As promised, this chapter focuses mostly on All Might and Zenigata, though obviously they won't be interacting. If you remember from a couple chapters ago, Lupin suggested All Might tail Zenigata just in case the Interpol Inspector gained a lead on the Caster's location. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the Fate series, Lupin III, Ni No Kuni, or My Hero Academia.
Chapter 13: Hero and Cop
There was only one regret that All Might had in regards to becoming a hero. The politics involved. The old comics that he read growing up, the ones preserved from the 21st century, told of heroes that were beloved and revered without having to subject themselves to a popularity contest or dealing with money issues. Sure, it was nice getting a paycheck just for helping people, but that's not why Toshinori wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be a hero because people needed a hero. A true hero. It was just his bad luck that he was born without a Stand.
That was, of course, until he met Nana Shimura. Nana revealed that she too had been born without a Stand, which in the 25th century was quite rare. But she saw the spirit of justice within Toshinori, and offered to pass onto him the Stand that had been passed onto her, One For All. This Stand broke the normal rule that a Stand was unique to a user. In fact, it was meant to be passed to multiple users, adding the strength of all previous users to the current user. It had an E in Power, E in Speed, D in Range, A in Durability, B in Precision, and A in Potential.
Toshinori was the eight user of this Stand, and with it he became the hero All Might. But he suffered a serious injury from a villain called All For One, limiting his use of the Stand. Luckily, he found a promising new user in Izuku Midoriya, a reminder of everything Toshinori stood for in his youth. In spite of passing on the power and ultimately burning out what little he had left crippling All For One for life, Toshinori was able to hold on until Midoriya was able to unleash the full potential of One For All. It was when this assurance came that Toshinori's body finally gave out on him. But it was a death any hero dreamed of. When you go out with a shout, you get remembered, but when you go out with a whisper, you never truly die.
But All Might still dreamed of a world where heroes could just be heroes, without worrying about ranking or money or being barred from doing the right thing due to red tape. And being summoned as Berserker in the Holy Grail War, All Might felt he had the chance to get just that. Of course, he to had deal not only with seven other Servants, but his Master essentially being blackmailed with a hostage. A hostage All Might was sure Zouken would never give up. And it was clear Kariya thought the same. All Might was glad he found that armor piece by chance during a field trip. He doubted Kariya would last long with a Berserker that had a higher Mad Enhancement rank, even if Lancelot would be able to use his full potential.
He was walking through the city until found the police station. 'Zenigata must be somewhere inside. I'll stake the place out until I see him.' It was weird staking out a police station instead of, say, a known supervillain's hideout, but this was a different situation than normal. Meanwhile, inside the station, Zenigata was being read the riot act by the police chief. He had tuned it out, having heard it dozens of times before, to reflect on the realization that Lupin, somehow, had come back from the dead. "This 'copycat' is becoming a nuisance," the chief stated, "Do you have idea how angry the Egyptian consulate was with the theft of the peacock?"
"With all due respect sir," Zenigata said, "Dealing with politicians is a bit above my paygrade. Now if you had asked me what the media thinks of all this…" "The media is eating it up like it's a damn three-ring circus," the chief noted, "But I understand your position." Zenigata knew the chief was in the group that believed Lupin had really come back, but for political reasons had to make a show of admitting it was a copycat. "Anyway, for now we need to get back some much needed PR," the chief said, "And you need a chance to cool your head. So for the time being I'm transferring you to the recent string of kidnappings. You'll find the file in your office."
Zenigata nodded. He ignored the jeers from several officers, especially since each of them was reprimanded both by those who understood what they were truly dealing with and wanted to stand up for him, and superiors who recognized his authority over these younger officers. He entered his office, which was small but serviceable, no different than what he had when rising the ranks back when he was a beat cop, and opened the file. It was grizzly to say the least. The incident started with several families being kidnapped. Evidence suggested some family members were tied up and forced to watch before being killed as well.
Zenigata noticed that in the space of one day the kidnapper's MO had changed, now going for young children. At first he was concerned about young Evan, but decided he wouldn't be targeted. 'Kid can't be any younger than twelve or thirteen. All of these kids were under ten.' He then noticed something else. "The MO changed around the time the Einzberns arrived in Fuyuki. Most would see this as coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidences." Jonathan's information had proven the Einzberns had no direct connection to Lupin, but Zenigata couldn't help but think there had to be a connection of some kind, even if it was indirect.
Akimi suddenly knocked on his door. "Hey Zenigata. I was going on break and wondered if you wanted to join me for lunch." Zenigata considered it, then nodded. "Sure, I could use some fresh air. All these smokers aren't good for my health. Especially since I quit smoking after my retirement." He left the station with Akimi, carefully followed by All Might. They soon got some lunch at a local fast food place. All Might had gotten a meal for himself so as not to look suspicious. Not that he needed to eat, but it was gratifying to know he still could.
"So I heard you got assigned to kidnapping case," Akimi said, catching All Might's attention. "It's a temporary transfer," Zenigata clarified, "Honestly, with what I've seen in the file, it would do me some good to prioritize this. While Lupin has killed in the past, he's not the sort to enjoy wanton slaughter like the asshole responsible for these actions." "I suppose you heard about the incident involving a man matching Goemon Ishikawa's description," Akimi noted. Zenigata nodded. "I guess Lupin's old gang caught wind of what was going on. I wonder if any of them will join back up with him."
