
Firo Prochainezo (フィーロ・プロシェンツォ Fīro Puroshentso) is the youngest executive of Manhattan's Martillo Family Camorra. He became a complete immortal in November 1930 after accidentally drinking Szilard Quates' immortality elixir at a party celebrating his own promotion.
In 1933, Firo is one of the people involved in the incident at the Mist Wall's Babel Restaurant.
He is incarcerated in Alcatraz in 1934 by Victor Talbot in order to investigate fellow inmate Huey Laforet. While there, he runs into Isaac Dian, meets Ladd Russo, and has his eye plucked out by Hilton.
Hilton returns Firo's eye in January 1935. One month later, Firo attends the Runorata Family's party at Ra's Lance as a gambler, intending to confront Melvi Dormentaire.
In the 1970s, Firo temporarily takes over from Maiza Avaro as the Martillo Family's contaiuolo after Maiza leaves with Czeslaw Meyer in search of the surviving immortals from the Advena Avis.
He marries Ennis in the early 1980s and the two honeymoon aboard the yacht ship Entrance in 2002, with Czes tagging along. There, they are caught up in the seajacking plots of SAMPLE and the Mask Makers.
Appearance[]
Firo is a boyish young man with brown hair and brown eyes (sometimes depicted as red), and commonly wears a pearl-green suit and matching fedora in the 1930s. He is highly self-conscious about his youthful, "baby-face" appearance. By 2002, he has begun wearing glasses in an attempt to appear older and more mature as befitting his role as contaiuolo.
Personality[]
For a member of the Camorra, Firo can be a surprisingly friendly, humorous and compassionate person. According to the Gandor brothers, Firo is brash and naive, and in a way someone who fits in with being a Camorrista but is unsuited towards being a criminal. He is not afraid to confront people, nor is he worried about the impression he leaves since he is simply being himself. Anyone who knows anything of the Martillos knows well not to bother Firo, or they will find out just how much trouble they have gotten themselves into.
Firo considers himself neither a 'do-gooder' nor a 'fiend', but someone who falls somewhere in the middle. Occasionally he performs good deeds, such as rushing to a fire or donating money, but he is still ruthless and can be vengeful to an extent. Not only did Firo assume Barnes would act ungrateful after he rescued him from Dallas Genoard, he switched the immortality elixir Barnes was carrying with regular alcohol. More often than not Firo is blunt, commonly exasperated by those he finds oddballs, and can be negative to the point of being shockingly cruel. Violence comes easy to him, in short and highly brutal spurts. His short temper and other negative qualities are especially apparent in 1930, though he mellows over the course of the next four years and even more so over the next many decades.
On the other hand, his waspishness tends to be directed toward those acting hostile, provocative, or who have otherwise irritated him. In fact, Firo is unexpectedly good with people and is naturally social; he attracts friends easily, even those whose friendship he may not necessarily desire. As Ennis observes in 2002, "Firo was really very good at getting people to do what he wanted without telling them the important things. Actually, to be precise, he was good at making them want to help him." In turn, he will readily offer help to those he feels should have it. Firo is moreover absolutely loyal to the Martillos and cares deeply about those close to him, willing to endure Alcatraz for their sake. His instinct is to rush to the aid or rescue of a family member in peril, no matter the cost to himself.
Firo does not actively look for trouble himself. However, he does have a tendency to meddle: If something is going on and he happens to be around, more often than not he will either investigate or forcibly involve himself in the situation. Even before becoming immortal, Firo was never afraid to take risks. He did not hesitate to join the Camorra, and he had never been one to back out on anything. His slightly reckless tendencies and his near suicidal loyalty to the Martillos have led him to say that he does not care what happens to him; however, as observed by Ladd Russo, he does fear death and does not consider himself invincible.
Notably, Firo has some deep-seated issues with femininity that stem from a childhood incident wherein he was mistaken for a girl and nearly molested. He generally avoids what he perceives to be 'feminine' and has a complex about being called 'girly' and even mistaken for a woman, suggesting that feminine traits carry some stigma for him. This does not mean he dislikes women—on the contrary, he views and treats women with chivalrous intentions: he will not hit a woman and considers any man who lays a hand on a woman as 'scum'. In addition, he is incredibly shy when it comes to romance and refrains from taking the initiative even when his feelings are obvious. All of these traits can be traced back to the aforementioned incident, making it one of the most formative events of his childhood.
He furthermore nurses insecurities about his youthful "baby-face" appearance and position in life compared to the people around him, many of whom are exceedingly talented. He will habitually compare himself to Claire Stanfield (often in terms of confidence and abilities) and to the Gandor brothers (particularly Luck Gandor in terms of maturity), believing from childhood that they were surpassing him. Having idolized movie-depictions of Italian gangsters from a young age, Firo has always been in a hurry to 'grow up' and be entrusted with mature responsibilities, hence his annoyance when he is commonly dismissed as a 'kid'. He has a clear idea of what he should be as a man and Camorra executive and thus attempts to "act cool" even though he will frequently act based on emotion. As someone with little schooling, he considers himself neither book-smart nor possessing high intelligence.
Devouring Szilard Quates takes its toll on Firo, who grows increasingly worried that Szilard's memories will warp his personality and identity—that one day he will become as sadistic as the old man. This fear leads him to deliberately act cruel to Isaac and Miria in 1933, after which he is relieved to conclude he took no joy in the act.