The mafia pre-meeting

The Five Families of the West are five mafia organizations that control a great part of the Underworld operations in West Blue.

Five rival mafia families competing to expand their participation in the organized crime business throughout the West Blue. Officially they're rival organizations and even enemies that from time to time fought and even killed each other.

Each of the five families wanted to swallow up the territory and businesses of their rivals until only one family was left standing, thus monopolizing the mafia quota of the entire West Blue.

However the mafia, just like any country, even if they're rivals or even enemies, they socialize with each other in meetings. The reasons were diverse. From establishing the borders of their territories, conspiring among themselves, dealing with new competitors, facing collective threats, mediating when there was a problem between them, trading and socializing to avoid unproductive wars between any of them that could end in mutual destruction and/or in opportunities of conquest for those who didn't participate...

The reasons were diverse and so were the meetings, but the largest, most emblematic and expected one in which all the entire families participated regardless of the problems that existed between them took place every year in Ballywood and there was only one day left for that meeting. .

And this edition was certainly special!

Capone Bege, the youngest, most violent, undesirable, ambitious and troublesome member of the Five Families had recently died, thus reducing the number of participants in the game and turning The Five Families of the West into The Four Families of the West

A great joy for the survivors, who would share that part of the cake!

But not everything was cause for celebration...

For this reason, in an unprecedented way, a secret meeting was held one day before the real meeting between the four heads of each family and along with his bosses, his second in hand and his elite bodyguards had also come.

Normally the praetorian guard around the chiefs was the same as always, the most powerful men in each family, but today there were new faces because some starters had had terrible [accidents] or had been assigned to protect other objectives.

But be that as it may, all of them were gathered in Bege's old mansion, sitting around a round table in a luxurious windowless room...

"Good afternoon everyone

Thank you for attending despite having such short notice." Said Bonanno Michael, 57, boss of the Bonanno mafia. The most tactical Don of the group and the person who proposed and started the meeting "There's no precedent for this type of meeting, but there's also no precedent for the situation we find ourselves in" 

"Let me guess what you've in mind…" Anticipated Gambino Donovan, 40, head of the Gambino mafia. Partly expressing his own desires "You want us to have our important meeting right now, to forget about all our before and after ceremonies that would take place tomorrow and… take a vacation out of Ballywood to avoid Fred."

"NO WAY!

We can't cancel that meeting!" Protested Colombo Andrew, 41, head of the Colombo mafia. Who violently and nervously banged the table to express his disapproval "It's not just a meeting to discuss important issues and a party where our families socialize and eat until they burst!

It's a demonstration of our joint power against society and enemy organizations!

Canceling the meeting would be the same as admitting that we're scared of that 15-year-old kid!

Our reputation would take a big hit!"

"If some of you hadn't gotten so angry with him over stupid things, we wouldn't be in this situation." Said Genovese Liborio, 59, head of the Genovese family. Speak as if he hadn't participated in those decisions and in the execution of those plans "But no…

We had to try to kill him and put a price on his head!

And what's worse considering he's a vengeful monster, we also put a price on his family!

Why? Simply because we considered him a threat after accidentally ruining a business we hadn't even started!

Congratulations…we've created a deadly threat where there was none before…"

As strange as it may seem, Fred didn't have any serious problems with any of the five mafia families in his three years as a bounty hunter, until a few months ago.

Fred never lacked the desire to kill the gangsters who plagued the West Blue like locusts, but unfortunately they were everywhere, were too many of them, were too well organized, had the ability to get him into trouble with the legal sector, had no reward for their heads and were too complicated to dismantle without a good plan and support.

For that reason he always tried not to attract too much attention. Confronting them was an unproductive business

Yes, sometimes Fred had no choice but to kick the ass of some of thery cheap lackeys that bothered him, but he did it in moderation so as not to earn a deep vendetta from his bosses.

Furthermore, the gangsters weren't too interested in making Fred their enemy, confronting him was an unproductive business.

