won't hold it against you if you want to get out from his cell in less than five minutes," said a police officer half-jokingly while the other police officer showed his bandaged hand, that...

"He bites me, so be careful with that little shit," said the officer with a bandaged hand. "We gave him his lesson earlier this morning, but maybe he still has enough energy to give you a nasty one."

"Well, but my duty is my duty yes?" I said while raising my eyebrows.

"Beginners always thought those street rats as worth their time, no offense Brother... Maybe you did need the experience..."

"Well, don't worry about me, bring me to his cell then," I said with a smile while the police officers just shrug their shoulders.

This particular street rat couldn't be that bad, right?

ゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴゴ

Note:

I make Johngalli A(lbert)'s claim of being a follower of DIO valid in this AU because of reasons. Yes, Jotaro did say about how he might never even met DIO at the first place, but that's just Jotaro's speculation though, and his wiki age did not make sense (being 12 or 13 years old at most when DIO is still alive?). Here, I bumped his age and put his birthday somewhere in 1960, so he could be both ex-military snipers who being honorably discharged over going blind, and then become a follower of DIO.

And yes, that's Guido Mista's Dad and Risotto Nero's older sister working in the orphanage, while Pucci end up meeting Narancia when he still being a street child. You know where this is going, right?