A mysterious identity

Clearly, Capone Bege meant to settle the score with him after the trade fair ended, but Xie Wen did not give it a second thought...

He couldn't beat me and my cats anyway.

Xie Wen, the target of Bege's threats, paid them no mind, and Klee Meow and Sanji Meow were even less interested in him. Only Bax stood nearby, fretting helplessly.

"Mr. Cody, why don't we find a chance to let the kid leave first?"

"And how do you know Capone Bege didn't say that on purpose, hoping to separate Xie Wen from us so he could attack him in secret?"

Cody shook his head and rejected Bax's suggestion.

Seeing that both people who could make the decision felt that way, Bax could only sigh helplessly and keep an even closer watch, afraid that members of the Capone Family might suddenly rush out and attack them.

Meanwhile, Xie Wen took his two Palicos around the venue, stuffing themselves with food and drink without giving Capone Bege's threat a second thought.

Of course, he did not neglect his bodyguard duties. Even while enjoying the food, he never strayed more than a hundred meters from Cody. With his current speed and reflexes, he could make it back to his employer in time if anything really happened.

And while eating and drinking, Xie Wen also observed the situation inside the venue...

Although most of these Gang members wore black suits, the higher-ups who approached the merchants to "talk" wore noticeably different styles. Before long, Xie Wen could distinguish the executives of all three factions.

Then he noticed something rather strange-

One family's "talks" had a particularly high success rate, but it did not seem to be because they offered better terms. Instead, whenever there was competition, the other two families always backed down first.

If Xie Wen was not mistaken, that faction was the Buono Family.

So among the Three Families, Buono was the Wei Kingdom?

Since Capone Bege was the one who would eventually become one of the Five Great Underworld Powers of West Blue, Xie Wen had assumed his faction was the strongest of the three.

But history was full of cases where an early lead did not mean ultimate victory, so Xie Wen found nothing wrong with that. He merely scoffed inwardly at the Buono Family for somehow losing with such an overwhelming advantage.

Also, perhaps Capone Bege had given orders in private, or perhaps the other two families did not want to fall out with the Capone Family over such a minor matter, but not a single person approached Uncle Cody to recruit him. Even the fellow merchants who had been chatting happily with him earlier kept their distance.

Xie Wen frowned. He certainly was not afraid of the Capone Family, but he would feel bad if this affected Uncle Cody's business.

Still, he could hardly hold a knife to people's throats and force them to work with Uncle Cody.

Just as Xie Wen was worrying over this, he saw Buono John, the man who had spoken onstage at the beginning, personally approach Uncle Cody.

Aside from competing with the Shimento Family's second son over one merchant at the start, Buono John had only spoken to two other merchants afterward. Judging by everyone else's reactions, all three were major businessmen, while Uncle Cody did not look like a merchant on that level at all.

So it was not just Xie Wen who was surprised. Even the merchants who had been waiting to enjoy the spectacle looked stunned.

As a bodyguard, Xie Wen naturally returned to Uncle Cody's side at once... definitely not because he was curious!

"It's been a while, Colonel Cody... oh, pardon me. I should call you Mr. Cody now." Buono John was exceedingly friendly, as though he and Uncle Cody were old acquaintances.

Uncle Cody's expression remained indifferent, though his voice carried a trace of emotion. "Yes. I never imagined the man who escaped from me back then would climb this high."

"That's why I must thank you for showing mercy back then, Mr. Cody." John was not offended. Instead, he thanked him sincerely. "As a token of my gratitude, the Buono Family won't collect a single Beli from your businesses."

"Hmph..." Cody gave a disdainful snort. "And your conditions?"

"Talking to a clever man makes things so simple." John smiled and twirled the cane in his hand, then switched forms of address. "I hope Colonel Cody can put in a good word for Gures the next time we apply to become an affiliated nation."

Xie Wen raised his eyebrows in surprise. Cody was only a Branch Colonel. Why did John think he could influence a decision about affiliated nations? More importantly, Uncle Cody did not deny it. After a fleeting look of surprise, he suddenly fell silent.

Looks like Uncle Cody's identity wasn't that simple either...

"If you agree, Mr. Cody, I can also help resolve the matter with the Capone Family." John sweetened the offer.

"Is that so?" Cody glanced at Xie Wen, then suddenly smiled. "All right. I agree."

"Then I won't disturb you any longer." John smiled, bowed slightly, and left.

"Mr. Cody?" That roundabout conversation had clearly overloaded Bax's CPU. Looking bewildered, he asked, "What if the application fails and the Buono Family lashes out in anger? Besides, even if you used to be a colonel, surely you can't interfere in matters concerning affiliated nations?"

But Uncle Cody gave a sly smile. "How could I possibly influence the decisions of the higher-ups? I only agreed to put in a good word, not guarantee success. Besides, how would he know whether I actually helped?"

"I see." Bax immediately concluded that Cody had merely been stringing John along.

Xie Wen, however, discreetly pursed his lips.

He believed Cody when he said he would not really help, but whether he truly could not influence the higher-ups' decisions was another matter.

Buono John might lose to Capone Bege in the future, but that did not mean he was a fool as a Gang boss. If Cody really lacked that ability, why would John come to make a deal with him? There had to be some reason John believed Cody could do it, or at least had enough influence to put in a word, before he would approach him with such a request.

Xie Wen even suspected John knew Cody was unlikely to help him. He was simply using the opportunity to establish a connection with Cody.

That made Uncle Cody's hidden identity rather interesting.

But... what the meow did that have to do with me?

Xie Wen had no intention of prying into Uncle Cody's secrets.

Even if Uncle Cody had some special identity, it was no big deal to Xie Wen. More importantly, he no longer had to worry about affecting Uncle Cody's business...

If Cody could influence the World Government's decisions, even if that was merely John's own assumption, it was enough to deal with Capone Bege.

Most importantly, Uncle Cody had clearly noticed that Xie Wen had secrets of his own, yet had never tried to pry. Instead, he had looked after them in every way. How could Xie Wen repay kindness with betrayal?

Soon, the trade fair drew to a close. All the merchants present had decided whom they would align themselves with, and Buono John took the stage again to give a speech.

Xie Wen did not listen to his pretentious remarks. Instead, he searched the crowd for Capone Bege. After all, the man had said he would come looking for trouble once the trade fair ended. As one of the future Worst Generation, he deserved at least that much respect.

Yet even after scanning the crowd several times, Xie Wen could not find Capone Bege. Perhaps his short stature meant other people were blocking him from view, but Xie Wen could not spot his two particularly conspicuous subordinates either. Something was not right.

Could it be...

Was that guy onstage so efficient that he'd already dealt with Capone Bege?

Xie Wen looked at Buono John, who was still delivering his impassioned speech in the center of the hall.

Then...

Bang!

With a gunshot, a hole opened in Buono John's head, and he toppled stiffly to the floor.

Xie Wen: "...Huh?!"