This is the fifteenth chapter of the Banana Fish manga.
Summary[]
Bitter reunions take place and the lives of Shorter and Eiji are at risk.
Plot[]
Eiji continues to call after Shorter but is held back as Dino states he has plans for the Japanese man.
On a plane, Max, Ash, and Ibe are told they are about half an hour away from Manhattan.
At the Corsican manor, Dino notices Arthur's mood and questions what's wrong. Although he doesn't mean to disrespect the mob boss, Arthur states that there is something about Yut-Lung that he does not like and feels the Chinese are using him as a sort of "poisoned bait". He tries to persuade Dino to just stick to Eiji but the older man quickly silences Arthur and warns him that the only thing he should be concerned with is the territory he was given.
Arthur informs Dino that he has all of the gangs under control with Ash's gang the only one fighting back with the assumption being that they will not follow anyone but Ash. He recalls how he had control of the gang before Ash had taken over but Dino adds that he had helped Arthur gain control but Ash had done everything on his own. Arthur suspects that Dino still has a soft spot for Ash. Dino doesn't deny the suggestion but claims that he had raised Ash since finding him when he was a child. With all of the time and resources he had invested into Ash, Dino reserves the right to be the one to end his life. Their conversation is interrupted when one of Dino's men announces that everything is in place. Dino accepts the news and decides it's time to greet their guests and invites Arthur to join.
In a lab, Shorter is strapped to a chair and recognizes Abraham Dawson as the one who shot Griffin. Abraham immediately claims he was not at fault for what happened to Griffin and hadn't thought he was still alive. Shorter asks why Abraham doesn't mention this to Ash and warns the young gang leader will be arriving soon with an additional warning that Ash will hunt Abraham down like an animal and end his life for what happened to Griffin.
Abraham attempts to put on a brave face as he claims he will kill Ash before the teen had the chance to do anything. His ranting is stopped by Dino who orders Abraham to focus on getting things ready to start when everyone has arrived. Abraham assures Dino that he will have everything ready and that he doesn't need his brother's help. Shorter suspects they are talking about Banana Fish and goes on high alert when Abraham states the young Chinese man is going to be given a dose of Banana Fish and be made to think Eiji is an enemy he wants to kill.
Although Shorter tries to fight back, he is unable to escape and Abraham injects him with Banana Fish. Over a few minutes, Shorter's vitals and mental state start to change and alert the doctor's the drug is working. When Abraham suspects that the hallucinations are starting, he tells Dino that this is the time to start tampering with Shorter's subconscious. Abraham shoves Eiji into Shorter's view and proceeds to tell him that Eiji is his greatest enemy and the only way to relieve his pain is to kill him. Arthur is in shock at what is taking place and that Dino plans to make Ash watch Shorter kill Eiji.
At an airport, Ibe is surprised to see the Lee family own their own airport which indicates the power the Lee family has. When a car pulls up, Ash recognizes it as belonging to Dino until one of the Chinese men corrects him by saying the car belongs to the teen himself as it was a birthday present from Dino when he was sixteen although Ash never accepted it.
At the manor in Dino's room, Dino gets a call that informs him of Ash's arrival. Yut-Lung remarks how this came at a bad time as they were about to have their way with Eiji. Dino invites Yut-Lung to join the dinner. His invitation is accepted and Yut-Lung remarks how he can't wait to see Ash again.
When Dino leaves, Yut-Lung questions what Eiji is thinking of. Eiji questions how Yut-Lung does not find all of this to be wrong. He hears Yut-Lung claim that Ash had gone through similar situations until Dino made Ash his exclusive "toy". Yut-Lung warns Eiji not to look on the better side of things as Ash did anything he had to in order to survive which was one of the reasons that Dino tried to groom him into his heir. The Chinese man then remarks how Eiji appears to have had a blessed and sheltered life which may be one of the reasons Yut-Lung is so irritated by him. He then tells Eiji that he cannot turn a blind eye to the world that Ash is part of.
Elsewhere in the manor, Ash is slightly surprised at being told he needs to freshen up as Dino is expecting him for dinner and has even brought in the city's best hair stylist and dresser. Later, most of the men are sitting at the dinner table dressed in fine tuxedos. Max and Ibe are uncomfortable at having to wear the suits but Max tries to figure out how he can possibly get ahold of Jenkins to alert him of where they are.
Ash finally arrives and his beautiful appearance leaves everyone speechless. Dino gives the order to start dinner. After Ash correctly guesses the wine that's served, Dino asks Ash if he enjoys his new gift. Ash answers that he did not enjoy getting a sudden ear piercing and isn't at all impressed with the jade jewel matching his eyes or costing three hundred thousand dollars.
