Nice Holystone (ニース・ホーリーストーン Nīsu Hōrisutōn) is a bomb enthusiast and the girlfriend of Jacuzzi Splot who co-leads his gang.
Appearance[]
Nice's skin is marred by scars (on the right side of her face and across her arms) thanks to an accident in her youth. She covers her empty right eye socket with an eyepatch, and wears glasses due to the damage incurred to her left eye. She has a brown/amber coloured eye (seen sometimes as green in the anime) and blonde shoulder-length hair, with a fringe covering the left side of her forehead. Her hair appears messy at the ends.
Her attire consists of a black ribbon tied in a bow around her neck, a collared sleeveless red shirt not unlike a vest, black fingerless gloves with red bands underneath and black pants tucked into brown boots. Under her clothing she also hides a number of explosive devices and carries a zippo lighter on her person.
Personality[]
In contrast to her odd and intimidating appearance, Nice is exceedingly polite when she speaks with everyone—except for Jacuzzi, with whom she speaks casually at his request. Her first love has been explosions from a young age and she is always excited at the prospect of experimenting with them or otherwise utilizing them.
She is crafty and plans ahead, going so far as to hide a cherry bomb in her empty eye socket in case of emergencies. Nice only truly lets loose when she is not accompanied by Jacuzzi.
Nice loves Jacuzzi, and is very considerate of his feelings; she exhibits great patience with him in general. Still, romance is not her forte; their first kiss on the Flying Pussyfoot left her flushed and embarrassed. She will take a leadership role when Jacuzzi is emotionally distraught or otherwise incapacitated and has the respect of all the gang members, some even considering her more of a leader than Jacuzzi.
Chronology[]
Pre-1931[]
Nice, a minute before the accident.
In 1926, a young teenaged Nice is experimenting with explosives when she accidentally set off a blast, burning her face and arms. Due to the explosion, her skin is visibly scarred and she loses her right eye completely. Shrapnel penetrates her left eye, leaving it heavily damaged. Even with glasses, her eyesight proves poorly. During her recovery she hides away in her room, afraid that she will never be able to recognize anyone again.
Jacuzzi visits after her accident bearing a new tattoo of a sword encompassing the left side of his face. He tells her that he acquired his tattoo so that she will be able to recognize him no matter what. The two cry together, Nice out of happiness and Jacuzzi out of confusion.
1931[]
In their later teenage years, before the Flying Pussyfoot incident, Jacuzzi and Nice form a bootlegging gang. The Russo Family, angered at their business, kills eight of their friends in December 1931. This action prompts Jacuzzi into a rage, and he takes down eighteen Russo speakeasies in a single day. Wary of possible retaliation, the bootleggers form a plan: they will leave Jacuzzi out on his own while the others hang back, ready to come to his assistance.
The plan works, and three Russo members—led by the capo Sidaris—corner Jacuzzi in an alleyway on the night of December 29, but are preemptively killed by Jacuzzi's gang before they can kill Jacuzzi himself. When Jacuzzi expresses fear that the men will revive as zombies, Nice blows the corpses up and claims that she was just making sure the men were dead. Jacuzzi accuses her of blowing them up just to try out her new prototype and Nice gleefully runs off, still basking in the afterglow of her success.
Nice, along with Jack, Nick, Donny and Jacuzzi, board the Flying Pussyfoot on the evening of December 30, 1931 att Chicago's Union Station with the intention of stealing the train's cargo (which Nice has a personal interest in herself). The cargo consists of a large quantity of bombs smuggled behind a makeshift wall in the cargo hold by Czeslaw Meyer, who plans on selling it to Begg Garrott.
They stay in the third class cabin before she leaves with Jacuzzi to pay a visit to two of their gang members working in the dining car: Jon and Fang employed by the train company as a bartender and assistant chef respectively. In an attempt to make Jacuzzi more sociable, she prompts Jacuzzi to talk to the strange couple sitting at the end of the bar, saying they might be movie stars. Both she and her tattooed boyfriend enjoy the couple's company, amused and bemused at their bizarre antics. She is jealous that they were able to coax Jacuzzi out of his shell, but she is nevertheless quite fond of them.
In the dining car.
Isaac and Miria tell Jacuzzi the story of the Rail Tracer and in a fit of terror, Jacuzzi rushes out of the dining car and towards the conductor's car to ask the Young Conductor how to survive the Rail Tracer. Nice follows, and they bump into Donny, Jack and Nick on the way.
