Alessi's mouth fell open, disbelief written all over his face.
According to the intelligence, these guys had only recently acquired their Stands, apart from Jean Pierre Polnareff, who was probably a born Stand User. Although the evidence was inconclusive, he had likely manifested his Stand ability several years ago. That lord's subordinate, Hanged Man J. Geil, was suspected to have died at Jean Pierre Polnareff's hands.
But after Joseph took a hit and regressed several decades, how had he ended up like this?
He should have lost his Stand and been turned all the way back into a child by Sethan. How did he still have a Stand, and how had he broken free?
And this old man was far too bizarre. Why could he guess what Alessi was going to say next every single time?
"Hahaha! Sure, I only recently realized that this power inside me was a Stand, but I've had this thing for decades!"
Joseph raised his thumb and flashed a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
"What?!"
Alessi's eyes widened even further.
"Back when that volcano blasted me into the sky, this thing was what kept me alive!"
Joseph waggled his eyebrows, the light reflecting off his teeth nearly blinding Alessi.
As he spoke, his thoughts drifted back several decades.
Back then, a volcanic eruption had blasted him and Kars into the sky together. After successfully banishing Kars, he had already sprawled across the falling rock, his life flashing before his eyes as he began saying goodbye to his friends and family.
But just as when he had raised the Red Stone to banish Kars, he had no idea why he was doing it. His body had moved before his mind. That bodily instinct, coupled with the natural elevation of his mental resolve, had allowed him to