However, everything changed one day without Fred noticing...

"Try to murder him? Again?

After losing hundreds of our men and even the Genovese family's best assassin?

Ha! Good luck!" Gambino Donovan responded sarcastically. He still couldn't believe that the mafia's best sniper had been shot dead from more than ten kilometers away. But relieved that this corpse, that lacked the upper half of his body wasn't his best bodyguard, who was absent today. "We've already failed many times and right now there're not many opportunities to do so.

My contacts have informed me that this boy doesn't leave his luxury room that we cannot attack without assuming a prohibitive cost and... with zero probability of success despite the cost

Better play the lottery" 

"I see... locked in his room... just like you Andrew" Genovese Liborio said even more sarcastically to his rival and collaborator. Liborio was quite offended at being labelled as a coward, partly because he knew it was true. "Yes, don't act brave now.

We've all been locked in our mansions with all our men on high alert since that monster came to the country.

"How many days have you gone without sleep, big guy?"

And in the same way that Genovese Liborio got angry at being called a coward...

"Bastard!"

The irascible Columbo Andrew became absolutely furious when he pointed out the absolute evidence of his fear and weakness!

CRACK!!

But unlike Liborio, Andrew externalized his anger by hitting the table with his fist once again, this time completely destroying it. 

"He doesn't leave his room!? AND HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW!?" Columbo Andrew shouted, facing Genovese Liborio, his last offender. "That monster is a ninja and a master of disguise!

He could even be one of us right now!

ESPECIALLY YOU LIBORIO!!!"

Faced with this act of aggression and possible start of war between the four remaining mafia families, the different mafia bosses and their bodyguards took up a combat stance. Everyone was tired, scared, frustrated and hypersensitive these last few days and that's why they didn't frown upon using violence as an escape valve to release all those negative emotions, whether it was against Fred or not.

At a certain point the idea of starting a purge using the excuse that Fred could be one of them didn't sound so far-fetched in the minds of some of them. But in the end calm prevailed in the face of the possibility of self-destruction.

"Calm down everyone...

It's more than evident from our dark circles and confinement that we don't feel comfortable in our territory. We should also not be ashamed to admit that we don't know the best strategy to deal with that clock bomb named Frederick Freed." Bonanno Michael said, trying to bring sanity and calm to that meeting of rival groups seeking agreements to achieve a common goal. "For that reason...

To bring rationality and fresh ideas to this meeting, I've invited an expert to advise us."

And that external advisor had just opened the door to the room...

Plink! Clank! Clonk! Clank! Clink! Clanccllanclkalankalank!

A person who announced himself with the sound of tap dancing shoes couldn't be anyone else but...

"Hello everyone

It's an honor to be invited to one of your famous annual meetings, even if it's a secret one" Said Laffite, appearing at that meeting almost unexpectedly, almost as he would do years later at Mary Geoise. "I would love to be invited to the official meeting, but you know...

We've to keep up appearances."

Now with fewer doubts than before it could be confirmed that Laffitte is a corrupt police officer to the core. The five mafia families had ruled the West Blue since ayes, buying each country's police to turn a blind eye to their criminal activities since before Laffitte was even a police officer and when Laffitte was promoted to Sheriff of Ballywood that tradition continued.

Why wouldn't he do it?

After all, the mafia paid him very good bonuses and provided him with many extra favours. Furthermore, if he tried to go against this system he wouldn't only have problems with the mafia, but also among the police officers who accepted their bonuses and of course also with his direct bosses, some of them allied with those criminals who were so kind to him.

It wasn't worth it

"You've more than justified reasons to believe that Frederick Freed has evaded all our surveillance, has escaped from his room and is infiltrating your bunkers to kill you subtly or very cruelly.

