First Story:
Leaning on the wall of an Italian restaurant a man is reading a newspaper with a headline about the mob war currently being waged in New York.
Inside the restaurant some mobsters are having a discussion about baseball. One is sitting alone. Four are playing cards at the next table. Two more, including an old man are having lunch in the next table. The last table next to the wall is empty. The youngest of the mobsters says Jason Giambi is going to be the best first baseman the Yankees ever had. One of the mobsters says that while Giambi is good, Lou “Iron Horse” Gehrig is the best of all time. Another mobster suggests that he shouldn’t talk about baseball, but things he knows: nothing. The young man’s uncle, who sitting on the table behind them, interrupts the conversation. He argues that his nephew likes Giambi only because he’s Italian and nobody who actually saw Gehrig play would say that. The young mobsters makes a sarcastic remark at how “back then” everything was better, the skies were bluer and five cents got you three hot dogs and a hooker. Dismissing the last remark, the old man once again insists that nobody who ever saw the man play, up close and not on Sportscenter, would ever doubt he was the best first baseman ever.
Suddenly the first mobster notices Logan sitting with a coffee cup on the previously empty table. Angry, he asks how he managed to get in and if anybody saw him come in. Logan doesn’t say anything and raises his cup. The mobster tells him that it’s a private club and he can’t come in unless he’s invited. He grabs Logan by the collar and by the hand, knocking the coffee mug from his hand. Logan pops one of his claws through the mobster’s hand and tells him that he “was drinkin’ that.”
Outside, shooting and the sound broken glass are heard. The man reading the paper is startled and looks at the window. He is wearing a skull symbol on his shirt. The man is Frank Castle a.k.a. the Punisher. As a thug comes flying out the window, Castle gathers himself and leaves, while mumbling to himself how he hates half days.
Inside Logan is butchering the mobsters. He makes quick work of all them, save for the old man still sitting at his table. The old man begs for his life. Logan begins to talk about baseball: “Nineteen-thirty-nine the house that Ruth built”. The old man continues to plea. Logan stretches his hand towards him, telling him that the speech Gehrig gave even made him choke, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Instead of hurting the old mobster, Logan takes his coffee and drinks it. He says that Lou Gehrig is the best first baseman who ever lived, and anyone who actually saw him play would agree. He turns around and leaves.
Outside, he’s is being watched through a pair of binoculars by Johnny and Tony, sitting in a car. Johnny mumbles that although this is the fourth of the Roman’s crew to be killed by Logan this week, he doesn’t like the situation. Tony is surprised, although he doesn’t believe Logan and him will ever be paisans, who can argue against the results he has produced. They have gone from losing the mob war, to being on the brink of winning it. Johnny isn’t worried about the ends, it’s the means that worry him. He compares Logan to a gun that has only to be pointed at the enemy in order to make him disappear. So he asks Tony, what happens if one day Logan breaks the deal he made with their dim-witted Don, what happens if the gun is pointed at them?
Somewhere else in the city, two police officers are tailing a guy in an outfit resembling what people wore in ancient Rome. It’s the Don of the rival mob family: the Roman. They film him as he approaches a fruit stand. The officer with the camera bets ten bucks with the other one that the guy will knock the stand over. The man, wearing a laurel crown and wielding a wooden sword, knocks only the fruit down and then runs away. The officers follow him discretely in their car. One officer asks the other one if maybe the guy isn’t just putting on a show for them and is actually crazy. The other officer answers that therein lies the genius of the situation. Anybody would assume the Roman to be crazy just for putting on the same act everyday.
As he reaches what appears to be a broken down apartment, the Roman walks in, takes a last peak at the officers through the window and goes inside to change. He puts on a white business suit and calls his Siamese cat Cleopatra. He walks down a corridor, decorated with Roman columns and statues, towards his office. As he is adjusting his tie, Bruno comes running into the office. He tells the Roman, that they’ve been hit once more. This time the same stranger with the claws killed Tony and his gang.
