Underground lounge.
Luca and Winston chatted for a long time, but Luca still couldn't squeeze any useful information out of him.
Your mouth is really sealed tight!
If John Wick asked, Winston would probably tell him everything.
But when the Luca Greco asked, suddenly Winston knew nothing.
It was obvious that Winston truly treated John Wick like a son.
"Butcher… no, Dove," Winston chuckled. "Sorry, I'm still not used to your new nickname. Ever since you changed it, you barely come to the hotel for drinks anymore."
Luca swirled the wine in his glass, then casually took out an Oreo and ate it.
"I learned everything from you people. Isn't the Continental Hotel's motto about maintaining peace? I'm not just defending peace—I even run a club where killing is forbidden."
Otherwise, if the gamblers cheated, they might get killed by Elle Driver on the spot.
That one-eyed woman had a terrible temper.
Winston chuckled.
"So, Mr. Peace Ambassador, are you planning to seek justice for the Colombo crime family this time?"
"I wish for peace in New York."
"…"
Winston paused slightly.
Luca's serious expression made it hard to tell whether he was joking or telling the truth.
Could anyone actually believe that?
The number of bounty contracts the former Butcher completed was recorded clearly inside the Continental archives.
Black ink.
White paper.
Very official.
This was exactly the kind of line an executioner would say.
Still… after thinking about it more carefully, Winston realized the statement wasn't entirely false.
He smiled faintly.
"Tell me, then. How exactly do you plan to bring peace to the Colombo family's civil war? I'm listening."
Of course, Joe Gallo dying would probably end the conflict.
But Luca didn't say that aloud.
Someone from the Colombo faction could say it.
An outsider should not.
What Luca really wanted to understand was the plan of the person manipulating everything behind the scenes.
Why not simply assassinate Joe Gallo directly?
Why escalate the situation into a full-scale civil war instead?
Half the family would be crippled by the time it ended.
Luca already had a vague guess about the reason.
But he wasn't certain yet.
And interfering in another family's affairs too early would be unwise.
"I'm not sure either."
Luca set his glass down and sighed.
"That's why I came here to ask you for advice. You used to give me plenty of tips when I was running bounty missions."
"I don't like meddling in other families' affairs," Winston replied with a smile.
"But I can give you a hint."
"Please."
"Italy."
"The Camorra."
Luca's pupils shrank instantly.
Damn those Italian idiots.
The Camorra—one of the native Italian criminal organizations—held one of the twelve seats of the High Table.
In the original storyline, the Camorra itself later suffered internal conflict.
Their leader died.
The organization split into two factions.
One faction followed the elder sister.
The other supported the younger brother.
The sister inherited the leadership position.
But later, John Wick helped the younger brother assassinate his own sister and seize a seat on the High Table.
That scumbag brother had enormous ambitions.
Especially regarding New York City.
He wanted to control the city.
"Damn it."
Luca left the Continental Hotel while muttering curses under his breath.
Standing outside while waiting for his car, he almost raised his middle finger toward Italy.
"What a bastard."
"First he uses the Baba Yaga to eliminate all of Viggo Tarasov's enemies."
"Then he might even wipe out the Five Families."
"After that he sends John Wick to kill his own sister and seize power."
"What a brilliant scheme."
But this time…
Luca couldn't determine whether the mastermind was the younger brother himself or the entire Camorra organization.
The sister had no interest in New York.
The troublemaker was the brother.
And the current Camorra leader wasn't even dead yet.
Historically, the Camorra had already fought the American Mafia in New York in the early twentieth century.
They lost.
That was during the Prohibition in the United States era.
Ancient history.
"The Camorra interfering in the Colombo civil war…"
Luca frowned.
"What exactly are those bastard trying to do?"
"Are they targeting only Colombo… or are they planning something bigger?"
This was earlier than the original timeline.
John Wick hadn't even planned his wedding yet.
Luca needed to prepare several contingency plans.
---
Back in the underground lounge.
Winston placed his glass down and picked up the phone.
"Mr. Carlo Gambino, a young man just came by. I think you'll recognize him."
"He used to be called Butcher."
"Now he calls himself Luca the Dove."
Gambino replied calmly.
"What interesting thing happened?"
Winston briefly described the conversation he had with Luca.
"Besides you, he's the first Mafia member who came directly to me looking for information."
Gambino chuckled.
"He's a thoughtful young man."
Winston raised an eyebrow.
"You think highly of him? He's changed a lot."
"He's not the Butcher I used to know."
"These days," Gambino said, "there aren't many young people in the Mafia capable of standing on their own."
Winston remained silent for a moment.
Then Gambino added casually:
"His SSR Club is more comfortable than your hotel."
"You should visit sometime."
Winston smiled.
"If I have the chance."
After ending the call, Winston looked toward the lounge entrance.
A bald, muscular man walked in.
Winston raised an eyebrow.
"Even Global Engineering Group is advertising Colombo-family merchandise now?"
Outside the hotel.
Jimmy picked Luca up with the car.
"Dove, back to the club?"
Luca checked the time.
"No. It's late."
"Let's go straight back to Central Park."
The car left the hotel.
---
While driving through southern Manhattan, Luca noticed a street sign.
Bowery Street.
He glanced at it a few extra times.
