Explain Respect to Me

Sicily is located in southern Italy. Across the Strait of Messina to the northeast, it faces the Apennine Peninsula and occupies an important position on the Mediterranean trade routes.

Therefore, when Luke disembarked in Palermo, he expected to encounter quite strict checks.

To his surprise, Luke, currently posing as the smuggler Vito Corleone, easily bribed the local officials with twenty cases of cigarettes and some ham and bread, allowing him to pass without issue.

This goes to show that the widespread corruption throughout the Italian army during World War II, from top to bottom, was not an unfounded speculation.

After landing, Luke saw several tall men wearing flat caps and with tattoos on their arms subtly observing his group on the port docks.

He approached them with a friendly expression and asked in fluent Italian, "Do you know where the Copper Bell Tavern is?"

The benefits of the Superman Template weren't limited to just enhanced strength and physical reinforcement.

When it came to learning aptitude and cognitive abilities, Luke had seen significant improvements.

He mused that if Superman from the next movie lot truly used his brain to think, he might not be inferior to Batman, who was known as the "Justice League's strategist."

However, perhaps because of Batman's existence, Superman felt too lazy to engage his mind.

Luke chuckled, shaking off these idle thoughts, and began conversing with the tall men.

Before his arrival, he had only briefly crammed some Italian, and now he could speak the local dialect with a slight Sicilian accent.

This was also one of the reasons the Howling Commandos had successfully passed through patrol ships multiple times along the way.

Later, many of the team members became convinced of Vito Corleone's identity.

Even though Luke had told Dum Dum Dugan that he grew up in Brooklyn, the latter remained skeptical, believing that the young captain might very well be from Sicily.

"Mr. Corleone?"

The leading man asked, frowning.

"You can call me Vito,"

Luke replied calmly.

Upon hearing the man admit his identity, the others, dressed similarly, quickly changed their demeanor, becoming respectful.

"Mr. Corleone, Boss Cosa is waiting for you at the Copper Bell Tavern! The car is up ahead!"

He then waved, and three black cars pulled up from outside the dock.

The man opened the car door, waiting for Luke to get in.

The "Boss Cosa" they mentioned was an informant developed by the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Luke shot a look at the Howling Commandos, signaling them to remain vigilant, before getting into the car.

Soon, the convoy kicked up a cloud of dust as they headed towards the Copper Bell Tavern.

Cosa Alessandro was currently the sole surviving Mafia boss in Sicily.

The Mafia, later renowned and celebrated worldwide, was not faring well at this time.

In 1925, after Mussolini gained absolute control of Italy, he delivered a grand national address concerning the Mafia issue.

Through loudspeakers, he swore to all Italians that he would purify the social atmosphere and severely crack down on crime and evil!

He vowed to completely eradicate the Mafia, this cancerous tumor, from Italy!

No one could have imagined that Mussolini would actually follow through on his word and initiate a harsh crackdown on the Mafia.

He simultaneously directed Fascist military police to arrest nearly a thousand Mafia members and directly raided their strongholds.

Furthermore, after their capture, there was no need for basic trial procedures; a comprehensive bloodbath was immediately unleashed.

Fountain Square in Sicily saw daily executions, with blood seeping into every paving stone and patch of soil.

As a result, the Mafia members either died, fled, were imprisoned, or escaped overseas.

By now, Sicily had become a "pure land" devoid of any criminal elements.

The people no longer feared gang harassment but had to endure the terror of a dictator's rule.

However, it is worth noting that the weakened Italian Mafia, in contrast, re-emerged and regained vitality from America.

This provided an inexhaustible source of character material for later Hollywood gangster films.

Luke, who had dealt with the Irish Mob and also had dealings with the Italian Mafia, was well aware of this.

Seeing the harsh living conditions in Sicily and harboring resentment towards Mussolini, many Mafia families secretly sought refuge with the Allied Nations.

Cosa Alessandro was one such individual, having been developed into an informant for the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Thirty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the Copper Bell Tavern.

Several burly men with tattoos guarded the entrance, and Luke, stepping out of the car, was stopped.

"Mr. Alessandro, you're preparing to let me go in alone? That doesn't seem very sincere."

Luke sneered.

The leading man's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He paused, then said, "The situation in Sicily is very tense, Mr. Corleone. Please understand. How about this: you can bring one attendant. Boss Cosa is very cautious, and this is for his own safety."

"Since your attitude is so sincere, then I have nothing more to say."

Luke took off his black woolen coat and handed it to Manelli behind him, indicating that he was unarmed.

Then, he beckoned Dum Dum Dugan to follow.

