Greetings, readers:
Thank you for reading this fan-made work...
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Alaudi stared intently at Giotto for a moment, completely unmoved. Through his steel-blue eyes, he immediately caught the subtle nuance of the new and different personality surrounding the young leader's presence: the icy firmness, lucidity, and cold mind of Luciano Gravina.
—I sense that you're different, Giotto... Has something changed?
Alaudi knew Giotto and was familiar with those subtle changes that were not the same as before.
—I have changed, yes... but I'm still me, Alaudi —Giotto replied calmly—. I've simply been living with a different mindset, one I should have had from the beginning to keep the Family truly protected and afloat.
Alaudi nodded slightly in approval. He liked this new aspect of his leader. He felt that this Giotto was substantially more mature, someone who knew how to express the kindness in his heart without falling into naivety, backing it with an unshakable determination. That change awakened an even deeper respect and renewed trust in the ten-year-old Guardian of the Cloud.
—Good. Let's go to the base —Giotto simply said.
As they walked toward headquarters, Alaudi's nature became evident to everyone. True to the essence of the Cloud, he was a solitary being, constantly drifting and never moving with the same momentum as the rest of the Guardians. He preferred to operate on his own, at his own pace and with complete independence. However, in times of crisis, when the Vongola Family was in danger, his intervention was relentless and indirectly benevolent, yet devastating.
The cycle of the sky and the cloud is the second attribute far from the sky, alongside the Mist. This dictates loyalty and obedience toward the Vongola boss.
During the journey, Giotto explained in detail the intelligence network he had meticulously designed with Alaudi in mind. Upon hearing the structure and scope of the resources that had been prepared, Alaudi could not hide a spark of satisfaction.
—Apparently, you knew I would continue working my own way even in this world —Alaudi clarified—. I will form my own independent organization, but it will operate for Vongola's absolute benefit, as always.
Giotto told him about the new challenge that awaited them with Kaien's gang and the Fire Empire, knowing that there were problems in the present. Alaudi immediately began his personal training and the selection of his own subordinates to rebuild his intelligence division.
Alaudi was the very definition of meticulousness. In his surroundings, nothing escaped his scrutiny: he memorized every gesture, every micro-expression, and even the slightest articulation of the person he was interacting with. If someone altered even the smallest aspect of their usual behavior, Alaudi's suspicion was immediately ignited. His adaptation to the terrain was so absolute that he even knew by memory the position of every beehive throughout the vastness of the forest. He was acutely aware of everything surrounding him, a quality that made him an exceptional strategist and leader.
When training the young recruits who would form his division, he applied relentless rigor. He did not hesitate to impose severe punishments on anyone who made even the slightest mistake, instilling in his disciples an overwhelming respect, a mixture of fear and deep admiration. However, he was not a man devoid of empathy nor a cold automaton; he genuinely cared about the safety of his subordinates. He simply understood that this facade of severity and inflexibility was necessary to maintain absolute discipline and ensure that every order was carried out without hesitation.
…
1045 B.N. — June 6
One month after his arrival at Vongola headquarters, Alaudi was carrying out one of his usual inspection rounds accompanied by Yamato, a soldier who had earned his complete trust and followed him like a loyal and attentive guard dog.
As they crossed the edge of the foliage, Yamato stopped for a moment and looked at the distant treetops, scratching the back of his neck.
—How strange... —Yamato murmured—. Lately, there seem to be many small monkeys around these parts. It must be that some troop migrated into these forests.
Alaudi stopped dead in his tracks. His steel-blue gaze locked onto the high branches.
—It is unusual to see families of apes in this territory —Alaudi commented in a neutral but attentive voice.
—Exactly, that's why it's strange to me —Yamato nodded—. I've been in this forest for more than five years, since the very beginning with Giotto. I've seen everything, even the boss fighting a huge bear... I know every creature in these mountains. But monkeys are naturally noisy, and for them to suddenly appear in an ecosystem that has never had them is truly out of the ordinary.
Alaudi did not answer immediately. He remained silent, watching the subtle movement of the foliage in the distance while connecting the pieces in his mind.
—Interesting... —Alaudi murmured, narrowing his eyes.
That simple observation activated an alarm within his refined intuition. Although he still had no conclusive evidence to make a formal accusation, the seed of suspicion had been planted in his mind.
