Betrayal

"Rumble!!"

At some point, the sky had become covered in dark clouds. Just a while ago, it had been perfectly clear.

Standing before the window, Otto gazed calmly at the clouds churning overhead. They reminded him of the towering waves he had encountered at sea when he was young. The helplessness, the feeling that he could be swallowed by the ocean at any moment, had truly terrified him. After that, he had fled back to shore in disgrace and never sailed again.

He hated the sea, so he hated the sky now, too. The churning clouds were just like those waves.

But he was no longer the man he'd been back then. He wasn't afraid anymore. His eyes held nothing but calm.

His reflection was faintly visible in the clear glass: a middle-aged, portly man with short arms and legs and a round head. Dressed in a sharply contrasting black-and-white gentleman's suit, he looked rather comical, almost like a penguin.

"Knock, knock."

A sound came from behind him.

"Come in."

Otto's voice was a little high-pitched, but its slightly hoarse quality kept it from sounding grating.

"Creak."

The solid wooden door swung open, and a boy—or, perhaps more accurately, a kid—walked in.

He looked about twelve or thirteen, with a still-childish face, yet he was already tall, only a little shorter than Otto and nearly a meter seventy. He wore a neatly pressed black suit and a tie, his jacket unbuttoned to reveal a white shirt beneath. His sleeves, however, were casually rolled up.

His black hair was long, reaching about to his waist, and tied in a high ponytail. His complexion was almost ghostly pale, and his features were exceptionally handsome. Most striking of all were his sharp, crimson eyes, like knives.

He was a boy who made a strong impression.

"Boss."

He quietly shut the door and walked up behind Otto. Stopping at just the right distance, he bowed slightly. "Everyone's ready."

At that moment, his sharp, knife-like gaze softened, as if he had sheathed his blade. He was an immensely proud boy, but he was willing to keep that pride in check around this man alone.

"It's going to rain."

Otto looked out at the dark clouds and suddenly sighed.

"Good,"

The boy's lips curled into a cold smile. He lifted his head, his eyes full of cruelty. "This city could use a good cleansing."

"I hate rainy days."

Otto turned around and picked up the Civilization Staff resting nearby. The boy understood, took a coat from the nearby rack, and draped it over Otto's shoulders.

"But life is bound to bring storms!"

He opened the door and strolled down the hallway. The attendants smiled and bowed as he passed, and then he opened the front door.

Outside, a crowd of people, packed together like a wall of darkness, had been waiting for a long time.

"If that's the case,"

Otto's calm gaze vanished, replaced by a sharpness even keener than the boy's. "Then let the storm rage all the harder!!"

Behind him, the boy wore a wildly excited smile.

The battle erupted with astonishing suddenness, catching the enemy completely off guard.

Or at least, that was how it should have happened.

Long, long ago, Otto had been a pirate. That had been nearly thirty years ago. Now, he was a Mafia boss, ruling over part of this South Blue city.

He was hardly a great success, but he was enjoying a good life. His only real trouble was that another man shared his dominion over the city. No one remembered when their feud had begun; in any case, it had long since reached the point where only one of them could survive. Even so, the two sides had maintained a degree of restraint. Everyone knew that if they truly went to war, both would suffer heavy losses.

That was why Otto had found the other man's recent behavior so strange. He had been brazenly attacking Otto's businesses all over the city, and his actions had grown increasingly careless. Today, Otto had finally caught the perfect opportunity. Perhaps he could take the entire city in one fell swoop.

Now, at last, he understood.

The building's interior stood empty. Otto and his men were gathered inside, yet they barely seemed to fill the space. There should have been many more people here.

"Tell me why, Louis,"

Otto asked softly without turning around. "Was I not good enough to you? Or did I disappoint you as a boss?"

The smile had vanished from the boy's face. He quietly took two steps back and said, "Mr. Otto is an excellent leader. But unfortunately, I've been a mole from the very beginning."

The Mafia men behind the boy instantly raised their guns, aiming them at Otto's back.

"So my family really has been infiltrated to this extent."

Otto sighed. More Mafia members raised their weapons, this time aiming them at the traitor.

"Ha ha ha ha! Otto, this kid Louis has been working for me from the very beginning!"

A smug laugh rang out behind them. More and more figures swarmed in from every direction, surrounding Otto's side until there was no room to move. The crowd parted, and a tall man appeared. "Hard to believe, isn't it? Not long ago, this kid came to me and said he wanted to work for me. I casually told him to take care of you, and he actually pulled it off. Quite a remarkable kid, don't you think?"

"Working for a man like that,"

Otto turned around and looked at the boy, Louis, with some regret. "Don't you feel a little shortchanged?"

"Mr. Aldo will make a fine leader."

Louis spoke softly.

"A shame. I thought you would've made a fine successor."

Otto shook his head. He had no children, and he didn't want his other relatives involved in this kind of life, either.