After all, his great record suggests this." Laffite said, placing himself in the middle of all the mafia bosses, right above the remains of the table where he clicked his tap dancing shoes before his audience. "However, I think you'll be able to sleep peacefully today… and you could have done it earlier…

I doubt he'll try to kill you, at least not until the day of the big meeting."

And that statement partially filled with hopes and dreams...

"What're you trying to say?"

Caught the attention of everyone at the meeting. They didn't even pay attention to the Sheriff's strange attitude and the annoying sound of his tap shoes.

An attention that Laffitte enjoyed...

"If Fred's goal was simply to murder you while you sleep, eat or shit, he wouldn't have announced his arrival in the country

He would have infiltrated the country under another identity and after some preparation and study he would have killed you all in a single night or he would have devised an elaborate plan for you to kill each other." Laffitte said, providing his correct conclusions based on the complicated psychological profile of Fred that he had elaborated and explained very professionally... before getting a little frisky. "Why would he have done that?

In my humble opinion he has announced his arrival to... precisely this...

Cause great unrest among you and force you to call a secret meeting before the annual party.

A secret meeting with much less personnel compared to the real one in order to spend less resources on killing you all!"

And once again, upon hearing that possibility all the gangsters went into war mode against each other like before, but this time with greater cold blood and the certainty that their paranoia could be real. Now they just stared at each other like they were in a Spaghetti Western, but in a few seconds they would start killing each other until a single mafia family could leave this room alive.

It only took a small spark to start what was predicted to be a large and violent fire. And ironically, that pre-fire was put out by the same arsonist who almost started it...

"Hahaha… calm down, calm down…

If that were the case, I would have advised against holding this meeting" Laffitte said with a laugh to relax the tension... before becoming serious and mysterious once again "This was a possibility to consider, but only with the old Fred...."

Regardless of whether Laffitte was Sheriff of Ballywood or not, under normal circumstances the gangsters would have pointed their guns at that [funny] man's head and pulled the trigger without hesitation… but he was able to generate enough intrigue to overlook that transgression.

"Old Fred?" Gambino Donovan asked sarcastically, almost on the verge of laughing "That boy is fifteen years old! How can there be an [old] him?"

But Laffitte was unable to laugh right now…

"There is...

Or at least that's what I saw with my own eyes a few days ago..." Laffitte responded very seriously, erasing any trace of a sarcastic creepy smile from his face. "The old Fred was cautious with his public and private comments, reluctant to show his cards and subtle facing his enemies with no reward on their heads…

Despite being so flashy, extravagant and popular he was one of those who arrived and left through the back door whenever he smelled the slightest problem. A person who didn't want to attract unnecessary attention or problems from people with power whom he couldn't kill with total impunity..."

Laffitte paused briefly to allow even the most idiotic of bodyguards in that fortified room to internalize why so many of them were still alive… and why that situation could change.

"But the Fred that I saw a few days ago was the complete opposite...

He announced his arrival to send a message to all of us!

His accumulation stage is over, now he wants to consolidate himself completely!" Laffitte shouted, hitting the ground with his cane to emphasize the seriousness of the matter. "Friends...

We're facing a new type of monster. A more dangerous monster that no longer believes it needs to act from the shadows to deal with us...

In two days he'll arrive here and will do so through the main door with the intention of completely destroying us, I'm sure."

The message was clear, Fred and his team would come through the front door tomorrow with the intention and certainty of killing them overwhelmingly to show the world how powerful he had become, using them as empirical proof of his devastating power...

With what objective? That didn't matter to them now...

"Then there're more reasons to avoid tomorrow's meeting" Said Genovese Liborio, more determined than ever to flee today, even if that could damage his reputation. "Let's talk about what we wanted to talk about tomorrow and let's go."

"I don't recommend it...

I firmly believe that Fred plans to attack on the day of the official meeting, but he must have plans in the bedroom in case you change your plans." Laffitte stressed, recommending not getting up from the chair yet. "Of course he's not planning to kill you silently, but it's impossible that he has been locked in his room all these days.

