This here is the final chapter, and it'll bridge the time gap between 1994 and later arcs in my Jojo New Universe. It'll also show a few interesting characters. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the Fate series, Lupin III, Ni No Kuni, My Hero Academia, Danganronpa, or the Persona series.
Chapter 42: Onward to the Future
It was early March of 2015. A familiar yellow Fiat was parked in Northampton, England. Lupin was inside, as was Kirei. Along with them were their daughters, Riko and Caren. "So," Lupin said, "Everyone remember the plan?" "We've only been over it a million times," Riko said with a laugh. Lupin gave a good-natured frown. "Hey, I like to live on the edge as much as the next thief, but plans are there for a reason." Caren smirked. "Don't worry. While I'm sure there will be complications, the plan has all the bases covered."
"Speaking of complications," Kirei said, "It seems ours wasn't the only calling card sent declaring the sender's intention to steal Southrye's Watch." Lupin nodded, holding up a copy of the calling card. "Harry Flowers, I am the Phantom Thief Joker. Today I will steal Southrye's Watch from your possession." "This has lead to another complication," Kirei noted, "An up-and-comer in the detective world named Goro Akechi. Apparently he's the illegitimate son of a Japanese secretary named Masayoshi Shido."
"That's not all," Lupin said, "I hear Interpol has pulled out all the stops for this. Teaming up with MI6, getting help from two prominent detectives from Hope's Peak Academy. Heck, they even hired a mage to account for my skills as a Heroic Spirit." "What sort of mage?," Caren asked. "She was the runner-up in the Fifth Holy Grail War," Kirei explained, "As for why the winner was not chosen… It's because her Servant gave her insight into our tactics." Lupin frowned. He had decided to look into the Fifth Holy Grail War. The two sisters, Sakura and Rin, had been chosen as representatives of the Tohsaka and Matou families respectively, with Illya joining for the Einzberns.
There was also a former assassin, two members of two rising mage families, and Shiro. Berserker this time had been Heracles, and while he was loyal to Illya he didn't have the same level of control over his Mad Enhancement that All Might did. Caster had been Medea, who had apparently fallen in love with her Master, Soichiro Kuzuki. Lancer was Cu Chulainn, who had similarly grown attracted to his Master, Bazett Fraga McRemitz. Rider this time was Medusa, who was with Sakura. Assassin, summoned by the young Luviagelita Edelfelt, was Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a well-known assassin who operated in Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries. A big surprise was Saber as Arthur Pendragon. Lupin could imagine the look of surprise on Shiro's face when he summoned a girl his own age.
But the real kicker was Rin's Servant, Archer. It turned out to be Daisuke Jigen, summoned to the War just like Lupin had ten years prior. "Well, that just makes things interesting. After all, I'm sure Rin has a grudge against me for what happened to her dad. I mean, not the fact that he died, but the fact that I pretty much wrecked his reputation." Lupin smirked. "And it looks like this will be a big race to see whether me or this new Joker character can snag the watch first." Kirei also smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. Shall we begin then?" They soon drove off for the museum where the watch was.
Rin stood at the party in her normal attire. The years she had spent in Fuyuki were nice, but when she heard Interpol was looking for individuals with supernatural abilities to track down Lupin the Third, she leapt at the chance. Plus, with so many girls in her boyfriend Shiro's life, it was nice to get away. 'Seriously, my sister, that Edelfelt girl, both Saber and Rider! Did he have to make a wish that allowed all our Servants to stay on this plain of reality? That just made him more desirable!' She knew the only reason Caster and Bazett hadn't joined in was because they had their own love interests.
She looked around. With her was Zenigata and Akimi, as well as Kyoko Kirigiri from Hope's Peak Academy's 78th class. Nearby was Shuichi Saihara from the 79th class, as well as the young private detective Goro Akechi. The real question mark was Shuichi's classmate Rantaro Amami. "So…," Rin said, "What is he doing here?" Zenigata smirked. "Let's just say he came highly recommended from the Speedwagon Foundation. The real annoyance is Agent Nyx." He nodded over to the stern looking agent from MI6. He was here because Harry Flowers was more valuable alive, and if he lost the watch his shadowy backers were bound to erase him.