Without the Vongola Family knowing it with certainty yet, Alaudi's intuition had hit the mark: leagues away, Kaien and Saruo's plans were beginning to take shape in the shadows, and the first threads of the monkey boy's spy network were already beginning to quietly encircle the Vongola base for their next major attack.
Alaudi, standing beside the window of his office, stared intently at the dense foliage of the forest surrounding Vongola headquarters. He adjusted the collar of his coat with the calmness of someone who had already anticipated the enemy's move on a chessboard.
—I feel like something is going to happen... —he murmured to himself, his gaze tinted with steel-blue—. Perhaps that monkey boy and Kaien will decide to attack this very month. They had better be good at what they do and offer something entertaining... because I have no intention of showing them even a single millimeter of consideration.
Meanwhile, within the dense vegetation marking the boundaries of the frontier—where Vongola patrols were beginning to become more sporadic—Saruo remained hidden with a contingent of mercenaries and men trusted by Kaien.
Sitting on a rock while devouring part of his provisions, Saruo watched as a small ape agilely descended from the treetops, leaping between branches before landing effortlessly on his shoulders.
—Sarwichi! How are you, my friend? —the boy greeted him with a smile.
The small monkey played with Saruo's ears for a moment before receiving a wild fruit that the young man offered him. While the creature ate enthusiastically, it began making a series of clicks, squeaks, and rapid gestures. Saruo listened with absolute attention, nodding after every pause.
—Uh-huh... Yes, I understand... Of course —Saruo murmured, processing the information.
Several meters away, the bandits and mercenaries in the group watched the scene with wide eyes and bewildered expressions.
—What the hell is going on? —one of the new recruits whispered to his companion—. Is he really having a conversation with a monkey?
—Well, the boy is practically half monkey... of course he has to speak their language —the other replied under his breath—. Although it is still a very strange sight.
The scene was so bizarre and comical that it served as a brief moment of entertainment, easing the tension within the group. When the little spy finished his report, Saruo gave him a second piece of fruit as a reward, and the animal disappeared once again into the treetops.
Saruo stood up, brushing the dust from his pants.
—All right, my spies have just informed me about the most vulnerable routes for penetrating the territory —he announced, looking at his men with determination—. We will attack the Vongola base in one week.
—Will it be a nighttime attack, young Saruo? —one of Kaien's veterans inquired.
—No —Saruo immediately shook his head—. Apparently, the surveillance of those paranoids triples during the night. We will enter in broad daylight, right at noon, using the density of the forest as cover. Besides, my spies say that around that time, the organization's leader usually goes out to train with a bear from the area. We will take advantage of that moment to ambush him, kidnap him, or kill him once and for all. At last, we will take down the head of the Vongola.
The men cheered quietly, keeping their voices low because they were afraid of fighting a child who could fight a bear on equal terms...
—Finally! —Saruo complained, running a hand over his neck—. I've been stuck in this damn forest for two weeks, and I already want to leave. Those Vongola are extremely cautious... their surveillance network is so dense that it has been a headache to send the animals in without being detected. Those kids really aren't a joke. So get ready! In one week, we will storm the place.
—Ooh! —the mercenaries nodded in unison.
However, deep within his mind, Saruo was plotting a very different move, one he intended to carry out independently from the plan he had just announced to his father's troops:
"Before the group moves, I'll infiltrate the place by myself," Saruo thought coldly. "If I go in alone, I can move with three times the stealth. This band will only make noise and get in the way, but I need to get directly to Giotto."
Saruo clenched his fists. With the secret of Prince Yaskar still hidden within his chest and the truth of his own past looming in the shadows, the infiltration the following week would not merely be a military incursion... it would be the breaking point of his entire loyalty.
The new day began at the Vongola headquarters. The great dining hall filled with the warm bustle of orphaned children, administrators, and Guardians sharing breakfast in a genuinely familial atmosphere. After the meal, everyone began their first training sessions and routine duties.
At noon, Giotto finished his administrative tasks and headed deep into the forest to seek out his unusual training companion, "Shōgan," the enormous mountain bear. After an intense and exhausting combat and conditioning session, Giotto made his way back to the base, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Suddenly, in the middle of the silent trail, the Vongola Hyper Intuition sent an electric jolt directly through his spine.
With a colossal reflexive burst of movement, Giotto made a powerful leap forward. A millisecond later, the tip of a staff sliced through the air precisely where his vital point had been moments before. Upon landing and swiftly turning around, Giotto found himself face-to-face with Saruo, who held his staff in perfect balance, visibly surprised that his ambush had failed.
