Gangsters, Ninjas and Chocolate.

“Bloody hell. I don’t think I can deal with that madness. Can’t we just walk away and live happily ever after? How hard would that be?”

Reginald Stocker emptied his glass of whisky and looked around him. His associates looked like beaten dogs that were fed up with life. They were all immaculately dressed but the expensive suits and ties were in stark contrast with their weary expressions. Had it not been for the glamorous club in which they had gathered, they would look like a bunch of pathetic losers. It seemed like they were all waiting to get slapped in the face before going to sleep.

“How hard you say? As hard as that nunchaku that left a mark on my face!”

The angry reply came from Andrew Marzetto. He had founded the Red Rocks, London’s most notorious and feared criminal gang of this era, with Reginald Stocker. Their organisation had grown from an unassuming duo that raided convenience stores in the east of London to one that hired dozens of men that ran activities ranging from contraband to cryptocurrency scams. For nearly ten years, the operations proved to be as fun as they were profitable. There was no competition. The Red Rocks designed ways to go almost completely unnoticed and any unwanted scrutiny was promptly eliminated. Police investigations and attempts to take down their organisation invariably failed. It was like trying to crack a turtle’s shell with a plastic fork.

As is often the case, the most perfect setup started to break down through the most unexpected circumstances. Actually, ‘unexpected’ is not the right term. Batshit crazy would be more appropriate. For the sake of simplicity, let us call it the BC Factor. Well, the BC Factor here was represented by the Blue Wolves, a Neo-Ninja clan created in London by renegade martial artists. The latter had betrayed the principles of their martial arts schools and wanted a piece of the criminal underground action. They were as smart as they were violent. Reginald Stocker compared them to the quiet kids in school that no one paid attention to but who happened to be full-blown psychopaths. To the great dismay of the Red Rocks, the Blue Wolves rushed to the scene by targeting their most profitable business: chocolate.

It will certainly seem surprising that chocolate would be of greater interest to criminals than drugs or illegal goods but a major change had taken place in 2025: chocolate became incredibly rare after global warming severely limited the capabilities of the biggest cocoa-growing countries. What was once a staple on supermarket shelves became a luxury that could only be afforded by the very rich. A chocolate bar became more expensive than an ounce of gold. Selling high-quality chocolate made from pure cocoa was a very rich business and the Red Rocks understood that very well. They quickly proceeded to create illegal entities that successfully shipped chocolate to London and controlled the very tight networks that ensured its distribution to the right recipients. The money that was generated from the chocolate bonanza turned the Redrock gang into multi-millionaires within a few years.

Of course, this proved to be too good to last. The Blue Wolves patiently studied the Red Rocks and attacked them with a blend of violence and cunning that would have put Don Corleone to shame. This proved to be all the more embarrassing to the Red Rocks in that they were wholly unprepared to face the onslaught of the Blue Wolves. Dealing with fistfights, guns, and baseball bats was one thing but katanas, shurikens, nunchakus, otherworldly evasive techniques, and highly polished fighting skills was quite another. It was like a goldfish trying to fight a shark. The battle was as one-sided as it was painful to watch.

Ironically, the first confrontation of the Red Rocks with the Blue Wolves happened when Reginald Stocker and Andrew Marzetto were both enjoying chocolate cake for their afternoon tea. The ninjas barged into their headquarters and killed three of their associates. Andrew was badly beaten and suffered from several broken ribs. It was humiliating, but there was nothing he could do. There was nothing, really NOTHING, that the Red Rocks could do.

Andrew straightened himself. He felt numb after having swallowed too many painkillers.

“We have to put an end to this.”

“How? We are totally outclassed.”

“Yes, but we still oversee the biggest chocolate shipments to London. The Blue Wolves will try to grab the upcoming one. They are not expecting us to fight back after what they did to us.”

“That could mean certain death for our gang.”

“It does not matter. I would rather die than accept defeat.”

He leaned toward Reginald.

“Are you with me?”

The gangster remained silent. Die for chocolate? Did his life really amount to this? Certainly not...but if Andrew was killed, that would leave him as the only boss of the Red Rocks.

“Yes Andrew. 100%. I’m with you.”

Ashley Boolell | www.ashleyboolell.com

The soundtrack for the story: Light My Fire by Shirley Bassey and Ninja Master by Derek Fiechter | Spotify links below.