The Roman cuts Bruno short and asks him what the rules are. Bruno is taken aback for second. The Roman wants to know what the rules are about talking business in his house. Bruno answers that he knows the rules, but considering the circumstances he thought it was appropriate. The Romans says that because of the circumstances, they must be even stricter with the rules, since they don’t know who is listening. He asks how many times he has reminded him of this. Bruno asks if it’s the third. The Roman answers affirmatively and he pushes a button concealed in the lion statue on his desk. Bruno tries to stop him but is too late as a trap door opens under him. He manages to grab hold of the ledge and asks the Roman for forgiveness. The Roman remarks that he shouldn’t make things more difficult for himself since “Nero and the boys” get especially vicious when their lunch is too noisy. He peers down at Bruno and sees the three angry lions at the bottom surrounded by human bones. He tells Cleopatra to give her “cousins” a hand. Cleopatra jumps from his lap and scratches Bruno’s hand, making him fall into the lion’s pit.
Later, The Roman and one of his men, Vincente, are walking in a park discussing the latest events. The Roman is once again dressed like an ancient Roman. He asks Vincente if they still don’t know were the new guy came from. Vincente says they don’t know, but word on the street is that he isn’t part of Freddo’s crew, he’s a freelance. The Roman thinks that he is quite a freelance, since he is single handedly taking down his entire organization. Suddenly the Roman sees the undercover police van. He mumbles that he never has a moment’s peace and excuses himself to Vincente. Pulling out his wooden sword he charges towards a hot dog stand Cursing in old English, he trashes the stand with his sword. Leaving a confused and frightened vendor behind, the Roman turns his attention back to Vincente. He mentions that they must learn from their roman ancestors. They were never shy about “borrowing” a better idea from the Greeks or the Egyptians or whomever they conquered; therefore they must hire a “champion” of their own. Vincente says he’ll make the necessary inquiries. The Roman says there is no need, he has already chosen the Sweeper. Vincente asks who that is. The Roman replies that he is man the man cleaners call when they need cleaning. Usually there is barely anything left and whatever is left is sent as proof that the job is done.
As the Roman is telling Vincente about the Sweeper, four men are in a Chinese building. One is sitting down and examining the contents of a small bag. The other three are standing behind him. The bag contains diamonds. As the first guy uses a lens to examine the biggest diamond, the three guys behind him are picked up one by one. The first guy notices a shadow above him. Stunned, he drops the diamond and a very big gun is pointed at his face. The sweeper fires and then drenches the bodies in gasoline. He leaves the building with fire and smoke coming out from the second floor. Later the Kingpin receives a cooking pot, inside is the diamond with a note that reads: ”All clean. The Sweeper”
At the house of the Pazzo family, Freddo welcomes Logan with open arms. Logan walks by him and says that he hopes for his sake that he wasn’t going to give him a hug. Freddo says he’ll let that slide since he is helping them get rid of a long-standing problem. Johnny remarks that he doesn’t believe they ever needed him. “So says my other long-standing problem” replies Freddo. Johnny is insulted and wants to know what Freddo meant. The later answers that Logan has accomplished in one week what Johnny couldn’t in years. It means that with Logan by his side, he can become the top mob boss; therefore he wants to make Logan’s deal a permanent one.
Johnny and Tony object, but are cut short by Logan. He says Freddo has seen to many movies if he believes he can make him an offer he can’t refuse. Freddo thinks differently, he believes Logan is no different that anybody else and he must have a price. Logan says that he has no price; he’ll pay his friends debt and the deal ends. Freddo holds up a newspaper with a headline regarding a star witness in Freddo’s trial. He asks Logan if there is anyway he can convince him to help out with his new problem. Logan slashes the paper and reminds Freddo that he isn’t “anybody else”. As Logan leaves Johnny and Tony try to dissuade Freddo. Freddo tells them to shut up before he tells Logan to kill them as well. Johnny is taken aback, while Tony is angry. Freddo thinks that Logan has price, it’s just a matter of finding out what that is.
Meanwhile Logan is leaving the premises. He drops the toothpick he’s been carrying since he came in. As he walks away, a gloved hand picks up the toothpick. With a grin on his face, the Sweeper puts the toothpick in his mouth.
Second Story:
(4 a.m.)
In Kobe, Japan, Wolverine is in a motorcycle chase after two thugs. He is carrying two katana swords on his back. Accelerating to 160 kph Logan catches up to the first bike in a tunnel and slashes it’s wheels with his claws. He shouts to the second biker to tell him where she is. He overtakes the biker and pops his claws. The scared biker breaks violently and falls of the bike on his face. Logan puts his foot on the thug’s hand and asks where Deathstrike is. He answers that he doesn’t know. Wolverine crushes the man’s hand. The thug screams in pain and tells him that Deathstrike in the U.S.A. cantina, owned by Nicopetti.