He has surely created possible countermeasures in case one of you ran away, in case you had decided to cancel the party or...

Who knows how many plans he has..."

The remedy could be worse than the disease and the disease was very likely to be fatal and extremely painful. There didn't seem to be any good options, only certain and uncertain ones.

"I understand

At least if we continue with the party as planned we'll know when he'll attack and we can prepare for his arrival and set a trap for him." Bonanno Michael said while scratching his head in search of a satisfactory solution, although there was none. "Although... he'll know it's a trap and then it won't be a trap anymore...

…

A really good hunter always has the advantage over the prey, right?"

"FUCK! Let's attack before they attack us!

But without the need to attack personally" Columbo Andrew shouted once again to ask for more action and less deliberation, at least in part on this occasion. "All of us have more than one politician who owes us favours.

Let's call in those favors! Let's have them take care of Fred for us! 

They don't even have to kill him! Just hold him until the day of the party passes!"

Except for the first day when they requested Laffitte's help, the other failed assassination attempts were carried out with their own personnel or using underworld subcontractors. Perhaps Laffitte don't have enough authority, but they were sure that within the supposed light side of society there're people with the capacity to at least prevent or hinder the attempted murder that Fred surely wanted to commit tomorrow.

People they could buy or extort, but there was a small catch.

"I see...

His big idea is to ask President Jamba Yala to publicly confront the charismatic, beloved, powerfull and in state of grace Ballywood Hero less than two months before the presidential elections...

I don't know how many unspent favors you still have, but I doubt that my budget will be enough for the president for this political suicide." Answered Bonanno Michael, strongly suppressing the urge to call his desperate companion an idiot for mentioning this already studied and rejected alternative. "I spent a lot of annual favors to obtain Bege's properties and I believe that you're in a similar situation"

Since the mafia families and the world in general found out about the fall of the infamous Capone Bege, began a race to claim the territory, properties and business of their former rival

A race against time to obtain the largest portion of Bege's pie that not only happened on the battlefield. Also in the offices of politicians and public administration to legalize the illegal ahead of the competition in a lot of great auctions 

There were four competitors, a lot of properties without ownership documents, limited time and a single institution that monopolized the legalization of property contracts. A monopolistic institution with hundreds or even thousands of high, middle and low managers who knew the competition between mafias and that's why on this occasion they enormously raised the price of their silence, collaboration, right of exclusivity and services.

In a few months the four families managed to take over the void left by Bege, but at a high price that had practically left them in the red numbers, especially with the politicians who would have to help them in this complicated situation if they had something to gain and little to lose

"Fuck…"

None of them expected Fred to show up in Ballywood to kill them, much less now that they were at their worst moment!

The four families only expected to have to compete against each other and that wasn't a big problem since they were in a similar position. No one would risk creating any conflict now.

But now an unexpected and terrible external enemy that was capable of nullifying all of their strengths had appeared!

Running away with their tail between their legs would damage their way of life for life, even if they tried they probably couldn't escape safely, they probably wouldn't win in a battle, and they couldn't even employ effective dirty methods against their enemy.

They were between a rock and a hard place in such an overwhelming, ruthless and well-designed way that almost seemed as if... it wasn't a coincidence...

"I'm starting to think that monster planned all this a year ago.

Maybe even before…" Said Genovese Liborio, feeling like he was losing years of life as he gathered his thoughts and expressed them. "Fred knew that we sold the pirates [Guns and Bullets] the information that a large part of Ballywood's army would be leaving on a secret mission that day and also pointed the most vulnerable parts of this country. It was evident that this army of pirates would use that information to carry out a great coup in the country.

That's why he came the day before that happened and on the same day of the coup, to make sure that Laffite didn't steal part of his limelight or to prevent him from acting to save our properties, he incapacitated him with one of his poisons.

The son of a bitch became the country's hero and blew up our billionaire plan to rebuild Ballywood on which we had bet so much!

All because of his interference!