Rin shrugged. "Anyway, there's plenty we know about Lupin, but what about this Joker?" "He's not a complete question mark," Akimi said, "He and Goro encountered each other about a month ago, when Joker made his debut stealing The Star of Auldale from a New York mafia outfit. Thus far it seems he strictly targets criminals. And there's a connection between the two items Joker's set his sights on. This watch is believed to be the same one once owned by the grandfather of Jonathan Joestar, Reginald Southrye Joestar, and The Star of Auldale was a necklace owned by Renaissance noblewoman Auldale Joestar."
"The man is an enigma with skills equal to Lupin," Zenigata admitted, "It's been theorized that he thoroughly researches his target ahead of time before sending out his calling card. Also, unlike Lupin, who makes no attempt to hide his actions, he prefers to strike from the shadows, wearing a mask and concealing long coat and only using a codename. He's also a Stand user with the ability to phase through solid objects. That's why the bulletproof glass case for the watch has been retrofitted with a special weight sensor. If the weight is even slightly off it'll set off alarms."
Meanwhile, Caren had finished tying up Harry Flowers as Riko got to work on the computer removing the security alarms. Caren looked around. "Doesn't it feel like someone is watching us?" Riko narrowed her eyes and looked around. She noticed one shadow looked a bit bigger than it did when she came in and pulled out her own Walther PPK, a gift from her father. The barrel was silenced until further notice. After all, alerting the guards came later in the operation. She fired at the shadow, but nothing stirred. Caren relaxed. "Perhaps it was my imagination."
Riko wasn't so sure, but there was nothing to suggest anything was out of the ordinary. "Anyway, I'm almost done. Honestly, I could just strangle the guy who thought it would be fun to make hacking seem so exciting and tense in movies and video games. And… Done!" Just then, the shadow Riko had just been shooting at moved and sped out of the room, shocking the two girls. Riko glared at Caren. "Just your imagination, huh?" Caren sighed. "I'm guessing that was Joker." She pulled out her two-way. "Father, we have a complication. Joker's in the vicinity and he's just confirmed we shut down the security. You need to move fast." "Or you could stop altogether," Rin said as she entered the room. Riko sighed. "And the bad news keeps coming…"
Kirei sighed as he got off his two-way. "Well, I expected them to send someone specifically for me. Though I must admit, the Church is going easy on me." He turned and saw Agent Nyx standing there. "I suppose the Church wishes to let you keep your life for the sake of your father. He's still in good health, by the way." "That's good to hear," Kirei said as he summoned his Black Keys, "I wasn't sure about his physical health after what I saw in the Fifth Holy Grail War. He was looking rather haggard. Then again, when one of the Servants summoned needs to drain small amounts of mana from normal humans to stay on this plain because their Master doesn't have a sufficient amount…"
"Forgive the crude reply," Nyx said, "But I understand said Master found a different means of infusing her with mana until the War ended, if you understand my meaning." "Good for her," Kirei said, "Medea needed an honorable man in her life after being toyed with by pagan gods for much of her life. Speaking of names, I don't believe I caught yours. I like to get to know those sent to try and take me or Lupin out." "The only thing you need to know is that I am called Nyx," Nyx replied, "I'd imagine by now our new mage friend is dealing with your daughter and Lupin the Fourth."
Kirei grinned. "Yes, I'm aware the Tohsaka girl has taken on this case. To be honest I'm relieved. Dealing with more corrupt mages and members of the Church has gotten boring. A more honorable mage like Rin Tohsaka should make things more challenging. And I'm sure Zenigata himself is ready for Lupin. But here's something to consider… Are any of us prepared for this newcomer known as Joker?" Nyx raised an eyebrow. "So you know about him." Kirei smirked as he held up the calling card. "Hard not to notice. He left these all over the museum. So then, let's have our own little dance."
Zenigata was the first to react when the steel covering on the box started going up. "This is it!," he called out, "Lupin's about to make his debut!" "HELLO LONDON!," came Lupin's voice, as if one cue. A sudden burst of smoke drew everyone's eyes to the rafters, where Lupin was standing. "Man, it's lovely day for a heist, don't you agree?" "Ra!," came a young man's voice, causing Lupin to freak out and drop down to avoid a light ray aimed right at him. He blinked in confusion. "Jojo?" "Not quite," Rantaro said as he approached, "But close enough to finish what we started."
