Chapter 5
After the first public hearing drew to a close, Squalo and Tizzano rendezvoused in a hotel room. Leaning on Tizzano’s chest and recalling the earlier events of the trial, Squalo spoke.
“Ah, Tizzano, it was all according to your plan… Pollo kept his mouth shut. As long as we have his little sister in our grasp, I doubt he’ll talk at the trial.”
“No, Squalo.” Tizzano shook his head as he caressed Squalo’s chin. “It’s time I told you something. It’s about what you’ll do at the second public hearing. Odds are Falco will take Pollo’s little sister back. He’ll use his detectives…”
“Take her back? Why? I doubt Falco and his team know anything about the little sister. Are you saying we’re going to leak the info ourselves?”
“No, we won’t leak it. If we leak it so easily, it’ll attract suspicion. We don’t need to do anything at all. Falco will find out about Pollo’s little sister anyway…”
“…What makes you say that?”
“Listen to me, Squalo. This is not something we can do carelessly. Our opponent is Prosecutor Falco. Don’t ever allow yourself to think that we can get the upper hand on him in a court of law. Any info we can get will naturally come to him right away. The only advantage we have is our Stand abilities. He’s going to take back the little sister, and then we’ll fight him directly. Talking Head…”
A small Stand appeared atop Tizzano’s palm. Squalo knew that in terms of raw power, it was among the weakest of all Stands. It lacked the strength to lift even a single bag. The Stand was so weak, in fact, that it struggled to move on its own. But concepts such as “strong” and “weak” could not be assigned to Stands based on power alone. A king and a cook are excellent in their own roles, but worthless in the other’s.
“You’re going to hook that through the traitor’s tongue using my Clash just like always, aren’t you?”
“Yes… The prosecutors, lawyers, and judges in this case are all human. They’re nothing like the goddess of justice with a sword in one hand and a book of law in the other. People like them don’t have the all-seeing eyes of the gods; they have no way of truly separating fact from fiction. That is why humanity created the courtroom. So they could hear stories and testimony and make a guess at the truth. That way, there’s no need for violence. The only weapon one wields is the sword of language. And there is no Stand more apt for that environment than my own.”
Squalo gazed at Talking Head. Among the team, Tizzano’s Stand in particular was looked down upon the most by the leader, who asked what such a diminutive and weak Stand could ever be capable of.
“Tizzano, the leader wants me to go through with killing you even now. He doesn’t care whether the mission succeeds or fails…”
“Don’t let it get to you, Squalo. Just answer and swear your allegiance to him, even if you don’t mean it.”
“But even doing that is painful for me. He doesn’t understand how powerful you are at all…”
“As long as there’s even one person who understands, that’s enough for me,” Tizzano whispered into Squalo’s ear. “When our Stands come together, you and I are invincible, Squalo.”
He covered his mouth and gave the signal, just like he said he would.
Squalo’s Clash had the ability to teleport instantly from one liquid to another. Witness testimonies can stretch on for a long time, causing many to bring a drink with them to the stand. It was a confirmed fact that Pollo had brought up a bottle of water during the first trial. Squalo had been told to smuggle Talking Head and Clash into the courtroom inside of his thermos. Clash was only capable of traveling one to two meters in a leap. The gap to Pollo was wider than that, forcing Squalo to let his thermos roll down to the railing first. He had Clash leap inside of Pollo’s bottle; now, Talking Head was hooked through Pollo’s tongue.
…By attaching itself to his tongue, it makes everything he says come out as the opposite—no, it forces his soul to tell lies. Tizzano, that is the sole ability of your Stand. But with that ability alone, your Stand is more powerful than any other in this place!
Prosecutor Falco had carried out extensive, secret communication with converts, gaining their absolute trust. Traitors of the gangs trusted Falco and came to trust him as their one and only friend.
However, Pollo didn’t quite trust Falco yet. His failure to tell Falco about his little sister served as proof. Tizzano had her abducted for that very reason. He gambled on Falco rescuing her. That was the moment when Pollo came to fully trust Falco.
And Tizzano used that trust against him.
Pollo’s feelings of admiration and gratitude were twisted into declarations of Falco’s evil nature. The more he tried to expose the defense, the more he sang their praises.
Now they’ve completely swapped positions here in this court.
Squalo noticed Tizzano putting a hand to his left ear as he sat at the defense bench. It was one of the cues they had come up with before the trial. There was already a perfect opportunity to strike. He was declaring now to be the time.
“You have to believe me! Everything I’m saying is true! P-Please…”
Pollo was shouting, his voice edged with desperation.
Rip him up, Clash!
In the next instant, blood sprayed from Pollo’s mouth. Screams rang out from the spectator area, and the judges tensed up. Something fell from his bloody mouth and landed with a plop. It was the base of his tongue, sliced into countless pieces. He fell to his knees and collapsed into a pool of his own blood.
Nearby court clerks approached him. After covering his mouth, they carried him out of the courtroom. But his body didn’t so much as twitch—it was clear at a glance to everyone that he was beyond saving.
Even the normally unflappable judge seemed panicked as he took the microphone.
“Recess. The court will hold a recess—”
A loud voice echoed across the courtroom, interrupting him.
“Prosecutor Falco! Give us an explanation for what just happened!”
The one at the microphone was Tizzano, speaking from the defense bench.
“The defense believes that the testimony this man risked this life to give cannot be overlooked. Do you plan to come to the next hearing with evidence for your innocence? I demand an explanation, right now, in this very court!”
As if trying to prevent his escape, he kept pressing Falco.
“That’s right!”