King of Bowery Street.
Honestly, Luca really wanted to ask that guy for advice about raising doves.
It was the perfect pet for a Peace Ambassador.
When Luca returned home near Central Park, Mathilda was unsurprisingly watching television in the living room.
"Luca! Come watch this stand-up comedy show with me—it's hilarious!"
Luca sat down beside her.
The tension in his mind finally eased.
Mathilda laughed loudly and wrapped her arm around his.
She pointed at the television while explaining jokes he had missed earlier.
But Luca seemed distracted.
Originally, they planned to watch two dogs fight for a bone.
Instead, a third dog suddenly appeared and runs away with it.
Other people might not understand what the Camorra wanted.
But Luca did.
Participating in the Colombo civil war was likely the first step in their plan.
Install a puppet boss?
Use him to control New York?
Or expand the conflict until it spread across all Mafia families?
Could the Russians also be involved?
No matter what their goal was, Luca would sabotage it.
There was no way he would allow New York to fall into the hands of the Tarasov gang or the Camorra.
That outcome was unacceptable.
It had to be stopped.
And once the schemes behind the scenes began unfolding…
It would turn into a real battlefield for assassins.
An Irishman from Philadelphia.
A Baba Yaga from New York.
Mafia hitmen.
Luca and his rare cards.
Assassins scattered across the city—or arriving from elsewhere.
All attracted by the bounty.
There were simply too many killers in this world.
Mathilda suddenly shook Luca's arm.
"Luca, my birthday is next month."
"Can I make a birthday wish early?"
"Tell me."
"I want a handgun."
"…"
Luca smiled peacefully.
He had almost forgotten there was a tiny assassin sitting beside him.
A girl with frightening talent for learning assassin skills.
"Sure."
"I'll buy you a Star Wars laser toy gun."
"I don't want toys—I want a real gun!"
Mathilda jumped up on the sofa and grabbed Luca's head while shouting.
"Haha."
"Let's talk about it after you get straight A's on your final exams."
"Luca, you're so annoying."
Mathilda suddenly quieted down.
She leaned on his shoulder and murmured softly.
"Sister Elle promised to give me a dagger."
Luca: "…"
You're farming bonds faster than I am.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Isn't the day after tomorrow the weekend?"
"I'm going to Jersey City to officially take office as union president."
"Want to come along?"
"I'll take you out for some fun."
---
Frank Frank Fitzsimmons had already arranged the appointment through the union.
Procedurally, Luca was now the new president of Local 560 in Jersey City.
But he hadn't actually gone there yet.
He needed to formally take over.
And while he was there…
He could meet the Irish Painter Frank again.
Strengthen their bond.
Learn some skills.
After many investigations, Luca had finally confirmed that the painter was the man who killed Joe Gallo in the original timeline.
This meant Luca absolutely had to involve himself in that storyline.
The painter was a core rare card.
An unremarkable Irish old man.
Yet the entire Colombo civil war might ultimately revolve around him.
"Jersey City?" Mathilda asked curiously.
"Is it fun there?"
"Of course."
"I'll even have Brian teach you how to drive a truck."
"That sounds awesome!"
Mathilda laughed.
"Let's go on a weekend picnic!"
Jersey City sat right across the river from New York.
Less than an hour's drive from Manhattan.
But technically it belonged to New Jersey.
---
On Saturday morning, Luca's group drove toward Jersey City.
Several cars traveled together.
Besides Luca and Mathilda, there were Jimmy, Brian, and several family members.
Luca planned to place more of his people inside the union.
That way someone could handle daily affairs when he wasn't around.
During the drive, Luca constantly made phone calls.
Mariggio provided the latest news.
"Joe Gallo and Joseph Yacovelli have both gone into hiding."
"With bounties on their heads, they're hiding faster than anyone."
The leaders of both factions had disappeared.
Luca laughed.
"Even a madman like Gallo knows fear."
"Has the war finally worn down his temper?"
"He's being hunted by assassins," Mariggio replied.
"If he shows his face, he dies."
"What else can he do besides hide?"
"But he's still remotely ordering hits on Colombo loyalists."
Mariggio shrugged.
"Yacovelli isn't idle either."
"He visited me and Victor earlier."
"He wants our support on the Commission."
"Peace negotiations?" Luca asked.
"No."
"He wants approval to formally execute the Gallo faction."
Mariggio shook his head.
"But there were objections."
"The Commission refused."
"They said it was a family matter and law enforcement attention was too intense."
Luca snorted.
So this was the Commission's so-called peace code.
Gallo killed the boss.
Yet the Commission refused to issue an execution order.
Instead they silently allowed the civil war to continue.
Rules were made by people.
And people could ignore them.
Break them.
Or crush them.
Looking out the window at the widening road ahead, Luca said quietly:
"Someone wants the Colombo family completely destroyed."
Mariggio replied:
"Victor already told us to wait and observe."
"Oh—and be careful."
"Jersey City used to belong to Pro."
"He's dead, but many of his men still have strong connections with the union."
Luca smiled calmly.
"I know what I'm doing."
"I'm sure the truck drivers will welcome me."
"After all…"
"I bring them wealth."
"And if they don't welcome me—"
"Then it becomes an operation to defend peace."
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