Chapter 9: Pizza Leads to Trouble!

The next morning, Franco was sitting in the café, sipping his coffee slowly, trying to process the chaos they had been through last night. Next to him, Marco was devouring a huge sandwich while moving like he hadn't slept in a week. The effects of the stimulants hadn't worn off yet.

"Marco, when are you going to get back to normal?"

Marco laughed out loud. "Normal? Who needs that? I feel like I could run all the way to Rome!"

Salvo, who was reading the newspaper, said without looking at them, "If you don't calm down soon, I'll help you get back to normal in a… permanent way."

Marco smiled. "You mean a blow to the head? That's okay! I won't even feel it!"

Franco ignored them, then said, "We need to find out who sent the pizza. This isn't a joke, someone is playing with us."

Marco jumped up excitedly. "Then let's start investigating! We'll ask every pizzeria in town!"

Salvo said coldly, "This is the worst plan I've ever heard."

Marco smiled and said, "Thanks, I'm trying my best to be creative!"

Suspicious Pizza Investigations

The trio decided to start from the most obvious place: the restaurant where the mysterious man had entered. When they arrived, they found the same bald chef, who looked at them wearily and said,

"You're back again? Am I a suspect or what?"

Franco said, "We need information about the man who entered here last night."

The chef scratched his head, then said, "Ah, that guy? Yes, I remember him. He came in and asked for Diablo pizza, but we don't serve it here."

Marco frowned. "Diablo pizza? That's a scary name."

Salvo said, "Diablo means devil, and it's a very spicy pizza."

Franco muttered, "He must have been hinting at something..."

The chef added, "When I told him we didn't serve it, he left immediately. He didn't order anything else."

Franco asked, "Do you know where he went after that?"

The chef pointed to the street. "I saw him enter an alley nearby, but I don't know much more than that."

Marco smiled and said, "So... time to explore the alleys!"

An unexpected encounter

The three of them entered the narrow alley. The place was dark and damp, and the smell of mold filled the air.

Franco muttered, "A great place for a murder."

Marco said excitedly, "A great place for an exciting adventure!"

Salvo ignored them and said, "There's someone over there."

They looked ahead and saw a man in a black coat, smoking a cigarette, and looking like he was waiting for someone.

Franco whispered, "Marco, don't do anything stupid!"

Marco raised his hands and said, "Me? I never do anything stupid!"

Then, before anyone could stop him, he walked straight up to the man and said,

"Hey, are you the one who sent us the death pizza?"

Franco slapped his forehead with his hand.

The man raised an eyebrow and said, "What?"

Salvo muttered, "We were caught right away… Genius as always, Marco."

The man stared at them for a second, then suddenly, he whistled.

Suddenly, four more men appeared from the shadows!

Franco swallowed. "Great… We're surrounded."

Marco laughed and said, "Excellent! I needed some combat training!"

Salvo muttered, "Stop talking and get ready to fight."

The man who was smoking a cigarette said calmly,

"You're being too curious… This could be dangerous to your health."

Franco sighed. "Of course… Why can't we spend a day without trying to survive being killed?"

When pizza turns into a life-or-death battle

It wasn't long before the confrontation turned into a real battle. Marco, still under the influence of the stimulant, began to move at an incredible speed, throwing punches randomly but somehow hitting everyone.

Franco was trying to dodge the blows while responding with some calculated punches. Salvo, as usual, was the silent killer, moving precisely and landing quick blows that knocked out opponents in moments.

After minutes of chaos, the five men were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Marco, still in a good mood, said: "Okay! That was fun! Who wants a second round?"

Franco ignored him and approached the man who started the fight. "Now, tell us who sent the pizza and why?"

The man took a deep breath, then muttered: "You… you don't know who you're dealing with…"

Franco raised an eyebrow. "Oh, we know very well! We're dealing with people who love pizza so much that they use it as a weapon!"

The man laughed weakly. "This isn't just a pizza… it's a message…"

Marco sat on the ground and said, "A message? Who? The devil himself?"

The man smiled, then muttered,

"Zacrouta… he knows about you."

Franco froze. Marco stopped laughing. Salvo narrowed his eyes.

Zacrouta… the name Franco hated more than anything else.

Marco muttered, "What a dramatic man… he could have sent a text message instead of trying to kill us with pizza!"

Franco sighed and said, "Looks like the game has just begun…"