Hell's Kitchen - Second Floor of an Abandoned Building
The dilapidated room had been cleaned spotlessly, with some simple furniture—like a worn-out sofa bed—added inside.
Although run-down, it had a unique charm.
This was the temporary headquarters of the Defenders.
At this moment, the place was filled with arguments—or perhaps blame-shifting.
The operation had failed, and everyone was in a foul mood after being unilaterally crushed.
During the debriefing, Jessica's complaint ignited everyone's discontent.
"You two grown men are so useless! You get knocked out after just one tap on the back of the head, and you expect me, a woman, to take the hit!"
"How dare you say that when you were just observing from the sidelines during the fight?" Danny retorted, annoyed, while also turning his attention to the Punisher. "And you—as the sniper providing cover from a distance, you only fired two shots and then went silent?"
"What do you know, you amateur?"
Frank scoffed. "When aiming and prediction are ineffective, not firing is far more effective than firing. If I hadn't been there to intimidate that person and make them hesitate, you would have lost even faster and more miserably!"
"Then why don't you use other people as leverage?" Luke said. "I'm not saying you should actually shoot the wounded man and the woman—just shoot near them to threaten them and make the guy not dare to act rashly. Can't you do that?"
Do they think everyone is as stupid as them?
Frank's temper flared when he heard the Defenders refusing to admit their mistakes and instead kept blaming him. He retorted sarcastically, "Only amateurs like you would expose yourselves knowing the other side has a sniper.
After sensing me, the injured man stood in my blind spot, completely out of my sight.
As for the women you mentioned, I haven't seen any women at all from beginning to end.
On the contrary, Daredevil... I thought you were one of the more professional ones among them.
As a result, once the fight breaks out, you just let your teammates handle it while you stand on the sidelines yelling at thin air.
Are you blind?"
After being subjected to this general attack, Jessica retorted with equal sarcasm. "With such a wide field of vision from that high-rise, can't you see a girl standing there? With eyesight like that, what kind of sniper are you?"
"Heh, shirking responsibility is one thing, but when you can't win an argument, you resort to sophistry?" Frank sneered. "You were right not to cooperate in the first place. There's no need for it anymore. I'll take care of Kingpin myself."
"Wait, Frank..."
Daredevil, who'd been silent since the argument began, suddenly called out to him.
Frank stopped in his tracks, turned around, and sneered. "What? Are you going to say I'm blind too?"
"No, something's wrong."
Daredevil listened intently, his serious expression drawing glances from the others.
"Kingpin is in jail!"
Inside the Convenience Store
"He actually turned himself in!"
Quinn sat behind the counter, looking at the newspaper that had just been delivered. It reported that the great philanthropist and entrepreneur Wilson Fisk had surrendered to police for tax evasion and had been arrested and imprisoned pending investigation.
Upon seeing this news, Quinn was slightly surprised, but then he roughly understood the situation.
Kingpin would never have voluntarily surrendered to police—but he did, which meant he had something he needed to accomplish by confessing.
Given recent events, it wasn't hard to guess he was worried about retaliation from the Vongola Family.
Hibari Kyoya's display of power had alarmed Kingpin, who feared the Vongola Family might send assassins after him. Therefore, he'd surrendered to authorities and gone to jail to protect himself.
As an outsider group, Vongola had just reached an agreement with S.H.I.E.L.D. Even if they knew Kingpin had surrendered only to escape their pursuit, they couldn't openly attack an official institution.
"This guy is really smart!"
Quinn couldn't help but admire him.
With Kingpin's intelligence capabilities, he didn't know the Vongola were dimensional travelers, but he'd still deduced from other clues that they wouldn't rashly attack prisons and other official institutions. That was truly shrewd.
For Kingpin, going to prison was like going home. He would bribe not only the prisoners but also the guards, turning the prison into his temporary command center to control things outside.
But others would be unable to continue attacking him.
However...
"You miscalculated this time, Kingpin."
Looking at the photo of Kingpin in prison clothes in the newspaper, a trace of pity appeared in Quinn's eyes.
Vongola Family Headquarters
Tsuna and the other Guardians—besides Hibari—discussed Kingpin's imprisonment and quickly saw through his intentions.
"Kingpin is both ruthless and intelligent, and he's extremely hostile to the Vongola. Letting him live is dangerous for the Family members, so..."
As Tsuna spoke, he looked at Chrome, then shook his head and looked at Mukuro. "Mukuro, you go. Make sure Kingpin dies in prison. I'm worried Chrome is no match for him."
"You've grown up!"
A playful smile appeared on Mukuro's lips.
This Tenth Generation Boss had once been so kind he wouldn't even hurt animals.
But as time passed—after officially inheriting the position and shouldering responsibility for the lives, deaths, and fortunes of hundreds of Family members—he'd gradually begun to mature and become more decisive.
Still, for him, killing remained a decision he'd never make unless absolutely necessary.
"Because it's necessary!"
Tsuna ignored Mukuro's mocking tone and looked at him seriously. "Don't leave any clues about the Vongola, and don't cause any extra trouble."
"Don't you trust me?"
"It's precisely because it's you that I'm worried!" Gokudera couldn't help but complain.
Indeed, the Cloud Guardian was the Family's trump card.
