Squadra 99
Chapter 7.5: Team #99
Ceci Mariposa never ran so hard and fast in her life.
Making her way through the narrow alleyways and sketchy dark paths, she finally made it to a rusted exterior door that hid a wooden door with chipped paint. She ignored the men whistling at her when she passed by or the tourists cursing her out because she nearly ran into them; only one thing was on her mind at that moment and she wasn’t going to forget it.
Once she managed to unlock the rusty exterior and interior door, she immediately got herself into a darker room that served as a dingy kitchen area that had seen better days and more food. The restaurant that served as Team #99’s headquarters, Il Libeccio, still had dining patrons but could be considered rather sparse and lacked new customers. Ceci didn’t bother to relock the door as she sprinted through the kitchen area and down the hallway towards a meeting room full of the rest of Team #99. Whatever conversation the people in that room were having was now interrupted by the young girl panting and grabbing a nearby water bottle to chug down. Had she chugged her water faster without care, she would have choked. Some of the water dripped down onto her blue blouse and matching skirt. The bangs on her red hair were messy, a few strands clung onto her forehead due to sweat from running.
The people in the room watching her grimaced upon her arrival but kept their thoughts to themselves and let her drink the water in awkward silence. A total of five people were sitting together at a worn-down table that was also littered with reams of paper. A brooding man reading a newspaper sat the farthest from the door at a somewhat center end while everyone else sat on his left or right side. On his left was another woman smoking a cigarette with her bare foot resting on the table and a young boy next to her reading a children’s novel. On his right was a man listening to music loudly from a walkman via his earphones and another man playing with his paralyzed left hand before he noticed the girl enter the room. Ceci finally downed the bottle and caught her breath. “Did you hear the news,” she asked out loud. “Signore Bucciarati, did you hear what happened?”
The man, Paolo Bucciarati, reading the newspaper didn’t put it down but responded. “Are you asking if we know that Polpo’s dead,” he spoke rather plainly and rather annoyed with how Ceci ran in the way she did. He continued to read his articles like before, not answering the young girl’s question but proceeded to chastise her instead.
“Had you been paying attention when I called you all about it earlier, Ceci,” he sighed, “you wouldn’t have embarrassed yourself running into the room like that.” The Team Leader of Hitman Team #99 had a feeling that the backdoor was still unlocked and hoped no one would try to walk in; the team had this issue several times. Ceci immediately apologized once she realized she kept the door open and rushed back to close it. The group remained silent, resuming their previous task at hand before the young girl came back. “Okay,” Ceci straightened her hair and clothes before proceeding. “Can you guess what—”
“If you want to be an actually useful member of this team,” the other woman in the room smugly advised her while the cigarette in her mouth was about to finish, “you should listen better to your elders— especially to Paolo Buccarati. What kind of mafioso could you be otherwise?”
“Mela,” Paolo put down his newspaper. “Be nice to Ceci. It was an honest mistake. Although, I would prefer she improves from it.” The woman referred to as Mela Ghirga simply huffed at the sudden tone shift he had toward the younger girl. She said nothing else before extinguishing her cigarette into the nearest ashtray. The constant cigarette smoke in the vicinity caused the young boy sitting next to her to sniffle but she couldn’t care less. She pulled out another pack to finish.
The young man listening to music through his walkman briefly took out his earbuds once he heard Ceci ask the team to guess what she just learned. The music still hummed through the buds before they were placed back into his ears but at a lower level. “Why are you making us guess like it’s a game,” he asked. “We could have saved some time if you told the news right away. Who do you think we are? Children?”
The mention of the last word made the young boy glance at him, to which the younger man muttered a “no offense, Bavaroise” back. He went back to listening to his music and bopping his head. Not being able to listen to music constantly caused the young man to feel his ears ring; his tinnitus could only be relieved in this manner.
“Just tell us the goddamn news already,” the older man with the paralyzed left hand told her, in agreement with the younger man. “Non mi rompere le—”
“Aglio Nero is now Capo of Roma-Naples,” she announced.
That caused the entire room to gasp. Mela, who had been leaning on her chair, sat herself straight while Paolo stood up slowly. The young boy, who was sitting closest to where Ceci stood as well, looked at everyone in the room to see if they were just as surprised as him. “Cut the bullcrap,” the same man who told her to spill the news stood up next. “You’re not lying, are you?”
“I just ran into Kusunoki and he said Como Petra will announce that Nero will be the next Caporegime,” she tried to explain what she had heard but talked too fast due to excitement. “But, then he also mentioned he would be Caporegime in all but name, like a conditional Capo or something. And then, I heard from other teams that Team #47’s leader isn’t officially the Caporegime because Father Diavolo wants them to do some tasks related to his daughter first and how the team is screwed over. After all, this girl apparently is a huge bitch. I can’t relate but the team has to take care of her and make sure she gets to the Boss safe—”
“Slow down,” the younger man with the walkman began approaching the young girl, “did you just say ‘daughter’? The Boss has a daughter?”