In his office, Nicopetti is offering Lady Deathstrike some money and a fake passport in order to help her escape from Logan. Deathstrike asks him how he can turn his back on her after completing every assignment he has ever given her. Nicopetti tells her she has been like a daughter to him and his most deadly weapon as Lady Deathstrike, as the trophies in his room can attest. The walls of the office have holding tanks filled with green bubbling liquid, inside each tank stands a fully dressed corpse with claw marks on their faces. Nicopetti goes on to tell her that when he came over from the war, he lived by one rule: choose your enemies wisely.
Yuriko tells him that he is the most powerful Oyuban in all of Japan together they can kill Wolverine. Nicopetti answers that he does not want to kill his men or himself to satisfy her pathological obsession with Logan.
He offers her the money again and asks what she was thinking when she went after Logan’s family; others had done the same and ended up like the corpses in the office. Nicopetti doesn’t understand Yuriko since she changed her body, forfeited her humanity in order to become just like Logan. Deathstrike explains that she altered her body so that she would be able to kill Wolverine, because he killed her father. Slashing the money she calls Nicopetti a coward. Nicopetti replies that everyone he knows has a reason for wanting Wolverine dead, but the fact remains that he can’t be killed. He turns his chair around and tells Yuriko that he must turn his back on her. She tells him he’ll be sorry. Nicopetti says that he knows what she is thinking and that she’d make sure she kills him, because she knows how he deals with his enemies.
Outside Wolverine has just arrived. Two bouncers approach him telling him that he can’t come in with the katanas. Popping out his claws he asks if he can in with those. Suddenly Nicopetti’s voice is heard. Turning around the bouncers and Wolverine witness as Nicopetti is thrown from the second story with a slash mark on his face. Landing on his back, Nicopetti points towards the window and utters that he wants her dead. Logan tells him to get in line. Nicopetti tries to tell Wolverine that he is innocent, but is cut-off by Logan who tells him Deathstrike is the only one dying today. Yuriko jumps from the window saying that her death will not come at Wolverine’s hands. Wolverine jumps on his bike and begins to chase her. Nicopetti orders his men to follow them; he wants whatever Logan shreds of carcass Logan leaves behind.
Several miles away a few people are playing golf at a 24 hours sports center. Suddenly Yuriko bursts in. She jumps onto the green, but Logan jumps after her, motorcycle an all. Wolverine manages to catch her mid-air and makes her land on her face. He screams that she begged for this and that he should kill her for going after his family. He sheaths his claws and throws her one of the katanas. He tells her he is going to kill her, but they are going to end this like true warriors, like samurais not like animals. Yuriko asks if they will have a fair fight with no claws. Logan gives her his word.
Both fighters lounge at each other and manage to slash the side of their opponent. Logan has made a bigger wound and Deathstrike falls on her knees. Wolverine tells her it’s over and offers her his hand. Yuriko doesn’t want to hear it and plunges her sword into his stomach; she then stabs his heart with her claws. Pulling out the sword and claws, Logan falls to the ground. She tells Logan that Adamantium is the only thing preventing her from tearing him apart. She adds that Logan is nothing without his claws and puts the tip of the sword next to his throat. Logan tells her to shut up and do it.
Se hesitates and Wolverine begins to taunt her. He asks her if she can’t do it, if she is afraid of killing the only person that means something to her, if she can’t picture a life without a purpose. Yuriko is silent for a moment and then screams at Logan to be quiet. She raises her sword and Wolverine tells her to kill him. Yuriko lowers the katana, bows her head and whispers that she cannot do it. Wolverine punches her away and begins to slash at her with the katana. He cuts of part her fingers and shouts that she will never be ale to kill him. Logan, in full berserker mode, raises the katana to kill her. Yuriko yells at him to do it, to end it once and for all. Wolverine throws away the sword. He tells her he won’t kill her, she needs help and if she wants to die, somebody else will have to do it, because the blood feud is over. She has lost.
As he walks away, Nicopetti arrives with three of his henchmen. He tells Wolverine that he doesn’t have a monopoly on revenge. Logan doesn’t care. The henchmen wielding guns charge after Yuriko who is picked up the katana and is awaiting them. As Logan walks away, he tells Nicopetti that:”...it’s your funeral.”