But as the saying went, the Mist was shrouded in mystery. No matter how strong Hibari Kyoya was, Mukuro could always match him, as if his strength were unfathomable.
However, the Mist Ring had always been worn by Chrome, while Mukuro's ring was the Hell Ring—close to the Vongola Rings but not quite equal.
Now that the members had lost the Vongola Rings, their strength had been greatly reduced, but Mukuro remained unaffected and was the strongest among them.
Of course, his strength was beyond doubt, and his calm personality and strategic thinking were also reassuring.
However, this guy really loved to cause trouble.
Perhaps out of a twisted sense of humor, or perhaps for some other purpose, this man always seemed to do things that made people uneasy.
Mukuro was completely unfazed by Gokudera's sarcastic remarks and simply smiled. "Just wait for my good news."
Watching the departing figure, Tsuna seemed to anticipate what the man might do and commanded, "Mukuro, do not harm anyone other than Kingpin."
Mukuro stopped in his tracks, sighing and rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "You really know how to make things harder for me!"
"It's precisely because it's you that I say this."
"You trust me that much?"
"That's right!"
Hearing this answer without the slightest hesitation, Mukuro smiled again and waved his hand. "Wait for my good news!"
Chinatown
This was a region where overseas Chinese gathered, brimming with Chinese cultural flavor. Many foreigners who admired Chinese culture also frequently visited here.
It was still early morning. Most of the shops on both sides weren't yet open, and there weren't many people on the street.
Jessica and Luke walked listlessly down the street.
The Defenders had disbanded.
They'd been a temporary organization formed to fight Kingpin, and now that Kingpin was in prison, there was no longer any need for them to exist.
But they'd all been eager to make a big splash, only to be thoroughly outmaneuvered and end up accomplishing nothing while their target was already behind bars.
This frustrated them immensely.
"Let's go find a place to have breakfast!" Luke suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence.
It was worth mentioning that Jessica and Luke were a couple, which was why they'd stuck together after the Defenders disbanded.
Although Luke was also feeling down, as a man, he had to take care of his girlfriend. So he forced himself to suppress his frustration and tried to distract Jessica from this upsetting matter.
"I know there's a Chinese restaurant up ahead..."
He stopped abruptly before he could finish.
Jessica found it strange and looked up, only to see Luke constantly sniffing the air. She frowned. "What's wrong?"
"It smells so good."
"Huh?"
"Steamed buns, dumplings, shumai, and this... this is congee?" Luke sniffed the air, a look of pure bliss on his face.
"What the hell?"
Jessica was baffled.
Luke realized he'd neglected his girlfriend and quickly explained, "You know I used to work at a Chinese restaurant, so I have some knowledge of Chinese cuisine. The aroma of various Chinese breakfast foods is wafting from up ahead, and just smelling it makes my mouth water."
"Is it really that amazing?"
Jessica looked doubtful.
"If you don't believe me, smell it carefully."
"Fine, I'll give it a try."
Jessica took a sniff, and immediately a fresh, savory aroma filled her senses, relaxing her mind and involuntarily conjuring up an image of a large, round steamed bun.
"Wow, that's strange. I've never known anything about steamed buns before, but just smelling the aroma makes me visualize the structure of this food. That's incredible!" Jessica said in surprise.
"These aren't your average steamed buns," Luke explained like an expert. "The aroma of meat is rich and delicate, indicating a generous amount of filling, yet there's not a trace of greasiness. It's clear that the addition of mushrooms and vegetables balances the flavors without masking the meat's fragrance at all. This is definitely a masterpiece!"
"Huh!?"
Jessica looked at Luke with suspicion, as if he were on drugs. "It's just a steamed bun. Is it really that serious?"
"This isn't just mysterious—it's divine skill!"
Character Notes:
Wilson Fisk (Kingpin) - From: Marvel Comics - Crime lord of New York's underworld. Extremely intelligent and ruthless. Has turned himself into prison to avoid the Vongola Family's retaliation while maintaining control of his criminal empire from behind bars.
The Defenders (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Danny Rand/Iron Fist, Matt Murdock/Daredevil) - From: Marvel Comics/Netflix - Temporary team formed to fight Kingpin. Recently defeated and disbanded after their failed operation.
Frank Castle (The Punisher) - From: Marvel Comics - Vigilante and expert marksman. Provided sniper support for the Defenders' failed operation.
Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada - From: Reborn! (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!) - Tenth Generation Boss of the Vongola Family. Has matured from a kind-hearted boy into a decisive leader willing to make hard choices for his Family.
Mukuro Rokudo - From: Reborn! - Mist Guardian of the Vongola Family. Extremely powerful illusionist with mysterious strength rivaling the Cloud Guardian. Known for causing trouble despite his loyalty.
Chrome Dokuro - From: Reborn! - Official Mist Ring bearer of the Vongola Family. Mukuro's protégé with illusionist abilities.
Gokudera Hayato - From: Reborn! - Storm Guardian of the Vongola Family. Loyal to Tsuna and often voices concerns about Mukuro's unpredictable nature.
Hibari Kyoya - From: Reborn! - Cloud Guardian of the Vongola Family. The Family's strongest fighter and trump car