The time for the public rally was drawing closer and closer.
Meanwhile, Luca had already begun cultivating relationships with the truck drivers' union. These days he spent most of his time hanging out with Mariggio, Frank Fitzsimmons, and a group of Mafia bosses.
For example, the heads of the Gambino crime family and the Genovese crime family.
They were also frequent guests at Luca's club.
Each of them received a lifetime membership card, allowing free entry anytime.
An essential service.
Thanks to his generous spending and the strong aura of trust he carried, Luca quickly became acquainted with many gangsters.
That day, Fitzsimmons brought several close Mafia associates to Luca's club.
When they got off the bus, the group of older men still looked furious and indignant.
But the moment they entered the club, their mood noticeably improved.
The murderous intent on their faces gradually faded.
"Dove, the atmosphere in your club is really great!" one of them said. "It's more comfortable here than my own home. And the smell here is so refreshing. Did you spray some kind of fragrance?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man wearing brown glasses.
His name was Anthony Provenzano, better known as Tony Pro.
He was a powerful figure within the Genovese family and also the president of Local 560 of the Teamsters Union in lmwood Park, New Jersey.
He was still a rare card.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Character Card Discovered: Anthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano (Unlocked)]
[Rank: C]
[Source: The Irishman]
Skill:
[Labor Extortion:
Your intimidation effect toward truck driver union members increases by 10%.
When laundering money through truck driver unions, the conversion rate of illicit funds increases by 10%.]
[Learning Requirements: Friendship or higher; 40 Skill Fragments]
[Bond: Attention]
__________________________________________________________________________
Pro held a high position within the Genovese family.
Although he originally started as a minor figure, he eventually rose to become the president of the truck drivers' union, controlling union power in several cities across New Jersey and generating enormous profits for the family.
His influence was substantial.
Even Frank Fitzsimmons, the puppet national chairman, treated him with great respect.
In the original timeline, it was Tony Pro who orchestrated the murder of his former associate Jimmy Hoffa, the former president of the Teamsters.
The case created one of the most shocking disappearance scandals in American history.
Tony Pro was ruthless.
He had murdered countless rivals before securing his position.
While other candidates were still busy trying to win over voters and earn the support of the working class, they didn't realize something ironic: the harder they campaigned, the more the public viewed them as dangerous, and the more people wanted them gone.
After all—
There were no good guys in the Mafia.
At that moment, Tony Pro was playing with the Silver Queen on the table.
In response to his teasing, Luca laughed.
"You're not the first person to ask that question," Luca said. "I've recommended a few aromatherapy products commonly used in clubs, but after people brought them home, they discovered they didn't work very well."
"In the end, they thought about it carefully and reached their own conclusion."
"Oh?" Tony Pro raised an eyebrow. "And what conclusion was that?"
"They all believe the reason they feel comfortable here is because I'm sitting in the club."
Luca smiled calmly.
"With the Peace Ambassador around, they don't have to worry about trouble coming their way. Because if anything happens, I'll help them deal with it."
"Hahaha!"
Several Mafia bosses and Fitz burst into laughter.
"Luca the Dove! Haha! I've heard that nickname for years!"
"When I first heard the title 'Peace Ambassador,' I thought it was some newcomer who appeared out of nowhere. I never expected it was the Butcher."
"I have to admit, I really do feel safe here. Is this some kind of psychological suggestion?"
The conversation gradually turned toward Luca.
They talked about his glorious past as the Butcher, when he helped the Lucchese family eliminate countless enemies.
They also talked about his current identity as a peace ambassador, the man who had supposedly sheathed his blade.
---
Overall, everyone had a good impression of Luca.
But several drug dealers still felt a faint sense of fear.
Even after all these years, the reputation of the Butcher was still terrifying.
Soon the conversation shifted to business matters.
Specifically—
The truck drivers' union.
Tony Pro, who had already been somewhat irritated before arriving, suddenly cursed.
"Fucking Gallo! That madman! I've never seen anyone so mentally unstable!"
He took a deep drag from his cigar.
Even the calming effect of the Silver Queen couldn't suppress his rage.
"How long has that bastard been out of prison? My trucks have already been robbed several times. Does he think he's being clever? Don't think I don't know it was him!"
The others immediately joined in, hurling insults.
"Crazy Joe!"
"Completely insane!"
Joe Gallo, nicknamed Crazy Joe.
He was famous for being exactly what the nickname suggested.
Luca was slightly surprised.
This was something he hadn't known.
"He robbed union trucks?" Luca asked.
Tony Pro nodded vigorously.
"That guy went completely insane after getting out of prison. He steals everything and smashes whatever he sees!"
"Colombo refuses to give him any respect, so he even robbed his own family's cake shop and the clothing factory belonging to Colombo."
Luca: "…"
Damn.
This was truly insane.
Colombo was Gallo's boss.
Yet Gallo was openly stealing his business.
Why hadn't Colombo simply killed him already?
Why wait until Gallo shot him during the public rally?
Another older Mafia member shook his head.
"When Gallo was in prison, he made friends with a lot of Black gangs. Now he's got a whole army of Black thugs and hitmen working for him."
"Those guys are just as crazy as he is. Like a pack of wild bears—if they see something sweet, they pounce on it."
The older men exchanged glances.
None of them wanted to provoke that revenge-obsessed lunatic.
The main reason was simple.
Gallo held a very high position within the Mafia.
In fact, he and Colombo had once been equals.
Some even said his status had originally been higher.
The Colombo family used to be called the Profaci family.
Back then, Gallo launched a rebellion.
He failed.
He went to prison.
And when he came out—
The family name had changed.