Lupin saw Ra floating next to Rantaro, and the familiar Sword of Luck and Pluck strapped to his back. He then laughed. "So he did it! Jonathan Joestar got reincarnated! So, what name do you go by in this life? And did you managed to run into Erina again?" Rantaro smirked. "Rantaro Amami, Hope's Peak Academy's 79th class, Ultimate Adventurer. And yes, her name in this life is Tsumugi Shirogane. But before we catch up…" He drew the sword. "We have unfinished business. I'm not one-hundred percent the same as Jonathan. Can't use Hamon, for instance. But I do have all his memories, including his actions during the Fourth Holy Grail War."
Lupin chuckled and drew his gun. "Then this just got more fun." "Have your little fight if you must," came another young male voice, "But don't let it distract you from the prize." All turned to the box to see a young man with black hair and a matching jacket, an avian domino mask across his face and one of his hands phasing through the steel box. Lupin gasped. "Joker!" "Thanks for the assistance," Joker said as he pulled out Southrye's Watch, "I wasn't sure if my Stand could precisely remove this from the weight sensor without jostling it and setting off alarms."
Zenigata realized what was going on. "Clever bastard. He deliberately planned his heist on the same day Lupin did." "But how did you know when the sensor would go down?," Lupin asked. "I was keeping on eye on your daughter," Joker explained, "Hidden in the shadows. She did notice me somewhat and tried firing on me. Luckily my ability to turn intangible has some defensive applications. Now if you'll excuse me, I've been hired by a special client to return this watch to its rightful owners. And I don't mean Mister Flowers."
He quickly slipped through the floor. Kyoko, Shuichi, and Goro hurried down after him, while Akimi went up to check on Rin. "Well…," Lupin said, "This is awkward." "Took the words right out of my mouth," Zenigata said, "I was so focused on you, Badge couldn't even pinpoint Joker's location." "Anyway, I'd love to finish our earlier fight," Lupin said as he reached into his pocket, "But maybe another time. I'm on a tight schedule on that little upstart just made off with my prize." He quickly threw something onto the ground, which turned out to be a smoke pellet. As Zenigata and Rantaro ran through the smoke, they saw Lupin had already vanished. Zenigata growled. "LUPIN!"
By the time Kirei had shaken Nyx, and Riko and Caren had given Rin the slip, Joker was racing away from the scene on his motorcycle. "Slippery little kid," Lupin said with a grin, "We'll need to step up our game if we hope to keep up with this new guy." He chuckled. "Y'know, it almost feels like going up against my grandfather…" "So we lost, huh?," Riko said, "First time for everything." Kirei nodded. "At least this loss did not lead to death. We have another chance to make up for it." Lupin laughed. "It's funny. When I died I lost so much… But now that I'm alive again, it feels like I gained so much more."
"So, think we'll be meeting Joker again?," Riko said, "Cuz he's kinda cute-looking. Maybe even cuter without the mask on." "Isn't he a little young for you?," Caren pointed out. Riko waved her hand dismissively. "He looks like the kind of guy that doesn't mind older women." "Either way," Lupin said, "It's good to have someone my equal in the game. With luck, I'll be able to improve from this. And maybe teach him a thing or two about what it means to be a thief." He revealed another calling card left at the museum. It read, "Arsene Lupin III, I am the Phantom Thief Joker. Before long, the title of Emperor of Thieves will be mine."
And so Ren Amamiya throws down the gauntlet. The idea in Phantom Thieves Origins is that Joker has been in the game for two years, and since that story takes place alongside Stars Are Eternal from Jojo New Universe, that story takes place in 2017. So this chapter takes place in 2015, two years prior to Phantom Thieves Origins and twenty-one years after the main story. If you guys want to see a story detain Joker's path to Phantom Thieves Origins, including whether or not he ultimately beats Lupin, how he encounters and defeats the Zodiac warriors, and how he meets his girlfriend Sumire Yoshizawa aka Violet, let me know. In the meantime, I intend to do a different Persona-based fanfiction coming up soon. Look for details in the next few days.
But as for this story, it is finally complete. I'll be adjusting my schedule for the next story. Read and review.
