Scarpa's sudden betrayal shocked not only his former brothers, but also the entire Colombo family in the days that followed.
As a longtime capo within the family, Scarpa had participated in countless criminal operations—large and small—over the years. He possessed an enormous amount of evidence against his fellow members. In fact, he could even remember with disturbing clarity that seven or eight bodies had been buried beneath the bathroom floor tiles in someone's house.
During the recent civil war, Scarpa had gathered even more evidence through wiretaps.
And on top of that, there was his personal testimony.
If more evidence surfaced, the entire Colombo family would lose its mind.
Scarpa… an informant?!
You son of a bitch, Scarpa!
Damn you, pentito!
In the end, were you flipped on your own brothers?!
What happened to the Omerta?
(TN: What do you guys thing? better Omerta or Code of Silence?)
What about loyalty?
Persico had only been in power for a few days, yet he was already furious enough to smash half the furniture in his own house.
When he saw Denham show up at his door again, a miserable smile spread across his face.
"Now I finally understand why the FBI arrived so quickly when Gallo attacked the clothing factory, and why you were able to track down Gallo so easily."
He laughed hysterically.
"Hahaha! So the FBI had already flipped Scarpa!"
"I was fighting Gallo to the death while you bastards were watching the whole show!"
Persico's eyes gleamed with a madness that rivaled—even surpassed—Gallo's.
"I never imagined you could actually turn someone like Scarpa."
"But don't think you've won."
"The evidence he has won't bring me down."
Of course, Dove had already anticipated this reaction.
Denham calmly brushed the snowflakes off his shoulder.
"Maybe one Scarpa isn't enough," he said. "But what if there are a few more?"
"Tell me—when dozens of people are being charged together, how many of them do you think will betray you and your family just to get a lighter sentence?"
Scarpa was just a single snowflake.
But even one snowflake could trigger an avalanche.
After saying that, Denham waved his hand.
"Persico, I am formally placing you under arrest for incitement to murder, assassination, robbery, extortion, blackmail, illegal gambling, money laundering, fraud, drug trafficking, smuggling, and illegal firearms trafficking."
"Now shut the hell up and talk to your lawyer."
As Denham turned to leave the room, Persico's furious struggles and roars echoed behind him.
Outside, the snowfall was getting heavier.
---
Over the next few days, the arrest operations went incredibly smoothly.
Originally, because of the internal family conflict, only a dozen or so members had been charged.
Now the number had skyrocketed into the triple digits.
[FBI raids key Colombo Mafia headquarters, arrests seven members suspected of drug trafficking.]
[Authorities seized financial ledgers worth $15 million in drug profits, revealing a twelve-year infiltration of East Coast port customs.]
[FBI and NYPD Joint Operation Achieves Major Victory — 19 Mafia Leaders Arrested Today, Illegal Weapons Cache Seized Including 27 Modified Submachine Guns]
[According to the FBI, this was the largest Mafia purge of the century.]
[Today, 32 members of 'Our Cause' were formally charged in Manhattan federal court with money laundering, labor exploitation, robbery, extortion, and other violent crimes.]
[Devastating Evidence Revealed — Colombo Family Accused of Manipulating New York Municipal Construction Projects; More Contractors Arrested]
…
Just before Christmas, a series of explosive scandals erupted across New York.
The shockwaves spread far beyond ordinary citizens. Major gangs and the other four Mafia families were equally stunned.
No one had expected things to escalate this far.
The avalanche had come too fast.
And too violently.
After all, the Colombo family was still one of the Five Families.
Even if the civil war had already reduced them to a pile of rubble by the roadside, it was still a very large pile.
Yet the authorities had simply marched in and flattened it.
This Christmas was far livelier than anyone had planned.
---
Long Island, Gambino Mansion.
Carlo Gambino held a newspaper in his hands, reading through it carefully with a pair of glasses perched on his nose.
The room was silent enough to hear breathing.
The invisible tension in the air felt almost frozen.
Paul Castellano barely dared breathe too loudly. It had been a long time since he had seen Gambino look this serious.
