"Oh! It's Pops!"

Zenigata glared at them furiously, his face flushed with frustration.

"Let go of me, Jigen!" he spat, trying to break free. "What are you doing here? Are you working with the Black Dawn?"

Jigen loosened his grip slightly but kept his Magnum raised—just in case. "What about you, Pops?" he asked warily. "Spying on them? That ain't like you."

Lupin stepped closer, his usual smug smile in place and his hands casually in his pockets. "It breaks my heart that you'd think we'd work with those mercenaries." His eyes narrowed slightly, studying Zenigata with an unusual focus. "Pops, what are you really doing here?"

Zenigata elbowed Jigen in the ribs, forcing him to let go. The inspector had hit him right in his injured side. Jigen gritted his teeth to stifle a groan.

"You think you're my only targets?" Zenigata shot back, adjusting his coat. "I'm here to take down this criminal organization. ICPO is fed up with the Black Dawn. They're involved in things far worse than your petty heists."

Lupin chuckled softly, his mischievous grin back in place. He seemed genuinely pleased to see Zenigata here. "Well, Pops, it looks like we're on the same team for once."

He retrieved the USB drive, the transfer now complete, and began to fiddle with it, rolling it between his fingers. The faint light of the warehouse caught its surface, making it glint. The files on the drive were likely critical evidence of the Black Dawn's operations.

"Tell me, Pops," said Lupin, his tone light but deliberately measured. "You're looking for information, aren't you? I think a little trade could be mutually beneficial."

Zenigata shifted from furious to wary. Straightening his posture, he adjusted his coat with an irritated tug. He didn't want to admit that curiosity was eating at him.

"What do you want in exchange for that drive, Lupin? I won't do anything illegal for you."

Feigning deep thought, Lupin pursed his lips, clearly relishing the upper hand he held. Swaying slightly as he walked forward—what a flirt, Jigen thought—he stopped just inches from Zenigata.

"Nothing too troublesome, Pops. I just want to know who hired the Black Dawn last." He waved the USB drive in front of Zenigata, letting the promise of its treasure trove of information hover tantalizingly under his nose.

Zenigata sniffed at it as if he could inhale all the secrets stored in the device. But he quickly composed himself, folding his arms across his chest. "You expect me to trust you, Lupin? What's stopping me from just taking the files myself? And how do I know you aren't giving me an empty drive?"

Lupin placed a hand over his heart. "Ouch! Such hurtful words, Pops! You know I always keep my promises! And besides, there's nothing left on that computer. Everything has been wiped." He snickered.

Zenigata still hesitated, but even the thief, who was usually very patient, seemed to decide that this wasn't the right place to make these kinds of deals.

"Well, Pops, it's now or never. Do we have a deal? We don't have all night."

Zenigata was fighting an internal battle between his sense of duty and his pragmatism. He couldn't, in good conscience, collaborate with a criminal—it was against everything he stood for as an inspector. But… he'd made deals with Lupin before, and while the man was a thief, he was also a man of his word.

After a long, tense moment, Zenigata exhaled deeply. "Fine, Lupin. An information exchange, and a temporary truce while we get out of here. But don't think for a second this makes us allies! It's tem-po-rar-y!"

Lupin smiled, handing over the USB drive and giving Zenigata a patronizing pat on the hand. "No problem, Pops, that's all I ask!"

Zenigata grumbled, tucking the drive into the inner pocket of his uniform.

Once the coast was clear, Jigen slipped out of the office. The trio moved silently through the warehouse, tension thick in the air. There were more guards now than before, and with Zenigata's lack of disguise, they had to be doubly cautious.

Everything seemed to be going well until they turned into a narrow hallway. At the bend ahead, Lupin caught sight of a group of guards walking toward them. He panicked and quickly retreated, bumping into Jigen and Zenigata. The guards were seconds away from rounding the corner. Thinking fast, Lupin shoved the two towards the first door he saw.

They all crammed inside, but it wasn't an office. It was a tiny storage closet.

The space was absurdly small, barely enough for one person, let alone three adults. They squeezed together, pushed in by Lupin. Zenigata ended up pressed against the wall, and Jigen got jostled, falling into a painfully awkward position on the floor. When Lupin shut the door, Jigen found himself contorted, doubled over between Lupin's legs and Zenigata's chest. He couldn't even tell which way was up anymore.

