Gyro Zeppeli ★ History
A detailed chronological summary of the life of Gyro Zeppeli.
Early Years
Gyro Zeppeli was born in the Kingdom of Naples, within the prestigious Zeppeli Family.
The Zeppelis being renowned doctors as well as servants of the King of Naples, Gyro lived in certain comfort. During his childhood, Gyro was trained in the arts of the Spin by his father Gregorio Zeppeli, as well as studying medicine to learn how to apply the Spin to people. At the same time, Gyro developed a taste for horseriding and began riding before he was nine. Mysteriously, the King's servant regularly inquired about the boy's age once or twice a month, every time Gregorio was summoned to the King's castle. At age thirteen, Gyro was promptly brought to the King's castle where Gregorio revealed to his son that the Zeppeli Family were secretly a family of executioners at the service of the King, and from now on Gyro started his training as an executioner. He began as an assistant for his father. At the same time, he was an apprentice surgeon for the family. In his late teens, Gyro was to become the next royal executioner as well as a surgeon, following his father in both aspects.
Several incidents ponctuated Gyro's life. One time, a prisoner managed to slip off his handcuffs by bending his joints and took an executioner hostage. Gyro promptly stepped in and threw his Steel Ball in such a way that the Spin safely traversed the executioner and forced the prisoner's body to twist.[1]
One time, Gyro slep with one of the Zeppeli's patients. He was almost caught by his father but used his Steel Ball to wrinkle the woman's body into resembling a malnourished hag and pretending to examine her when Gregorio came to the room. Gyro escaped suspicion but was yelled at for doing this to her. In compensation, he used the Spin to also give her better curves for a time. Gyro's fun was cut short when he spotted the trace of a wedding ring on his girlfriend's finger, meaning that he committed a crime worthy of capital punishment.[2]
One day, Gyro encountered a female patient who fell down the stairs. Her head was bruised and ther shoulder was broken. Although these wounds where the object of the operation Gyro participated in, he also saw her damaged optic nerves. Against his mother's recommendations, Gyro decided by himself to heal these too. However, just as he generated a Spin, his Steel Ball's rotation was disturbed by an accidental steam jet coming out of a pipe.[3] As a result, the woman went completely blind from Gyro's blunder. Gyro was ashamed of his failure.[4] However, he was then told by Gregorio that the woman was the sister of the guard Wekapipo, who was exiled for killing a noble of the court in a duel. Gregorio also told him that it was for the better that he botched his intervention, as the woman's impairment meant her potential enemies didn't have interest in getting revenge against her.[5]
At one point, Gyro botched an execution and didn't kill the prisoner swiftly. The execution was under the supervision of his father, who scolded him. Gyro threw away the Steel Ball that he used during this execution.[6]
At the age of 24, near his 25th anniversary, one woman scheduled for execution became violent and almost killed an executioner. The woman slammed Gyro against the wall but Gyro neutralized her. During the struggle, Gyro lost his collar hanger; his father Gregorio also chastised him for his sentimentality, as he saw Gyro pensive looking at the woman and an old prisoner in a cell. When he found it again, it was in the hands of a little boy named Marco who was found guilty of treason because he served a traitorous lord. Out of duty, Marco has sewn Gyro's collar hanger with a fishbone, which was found and put the boy in trouble for carrying a dangerous item.[7] Disturbed by the false charges as well as the fact that Marco was his first execution, Gyro asked for Marco's appeal. The protestation made the news of the country and Gregorio disapproved of Gyro's behavior. Unfortunately, his efforts were vain, but a the King's servant explained to him that the king would give amnesty to political criminals if the country suddenly gained prestige, such as winning a famous horse race. Thus, against his father's wishes, Gyro subscribed to the Steel Ball Run race.[8]
Steel Ball Run (1890-1891)
Pre-Race
Gyro departed from Genoa earlier in May and arrived in the US on May 22. As a royal executioner Gyro was granted a VIP treatment and journeyed aboerd a boat owned by royalty.[9]
Gyro then spent some time in the Arizona desert, training in the Spin; during that time he exerciced and pushed the limits of his body by jumping great heights and doing cardio. Incidentally, Gyro trained near the territory of Sandman's tribe, and Sandman also found some of the book he left at his training camp.
