AUTHOR NOTE: I started working on this between May and July, when more information was coming out about Part 6. So this is going to be a lot different than what Part 6 is expected to be, especially since a lot of this story was based on my own speculation of what would happen based on the teasers, and things I'd thought would be fun for Lupin and gang to do in London. The tone for this story will likely be lighter, too. I haven't finished this yet, but I wanted to go ahead and put what I had so far out here. In any case, hope you enjoy it!
The outside world bustled with activity, as it often does in Tokyo.
Inside a small, upper-floor apartment, Lupin, Jigen and Goemon decided to relax before their morning flight. Their definition of relaxing included getting sloshed.
"This is a celebration, you know?" Lupin slurred, staring pleasantly at his just-empty glass.
Jigen had arrested a large bottle of chianti and poured himself another glass.
"Celebration?" he asked, his reddened face only half-hidden underneath his hat.
"Yep, the five heists we'll do when we're in London," Lupin said.
"Will we have time?" Goemon had similarly arrested a bottle of sake. He was a bit better at pacing himself than Lupin and Jigen when it came to alcohol consumption, but he had had a few extra glasses than he normally would. "I thought we were going for a vacation, seeing the landmarks."
"We will," Lupin responded, grinning sloppily. "Doesn't mean we can't bring back a few souvenirs."
Lupin reached for whatever bottle was closest to him, which turned out to be a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a glass.
"A toast to us and to London. God save the Queen!"
The next thing Lupin remembered was being shaken awake by Jigen. Lupin gingerly opened his eyes to see Goemon and Jigen with roll-along suitcases.
"We need to go. Our flight leaves in two hours," Jigen said.
Lupin felt like a brick had fallen on his head. He half nodded and grabbed his already-packed suitcase. He threw on a pair of sunglasses and headed for the door.
Once they stepped outside, Lupin was glad he had worn sunglasses. It was a brilliantly, beautiful sunny day. Torturous on the body during a hangover. He looked at Jigen and Goemon and realized they didn't look much better than he felt.
They were headed to London, to an adventure the three of them would not soon forget.
They arrived in London at 3 a.m. They barely stumbled into their hideout before falling asleep on whatever couch or bed they could find.
The next day, after they had woken up, Lupin hailed an Uber to Buckingham Palace.
It was a tour day at the palace, and hundreds of people milled the grounds. The three of them blended into the crowd fairly well, save for Goemon, where more than once people took double takes at his samurai clothing and traveling hat.
Lupin kept his face buried in a brochure they had gotten at the entrance, barely looking up at the expansive, imposing palace in front of them.
"It's not often we get to go sightseeing," Jigen remarked, staring thoughtfully at the palace.
"This sightseeing is for more than one purpose," Lupin responded, not lifting his eyes from the brochure. "We're breaking into the palace."
"WHAT?!" Goemon and Jigen stared at Lupin, dumbfounded. Perhaps they shouldn't have been so surprised. It was the way Lupin had nonchalantly brought it up that caught them off guard.
Lupin tersely shook his head and motioned for Jigen and Goemon to look at the brochure. They stared at the brochure, speaking out of the corner of their mouths as to not attract the attention of the members of the guard.
Lupin pointed to a lavishly decorated room inside the brochure with a chandelier, columns, and chairs that looked like they cost more money than what most people in London could make in their lifetimes.
"We'll go into this throne room," Lupin said. "The throne room has a clock, the Oath of the Horatii, that would be a nice souvenir."
"Any way we could get to the palace?" Jigen said, seeing masses of uniformed guardsmembers out of his peripheral. "Looks like security is pretty tight."
"No security system is perfect," Lupin whispered, "and this palace's had break-ins before. One example is Fichael Magan, who years ago not only broke into the palace once, but twice. He stole a bottle of booze and even had a nice chat with the Queen before getting caught and arrested."
"Huh," Jigen remarked, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "So when do we start?"