8-1 Mariana Enjoys the Bustle of the Discotheque
Kembang Setaman Discotheque
As the new owner of Kembang Setaman Discotheque, Mariana sat comfortably on the upper floor. Her eyes scanned the crowd dancing below under the spinning disco lights.
In front of her was a glass of cold cocktail. Meanwhile, her right hand kept playing with a paper fan, even though the room was cool thanks to the AC.
Several bodyguards stood on alert, ensuring Mariana's safety. Including Broto, who was always near her.
Suddenly, a security guard came upstairs and whispered something to Broto.
Broto quickly approached Mariana.
Broto: "Ma'am, two high-ranking police officers want to meet you."
Mariana: "Who are they?"
Broto: "Commissioner Arizal and AKBP Diono."
Mariana smiled slightly..
Mariana: "Arizal? The chubby one with glasses and a big belly?"
Broto: "Yes, Ma'am."
Mariana: "Diono? Not much slimmer than Arizal?"
Broto: "Correct, Ma'am."
Mariana: "Let them come up and meet me."
Broto immediately called the security through his phone to escort the two officers upstairs.
***
8-2 Commissioner Arizal and AKBP Diono
Arizal: "We meet again, Madam Mariana."
Diono: "Congratulations on becoming the new owner of Kembang Setaman Disco."
Mariana smiled faintly, still playing with her paper fan.
Mariana: "Thank you."
Arizal: "Hopefully our cooperation continues smoothly."
Diono: "It's been nearly four years of working together, hasn't it?"
Mariana gave a thin, somewhat sarcastic smile.
Mariana: "Of course I remember."
Arizal: "Glad you do."
Diono: "You know why we're here, don't you?"
Mariana smiled again—a thin smile with a hardened jaw.
Mariana: "Of course I know. You need money for your little getaways, right?"
Both officers chuckled.
Mariana signaled Broto.
Broto pulled out two large envelopes and handed one each to Arizal and Diono.
Both officers laughed contentedly.
Mariana: "Now, do you want some entertainment? Order a drink, it's on me."
Arizal: "We would, but other duties await us, so we must go."
Diono: "Remember, Madam Mariana, we'll visit again next month."
Mariana kept her slight smile, but the corner of her eye gleamed.
Mariana: "Of course. We'll be ready for you."
The two officers left downstairs, exiting the Discotheque.
***
8-3 Mariana Watches the Corrupt Police
Mariana signaled Broto to come closer.
Mariana: "Broto, did you see those two police officers?"
Broto: "Yes, Ma'am."
Mariana clenched her jaw. Her eyes blazed; her voice trembled slightly.
Mariana: "Keep an eye on them. Don't let them out of your sight."
Broto: "What do you mean, Ma'am?"
Mariana: "If they step out of line or betray me, eliminate them!"
Hearing Mariana's cold and ruthless order, Broto shuddered. His voice quivered.
Broto: "Understood, Ma'am."
Mariana relaxed back, enjoying the disco music. Her right hand still fluttered the paper fan as her cold cocktail awaited.
***
8-4 Giono Storms Kembang Setaman Discotheque
Slam
Crash!
Suddenly, Mariana saw one of her security guards slammed into a coffee table, knocking over glasses and bottles.
The guard's forehead swelled with a big bump; his cheeks puffed up as if he had slept badly.
The crowd panicked.
Crash!
Bang!
Another guard was thrown against the bartender's table.
His nose bent sharply to the right, like a witch's nose—probably broken!
Broto was startled by the commotion below.
Broto: "Ma'am?"
Mariana signaled Broto to stay calm.
At the entrance, a harsh shout rang out:
"Anyone not involved, get out now!"
The already panicked crowd rushed outside.
Mariana spotted a tall, broad figure standing with arms akimbo.
"Weladalah... Wedus!"
***
8-5 The Green Gang's Full of Spirit
Giono: "Turiman! Karto! Bring the kids in! Weduusss!"
Turiman moved inside the disco with fifty others. They were armed with wooden clubs, some even carrying firearms.
The Green Gang members shouted loudly:
"Let's finish them off!"
"Let's beat them up!"
"Let's turn them into cheese-stuffed martabak!"
Hearing the Green Gang's shouts, Mariana smiled slightly.
Mariana: "Broto, handle them. Take everyone of your men to confront them."
Broto: "Yes, Ma'am!"
Mariana: "Where's Kubil?"
Broto: "He asked off, Ma'am."
Mariana: "Why?"
Broto: "His wife just gave birth."
Mariana smiled broadly and looked away.
Downstairs, Giono and his men were already shouting wildly.
Giono growled angrily, his voice thunderous—typical Ponorogo style.