Two days before the start of the Steel Ball Run race, Gyro arrives to San Diego beach and presents himself at the registration office. Paying his fee, Gyro is given the number B-636 as well as a commemoration badge. A man approaches him and pretends to be interested in his Steel Balls but Gyro presses the Steel Ball against the man's palm, forcing him to knee. When the employee notes that $20 are missing from the fee, Gyro discovers that the man is a thief who stole one $20 coin from his purse. Gyro takes back the coin and completes his registration. Angry, the thief is arrested but manages to snatch a gun and point it at Gyro from behind, as the Neapolitan leaves the scene. The thief gloats about how easy it is to kill Gyro and swears to come to him during the race to kill him. Angered, Gyro tells the guards to release the man and give him a gun: Gyro accepts to duel the thief. He throws a Steel Ball at the thief's right shoulder and leaves, satisfied, when the thief points his gun again at Gyro, the Spin causes the arm to bend in the direction of his face and the the thief shoots himself in the head. Since it was a fair duel, Gyro is left off the hook by the sheriff.
The duel attracts the attention of a particular man, Johnny Joestar, an ex-jockey who's become paraplegic. Out of curiosity, Johnny touches the Steel Balls and momentarily stands up. Shocked, Johnny wants to touch the Balls again but Gyro prevents him from doing so and tells him to get lost. Johnny swears to follow him during the race and find the secret of his Steel Balls.
Three hours to the start of the race, Gyro prepares his equipment and sorts out what he doesn't need to travel as lightly as possible. He ditches his toilet paper roll, toothbrush, his books, watches, ink bottles and scissors, but allows himself to keep his teddy bear. As he gets out of his tent, he sees Johnny in a paddock, dragged around by his newly acquired horse. When Johnny almost gets trampled by the horse, Gyro comments that Johnny cannot mount his horse, but that it would make him a superhuman if he accomplished it. Gyro then meets Sandman and tells him the way to the registration office. Two minutes before the start of the race, Gyro positions himself at his designated starting point. He meets Johnny again, who reiterates his vow to find the secret of the Steel Ball. Impressed by Johnny's determination, Gyro commends his wise choice of mount and gives Johnny a hint. Johnny thus realizes that the secret is about the Spin, and he rolls up his horse's neck to get in the saddle, just as the race starts.[10]
First Stage
At the start of the race, Gyro rushes ahead of every participant, which catches the attention of every watcher. The racer Urmd Avdol soon challenges him. Avdol pushes Gyro to unhorse him and has a weight advantage because of his large camel. However, Gyro throws a Steel Ball and sees that there are cacti nearby from a dust motif the Spin creates. He heads towards a specific grove and through he's almost pushed down, surprises Avdol with a sudden slope hiding the cacti. Avdol's camel falls right into the cacti and his camel collapses. Avdol is taken out of the race.[11] Then, Diego Brando the British star jockey challenges him. Diego has noted Valkyrie's habit of swaying left every eighth breath and uses this to his advantage to take the lead. As the two arrive at a wooden bridge, Diego is a horse's length ahed. However, Gyro then applies the Spin to Valkyrie's hind legs, empowering the steps into a sudden leap forward. Gyro gets ahead of Diego but also destroys the bridge with Valkyrie's violent jump.To everyone's shock, the jockey loses to Gyro for now.[12]
Still leading the race, at 6,000 meters from the finish line, Gyro then takes a dangerous shortcut through a fores. He expertly navigates during the trees and soon notices that one racer, Pocoloco, is trailing him.[13] The confident Pocoloco declares that he will definitely get ahead as the two engage a dangerous slope downhill. Pocoloco doesn't control his horse and seemingly trips, but he luckily lands on a cow skin and begins to slide downhill.[14] Faced with the eventually of Pocoloco getting ahead and having his horse rested doesn't sit well with Gyro, who throws his Steel Ball at a nearby rock formation to create a small rockslide and get Pocoloco away from his cow skin. However, Gyro accidentally hinders Sandman's path, as the Indian was on the rock formation at the time.[15] In the final 2,000 meters, Sandman is the one who takes the lead. Frustrated, Gyro accelerates. In the final kilometer, the race then becomes a dash between Sandman, Gyro, Pocoloco, Johnny and Diego. Gyro then turns his cape into a sail, fixing it with the Steel Balls. Helped by the tailwind, Gyro is the first to cross the finish line of the first stage.[16]
