Luca chose to watch the show. Zero posed little threat to him. This single-minded battle maniac, aside from strictly following the rules of the High Table, dreamed of meeting his idol and defeating him.
In the original storyline, he and his men respected Baba Yaga so much that they gave him countless opportunities during battle. They even allowed him time to recover his strength instead of taking advantage of his weakened state, insisting on winning fair and square.
Zero ultimately died at the hands of Baba Yaga, and even in his final breath he was still thinking about following in Baba Yaga's footsteps.
Fans can be terrifyingly loyal.
With a clang and a metallic hum, the two swords—one long and one short—collided again.
Two Japanese sword masters fought in primitive close combat amid the corpses scattered throughout the hall.
Both sides followed the spirit of Bushido: respecting one another, fighting fairly, and attempting to defeat the other purely through skill.
Luca was willing to give them that respect.
Just as the battle reached its peak, footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the hall.
Luca offered a friendly reminder.
"You two keep fighting. I'll handle the rest."
Turning around, he saw Ares rushing into the hall in a disheveled state, with Leon chasing after her.
Luca raised his hand and fired.
The short-haired mute rolled forward. As she rose to her feet, a short dagger appeared in her hand and slashed toward Luca's waist like a venomous snake.
You dare go for my kidney?
A flash of anger crossed Luca's eyes. His expression turned ferocious, and his rage rose sharply.
At the same time, his katana swept toward Ares's neck.
Ares crouched low and flicked her head sideways. The blade sliced across the air above her, severing a lock of hair.
She immediately counterattacked. Her right leg swept across the floor, forcing Luca to retreat while her dagger lunged toward his abdomen.
Luca leapt backward to dodge, his anger rising further.
Swish!
The katana flashed again, its speed climbing to another level.
Ares felt her scalp tingle. She tried to dodge, but it was too late.
A bloody wound opened across her arm.
"It's over, Miss Bodyguard."
Luca lunged forward and, with a swift motion, drove the blade into Ares's abdomen.
The ferocious expression slowly faded as Luca pulled the blood-stained katana free.
Ares collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain and completely incapacitated.
She was gravely wounded, though not dead yet.
Luca crouched beside her, rummaged through her pocket, and pulled out a cellphone.
"Besides Zero, which other assassins did Santino hire this time?"
Ares gestured coldly.
"You wouldn't know."
Luca continued calmly.
"Who in the Camorra is involved? Where are Santino and Joe Gallo now?"
Ares simply stared at him with icy silence.
"Tell me now and you might still live."
Luca flipped through the phone, searching for Santino's number.
"Or I'll just ask your boss if he's willing to save your life."
The call connected.
Santino's voice came through the line.
"Who is this?"
Even though the call was made from Ares's phone, Santino had already begun doubting the caller before Luca even spoke.
Luca smiled faintly.
Ares was mute. Naturally she never made phone calls—only texted.
"Luca Greco. Hello, Mr. Antonio."
"Butcher?" Santino sneered. "Or should I call you Dove of Peace?"
"If you don't mind that I killed a lot of your men, you can call me Dove. After all, I did it for the peace of Bowery Street."
"Is this how a dove behaves?! Is this what you call peace?!"
"The Colombo family conflict could have been resolved internally," Luca replied calmly. "No matter how much they fought among themselves, it wouldn't have caused any serious upheaval. But outside interference changes everything. You started the fight first."
He paused.
"I'm curious—did Joe Gallo contact you first, or did you simply get tired of Italy and decide to experience New York culture firsthand?"
Santino's tone turned icy.
"Your other four families were the ones standing by doing nothing."
"Colombo's death wasn't caused by Joe Gallo alone. The other four families were involved as well! Did Colombo's Civil Rights Alliance scare you that much? Were you so eager to kill him?"
"You used Joe Gallo and then killed him afterward. I merely provided him with a little protection. The Colombo civil war needed to be contained. Since you refused to help, it fell to me to defend peace."
Good grief, he's stealing my lines.
Luca sighed internally.
Peace really did depend on perspective.
Joe Gallo and Joseph Yacovelli both claimed they were fighting for peace.
Unfortunately, Gallo had offended too many people in New York and was crazy. Carlo Gambino certainly wouldn't want to see Gallo rise to power and claim a seat on the Commission.
But Santino insisted on going against everyone else.
And he succeeded—dragging several families into the chaos with him.
Luca joked lightly.
"If you hand over Joe Gallo, the Colombo civil war ends immediately and peace returns. How about it?"
"You want me to betray my allies?" Santino scoffed. "Why don't you hand over Yacovelli instead? Gallo is more qualified to lead Colombo. He's older and holds higher status. He served the family since the days of Joe Profaci. He deserves the position."
"But he killed Colombo."
"Hah. Ridiculous."
"Wasn't that instigated by your families?"
Santino chuckled.
"Then it seems there's no room left for negotiation. But Dove, since we both want peace, let's fight for peace together."
He added casually,
"Oh—and say goodbye to Ares for me. Tell her I'll miss her."
Click.
The phone disconnected.
Luca raised an eyebrow.
"How many cigars have you smoked today? That ego is getting impressive. Trying to steal the Peace Ambassador's business?"
He looked at Ares, who was clutching her stomach.
"Your boss has abandoned you."
His voice softened slightly.
"Next life, find a more reliable boss. Following Santino has no future."
Ares watched calmly as the blade slid across her throat.
__________________________________________________________________________
[Ding! You killed 25 bloodthirsty professional killers. You defended the peace of Bowery Street]
[Gain Skill Points +25]
[Gain Skill Fragment +10]
[Neural Reaction Speed +5%]
[Remaining Skill Fragments: 33]
__________________________________________________________________________
Leon stepped forward.