Nice calls for Donny and Jack to follow her, and tells Nick to take care of the dining car. As Nick goes off to the car, Nice and Donny comfort Jacuzzi in the face of the veritable slaughterhouse the conductors' compartment had become, supposedly executed by the Rail Tracer. She informs him that both Nick and Jack and a woman and a man in white had been caught and tied up by the Lemures and put in the freight hold. In the distance they hear gunshots, and Jacuzzi without any trace of fear in his eyes declares that they will rid the train of the Lemures and the Rail Tracer themselves. Donny and Nice agree and the three leave the conductor's car.
The three head to the freight hold to free their friends, but when they arrive they find the hold unguarded and the captured white suits nowhere to be seen. Inside, Jack crouches on the ground in pain with a bloodied face and Nick sits behind him. Only Nick is tied up. As Nice and the others free their friends, Nick explains why Jack is in such poor condition.
When they finally exit the freight hold, they run into Ladd Russo and his friends. Nick recognises him as the man that had brutally beat Jack. Ladd declares that his people weren't responsible for the mess in the room they'd just left, and the two groups depart without spilling blood. The group decide to investigate the freight hold Ladd had been previously inspecting, blood oozing out under the door. To their horror, they find the top half of a Lemur's body in the center of the gory room. It seemed to have been torn in two, the bottom half nowhere to be found. Nick exits the room and vomits out of the window in the corridor, while the others continue looking around.
Nice looks up and sees a huge bloodstain coating the ceiling, and upon further inspection, bloody footsteps leading to the large open freight door and out into the scenery passing by. Nick calls them to the window, having spotted someone by the coupling. On the count of three, everyone with the exception of Jack looks out the window and catches sight of a red monster moving from the coupling to the side of the train. It disappears from sight.
To investigate further, Jacuzzi, Nick and Nice climb out onto the roof. Donny, burdened by his size and an injured Jack on his shoulder, will instead maneuver through the carriages to meet them at the coupling. Despite their efforts, they do not find the red monster and decide to go check on the situation unfurling in the dining car.
Nice is the one who looks inside the dining car, and she reports that their recently-made friends, Isaac, Miria, Czeslaw, Natalie and Mary have all but disappeared from their seats. Jack (who has recovered some of his eyesight) prompts Donny into remembering the strangely dressed couple they had encountered while Jacuzzi and the others had been climbing across the roof. Jacuzzi learns that the two had been looking for him, making their way to the conductor's compartment. Frightened for their safety, Jacuzzi orders Nick and Nice to go by roof to check out the dining car and for Donny to accompany him to catch Isaac and Miria. Jack suggests that they leave him in one of the cabins, aware that he'll slow them down. The group has no choice but to comply.
Before he leaves, Jacuzzi kisses Nice lightly and runs in the direction of the rear cars with Donny.
Nice flushes at the kiss, and Nick teases Nice only to be shocked when she tells him that it was their first kiss. She's ignores Nick's scolding as they crawl across the roof, careful not to be forced off by the harsh wind. As they move further along the cars, the smoke coming from the locomotive coats them in darkness. Through the darkness, they spot a woman in black standing with a knife in her hand, almost blending into the darkness herself.
Nice judges the woman as no amateur when it comes to a fight; Nice would likely be killed by her knife before she could even light the fuse on her bomb. She realises that the woman is not interested in either her or Nick but something else further ahead. Hesitantly looking back, Nice gasps at the sight of Ladd, his white suit sharply contrasting the dark smoke billowing from the locomotive. He does not pay much attention to the two delinquents, instead much more interested in the woman in black.
Nice and Nick watch Ladd and the woman fight, lying flat on their stomachs while the battling individuals leap over their bodies. Nice prepares to go find Jacuzzi only to come face to face with a long sniper rifle belonging to Spike, one of the Lemures. He captures the two of them at gunpoint and brings them back to Goose, the leader of the Lemures, in the first class cabin where they are tied up together.
After Goose questions them and one of the Lemures from the dining car recognizes Nick, Nice has no choice but to admit that they are train robbers, conveniently leaving out the part that their target is the hidden explosives. Disinterested, Goose leaves the room.
Later in the night the Lemures bind and capture a woman dressed in coveralls, having her join Nice and Nick on the floor. Goose inquires as to her identity, thinking her to be the renowned assassin Vino. She laughs in his face, and upon receiving a report about his men disappearing Goose leaves the room, leaving his bound hostages unguarded. Confirming this, Nice stares in astonishment as the woman (Rachel) cuts through the ropes with her own serrated fingernail, sharpened as if in preparation for a situation like this one. After freeing herself, she frees Nick and Nice and reveals that she had seen Czeslaw killed by the red monster before parting ways.
