- Not to be confused with Ronny CK.
Ronald (ロナルド Ronarudo), also known as Ronnie the Jaws (ロニー・ザ・ジョーズ Ronī za jōzu), is Verrocchio's replacement as the boss of Cosa Nostra's Thai branch after Verrocchio's murder at the hands of the twins Hänsel and Gretel. Ronnie wears braces, hence his nickname.
Appearance[]
Ronnie is a young Sicilian man with dental braces, a skinny build, short blond hair slicked back, and pale skin. Although seen wearing a yellow suit in the anime, he is fond of wearing striped suits in the manga. He carries a Beretta 8045 pistol for a weapon, though he has not been seen firing the gun.
Personality[]
He has a cooler head than the last boss Verrocchio, but he is still plenty arrogant and foolish, on one occasion bragging that he owns a $300,000 chair.[1] Like other mafia bosses, Ronnie has a predilection for torture, with a monkey wrench being one of his favorite tools.[2] He has even threatened to torture or kill his own subordinates if they do not carry out his orders correctly, primarily due to pressure from his boss Don Monteverdi in Palermo.[3][4] Despite his brutality and rudeness towards both outsiders and his own associates, Feng Yifei describes him as surprisingly understanding and genuinely enjoys working for him.[5]
Balalaika and Mister Chang seem to dislike him and his immature way of handling serious business. He does not hold much respect for Abrego either and treats him rudely despite being the newest amongst members of those holding the most power in Roanapur. Revy says that his group is almost as vicious as Hotel Moscow,[3] and he has slowly built an alliance with the Albanian Mafia.[6]
History[]
El Baile de la muerte / Roberta's Blood Trail[]
Due to Roberta's return to Roanapur, Mister Chang of the Hong Kong Triad hosted a Council summit at The Golden Swingin Night Club and invited the heads of each mafia to discuss what to do. Ronnie attended with his friend Tommaso and said that they should have hosted a party for Roberta and the U.S. Army soldiers, but Chang and Balalaika rejected his joking proposal. When Tommaso got angry at Balalaika insulting Ronnie, Ronnie told Tommaso to calm down. Balalaika was concerned and opposed the U.S. Army's presence due to their potential to crush Roanapur's drug trade, proclaiming that she could decimate the U.S. soldiers. Thinking that she was out of her mind, Ronnie advised against it since the U.S. government would be after them instead. Their arguing was interrupted by Chang warning everyone not to make a move until they could deduce the U.S. Army's motive for being in Roanapur. Remaining silent, he listened to the Triad boss conclude that they needed to avoid stabbing each other in the back lest they destroy the crime syndicates and Roanapur itself[7] In the anime only, Ronnie was seen standing on a sidewalk with two prostitutes around him while Tommaso and other Italians stood by.[8] In the end, Cosa Nostra stayed neutral and let the other crime lords force Roberta and Grey Fox out of Roanapur.
The Wired Red Wild Card[]
When a group of Australian outsiders arrived in Roanapur and attempt to start a prostitution ring in the Italians' turf, Ronnie ordered his members to rough up the newcomer Australians and later the same night killed the Australians, hiding their bodies in a motel that rotted for 2 weeks until those in the motel saw maggots emerge from the area when the smell was initially thought to be feces. After Revy relayed this story to Rock and Dutch, Dutch reminded them that they had a shipment for Ronnie, and so Revy and Rock left to deliver it.