"You guys stay here and wait for me to come out."

Luke instructed.

Manelli nodded, holding his clothes in one hand and a briefcase in the other—inside was a submachine gun.

He was sure that if these mobsters dared to play any dirty tricks, he and his team could turn the Copper Bell Tavern upside down!

Luke strode into the tavern, the mob's usual hangout.

Around thick, round tables sat numerous "family members."

Most of them were young, strong thugs who belonged to the "legion," specializing in using violence to seize or guard territory.

Being stared at by over thirty burly men, especially the notoriously brutal Mafia, would make most people's legs go weak and unable to move.

But Luke remained calm, his steps steady, showing no fear in his aura.

"Mr. Corleone, welcome!"

The bearded man, surrounded by the others in the center, stood up to greet him.

This was Cosa Alessandro, formerly a boss in the Camorra Family, not a particularly big shot.

Later, when the Mafia was purged, families suffered heavy losses, and even some bosses were publicly executed.

Such iron-fisted methods and ruthless actions had greatly intimidated the gangsters.

However, this special background and timing allowed Cosa to rise.

When the heat died down, he operated under the name of the Camorra Family, gathering a group of people around him and recruiting many skilled individuals.

"Since Cosa is willing to see me, I assume he knows what needs to be done?"

Luke leaned back casually in his chair, his tone indifferent.

Cosa was not only an informant for the Strategic Scientific Reserve but also an inside man for the Allied landing in Sicily.

In the original history, America's intelligence agencies had assigned a domestic mob boss, nicknamed "Lucky," Salvatore Lucania.

He was one of the big bosses in New York's underworld, holding considerable status.

On the Italian side, it was supposed to be Don Carlo, but things had changed slightly now.

The Mafia in Sicily did play a significant role in the landing operations.

They provided various forms of support to the Allies, passed on information, distributed leaflets encouraging surrender, and so on.

Therefore, after the war, Don Carlo became the mayor of Villalba, while Salvatore Lucania was cleared of his prison sentence and his prestige greatly increased.

If Cosa Alessandro, sitting opposite him, was smart enough, Luke wouldn't mind giving him this opportunity.

"Understood! Understood! I'm ready and awaiting the Allied forces' orders at any time."

Alessandro flashed a fawning smile.

"I've found twenty well-trained gunmen! But getting so many people to infiltrate Rome, the passes are a bit difficult to arrange—time is too tight!"

Seeing Alessandro's troubled expression, Luke said expressionlessly, "That's your problem to solve! Cosa, if you can't do it with your abilities, then I'll find someone else. I heard that Don Carlo, who was imprisoned by Mussolini, would be very willing."

"What is Don Carlo? Sicily is Boss Cosa's territory. Even the Governor of Palermo..."

Before Alessandro could reply, a young man standing behind him stepped forward, seemingly unable to tolerate the contempt in Luke's words towards his boss.

Luke narrowed his eyes and looked up. The young man bore a slight resemblance to Alessandro, likely a family member with a blood connection.

"What a great assist."

Luke was just looking for an excuse to put this mob boss in his place and test his resolve to cooperate with the Allies.

"Elio! Shut up!"

Upon hearing his nephew speak like that, Alessandro quickly moved to slap him.

The young man in front of him was not someone he could afford to offend.

Mussolini had already taught the Mafia a lesson; no matter how powerful the gang, they had no room to resist the state apparatus.

This young man, who called himself "Vito Corleone," represented the American military and, more importantly, the Allied Nations.

If he angered this person, his fate would not be much better than angering Mussolini.

Bang!

However, just as Alessandro's hand was about to connect with his nephew's face, a loud bang echoed through the Copper Bell Tavern.

No one could see when Luke had stood up or how he had pinned the young man named Elio onto the table.

His skull seemed to crack, and blood flowed from his forehead, dripping onto the floor with a "tick-tock" sound.

"Waaah... Boss Cosa! Uncle!"

Elio felt like his head was about to explode like a watermelon, ready to burst at any moment.

He didn't know where that terrifying young man got his strength from, his clenched hand like an iron clamp, pressing firmly on the back of his head.

The intense pain and the fear of death caused Elio's will to collapse instantly!

Tears flowed along with the blood, smearing his entire face.

"Cosa, tell me, how does the Mafia treat those who don't show enough respect to their friends?"

Luke slowly sat back down, ignoring the tense atmosphere that was about to erupt into violence, treating the grim-faced thugs behind him as if they were air.

ps: Three thousand words! Don't tell me the author is short anymore! Seriously asking for a quality triple-play (like, comment, favorite). If any big shots have reading lists, please help add this book, thanks!