The following day, the news of Joe Colombo's death dominated the headlines of major New York City media outlets. Television stations across the city reported the incident repeatedly, drawing intense attention from every corner of society.
The shockwave didn't stop in New York.
The story quickly spread nationwide.
This was no longer local news.
It had become a major event that stunned the entire United States.
A Mafia boss.
A civil rights leader.
A Black assassin.
And the murder had happened in front of a massive crowd.
The drama was stacked with every possible headline-worthy element.
Another powerful figure had just been crossed off Forbes's imaginary "Death Note."
Compared to that, the death of Pro barely caused a ripple.
ven in death, he was just a foil, meant only to make the diamond shine brighter.
Frankly speaking, the man lacked prestige.
Meanwhile, information about the assassin began circulating through the media.
The general public, unaware of the deeper truth, believed it was a revenge killing carried out by Black militants.
But those who understood the Mafia world knew better.
Black people were merely scapegoats.
And far more people would eventually pay the price for Colombo's death.
---
Over the next several days, tension surged beneath the surface of New York's underworld.
The internal conflict within the Colombo family was on the verge of erupting.
Meanwhile, Luca calmly "invited" all of his subordinates to gather.
He introduced them to their new boss—himself.
Then he assigned each of them positions across various industries inside his territory, instructing them to make money and deliver regular tributes.
There were dozens of made mens under his command.
If their associates were included, the number approached one hundred.
None of them were clean.
More than three-quarters had already spent time in prison.
Luca gave them simple rules.
Follow the system.
Make money honestly.
Become money trees.
Shady businesses were acceptable.
But there were two things strictly forbidden.
Drug trafficking.
Running brothels.
Being a gangster was fine.
But that identity should function as a deterrent—a trump card.
Not a business card.
Most of the members had already heard about the Dove's reputation and his unusual rules.
They all nodded obediently.
However, one man couldn't help asking.
"Boss… why can't we run brothels?"
Luca looked at him calmly.
"If you want to question my decision, you can disappear from my sight right now and never fucking show your face in New York again."
Under Luca's tyrannical authority, everyone immediately shut up.
Anyone who broke Luca's rules would face severe consequences.
Peripheral members might lose their lives.
Even made mens would suffer terribly.
Luca had no intention of provoking some righteous vigilante because of a ridiculous misunderstanding.
What kind of pimp business was that?
The SSR characters were all friends of the Peace Ambassador.
How could they possibly become enemies?
---
On November 8th, Luca met with Frank Fitzsimmons at a golf course.
He also brought along the newly promoted underboss, Mariggio.
The meeting's purpose was to discuss future cooperation with the truck drivers' union.
After Pro's death, several unions in New Jersey cities had suddenly lost leadership.
Fitzsimmons was still considering who should take over.
The Genovese crime family wanted to reinstall their own candidate.
Meanwhile, the Lucchese crime family also wanted influence.
Greater control over the union meant greater gasoline-tax profits.
Victor had already quietly approved the plan.
For Fitzsimmons—the timid and cautious union president—this situation was extremely uncomfortable.
"I'm still trying to find a way to stabilize the union," Fitz said while swinging his golf club.
"As you know, even though Jimmy Hoffa is in prison, he still has plenty of loyal people inside the union."
"They keep interfering with my authority."
"They can even block pension fund loan approvals."
Fitz watched the golf ball soar through the air.
Only after it landed did he turn to Luca and Mariggio.
"Hoffa wants his power back."
"He's like that golf ball."
"From far away, it looks like he's almost at the hole."
The group walked toward the landing point.
Fitz pointed at the ball lying on the grass.
"But in reality… it's still far away."
"No one will feel safe until he's completely in the hole."
Luca stared at the white ball thoughtfully.
Former union president Jimmy Hoffa was undoubtedly a high-level rare card.
Given his influence in the historical storyline, his rank would definitely be high.
But after Hoffa was released from prison, he would begin undermining the Mafia's interests.
That would eventually lead to his death.
Fitzsimmons was far more obedient.
The Mafia would never allow Hoffa to return.
However, Fitz himself had his own hidden motives.
He wanted to use the Mafia to suppress Hoffa.
Luca spoke suddenly.
"Leave Hoffa to me."
Fitz's tiny eyes lit up immediately.
"After he gets out of prison, I'll talk to him."
"But before that, you must help me enter the union in New Jersey."
"I want to become the union president there."
Fitz found the situation strange.
Why did every assassin seem obsessed with becoming a chairman?
First it had been Frank—the Irishman—placed in the Union as branch president.
Now the Peace Ambassador wanted a chair too.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at Mariggio.
"Is your family also interested in unions?"
Mariggio laughed.
"My gasoline company is huge. What do you think?"
"I need truck drivers."
"Back then, how much did Pro give you?"
"We'll give you more."
Luca stepped forward and picked up the golf club.
He swung it a few times to test its weight.
"Working with us is your best choice."
"Whether it's Hoffa or the Bufalino family causing trouble, I can solve the problem."
Then he swung.
The club traced a perfect arc.
The golf ball flew through the air and rolled toward the hole.
It stopped less than one meter away.
"Perfect shot!" Fitz cheered.
"Let me finish it."
"I'll put it in the hole."
"Be my guest."
Fitz waddled forward, his belly swaying.
He tapped the ball.
It rolled forward.
