In 1932, two escapees from the French Penal Colony of Devil's Island make their way to the banks of the Orinoco, in the Venezuelan jungles, where they encounter Jivaro headhunters. One of the escapees, Mike Kono, offers the head of the other to the witch doctor. Over the next decade, Kono becomes the king of the tribe. In 1942, two Japanese soldiers crash in the area and are captured. They make an alliance with King Kono. Months later, the Blackhawks are sent to Venezuela to investigate rumors of a Japanese airbase hidden in the jungle.; The Sniper turns to battling the Japanese, and his first encounter with them is in the Philippines, where he offers his services to American forces under Paul Hammond.