That shameless bastard Joe Colombo had seized the opportunity, taken control of the family, and even renamed it.
How could Gallo possibly accept that?
Gallo had always opposed Colombo.
His defiance toward the boss was something all Five Families knew about.
But Gallo was still a veteran Mafia figure with a powerful faction inside the Colombo family.
And more importantly—
He was completely insane.
No one wanted to provoke him.
While listening to these stories, Luca suddenly thought about his own family.
---
The Lucchese family.
Could I rename it the Greco family someday?
The Greco family definitely sounded better than Lucchese.
"Dove!"
Tony Pro suddenly looked at him.
"You said you're good at solving problems and that you value peace, right?"
"Why don't you go talk to Gallo?"
"As long as you can convince him to stop stealing our business, you can name your price. We need peace right now."
"Gallo keeps causing trouble. No one can do business peacefully."
Luca replied carefully.
"I only joined the Mafia while Gallo was in prison. I've barely had any contact with him. And when he goes crazy… he even steals from his own family."
An older Mafia boss laughed.
"Dove, weren't you just saying you were the Peace Ambassador?"
Tony Pro then offered a condition.
"I know you want to do business with the union."
"Your tanker trucks will have free passage from New York to New Jersey, and we'll open Philadelphia to you as well."
"I guarantee it."
He absolutely had the authority to do so.
Fitz smiled.
"Dove, cooperation is the only way to achieve a win-win situation."
"I think you're just afraid of bullets."
Luca thought for a moment.
"I can try."
Tony Pro laughed loudly.
"Dove, I believe in your abilities. Compared to 'Dove,' I'm actually more impressed by your other nickname—Butcher."
"You must have plenty of ways to persuade Gallo, right?"
Luca reached out and shook Tony Pro's hand.
"Wait for my good news."
You'll have plenty of opportunities to witness my butcher-style methods in the future.
---
After escorting the group of Mafia bosses out of the club, Luca watched their car disappear down the street.
He hadn't directly proposed becoming the union president earlier.
That would have been unrealistic.
Fitz might consider it.
But Tony Pro definitely wouldn't agree.
If Luca eliminated all of Tony Pro's rivals and then suddenly declared himself president in front of him—
He would have to be ready to face Tony Pro's retaliation at any time.
And raising the bond level of that rare card would become nearly impossible.
Still…
That small skill was useful.
Inside the car, far away from the club.
Tony Pro and Fitz sat in the back seat on their way to play golf.
Golf was a hobby they shared.
It also provided the perfect opportunity to discuss shady business deals.
Tony Pro asked,
"Have you figured out how Dove's gasoline business works?"
"Selling gasoline alone doesn't bring huge profits. It's not worth expanding like that."
"And their gasoline prices are even lower than the market price."
"How the hell are they making money?"
Fitz shook his head.
"I don't know yet. I only know they're cooperating with the Russians."
Since the federal government had not yet begun collecting the gasoline tax, everything still appeared perfectly legal.
Even a price war was completely lawful.
Only once taxes were implemented would the shady operations become visible.
Tony Pro had considered tax evasion.
But he never imagined something more outrageous.
They weren't evading taxes.
They were stealing the entire tax itself, leaving nothing for the federal government.
Tony Pro snorted.
"Keep a close eye on them. If there's an opportunity, we'll get involved too."
"We control the truck drivers. Without tanker trucks, how will they transport oil?"
"If that Peace Ambassador wants to make a living, he'll have to follow our rules."
"Does he want to do business in New Jersey?"
"Everything he and Mariggio built—we'll take it all."
Fitz nodded.
"What about Dove and Gallo?"
Tony Pro sneered.
"I never expected Dove to succeed."
"What could two violent lunatics possibly talk about?"
"Gallo can't be persuaded by anyone."
"Let them fight like dogs."
"It would be even better if they both died."
"Then we'll take over Dove's business."
For some reason, Tony Pro suddenly realized something strange.
The moment he left the club—
All the murderous thoughts and greed in his mind came rushing back.
"That's strange," he thought.
"Could it be that the Peace Ambassador really has some kind of psychological effect?"
---
Back in the top-floor office.
Not long after Luca sat down, Leon arrived.
Leon reported the intelligence he had gathered.
"Frank has been carrying out killings in New York recently, but all the targets are unrelated to the Five Families."
Luca nodded thoughtfully.
Although Frank was a union leader, his core identity was still that of a painter—an assassin.
Most of his assassination jobs came from the Bufalino crime family.
Luca didn't intend to interfere.
Instead, he planned to build a relationship with Frank through his daughters.
Frank's daughter had an extremely close relationship with Jimmy Hoffa.
She regarded Hoffa as her most respected elder—almost like a father.
Later, when Frank assassinated Hoffa, the relationship between father and daughter completely collapsed.
Luca sometimes wondered:
Does being a rare card automatically mean your family life is terrible?
"Keep an eye on him," Luca instructed.
"If he gets into trouble, help him out—especially with assassination jobs."
Leon nodded.
That was exactly his specialty.
Before leaving, Luca asked casually,
"By the way, Brian told me he's introducing you to a girlfriend. You…"
"I have something to do. I'll be leaving now."
Leon immediately slipped out of the office.
Luca: "…"
"Could it be Brian's introduction wasn't reliable?"
Shaking his head, Luca decided not to think about it for now.
He walked to the blackboard and pinned up a photo.
The photo showed Joe Gallo.
"Crazy Joe…"
"So he wants to become the big boss?"
Just how crazy could someone nicknamed Crazy Joe be?
Luca soon found out.
---
The next day.
Luca received a phone call from Abram.
Joe Gallo—
That madman—
had stolen Russian oil.
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