After a long while, Gambino finally lowered the newspaper.
A trace of worry crossed his brow.
"This doesn't involve our family," Paul reassured him. "Only the Colombo family is in trouble. The FBI knows that even dealing with one family is already difficult—they don't have the manpower to attack all Five Families at once."
"That's not what worries me," Gambino said quietly.
He shook his head.
"The Omerta has been broken."
"The last time someone broke the rules—during the Buscetta affair—it was only a personal betrayal. The damage was limited."
"But this time… it's different."
"A high-ranking Mafia member has become an FBI informant."
The old man's deep eyes locked onto Paul.
"Do you understand what that means?"
"The Mafia is no longer safe."
"Scarpa's betrayal will create a ripple effect. He set an example, and others will follow."
"Anyone could become the next Scarpa."
"No one will respect the Omerta anymore."
"And that is something I absolutely cannot allow."
Emotion surged through him, and Gambino suddenly clutched his chest, coughing twice.
Paul hurriedly grabbed medicine and water, carefully helping him take it.
After a moment, Gambino waved his hand to show he was fine.
"I even suspect the FBI orchestrated the Colombo civil war."
"They're the real directors behind the scenes."
"With Scarpa acting as their mole, they could see everything."
What Gambino couldn't understand was how the FBI had managed to flip Scarpa so perfectly.
It was a brilliant move.
A move no one had anticipated.
Before this, even when someone betrayed the Mafia, it was usually a one-time betrayal. No one had ever been turned into an informant and sent back to continue infiltrating the family.
The thought made Gambino deeply uneasy about the Mafia's future.
As long as he was alive, his connections and influence could still protect his family.
As long as I live, the federal government won't dare move against us.
But once he died…
Gambino could hardly imagine the consequences.
Without him holding everything together, his family, the Commission, and the entire New York underworld could collapse under the pressure.
Even Omertà—the Code of Silence—was start to crumble.
Suddenly, a face appeared in his mind.
Luca.
"Paul," Gambino said quietly.
"Arrange a meeting for me."
"I want to see Luca."
---
At Little Russia, Brooklyn, New York City
In Tarasov Bratva.
Viggo Tarasov had been reading the newspapers every day lately, constantly gathering news from different sources.
The biggest story, without question, was the dramatic collapse of the Colombo family.
His younger brother Abram Tarasov puffed on a cigar and chuckled.
"I heard Scarpa wasn't the only one. Once he set the example, plenty of Mafia members started cooperating with the authorities. Otherwise, with the charges against them, they'd die in prison."
Viggo spread his hands.
"Do you know what I admire most about the Mafia?"
"The Code of Silence."
"Because of that rule, their families have incredible cohesion. Everyone follows the rules. Even if they're arrested, they take the blame themselves and never betray the family."
Then he shrugged.
"Look at our gang."
"We can only rely on personal authority to control our men. There are no sacred rules hanging over everyone's heads."
"If we're lucky, we get loyal subordinates."
"If we're unlucky… we get traitors."
"Abram, start checking our people."
"Make sure the FBI hasn't flipped anyone."
Abram frowned.
"How the hell are we supposed to tell?"
"We can't read minds. If only people had labels on their foreheads saying informant or brother—life would be a lot easier."
Viggo fell silent.
If he really had that ability, the first person he would check would be the Baba Yaga.
That guy had been strangely busy lately.
Spending all his time dating his girlfriend.
What kind of hitman focuses on romance?
Planning to get married, have kids, and retire?
Ridiculous.
---
July 12 — Late Night
Within just one week, the Colombo family suffered a devastating purge.
More than one-third of its official members now faced federal charges.
Authorities presented overwhelming evidence.
Trials were inevitable.
At the same time, the Lucchese family held a high-level meeting at the SSR Club to discuss the situation.
Everyone was shaken.
The civil war had already been brutal.
No one expected something even worse afterward.
During the meeting, the boss Victor ordered strict internal discipline to prevent a similar disaster.
Meanwhile, the appointment of new capos would be postponed.
At a time like this, loyalty mattered more than expansion.
