As the weeks following Jon's confrontation with Tony Tuscan passed, the activity of the Black Island Mafia rose continuously. The rival crime syndicates had mostly backed off, just as Tony had predicted, and Jon himself, being just one man, couldn't possibly cover all the ground on his own.
The mob launched raids simultaneously, across different hotspots all over the country, including locations outside the trifecta of big cities near the middle of Soweiland. The Sowei police, now lacking the crucial manpower provided by AXON, was stretched thin, and was severely lacking in experience on the field.
Jon himself tried his best to follow the movements of the biggest troublemaker in the mafia's ranks, the second in command Mr. Butler, and was successful for the most part, but clearly outnumbered and outgunned, Jon was unable to incapacitate the man.
Jet Eagle was appearing sporadically to assist, or rather, to antagonise Jon's efforts and take the spotlight from him, but he was more of a hindrance than anything, as he wasn't a particularly adept fighter.
Throughout all of Jon's encounters with the Black Island Mafia, one thing remained constant; Mr. Butler always got away. And that was the case even in their latest encounter, on an abandoned warehouse in the port city of Stormhaven.
"And the game of cat and mouse continues." Jeeves murmured upon finding the Noir Assassin in his tracks again, before throwing a right hook that Jon ducked under.
"Just keep quiet! I see you more than my family…" Jon exclaimed, sweeping the larger man's legs and making him collapse to the cold, concrete floor.
"Trust me, one day you won't stop wanting to hear my angelic voice again!" Mr. Butler boasted, then, as the police sirens wailed on in the distance, booked it through the door, a crook with a stolen riot shield protecting his flank from Jon's grapple gun as the second-in-command made his escape.
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Another event, however, took place during this timeframe. 4 days following Jon's conversation with Tony Tuscan, he discovered a mysterious letter addressed to him, that requested of him and the composer of the letter to meet upon the roof of the Sowei City community centre on a certain date. The evening of April 23rd, to be more precise.
The letter wasn't very professionally written, rambling a little on its topic of defeating the Black Island Mafia, and rather dubious in appearance so he initially brushed it off, but following Mr. Butler's escape a day prior, Jon was eager to meet who this likeminded individual was.
'Must be Jet Eagle, or someone like that. Perhaps one of the rival clans?' Jon thought to himself as he swung through the city towards his destination. As it turned out, he was off the mark, because the person who greeted him was none other than Achilleas O'Lop, Minister of Defence of Soweiland.
"Ah, you've arrived! I was certain you would have found my letter! Expertly penned, is it not?" O'Lop greeted the shocked Noir Assassin with a smile on his face, extending his hand for a handshake. Jon hesitantly went to shake his hand, but the larger man's grip nearly crushed his palm.
"Sir… I understand I shouldn't be meddling with Tony Tuscan's affairs-" Jon tried to explain himself, but O'Lop stopped him.
"No no, I'm not here to scold you, dear boy! Far from it!" he reassured the vigilante. "Quite the opposite actually, I require your assistance!"
Jon raised an eyebrow at the minister, and curiously gestured at him to explain.
"You and I have accomplished great things before! Defeating the vile AXON, as comrades in arms! So now I come to you again with a proposal. The pair of use, brave heroes of Soweiland, on a crusade against the mafia, who have besmirched the great name of the Sowei Royal Guard." O'Lop explained, grandly presenting his masterful idea.
"And that would entail what exactly?" Jon followed up.
"A covert operation, naturally. We sneak into Tony Tuscan's office at night… and collect the necessary evidence to lock him up for good. The government will be unable to brush it aside, given my position." O'Lop clarified, then happily asked the Noir Assassin if he was in. Seizing the opportunity, Jon agreed at a whim, and the two men shook hands.
"Wonderful! We must catch a boat to Black Island, posthaste! I will meet you in Stormhaven tomorrow, same time." O'Lop declared and made his way downstairs, as Jon leaped from the roof onto another building, so he could continue his patrol.
