Chapter 106: Showtime! (Part 2)
One hundred meters from the old Bege mansion
A huge mass of metal was camouflaged among some leafy bushes and inside that large mass of metal a fifteen-year-old boy who hated being there was waiting for his turn to escape from that hell.
'Wood...
Why did I have to hide among the wood? Stephen thought completely dejected after suffering this great humiliation 'If I had known and had more time I would have drilled a hole in a rock or something...
Such a shit week...'
This last week had been quite difficult for Stephen.
As always he had been training, working and studying far above the human and even the inhuman limits. A rhythm of life to which Stephen had already become accustomed and which was only possible to follow and maintain thanks to great conviction, discipline, the imperative need to continue breaking his limits to avoid dying in the next session and to use the strange concoctions of Fred to really not die
In addition to his usual stressful runite, he had to pretend to be on vacation in a decoy luxurious hotel room they almost never stepped into. They were actually plotting against some of the most powerful people in the country, something that would keep him awake at night if he weren't taking drugs to keep him awake. Stephen had been terrible at lying or acting since he was a child, and the years hadn't improved that defect.
As he had been doing for some time he trained Persona in the use of weapons and also created David's gigantic weapons, something that fascinated him, although it was difficult to do so with so much secrecy.
He also had to stay in charge whenever Fred went out in disguise on one of his controversial infiltration missions, something that worried him and complicated his schedule due to all the additional tasks he had to perform on his brother's behalf.
Little things that little by little eroded his hardened, but not yet invulnerable psyche.
'But above all...
Such a shitty day...'
Due to the Leech Pirates incident from a very young age Stephen practically saw the worst that human beings were capable of and also understood that he shouldn't take his eyes off that ugliness, but rather fight against it and eradicate it.
Although Stephen didn't abandon his noble ideals and the conviction that the end didn't justify the means, he didn't mind getting his hands dirty, either directly or indirectly, without feeling like a hypocrite.
He no longer had moral dilemmas in killing people who attacked him, especially if those people lived harming innocent people. He understood perfectly well that leaving those kinds of people alive would only put him and others in danger.
Watching his brother physically and psychologically torture those evil people still created a bit of rejection in him sometimes, but understood that death is too lenient a punishment for certain people
He had even less of a problem with Fred using those scum as guinea pigs or selling their organs. At least this way they could contribute positively to society with their death.
But...
'Oh god...'
What he saw a few hours ago made him feel uncomfortable, just like Perona and David.
It wasn't because he found the punishment disproportionate or because that punishment was being applied to teenagers like them. He was fully aware that they were facing real scum, that they knew perfectly well what they were doing, that they weren't going to change and even if they did that wouldn't erase their past.
Simply... the means with which Fred martyred them overwhelmed him.
Stephen felt that his perception of reality had begun to be altered the moment Fred showed him what he could do with his Life Life No Mi and that feeling grew deeper and exacerbated with each application he showed him.
Some of those application were okay, some were wonderful, some were dangerous, some horrible and some he simply believed shouldn't be allowed to exist. But whatever the case, he felt that all of these abrupt changes had been extremely sudden, both for him and for everyone.
He was worried that they were going too far too fast...
And that growing sensation little by little eroded his hardened, but still not invulnerable psyche.
'I hope Fred's risky plan works correctly
I want to finish this quickly and sleep for the first time in a week.'
And now Stephen was waiting for Perona to give him the signal to begin the massacre of the four mafia families.
He had no problem killing such heinous criminals who had tried to kill him and his parents so many times, in fact he was eager to test his weapons and techniques on them but...
He couldn't get it out of his head that, in that mansion... which was actually his... there could be really innocent children whose only crime had been being born into the wrong family and being at the wrong party.
He didn't believe that the godparents were so extremely miserable. Stephen refused to believe that they could use their own children as hostages against them knowing that their group had certain moral principles… but it wasn't imposible either despite what they had done to four of their descendants to try to show them that this move wouldn't work on them.
Stephen really hoped that the non-fighters would be evacuated through the tunnels, taking that worry away from him.
A growing concern that little by little eroded his hardened, but still not invulnerable psyche.
"Hello Stephen, it's your turn." Perona said through the mini den den Mushi attached to his helmet. "Everything went as planned."