He took a bite of his burger. "I think perhaps the kidnapper might have an indirect connection to Lupin." "Indirect?," Akimi asked, "How so?" "We know that four days ago is when the last family killing occurred," Zenigata explained, "It was a day after that when Irisviel von Einzbern and her bodyguard Jonathan Pendleton arrived in Fuyuki. They settled into a manor the family hadn't used in sixty years. A few hours later, Lupin declares his intent to steal something called the Holy Grail. And then, two days later, he pulls off the heist of the Laughing Peacock. Throughout all of these events, the kidnappings were going on, this time targeting young children under ten years old."
"Why the change in MO?," Akimi asked. "I don't know the why just yet," Zenigata admitted, "But the when is more important to me right now. The change happened on the same day Irisviel arrived in Fuyuki. These events are linked by something, and I believe it revolves around the Holy Grail." "You think Lupin isn't the only after it," Akimi realized. Zenigata nodded. "It's my belief that Irisviel and the kidnapper are also looking for it. Lupin caught wind of it and decided he wanted it for himself. And he's working with a new partner for this. You remember the unidentified man who was driving the Fiat?"
Akimi nodded. "We never got a good look at him, so we don't know who he is. But whoever he is, he may be the one who told Lupin about the Laughing Peacock. And might have even resurrected him… Also, come to think about it, Tohsaka Tokiomi stopped making public appearance around that time. And it's when he sent his wife and daughter out of town. Could he also be seeking the Holy Grail?" "If he is, we'll have a chance to interrogate him later," Zenigata noted, "For now we focus on the kidnapper." He finished his meal and grabbed his hat. "I'm gonna take a walk. I could use from fresh air to clear my head."
Most wouldn't think that All Might could do stealth with his size. But with his superior speed, heightened senses, and the fact that he could turn off One For All to blend in easier, he could sneak around with the best Terror Heroes. This let him easily keep tabs on Zenigata without any issues. He had to admit, Zenigata was a intuitive inspector. He was already catching onto the Holy Grail War without knowing what it was. 'I just hope he doesn't dig too deeply into it. It could get him in trouble.' He and Zenigata then noticed a kid kneeling over a railing on a nearby bridge. Kneeling a little too much.
Luckily, Zenigata was able to get the kid's attention before All Might had to break his cover. "What on earth on you doing, kid?," Zenigata asked. "I was just looking at the water," the kid replied. All Might breathed a sigh of relief. So it wasn't a suicide attempt. 'There's nothing worse than having to get an earful after saving a person who doesn't want to be saved, especially from themselves.' "So where are your parents?," Zenigata asked. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the kid said. Zenigata flashed his badge. "Don't worry, I'm a cop. So where are they?"
The kid looked at him, then said, "Mom's at home, Dad's at work. They know I'm out of the house, but not that I'm here. I was trying to see if I could help my friends Yosuke and Mikado. They haven't shown up at school for two days. Lot's of my other classmates think the Thing got them." Zenigata realized the kid had to be talking about Yosuke Sakurai and Mikado Goto, two of the kidnapping victims who went missing two days ago around the same time. Their bodies haven't been found yet, so it was believed they were still alive.
"Can you tell me more about this 'Thing'?," Zenigata asked, "Don't worry, after some of the things I've seen in my career, nothing's too crazy for me to believe." The kid nodded. "The older kids say the Thing has been taking kids away to eat them. It's supposed to have eyes like a fox, wears purple all over, and is followed by these weird monsters. And somehow it can take kids away without them putting up a fight." He pointed toward the river. "Over that way." Zenigata and All Might noticed a large drain pipe. 'The sewers!,' All Might realized, 'So that must be where Caster is! The Thing the kid was referring to must be Caster's Master!'
Zenigata came to similar conclusion, though he wasn't thinking about there being two people involved. 'Got ya, you bastard!' He knew from the report that the police were checking all the abandoned buildings and warehouses, but hadn't thought to check the sewers. He turned back to the boy. "What's your name kid?" "Shiro," the kid replied, "Shiro Enjo. Mister, what's it like being a police officer?" Zenigata smiled. "It feels good, knowing you're doing the right thing. Law are what keep our society intact. Sometimes you might have to do things you're not proud of, but if you keep moving forward with your morals intact, then you can go on and enforce justice with your head held high."
He stood up. "That is what I believe being an officer is all about. For me, being a cop is worth it in the end." Shiro smiled. "Then, some day I want to be a police officer too!" All Might couldn't help but see a spark of Midoriya when he heard that. This kid, Shiro, had the same spirit of justice. All Might hoped it wouldn't burn out. The world needed more people like this kid. As Zenigata walked off, he ran into Akimi. "Good timing," Zenigata said, "I got a lead on our kidnapper. Tell me, was the sewer system ever checked?"
Akimi realized what Zenigata was getting at. "Son of a bitch. We need to get every available officer down there and start searching!" "I'll talk to the chief about it," Zenigata said, "We need to catch this sicko. Tonight!" He and Akimi walked off. "This is just the information we've been looking for," All Might noted, "I should head for the Einzbern manor and let Jojo know. Then we can reconvene. If those officers try going up against Caster they'll likely be slaughtered. We need to do this now, before anyone else gets hurt." He activated One For All and jumped away, heading for the manor.
Once again, gotta thank The Infamous Man for inspiration. We don't know what Shiro's family name was before he was adopted by Kiritsugu and became the Shiro Emiya we're all familiar with. And on that note, I wonder what it'd be like for Archer/Emiya to be summoned in this timeline and learn that his past self never even lost his birth parents. Read and review.