However, Steven Steel voids Gyro's performance for endangering the competitor Sandman and relegates him to 21st place, which outrages him. Gyro takes a petty revenge by forcing every bottle of champagne of Steel's party to open, and ruins the beverages by making a water tower spill on the bottles, all with the Spin. Gyro then crosses path with Johnny again. A friendship blooms between them and Gyro imparts his second lesson to Johnny and shows him how to get off a horse despite being paraplegic. The two decide to ride together.[17]
Second Stage
The racers line up, preparing to race across 2000 km of Arizona Desert for the second Stage. Against Johnny's advice, Gyro decides to take another shortcut through 120 km of desert and Johnny follows Gyro, both pursued by the fellow racer Mrs. Robinson.[18] Mrs. Robinson soon attacks the duo, but Gyro quickly defeats him with the Spin.[19]
Camping for the night 50 km from the second water point, Gyro and Johnny are approached by Andre Boom Boom, Benjamin Boom Boom and L. A. Boom Boom who can forcibly magnetize someone when the victim touches Andre's blood.[20] Unable to fight people who can control metal, Gyro and Johnny flee from the Boom Booms, but both are now magnetized. Gyro and Johnny eventually meet Mountain Tim, who was tricked into thinking Johnny murdered participants to the race. Because the three of them are under the influence of Tomb of the Boom, they attract each other and eventually are stuck together in iron sand, at the mercy of Benjamin and L.A. Boom Boom. However Johnny develops a Stand of his own, and manages to kill Benjamin as well as cripple L.A., who curses Gyro and assures him that other mercenaries will come after him.
At a checkpoint, Gyro and Johnny then have to fight a past terrorist from Naples, Oyecomova. However, Gyro and Johnny manage to work together to kill him.[21] After attacks from other participants such as Fritz von Stroheim as well as other Stand users like Pork Pie Hat Kid, Gyro discovers that Johnny is carrying a corpse part which is likely why everyone is attacking them.[22]
Gyro, distracted at the last moment by a newspaper, finishes the stage at the fourth place.
Third Stage
Although Johnny is interested in the Corpse Parts, Gyro's mind is still focused on winning the race. In a small village in the Rocky Mountains, Gyro and Johnny search for the Eyes, but also battle Dr. Ferdinand's army of dinosaurs. Dr. Ferdinand reveals that the Corpse Parts are highly sought after. At the same time, Diego, who acquired the Stand Scary Monsters takes away the left eye while Gyro has the right eye.[23]
However, at the final run to the end line of the third stage, Gyro is beaten by Diego when the jockey sneakily spits a small rock toward Valkyrie, slightly injuring the horse. Gyro finishes at the fourth place and concludes that his loss is due to his own lack of drive in the race.[24]
Fourth Stage
Gyro and Johnny then race peacefully during 600 km of the 1250 km of the fourth stage.
At about 650 km from Kansas City, Gyro and Johnny formally meet Hot Pants, a fellow racer. Although Gyro doesn't like nor trusts Hot Pants who attacked them earlier, they are forced to ally themselves with him as gunslinger Ringo Roadagain blocks their way out of a forest. A shootout ensues, Johnny and Hot Pants are injured while Gyro is spared out of spite by Ringo. It is at this moment that Gyro acquires a genuine and selfish motivation to win, and challenges Ringo, this time winning against him. Gyro then heals Hot Pants and Johnny, but steals the latter's sandwiches to annoy him.[25]
As they approach Kansas City, Gyro and Johnny challenge Diego again in a race during a heavy rain. Gyro manages to win against Diego, whose horse is injured, putting the Englishman out of the race for a certain amount of time.[26] Later they meet Lucy Steel, who learned about the Corpse Parts and unwittingly antagonized he American Government. Asking for help, Lucy gives them the Spine as token of good faith, and Gyro defeats Blackmore, an agent who trailed Lucy. Gyro however suggests that Lucy goes back to steal Valentine's Heart. The Spine also gives them the location of the three next Corpse Parts.[27]
Fifth Stage
During the fifth stage, Gyro and Johnny race peacefully for about 300 km.
However they are attacked by Diego and Sandman, the latter's ability to give life to sounds being problematic since it destroys Gyro's Steel Balls. Cornered into a river, Gyro manages to teach Johnny to take inspiration from the surrounding nature in order to create an infinite rotation. Johnny's Tusk ACT 2 kills Sandman while Diego is already far away. Weakened by the fight, they cannot stop Hot Pants from stealing their Corpse Parts.[28]
They then finish the fifth stage peacefully.