"I see…" Stephen responded a little more enthusiastically despite still being surrounded by wood. "I had gotten tired of waiting…
I'm not used to sitting still doing nothing."
Due to all these negative accumulations Stephen wasn't at his best, although he didn't believe it was necessary to be at 100% of his abilities to successfully fulfill this role in this performance.
More or less all of them were good actors, they had prepared the role well, they had studied the audience in depth and they had prepared the stage perfectly. It was impossible for anything to go wrong at this point.
Furthermore, he wasn't even the protagonist of this tragicomedy with a lot of action, only the opening act and supporting actor.
"Let's get started"
With a great leap Stephen finally left that disgusting bush and thanks to that great motivation he didn't need to take many more steps to reach the main door of the mansion. And instead of jumping over he simply opened it with the key he made himself hours before.
"Good morning, gentlemen, sorry for interrupting."
And before he had time to close the door again...
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Hundreds of gangsters greeted him with a shootout from the windows of the mansion, although they didn't even manage to scratch his armour...
"I've apologized… men…" Stephen sighed. He expected a similar reception, but they still managed to make him minimally sad. "Anyway... it's time to do some cleaning in our mansion."
Stephen deployed the turrets integrated into his armor and without wasting a single second began to empty his difficult-to-quantify ammunition.
Bang!
But instead of shooting at the gangsters who were trying to kill him, Stephen aimed at the ground.
BOOOMMM!!
And each shot set off an explosion!
Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMM!! Bang! BOOOMMMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMMM!!
Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMM!! Bang! BOOOMMMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMMM!!
Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMM!! Bang! BOOOMMMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOMM!! Bang! BOOOMMMM!!
Without wasting a single bullet, Stephen in no time completely cleared the minefield that the four mafia families had created for them
An action that not only announced his arrival to the entire mansion, but also destroyed a lot of money, hopes and effort on the part of the gangsters who were now gawking at Stephen.
"How? How did he know where all the mines were?" One of the shooters who was still trying to kill Stephen from the window asked rhetorically. "Have they been spying on us?"
Unfortunately...
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
That gangster who dared to stick his head out the window and many others who followed his example didn't have the opportunity to hear the answer.
"Yes, but that's not the only reason" Replied Stephen, who also had good hearing thanks to participating in Fred's training. But hearing wasn't the best of his heightened senses. "I could smell the metal from those mines from afar… just like your's now…"
And after answering that corpse's doubts...
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Stephen fired again, this time against the mansion wall. It seemed that for the first time that humanoid bunker had wasted bullets with a few warning shots.
"Those who were taking shelter behind the walls, come down here," said Stephen, proud of his incredible aim and the piercing ability of his weapons… but damaging his property hurt him. "I would prefer not to continue damaging the facade of the mansion in exchange for drilling holes in your heads
Even if it's not a metal facade..."
However, that's not what the people on the other side of those damaged walls perceived. Although those shots were a warning, they weren't warning shots. The bullets not only went through the walls, but also the brain of a person who was taking cover just behind said wall.
It was easy for Stephen to locate all of them, since they were carrying weapons with a lot of metal.
Stephen unstoppable gunshots warned the survivors in each room filled with shooters that no place was safe as long as it was within range of his arsenal!
"Fred's gang is certainly full of monsters."
Faced with this great demonstration of individual power, the four leaders could no longer hide behind the walls of the mansion; They were practically useless against Stephen and his weapons.
The four of them, even those without combat capabilities, emerged in plain sight through the door of the mansion, obviously accompanied by their praetorian guard and their army of mediocre subordinates, who little by little began to fill the garden, surrounding Stephen and pointing their guns at him.
All of them equipped with gas masks to avoid being poisoned by one of Fred's strange poisons.
A sight that would intimidate many, but that meant nothing to the humanoid bunker, which watched them with indifference.
"Where's your boss?" Bonanno Michael said, initiating the possible negotiations "Has he given you negotiating capacity?"
"He's close, you'll see him soon" Stephen responded, impressed and annoyed. Fred guessed perfectly who would be the first to speak to him and what would say "As for negotiating...
I'm afraid we'll have to wait for this to be over before giving you the terms of your surrender... if we decide it's appropriate to spare the lives of any of you."
It was the first time they had spoken directly to Stephen, but even the most idiotic and emotionally disturbed understood that his words carried a lot of context.