Nick and Nice move along the corridors in search of Jacuzzi and Donny. The two encounter the Lemures and Nice resorts to using the bombs she had hidden underneath her clothing, artfully adjusting the amount of explosive in each bomb before throwing them so as to not derail the train. She is dragged away by Nick to the window, but the two are ambushed by Goose jumping in through the window, pointed pistols at both of them. At gunpoint, Nice is forced to remove all her explosives (about a dozen total) and is smacked by Goose. Nick retaliates by pulling out his knife only for Goose to shoot him in his arm. Goose points the gun toward Nick's head but is stopped when Jacuzzi bursts through the door and begins shooting at him with a machine gun. Goose is forced to take refuge behind the huge bed in the first class cabin. Seizing the opportunity, Nick pulls Nice out of the door, with Jacuzzi following.
Stopping at the coupling in between the First Class cabin and the dining car, Jacuzzi gives them orders to go straight through the dining car and meet Donny in the freight load, where the giant has already begun to dump the secret cargo in the river. In the meantime, Jacuzzi plans to hold Goose off. Before he leaves, Nice lifts her eyepatch and takes out the cherry bomb she'd been hiding in her eye socket, pressing it into his palm. Jacuzzi tells her he'll "blow it up with love" before the group parts ways.
While throwing the cargo into the river, Nice takes the liberty of removing a few bombs for her own use, strapping them around her waist. After the unloading is completed, Nice and Nick walk through the freight hold as Nice reminisces about her past with Jacuzzi. The two hear gunshots, and she runs towards the sound before Nick can say anything or stop her.
Nice finds Jacuzzi lying injured on top of the roof, and calls out his name. At the sound of her voice he manages to sit up and the two hug. With her arms around Jacuzzi, Nice catches sight of a certain red silhouette standing in the face of the rising sun. Jacuzzi tells Nice to never cry because he has always cried for her and can't stand watching her cry. He runs towards the Rail Tracer before she can stop him, and she realizes that he has taken two of the grenades strapped around her waist. She screams his name and a huge explosion rocks the cars, blowing her glasses off.
Nice drops to the floor and sobs helplessly. Through her tears, she notices a figure standing before her. Looking up, she can barely make out the dark shape tattooed on his face. "You're terrible, Nice. I told you not to cry," Jacuzzi says to her. She tightly embraces him. They are soon joined by Nick and the others on the roof, and when Nick asks Jacuzzi how he defeated the red monster Jacuzzi ends up fainting at the sight of his own blood. Nice and the others help him down off the roof and down to Second Class for medical treatment from Fred. When they arrive in the Grand Central Station, Nice slings Jacuzzi's arm around her shoulder and helps him walk off the train.
Greeting Chané.
Jacuzzi recovers from his injuries in a Fred's Clinic, with Jack recovering in a nearby bed. Jon and Fang visit him with a huge pot of stew from Chef Gregoire as a parting gift; Nice and Nick sit beside Jacuzzi while Donny sleeps on the ground.
Other gang members arrive soon after, informing Jacuzzi of the profits they'd made from selling the secret cargo—a hundred thousand dollars from selling the explosives to a miner and Hollywood director, and meanwhile the gutted ceramic grenades are selling for two hundred each. They also come bearing bad news: Jacuzzi can no longer return to his home in Chicago since thee mafia have it under patrol. The group decides to stay in New York and continue their illegal operations there.
They also inform Jacuzzi that during the cargo retrieval they'd found one of the train passengers clinging onto one of the floating crates in the river and have brought her to the clinic. They invite her to come in and Nick and Nice immediately recognise her as the woman in black, Chané), who fought Ladd on top of the train. Despite shaky first impressions, the gang eventually come to accept Chané as one of their own.
One day, as Nice is sitting by Jacuzzi's side, Nick rushes into the room and announces that Chané has been kidnapped. Jacuzzi—who is still recovering from his injuries—immediately gets out of bed on shaky legs and proceeds to get dressed, intending on heading down to the factory to rescue her. A stunned Nice and Nick look on—despite their protests, he is determined to save her. After Jacuzzi heads off to the factory, Nice and the others review the note (which stated that he should come alone) and decide that they will head to the factory too. Once there, Nice blows up the factory wall with a bomb, marking their grand entrance. When Graham Specter reminds them the note had said to come alone, Nice and the others each announce that they'd all individually come on their own of their own accord. They just all happened to come at the same time.
Nice and the others witness the showdown between Claire Stanfield and Graham Specter in the factory.