Giono: "I want to meet Mariana, the Big Lady... Weduusss!"
***
8-6 Broto takes action
Broto took off his black jacket, revealing two pistols tucked on his chest.
He went downstairs with dozens of his men, while three stayed alert to guard Mariana.
Broto: "You must be Giono."
Giono stared at Broto fearlessly, even though Broto carried two pistols.
Giono: "Weladalah! Weduuss! Weduusss...!"
Broto: "Handoyo told me a lot about you, Giono."
Giono: "Weduuss! I don't care."
Turiman: "The kids are ready to fight, Boss!"
Tikno, skinny with ribs showing, shouted in a high-pitched voice.
Tikno: "This club will make your heads bump and soft like tofu!"
Karto: "Green Gang will send you to the hospital!"
Mariana chuckled softly, covering her smile with her paper fan.
***
8-7 Green Gang vs. Mariana's Guards
Broto's men started reacting to the Green Gang's shouts.
Salamun, tall and thin, stepped forward shouting in a shrill voice.
Salamun: "If you make our heads bump, don't blame us if you turn into potato croquettes!"
Kolil, standing behind Salamun, joined in:
Kolil: "We'll turn you into steamed anchovy parcels!"
"Hit the Green Gang!"
"Beat the Green Gang!"
"Turn them into gado-gado!"
Mariana's guards' chants echoed back, unwilling to lose.
Giono: "Weladalah... Wedus! Wedus!"
Giono clenched his fists.
Turiman, Karto, and others started moving.
Broto stood ready. His men took positions.
Green Gang: "Make them martabak! (martabak, Indonesia's stuffed pancake.)
Broto's men: "Make them potato croquettes!"
Green Gang: "Beat them all together!"
Broto's men: "The hospital will be full of you!"
Both groups shouted back and forth.
Finally, they clashed in battle!
Thud!
Smack!
Crash!
Clang-clatter!
They fought fiercely and wildly, no rules.
Elbowing each other.
Punching each other.
Kicking each other.
Hitting each other.
Some punches and kicks landed on both sides.
"Ouch, my stomach!"
"Mercy, my waist!"
"Ouch, my head's swollen!"
The battle was noisy like hell breaking loose!
***
8-8 The Battle Gets Fiercer
Turiman: "You idiot, Karto! That's my hair you pulled!"
Karto grinned, quickly letting go of the hair.
Meanwhile, Tikno swung his club with full spirit.
Slam!
Clang- clatter
Turiman: "Hey, Tikno! The enemy's in front! Why are you hitting the table and plates?"
Turns out Tikno was pounding his club with his eyes closed!
On the other side...
Salamun: "You lousy bug, Kolil! You bumped into me!"
Kolil: "I slipped, Mun! Didn't mean to!"
Salamun: "If you're not careful, you'll really become martabak, Lil!"
Note: Gado-gado, an Indonesian salad of mixed vegetables, tofu, and egg, served with peanut sauce."
***
8-9 Giono vs. Broto
Giono, agile and strong, had knocked down several of Broto's men.
Meanwhile, Broto had made a few Green Gang members badly bruised.
Upstairs, Mariana smiled thinly.
Giono: "Hey, Wedus! I'm fighting you!"
Hearing himself called "Wedus," Broto immediately stepped forward toward Giono.
The two tall, big men now faced each other.
Meanwhile…
The battle was nearly over. Both sides were exhausted and battered.
Many had fallen:
Some clutching swollen heads.
Some limping on injured legs.
Some with split lips.
Some kept groaning.
You could imagine: tomorrow morning, the clinics and hospitals would be packed.
Giono stared at Broto, clenched his fist, and took a pencak silat stance.
Broto took a karate stance.
Giono was a warok master from Ponorogo—mystical silat, soft but full of inner power.
Broto was a black belt, BAN IV Karate—hard, stiff moves packed with force.
The two stared each other down.
***
8-10 Giono vs. Broto
Giono: "Ladalah... Wedus! You made many of my men jontor (swollen lips)!"
Broto: "You made many of my guys benjol (swollen heads)!"
Upstairs, Mariana smiled thinly, fanning herself with her paper fan. She sipped her cold cocktail, eyes fixed on the fight below.
Giono moved forward toward Broto.
Broto stepped up to face him.
Finally…
The fight began.
The soft silat moves met the hard karate strikes.
Giono sliced quickly. His body twisted like a shadow in the disco's flickering lights.
Broto stood firm, dodging with measured steps.
Wham!
A punch hit Broto's chest, forcing him a step back.
A follow-up punch flew.
Smack!
Broto's hand blocked, then countered. But his fist hit empty air—Giono dodged.
End of Chapter 8
To Be Continued Chapter 9 es