Jeers rose from the spectators.
“Explain yourself right here, right now!”
“Don’t run away, Prosecutor Falco!”
“Hold him accountable!”
“Swear in this courtroom and tell us the truth!”
“Falco!”
“Falco!”
“Falco!”
The courtroom was flooded with the spectators’ angry cries.
…Did he anticipate all this? A man can only be so meticulous…
The first spectators to heckle Falco were all plants paid off by Tizzano prior to the trial. But now, the outrage had spread to the normal spectators. They failed to heed even the judges’ calls.
Accusatory glares were being thrown at Falco by even his fellow prosecutors now.
This hearing had transformed into Falco’s impeachment trial in the blink of an eye.
Falco picked up the microphone. He did not flee. Was it because of the constant barrage of criticism? Or could it be his ten years’ experience as a prosecutor?
Everybody listened closely to hear what he had to say.
In an instant, the room became completely and utterly silent.
Falco slowly began to speak, claiming—no, attempting to claim his innocence.
“I remember it all vividly. I am the criminal who coerced Pollo.”
Everyone in the courtroom—the judges, lawyer, prosecutors, and police officers—was shocked, their eyes widening. The man’s words were so clear that they couldn’t help but believe them.
The man confessed to his crimes as if they were something to be proud of, saying he had nothing to be ashamed of.
Pollo’s blood was still scattered about the courtroom. After having leapt into one pool of it, Clash had once again served its purpose. Talking Head was already hooked into Prosecutor Falco’s tongue.
“It’s just as Mr. Pollo said.”
Prosecutor Falco’s voice sounded clearly throughout the courtroom.
“Everything he said was correct. I called his half-sister to this place and intimidated him. Naturally, the 32 defendants are all innocent. They are not members of Passione, nor any other gang. The police and I worked frantically to frame them. I believe it would be best to release them as soon as possible.”
“…!”
It seemed there were still some people who clung to their belief in Falco in the courtroom. Falco was an excellent prosecutor who had an impressive track record. There was always the possibility that Pollo was simply trying to ruin Falco. But that possibility crumbled away when Falco made his own testimony. Here on this great stage of law, he was openly confessing to every one of his crimes.
“Prosecutor Falco, do you really mean that…?”
The bailiff’s hoarse voice rang out.
Falco’s reply came loud and clear.
“Of course I do! I swear to God that every word I say is true!”
As the frenzied people of the courtroom stared at the spectacle, Squalo sat, satisfied.
Tizzano planned for this as well. Dealing with the witness, Pollo, is simple. But if we left it at that, more traitors could always crop up, and we’d always end up facing off with Falco. That’s why we’ve taken the one lawyer who represents all of Italy… and brought that divine reputation of his lower than a toilet bowl. By shaking its prosecutors’ very foundation, we’ll make it so that this country can never rise up against gangs again.
A judge shouted for recess, his voice booming. Yet Falco kept speaking, his passion only escalating. The clerks, unable to simply stand by and watch, approached to stop him.
“I… I’m speaking the truth! Everything I’m saying is the absolute truth!!”
Squalo looked at the defense bench. Tizzano was touching his left ear once again. It was the signal to finish the job.
Now’s our chance.
Clash was standing by in the blood spatter. He would make it leap into Falco’s mouth and take him out as it retrieved Talking Head. It was all over.
But then something happened.
As he stood at the prosecutor bench, Falco turned to look at Squalo. His eyes widened. To observers, it would have looked like he was simply looking at the spectator area. But to Squalo, it was obvious. Without a doubt, Falco was looking straight at him.
…?!
A chill instantly ran down Squalo’s spine. There was no way a non-Stand user like him could understand what he and Tizzano were doing. Even so, he got the sense that the man had figured out exactly what was happening.
Next, Falco’s gaze fell on the defense bench. He was looking straight at…
…Tizzano!
He remembered what Tizzano had said before.
“This is not something we can do carelessly. Our opponent is Prosecutor Falco.”
Clash! Chew his tongue into ribbons!
Just then, Falco covered his mouth as if on instinct. Clash was unable to travel to liquids when they were covered. Would it be Falco who came out on top or Clash?
The next instant, an unimaginable amount of blood came gushing from behind Falco’s hand. He fell across the desk. Screams rang out.
…!
Sweat ran down Squalo’s cheeks.
He saw Tizzano at the edge of his vision. There was a faint look of relief on his face. His expression seemed to say, excellent job exterminating him.
You’re wrong, Tizza.
The sweat from his cheeks slowly dripped onto the floor. It had happened at the absolute last second. Falco had covered his mouth at the absolute last second before Clash leapt at it from the floor. Clash was still swimming in Pollo’s blood, even now!
I haven’t done it yet…
Falco slowly raised his head from the desk.
I haven’t chewed his tongue into ribbons yet!
Falco opened his mouth, and something red fell to the floor with a plop. It was his tongue, with Talking Head still hooked through. He had bit it off himself.
“If’s nof over yef.”
Falco stared straight at Squalo as he spoke. He coughed up blood.
“…!”
The prison officers around the blood-drenched Falco tried to approach him, but he waved them away.
“No maffer how you fry to deceive us, you’ll never win.”
He pointed at Squalo, then Tizzano.
“Jusfice will prevail. Anf when if does, you’ll burn in Hell—”
Clash!
Those became his final words. Clash leapt into Falco’s blood and ripped his tongue into shreds from the bottom up. A fountain of blood spewed from his mouth, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell flat on his back.
Squalo quietly observed the courtroom as it descended into a cacophony of screams.