When Fredo makes the request, Sonny Corleone agrees surprisingly fast and promises to arrange everything by tomorrow.
Another seemingly boring day passes outside.
But for Fredo, the day feels fulfilling.
After all, this progress comes from his own hard work.
The Next Day
Early in the morning, Sonny hands Fredo a key and even sends someone to show him the property.
The place is pretty large, tucked away halfway up a hill in the suburbs.
After confirming everything, Fredo drives over to the training ground where he usually works out and practices shooting.
The moment he gets out of the car, he spots Rocco Lampone already waiting there.
Five men stand beside him.
One glance is enough to tell they’re veterans fresh off the battlefield.
Straight posture.
Clean work clothes designed for mobility.
The kind of men who look ready to start a fight at any second.
Rocco greets him first.
“Boss.”
Fredo nods.
“Just these guys?”
“There are seven more outside New York.
They’ll arrive this afternoon.”
“Alright.” Fredo looks over the group.
“Did you guys eat yet?”
Rocco scratches his head and grins awkwardly.
“Not yet.
We figured we should come see you first.”
After thinking for a second, Fredo pulls five hundred dollars out of his wallet and tosses it over.
“Take the car over there.
Go feed your brothers first, then come back.”
“Understood, Boss.”
Rocco doesn’t waste time.
He immediately gathers everyone into the car and drives off cleanly.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Sweat soaks Fredo’s short hair.
Wearing only a pair of shorts, he hammers the heavy bag with explosive force.
His upper body is bare, muscular like a Greek statue, every strike making the bag swing violently.
“Ha…
ha…”
Finally, Fredo stops and grabs a towel nearby to wipe away the sweat.
Ever since [Physique] reaches Lv2, he can clearly feel changes happening throughout his body.
Strength.
Speed.
Endurance.
Mental clarity.
Everything improves across the board.
Right then, the sound of engines finally echoes from outside.
Rocco and the others are back from breakfast.
“Fredo.”
Rocco leads the group over.
Fredo nods before looking at everyone.
“I’m from the Corleone Family.
Fredo Corleone.
Second son in the family.
You can call me Boss.
Rocco probably already tells you what kind of work this is.
Introduce yourselves first.”
One of the men steps forward.
“Boss, I’m Carson Wells.
WWII veteran.”
Another follows.
“Boss, I’m Anton Zieg.
WWII veteran.”
…
After listening to everyone’s introductions, Fredo frowns slightly.
“Alright.
Let’s warm up first.
Sparring matches.
One by one.”
The men glance at Rocco instinctively.
Rocco immediately says:
“Just listen to the Boss”
Two Hours Later
THUD!
As the last man crashes onto the ground, the five WWII veterans brought by Rocco finally gain an entirely new understanding of their boss.
Among them, only Carson Wells manages to give Fredo a real challenge.
The other four all lose.
Though to be fair, maybe their real skills are with firearms instead of hand-to-hand combat.
Later, after lunch, they move on to shooting practice.
That’s when everyone fully realizes something:
The new boss actually has serious talent.
And in America, especially among soldiers, strength earns respect faster than anything else.
By the end of the session, the group is completely convinced.
Through casual conversation, Fredo also learns more about them.
Carson and Anton mostly take private jobs for cash.
The other three already have families.
They still do occasional side work, but they prefer steady jobs that keep food on the table.
In the afternoon, Rocco heads out again with two cars to pick people up.
Fredo gives him another five hundred dollars to handle meals and expenses.
Later that afternoon, Rocco returns with more men.
“Boss, I’m Paul.
Veteran soldier, formerly stationed in—”
…
After another round of introductions, they repeat the same sparring session as the morning group.
Since Fredo already gets used to the earlier fighting styles, things move much faster this time.
Another two hours pass quickly.
All seven men are dealt with.
The five veterans from the morning are visibly shocked.
Their boss’s stamina is downright monstrous.
The guy fights like he has an unlimited battery.
What they don’t know is that Fredo only starts learning all this recently.
If they know that part too, they’d probably lose their minds completely.
By now, Fredo also confirms something:
Among everyone here, Carson Wells currently has the strongest one-on-one combat ability.
His shooting skills are solid too.
More importantly, the guy always carries a relaxed smile, no matter the situation.
After showering, Fredo changes into a slightly looser suit.
His physique improves so much lately that most of his old clothes barely fit anymore.
He places stacks of cash onto the tables on both sides, then claps his hands.
“Form up!”
Including Rocco, all thirteen soldiers immediately line up into two neat rows.
Straight backs.
Sharp posture.
Fredo calmly lights a cigarette and takes a slow drag before speaking.
“Before coming here, Rocco probably already explains most of it.
But I still need to say this myself.” His gaze sweeps across everyone.
“Working for me means risking your life.
This kind of work can absolutely get you killed.”
He pauses briefly.
“But if you die working for me, your family won’t be treated unfairly.”
Then his expression hardens.
“I’ll make this clear now.
If anyone wants out, leave now.
I’ll give you two hundred dollars for your trouble.”
Nobody moves.
Fredo flicks the cigarette butt away and speaks coldly.
“This is your last chance to walk away.
Once you work under me, do your job properly.
There’ll be good food, good money, and plenty to enjoy.
But if anyone betrays me…”
His voice turns icy.
“I’ll wipe out their entire family.
Understood?”
“Understood, Boss!” ×13
Seeing their reaction, Fredo nods in satisfaction.
“Good.”
He gestures toward the money on the tables.
“Take eight hundred dollars each.
That’s your salary.
Starting now, your base pay is eight hundred a month.
Extra bonuses depend on the job.”
The moment they hear the number, everyone lights up with excitement.
Back in the army, plenty of men risk their lives for one or two hundred bucks.
Now they’re getting eight hundred up front.
That kind of money is incredible.
“Thank you, Boss!”
Fredo waves a hand toward Rocco.
“Rocco, hand the money out.”
“Got it, Boss.”
Rocco immediately starts distributing the cash.
After everyone receives theirs, Rocco puts the remaining money back onto the table.
Seeing that, Fredo raises an eyebrow.
“Rocco, take eight hundred for yourself too.”
Rocco freezes.
“Thank you, Boss!”
He honestly doesn’t expect that at all.
Over the past two days, Fredo already lets him keep leftover hospitality money after taking the guys out for meals.
Adding everything together, he’s already making over two thousand dollars.
At that moment, Carson hesitates briefly before stepping forward.
“Boss…
are we still recruiting?”
Fredo nods.
“Yeah.
Why?”
“You still got brothers looking for work?”
Carson thinks for a moment before answering.
“Not exactly.
I meet an old-timer during some private jobs before.
Real professional.
Tough as hell.
He’s probably short on money too.”
“Then ask him.” Fredo shrugs casually.
“I still need people.
The current target is around thirty men, and we’re not there yet.
If you know anyone looking for work, bring them over.”
As soon as he says that, the men immediately start whispering among themselves.
Not long after, Fredo tells everyone to pack up and get in the cars.
Since the training ground belongs to Peter Clemenza, Fredo decides to settle the men into the suburban property first.
Three cars fill up quickly and head toward the suburbs.
Still need to figure out transportation too…
These current cars aren’t enough.
Need bigger vehicles.
After arriving at the suburban safehouse, Fredo leaves Rocco behind to settle everyone in while he himself heads off to find Clemenza.
After all, he still needs to talk about Rocco’s situation.
Since Rocco already chooses to follow him, Fredo plans to officially take him under his wing.
Because in The Godfather Part II, Rocco eventually becomes one of the Corleone Family’s top enforcers anyway.