As O'Lop climbed down the stairs onto the ground floor, he bumped into Officer Bales, who was seemingly on his break.
"Good evening, officer!" O'Lop greeted him, not giving him much thought, and carried on. Bales just nodded at him.
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The following day, Jon and O'Lop met in Stormhaven, near the westmost point of the port. The area was dimly lit, the docks were in disrepair and few boats were present, prefect to find a ride to the country's criminal hub, and keep that information secret.
Much to Jon's shock, O'Lop was wearing a completely different, and rather bizarre outfit, consisting of cargo shorts, a large and baggy hoodie that undoubtedly concealed his weapon inside, a yellow beanie and a mask that covered his eyes resembling those cartoon robbers.
"Observer, Noir Assassin, as I have disguised myself. Now, nobody will be able to tell who I really am." O'Lop declared upon encountering Jon for the first time that day.
"Sir…" Jon tried to say, but the words simply wouldn't come out.
"Now, my friend, we need to find our ride. Onwards!" O'Lop ignored Jon's qualms about his outfit, and began marching forth to try and speak with the various shady folk loitering around the docks. Thankfully, interaction with these people wouldn't be necessary, since the solution to their issue came pretty quickly.
"Ah, hello Noir Assassin!" A low voice was heard from behind them. "Word on street is you want ride to Black Island, yis?"
Jon jumped up and landed with his sword unsheathed and pointed at the source of the mysterious voice. A large man wearing a forest green tuxedo was standing right there. He was bald, and had a long, blonde beard, and was also wearing an earpiece on his left ear.
"Don't be alarmed, Noir Assassin! My name is Grigori Bolivar. I am friend, from Russia!" The man introduced himself, a friendly smile appearing on his face.
"How did you get this information?" Jon asking, the edge of his blade still firmly fixed on the larger man's neck.
"Not important. I have boat that can get you and beanie friend to Black Island in 30 minutes flat. Experimental engine, you understend. Interested?" Grigori proposed. Jon sheathed his sword back again, but didn't drop his suspicion.
"What do you think?" He turned to O'Lop for a second opinion.
"I say yes!" O'Lop declared, and Jon shrugged, then gestured at Grigori to show them the way. He rested his arm on the handle of the blade, and followed after O'Lop and their new Russian friend.
After about 5 minutes, Grigori took the pair to a secluded spot under a cliff, which is where they found a simple fishing boat, with a large engine attached. The logo of a company called PetrovTekh was proudly displayed on either side of the whirring machine, but it wasn't a name either Jon or O'Lop had ever heard before.
"Stend back." Grigori warned them, before he pulled out a par of large pliers, and plunged them into a barrel, pulling out a glowing green crystal that he slotted in the engine. "OK. We are ready to depart. Hold on to boat well. Is fast."
The two made sure to follow Grigori's advice, and that was a wise choice, as the small boat blasted off with impossible speeds towards the open sea.
"Why are you helping us?" Jon asked amidst the loud rumbling of the machine.
"Our goals align for now, let's say." Grigori replied, but didn't elaborate further.
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In around 40 minutes, the small boat had docked on the shores of Black Island. The giant dome that was Little Fish Casino was standing proudly as ever, almost mocking the pair that were ready to infiltrate it. The time was 11:40 PM.
They bid farewell to Grigori, who would remain stationed at the port to pick them up when they had collected the evidence, and headed out into the streets, making their way to the back of the casino, right underneath the window to Tony Tuscan's office.
"How are we gonna get up there? I can't carry you?" Jon asked.
"Don't worry about it! Just get up and I'll reach you!" Replied O'Lop. Jon shrugged and shot up with his grappling gun, entering through the surprisingly unlocked window. Tony was not inside, and the lights in his office were shut off.
O'Lop took out the hammer from his hoodie, and jumped up, slamming the hammer against the wall and lodging it in, before repeating the process until he reached the window.