Dino goes on to say how certain rankings at his clubs are based depending on the shades of hair on blondes and their overall appearance but adds how Ash was his greatest prize with the highest price tag. Ash interrupts by questioning where Eiji and Shorter are and appears tense when Dino states that they weren't invited but are somewhere safe. Arthur mocks Ash for worry about others and says he should be worried about himself at the moment, something that Ash says Arthur should do.
Dino ends their bickering and returns his attention to Ash. He speaks of how he gave and taught Ash the very best of everything but never thought that Ash would turn on him. Regardless, he still loves how Ash was the most beautiful and dangerous of all those he's owned before. Deciding to get to business, several armed men surround Ash and they are prepared to head to the next part of Dino's plan.
In the city, the members of Ash's gang suddenly find themselves face to face with the second-in-command of Shorter's gang, Sing Soo-Ling. Kong and Bones are amused that someone so young is the new leader of the Chinatown gang but are silenced when Sing points out how people had judged Ash the same way. Alex questions why Sing is in charge and learns those above them didn't like it when Shorter had started with Ash and decided to remove him from his leadership status.
Sing steers the conversation away from the change in power to ask the gang why they are not working for Arthur since he now has control of the area. Alex explains they would follow Arthur if he managed to beat Ash face-to-face but, since that is not the case, they refuse to follow Arthur since he was handed control instead of earning it.
Sing then informs them that he has news of Ash being back in town but is being held captive at Dino's mansion in North Caldwell. He then surprises the gang by stating that the Chinatown gang will offer support to them if they want to rescue Ash. Alex questions why the Chinatown gang is offering so much help to them and learn that the superiors of the Chinatown gang made a business deal with Dino and they find this to be a treacherous act. On top of that, Sing states that the gang has their own rules and still consider Shorter their leader. Alex finds this admirable and accepts the help.
The next day at Dino's compound, Yut-Lung easily picks the lock on his bedroom door and begins exploring. He notices a group of men heading down the hall and recognizes several men in the group. In another room, Ash is shackled in place with Max and Ibe chained to a metal beam. Arthur taunts Ash for continuing to appear tough but feels that he will not last long in the execution chamber. Hoping to prove his point, Arthur uses his knife to snap off his bow tie but is frustrated that Ash barely flinches when Arthur cuts his neck.
Dino enters with a small group with him. The Dawson brother's spot one another with Abraham mocking Alexis with their current positions and how he's figured out the formula for Banana Fish and has found a way to make it work perfectly. Alexis is shocked to hear this and tries to get his brother to see how dangerous it is to use Banana Fish for the mafia, but his plea falls on deaf ears.
Dino warns Abraham that he will not accept failure. Abraham assures the mob boss that the test will prove Banana Fish is ready but then is startled when he sees Ash and mistakes him for Griffin. Ash figures out that he was the one who poisoned the soldiers during the war. Abraham tries to defend himself by claiming the soldiers did nothing but mock him and his religion both behind his back and directly to his face. Giving them the unfinished version of Banana Fish was the only way he could get revenge. However, he admits that Griffin was the only one who didn't mock him but Abraham had no choice but to give him Banana Fish when Griffin discovered what he was doing. Ash uses Abraham's words of "no choice" on him when he promises to get revenge on the doctor for what he did to Griffin. Even though Abraham is rattled by the threat, he claims that Ash will not be given the chance to carry it out.
At that moment, Shorter is brought into the room. Shorter is able to approach Ash and apologize for what's happened. Ash assures his friend that he is not at fault for anything. Unaware Yut-Lung is watching from the hallway, Shorter mutters how he is aware that things are over for him. Before he can explain further, Eiji is brought in.
While Ash and Ibe are relieved to see he is fine, Shorter starts to act out at seeing him.
Characters[]
- Eiji Okumura
- Frederick Arthur
- Yut-Lung
- Dino Golzine
- Max Lobo
- Ash Lynx
- Shunichi Ibe
- Frederick Arthur
- Dino Golzine
- Abraham Dawson
- Alex
- Bones
- Kong
- Sing Soo-Ling
- Lao Yen Tai (Unnamed cameo)
- Alexis Dawson
Errors[]
- When Alex senses Sing approaching, he has three markings on his right cheek. For the rest of the chapter, the markings are on his left cheek.
Trivia[]
- According to Abraham, the effects of Banana Fish take place within 5-10 minutes of injection. If taken orally, it could take up to 20 minutes.
- Dino's mansion is located in North Caldwell.