Watanabe Taro was shaken to his core after receiving an enraged phone call from the Chief Cabinet Secretary in Tokyo. His cousin, Kazuo Nakajima, the key figure who had orchestrated the abduction of Castle's daughter, had vanished without a trace. Moreover, Japan's entire intelligence network in Oahu was suffering devastating losses since the previous night, with no signs of abating.
Watanabe could hardly believe the speed and severity of Castle's retaliation.
Shortly after ending the call, his phone buzzed with a notification of a new email. Opening it instinctively, Watanabe was left paralyzed with shock. The email contained a video showing his cousin Nakajima, bound and gagged, being unceremoniously kicked out of a hovering helicopter into the molten lava of a Hawaiian volcano. The footage captured Nakajima's body plummeting helplessly into the magma, where he disappeared with just a few bubbling plumes of gas to mark his grisly demise.
The message was clear: this was Castle's retaliation and a warning—Watanabe would be next.
Castle, however, had been cunning. The video contained no evidence tying him or his operatives directly to Nakajima's execution. The only sounds were the coarse laughter of unseen men, and there were no visible faces except Nakajima's. Watanabe realized that even if he wanted to report this incident to U.S. authorities, he had no plausible way to explain it. How could he admit that his cousin had been abducted and killed because they had conspired to kidnap a famous American writer's daughter?
Any such complaint would only incriminate himself. Admitting the truth would expose the Japanese intelligence network's activities in Hawaii, leading to further fallout. Watanabe cursed his greed. If he had known Castle was this powerful, he would never have agreed to Nakajima's plan. But it was too late now.
The Chief Cabinet Secretary's call had already conveyed the severity of the situation. Japan's painstakingly built intelligence network in Hawaii, developed over decades since World War II, was being systematically dismantled. Operatives and assets were being apprehended en masse by the Hawaii Task Force, leaving the network in tatters.
The root cause was clear: Castle had wasted no time after his daughter's kidnapping. Instead of waiting for a ransom demand, he had immediately mobilized his supercomputer to hack the Cabinet Intelligence Office's classified database. In mere hours, Castle had stolen the entire roster of Japanese operatives and covert channels in Hawaii and handed it over to Major Steve McGarrett's Hawaii Task Force.
Castle had been audacious, leaving his Long Island estate's IP address blatantly visible during the hack as if daring the Japanese to respond. Watanabe knew Castle's message was unmistakable: I did this, and I'll do worse.
Now Watanabe found himself trapped. Returning to Japan would offer some safety, but as a key member of Japan's arms procurement delegation in the U.S., he couldn't leave until the military contracts were finalized. His situation was dire, and he knew it.
Meanwhile, the Japanese intelligence operatives stationed in Hawaii were enduring their worst crisis since World War II. The Hawaii Task Force's four members were overwhelmed by the scale of the operation, even after dividing into two teams. Recognizing the need for reinforcements, Steve McGarrett decided to bring in the FBI, the U.S. government's counter-espionage specialists. After consulting Governor Jamison, the FBI was formally invited to join the effort.
Governor Jamison had initially hesitated to involve the FBI, but the Hawaii Task Force's stellar performance changed her mind. In just one night, the task force had arrested over 50 Japanese operatives and dismantled their channels in Oahu. By expanding their operations to Maui and the Big Island, they had captured over 100 individuals linked to Japan's intelligence network.
With the FBI's support, Jamison saw an opportunity to sweep up the remaining operatives without losing credit for the success. The most critical targets—those in command—were already in custody. Only lower-level agents remained at large. Allowing the FBI to handle the mop-up operation seemed like a logical compromise.
For the Japanese operatives, however, the FBI's arrival marked the closing of their last escape route. Despite receiving emergency orders to flee or hide, many were quickly caught in the FBI's systematic crackdown.
As Japan's Cabinet Intelligence Office and Watanabe Taro anxiously awaited the outcome, Castle remained unfazed. The previous night, Ivan had returned with the footage of Nakajima's execution, which was promptly sent to Watanabe as a chilling warning. Castle had since shifted his focus back to what mattered most: his daughter's well-being.
On Christmas morning, Castle took Alexis and Beckett to Waikiki Beach for a day of relaxation, leaving the ongoing operations in Hawaii entirely to McGarrett and the FBI. For Castle, Japan's intelligence losses were a secondary concern. His priority was ensuring his daughter's safety and peace of mind.
As for Watanabe, Castle was content to let him stew in fear for now. Once Japan's military contracts with the U.S. were finalized, Watanabe's fate would be sealed.
(End of Chapter)
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