Chapter 1: Enter Lupin III
A/N: I am going to include the entire cast in this story later on. For now, the story I want to tell is all about Ryuji and his development, so it will not give much time to the other thieves, except for maybe a few moments with Haru and her relationship with Ryuji.
The next day, the death of Akira's killer became known to the public on the news that afternoon. "Authorities identified the ballistic markings on the bullet as being fired from a Walther P38. We will be back with more information after thi-"
Sojiro turned off the TV as the Phantom Thieves entered the cafe. However, before they could sit down, they heard the sound of tires screeching, as if someone just slammed on their brakes.
They all checked outside, to see a bright yellow Fiat 500, with a rather strange man behind the wheel. He was tall, skinny, looked to be in his 50s, and wore a bright pink jacket with an orange tie over a green dress shirt. His greying hair was slicked back, with sideburns to match.
But the strangest part came when he spoke. "Hello, is this Cafe Leblanc?" He asked in a youthful, energetic voice, completely different from how they had expected him to sound.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah it is," Ryuji responded while staring alongside his fellow thieves.
Before any of them could say anything, the stranger simply walked past them, into the cafe, and immediately took a seat at the counter.
"One order of curry please, 'Mr Sakura'," he said in a voice that made it sound like that wasn't his real name.
Sojiro was surprised by this. "What's with that tone?" He asked.
"Well, when you finally quit the business, I assumed you would completely change your appearance. You just couldn't lose that goatee, huh?" The stranger responded playfully.
The group of young adults present in the cafe all wanted to ask the same thing, but only one of them was able to say it.
Ryuji asked the stranger, "Okay, what business?! Also, just who the hell are you?!"
"You're a loud one, aren't you?" The stranger replied. "I'm talking about the business of the gentleman thief."
"What?!" The group shouted.
"That's right. The name's Lupin III, thief extraordinaire. And my old partner-in-crime just so happens to be the man standing right behind that counter."
"…" Sojiro was silent during this, trying to find an easy way to explain himself.
Eventually, he spoke. "…Fine. My name wasn't always Sojiro Sakura. I used to be the right hand to Lupin III, Daisuke Jigen. I put that life behind me a few years ago, and took one of my old pseudonyms to use as a permanent identity."
After learning all of this, the group was still confused.
Why did this master criminal and international fugitive openly identify himself, without any fear of someone calling the police? It was obvious he didn't see them as a threat, he would have used a disguise if he did.
"So, what now?" Ryuji asked. "You obviously came here for something, so what is it?"
Lupin looked at him, smiled, and said, "Well, I thought you would want to find the guy who stopped your friend's killer from being properly tried and punished. I came here to invite you along for the adventure of your life. The man who killed that drunk was masquerading as me. I have a personal stake in this, protecting my reputation and all. Ryuji Sakamoto, are you ready to get true justice for the death of your friend?"
The blonde boy thought about it for a moment, then spoke. "Absolutely. I'll do whatever it takes to get justice for him."
"Great!" Lupin said, excited. "Meet me outside in a few minutes, and we'll get going."
After giving his friends a heartfelt goodbye, and one last embrace from Haru, Ryuji began his journey as the next right hand of Lupin III.