AAAAANNNDDDD! He knew that we would want revenge and that we would hire assassins to end his life at the party where weapons were prohibited... and unexpectedly he killed them with ease despite not having weapons, ceasing to be a hero and becoming a legend by [saving] the country for the second time in less than a week.

Once again at our expense…"

No matter how strong or weak, brave or cowardly, intelligent or idiotic one was... as they listened to this well-interconnected, plausible and twisted theory, the discomfort that everyone felt in that room increased.

This was an agonizing, dizzying, overwhelming feeling... very similar to what a hypochondriac with possible and real serious health problems might feel when his doctor paused dramatically before revealing the results of medical tests.

No one was free from experiencing that sensation to a greater or lesser extent and the situation worsened as the theory advanced.

"And a few months ago our... dear... psychopathic hero loved by the masses killed our... dear... partner Capone "Gang" Bege. 

Good news!

He did us all a great favor by ridding us of his dangerous presence and also gifted us with his share of the pie...

Or so we thought…" Genovese Liborio continued with his theory, growing pale as he created more connections between the past events and their current precariousness "If I'm not mistaken, although I would like to be wrong, the person responsible for the fact that we haven't found the official titles of Bege's properties is the same person who killed him.

With some of his dark arts he forced the survivors of his massacre to destroy those documents and thus force us to spend our political favors on obtaining Bege's properties through the back door.

And now a year later, after orchestrating everything to become the national hero, he appears before us... 

Close to a presidential election, with the entire country praising him louder than ever and with a team of monsters days away from our party. Precisely when we lack more military power than ever due to the lack of Bege and more politically vulnerable than ever precisely thanks to his specialty, delivering poisoned gifts

POISONED GIFTS THAT WE ATE LIKE IDIOTS!

Coincidence? I don't think so!

HE PLANNED EVERYTHING! WE CAN'T USE ANYONE TO HELP US!

MUCH LESS IN SUCH A SHORT TIME!

WE'RE ALONE AGAINST HIM AND HE SEEMS TO BE CONVINCED HE'LL KILL US EASILY!

AND HE NEVER FAILS!"

Vertigo…

Despite sitting in a stable and comfortable chair firmly attached to the solid floor of a armored basement, they felt as if they were plummeting into a dark abyss.

However, they didn't look into that abyss... nor did the abyss look back at them. They weren't able to focus their gaze on that dark world that didn't stop spinning around them.

They were unable to see anything clearly except their own legs, hands and...

Threads?

Virtually invisible threads attached to the limbs that they were able to see. Threads that seemed to extend to the ceiling of the bunker room and that, with concern and curiosity, they followed with their eyes to see where they really led.

And there he was... 

Fred!

Grasping and moving the almost invisible threads precisely but playfully with his fingers, manipulating their limbs using them as a medium. Looking with superiority from above with his hypnotizing deep green eyes as they moved according to his designs, without even being aware that someone else was guiding each and every one of their actions, but above all...

Laughing...

Laughing macabrely with his characteristic demonic smile brimming with sadism!

A terrifying and arrogant smile that became more inhuman as the puppet game that he had started progressed and that he planned to culminate shortly with a catharsis so cruel and bloody that his playmates didn't even dare to imagine.

But until then... until tomorrow…

When he would finally get bored of playing with them and would throw them away after breaking them… that capricious, cruel and powerful kid that looked down on them from the sky would repeat the same thing over and over…

"DANCE PUPPETS! DANCE!!!"

And upon hearing those dark words... the vertigo stopped...

They no longer felt that sensation of falling into the void, the world around them stopped spinning. There was no trace of the strings attached to their limbs or of the cruel puppeteer watching them from the sky.

That creepy hallucination was replaced by fear... a fear so atrocious that emptied them inside and left them completely pale

No one, not even the thug Colombo Andrew or the equidistant and calm Laffitte, was immune to that hallucination and terror.