—Incredible! —Saruo exclaimed, scratching his head in bewilderment—. I didn't make the slightest sound, I gave off no killing intent... It was a stealthy and one-hundred-percent critical attack, and you still dodged it! Uh, uh! You really are something serious, kid. You must be the boss now. I'm sure of it.
Giotto straightened completely and analyzed the newcomer with his cold golden gaze. Observing him carefully, his intuition confirmed that, despite his childish attitude, he was not dealing with a ten-year-old child, but with a teenager around Alaudi or Knuckle's age.
—You must be Saruo, am I right? —Giotto asked calmly.
—Uh, uh, ah, ah! Yes! Apparently, I'm famous around here —the monkey boy laughed smugly—. You know me?
—Ugetsu told me quite a bit about you.
—Ah! The noble boy in the expensive clothes... Ugetsu, that was his name —Saruo nodded, resting his staff across his shoulders—. And what did that guy say about me?
—He said you were someone amusing, an excellent fighter... and that you were associating with people you shouldn't be.
—Hahahaha! Well, who would've thought... I guess that noble talked too much —Saruo replied between laughs, before narrowing his eyes and fixing them on Giotto—. So... are you really the boss of this organization?
Giotto subtly widened his eyes, putting on a small act of surprise to gauge his opponent.
—Yes. That's me.
—I figured... Everyone in the underworld suspected that you weren't just a child, although I have to admit I had my doubts —Saruo lied sheepishly, rubbing his chin—. Hey... I think we've seen each other before, haven't we? Yes, I remember now. The day Yaskar was taken away, before I fought the noble kid, you passed near me. I remember you looking at me. I thought you were just some weird kid running home.
—And I sensed that you were someone with dangerous intentions toward my group —Giotto replied.
—You sensed that something bad was going to happen, and you still didn't turn back to defend them? —Saruo asked curiously.
—You have complete faith in your comrades. If I'm not mistaken —Saruo continued calmly.
—I have complete faith in my comrades... and I have never been wrong —Giotto completed, holding his gaze with such absolute serenity that it projected immense strength.
There was neither hostility nor fear in Giotto's golden eyes, only pure conviction and blind faith in the people around him.
That gaze struck Saruo as though it were a physical barrier. Instinctively, the monkey boy took a step backward, tightening his grip on his staff. Within his chest, small pangs of doubt began to bloom. For an instant, his mind became a chaos of unfamiliar emotions.
For Saruo, raised among mercenaries, betrayals, and the calculating coldness of his father Kaien, the concept of "trust" was a nonexistent illusion. In his world, a band of bandits only moved through fear, self-interest, or greed; no one watched anyone else's back, much less risked their life to save a companion without receiving something in return. Seeing this ten-year-old boy speak of his allies with such unshakable conviction shook the foundations of everything Kaien had taught him to believe.
Saruo swallowed, trying to regain his composure and the mocking smile he usually wore as a mask.
—W-Well... what a way of thinking! —Saruo exclaimed, taking a light leap backward to put a couple more meters between them and gain some distance—. Trusting others in this world is the fastest way to end up with a knife in your back, kid. But I suppose that naivety is what makes you the boss, huh? Aren't you afraid they'll betray you? Or maybe you've already been betrayed.
Giotto did not answer immediately. In the silence of the clearing, the echo of that word—"betrayal"—resonated not only through the surroundings, but also within the darkest depths of his consciousness, where two lives, two eras, and two souls converged.
Within him, Luciano Gravina's mind, cold as metal, recalled the shadow of the disciple he had trusted in the modern world; that brilliant student whom he had patiently trained and who, in the final breath of his previous life, had murdered him, driving the dagger of dishonor into his back. At the same time, Lesuya Sawada's spirit relived the tragic shadow of Demon Spade: the bitterness of watching a brother-in-arms, a beloved Guardian, stray from the path and break the sacred bond of the Family for his own dark ideals.
Both memories hurt. Both beings had known the bitter taste of betrayal's stab in the back.
However, instead of hardening his heart with paranoia, the fusion of Luciano and Giotto reached a higher level of clarity.
Giotto's composure did not change. He took a slow step forward, keeping his hands in his trouser pockets.
—It isn't naivety, Saruo. It's the difference between a group of men forced to fight... and a Family.
