Chapter Text
The first thing Joseph became aware of was a splitting pain in the side of his head. Then, the odd chill that permeated the area. He groaned. Slowly starting to wake up, he moved a hand to his head. Or, he would've, if they weren't tied up.
Tied up...? Joseph thought back to what he could remember last. They were going to leave as their location – and so also the stone's location – had been compromised. Esidisi had found them somehow, and fought Joseph and his instructor. So early into training too! The fight had destroyed the mask though, and it was the only one Lisa Lisa had, so at least that was a plus. Joseph was getting distracted. Where was he? Oh yeah, he remembered now. It was night. He'd been talking to himself, complaining about the situation. And then...
Oh. Oh no.
Joseph shook off the lingering grogginess, eyes snapping open. The building was derelict. Unfamiliar. The bed he was on looked and felt like it was on the verge of falling apart. Kars was standing beside the doorway, resting himself on the wall. He gave Joseph a sly smile upon noticing he was awake.
"Had any nice dreams while you were out?" He asked teasingly.
"Cut the bullshit. What is this?! This goes against our promise! How can I train if you've kidnapped me?!" If Kars had kept him alive instead of killing him, then something was up. Joseph didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
"We've had a change of plans. Whammu's not happy about it, but I'm sure he'll make do. He'll make sure you have your fight, don't worry."
"What are you planning to do with me?" Excluding the headache from getting his head slammed against stone, and the ropes that were just a little too tight on him, Joseph was untouched. It almost felt like he was being taken care of.
"Oh, nothing much. Just holding you ransom for the stone. Once we discuss the trade tonight, I'll give you back the next."
Joseph's heart sank. Holding him (or anyone when it came to his coach) hostage was about as effective as holding a pebble hostage. The outcome of this wouldn't leave Kars in the nicest of moods. And that wouldn't bode well for him.
"...And if Lisa Lisa declines the trade?"
"Pfft. She wouldn't. You're a strong fighter with a lot of potential. Anyone can see that. She wouldn't toss you away. She's most likely going to hatch a plan to deceive us and get you back – of course, I'm preparing around that."
"If she doesn't agree to the trade," Joseph said again. "What are you going to do?" Kars gave Joseph a look, one he surprisingly couldn't pinpoint the emotion of.
"It would be foolish to let you go just like that. But if she were to refuse for some odd reason, I'd simply get the stone's location from you. And whether you come out of that unharmed is up to you." Kars said nonchalantly.
So more of being uncomfortably tied up and some extra beatings added on top. Not for him. The location of the stone changed anyways. Sometimes Lisa Lisa would wear it as a simple accessory, and sometimes she'd stash it away somewhere. Even if he wanted to, Joseph couldn't give the stone's location.
He didn't have much choice for anything here. Stay and suffer, escape, or try to escape and fail. Then suffer. Only one of those things seemed appealing, and his chances were slim. The chance was still there, though.
Joseph began building up hamon within himself.
"You don't think it would be moved? You think she'd tell me where it would be?" Joseph laughed. "You think I'm really worth something in her eyes? Worth enough to trade the stone over?! I thought you'd be smarter than this!" Questioning Kars' choices this way would be sure to make him angry. People don't think as well when they're mad.
"I can see right through you. You're trying to rile me up, questioning me like that. It won't work." Joseph internally cursed. Esidisi outsmarting him and making him panic in battle, now this? Either he was losing his edge or these Pillar Men were smarter than he was giving them credit for. He'd have to create another plan then. Kars sighed. "You do make a good point, with moving where it's kept. Getting the information out of you would be pointless. I'd find some other use for you. Turn you into a vampire to be used against your allies. Or for food."
Kars left silently. Didn't even deserve a goodbye, huh? Joseph pushed his annoyance to the side. There were more important things to focus on. Such as the ropes. He had to remove them. With his hands and legs tied up together like this he wouldn't be able to do much. Headbutts, maybe. But that wouldn't get him far. Alone, Joseph took a good look around.
The room was bare. Wooden planks boarded up the windows, blocking out almost all the sunlight. Those were useless. With his legs tied up like this, he wouldn't be able to even get over to the window. Paintings still hung on the walls of the room, but they had rotted and withered away with time. He couldn't reach them anyways. The bed he was on was the only other thing in the room. And just to his luck, there were no sharp edges to its bedframe that he could use as a way to cut the ropes. Joseph wracked his mind for solutions.
The idea he thought of wasn't the fastest, but it was the only one that had a chance to work. Joseph set the rope around his hands in his mouth, and began to gnaw. His teeth would surely be sharp enough to whittle through it, fiber by fiber. Once he got his hands free, undoing the other rope would be a cinch.