“I guess the rumors are true,” Mela added. “But, where are you getting this?”
Sure enough, as if it was on cue, a computer sitting nearby Paolo pinged. The Team Leader made his way to the device and began to read out a message that was sent to him.
“Announcement to the teams of Roma-Naples,” he relayed, “As of today, Aglio Nero of Team #47 is declared to be your new Caporegime until death or disposal. The former Team #47 and he will be your superiors and must be given the same reverence and respect as the predecessors that came before them. However, due to decisions for the sake of La Famiglia, Caporegime Como Petra will be in charge of their responsibilities until the official induction ceremony will be done. The ceremony is to be determined. The late Caporegime Polpo will have his funeral at Cimitero dei Tredici on the XX of N, 2001 at 13:00 sharp. Relay this information with your subordinates.”
“From the management of Como Petra of Sicily and Associated Islands,” the young man with the walkman read the last line. “Ceci was right about Aglio.”
Everyone else was too stunned to speak for the first few seconds. The man with his paralyzed left hand spoke first. “That damn Hitman Team,” he slammed his right hand on the table. “To think they have the audacity—”
“Fedel Agnello,” the younger man tucked his walkman away, “I just bought this table. Don’t break my stuff unless you’re going to pay for it.”
“Screw you and your table, Mista,” it was Fedel’s way of apologizing— insult first and apologize later. “Sorry, Nico.”
Paolo tried to calm everyone down but emotions were high. It was one thing to have a Hitman Team to take over, but another to have Team #47 in particular become the new bosses. “Is this Azzura’s doing,” the young boy also slammed his novel down, although the impact was much more gentle than Fedel’s hand earlier. That didn’t faze the young man, named Nico Mista, in comparison, but he was more gentle about calling the young boy out. However, the mention of that particular name left a bad taste in everyone but Ceci’s mouth. “That conniving bitch,” Mela exasperated as she began to pace the room. “Of course, she would make her leader become Capo. I’m surprised she didn’t take the role for herself, given her Stand abilities.”
“Team #47 seems to have everything they want,” Ceci tried to join in the grievances. “First, they regained favor for something they clearly did and blamed us for. Then, they kill—”
“Ceci” Nico knew what the young girl was going to say. Mela simply rolled her eyes at the attempt. “Us,” she mused once she stopped pacing. “You weren’t there when it happened, Ceci. Why are you talking like that? This isn’t about you.”
“Technically,” the young boy was speedreading the computer screen once he made his way to it, “they aren’t our bosses just yet. The Boss himself doesn’t trust them enough to do the induction ceremony right away. Ceci, what was that mention about a daughter he has?”
Ceci fished out what she scribbled on a piece of paper from her pocket. “According to what I’ve been told,” she glanced at the paper and tried to summarize. “There’s a girl named Lalisa who is from Asia. She’s his daughter who is supposed to be under protection from whoever is the Caporegime of Roma-Naples. I heard she’s extremely spoiled and the Boss probably funded her life secretly until now. I don’t know why he wants his daughter to return to Italy, but good luck to whoever has to deal with her!”
“I thought the rumors about the Boss having a daughter were just lies,” Fedel turned to Ceci. “If Aglio Nero is not allowed to be Caporegime completely, there’s a chance it’s because he has to do something first. What if that something first is to take care of the Boss’s daughter?”
To think that she was a real person and therefore the closest link to Father Diavolo— that was gold for Team #99— and one way to possibly get closer to him.
“I think so,” Ceci responded as confidently as she could. “But, that means we need to know ourselves if they're holding her in their possession and where they're holding her. What do you think, Signore Bucciarati?”
While the discussion about the recent news was going on, Paolo had gotten up from where he was and was staring at a large photograph hanging on the wall; there were other smaller photos on there as well that seem to frame the biggest one. The photos showed Team #99 pictured alongside Team #47, but the faces of the latter were scribbled or cut out. The large photograph was taken most recently in 1999 and featured two figures. One was a short man with short blond, curly hair wearing a turtleneck and baring crooked teeth as a means to smile. He was in the arms of a taller man with long black hair that was pulled back. However, the facial features of that man were unknown; it was scratched and marked away with black marker and knife carvings as if it was intentional.
Coincidentally, Paolo’s eyes landed on the closest photo to that large one resting on the same wall. This other photo was of a young boy with short hair that was cut like a bob. This young boy looked similar to Paolo and the former was standing next to a woman who bore a resemblance more to Ceci than the boy; that characteristic was a discussion for another day. The silence that fell when the rest of the team watched Paolo staring silently at both photos was deafening. Fedel decided to speak out about what Paolo was considering.