Giotto's words echoed through the forest clearing like a heavy reverberation. Saruo frowned, feeling his inner conflict intensify: on one hand, he had Kaien's order to eradicate the Vongola; on the other, Giotto's presence and the secrets he himself kept about Prince Yaskar were pulling him toward a path of no return.
At that precise moment, while the words about the "Family" still echoed through the forest clearing and Saruo's mind began to waver, a clear and resonant sound rang directly within Giotto's consciousness.
DING!
[HIDDEN MISSION ACTIVATED]
Mission Name: Become the Protagonist of Your Era...
Objective: Prove that the shadows of the underworld do not harbor only evil, but also hearts capable of protecting others and changing. Break the dark cycle and inspire a new path.
Key Condition: Defeat Saruo Wakage and give him your friendship.
0/2
Reward: Vongola Sky Ring
Giotto remained momentarily stunned in place, reading the golden characters floating within his vision.
"Make friends with this monkey?..." Giotto thought, suppressing a slight internal sigh. "Well... looking at it another way, I don't really dislike the kid. He's got guts."
Saruo, bewildered by Giotto's sudden silence and the way he had been staring at him, frowned and stepped forward, raising his staff.
—Hey, kid... what's wrong with you? Did you lose your voice, or are you already afraid to fight?
Giotto blinked, emerging from his trance. He looked at the boy with renewed calm and, drawing a sharp smile, broke the silence:
—It's nothing. I was just getting ready... Saruo Wakage.
Upon hearing that unfamiliar surname spoken from Giotto's mouth—a name that nevertheless caused his soul to tremble with the recognition of something he had always longed to know—Saruo's pupils contracted in absolute horror. His blood ran cold.
—W-Why did you give me that surname...!? —Saruo managed to stammer, desperately trying to find an explanation in his mind, but deep within his being, he already knew.
But he had no time to say anything more.
A golden flash ignited at the center of Giotto's forehead: the Dying Will Flame began to burn with awe-inspiring purity, bathing his eyes in a golden glow and ferocity. The atmosphere of the forest grew dense, imbued with a calm yet devastating pressure.
"I have to fight with everything I have," Giotto reflected internally, adjusting the position of his hands. "I'm still somewhat fatigued from the intense training against Shōgan, but I can't let my guard down. From what Ugetsu and the others have told me, Saruo is a formidable fighter. I have to be extremely cautious if I want to defeat him..."
Saruo, sensing the overwhelming change in presence emanating from the ten-year-old boy, gritted his teeth, readjusted his grip on his staff, and assumed his combat stance. The vibration of Giotto's flames proved to him that the battle about to begin would be unlike anything he had ever faced before.
Giotto and Saruo stared directly at each other, frozen in a state of absolute tension. The golden aura of the Dying Will Flame burned on the young leader's forehead at sixty percent of its capacity: the perfect point of balance where Giotto could maintain stable, prolonged, and lethally effective control without prematurely exhausting the fragile ten-year-old body he possessed.
Opposite him, Saruo maintained a low, almost feline center of gravity, gripping his staff with both hands in a hybrid stance, ready to respond to any attack or defense.
A single leaf detached itself from the treetops, floating through the air. The exact moment the leaf touched the ground, the forest clearing exploded.
Both launched themselves forward in a flash of speed. Giotto, using the woolen gloves he had been carrying, channeled the power of the Sky Flame through them; the flexible fabric was instantly coated with the hardness and brilliance of the metal bearing Primo's Greek-I insignia, transforming them into combat gloves capable of directly clashing against his opponent's weapon.
The initial clash was deafening. Saruo attacked like a true Shaolin monk: a barrage of thrusts and sweeping staff strikes combined with kicks and punches of surgical precision. However, Giotto was far from an easy target. Months of hand-to-hand combat against Shōgan, grueling boxing and power sessions with Knuckle, and defensive practices against Ugetsu's swordsmanship had granted him extraordinary agility and a deep understanding of this new body.
Both figures, due to the nature of their young and slender bodies, relied on technical mastery, execution speed, and the lethality of their trajectories to tip the balance in their favor.
The air in the clearing fractured when Saruo drove the tip of his staff into the damp earth. With a sharp twist of his hips and shoulders, he swept the ground in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree arc. The wooden tip, propelled by brutal acceleration, was not aimed at striking the young leader's body directly, but at destroying the ground beneath his feet. The fallen leaves, grass, and roots
centuries old leapt into a shower of splinters of wood and stone, opening a crack in the earth's crust to destabilize Lesuya's footing. The whistle of the cut air echoed like the crack of a leather whip.