1933[]
Picking up the shards of a broken vase
Nice and some of the gang—about twenty members—move into the Genoard mansion on Millionaires' Row as housekeepers for Eve Genoard. This is thanks to the efforts of Jon and Fang, who have come into Eve's employ as bartender and cook.
Jacuzzi's gang starts up operations between Gandor and Martillo turf. A little bootlegging, a little thieving, and so on. Jacuzzi is constantly frightened that the mafia will come knocking upon their door one day, a fear that comes to fruition on one day in particular. It starts off on the wrong foot when he accidentally breaks a vase while cleaning. Nice and Donny comfort him while other gang members—led by Jon—berate him.
The doorbell rings and Jacuzzi hides under the table, whimpering. Nice answers it and, upon finding a strangely dressed Isaac and Miria standing on the doorstep, calls Jacuzzi over to meet some old friends. Isaac and Miria talk incessantly about taking revenge on a certain person, going off on tangents that serve to entertain the gang.
The door bell rings for a second time, and upon opening it Jacuzzi is greeted by Tim, Adele, other members of the Larva, and Dallas Genoard. The group is bizarrely dressed and comes with an even more bizarre objective. They offer Jacuzzi and his gang the chance to become immortals.
Adele takes out a rod she keeps strapped to her back. From it sprouts three sharp metal blades, transforming into a spear. As if giving a demonstration, she stabs it into Dallas' throat and only withdraws it at Tim's command. The amateur bootleggers gasp in shock at the murder, and are further shocked when the man's wound regenerates. Jacuzzi faints at the sight. Nice holds him in her arms and takes over as leader in his stead. Isaac and Miria applaud, convinced that it had been a magic show. Other members of the gang began murmuring between themselves, slightly convinced. Nice and Jon continue to glare at the intruders in doubt.
Chané witnesses Dallas' regeneration, hears Tim planning to make more immortals, and strikes at him—only for Adele to come to Tim's defense. Maria Barcelito runs in after her and Tick rings the front doorbell, making Maria and Tick the third visitors that day. Tick tells Tim to conduct their business with Splot's gang first, saying that depending on their negotiations, Jacuzzi's gang might disappear. Nice prepares to interrogate her mysterious guest, only for the doorbell to ring yet again.
One of the Larva members opens the door, revealing Ronny and Ennis waiting outside. When Ronny walks in the atmosphere of the room changes completely, all eyes on him. After learning that Ronny and Tick represent the Martillos and Gandors respectively, Nice darts over to Jacuzzi and shakes him awake.
Jacuzzi is surprised to see so many people. He looks to Nice for an explanation and she give the best she can. Ronny asks Jacuzzi whether he and his friends are enemies of the Martillos or whether they intend to join them. But before he can answer, Maria attacks Dallas after he threatens Tick, slashing him multiple times.
Tim orders Adele to stop her and Adele and Maria engage in battle. Nice and the others look on, watching Maria endure several injuries despite being better skilled and faster than her opponent. Isaac and Miria continue to think it all part of a magic show. As the battle progresses, Ronny repeats his question, to which Jacuzzi answers that they aren't enemies but that that doesn't mean they intend to join with the Martillos. Nice and the others nod at his resolve.
Ronny ends the fight, teleporting away Adele's and Maria's weapons much to the confusion of the others. Jacuzzi looks to Nice in panic as Ronny approaches them, and Nice takes out her zippo lighter and lights the a smoke bomb, giving Jacuzzi a chance to escape. He apologizes to Ronny and promises that he'll answer him next time. Nice and the others retreat into the depths of the mansion, and their guests leave as well.
(Rest of 1933, 1934 and 1935 to be written).
Skills[]
Bomb technician: An avid bomb lover, Nice is skilled enough that she can adjust the amount of explosives in a bomb simply through visual estimation (shown in her attempt to not hinder the train's movements).
Trivia[]
- In the opening, Donny and Jacuzzi Splot are dragging Nice away from her very own explosion, during which she throws several more bombs.
- When Ryohgo Narita designed Nice Holystone, he wanted her to leave a strong impression on the viewer so he gave her an eyepatch. Upon realizing that many other characters sported eyepatches, he gave her glasses over the eye patch to make her look distinct.
- Nice and her fellow gang members are native Chicagoans.
- In 1934 Alice in Jails: Prison, Nice mentions that she has at least five hundred explosives in her room alone, implying that she has more hidden elsewhere.
- Nice shares the same Japanese voice actress (Yū Kobayashi) and English voice actress (Colleen Clinkenbeard) with Charlotte Roselei from Black Clover.