"...What are you doing?" Not Kars' voice. Whammu's. Joseph looked up at him, not stopping. He didn't have time to waste.
"Breakin' free." Was his muffled reply. There was no point lying. It was obvious what it was.
"You're not going to break free. They're too thick." Joseph ignored him. Sure, anyone would look at his position and think it was a hopeless endeavour. But Joseph was different. He was tenacious, strong-willed. He had the entire day to focus on this. He'd get out. Joseph heard and felt Whammu's heavy footsteps as he approached and sat beside the bed. That was a much kinder gesture than Kars watching him from a distance as if he was just some animal; Regardless, he'd keep on chewing the rope down. Due to their size difference, Whammu still loomed over Joseph.
"I apologise. You should still be training, not kidnapped. I didn't want this to happen either."
"Why let it happen?"
"I had no say in the matter. Kars and Esidisi have the say, my opinion and choices only truly matter if they allow it."
"That's stupid."
"Isn't it the same with you and your mentor?"
"That's also stupid."
"Mhm. Alright then. At least you have the clarity not to contradict yourself."
Joseph paused to check what his efforts had bore. It was wet from his saliva, but nothing else. He thought he would've managed to do something by now, with the way his teeth and jaw were aching.
"Like I told you, you won't be able to escape like that. Everything's been planned for." Joseph growled in response, flopping down on the bed angrily. "Kars is kinder than you think, JoJo. He truly does mean well by this."
"Really? There's nothing kind about kidnapping a guy, tying him up and leaving him in a freezing cold room, is there?"
"There are worse places he could've left you in here. This was the best choice he had. He's holding you for ransom, harming you wouldn't do him any good."
"Are you sure you're not saying this because you haven't experienced anything better?" Unlike the other Pillar Men, Whammu seemed to be decent. It felt almost tragic that he'd have to be killed down the line. If not for their circumstances, Joseph would be happy to call him a friend.
"I am not. You've only known him as an enemy. I've known him as an ally. I've known him all my life, thousands of years - you've only known of him for a little over a week. I think my say has more weight behind it, no?"
Joseph huffed. "I guess."
"Anyways, I came in here to ask you: Is there anything I can do to make your time here more comfortable?"
"Other than setting you free." Whammu added on before Joseph was able to get the words out.
"Ugh, alright then..." Joseph grumbled. He thought about it for a little while. Unlike his conversation with Kars, where it felt like they were both grating together at every concievable moment, his conversation with Whammu had flowed comfortably. Even when they had their little conflicts there was no true malice behind it. Just simple disagreements. Being left alone wouldn't be nice. He'd be forced think about the inevitable, what Kars would do to him once his expectations were ruined. Having company would be better.
"Can you stay with me? It's nice talking to you. Better than being alone."
"I can do that."
"Thanks. How's Esidisi doing? We did quite a number on him before he retreated."
"He'll live. At the moment, he's healing. Despite the interruption of your training, you've grown stronger. I'm impressed."
Joseph chuckled. "Well, it wasn't all my work...But I don't mind the praise!"
Caesar paced around his room. They'd be leaving soon to get to the mainland. He scrutinised everything about him, scrubbing out any flaws. This wasn't the trade - it was a discussion. That was odd. You don't usually discuss a trade like this. There were many possible reasons for it. It could be so the Pillar Men could plan against any plans they made. It wasn't as if the enemy could be trusted. Likewise, they couldn't trust the Pillar Men. This could be an ambush to take them all out. Joseph might be dead right now for all they knew.
Caesar prayed that wasn't the case.
He had to be prepared. Had to have enough on him to use as weapons alongside his hamon in case it was an ambush. He couldn't go looking any degree threatening, if they really were genuine. That might provoke them, turn a good situation sour.
Joseph was better at things like this.
In the end he went with just bringing extra soap along. Best to go with what he knew to use effectively. It was discreet, too. Finally satisfied with what he had, he left to meet up with Lisa Lisa.
They left in silence. Comfortable silence, but silence nonetheless. Only the sound of the waves clashing against their boat accompanied them.
"I hope JoJo's alright." Caesar couldn't help but imagine. How were they treating him? Had he been tortured for info? Worse? Would Joseph even be the same, once they were reuinited?
"If he's strong, he'll manage." His mentor curtly said. She might be like a mother to him, but his blood still boiled at her words. She was stern, harsh when training, and he didn't agree with that. It was understandable though. This? Not so much. Did she have to be so uncaring when Joseph was in such danger? Caesar bit back his tongue. Now wasn't the time. The rest of the trip there was in uneasy silence, worries looming over Caesar's head.