FLAP! SUSH!
Giotto did not falter. His Hyper Intuition processed the attacks within milliseconds before they could hit him. Flexing his ankles with perfect economy of movement, he propelled himself vertically. There was no desperation in his jump; he raised his knees toward his chest and began pivoting in the air, floating above Saruo's sweep with almost hypnotic grace. The wind generated by the sweeping strike barely stirred the edges of his clothing.
—Don't escape me in the air! I'm supposed to be the jumper here, brat! —Saruo roared.
Saruo had not been fighting at one hundred percent against Ugetsu, but this time he was fighting with everything he had to finish off Giotto.
Taking advantage of the fact that Giotto had no firm footing on the ground, the monkey boy propelled his body toward the branches of an ancient oak. His feet adhered to the rough bark, and with an explosive flexion of his legs, he launched himself downward. In the middle of his descent, the wood of his staff began to blur into a grotesque optical illusion of an offensive rain.
TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK-TAK!
Saruo unleashed a barrage of frontal thrusts at an insane speed. The tip of the staff executed consecutive high-frequency penetrations, projecting dozens of concentrated pressure thrusts through the air. The sound was similar to that of a heavy machine gun; each thrust displaced a dent of compressed air that whistled menacingly past Giotto's face, seeking a precise hit.
CLANG! TAP! CLANG!
Trapped in midair, Giotto reacted by relying on the purest fundamentals Knuckle had instilled in him during their exhausting boxing sessions. He reorganized his center of mass during the fall and tucked his chin against his left shoulder, raising both gloves toward his face to close his guard with a pair of compact blocks.
Giotto did not attempt to stop the thrusts with brute force; he rotated his head by millimeters, tilting his forehead so that the compressed air passed within fractions of a millimeter of his cheeks. At the same time, he used the metal of his gloves through the Sky Flame to deflect the trajectory of the staff. With sharp twists of his wrists, he struck the side of the weapon just before its tip could touch his skin, generating golden sparks and a piercing metallic echo that reverberated throughout the forest.
BANG!
However, the staff's reach far exceeded the range of a child's fists. To compensate for his opponent's advantage in reach, Giotto relied on Ugetsu's teachings. The Rain Guardian's swordsmanship was not merely about wielding a metal blade, but about understanding the concept of the fluid cut, the straight line, and the invisible filament that divided space.
Giotto brought the palms of his gloves together in front of his chest with a sharp snap.
FWOOOSH!
The Dying Will Flame burst from the knuckles and edges of his thread-covered gloves, not as a diffuse wave of heat, but condensing into a thin, high-density golden line, sharp as the blade of an ancient katana. Replicating Ugetsu's swordsmanship, Giotto extended his arms forward, transforming the aura of the Sky into a sharp extension of his own body.
ZIIIING!
With an angled stroke of his joined hands, Giotto cut through the air from bottom to top. The blade of pure flame split Saruo's barrage of thrusts, tearing through the pressure waves and forcing the monkey boy to divert his staff at the last microsecond to prevent the flame from severing his hands. The energy of the golden edge cleanly cut through three thick branches behind Saruo, which crashed to the ground with a deafening crack.
CRAC-BOOM!
Saruo turned comically pale with surprise at the creative cutting technique.
Taking advantage of the moment Saruo lost his balance after deflecting the filament of flame, Giotto adjusted the position of his feet as he touched the ground. He regained control of his body: he rotated his rear ankle, transferred the weight of his hip along a perfect axis, and prepared a straight right punch with mechanical momentum.
To close the distance instantly, Giotto activated the strength concentrated in his feet and propelled himself forward.
BOOOM!
The glove struck against Saruo's staff. Giotto shot forward just inches above the ground, surpassing Saruo's reaction speed. His right fist, imbued with condensed Sky Flame and protected by the metal glove, pierced through the center of the monkey boy's guard.
The impact rang out like a bronze bell struck inside a cavern. The fist landed squarely against Saruo's plexus and abdomen, transferring the vibrational energy of the flame directly into his internal organs. The destructive force of the blow did not pulverize his bones due to the lack of mass, but the concentration of speed and technique was relentless.