"No… I don't think there's anyone so twisted, coold and… calculating…" Columbo Andrew said trying to stop the trembling of his voice and legs. "This has to be a mere coincidence... at least something must be...."

"I think… I think that reading so many sensational articles about that boy and his intellect has negatively influenced you.

He can't… he can't be so intelligent and at the same time so strong...

He's still a human, like us..." Gambino Donovan said, wanting to believe he was right, even though every cell in his body said otherwise. For that reason, for better or worse, he asked for a second opinion. "What do you think Laffite?"

Laffitte was the first to wake up from this terrifying collective hallucination and was also the best at resisting or at least hiding the fear that this theory brought, which reinforced the trust that everyone had in him. . Furthermore, given his profile, there was no one better in that room to clear everyone's doubts, either to alleviate or confirm the terrible truth.

"It's hard to say without evidence...

As a researcher I would have to lean towards the hypothesis that there have been many coincidences that Fred has skillfully taken advantage of in the last year instead of believing that everything that has happened in a year has been part of his plan..." Laffitte said in a rational and conciliatory way... but not during his entire speech "But like you I think I have been infected by the Dark Mind effect, I admit it...

He's done such a good job of cultivating his reputation as a genius strategist that you may come to doubt whether your own thoughts and decisions are your own or not when he's involved.

You see yourself as a puppet being manipulated by Fred in a game with an inevitable and horrible ending from which you cannot escape...

And this only gives him more power over our minds, whether that's true or not..."

Plink! Clanck! Clonk! Clank! Clink! Clanclaclanclkalankalank!

And after a loud dance step that partially broke that tense atmosphere, Laffitte finished his speech.

"For that reason I advise you not to think so much about whether Fred has planned this a few months ago, a year ago or since he was in his mother's womb.

Ignore this concern and move forward" Laffitte said as he walked away from the center of the room to approach the door to reinforce his argument. "We already know that he wants to kill you tomorrow during the party.

Let's focus on the things we've control over instead of overwhelming ourselves with unproductive hypotheses."

The message had been clear...

They had already spent too much time deifying Fred in their minds. Now it was time to have a winning mentality, or at least a survivor's mentality and face that crisis far from that isolated underground bunker in which they took refuge.

"Thank you for your advice Laffite" Said Bonanno Michael, who understood the message, but seemed not to want to put it into practice yet "Taking advantage of the fact that we've you here and that that detail has been mentioned in that unproductive hypothesis

Have you been able to get anything out of the bege men you captured?"

"Nothing that I haven't already reported to you, unfortunately" Laffitte responded with some reluctance to continue with the meeting, but he couldn't refuse to answer a question that fell within his direct competence. "The vast majority of those I've interrogated weren't in the battle against Fred, so they cannot say much more except for the strange way in which their companions acted when they returned from the massacre.

Many of the targets of interest committed suicide before they were caught, or as soon as we took our eyes away from them.

And the only one we've managed to keep alive doesn't speak or just answers the same thing over and over again even after being hypnotized by me.

SOMEONE DESTROYED THE DOCUMENS!!!"

"How?

How does Fred achieve this absurd level of mind control?" Asked Colombo Andrew, almost desperate as the abominable monster in his mind became more monstrous as they talked about him. "No matter how good he's in this field, it's impossible that in such a short time with some torture, drugs and mental manipulation he's able to achieve this kind of results.

There has to be something else!"

"That's right...

The strange behavior of some pirates whom he [convinces] to commit suicide missions against their allies, the state of the pirates he hands over to the Marine and my recent interrogations...

Normal methods cannot explain such success." Laffitte responded before sharing another of his theories with the four mob bosses, but this was the one he was most proud and confident of. "I've no proof but I also have no doubt that Fred uses an advanced hypnosis technique to force people to do what he wants."

"Hypnosis?

Damn…" Genovese Liborio stammered, on the verge of fainting. "Just like you?"