Better to have fewer capos than promote the wrong person.
When Luca stepped out of the club after the meeting, Paul had already been waiting by the roadside for quite some time.
He opened the car door.
"Dove."
"Mr. Gambino would like to see you."
---
At Long Island
"This winter feels colder than usual."
Gambino sat by the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket like an ordinary old man.
He lifted his eyelids slightly and gestured for Luca to sit.
"I hope inviting you so late didn't disturb your rest."
"It's cold outside," Luca replied calmly as he removed his gloves and coat. "I was actually looking for a warm place to sit."
After some casual conversation, Luca mentioned the club's Christmas event.
"You should come join us."
Gambino chuckled.
"If I were twenty years younger, I definitely would."
Soon their discussion turned to Scarpa's betrayal and the massive purge facing the Colombo family.
This crisis would affect not just one family, but the entire Mafia network.
"You handled the Colombo civil war very well," Gambino said.
"I promised that I would make you a Judge for the National Mafia Commission."
"And now it's time to keep that promise."
He paused.
"But first, I want your opinion."
"You know our tradition. When Mafia families have disputes, there must be a neutral peacemaker presiding over the meeting."
"Usually that role belongs to a family consigliere."
"Every family has one—someone educated in law, business, and politics. They advise the boss, handle negotiations, and sometimes prevent unnecessary violence that could attract government attention."
Gambino looked at Luca with a faint smile.
"You, Luca… have already built quite a reputation in the Bronx."
"The nickname Dove of Peace may sound ironic for a Mafia man, but it suits the role perfectly."
"That's why I chose you as a temporary judge."
Luca smiled modestly.
"Thank you for the recognition."
"I only did something small."
Gambino continued patiently.
"There are more than twenty Mafia families across the United States. Twelve of them sit on the Commission."
"They won't always agree."
"When conflicts arise, they may call on you to mediate."
Luca thought about it.
Wasn't this perfectly aligned with his system?
Defending peace in the underworld was still peace.
A Peace Ambassador should naturally bring peace to the entire country.
As for what happened to those families afterward…
Well.
They would definitely become peaceful.
Just like the Colombo family.
Broken, weakened, and stripped of its arrogance.
Even if they didn't want peace…
They would be forced into it.
Luca asked casually,
"What exactly does a judge need to do?"
Gambino replied,
"If possible—without violating the Omerta—maintain good relations with the government behind the scenes."
"Sometimes conflicts start with government pressure."
"Someone needs to mediate."
Luca chuckled inwardly.
Gambino was famous for bribing politicians, judges, police officers—anyone who could be bribed.
In fact, Gambino himself had once been arrested during a Mafia meeting.
He posted bail the same day and simply continued the meeting.
Meanwhile the overzealous prosecutor who charged him ended up ruining his own career.
Among all Mafia bosses, Gambino's relationship with the government was legendary.
So strong that the authorities could barely touch him.
No one knew how many officials he had cultivated—or how deep his influence ran in New York.
Luca only remembered one detail from history.
When Gambino eventually died, his funeral was broadcast worldwide.
Hundreds of television stations reported on it.
High-ranking Mafia figures attended.
So did a shocking number of politicians.
He was the only Godfather who died peacefully in bed.
Even in death, he remained dignified.
"Luca."
Gambino pulled the blanket tighter.
"Give me your answer."
"I'm willing to serve," Luca said.
Becoming a judge meant extending influence across the entire United States.
And interfering in the affairs of Mafia families everywhere.
Gambino nodded with satisfaction.
"Before Christmas, every Mafia family in the country will know."
"You are the new judge."
The warm glow of the fireplace illuminated the room.
A quiet promise was sealed between an old man and a young one.
"One more thing," Gambino added.
"Your first task as judge will be handling the conflict between the Colombo family and the federal authorities."
"Minimize the damage."
"And make sure Persico and the others behave themselves."
"They may be beyond saving, but I don't want this disaster spreading to other families."
"As you wish."
Luca stood up and prepared to leave.
He had secured the position of judge.
Now it was time to harvest the real reward.
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