Saruo released a ragged gasp, his eyes bulging from the impact as he was sent flying along a parabolic trajectory directly toward the depths of the forest, projected through the air like a projectile.
However, Saruo had his cunning. Using his tail with prodigious agility, he hooked it around one of the higher branches. He took advantage of the centrifugal force of the impact to perform a complete spin in the air, dispersing the shockwave before landing on his feet atop the wood. He wiped a thread of blood from the corner of his lips and flashed a wide, savage grin.
—Well... You're much stronger than that Ugetsu guy, huh? —Saruo exclaimed, his eyes burning with adrenaline—. But don't think this is over!
Saruo dove from the branch, unleashing another wave of staff strikes. Giotto contained the assault with the fluidity that characterized him, dodging every arc of attack... but he made a single, critical miscalculation. Focused on the trajectory of the staff and Saruo's upper limbs, his Hyper Intuition failed to anticipate the independent movement of the monkey boy's tail.
Saruo's tail moved as though it possessed a will and intention of its own.
In the blink of an eye, the appendage coiled around Giotto's ankle with the strength of a steel cable. Before the young leader could break free, Saruo gave a savage tug, completely unbalancing Giotto and violently slamming him against the hard forest floor.
AAAH!
Giotto felt the shock of the impact reverberate throughout his entire body as he bounced against the ground. Quickly rotating around his own axis, he attempted to get back up and engage in close-quarters combat, but Saruo reacted instantly and unleashed a brutal slash with the body of his staff directly toward his face. Giotto tilted his torso at an almost impossible angle, dodging it by mere millimeters.
Knowing that he had no room to hesitate, much less to dodge, he planted one foot firmly on the ground, gathered momentum, and unleashed a spinning heel kick.
ascending, directing his heel with tremendous violence toward Saruo's nape. The monkey boy managed to place the heavy wooden shaft of his staff in front of him in time to block the impact, but the movement gave Giotto the fraction of a second he needed: concentrating the Sky Flame into his metal gloves, he tried to firmly grab Saruo's tail. Feeling the scorching heat of the flames threatening to burn his appendage, Saruo immediately released his grip and attacked with a downward thrust.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Giotto placed his arms against the ground and performed two backward somersaults to evade Saruo's attack. Giotto then planted the soles of his bare feet against the trunk of a sturdy tree to propel himself forward.
Launching himself from the wood, he gathered the strength in his legs and leaped toward Saruo, delivering a frontal kick. Saruo attempted to evade the initial trajectory of the attack; however, to his surprise, Giotto activated a micro-burst of propulsion from his back using the Flame, altering his inertial trajectory in midair with an impossible change of angle.
The flying kick struck his opponent's guard head-on. Saruo managed to cross his staff at the last microsecond to protect his nape, but the massive concentration of Flame imbued into Giotto's foot overwhelmed the weapon's resistance.
¡CRACK!
The staff snapped cleanly in half under the monstrous force of the blow. The remaining impact struck Saruo's neck, causing his vision to blur instantly before he collapsed unconscious onto the carpet of dry leaves covering the forest floor.
Giotto landed softly on his feet and looked at the fallen boy while regulating his fatigued breathing. Giotto let himself fall onto the grass and sat in a lotus position. He extinguished the golden aura on his forehead as the gloves returned to their woolen state. He relaxed every muscle in his fragile ten-year-old body, feeling the accumulated exhaustion from his training with Shōgan and his battle against Saruo finally taking its toll.
He let out a heavy sigh, placing his hands behind him against the damp earth.
—Ah... that was a tough battle —he murmured, bringing one hand to his neck to massage his vertebrae with a few brief pops—. I think that was the most demanding fight I've had since I arrived in this world. It pushed my agility to its absolute limit... Whew, I think I overdid it!
At that precise moment, a crystalline sound echoed through his mind.
¡DING!
[SECONDARY MISSION: PHASE 1/2 COMPLETED]
Achievement: You have defeated Saruo Wakage.
Reward Granted: Vongola Sky Ring (Sealed/Inactive State).
A dazzling metallic flash floated before his eyes before descending into his palms. Upon seeing the design of the Vongola Sky Ring, Giotto's golden eyes lit up with a deep mixture of nostalgia and determination. He took the jewel between his fingers and placed it on his hand. Although the gem emitted no flames because it was in an inactive state, he recognized it instantly; it was the living symbol of his destiny and of his Family's unbreakable will.