"Alright! Let's search." He declared, and began rummaging through Tony's desk drawers. After a short while, O'Lop found a blue binder filled with documents regarding the transportation of unspecified goods by Tony's private freighting company to a warehouse.
"Aha! Observe, Noir Assassin! This warehouse is undoubtedly the Black Island Mafia's headquarters, right here on the island!" The minister declared, but Jon was absorbed elsewhere. He was watching from the other window into the inside of the dome.
"Take a look, sir. It looks like there aren't any people in the casino…" Jon observed. The only people around were the staff, seemingly loitering around with nothing to do.
"Unusual, it should be rush hour for the casino. But we got what we came for, so, let's get out!" O'Lop proclaimed, and began making his way to the window where they came from. But as he did so, the window suddenly shut, a metal grate now covering it.
The lights flickered on, and the wall filled with all the golden artifacts opened to reveal a hidden entrance, out of which came Tony Tuscan, clapping slowly.
"What do you guys think of my security room? Cool, right? I had it built after a certain bunch of feds busted into my warehouse last year." Tony explained, an annoyed frown forming on his face.
"So you admit it then! That was your warehouse!" O'Lop exclaimed, pointing his index finger at the large man's face. Tony slapped it away.
"Please, Mr. Minister, take of that ridiculous disguise. It's no way to present yourself to your best benefactor." Tony demanded, and O'Lop obliged, revealing his military uniform underneath the hoodie.
"How did you know his identity?" Jon asked, placing his arm on the hilt of his blade.
"That doesn't matter! We already have the evidence we need! All we must do is get out of here and you're busted, Tony!" O'Lop interrupted, waving the blue binder around like a flag.
"And we arrive at the issue." Tony muttered, before snapping his fingers, and as he did so, Mr. Butler emerged from the security room and tackled O'Lop through the window behind him, into the lounge below, knocking the binder out of his hands.
Jon quickly drew his grapple gun in an attempt to take it himself, but Tony grabbed him by the jacket and hurled him through the broken window too, before jumping in himself.
Jon spun in the air and landed on his feet, as Tony smashed into one of the tables from above. O'Lop and Jeeves had crashed into a roulette wheel a few meters to their right.
"Now, men!" Screamed Tony, and all the staff members took out various weapons, and pointed them towards Jon and O'Lop. One of them tossed a tommy gum for Tony to grab.
"Those are the Royal Guard's stolen weapons!" O'Lop exclaimed, and pushed Jeeves off of him as he rushed to collect his fallen weapon, using it to deflect a few incoming bullets from the crooks.
"Forget the weapons, sir! Let's grab the binder and leave!" Jon shouted, pointing at the binder that had collapsed near the front door.
"Oh no you don't!" Tony opened fire on Jon who had no choice but to back away from the binder. O'Lop hurled his hammer at Tony in response, but Jeeves raised a table in front of them and blocked the incoming projectile, before attempting to lift it himself.
"You are unworthy!" O'Lop said, and ran up to Jeeves, delivered a right cross to his face, and then grabbed the hammer from him to deliver an uppercut, knocking the butler away. Shortly after, a grenade landed on his feet, which he smacked away in Tony's direction.
Tony wacked the grenade with the back of his tommy gun, making it hit and explode a nearby chandelier, as it's shards rained on the floor, forcing O'Lop to hide under a poker table to avoid being hurt.
"Goons! Get that binder!" Tony screamed again, and 5 of his crooks cornered Jon near door. In a swift motion, the vigilante pulled out his blade and incapacitated two of the goons, before kicking one in the back of the neck, another in the stomach making him fold, and punching the last in the face breaking his nose.
He did however fail to notice Jeeves sneaking up behind him and grabbing him in a bearhug. Jon shot his head back, managing to hit the larger man in the nose, but Mr. Butler grabbed him with both hands and hurled him at a nearby pool table, where he landed on the back against it's side, before collapsing on the floor.