Their children and grandchildren in unknown condition and whereabouts would continue to be hostages, their enemies assumed that they would massacre them and that the lucky or unfortunate survivors would receive a poisonous offer that they wouldn't be able to refuse... or break…
It sounded horrible, but it wasn't much different from what they already expected, so this declartion didn't bother them too much.
"Stephen, right young man?" Laffitte said, trying to seem friendly and even funny after his tap dance step. "I don't know if you're aware, but right now you're committing many crimes such as trespassing on private property, murder, kidnapping…"
"Enough with this bullshit Sheriff Laffitte" Laffitte said, without patience to listen to a mime, who're not supposed to speak "We have conclusive evidence that you break more laws on a daily basis than anyone in this country, as do your collaborators.
But I would like to add that this is our property and that I have acted in self-defense.
After all, you're occupying the mansion that Bege gave us and you have shot first just by seeing me.
Something similar happened with your children and grandchildren at our pub."
Stephen previous intervention at most made them raise an eyebrow, but this time his words made their hair stand on end.
If what he said was true, the conspiracy Fred had orchestrated to disable their ability to deal with him legally was more ambitious than they thought.
If Fred really was the one who had Bege's real estate titles and had also been spying on them these days without them realizing it, he would have gathered all the necessary evidence of this and more crimes.
Furthermore, he also had that the hypnotic ability Laffitte talked about…
Everyone, including Laffitte, was really screwed if that were true. It would be useless to count on the president's help; It was possible that this scandal would also affect him and many other big shots... one month before the elections.
They were screwed, but there was no point in being afraid or worrying about it now. That would only become a problem if they got out of here alive.
Although… It was inevitable that this revelation would affect them.
With this new stone on his tombstone the feeling of helplessness when facing this enemy, who had become an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent entity grew in their head's
CRASH!!!
"Enough of the petty chatter…" Colombo Andrew shouted after destroying the ground under his feet with a stomp "YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MY…"
CLASH!
But before Andrew could begin his charge, the door they came out of exploded from a loud bang and the culprit was his...
"…SON?"
The person who now stood where the door used to be was undoubtedly his son Rocco, however, he was too different from the Rocco he had seen a few minutes ago… and who should be evacuating along with the other non-combatants.
There was no longer a trace of the pathological fear he showed previously. It was noticeable in his satisfied and wide smile that allowed everyone to see his perfect teeth, which weren't there before. His fearful blue eyes now seemed to shine with confidence... and... now they were green?
He walked with great ease, naturalness and elegance, something that should be impossible for a person who was missing one leg and several fingers of the remaining feet. And that's because now that leg was where it always should have been.
The same thing happened with his amputated arm and fingers, which were back in place, but also out of place. Now his hands were holding by the hair the ten decapitated heads of the men who should be escorting him right now. To him and all the other non-combatants who should be fleeing this place through the underground tunnels
"But… how…" Andrew stammered, unable to understand what his eyes were seeing. "What…"
Andrew wasn't the only one who was completely stunned, all the people inside and outside the mansion were dumbfounded upon witnessing this absolute existential incoherence.
From the godfathers, the police officers to the filler gangsters, all of them had their breath cut off and their brains short-circuited.
Even Laffitte took a while to compose himself and come to a logical conclusion about what was happening and its implications. It was difficult to believe, understand and accept, but... the baggy black clothes and the weapons that Rocco carried with him didn't allow him to think of any other possibility.
"Oh? Do you still think I'm him?
I don't blame you, I'm a good actor and [makeup artist].
Of course I was able to study the character well, especially his agonizing cries." Said Rocco playfully as he threw the decapitated head to his father, put his hand on his face "But it's time to…" and with a different tone of voice shout "Take off my mask!"
That sudden change in voice made everyone's hair stand on end, but that was just a taste of what was to come.
CHAFFF!!
The person before them grabbed his own face tightly and with a supernatural grip he tore off all the skin from the neck to the crown of the head, including all the hairs along that path and... he threw that large piece of skin to the ground.
It was like seeing a frightening and horrible anatomical model of a human face that scared more than one child in science class. But that was nothing compared to seeing a living head in the same conditions that also smiled maliciously at them using the seventeen facial muscles at the same time, which were now visible to everyone.