The ring was the most important item he had in his previous life, and it would be the same in this one.
"With this, my Flame power will begin to stabilize and gradually return to me," Giotto thought, caressing the ring's engraving.
¡DING!
[SECONDARY MISSION: PHASE 2 ACTIVATED]
Objective: Earn the alliance of Saruo Wakage.
Instructions: Use the resonance of the Sky Flame within the Vongola Ring to project Saruo's forgotten and distorted memories of his past into his mind; truths known only to Kaien and a few people in the underworld. Break the lie that binds him to his executioner.
Giotto gave a subtle smile as he read the characters floating within his vision.
—Showing him the shadows of his own past through the ring's power over time... This is simply incredible —Giotto murmured, slowly getting to his feet—. But before any revelations, I must get this boy to safety.
He approached Saruo's unconscious body. Although the boy was somewhat taller and heavier due to being thirteen years old, Giotto readjusted his center of gravity, carried the young monkey over his back, and began walking with firm, steady steps back toward the Vongola headquarters.
…
Saruo slowly opened his eyes, his vision clouded by the heaviness of the impact that had knocked him unconscious. The ceiling above him was neither the forest foliage nor the tents of the mercenary camps, but polished wooden beams and high ceilings. He was in an unfamiliar room, lying on a clean bed.
A headache hammered at his temples like the dull strike of a drum.
As he regained consciousness, the first thing to come into focus in his field of vision was Giotto, sitting cross-legged on a chair directly in front of him, watching him with absolute serenity.
Instinctively, Saruo tried to sit up abruptly and get into a defensive stance, searching for his staff.
—Wait a moment —Giotto intervened in a calm voice—. Take a good look around you.
Saruo stopped and cautiously turned his head. The blood froze in his veins.
On one side of the room stood Ugetsu, whom he knew and had fought before. He gave Saruo a cordial greeting with a slight nod of his head. Near the door stood the boy named Knuckle; Saruo knew well the reputation of that boxer's fists and the tremendous strength he possessed. Farther back, he saw a boy with fluffy hair, and beside all of them stood a red-haired young man with a distinctive tattoo on his cheek.
Everyone except Alaudi was staring at the monkey boy.
The alarms in Saruo's mind went off the instant he identified the tattooed boy. There was a great deal of information about that man circulating throughout the underworld: Kaien often warned that he was the most dangerous man in the organization, a marksman and strategist capable of manipulating fire to disintegrate his enemies, someone no sane person would ever want to cross weapons with.
After assessing the strongest members and noticing the serious presence of the other children, whose strength was relatively weaker, positioned around the edges of the room, a cold certainty crushed any impulse to fight: there was absolutely no way to escape. If Ugetsu was capable of keeping him at bay, and Giotto himself had defeated him in single combat, facing the First Generation gathered in that very room would be guaranteed suicide.
Saruo forced himself to take a deep breath, leaned back against the bed again, and let out a bitter laugh to conceal his cold sweat.
—What happened?... —he murmured, looking at Giotto—. Are you going to use me as a hostage, or do you want me alive so you can extract information from me?
—No —Giotto replied firmly.
Then, Giotto snapped his fingers sharply and looked at his companions.
—Guys, I want you to leave us alone.
—What!? —the tattooed boy reacted, taking a step forward with a frown—. No way I'm leaving you alone with this guy, Giotto.
Giotto turned his head and gave the red-haired boy a stern look, imbued with the unquestionable authority of the Sky. G gritted his teeth, understanding the determination of his leader without needing any further words.
—Tch... Fine —the red-haired boy growled, adjusting his jacket—. Let's go.
One by one, all the boys silently left the room, closing the heavy wooden door behind them. Silence once again took over the room, leaving only Saruo and Giotto face-to-face.
Saruo let out a small laugh, trying to regain his composure.
—Are you sure you want this? Aren't you afraid I'll attack you again? Are you really that sure I won't do anything to you?
Giotto did not even flinch. He held the monkey boy's gaze with calm coldness.
—I already defeated you once —Giotto declared—. And you already saw my goodwill when I brought you here and treated your wounds. Don't waste it... next time, I can simply kill you. Besides, escaping from this headquarters isn't easy at all. Before you even step into the outer courtyard, the grumpy kid who just left has a bow whose arrow will reach you regardless of the distance, so be careful.
