Negotiation and Battle
The Cloud Hedgehogs curled into balls, swelling and exploding through the crowd. Dense spines skewered people like kebabs while their massive bodies tore through the corridor structure.
The floor shook violently. The ceiling crashed down, burying nearby gang members under debris.
But then—
Crack.
The ring on Hibari's hand shattered.
As one of the Vongola Family's strongest fighters, Hibari possessed Dying Will Flames more powerful than any of the other Guardians. Ordinary rings couldn't handle his output—pushing too much power through them caused them to break.
The worst part was that his enemies didn't use Dying Will Flames themselves. That meant the Cloud attribute's ability to multiply by absorbing enemy flames was useless. He could only enhance output by burning more of his own flames.
Which not only drained his reserves faster but also increased the chance of overloading his rings.
But—
"You think I'd walk into the enemy's stronghold without backup rings?" Hibari pulled a brand-new ring from his pocket and slipped it onto his right middle finger, completely calm.
The two Cloud Hedgehogs shrank back to normal size and returned to his shoulders.
With the massive spheres gone, visibility improved—though the corridor was now even more congested.
Bodies piled on top of bodies. Debris everywhere. Chunks of ceiling blocking the path.
Hibari looked up toward the end of the corridor. Everyone except Kingpin, Madame Gao, Nobu, and Bullseye looked shaken—expressions mixing shock, anger, and fear. Afraid he'd attack them next.
Hibari's voice was flat. "The trash has been cleared out. I'll give you one last choice. Surrender, or keep resisting."
Every gang boss turned to look at Kingpin simultaneously.
The underworld emperor had stood there from the beginning with perfect composure, projecting absolute confidence. Even after Hibari demonstrated his abilities, Kingpin had only shown mild interest.
Now, seeing all his subordinate bosses looking to him for direction, Kingpin knew he couldn't stay silent any longer.
If he did, they'd defect to the enemy.
"Hmm." Kingpin took a deep breath, his eyes calculating as he studied Hibari. "You seem to think you've already won?"
"No, I'm not that arrogant."
Surprisingly, Hibari—who'd been confident to the point of pride throughout the entire fight—denied it.
"I believe I should win. But I won't make careless predictions about opponents I haven't fought or studied." Hibari's tone remained indifferent. "However, if your ordinary gang members are only at this level, then even if I can't win here, you have zero chance of victory. Because the Vongola Family has more than ten people who are only slightly weaker than me."
The statement hit like a bomb.
The gang bosses present were visibly shaken.
A single Hibari had torn through their building's security like tissue paper. If there were ten more fighters at his level, wouldn't they be wiped out instantly?
But Kingpin, Madame Gao, and a few others remained calm.
Kingpin even smiled. "Indeed, if there are ten more fighters at your level, we'd be at a severe disadvantage. But do you really have a dozen people at your level?"
Internally, Kingpin basically believed what Hibari said.
The young man's tone and fighting style were too direct, too decisive. Arrogance radiated from every movement.
People like that didn't bother lying.
But Kingpin asked the question anyway. The goal was to stabilize morale—to keep the gang bosses under his control from panicking.
And it worked perfectly.
Hearing Kingpin's challenge, the other bosses showed skeptical expressions.
"That's all I have to say."
Seeing their reactions, Hibari understood what they were thinking. He had no intention of arguing further.
Continuing to persuade them might make some surrender without fighting—but the enemy wouldn't give him time for a long speech anyway.
Plus, given his personality, he hated lengthy explanations.
He raised his tonfas, preparing to resume combat.
"Wait!"
Just as the battle was about to restart, Madame Gao stopped him.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Madame Gao coughed lightly. "You're a mafia family. You should know that if you want other gangs to submit, you have to offer them benefits. But not only have you failed to offer benefits—you've prohibited our most profitable businesses. Drugs and human trafficking. Do you really think force can decide everything?"
She had a point.
It was easy to conquer territory. Hard to hold it.
If you wanted people to follow you, you had to feed them.
And people who joined gangs were the type to lick blood off knife blades. They weren't satisfied with just having enough to eat.
Even if the Vongola Family used force to make them submit initially, without profits to share, they'd eventually rebel.
The reason Kingpin had become the underworld emperor wasn't just because he was the most powerful or wealthy. It was because he was smart enough to bind multiple factions together through mutual interests, making other bosses genuinely support him.
Perhaps because an elderly woman had raised the point, or perhaps because the argument seemed reasonable, Hibari Kyoya uncharacteristically lowered his offensive stance.
His voice dripped with mockery. "Can't you people survive without selling drugs and trafficking humans? You're old enough to be buried already. Planning to use dirty money as your coffin and your rotten conscience as burial goods?"
"Conscience?"
Madame Gao couldn't help but sneer. "Hahaha... Young man, I once said the same thing to those scumbags. But do you know their answer?"
"I'm not interested in predictable answers." Despite his words, Hibari's expression showed a hint of curiosity. "But if you were poisoned by these things yourself, why are you so obsessed with drug trafficking and human trafficking?"
"Revenge, of course!" Madame Gao's sneer deepened. "When I was still in China, foreign devils sold opium to my homeland. They turned paradise into hell, shrouded in smoke and death. When I tried to persuade those devils to stop, they laughed in my face. So I swore—if you continue selling drugs in my homeland, I'll pay it back tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold in your lands."
Madame Gao was speaking in heavily accented Japanese. Apart from Nobu and Kingpin—who was proficient in multiple languages—everyone else looked confused. Even Kingpin's translator struggled with her convoluted accent.
"So? What do you say, Vongola?" Madame Gao made her pitch. "Allow me to continue my business, and all the forces under my control will submit to you."
Hibari raised his tonfas, his eyes cold. "This was Tsuna's decision. And I agree with it."
"Then we fight to the death."
The moment Madame Gao finished speaking, she tapped her toes against the floor. Like a great bird spreading its wings, she appeared instantly in front of Hibari, palm raised to strike.
Hibari's body reacted on pure instinct, bringing his tonfas up to block.
Then—
BOOM!
New Character Notes:
Madame Gao - From Marvel Cinematic Universe (Daredevil/Defenders series). High-ranking member of the Hand, a criminal organization. Appears elderly and frail but possesses superhuman strength and centuries of combat experience.