“Bucciarati,” the man called out to him; he had a feeling his leader was about to say something about this discovery regarding Team #47. “What are you thinking?”
“This could be our chance at vengeance,” Nico encouraged Paolo. “Not just for Stracciatello.”
Paolo turned to look at his team, seeing how everyone anticipated his answer. Secretly, ever since Bruno’s death and Stracciatello’s demise, he had been waiting for a moment to get revenge back on not only Father Diavolo but Team #47. To Team #99, ever since The Incident, Aglio Nero and his men were more than enemies; they were betrayers, backstabbers, power-hungry usurpers who were willing to sacrifice their closest allies to get what they want, walking hypocrites. Ever since the events in 1999 that led to the unjust death of their previous leader Stracciatello and Paolo’s son, Team #47 seemed to be living a life of privilege and luxury. They just rose in rank as the new Caporegimes and they now had the closest thing to the Don of Passione’s daughter in their fingertips.
It was one thing to betray Father Diavolo, but another to bring Paolo’s team down with him when he does. He didn’t want to lose his men for a cause that may never work. He had thought about ways to get vengeance for himself and his subordinates but dared to not talk about his thoughts for fear of his men facing the same retaliation as his predecessor. Hearing Fedel and Nico say that it was okay to discuss and go forward with it, he began to finally speak.
“I don’t want to force you to join me,” Paolo made his way back to the table. “I won’t hold it against you if you refuse to follow me or even turn me in out of your own safety. But, I have been thinking of getting justice. Not just for my son or Stracciatello, but for you all. For too long we’ve suffered for someone’s advantage. For too long we’ve been abused, lied to, betrayed, broken down. Not to mention, you all had punishments unjustly put on you as a result of what Team #47 did. Ever since I heard about the Boss’s supposed daughter, I’ve thought about finding and using her to our advantage. And, given that Team #47 possibly has her in their custody, we can use the opportunity to not only take down the Boss but also that Hitman Team themselves.”
He rested his hands on the table and bowed his head. To him, there was nothing more to lose if he pursued treason. “Do not stay if you don’t want to be a part of this,” he looked down at the table; it sounded like he was begging them to save themselves first. “I’m giving you this opportunity to walk out right now. Leave and you will not be implicated in what I am about to do. I promise you won’t be harmed if you choose to side with safety over justice.”
He was waiting for people to start leaving, hoping to hear fading footsteps, and he slowly looked up to see whether he was left alone. Traitors can never be saved and must deal with their failure; that is what Paolo believed. He was willing to be the only one standing in that room, the only one to face Father Diavolo and whoever stands in his way alone if that meant his subordinates chose to abandon him for survival. Even if they had discussions before about team members being offered to leave for better positions and benefits, he still believed they could leave him and he would have to accept it.
“No.”
Paolo raised his head to meet the person that just said that, not expecting someone to respond after he made such a risky proposal. “Nico,” he called the man’s name.
It wasn’t a surprise to see Nico being the first to speak up. He walked to Paolo and placed his hand on the leader’s shoulder. He repeated himself to say that he was going to work with Paolo to defect to Passione instead.
“I joined this team because of you,” he beamed. “I swore I would follow you wherever you go, and I’m keeping that promise for as long as I live. Plus, you know I have a bone to pick with one particular member of Team #47 for the sake of your son.”
He turned to the rest of the group with a reassuring smile. “You all have a choice to join us or go,” he wanted to make sure everyone else was okay with Paolo not being alone in his new ambition. “We won’t hold it against you if you leave but do be reassured that Bucciarati will not be alone in this fight. Even when the mountains crumble or the sky falls, I will be by Paolo’s side until the end. I swear!”
“I joined by swearing to follow Stracciatello,” Fedel spoke up and approached the two mafiosos as well. He was gripping his left hand to calm his nerves but he was confident with his decision. “The last thing Stracciatello told me was to stay by your side. To follow you until the very end. We may have our disagreements, but Paolo is the only man I will follow to the ends of the earth. I’ve kept my promise to Stracciatello then, and I’m keeping my promise to you now. I only ask that you accept my offer to join your efforts.”
“I volunteer too!” Ceci raised her hand. If there was anyone who wanted to make Paolo proud, it was her. This could be her opportunity to have him acknowledge her for once. Seeing how the other mafiosos valiantly swore motivated her.
“I may not know much about Stracciatello or have been with the team for a long time,” she admitted as part of her allegiance, “nor do I know anything about Team #47. but I want to help out. Please, let me join you! I’ll do anything to make sure you all succeed!”