But stopped just short of the hole.
He tried again.
And again.
Finally, on the third attempt—
The ball dropped in.
"Haha! It's in!"
Fitz happily shook Luca's hand.
"Dove, welcome to the truck drivers' union."
"But remember your promise."
"Jimmy Hoffa isn't easy to deal with."
Luca smiled.
Becoming union branch president had been surprisingly easy.
As for Jimmy Hoffa—
The Peace Ambassador was very good at building bonds.
---
After Luca became teamster union president in Jersey City, the gasoline-tax business expanded again, spreading further south.
Meanwhile, the Colombo family civil war erupted in mid-to-late November.
The Joe Gallo faction began by detonating a bomb that killed three Colombo loyalists.
The civil war had officially begun.
Both sides began killing each other's members.
They weakened one another like savage predators fighting in a brutal ecosystem.
Other Mafia families simply watched.
None directly intervened.
And no one attempted mediation.
According to Mafia tradition, internal conflicts within a family were not to be interfered with.
Unless someone formally requested a mediator.
Neither faction wanted peace.
The Colombo faction mostly consisted of younger members.
After Colombo seized control of the old Profaci family and renamed it the Colombo family, he had pushed aside many of Gallo's supporters and promoted younger men.
Several tried to step forward and manage the family.
But none succeeded.
None had the experience or authority required during wartime.
In contrast, Gallo's faction consisted mostly of veterans.
After Colombo's death, they rallied behind Gallo.
Some Colombo loyalists even defected.
Led by Gallo, this group of hardened gangsters launched relentless attacks.
They assassinated Colombo members.
Bombed their casinos.
Destroyed loan-sharking operations.
The opposing faction was forced into hiding.
The Colombo faction attempted to seek help from the Mafia Commission.
They were rejected.
The explanation was ridiculous.
The violence had already attracted too much police and FBI attention.
No other family wanted to be dragged into the chaos.
In reality—
Carlo Gambino was still quietly playing his game.
---
The fierce conflict created enormous pressure on law enforcement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the police were overwhelmed.
Explosions.
Shootings.
Public panic.
Complaints flooded the police hotline.
At this critical moment, Luca secretly met with FBI agent Patrick Denham.
They met at a hidden base on Long Island.
It was the same location where O-Ren Ishii had previously received medical treatment.
Denham spoke first.
"We've identified the leaders of the two factions."
"One is Joe Gallo."
"The other is Joseph Yacovelli, currently acting boss of the Colombo family."
He continued listing infamous Mafia figures.
"Carmine 'The Snake' Carmico."
"Gregory 'The Grim Reaper' Scarpa."
And many others.
"My advice," Luca said calmly while sipping tea, "is that you investigate."
"But don't get too deeply involved."
"The credit this time won't be easy to claim."
"Anyone hoping to profit should be careful not to get bitten."
Why was the FBI interfering in something the Mafia Commission refused to handle?
Luca already knew the answer.
Carlo Gambino.
Even with a failing heart, the old godfather was still orchestrating schemes.
Two bulls in a ring.
Someone else benefiting.
Denham's bitter expression grew even worse.
He took another sip of tea.
The tea tasted extremely bitter.
Fortunately, the aftertaste was slightly sweet.
"So what are you planning to do?" Denham asked.
"Of course I hope for peaceful coexistence."
Luca thought about Joe Gallo.
He still hadn't acquired that man's skill card.
Dealing with a madman like Gallo was much harder than dealing with greedy men like Pro.
Unfortunately, Luca still had no clear strategy for intervening in this civil war.
Mafia rules forbade interference in another family's internal affairs.
Unless they asked.
The potential rewards were huge.
But one mistake could cause serious trouble.
In the original timeline, the conflict had lasted months.
The fighting had been extremely brutal.
"Can you really bring peace?" Denham asked nervously.
"Yes," Luca said confidently.
"You just have to trust me."
Denham sighed in relief.
He had been working overtime every day.
His nerves were almost snap.
If the Dove intervened…
Perhaps peace was possible.
After all, the Dove had even managed the massive drug war.
---
They continued drinking tea.
Then Luca's phone suddenly rang.
It was Mariggio.
"Luca… this isn't good."
Mariggio's tone sounded heavy.
"The Continental Hotel has entered the Colombo civil war."
"???"
Luca froze.
The butterfly effect had grown larger than expected.
If the hotel became involved, the scale of this war would expand dramatically.
"Impossible," Luca said.
"The Continental has no right to interfere in Mafia affairs."
"I know," Mariggio replied.
"It's not the High Table."
"It's the assassins."
"The Continental doesn't care who gets killed outside the hotel."
Then he revealed the real problem.
"The underworld has issued a bounty."
"Joe Gallo's head."
"Three million dollars."
Mariggio continued listing names.
Joseph Yacovelli also had a bounty.
Two million.
Several mid-level leaders were also targets.
Luca was completely stunned.
Those assassins…
For money, they would even risk killing inside the Continental Hotel itself.
They feared nothing.
Could the Colombo family survive attacks from professional assassins?
"Can you find out who posted the bounty?" Luca asked.
"We can't trace the source," Mariggio replied.
"Maybe both factions placed bounties on each other?"
Luca rubbed his temples.
Something about this situation felt very wrong.
And far more complicated than it seemed.
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Tomorrow is my usual day off. Peace out.