"The other assassins are all taken care of."
Luca nodded and turned back toward the duel.
It was almost over.
O-Ren Ishii had gained the upper hand.
As a top international assassin, her abilities were extraordinary. Having trained under the legendary Hattori Hanzo, her Kendo had reached its peak.
In the original storyline, she fought Black Mamba head-on and once severely wounded her. Unfortunately, she possessed far too many absurd advantages or i say plot armor and ultimately killed her in a desperate counterattack.
To be honest, Luca suspected that if O-Ren Ishii had possessed one of Hanzo's divine blades, Black Mamba might not have defeated her at all.
With the final strike, O-Ren Ishii slipped behind Zero and carved a crimson line across his back.
Zero collapsed to the ground.
His gaze toward O-Ren Ishii was complicated—yet filled with burning admiration.
Besides Baba Yaga, there are women this powerful in the world?
O-Ren Ishii pressed her blade against Zero's neck.
"Submit. Or die."
Zero inhaled deeply.
Then he lowered his head and raised his katana with both hands.
"You have conquered me with your strength. I am willing to submit and pledge loyalty to the Ishii family."
Facing strength far beyond his own—and considering the powerful background of the Ishii Yakuza family—Zero knew what choice to make.
Serving the Ishii family would not shame him.
If anything, perhaps one day he might climb to the top of the Japanese underworld alongside Miss Ishii.
There was also another reason.
O-Ren Ishii was the disciple of Hattori Hanzo.
O-Ren Ishii accepted the katana.
Zero had officially pledged loyalty.
Luca watched in amazement.
Wow.
The Yakuza Queen is impressive.
She just recruited Baba Yaga's biggest fan.
If she returned to Japan as queen, how many people in Tokyo could actually stop her?
---
Luca stepped forward beside O-Ren Ishii and looked at the bald man.
"I heard you're a fan of John."
"I prefer the word challenger."
Zero's expression was solemn as he declared passionately,
"Only overwhelming strength earns my respect! Mr. Wick is a legend among assassins. He has never failed a mission. Everyone knows the name Baba Yaga."
"My life's goal is to defeat him."
Is that a fan… or a hater?
Luca chuckled.
"John is my friend. Want to meet him?"
Zero froze slightly.
"You can arrange that?"
Luca shrugged.
"Miss Ishii is also my friend. If you follow her, sooner or later you'll meet Baba Yaga."
Zero looked between Luca and O-Ren Ishii in surprise.
O-Ren Ishii spoke coldly.
"The Dove is my friend. Show him respect."
Zero finally nodded.
"Understood."
__________________________________________________________________________
[Character Card: Zero]
[Rank: S]
[Source: John Wick]
Skill:
[Loyal Fan:
- When challenging your idol in a one-on-one battle, your combat power increases by 20%.]
[Learning Requirements: Friendship or higher; 50 Skill Fragments]
[Judge's Favor:
- Your abilities and loyalty have earned recognition from the High Table's Adjudicators.
- Adjudicators' trust level +15%.
- This increases the probability of being hired or protected by them.]
[Learning Requirements: Close Friend bond level or higher; 80 Skill Fragments]
[Bond: Familiar]
__________________________________________________________________________
The loyal fan really was just the leader of the haters.
The first skill was useless for Luca—he wasn't anyone's fan and had no idol.
The second skill, however, was excellent.
It actually increased the Adjudicator's trust.
The Adjudicator held a unique position within the High Table. They stood outside the twelve seats yet wielded enormous authority—even possessing the power to remove a Continental Hotel from operation.
Their authority was higher than a hotel manager's.
They answered only to the rules of the High Table.
In Luca's mind, every Adjudicator looked the same—cold-faced women who were extremely difficult to deal with.
If he could gain extra trust from them for free, that was definitely useful.
Clean the battlefield, Collect the corpses, and Treat the wounded.
When Elle Driver heard that O-Ren Ishii had recruited Zero, she nearly jumped out of her hospital bed in rage.
That bastard stabbed me several times and then turned around and became O-Ren Ishii's dog?!
So two Japanese people are ganging up on an American now?!
Elle immediately grabbed her notebook and wrote it down.
---
At the Soup Kitchen, In King's Room, Bowery Street
A massive map of New York hung on the wall.
Photos of important figures covered the surface.
Luca even saw his own picture pinned over Little Italy.
The Bowery King sighed.
"Dove, I'm out of options."
Luca sat across from him.
"Tell me everything you know. Kill Joe Gallo and Santino, and this all ends. I'm your way out."
The Bowery King spread his hands.
"Dove, my people gathered a lot of intelligence about you."
He suddenly laughed.
"Peace Ambassador of Little Italy! Your halo protects the residents there. They adore you."
"You are Little Italy."
"And Little Italy is you."
His laughter gradually grew louder until it turned into a booming cackle.
Finally, he stuffed the pigeon back into Luca's hands.
"Want to learn how to raise doves? I can teach you."
Luca laughed.
"Sure."
[Bond: Friends]
[New Skill Unlocked - Carrier Dove]
---
"I really don't know where Joe Gallo is," the Bowery King said, staring at the map and shaking his head. "He's hiding well. I suspect he already left New York and Santino moved him somewhere else."
"Where's Santino?"
"No idea. He stayed at the New York Continental Hotel earlier, then disappeared. I suspect he's hiding with Gallo somewhere."
Luca frowned.
Not knowing the location made things troublesome.
The Bowery King suddenly added,
"But I do know where some of the Gallo faction members are. Joe Gallo has two brothers. Maybe you can find him through them."
"Where?"
"The Brooklyn Museum of Art."
Luca raised his eyebrows.
Wasn't that the same place where Joe Gallo once held his art exhibition?
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