Noticing Jeeves had gotten hold of the binder, O'Lop came out of his hiding place and rushed him, bashing him with his shoulder and nabbing the binder for himself. He quickly rushed to collect Jon and make his escape, but Tony noticed him, and opened fire at him again. O'Lop slid across the ground, managing to evade most bullets, and moved Jon out of their trajectory as well.
Jon regained his composure and the two rose out of the hiding spot to continue the fights, but as they did, Jeeves took out his handgun from his holster and shot O'Lop's hand, making him drop the binder which slid into a corner. O'Lop made a quick run for it, and Tony surprisingly also began running as he emptied the magazine of his weapon firing wherever he could.
Oddly though, Tony stopped when he reached Jon, and clubbed the vigilante in the stomach with the now empty weapon, before disarming him and tossing him in a circle surrounded by armed crooks, all pointing their weapons at him.
"Stay down, little shrimp." Tony mocked him.
"Noir Assassin!" O'Lop exclaimed upon noticing the predicament his partner was in, and stopped in his tracks.
"Prepare to fire, men!" Tony shouted, then turned to face O'Lop. "I can't kill you, Mr. Minister, but I can kill him! Your move." He spoke.
O'Lop froze in place knowing that whatever move he made next would be crucial. But unfortunately, he had his back turned against Jeeves, who beat him to the punch.
Mr. Butler had snuck up behind O'Lop carrying a pool stick. He smacked him over the head, breaking the pool stick in two, then stabbed it into the man's shoulder, making him wince in pain and drop his hammer. As O'Lop kneeled down, all he could hear was Tony laughing, and telling his men to fire upon the Noir Assassin.
And then…
Stop.
Portals appeared between Jon and the armed men, consuming their bullets just before they made contact with their target, and shot them back at just the right spots to take care of the crooks.
O'Lop then stood up, and Jeeves attempted to attack him again, but O'Lop quickly spun around, caught Mr. Butler's punch in midair, and with the pool stick that he had removed from his shoulder, swatted him aside with tremendous force. The man's eyes stared daggers at Jeeves, who quickly fled the scene.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Tony screeched, but got no response.
Finally, O'Lop extended his arm, calling his weapon back to him. The legendary hammer then transformed into the shape of a guitar, and with one shred of the guitar, a loud soundwave echoed all across the island, shattering the glass dome that was Little Fish Casino and Lounge into a million pieces that rained down.
Tony and Jon quickly ran for cover, but O'Lop opened a portal beneath Tony's feet, bringing him at arm's length, and the grabbed him by the collar. Tony began pleading for his life, but O'Lop ignored him and hurled him as hard as he could, the large man's back connecting against the bar, as he lost consciousness.
Achilleas O'Lop had just awakened his powers!
As O'Lop returned to normal, various sirens and alarms started sounding all over the island. He quickly retrieved the binder, which he stuffed inside his jacket.
"Excellent work, Noir Assassin!" O'Lop declared, helping Jon get up. "Now, let us quickly leave before the police arrive!"
As the two began to leave, O'Lop suddenly stopped.
"My apologies, I seem to feel a spell of dizziness. I should lie down." O'Lop said, then immediately collapsed on his back, unconscious. Jon kneeled down to check on him, but before he could, a loud clicking noise and sudden white flash interrupted him.
"AHA! I KNEW IT!" Theodore Soleman emerged from behind a rock, with his assistant Steve. "Did we get that on camera?" He asked.
"Yes, sir! It's all right here!" Steve exclaimed, pointing at his new camera.
"Marvellous! Now, write that down, Steve; Deranged Vigilante Attacks Minister!" Soleman declared, salivating at the mere thought of how much the next day's papers would sell.
Jon frowned, and with a shot of his grapple gun, retrieved the camera from Steve and smashed it on the floor.
"No! My camera! It had so much to live for…" Steve wailed. Jon then quickly retreated, getting into Grigori's boat at the nearby docks, with the various obscenities Soleman screeched at him for ruining his scoop echoing in the distance.