A dantesque and unpleasant vision even for people who made a living by killing. Some of them vomited uncontrollably on the floor or on top of their companions.
And without prior notice...
Chaf!
That person stuck several needles in his head, from which new skin began to grow that began to cover his muscles, bones, organs and tendons.
"Holy cow…"
What was happening with his face wasn't normal, but that didn't divert their attention from what was happening with his body.
The muscles all over his body convulsed, grew and tensed unnaturally, as if they were clay trying to take on a new shape. But that was nothing compared to what was happening with her bones, which grew and expanded at a speed impossible to believe.
In a matter of seconds the boy who was previously 1.90 meters had now reached an incredible size of 2.73 meters. His body structure was totally different from before, which now fit perfectly into the clothes he was wearing...
And not only his body, his face and hair were also dramatically different, but also extremely familiar.
"Fred…" Laffitte stammered, really perplexed, as if he were a monkey witnessing a magic trick for first time. "Damn madman…"
The person before them was none other than Frederick Freed, the source of their nightmares. A living nightmare that had never inspired as much fear as he was doing now.
Fred had a reputation for being an unpredictable sadist, but they could never imagine that he could be so sadistic with himself and so excessively unpredictable.
Regardless of the possible objective that he intended to obtain, regardless of whether he's a monster capable of changing his appearance to unsuspected levels, regardless of whether he has the magical ability to regenerate his severed organs, regardless of how daring and crazy someone might believe.
Even if they knew all this, they would never have imagined that Fred would have transformed perfectly into Rocco.
That… was pure madness…
If that was true… not to mention that must be painful to modify his muscles and bones in this way.... that means that Fred have ripped off all his skin and replaced it with new one… and not just once…
He has also injured himself in an extreme way to simulate having been brutally tortured… but not only that. He also tore off his limbs, including his genitals, ate them and vomited them in a completely premeditated way
And if it wasn't enough, he had entered enemy territory posing as the person he had kidnapped, pretending to be crazy and wanting to end his own life.
Not even the most paranoid person suspected anything... but many still couldn't believe this bullshit...
But if anyone still doubted, the falcon that was currently placed on his shoulder and the ghostly girl that appeared next to him cleared up all doubts about his identity.
Clap... clap... clap...
In total silence, with only the sound of his footsteps being heard, Fred slowly advanced towards Stephen, passing through the sea of filler gangsters. Totally terrified filler gangsters who made a passage so their enemy could pass without any problem.
After that display of madness they were too scared to stand in his way!
Many didn't dare to point their weapons at him or even look directly at him. Some preferred to look at the ground, but not even that could comfort them in the slightest.
They didn't know if they were hallucinating from fear, from some strange drug that Fred had spread or from some witchcraft derived from Fred's Akuma No Mi… but the ground through which Fred passed mutated. It was only for a few moments, but they could see bleeding human faces with hideous deformed expressions, as if they had suffered indescribable pain and horror.
They were the faces of his co-workers, his bosses, and even his own faces... almost as if it were an omen of what would happen in a few moments. A visual metaphor that they didn't even know if it was a gruesome fabrication to scare them or a hallucination produced by their terrified minds.
However, that didn't matter anymore. That image had already elevated and presented Fred as the grim reaper in their minds.
Clap... clap... clap...
A horrible omen and sensation from which no one was saved, not even the mafia bosses. Instinctively they also followed the example of their subordinates distancing themselves from that dangerous being that became more inhuman than ever in their minds after that grotesque and surreal spectacle.
Clap... clap... clap...
Without changing the pace of his steps, raising his guard or changing his temperament or expression in any way Fred ignored their presence and continued walking calmly and glamorously towards Stephen, as if he were walking on a red carpet.
An act of contempt and mockery towards their enemies that finally managed to awaken some of them from the terrifying trance in which they had been trapped. The first to wake up among the godfathers was Andrew thanks to his burning anger that melted the fear that kept him frozen until now.
"YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY SON!?" Andrew shouted, red with anger, fear and shame, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY WIFE, MY DAUGHTER AND MY SISTER!? WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU PUT EVERYONE!?"
