Reborn: Apocalypse

"It's nothing harmful. Tell your Officers that I have a proposition to make, one that will bring a large number of benefits to the Godfather Organization. Something that will vastly enhance their power, and the power of every human in the Cluster." He directly led with a tantalizing tease, knowing the carrot, rather than the stick, was the best way to draw them forward.

'I'll warn them about the Black Flag Pirates once we get in.' He nodded to himself.

"Alright." The guard stepped back again, talking into the clunky phone. Micheal couldn't hear what he was saying from this distance, but could read his lips and see that he was essentially repeating what Micheal had said.

After a few moments, the guard finished and waited patiently. He nodded his head several times as he heard a response back, eventually turning to look at Michael and Sophia.

"Alright, you guys can come through. Larry, take 'em to the HQ, send Marvin up here on the way to replace you till you come back." The speaker waved them onward and motioned for the other guard to accompany him.

"Yes, sir!" The second guard, despite looking the same age, barked out his acquiescence respectfully, turning to look at Michael and Sophia.

"This way!"

Micheal and Sophia exchanged glances and then moved forward.

They followed the guard across the skyscraper and through several long bridges. On the way, they passed several large groups of armed guards. Some of them were training groups of younger teens or children while others seemed to be moving about on patrol.

If nothing else, the Godfather Organization's territory was some of the most heavily protected in the entire Cluster.

Soon, they found themselves outside one particularly large skyscraper. A black behemoth that towered over the nearby ones, the location the Godfather Organization had taken as their headquarters.

The guard, Larry, led them all the way to the bridge that connected to this skyscraper, where they were met by a small receiving team. Four armed guards that nodded respectfully at them, all dressed in black slacks and nice white shirts. The guards of the HQ held themselves to a strict dress code, far more so than the guards in the outer areas.

Michael tugged slightly at his tie, ensuring it was properly placed as they followed the new guards into the bowels of the skyscraper. They were led down several flights till they reached a floor 8 stories down. They followed the guards onto the floor and forward into a well-lit hallway.

Outside a door in the middle of this hallway, two armed men could be seen, standing guard. These men were dressed in full black suits, looking every bit like CIA spies or secret service agents. They had machine guns placed on their back and wore dark black shades.

"We've brought the Irregulars." Their own guards spoke up as they reached the two doormen. The doormen nodded as they saw them, exchanging a few words.


Right after, they turned to look at Micheal and Sophia.

"Boss Shigun will see you." They waved them forward.

'Excellent! I thought we might be able to see the Head directly, given that we're both free Irregulars.' He smiled internally. If it hadn't been for their special status, it likely would've taken far more effort to meet the Head.

He pushed the door open, entering into the private lounge.

"Ah, Micheal and Sophia. I've heard much about you!" They were greeted with a warm voice as soon as they entered.

There were 3 men standing in the room. Each of them were dressed in similar black suits and ties, looking put together and sharp.

The speaker was an elderly man in his late 60s, with a long, greying white beard and a friendly smile. He was lean and wiry, but his bright blue eyes possessed an inner strength nothing seemed to be able to dampen.

In his hand he held a large, brown cigar that was lightly burning, giving off a warm, earthy scent. His entire physique gave off the aura of a powerful mobster from Earth. He looked like exactly what Micheal expected him to look like, a living stereotype.

'The Branch Head of the Godfather Organization, in the Stardust Cluster.' Micheal's eyes flashed.

'Shigun Moss.'

"Welcome, welcome! Let me introduce myself! I am Head Shigun, but you can just call me Boss Shigun here." Shigun smiled warmly, nodding at the two of them. Right after he spoke, he took a long drag from his cigar.

"Cough, cough, wheeze, cough!" The mob boss began to cough profusely, smoke sputtering from his mouth, nose, and even his ears as he almost spat the Shop-enhanced cigar out. He then patted his chest, wiping his shoulders off as if that had been completely normal.

"Ahem."

Micheal internally snorted when he saw this. He had never personally met the Head, the man had died before Micheal gained any real power, but he was aware of some of the rumors about him.

One of those rumors, one he had thought rather unbelievable, had claimed that the man had tried for years to figure out how to smoke and still coughed like a teenager smoking his first cigarette at every attempt. Apparently it was one of the true rumors, leading Micheal to question how many of the others had also been accurate.

'Kinda ruins your mob boss image, huh?' Micheal smiled slightly at the thought.

As the Head recovered, Micheal's eyes flicked to the left and right, taking in the other two figures.

When he did this, the internal, pleased smile he had froze and then shattered, his heart dropping in shock.

Shigun finished recovering, returning back to smile at Micheal as he stepped forward.

"This is Officer Martin, my Offensive Team Leader." He motioned to the man on his left, a man in his 30s with bright blonde hair and a muscular build. Martin gave Micheal a friendly smile and stepped forward, offering his hand.

Micheal shook it, replying smoothly as he ignored the inner turmoil plaguing his heart,

"A pleasure to meet you."

"And this is Officer Cain, my Defensive Team Leader!" Shigun motioned to the man on his right.

A man with long brown hair and a muscular body, with arms that were covered in black tribal tattoos. His brown eyes gleamed with intelligence as he nodded at Micheal, also in a friendly manner.

Cain also stepped forward and extended a hand.

Micheal shook the man's hand, giving him a friendly smile in return.

Internally, he was restraining himself from drawing his sword and leaping forward, lopping the man's head off.

'This is… Bloody Iron Arm Cain?!' He recognized the man from the original timeline, not allowing a hint of emotion to appear on his face despite the shocking realization,

'He was one of the Black Flag Pirates B Rankers… I personally saw him around 4 months in, back in my original timeline…' The memory had been another one fraught with peril as an expedition he was tagging along with was attacked by the Black Flag Pirates.

Bloody Iron Arm Cain was renowned as a brutal killer that executed the targets he picked without mercy, in Micheal's time. He got his nickname for his brutal attack style, using his powerful Steel Body Type to obliterate his opponents with his bare fists, covering his arms in blood.

'What is he doing as one of the Officers of the Godfather Organization?!' As this thought raced through Micheal's mind, Head Shigun stepped forward, sticking out his own hand.

Micheal grasped it, shaking the man's hand firmly as he forcibly controlled his emotions. He gave off an image of supreme confidence, not missing a step.

"Now… tell me what exactly it is you are here to tell me." The Head smiled, his eyes unblinking as he stared at Micheal. The air around the Head seemed to shiver as he spoke, as if he was capable of exploding with power at the drop of a pin.

Micheal stared back and then glanced at Cain, his mind racing ahead of him as he tried to think up a new response, adapting his plan on the spot.

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Another chapter I wrote on the train! Blame the commute for it being on the shorter end~

See you all tomorrow... That's right, daily updates 4 days in a row! :D

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