Sixth Stage
At the beginning of the sixth stage, Gyro and Johnny meet Sugar Mountain, a young girl living in a tree who guards the Ears and the Right Arm. Gyro manages to acquire both plus a hefty amount of precious goods. Their joy is cut short when they learn that they have to trade the goods by sunset, or they'll be absorbed into the tree.
In a nearby city, Gyro has difficulties spending everything in time, plus Eleven Men are stalking them, looking to kill them. Gyro decides to go into a clandestine casino to gamble, but he and Johnny are interrupted by the Eleven Men. A shootout ensues, during which the enemy proves too much, but Gyro convinces the gangsters working in the casino to protect him in exchange for the goods. As sun sets, Gyro transforms himself into a tree, having not thought of trading the Corpse Parts, and Johnny is forced to trade them to the last of the Eleven Men.[29]
Near the Michigan Lake, Gyro and Johnny confront another duo of government agents. Wekapipo and Magent Magent. While Magent Magent is disposed of rather quickly, Wekapipo's expertise in the art of the Spin proves dangerous as Wekapipo made sure to seal off Gyro's ability to draw from nature, and Gyro almost dies. However due to a coincidence, Gyro is able to look a snowflakes to overpower Wekapipo. Instead of letting him die, Gyro asks Wekapipo to go look for Lucy Steel.[30]
Having victory on their side, Gyro and Johnny immediately obtain the Legs from a wolf and easily finish the sixth stage at the first and second place.
Seventh Stage
Gyro and Johnny ride peacefully for 12 days, until one night, they see Hot Pants riding away. Gyro and Johnny follow her into a local garbage dump, but they realize it was a trap from the Stand user Axl RO, whose Civil War immobilizes Gyro. However Johnny saves them both due to his Stand evolving another time.[31]
Unfortunately, Valentine intervenes at the last moment and steals away all the Corpse Parts of the competitors save Diego's Eye. Their luck runs out, and Gyro finishes the stage at a disappointing 6th place.[32]
Eighth Stage
In Philadelphia, Gyro and Johnny decide to follow Diego and acquire his Eye. However, Valentine, using Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap's power to his advantage. Gyro loses time fighting his last agent D-I-S-C-O then investigate a shootout during which Johnny disappeared. At the same time, Valentine takes the Right Eye from Diego and Diego kills Wekapipo to escape the parallel dimension in which he's been imprisoned.[33]Johnny manage to work out the power of Valentine's Stand, and a reluctant Gyro accepts to help him pursue Valentine, revealing that even against Valentine, there is another level of Spin which could overpower him. Gyro and Johnny follow Diego and Hot Pants, observing from afar their clash between the three. It is not until Diego dies that Gyro and Johnny approach the train. However, they didn't plan for Lucy, now transformed into the Corpse, to cause a space distortion making the landscape converge toward her. As Gyro tries to escape this strange phenomenon, a carp bites into his finger. Later when Gyro investigates the locomotive, this one bite has moved to his carotid, severely injuring him.[33]
Now, Valentine has unlocked Love Train, a pocket dimension against which harm rebounces, making the President invulnerable. However, Gyro manages to forcefully tear off some of Valentine's hair. Gyro and Johnny take a respite, then charge toward the President, gambling on the potential of the Spin.[33]
Nonetheless, Valentine manages to injure Johnny in the subsequent clash, forcing Gyro to throw one Steel Ball in a hurry. Johnny is only saved by Steven Steel who gives Lucy to Gyro and begs him to take her away from Valentine. Gyro manages to save Lucy on his horse and dashes toward the ocean, setting the stage for a duel against Valentine.[33]
Final Duel Against Valentine
In the final battle against Valentine, Gyro uses the most advanced technique of the Golden Rectangle: the "Super (or Cavalry) Spin", which is created by invoking the golden rectangle while riding a horse to gain momentum. By combining this technique with his newly developed stand Ball Breaker, his attack becomes very powerful.
Although his technique is very effective, it is not enough to beat Valentine, who resists his injuries long enough for Gyro to die from his own wounds. However, before dying, Gyro gives his last lesson to Johnny, allowing Tusk to reach ACT 4 and giving Johnny the power to defeat Valentine.
Gyro then reappears as a spirit, saying goodbye to his friend and ascends to Heaven. After the race, Johnny travels by ship to Naples in order to return Gyro's corpse to his family, intending to honor him one last time.
