"Boss Jay, the target has been confirmed."
Jay nodded. "Lafitte, it's up to you now."
Lafitte gave an elegant bow and then left.
Not long after, the warship departed from the base.
Lafitte found the right moment to descend from the sky and used his hypnosis ability to sneak into the ship's cabin without a hitch.
After confirming that the cargo was all food supplies and not weapons, he flew back the same way he came.
He abandoned the idea of further hypnotizing the officer in charge to get the trade location.
Once back at the base, he reported the situation to Jay, who was now certain, just as he had suspected, this transaction was nothing more than a sting operation to flush out the mole.
Given that the last deal was sabotaged due to a leak, even the most foolish people would start looking for a traitor.
But what they hadn't considered was that the real leak had been using such an undetectable method to gather intel.
So no matter how much they searched, they would never trace it back to Jay and his group.
The risks that once loomed had almost entirely been neutralized thanks to Lafitte's ability.
The hypnotic power of the mythical sea siren form was so potent that even Jay and Bonez had once fallen victim to it.
Using it on these ordinary marine personnel, whose wills were weak, was effortless.
In the original story, Lafitte even used this hypnosis ability to deal with elite marines and opened the Gates of Justice!
What's more, after this special kind of hypnosis, the victim couldn't remember anything they did while under its influence, it was as if they'd "blacked out."
The stronger a person's will, the more resistant they were, and in some cases, they might even be immune.
This was the main drawback of the ability.
But even with such flaws, it didn't diminish its value in the slightest.
Jay picked up the Den Den Mushi and contacted Capone Bege.
"Abort the operation. Both sides are fishing for the mole."
"Alright. Your share is ready."
"No rush. Keep it with you for now."
"You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll just take it all for myself?"
"I'd actually prefer that. It would mean I don't have to hold back anymore."
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. The Mafia has its principles, especially me. Are you sure you don't want me to take care of that Hammond bastard for you? I'd be more than happy to do it."
"No need. That guy's my prey. I'll personally see him off."
Jay hung up, completely unmoved by Capone Bege's offer.
He couldn't take down this "experience farm" just yet.
He wanted to squeeze out every last bit of value from him and level up once more.
That was likely the limit of what Colonel Hammond could tolerate for now.
Once Jay got promoted to Second Lieutenant, that would be the end for Hammond!
...
As it turned out, Colonel Hammond's and the four Mafia families' sting operation was a total failure.
They waited an entire day and night, but the Capone family never showed, acting as if they were completely unaware of it.
Their final conclusion? There were moles on both sides!
That was the only way to explain how the Capone family hadn't fallen for the trap.
The Capone family must've learned about the decoy trade locations from their own spies and realized it was a setup. Naturally, they didn't take the bait.
It was an awkward situation!
Both sides dropped the idea of compensation and began conducting internal investigations.
After all, only a limited number of people had access to intel on the weapons deals.
Better to kill the wrong person than to let the traitor slip away.
So many people ended up getting the short end of the stick.
But Jay wasn't among them.
He was still on "indefinite leave," so no investigation would touch him.
Then, to further pressure Colonel Hammond and the four Mafia families into pushing forward with the trade, the Capone family, under Capone Bege's command, ramped up their attacks.
In just five days, they struck several strongholds and killed over a hundred people.
It was pure firepower suppression.
Weapons and ammo were used like they were free.
And in a sense, they were, stolen goods don't cost a thing.
The four Mafia families, however, couldn't take the pain anymore.
They launched a ferocious counterattack!
Once the fight got serious, things escalated quickly.
No amount of weapons or ammo could keep up with that kind of daily consumption.
The Capone family, thanks to the stolen shipment, could still hold their ground for now.
But the other four Mafia families were in trouble.
They had more people to arm, and their gunners varied in skill, meaning a lot more ammunition was wasted.
As time passed, their stockpiles rapidly dwindled.
Left with no other option, they began urging Colonel Hammond to deliver the next batch of weapons immediately.
As for the mole…
To hell with the mole!
The Godfather of the Bonanno family, Bonanno Petrov, decided to personally lead the next transaction to ensure his side wouldn't mess it up.
But Colonel Hammond refused to risk his own life.
The more power and wealth someone has, the more afraid they are of dying.
So he gathered a trusted group, conducted the strictest possible screening, and didn't reveal the trade location until the very last moment, only to a single lieutenant.
He strictly ordered that this location must not be shared with anyone, and if anyone asked about it, they were to be detained immediately.
If they resisted, lethal force was authorized.
That was a huge amount of authority to grant.
It showed just how seriously Hammond was taking this deal.
After all, the remaining two-thirds of the weapons had all been loaded onto that ship.
He was going all-in, hoping to get it done before anything else went wrong.
If this deal went smoothly, then finally, he could rest easy.
"From now on, no one is allowed to leave the base! Any violators will be shot on sight!"
With that order, all entrances and exits of the base were sealed, no one in, no one out.
But Hammond had overlooked one detail...
Lafitte had already flown out at some point.
Even if someone looked up now, they'd probably just think he was a bird and wouldn't suspect a thing.
Moments later, Lafitte returned successfully.
Jay then passed the exact trade location to Capone Bege.
The moment Bege received the intel, he sprang into action with excitement.
He was the least afraid of traitors being planted in his ranks, because once inside his body fortress, every move his men made was under his complete control.
Trying to leak information?
In your dreams.
Besides, he alone was a one-man army.
His speed and mobility in action were unmatched.
He immediately set sail for the trade location.
Free loot, now that's addictive.
Not long after, Bonanno Petrov met with the marine representative on a remote island.
To be safe, he had brought a large number of gunners this time.
If the Capone family dared to pull another ambush, they were confident they could make them pay dearly.
But what they didn't know was, someone was already lying in wait.