Despite Ronnie being busy, Revy and Rock emerged into his office at Visconti Foods unannounced, angering him. Although Emilio clarified that he tried to bar them from entering, Ronnie sternly reminded him that he was on a phone call with his boss Palermo while Luciano was still in the backroom speaking with the Albanians. When he showed no concern about the shipment, Revy jokingly threatened to give it to someone else, prompting a frustrated Ronnie to threaten her in turn. While doing so, two Albanians, Mustafa and Çubronik, exited from the back room arguing with Luciano about recovering the "Ali Dragua" (gold ingots). As Revy laughed at Ronnie for having loud subordinates, he became even more irked when a minute standoff between her and Çubronik occurred due to the latter thinking that Revy belonged to the Chinese mafia. Promising his boss in Italian that he would call back, Ronnie hung up the phone and threatened to torture them both with dynamite if they did not calm down. After Revy sheathed her pistol and left, Ronnie told Rock to go to the downstairs manager to receive their payment, also threatening him with torture if he discussed what happened in his presence.[3]
Later the coming night, Ronnie was at the docks interrogating Sammy, a British police detective and informant. Specifically, Ronnie was endeavoring to ascertain the location of money on an account managed by Zamid Dhiyab, who died by allegedly accidentally drowning after falling off a cruise ship off the coast of Malta. Ronnie's subordinate Camillo informed him that they had no way to recover the account, so he had Nico submerge Sammy into the water to drown after the interrogation. Declaring that Don Monteverdi was on edge, Ronnie remarked that they needed to solve the situation soon and ordered Camillo to continue his search.[4] When Rock and Feng Yifei gained hold of email exchanges between the PLA and the Sigurimi regarding missing gold,[9] in addition to intel from Eda, Rico and Bao, they found out that in the past six months, the Italians and Albanians had been working together in money laundering via gold ingots using the Bank of Trade and Commerce of Europe (BTCE) under Zamid's laundry account.[10]
Feng knew how to access Zamid's account, so Rock proposed that they use the money from Zamid's account as leverage when talking with the Italians. Revy, Rock and Feng went to Ronnie's office at Visconti Foods, where he initially wanted Narciso and Amadio to torture the information out of them.[2] Rock grabbed Ronnie's attention about bringing the account back online to continue the laundering, offering the account to him in exchange for Feng's safety from the PLA. Although his men expressed outrage at the request, Ronnie slammed his foot onto the table and stated that he did not like being interrupted. He replied to Rock that he wanted more than just the account, so the ex-salaryman added that he could give him an internal document confirming the covert actions between the Albanians and the Chinese. Ronnie agreed and told Feng that any lie she told would result in her death. Grabbing her by her hair, he warned her that she needed to show some respect to the group for their protection, so she agreed. Sufficiently pleased, he proclaimed that she had become the Sicilian Mafia's amica (friend) and was welcome to try Visconti Food Service's delicious food downstairs.[1]
L'homme sombre[]
After Le Majeur and her group killed several Black men associated with the various mafias, Chang hosted another Council meeting and invited Ronnie to attend since a promoter for his fight club was murdered. When Chang mentioned that the group was five women all wearing black suits, Ronnie wondered aloud if the Triad boss was involved due to his penchant for black suits, but Chang reminded him that he lost men too. Still suspicious, Ronnie responded that it was easy to replace lackeys if it meant tipping the scales of power in favor of him, but Balalaika commented that Chang does not operate that way. Ronnie then asked if the people responsible were Gustavo's men since he was not present at the meeting. Chang replied that the Colombian and Nuevo Laredo cartels were busy fighting each other for territory in Mexico as well as the Colombians dealing with the United States' drug war in Latin America, and thus were too busy to be associated with the recent killings.