Laffitte was a man of many talents with whom he rose meteorically through the ranks of the Ballywood police.

Superhuman strength and speed, great skill with the sword, more than outstanding intelligence, ability to adapt, ability and leadership, good acting, rhythm...

However, there was an inseparable talent that explained the great success of that young Sheriff and that was his ability to hypnotize those he investigated... and those who tried to investigate him...

The same hypnosis that he would use years later on several marines in charge of opening and closing the doors of justice and that both he and Luffy would take advantage of to enter Marineford.

A strange ability that he have even now...

"Yes... but his technique and mine are different in essence and result.

I can make people act the way I want for a while.

But nothing very spectacular.

I can only make them follow a simple command or forget something, as if they were drugged, almost unconsciously...

The commands must be brief, simple and easy for the hypnotized person to execute or my technique will fail.

Furthermore, I cannot hypnotize the same person more than once, it loses effectiveness quickly.

As you can see I have to use it wisely" Laffitte said explaining his ability, but not because he believed there were many uninformed people in that room, but to make a comparison. "However...

Fred makes them act completely consciously against his will with seemingly no time limit, no instruction limit, no complexity limit and no limit of uses!"

A comparison in which his side lost and that once again dynamited the hopes of the mafia bosses and their bodyguards.

"His ability is more powerful than mine and therefore his activation conditions must be more restrictive as well. I have believed in this theory for a long time, but a few days ago I thought I had confirmed it when I met him face to face.

And I'm sure Fred knows that I know it too." Laffitte said, finally explaining the good part of his analysis, even if it wasn't perfect. "The condition for activating his hypnotic technique is to accept a promise or a deal from him.

Once you accept a promise or pact, if he applies his technique, you'll be forced to fulfill it.

That's why you should never promise anything in his presence if you're not willing to fulfill it and much less end up in a trial against him.

You'll lose... everything... but in a more humiliating way..." 

It wasn't necessary for Laffitte to develop this point much further for even the most idiotic to realize the danger and reach the same conclusion. Legal methods were equally, if not more, dangerous to use against Fred.

For the umpteenth time they found themselves between a rock and a hard place, although this time it didn't seem so tragic.

"It's an interesting warning... if it weren't for the fact that we're a few hours away from a total war in which he wants to kill us directly without putting us on trial..." Colombo Andrew responded, who despite being emotionally defeated still didn't give up."Gentlemen...

Let's focus on thinking how to fight Fred tomorrow within our means...

Can't we kidnap some of his friends in the country and use them as hostages or bargaining chips against him?

The usual method!"

"You can try, but he's probably already taken countermeasures against that possibility... and if you succeed, don't expect him to be willing to negotiate.

He'll try to kill you in a more violent way and you'll give legitimacy to his act of aggression" Answered Laffitte after sitting in a chair. He suspected that the meeting would continue for a few more minutes. "Besides, I'll lose the excuse to help you and myself...

I doubt Fred will forgive me if he kills all of you."

"Damn…" Colombo Andrew wailed as he punched himself. "Everything is so complicated when that monster is in the equation…"

"I'm glad you finally realize it, my dear simpleton," said Gambino Donovan, without losing his sense of sarcasm. "Let's keep thinking…"

And without much pretension or hope, everyone in the room, regardless of their rank or official affiliation, began to really work as a team...

"What if..."

The secret meeting that would determine the future of the West Blue mafia continued with a brainstorming

A totally uncertain future considering how the meeting had gone up to this point. A long, tedious and very unproductive brainstorming session from which only impractical, unrealizable, stupid or ideas that could only be considered patches emerged.

And of course this secret meeting wasn't so secret...

In that locked room there weren't only four mafia bosses, eight bodyguards and a corrupt police officer. From the four corners there were tiny snails watching and listening to all the details of this meeting.

---

Thanks to those snails, four people, from the comfort of their home and flying back home, viewed through a movie screen and illegally recorded for sale and own use everything that happened in the basement that legally belonged to them

"Keep talking creepo's...