A shiver ran down Saruo's spine as he imagined G's arrow piercing his lungs from a distance. He swallowed his pride and leaned back again, feeling his paranoia beginning to give way to curiosity.
—I'm going to tell you something —Giotto continued, leaning slightly forward—. Prince Yaskar told me about your past.
—Yaskar?... —Saruo repeated, his eyes widening.
—Yes. It turns out Yaskar knew you when you were very young —Giotto revealed in a low but penetrating voice—. And let me tell you something Kaien has hidden from you your entire life: you are not the only one of your kind, Saruo. In the beginning, Kaien dedicated himself to capturing and selling many other members of your race in the black markets of the underworld.
It is possible that Kaien killed your real parents.
Saruo's face changed completely. The words struck his mind like a hammer blow, dismantling the only story he had believed to be true since childhood.
—NO! THAT'S A LIE! —Saruo shouted violently, abruptly sitting up as cold sweat covered his face—. That's impossible! How the hell would that spoiled prince know anything about my past if I never even spoke to him about my origins!? You're lying!
Giotto was not shaken by the outburst. He maintained his measured tone, speaking to him with surgical clarity. He explained, point by point, the reports Ugetsu had gathered, the records of slave trafficking along the borders of the Fire Country, and Yaskar's confessions regarding Kaien's extortion networks.
As the account progressed, the chaos in Saruo's mind began to settle into a cold and terrifying logic. The pieces fit together. Deep down, Saruo knew it: Kaien was a criminal. Human trafficking and the slave trade were his true modus operandi. He knew perfectly well that his "father" possessed the cruelty to carry out something like that and the manipulation necessary to mold anyone to his will.
However, the pain was crushing. Kaien had raised him. He was the only father figure Saruo had ever known, and his feelings violently refused to accept that his entire life had been a carefully constructed lie.
Then, a piercing doubt illuminated Saruo's face.
—If everything is as you say... how did you know my real surname? —he asked in a trembling voice—. That's the surname Kaien swore no one would ever know!
Giotto silently nodded. He raised his right hand and clenched his fist, causing the Vongola Sky Ring to glow beneath the light of the room.
—I can show you —Giotto said with absolute gravity—. I can show you the truth of your past, the exact night you were born. Only once. But to break through this veil, I need you to trust me. And beyond that... I want us to be friends once you see the truth.
Saruo stared at him in disbelief, letting out a muffled laugh.
—Friends?... I've never been friends with anyone in my life. In my world, that word doesn't exist.
—It exists starting today, if you decide it does —Giotto replied.
Saruo stared at the ring, feeling an electric current run down his spine. After a long and tense silence, he sighed and nodded slightly.
—Fine... I have no idea what you're going to show me or what I'm going to see in that damn light, but I promise you this: if what you show me destroys Kaien's lies... I'll accept your proposal and become your friend.
—Deal —Giotto murmured.
Giotto took a step forward. He channeled the pure essence of the Sky through the Vongola Ring, making the memory of the timeline of time itself contained within the Family's ancestral jewel resonate. He flexed his fingers and placed the ring's gemstone directly against Saruo's forehead.
A golden, cosmic light flooded the room. Time seemed to freeze.
—Engraved in our history, the Sky observes the beginning and the end like a clam —Giotto recited in a majestic voice that resonated within the boy's very soul.
In the blink of an eye, Saruo's mind and spirit were ripped from the present. The Vongola room disappeared from their consciousness, erased by a whirlwind of spiritual memories that projected him thirteen years back in time: directly to the night of Saruo's birth…
...
Author's Note:
Hello guys, I'm Wissumi Wizaki! I'm currently watching Season 7 of The Walking Dead, and I really loved it. I have to admit that One Piece and The Walking Dead share something in common: the strong sense of brotherhood among the characters. It seems like no matter the cost, they will always go after the people who are their friends to save them. Well, at least that's what I believe!
I'm wrapping things up here; I'm currently working through two chapters and just need to edit them. I'm advancing chapter by chapter, with two left to be fully edited. With these two chapters, two characters from the world of Naruto have already made their appearance. The first one has already appeared, which as we know is Tenji. Yes, I believe he appeared in a part of the Naruto anime, though not in the manga. But in these two chapters I'm creating, two Naruto characters have already shown up, so step by step, we are gradually reaching the canon plot!
...
Well, saying goodbye, Happy reading! Bye-bye!
— Wissumi Wizaki
Until the next chapter!