"Which distinguished guest wants to discuss business with me tonight? To be honest, ever since I started out in this line of work, not many people have come to me for business deals."
Hardy straightened his collar and followed the Penguin toward a private room in the Iceberg Restaurant.
"Oh, Walter, my man, don't tell me you've never done business with Harvey Dent. I don't believe he would just hand over a piece of turf to you for nothing."
The Penguin pushed up his glasses and chuckled.
"So, who is it that wants to do business with me this time? For him to ask you to make the introduction, what exactly does he want?"
"His name is Maroni, and he has quite a history with Two-Face."
The Penguin replied.
"History?"
"Harvey Dent's face was disfigured by acid thrown by Maroni in court. Thanks to Maroni, Gotham lost a White Knight and the Dark Knight gained a huge headache."
The Penguin shrugged.
"I suppose the Two-Face Gang hasn't made things easy for him?"
"Of course. Maroni was almost thrown into a vat of acid at a chemical plant by Harvey Dent, but the guy defected to Falcone and was saved by Carmine's men."
The Falcone family, the Two-Face Gang, and the Penguin's Iceberg Lounge are currently the three most powerful gangs in Gotham, dominating both the criminal underworld and the city's legitimate society.
The Falcone family is the strongest and most established, the Iceberg Lounge is the wealthiest, and the Two-Face Gang, though a later arrival, now has the largest numbers and is on par with the other two in overall strength.
In the past, the position now held by the Two-Face Gang belonged to Maroni's crime family. At its peak, it was even a rival to the Falcones, aiming to topple them and become Gotham's biggest crime syndicate.
But in the end, Two-Face rose to power at Maroni's expense, and the Maroni family's influence plummeted. Even so, they remain a major force in Gotham, in a semi-cooperative, semi-subordinate relationship with the Falcones.
If the old Cole Gang was a minor, insignificant outfit, and Spalletta's crew was a third-rate gang with some muscle, then the current Hog Union just barely meets the standards of a second-tier gang in terms of territory and manpower—making it a big player in the slums.
The Maroni family now controls more territory and members than the Hog Union, but in terms of assets, the quality of their personnel, and the number of weapons, they are far ahead of the relatively new Hog Union.
After all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Maroni gangsters are no less competent than those in the top syndicates, and Falcone needs a sharp blade to keep the ever-growing Two-Face Gang in check.
The only true first-tier gangs are the Two-Face Gang, the Iceberg Lounge, and the Falcone family. Not only do they have several times the territory, manpower, and assets of the second-tier gangs, but their members are also more loyal and formidable. They have deep ties not only in the underworld but also within Gotham's government.
Hardy followed the Penguin into the most luxurious private room of the Iceberg Restaurant.
It was nothing short of opulent. A white chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a gentle glow that reflected off the delicate, immaculate wool carpet.
Several famous paintings adorned the walls. Hardy couldn't tell much about them, but he recognized the names Da Vinci and Picasso.
Hardy was a little disappointed.
He had thought the Penguin would arrange some hostesses for him and Maroni during their business talk.
A balding, middle-aged man in a suit stood up from a leather armchair and extended his hand to Hardy.
"Oh, you're finally here, Boss Walter of the Hog Union."
Out of courtesy, Hardy shook his hand.
"You must be Mr. Maroni, I presume?"
"Looks like Cobblepot has already introduced me, so I'll skip the formalities."
Maroni looked Hardy up and down.
The man before him wore a poorly made trench coat, clearly imitating the style of Italian brand Brioni. But the tailor's craftsmanship was so bad that the coat, while seemingly stylish, was actually neither here nor there.
This must be a gang boss with some ability, but little exposure to high society and lacking in taste.
"Gentlemen, I wish you a pleasant discussion."
The Penguin smiled at the door, placed a hand on his chest in a polite gesture, bowed slightly, and closed the door as he left.
"Would you like to try one? Opus X cigars—these are the most sought-after cigars in the world. This box is a limited edition, thirty thousand dollars a box. And Burgundy wine from France, known as the Queen of Wines—this bottle is ten thousand dollars. These are my gifts to you, to celebrate our cooperation."
"Thank you!"
Hardy plopped down heavily in the seat across from Maroni and stashed the so-called world's most sought-after cigars and the Queen of Wines in his arms.
"Not going to try them?"
Maroni smiled.
"Uh, sorry, I've always believed that alcohol and nicotine are bad for your health—especially since they can interfere with making sound decisions. So… would you mind if I kept these as souvenirs?"
Actually, Hardy planned to take them back and sell them.
The three taboos of a ninja are...
Every student at the Ninja Academy must learn and follow the rules, and Hardy has abided by them since childhood.
As for the cigarettes, he didn't really care—there were plenty of ninjas who smoked. But since Hardy himself didn't have the habit, it was better to just sell them off together.
Maroni couldn't help but be taken aback.
I know you're a country bumpkin, and your reaction is just as unsophisticated as I expected, but this move is really out of left field!
"Ahem, since you've accepted the gift, I suppose it's time we talk business," Maroni said, sitting up straight and changing his expression.
Hardy made a gesture of invitation.
"I know that Mr. Walter recently struck a deal with Harvey Dent and acquired a large territory. I'm sure you're aware that I have some history with Harvey Dent, so I'd like to represent him in completing this transaction with you."
So, he's here to compete with Harvey Dent for business.
"Then, are you aware of what kind of business Mr. Harvey and I are doing?" Hardy asked.
Maroni chuckled and moved the newspaper on the table aside.
"Of course I know. It's a huge deal—so big that you even brought Victor out for it."
Under the newspaper was another paper.
And Hardy was very familiar with the cover of this one.
In the thunderstorm at night, atop Arkham, Batman and the Titan Joker face off!
Just how well did Harvey Dent do his job of keeping things secret?
"That's an incredibly powerful force—so strong it left Batman at his wit's end, even breaking his spine. And the only person we know of who might still possess the seed of that power is you!"