While Bentley was out getting groceries, Sly and Ben were looking over a mysterious letter that had been received in the mail. Neyla came in to see what they were doing.

"What's all this then, boys?"

"Check this out, Neyla."

Ben showed her the letter that he and Sly were looking at and she read through the contents.

'Cooper, meet me in Italy's maximum-security prison. Important information awaits. Sincerely, McSweeny'

"Hey, Ben, didn't Bentley give you a holo-computer with info on every known criminal and law official?" Sly asked as Ben nodded, tapping a part of his bionic arm and revealing a holo-screen as he typed in 'McSweeny' in the search bar and came up with the results.

"Okay, it says that he was formerly the muscle of one of the most famous thieving gangs in the old times. He's currently held at that prison for his life sentence, which he actually volunteered to do after his original gang disbanded."

"Sounds like a tough old sort. Wonder what he wants with us, though." Neyla mused as Bentley came in with the groceries attached to a special pack in his wheelchair.

"What's going on, fellas?"

After explaining the situation to Bentley, the Cooper Gang headed to Italy in order to visit McSweeny in the prison he was being held at. Using the disguise techniques of Thaddeus Winslow Cooper III, the four were able to get inside the prison and find McSweeny's cell.

As they headed through the cell block, they saw none other than Jean Bison sitting in his cell, a concentrated look on his face before noticing Ben.

"Howdy, son. I reckon you're doing okay since I hit you with them Clockwerk Talons?"

"Oh, my side is perfectly fine, old man. It's the arm that got damaged." Ben chuckled as he showed the bison out of time his new bionic arm. Jean Bison couldn't help but whistle at the sight.

"Gotta say, I think I'm getting the hang of the times. Cops even say I'll be getting time off for good behavior."

"Well hopefully, you won't cut down any more trees. Otherwise, we'll come back for you." Ben casually warned, Jean Bison nodding in response. Soon, the gang made their way to McSweeny's cell. He was an elderly pink-purple walrus Beastkin wearing blue pants and boots and also had tattoos on his body.

"Are you McSweeny?" Sly asked as the walrus noticed the Cooper Gang and got up to approach them from behind the indestructible Plexiglass wall.

"Call me Jim," the elderly thief replied immediately as he reached into the folds of his flesh, extracting an old Cooper Gang Calling Card before slipping it back into hiding. "Yer Conner's boy, aren't you?"

Sly was understandably shocked. "You knew my father?"

"Quite well, quite well," Jim responded readily. "We were old friends, went on many heists together. I was his muscle, you know. Did the heavy lifting when it was called for and was the power behind many escapes."

"Wow! A member of the Sly's dad's gang!" Ben excitedly said as McSweeny noticed him and chuckled.

"I take it your Allan's kid, huh?"

"Whoa...you knew my dad too?"

"Heh, Allan was practically a member of our gang back in the day. Both the Shigura and Cooper Clans had been friends for Generations, I tell ya." McSweeny said

"Well, this is all fine and dandy but I'd like to know why you contacted us. We would've come sooner but we were busy having no idea you even existed." Neyla said as McSweeny gave her the stink eye before pulling out a map and sliding it through the opening of his cell for the Cooper Gang to see.

"Fascinating. What IS this?" Bentley asked as he fixed his glasses.

"That, my friend, is the map to Kaine Island, home to your ancestors' fortunes that they've acquired over the millennia, your father included. Every Cooper in history has added to the fortune and only a Cooper is able to get inside." McSweeny explained with a smile.

"Whoa..." Ben breathed out as Neyla, Bentley, and Sly nodded in agreement with his reaction.

"When he retired, your Dad left this with me. Told me to keep it safe, and make sure it never fell into the wrong hands." McSweeny said as he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm big and tough, never really fit with polite society, and couldn't really cut it as a thief on my own...so I figured the best way to keep it safe was to get myself arrested and thrown in jail for a long time."

"What better place to hide than a prison, huh?" Neyla pointed out with a smirk as McSweeny chuckled and gave her a playful wink.

"Got a rep in here that makes other inmates-and guards-leave me alone, get three square meals a day, exercise yard to stay in shape, the sheets are clean, and I get free cable! Seems a pretty sweet deal for me."

"So basically, this is basically you're retirement home, huh?" Ben said as McSweeny nodded.

"You got it, kiddo."

Sly, who had been stunned silent, finally spoke up. "You got yourself thrown in jail...to protect the map Dad gave you?"

McSweeny sadly shrugged. "Only place I ever really felt I belonged was in the Gang. When it broke up, I didn't really have a place of my own. Sides, long as he knew where to find me, figured I'd see Conner again when he needed to give you the map...at least until I heard Clockwerk got him. You look a lot like him, actually."

"Yeah...so I've been told." Sly softly said, a somber nostalgic expression on his face as Ben rubbed his shoulder awkwardly before Bentley coughed into his fist.

"So, you contacted us in order to give us the map, correct? How did you know about us?"

McSweeny chuckled. "Word about your exploits travels fast in all the prisons. Besides, ol' Bison was telling me about how his behind was whooped by a four-eyed turtle who was friends with a rowdy raccoon, a crazy human, and a tough young hippo...say, why haven't I seen him?"

"Murray?" Ben sadly asked as he, Sly, and Bentley looked at each other while Neyla looked away. "He...he left. He needed to find himself."

"Well, judging by your looks, he must be a very good friend. In fact, you all look close to each other." McSweeny said.

"Well, Neyla was part of the gang trying to bring back Clockwerk and almost got assimilated into his consciousness. Don't worry, she got better." Ben explained.

"Still, you've got a good relationship. Let me give you some advice, kids; Value the bonds you have. But keep an eye out for a mandrill by the name of Dr. M. He was our gang's brains, and our parting with him was NOT on good terms. Somethin' about the division of loot, tradition, and the Vault when Conner quit thieving because his wife was pregnant."

"Dad did say the day he stopped thieving was because Mom was pregnant with me..." Sly said before giving McSweeny a thankful smile. "Thank you. I'm glad I was able to meet you."

"Hold on to that map, son. Something tells me Connor gave it to me to give to you when you were old enough."

With everything said, the Cooper Gang left the prison and McSweeny sighed softly as he relaxed on his bed, feeling a great weight having been lifted off his shoulders and faith in the next generation filling his heart.

The gang had returned home to look over the map and were amazed by just how detailed it was. As they looked on where the island was located, they were surprised when they saw it was heavily guarded, as if somebody had already set up shop there.

"Holy crap, that security is TIGHT. It makes Clockwerk's defenses look like chump change!" Ben exclaimed as Bentley looked over who was able to get such security for the island.

"Guys, it seems this fellow named Mandrake Malone has already gotten full custody of the island. He goes by the alias 'Dr. M'."

Everyone else's eyes widened, remembering McSweeny warning them about Dr. M. "Huh, so what McSweeny told us was true...and it seems this Dr. M fellow wants what he believes is owed to him."

"Seems about right. Reports say he's been trying to break into the vault for YEARS. But he hasn't managed to get through yet and he's desperately trying to break in!" Bentley said as he turned to the others.

"I know things aren't gonna be easy with just two young master thieves, a badass handicapped turtle with an IQ of 300, and a formerly evil tigress who is now my girlfriend." Ben said as Neyla gave him a playful look. "We need something bigger. Something greater."

Sly nodded in agreement, knowing what his blood brother was getting at.

"We need...A GANG."

Next Time: Opera of Fear!

Knowing they need their main muscle and trusted friend back, the Cooper Gang move to reunite with Murray and help him save Italy from the sinister operatic mob boss, Don Octavio!