Every word will give you a... death sentence…" Said Fred, once again referencing an animated show that sadly no one here knew about "This secret meeting is a gold mine!

MUA HAHAHA!!"

For days now, Fred and the others had distributed the Spy Den Den Mushi's devices throughout Ballywood to collect all kinds of information that they could use against their enemies and future enemies. The results had been excellent so far, but today's meeting was proving too fruitful, to the point that Fred got off the exercise bike to perform his victory dance.

"Aren't you worried?" Perona asked, not as optimistic as Fred... besides, he thought Fred danced terribly. "That weird corrupt cop knows about his Pact Magic!

This could ruin your plan!"

"Laffite is corrupt and a bastard, but he's a competent guy.

It's more than evident that he would end up discovering something and I knew that he knew it from the day we arrived in Ballywood.

He refused to accept any promise I made.

But don't worry!

It won't interfere with my plan, I'll just have to be more…insistent and brutal…" Said Fred, who after taking certain hints stopped his unpopular dance. "Although it could be a problem if many more people outside that room found out about this theory

I'll have to something about that…

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER OF MY FANTASTIC PLANS!"

"This, Fred-sensei…

When will you teach me to make plans like you?!" David asked, whose eyes were saturated with admiration. His admiration was already at the highest possible level, but upon seeing how the gangsters felt total panic over his sensei intelligence, his counter exceeded the limit. "Is it true that you planned all this a year ago?"

"Since a year ago?

Are you drunk!? Do you think I'm Sōsuke Aizen?

My plan started a few months ago in Aldora when I killed Bege's man and I have been improving it over time!" Shouted Fred, who despite being willing to accept the achievement before the press couldn't deceive his own team so flagrantly. "A year ago I was just at the right time in the right place when some pirates with a high reward came knocking on my door, but I was unaware that they had planned an attack on Ballywood with the help of the mafia until now

What happened with Laffite was pure coincidence! He was harassing me and I poisoned his food with my super laxative as revenge and to get him off my back for a few days!

And I never expected to become a massive hero in this country for defeating those pirates! I didn't know that guys like me were so easily and massively idolized here!

Now I'm just making good use of the situation! But I never looked for it!"

"You certainly don't live up to your own legend...

STEEL-STEEL-STEEL!" Said Stephen, who couldn't help but laugh every time he saw third parties believe that the character with a 99999 IQ that Fred and Morgans had created is real. "It's funny to see them creating these convoluted conspiracy theories and getting even more scared of you because of them.

Underestimating your enemy is dangerous, but overestimating him is not without risk. Thinking too much can even be counterproductive.

Someone less intelligent would be more efficient in this situation."

"Yes, it's always funny to see your enemies fear you" Said Fred, getting closer and closer to the screen in a creepy way. "It's intoxicating.

Mmmfff ahh...

I smell their fear from here…"

Fred hadn't won yet and knew better than to sell the bear's skin before hunting it...

But he couldn't help but feel like the winner at this point!

Never before had he so enjoyed having such an information asymmetry. Seeing that his enemies were already declaring him the winner of a massacre before it had even begun was a magical feeling.

He couldn't help but express his joy and thoughts through his evil demonic smile, but above all couldn't help but move his hands and fingers. Fred played puppets with the gangsters he saw plotting on television, who couldn't realize that their previous nightmare was coming true

"We... where am I?

What do you want?"

However, that moment that his friends would prefer to erase from their minds was interrupted by a scared voice coming from behind them

"Uh, and speaking about fear…" Fred said, happily turning away from his favorite program. "Our guest has finally woken up

Let's leave the TV for a moment while this continues recording, it would be impolite not to attend to you..."

There was only one day left before the big meeting and would be a long day...

Although not for everyone...

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You'll be able to see 8 chapters in advance in my Pa-treon

pa-treon.com/user?u=83938371