Fugo's words were met with silence inside the car. Bucciarati did not answer him, but instead looked at the road ahead. The unique smell of the car was dizzying. This car was rented by Bucciarati and looked somewhat old.
"Fugo!" Mista was the first to speak, mocking him, seemingly still retaliating for their Arrivederci. "I have to say, you really don't act like a man! You're getting cold feet before we even start! The Assassination Team are Stand Users, and so are we. Why should we be afraid?"
"I'm just telling the truth!" Fugo frowned, that familiar anger surging within him again. He grabbed Mista's collar. "Do you want to fight, you idiot? I'm not like you brainless guys!"
"Who are you calling brainless?!"
Fugo and Mista started bickering, then it escalated to physical language, tumbling around inside the car.
Narancia was at a loss. On one hand, he felt no fear; having already resigned himself to a plane crash, there was nothing for him to be scared of. But on the other hand, Fugo was indeed much smarter than him, and what he said made a lot of sense.
"Fugo! Mista!" Narancia shouted, then looked at Bucciarati. "Bucciarati!"
He looked at Bucciarati, wanting him to come up with an idea, but Bucciarati remained silent.
Giorno sat quietly in his seat, even moving slightly when Fugo and Mista were about to fight.
His silence etched a maturity onto his face that did not belong to his age.
"Don't you understand what I mean, you fool!" Fugo punched Mista in the face and said, "The boss just wants us to be cannon fodder! To slightly delay the Assassination Team from finding the boss's daughter!"
"The only reason is that we are closer to the Assassination Team!"
"Enough!" Bucciarati commanded, his gaze fixed on the road, his expression blank, his words stern. Fugo and Mista had no choice but to separate after hearing this.
"Fugo, what do you suggest we do then?" Bucciarati asked.
Fugo was silent for a moment, wiped the corner of his mouth where Mista had hit him, and then said, "The boss ordered us to block the Assassination Team's path."
"But he only said to block, which means he doesn't believe we have the ability to defeat the Assassination Team," Fugo continued. "His expectations for us are only this high." He raised his hand to indicate a height.
"What if we just slack off the whole time?" he said, a cunning expression on his face.
"We're only lowering his expectations a bit more. In the end, he'll just say, 'These guys are even more useless than I imagined!' He won't blame us for anything else!"
"While this approach is a bit ignoble, it is indeed the best choice," Fugo concluded.
"The Assassination Team consists of desperate fanatics, while we are merely taking the Boss's money to get promoted and make a fortune," Fugo analyzed calmly. "If we rush in, we could very likely lose our lives."
"The most important point," Fugo's voice dropped, a hint of coldness entering his tone, "is that we have learned the Boss's biggest secret—his identity. While it's wrong to assume the worst of others, if we eliminate the Assassination Team, will the Boss then silence us?"
"!"
Fugo's words were like a thunderclap, striking inside the car, causing everyone to break out in a cold sweat.
After a moment of silence, Abbacchio spoke, "Impossible. The Boss is the godfather of the gang, like a father figure to the entire organization. He wouldn't kill us to silence us. Otherwise, with such an evil nature, he couldn't have ascended to the position of Godfather."
"However, you said we might not be able to defeat the Assassination Team. While I don't want to admit it, you have a point."
"Those guys are desperate fanatics," Abbacchio said, staring straight ahead.
Silence fell upon the car again. Narancia then asked, "Fugo, just how strong is the Assassination Team that you speak of?"
"There are six of them. Besides the three from before, there's also a guy who can indiscriminately age people, a guy who can shrink people, a guy who can pull people into mirrors…"
"Fugo," Bucciarati interrupted him, "Before this, I didn't understand the Assassination Team's objective. In fact, no one in the entire organization knew where the Assassination Team was going. If it weren't for the Assassination Team, the assets of Polpo that I handed over would have been enough to get me a position as a capo."
"Fugo," Bucciarati called out gently, then hit the brakes. He looked at the helicopter the Boss had prepared for them and said softly, "I must become a capo because I want to change the gang. Being just a small-time thug in Naples won't allow me to change the gang."
Bucciarati gazed at the helicopter in front of him. With his intelligence, he could thrive even in front of the cunning and greedy Polpo, and he could manage his territory to be quiet and peaceful. But there was one thing he couldn't change: the more he tried to do everything well, the more he understood the limits of his current position.
Until the appearance of Giorno Giovanna.
This young man with brilliant golden hair, this young man with holy azure eyes, taught him something he should have known, awakening the childhood nightmare buried deep in his heart.
Merciful Father, he has fallen into a country where sin is unseen. He can no longer reclaim his former kindness, not since he raised his blade against those drug dealers, since he knocked on the door of the gang, burying himself entirely in darkness.
He must fulfill his dream so that he can come before the Merciful Father, free from his sins.
He was so grateful to Giorno Giovanna, who could awaken his original self.
He and Giorno Giovanna did not initially intend to betray the Boss. They only wanted to rise higher within the Passione organization and then completely eradicate drugs.
Now, standing in his way is the Assassination Team. I'm sorry, I have also prepared myself for death.
"Fugo, I must become a capo. The Assassination Team are fanatics, and so am I. I have made my resolve."
Bucciarati got out of the car and slowly walked towards the helicopter. If the Boss's intention was for him to block the Assassination Team, and his expectations for him were only as high as Fugo's raised hand, then he was even more determined to succeed.
"I know the Assassination Team is very strong, and going there might be suicide, but this is my dream," he paused, slowly walking towards the helicopter parked in the open field, the setting sun's afterglow illuminating him. His white suit seemed to shimmer with brilliant light.
"This is my dream. To speak arrogantly, I am doing this because I believe I am correct," Bucciarati turned around, facing his team standing by the car. "In a time when all light has been obscured, I still want to pursue my own dream."
——
The Assassination Team and the escort team won't unite so easily.
Bucciarati and Giorno currently only want to become capos and then the Boss to change the gang. They still hold loyalty to the Boss as their godfather. It's only when the Boss tries to kill Trish that they will completely despair of him, so they haven't betrayed him yet; they just think they might not be able to defeat the Assassination Team.