“If that’s the case,” Mela got up from her seat. She didn’t know whether she wanted to actually be involved but saw it was better than possibly being the only member that left. “I’ll join in too. Who knows what sweet deals and benefits we can get once we kick everyone’s asses. Plus, we can finally show those stupid 47-ers what happens when they mess with us. Count me in.”
All eyes turned to the last member: Bavaroise Fugo. Paolo knew that the one that might need the most convincing was him. Second to Ceci, he was the youngest member of the group and naturally terrified of the idea of betrayal even before it was discussed. “Shōtarō,” he used his real name this time, “you don’t have to do this just because everyone else is doing it.”
There was more to this; as a younger member and due to his past, Bavaroise had the least to lose if he backed out. Unlike the other members, he could easily start anew and his intelligence, despite being a Hitman Team mafioso, was considered vital to Father Diavolo. Despite everyone having an idea of what the young boy might say, they all waited for his response eagerly.
Bavaroise’s face couldn’t be read but he stood up and looked at his team individually before speaking. His answer was unexpected but in a good way to the rest of the group.
“We’ll need to go by a different name then,” he cheekily suggested. “I don’t think people will be threatened by our actions if we remained as Team #99.”
He gave a small reassuring grin to his team indicating that he was willing to join in regardless of the consequences. He finally turned to Paolo directly with a smile. “By calling ourselves Team #99,” he reasoned, “we are still bound to Passione and the Boss. If we want to take the syndicate down, we need a new name to swear by. What shall we be called instead, everyone?”
“I say we name ourselves after the person we swear to stand by,” Nico took Paolo’s hand and raised it in the air. “Squadra Bucciarati. That shall be our new name from now on. That shall be our cry for hope!” Voices swearing their allegiance to the new team rose.
“Team Bucciarati!”
“To Paolo!”
“We are Bucciarati!”
This was the team that will be against Team #47 and Giorno Giovanna. Paolo Bucciarat: a poor fisherman-turned-mafioso whose son was killed to keep him in line. Mela Ghirga: a former housewife who was betrayed and can only protect her only son in the shadows. Fedel Agnello: a disgraced police officer whose former best friend scapegoated him for a promotion. Nico Mista: a wrongfully convicted criminal who only wanted to live a simple life. Bavaroise Fugo: a child prodigy whose education system failed him. And Ceci Mariposa: the only thing that Paolo has to remember his son.
For the past couple of years, the newly made Team Bucciarati waited for this moment. They waited for an opportunity to strike back against those who wronged them and this was their chance. If they find this girl, whoever she was, they could use her as a bargaining chip to get what they wanted. But what they wanted was more than just revenge. They wanted justice for a former member who had fallen before them and cost their team to lose everything. They wanted revenge for an innocent boy’s life, for the suffering that their former allies had inflicted on them. This was Team Bucciarati’s chance to finally get back at Father Diavolo.
And every single member of Team #47.
Translations:
- Il Libeccio: The Libeccio. This is the name of the restaurant the original team is based in.
- Signore: a title or form of address used of or to an Italian-speaking man, corresponding to Mr. or sir.
- Non mi rompere le—: stop annoying me—. The full phrase is "non mi rompere le scatole" which literally means "don't break my boxes". Fedel is telling Ceci to cut to the chase.
- La Familgia: The family. In the English dub of Vento Aureo, characters often refer to Passione as "La Familgia" and the phrase can be used to refer to a mafia clan or mafia family. In Passione’s case, it is used in reference to the syndicate as a whole.
- Cimitero dei Tredici: Cemetery of 366 Fosse, which literally translates to "cemetary of 366 graves". It is also known as "Cimitero di Santa Maria del Popolo". Although the cemetary is no longer in use, it is still maintained and used as a tourist attraction. Passione is simply using this place for the ceremony and doesn't want the real location of Polpo or Ogio Engio's body to be known.
- Squadra: team.
Name Meanings:
- Ceci Mariposa
- Ceci: Italian for "chickpea".
- Mariposa: Spanish for "butterfly".
- Mela Ghirga
- Mela: Italian for "apple". In reference to Mela Ghirga.
- Ghirga: A play on the Italian translation for "ghirlanda", meaning "garland". In reference to Mela Ghirga.
- Fedel Agnello
- Fedel: Italian variation of "Fidelis", meaning "faithful".
- Agnello: Italian for "lamb".
- Nico Mista
- Nico: Italian variation and diminutive of "Nicholas", meaning "people of victory".
- Mista: Italian for "mixed". In reference to Guido Mista
- Bavaroise Fugo (Shōtarō)
- Bavaroise: From crème bavaroise, or Bavarian cream.
- Fugo: A play on the Italian translation for "fungo", Italian for "fungus". In reference to Pannacotta Fugo.
- Shōtarō: From the Japanese name "正太郎", meaning "the great proper son". In reference to Shōtarō Kaneda from Akira.