"Enough talk. You're going to die, Otto! It's you who'll be washed away by this downpour today!"

Aldo roared with laughter.

"Is that so?"

Otto shook his head and looked at Louis, pity in his eyes. "Too bad you picked the wrong side."

"Whoosh!!"

His portly body moved with incredible speed, like a heavy artillery shell. Louis had no time to react before the Civilization Staff slammed into his shoulder. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious. The impact sent him flying through several Mafia men before he crashed through the wall and disappeared into the next room. Once Otto had decided to strike, he showed no mercy.

"So strong!!"

Aldo stared in disbelief. "You—!"

Otto had displayed far more strength than Aldo had thought him capable of.

"Everyone needs a few cards up their sleeve."

Otto had effortlessly crushed the traitors surrounding him. He didn't even look winded. "So you see, now you're the one caught off guard."

"Damn you!! You crafty bastard. You've had some grand plan all along, haven't you?"

Aldo felt humiliated. Otto had clearly possessed greater strength, yet he had kept it hidden and maintained their fragile balance. The man must have had some other plan in mind.

"Whatever! We still have an overwhelming advantage in numbers!"

Aldo drew the long sword at his waist. "Get him! All of you!!!"

"Yeah!!!"

And so the battle began.

"Damn it!"

Otto gritted his teeth. He still wasn't strong enough to ignore the advantage of numbers.

The battle was brutal. While the city's inhabitants remained unaware, the two organizations that could decide the city's future clashed.

"Pant, pant, pant."

Gasping for breath, Otto stood with his foot on Aldo's neck. His men had all been killed by Aldo's men, thanks to their numerical advantage. But Otto's individual strength had been enough to kill all of Aldo's men in turn. Despite everything, Otto was still smiling. After all, he was the victor. "You've ruined our grand plans, Mr. Aldo. That was rather inconsiderate of you."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Boss Otto,"

Aldo could no longer move, and could only wail helplessly. "I was wrong, I was wrong! Please forgive me! I won't fight you anymore. The whole city is yours! It was all that kid Louis's idea. None of this was my fault!"

"Don't say such spineless things, Mr. Aldo,"

Otto replied amiably. "As a grown Mafia boss, you ought to learn to take responsibility for your actions."

"Crack!"

Otto stomped down and broke Aldo's neck.

"Phew."

Otto scratched his head in frustration and wiped the blood off himself. Even he couldn't guarantee he would escape a fight with such overwhelming odds without a scratch.

"This is a problem. How am I supposed to keep my forces strong now? Even if I take over Aldo's territory, bringing it fully under control won't be easy."

Otto looked troubled.

"Will you be able to finish ahead of schedule?"

"I don't think you should be worrying about that right now, Mr. Otto."

A shadow suddenly appeared behind Otto. An Iron Fist was already swinging toward his spine.

"What?"

Otto was startled. The whistling wind behind him told him just how formidable his attacker was. He instantly raised the Civilization Staff behind his back.

"Crack!"

But it was no use. The sturdy Civilization Staff snapped in an instant. Otto felt a sharp pain in his back as several bones broke. His body flew through the air like a cannonball.

"Lo-Louis? You little—!"

Otto struggled to his feet, hardly able to believe what he saw. Standing before him was the same boy, Louis, whom he had sent flying at the beginning.

"Are you trying to avenge Aldo?"

Otto gritted his teeth. "What did you see in him?"

"No, don't misunderstand, Mr. Otto. You were my target from the very beginning,"

Louis brushed the dust off his clothes. Though Otto had sent him flying, he was completely unharmed. He tugged his tie back into place. "But neither your personal strength nor the power you commanded was something I could easily take on. So I found Mr. Aldo to help me."

"Just who are you—"

Otto suddenly shot forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. He threw an Iron Fist. Though badly injured from the earlier battle and the boy's sneak attack, he still put all his strength behind the blow—enough to shatter a boulder.

"Tekkai."

Louis didn't dodge. A faint smile played on his lips.

"Thud!"

A muffled impact rang out.

"What?"

Otto could hardly believe it. His fist had done nothing to the kid. How was that possible? "Just who are you?"

"Tekkai Style!"

Louis clenched his right fist and gave it a slight tremor. His arm seemed to turn to steel as he slammed a heavy punch into Otto's chest.

"Crack!"

The sound of bones breaking rang out clearly. Otto went flying and crashed heavily to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.

"It seems you really were badly injured just now, Mr. Otto,"

Louis clasped his hands behind his back and sauntered over to Otto, chuckling. "Normally, I wouldn't dare take your full-strength punch head-on, even with Tekkai. I'm so glad."

"Ugh!"

Blood poured from Otto's mouth. He couldn't even manage to stand. "Who are you? Who are you really?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

Louis picked up a gun and leisurely loaded it with bullets. He twirled it once, then aimed the barrel at Otto's head.

"I'm a mole."

"Bang."