However, even though his anger had reached unexpected levels, Andrew didn't lose his sanity. If Fred had been pretending to be Rocco, had gone with the evacuation team and returned with the heads of the bodyguards, it was very likely that he had also kidnapped all the evacuees just as he had done with his son.
Andrew and the others didn't believe that Fred had hurt them like he used to do with the scum he used to torture, after all in that group there were many innocent boys, girls and women whom Fred used to protect and help.
But...
After what they had seen they no longer knew what to believe... the demon hunter seemed to have become the king of hell.
Clap... clap...
Andrew was waiting for an explanation, even if it was incomplete, mocking or deceitful, but...
"Hee!"
When Fred turned around all he got was the most horrible, sadistic and disrespectful laugh he'd ever seen... and that blew the last fuse that kept his self-control…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
With boundless fury Colombo Andrew charged alone like a raging bull at Fred to unleash his turbulent emotions with the help of his brass knuckles and 10 tons of supernatural power.
GOOONNNGG!!!
However, like most bulls he failed to hit its target. A circular six meters metallic shield appeared to block that punch and so did David, who jumped off Hawky at the last moment to make his epic appearance, just as he had rehearsed with so much enthusiasm.
"Do you think I randomly chose to pretend to be your son among the four options I had?
No, nothing I do is random.
I knew that with a little stimulation you would charge like an idiot towards me, giving me the perfect opportunity to set a trap and easily eliminate you before the fight began." Said Fred, continuing on his way without even looking at Andrew, almost as if nothing had happened "The only reason you're alive now is because David needs to earn his salary."
"You'll have to fight me" David said excitedly while showing his spear and shield. "Today I'm debuting these ninja weapons!"
Fred continued walking towards Stephen and David followed him when he saw that Andrew wasn't continuing his attack. But how could he do it after realizing that he really could have died?
'What the...' Andrew thought as he pulled a small needle out of his neck. 'When he stuck this in my...'
If that needle had been poisoned, he would most likely have died, or at least he would have been quite incapacitated in his imminent combat… just as Fred had said, just as he had planned absolutely everything...
'Shit… shit… SHIT!!!'
The first attack failed miserably, cooling Andrew's mind as he realized that he couldn't avenge anyone if he didn't fight with a minimum of serenity. A first frustrated attack that considerably lowered the already low morale and hope of the gangsters' side.
However, that didn't stop them from making a second assassination attempt on Fred, the source of their fears!
An assassination attempt perpetrated by the young hitman and bodyguard of the Bonanno family, the 16-year-old Daz Bones, who in 13 years would be defeated by Zoro in Alabasta. The possessor of the power of the Supa Supa No Mi that turns him into a blade man
And with his fingers and arms transformed into blades he emerged from among the filler gangsters to slit Fred's throat by surprise.
SLASHHH!!
However, it wasn't surprising at this point that this assassination attempt turned out to be just an assassination attempt.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Stephen shot Daz Bones three times with his powerful cannons. None of them seriously injured him since his skin has the properties of steel, but they weren't ineffective.
A bullet hit his right wrist, deflecting his hand before it could reach Fred, who didn't even move knowing that Stephen was watching his back. Another bullet hit his left knee, unbalancing him considerably as he charged. And the last one hit his left ankle, making him to fall to the ground.
"Would you mind playing with Stephen?" Fred said indifferently once again, without even looking at the one who had tried to kill him "He's not used to playing with people his age except for me and...
Something tells me that you'll be a good playmate"
"You were right…" Stephen said, trying to contain the extreme salivation in his mouth. "His skin transforms into blades and his body is like steel…
Fascinating..."
'What's this chill that I just felt?' Daz Bones thought, perplexed, somewhat humiliated and with his few hairs standing on end. 'Why is drool coming out of that guy's helmet?'
Fred, Hawky, Perona and David passed [peacefully] and without problems between all the gangsters and some corrupt police officers to meet with Stephen, thus separating the garden of the mansion into two sides.
Freedsteel Vs The 4 big mafia families of West Blue and the corrupt policemen of Ballywood
A confrontation that had been postponed too long for anyone's liking...
"Well…" said Fred with his friends behind him and his audience in front of him. "Now that all the actors are on stage... as the director, screenwriter and protagonist, I declare...
SHOWTIME!"
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You'll be able to see 8 chapters in advance in my Pa-treon
pa-treon.com/user?u=83938371
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