Next, Chang remarked that the motive of the killings seemed to be about targeting a Black man not associated with the mafias, to which Ronnie replied that there should still be payback since their men got killed. Chang agreed and proposed that they spread rumor about the killings to use as bait to lure the murders out, but Ronnie remarked that he could just send out a hit-squad to make revenge quick. Although possible, Chang disagreed since sending out their goons would scare away tourists from the red-light districts, which would greatly decrease money being made for the mafias. Finishing the meeting, he told Ronnie to be patient and wait for the foreign group's presence.[11] Feng continued to work under Ronnie, admitting Rock that he was actually quite an organized and understanding boss.[5]
Later after Le Majeur's group was killed, the Frenchwoman was brought to another Council meeting hosted by Chang with a bag over her head. When the bag was lifted to reveal her face, Ronnie asked if it was a joke since he perceived her as an ordinary woman. Chang stated that although the foreign French group had been dealt with, they still needed to figure out what to do with Majeur. Ronnie suggested that they just kill her since it would be quick and she did cause them trouble, but Rock interrupted by defending Majeur as a potentially important asset. Chang told Balalaika that she would decide Majeur's fate since most of the men killed by Les Cinq Doigts belonged to Hotel Moscow, and Balalaika elaborated that she agreed with Ronnie's reasoning for executing Majeur. When Balalaika allowed Majeur to be a lapdog of Hotel Moscow, Ronnie voiced his skepticism since she sold out her fellow Frenchwomen, meaning that she might sellout the mafia in the future. Revy vouched for Majeur and even agreed to take her in with the Lagoon Company, which Balalaika allowed to Ronnie's dismay.[12]
Where the Chips Fall[]
When Balalaika opened a luxurious new casino on Yatchalaya Street, she sent an invitation to Ronnie, who declined to attend the opening night event. In contrast, his captains and lieutenants went to the vibrant unveiling. According to Mister Chang, Ronnie was not the social type and did not like attending fancy parties.[13]
El réquiem de los Desalmados[]
When Chang hosted a meeting to discuss the appointment of the Nuevo Laredo Cartel to the Council, Ronnie attended the meeting and listened to Fernando Lobos express his gratitude for being invited. Soon, Lobos's associate Gris el Tigris arrived and rhetorically asked if Balalaika was indeed the woman he was looking for. Sneering at him, Ronnie sternly asked what other woman he could possibly be talking about. The Italian leader then witnessed the meeting become more tense when Gris affirmed his intentions to crush Hotel Moscow despite his respect for them.[14] Irked, Ronnie rhetorically asked him to repeat what he just said. Restating that Hotel Moscow's willingness to talk was not enough to settle their feud, Gris emphasized that he would not budge on forgiving what Hotel Moscow and the Guadalajara Cartel did to his syndicate in Cananea. Surprised that he was adamant to kill Balalaika's associate Vasily Krivchenko, Ronnie retorted that he had some nerve to pick a fight with them, joking that not even God could help him.
The Mexican insulted him as a "dago," to which the Italian said that such an insult did not offend him, calling Gris a "spic" in turn. As the bosses argued about the point of continuing the bloodshed, Rock was permitted by Mister Chang to speak up about his idea for a compromise. Hearing his proposition that in exchange for sparing Krivchenko's life, Hotel Moscow would give up its portion of territory to the Nuevo Laredo Cartel which they took from the Colombian Cartel, Ronnie expressed his support of the move. However, Balalaika refused to accept the plan, and Gris asserted his desire to kill Krivchenko. Feeling tense, Ronnie warned him that he could not do as he pleased in Roanapur, but Gris stated that their statuses of power did not concern him. After Gris left and proclaimed that he would fight any mafia who got in his way, Ronnie exited the nightclub and called his men at Visconti Foods to order them to tighten security in preparation for a potential gang war.[15]
Trivia[]
- In a popularity contest during the 10th manga collection release, Ronnie ranked 35th with 15 votes.[16]
- In a popularity contest during the 12th manga collection release, Ronnie ranked 30th with 68 votes.[17]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 99: The Wired Red Wild Card Part 23
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chapter 98: The Wired Red Wild Card Part 22
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter 79: The Wired Red Wild Card Part 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 86: The Wired Red Wild Card Part 10
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chapter 108: L'homme sombre Part 7
- ↑ Chapter 92: The Wired Red Wild Card Part 16
- ↑ Chapter 53: El Baile de la muerte Part 10
- ↑ Episode 26: An Office Man's Tactics
- ↑ Chapter 91: The Wired Red Wild Card Part 15
- ↑ Chapter 93: The Wired Red Wild Card Part 17
- ↑ Chapter 103: L'homme sombre Part 2
- ↑ Chapter 113: L'homme sombre Part 12
- ↑ Chapter 116: Where the Chips Fall
- ↑ Chapter 117: El réquiem de los Desalmados Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 118: El réquiem de los Desalmados Part 2
- ↑ http://sundaygx.info/blacklagoon_contest/
- ↑ http://sundaygx.info/blacklagoon_contest_12/