The taxi crashed straight into the garbage truck, shattering the windshield instantly.
Moments later, Buddy, the driver in the front seat, found himself buried under a mountain of trash.
Seeing the chaos, Axel kicked open the back door and rolled out, narrowly avoiding the flying debris. He paused for a moment, stunned, then burst into laughter.
Keeping his distance from the wreckage, Axel's grin widened. Nearby, a mounted police officer spotted the accident and quickly rode over. These officers were from the rich district, far better trained than those in the other sections of Gotham.
As the police officer stopped beside the taxi, preparing to remove the keys, Axel grabbed his arm with ease.
"Buddy, your car is nice! Those headlights sparkle, and it even has a built-in alarm," Axel said casually.
With a flick, he tossed the unlucky officer into the garbage truck's bed, then jumped onto the motorcycle, kicking up dust as he sped toward the Iceberg Lounge.
The garbage truck driver, emerging from his cab, saw the police officer struggling out of the trash pile and froze.
"What's going on here?" he muttered, just as the taxi driver wailed.
"Ah, damn it! My suit, loaned for three thousand Dollars, is ruined! All ruined, ah ah ah!"
Confused, the garbage truck driver stared at the taxi wedged behind him. What kind of mess was this?
Meanwhile, Axel, pursued by three police cars, finally reached Little Italy. As he entered the street, Oswald's men, armed with guns and rocket launchers, pushed the police back.
At the entrance to the club, a man named Brenda, the motorcycle's original owner, watched in disbelief as Axel pulled up on a police motorcycle.
"Holy crap, how did my bike get a police uniform overnight?!" he muttered, joining the crowd reluctantly.
Victor, at the front, lifted a man's head with a smirk. Beside him, Fish held Maroni's head and pushed the trembling Chief Savage forward.
"Come with us to see the Boss," Fish said, dragging Savage toward Axel.
The subordinates followed silently, forming a powerful procession. Axel spread his arms, embracing Victor.
"Woohoo, old Buddy! Let me see the gift you brought me!" he laughed.
After the brief hug, Axel took the Japanese man's head in hand.
"Is he Akahara, the Yakuza leader?"
"No, his son. Akahara was in Tokyo last night, so this was the best I could do," Victor replied, sneering.
Axel tossed the head to the ground, then kicked it like a soccer ball. Bang! The skull exploded on impact, spraying blood onto Chief Savage, who collapsed in horror.
"Who do you think you're using me as support for?!" Fish barked, stepping aside.
The crowd shivered. They weren't scared of decapitation; they'd seen it before. But Axel's casual grin and the madness beneath his calm made even the hardened criminals uneasy.
Axel tapped his shoe on the ground to clean the blood, chuckled, and patted Victor on the shoulder.
"Well done, Buddy," he said.
"Heh heh, naturally," Victor replied, spitting toward the head before bowing.
Axel moved past Victor to Fish.
"Tang!" she greeted.
"Although it took some effort, Maroni has been dealt with by me," Fish said. "Also, heh heh, I rescued Chief Savage from Maroni's hands."
She shoved Savage forward and handed Maroni's head to Axel. He tossed it casually, and a thug caught it.
"Wait, Buddy. Haven't I seen you before? Didn't we rob a bank together?" Axel asked, studying him.
The thug nodded, then knelt, tears in his eyes. "I knew you'd make it big! Gotham welcomes you… no, welcomes your presence!"
Axel smiled, patting his shoulder.
"Your words back then motivated me. Recognition beats anything some random Buddy said about leveling up at a convenience store," Axel said, chuckling.
Thud! Another man knelt nearby. Axel clapped his forehead in mock exasperation.
"Damn, you too. Your idea wasn't bad; if I have time, I'll rob a convenience store for practice!"
He returned to Fish, embracing her and patting her firmly.
On a nearby rooftop, Selina watched, her jaw tight. She picked up her whip and descended gracefully.
"Well done, Buddy. Compared to money, I prefer human heads," Axel said, eyes on Savage.
"Boss… I… my family… always close comrades…" Savage stammered, trembling.
"Get lost," Axel said, grabbing him by the arm and neck, tossing him twenty meters away.
"Having an idiot like you as chief is easier than someone full of justice. But today's my coronation, scumbag. Get lost!" Axel called.
From the corner, Selina appeared, whipping Savage across the face.
"Ah!" Savage screamed, falling to the side.
Selina retrieved her whip. "Tang, this bastard tried to grab me the night before last!"
Axel grinned. "Really now?" He approached Savage, who scrambled backward in terror.
"I didn't know… I didn't know she was… Selina Kyle, and not Falcone's daughter…" Savage stammered.
"Damn, you know too little," Axel said, interrupting. He grabbed Savage's shoulders and neck, exerting force until Savage's head came off in his hands. Blood gushed, splattering everywhere. Axel held up the head.
Silence fell, broken moments later by the crowd's roar:
"Woohoo! Axel! Wraith! Tang!"
The thugs cheered, Fish and Oswald bowing deeply, Victor leading the gesture.
Axel turned his back, raising his hands to amplify the cheers, then glanced at Selina with a smirk.
"Don't dislike blood, right? How does this feel? Disgusting… or thrilling?"
"I want to strip you naked and ride you hard, Axel! Now I understand the beauty of gladiators!" Selina cried, throwing herself fiercely into his arms.
___
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Milestone
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters