An FBI outpost in New York.
Harry and several of his Omega colleagues were currently working alongside the FBI to collect evidence related to the criminals. Over the past few days, he had been raiding several Colombo family locations, secretly assisting the FBI in solving cases with astonishing efficiency.
Fortunately, they never ran into that bald guy again, which made the operations go far more smoothly.
They swept through the places like a hot knife through butter, cuffing one Mafia member after another.
At the moment, Harry was cooperating with the FBI in interrogating those arrested criminals.
Many of them refused to cooperate.
Harry even briefly considered using truth serum. However, that was more of a spy-world tactic than a law-enforcement method—dishonorable and impractical in this situation, especially since these criminals would eventually have to stand trial in court.
"Harry! Luca the Dove is here!"
One of his colleagues suddenly hurried over.
"I'm not sure if he knows your real identity yet. Maybe you should avoid him for a while?"
Harry froze.
"What's the Dove doing here?"
His colleague shrugged.
"He came with a lawyer. Looks like he wants to talk to the Mafia guys."
Harry felt slightly uneasy.
Logically speaking, his infiltration mission had already been interrupted. Even if his identity had been exposed by now, it wouldn't really matter anymore.
Still… it felt awkward.
After all, he had once acted as a peace envoy and had earned the approval of quite a few people in Italy.
"Forget it," Harry said after shaking his head. "I've taken part in too many operations. With the Mafia's information network, he probably figured it out already."
"The Dove hasn't contacted me lately. That alone means he likely knows."
At most, they would know he was an FBI agent.
His other identity—as an Omega spy—would remain a secret.
Soon enough, Harry met Luca.
Before the meeting, he had mentally rehearsed what to say and what attitude to adopt. But the moment he saw Luca's warm smile, he realized none of that preparation mattered.
"Dove, I thought you'd be surprised to see me here."
Luca chuckled.
"So what now? Running off to the FBI to defend world peace?"
Harry snorted.
"Hey, you're my peace envoy. I wouldn't be surprised to see you anywhere. Even if one day you popped up on some battlefield in Africa fighting international terrorists, I'd probably just feel proud—because you'd be bringing peace to even more places."
Harry: "…"
Luca continued with a grin.
"What you're doing now isn't that different from what I had you do in the Bronx, right? At the end of the day, it's all about keeping the city stable."
Harry shrugged.
"When you put it like that… yeah, I guess there's not much difference."
"But working for the FBI is a little more restrictive. Sometimes I can pull out my gun, sure—but I can't actually fire it unless the situation absolutely demands it."
The two exchanged a brief smile.
Then Harry's expression abruptly turned serious.
"Dove, now tell me why you're here. To preserve peace? The Colombo family is already at peace, and I doubt they need your help anymore."
With the Five Families working together behind the scenes, Harry couldn't help wondering if Luca had come to bail Persico out.
Someone like Luca—who excelled at mediating disputes—might actually succeed.
That thought made Harry uneasy.
He also remembered the Bronx.
Luca's popularity there was astonishing.
An entire district stood behind him.
On top of that, the other families each held influence in their own territories—not to mention the powerful Gambino family, which seemed capable of controlling the entire situation.
The Mafia had been deeply rooted in New York for decades.
If the New York Police Department had handled this case, Persico and his men probably would have escaped punishment.
Fortunately, this time the case belonged to the FBI.
The FBI, operating under the Department of Justice, held far greater authority than local police departments. More importantly, the Mafia had almost no influence inside the FBI.
That made it the only institution capable of purging the Colombo family without interference from New York's political networks.
Facing Harry's suspicion, Luca simply shook his head.
"Harry, I thought after everything you've done for me, you'd understand me better."
Harry blinked.
Luca smirked.
"Everything I asked you to do was for peace—including that night when you tried to capture Scarpa."
Harry's body stiffened.
It felt like lightning had struck him.
A flash of confusion and shock crossed his eyes.
By now, everyone already knew Scarpa had become an informant.
Harry had also figured out what really happened that night—the police and the FBI hadn't failed to catch Scarpa at all.
They caught him.
Then they flipped him.
And finally released him so he could continue undercover.
So what role did I play that night?
If I had captured Scarpa first, he never would have fallen into FBI hands and turned informant!
Back then, Harry hadn't been thinking about flipping Scarpa.
He simply wanted information.
What exactly did the Dove mean by "preserving peace"?
For a moment, Harry's mind went completely blank.
Meanwhile, the lawyer that Luca bring, Richie Roberts, watched Harry's bewildered expression with amusement.
Another person had fallen into the Dove's trap.
Back during the early days of the drug war, the Dove had already laid out a long chain of plans. From beginning to end, he quietly watched as the police slowly tightened the net around Frank Lucas.
It wasn't until the very end that Richie realized just how much the Dove had been helping him.
Richie stepped forward.
"We came here for peace," he said calmly.
"And peace, of course, means an outcome that both sides can accept."
Harry frowned.
"What kind of outcome?"
Harry didn't know Richie Roberts—the man who had helped flip Scarpa.
Nor did he realize just how talented Richie was at persuading people to switch sides.
Richie smiled.
"Simple. We're here to make Persico confess and plead guilty."
Harry stared at the two men as if he had just seen a ghost.
"You're a Mafia boss and a lawyer… and you want another Mafia boss to confess?!"
A short while later, Luca and Richie entered an interrogation room to meet Persico.
Denham had arranged the room personally to ensure the conversation would fully respect citizens' privacy rights.
---
The moment Persico saw Luca, he immediately grew excited.
"Luca! You're here to help me, right?"
"What did the Commission say? They're willing to sacrifice even more benefits as long as I win the case!"
If you win the case, my reward drops significantly. That's not happening.
Luca calmly shook his head.
"The Commission has abandoned you."
"…."
Persico's face went pale.
"No! You can't do this!"
"I'm the boss of the Colombo family! I have a seat on the Commission! We're all tied together!"
Luca spoke evenly.
"Then you should thank Scarpa. He helped the FBI collect too much evidence."
"You have no chance of winning in court."
"It's not that we refuse to help you—we simply can't."
Persico exploded.
"Then what the hell are you doing here?!"
He roared furiously.
"Did you come here just to laugh at me? To watch a boss who ruled less than a month get sent to prison?!"
"The shortest-serving boss in Mafia history?!"
"You damn Dove!"
"I paid a lot to get this position, and now it's gone in less than a month!"
"No! I refuse to accept it!"
"You have to help me! You, Gambino, and the rest of the Commission!"
"You all worked together to squeeze the Colombo family dry. You've already eaten your fill—so don't think you can just walk away!"
"If I go down, you're all coming to hell with me!"
"You forced my hand before, Dove. Now I'll force yours!"
Luca simply smiled.
This was exactly what Gambino feared.
If Omertà, the Code of Silence, collapsed, even the other bosses could be dragged down.
Persico held plenty of dangerous information.
Past cooperation between families.
Illegal businesses.
Shared operations.
If Persico started talking, the entire Mafia network could suffer catastrophic damage.
But Luca remained completely calm.
Gambino wasn't dead yet.
As long as Gambino was alive, Persico couldn't cause real trouble.
"Who said you have no choice?" Luca asked mildly.
"You still have one."
"Even if you go to prison, the Commission will keep you as the boss of the Colombo family."
"This is our promise."
"As long as you live, the Colombo family remains yours."
"You can appoint whoever you want to run the family on your behalf."
Persico: "…"
What kind of arrangement is that?
Being a boss… in prison?
Sure, the title remained his—but controlling the family from a prison cell sounded miserable.
Luca thought quietly to himself.
In the original timeline, Persico was famous for this exact role—the Godfather Behind Bars.
He ruled the Colombo family for decades while repeatedly serving prison sentences.
In total, he spent more than fifty years in prison.
And he died there before finishing his sentence.
Luca was simply… helping history arrive faster.
After all, prison was the inevitable fate of many Mafia bosses.
"Persico," Luca said with a smile. "The choice is yours."
"You can keep your mouth shut, serve a comfortable prison term, then walk out and continue being the boss."
"Or you can betray us."
"And I guarantee you'll die before Jesus' birthday."
(TN: Idk guys, from the source it's says Jesus Birthday)
Persico's fists clenched.
Luca raised the stakes further.
"Let me introduce you to one of New York's top lawyers."
He patted Richie's shoulder.
"He's also Frank Lucas' attorney."
"Frank was originally sentenced to seventy years."
"With Richie's help, that sentence has already been reduced to under forty."
"I'm confident that when the new century arrives, Frank might be standing under the Statue of Liberty taking photos."
A spark of hope appeared in Persico's eyes.
"You really cut Frank's sentence by decades?"
That drug lord's criminal reputation far exceeded that of any Mafia family.
How could such a criminal receive such leniency?
Richie tossed his phone onto the table.
"Call around and confirm it yourself."
"Or ask Frank personally when you meet him in prison."
Persico actually made several calls.
The result matched Richie's words perfectly.
Frank's sentence had indeed been reduced.
And with good behavior, he could be released much earlier.
Richie looked directly at Persico.
"You can do the same."
"Cooperate with me in prison, and you'll walk out in a few years."
Luca casually ate an Oreo.
Then he spread his hands.
"See? I gave you plenty of options."
"I even found you a great lawyer."
"I never push people into a corner."
"I prefer solutions where both sides benefit."
"Because I like peace."
Persico: "…"
He used to hate the phrase "peace above all."
Now it suddenly sounded pretty good.
Spend a few years in prison.
Control the family remotely.
Walk out later and remain the boss.
Honestly… it might be the best possible outcome.
Persico gave a bitter smile.
Luca claimed to offer choices.
But every alternative was a wrong answer.
Choosing wrong meant death.
What else could he possibly choose?
Persico sighed.
"I choose peace."
Luca extended his hand.
"Pleasure doing business, Mr. Persico."
"Let's keep things peaceful so everyone stays happy."
Persico forced a laugh.
Then he shook Luca's hand.
"Dove… you're the best judge I've ever seen when it comes to preserving peace."
__________________________________________________________________________
[Ding! You resolved the conflict between Persico and the Commission, forcing Persico to confess his crimes and upheld peace within the Mafia.]
[Gain Skill Points ×10]
[Gain Skill Fragments ×5]
__________________________________________________________________________
Luca knew this small reward was only the beginning.
Once Persico stopped resisting, the entire Colombo family would soon face a massive purge.
When that happened, hundreds of Colombo members would end up in prison.
And when that wave arrived…
The real rewards would follow.
Luca was honestly looking forward to it.
He wondered what kind of good stuff he'd get this time.
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