Almost immediately, a sharp pain flared in Jigen's side where his wound was. He grimaced, curling in on himself as the injury throbbed intensely.

"Damn it, Lupin…" Jigen couldn't stop a low groan from escaping as he clutched at his side, trying to ease the stabbing ache.

Lupin was half-sitting on Jigen's legs, one hand gripping something on the ceiling to steady himself. He cast an apologetic glance at his partner. "Sorry, Jigen… I imagined something a bit more spacious. Hang in there."

The guards' footsteps grew louder, their voices becoming slightly more distinct. They held their breath. Jigen focused every ounce of energy he had on staying silent, his teeth clenched in an unconcealed grimace. He definitely hadn't planned on getting twisted like a pretzel tonight.

Zenigata shifted slightly, eliciting a pained "Gh!" from Jigen just as the guards walked past the door. Luckily, they weren't discovered. The light under the door flickered as the guards moved on.

Pain was pulsating in his side, through the hand that was keeping it contained. Jigen felt like time was crawling unbearably slowly. He opened his eyes and found Zenigata staring straight at him. A pang of distress hit Jigen as he realized his hat had gone missing in the chaos. His wound burned fiercely, and he was almost certain he could feel his jacket growing damp with blood beneath his hand.

At least Zenigata seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. The inspector tried his best not to move, though he looked just as uncomfortable as Jigen felt.

Jigen focused on his breathing as the voices and footsteps faded into the distance. His hand trembled as it maintained pressure on his wound, but he forced himself to block out the pain.

Lupin waited a few more moments, and once he was sure the coast was clear, he opened the door. The three spilled out into the hallway in a tangle of uncoordinated limbs. Lupin immediately skidded toward Jigen, carefully placing the gunman's beloved hat back on his head, finally concealing his pain-filled eyes from Zenigata.

"Jigen! You okay?"

Jigen nodded, taking only a second or two to steady himself. They had to keep moving.

Zenigata cleared his throat loudly to demand attention. "Ahem… Did the closet do that?"

"It's a long story, Pops," Jigen muttered through gritted teeth.

"Let's just say we've had some complications with the Black Dawn," Lupin added, helping Jigen straighten up. "Jigen-chan took a trap for me."

Zenigata held back his tears and had the good sense to keep quiet. He looked a little less guarded, though. Sometimes, he forgot that Lupin's crew weren't just heartless thugs. The demonstrations of loyalty they showed always struck a chord with him.

"Let's go," Lupin commanded, wrapping an arm around Jigen's shoulders. "Time to get out of here before those idiots come back."

Jigen let himself lean partially on Lupin. His mind was a little foggy, but there was no way he'd ever let Zenigata carry him. He could still walk. His head spun slightly, and his legs wobbled under the weight of his own body at times, but he refused to give in.

As the three intruders finally reached the entrance, they were forced to stop. They ducked behind a machine. Lupin released Jigen and flashed a small signal with a mirror and a flashlight. It was the cue Goemon had been waiting for.

Within seconds, the sounds of shouting and gunfire erupted near the entrance as Goemon created his diversion. Guards rushed toward the commotion, running past Lupin and his group without noticing their hiding spot.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the trio slipped out of their cover and half-ran, half-stumbled out of the warehouse. Jigen ran alongside them, gritting his teeth to keep the pain at bay.

The fresh night air greeted them as they burst outside. Lupin quickly led them to a trash bin where he had hidden a makeshift firework. He lit the fuse, and the three of them fled before the firework exploded.

A few seconds later, the firework burst into the sky, briefly illuminating their surroundings and forming a makeshift image of Lupin's face in the explosions. It was Goemon's signal to retreat.

"The great Lupin the Third bids you farewell, my friends!" Lupin exclaimed theatrically.

There were no shouts of anger or signs of pursuit, but Zenigata still checked behind them for the fifth time, exasperated by the thief's antics. He needn't have worried, though—no one was following them.

"He just can't help himself, can he?" Zenigata muttered under his breath.

Jigen didn't have the energy to reply. He was focused entirely on keeping pace despite the ache radiating from his wounds.

Slowly but surely, they put more distance between themselves and the Black Dawn's headquarters.

They discreetly moved away from the warehouse, guided by Lupin's unfailing instincts, until they reached an empty square bathed in the stillness of the night. The air was cooler here, and there wasn't a soul in sight, making it the perfect place for a much-needed conversation.

Knowing Lupin, Jigen decided to wait him out by sprawling onto a stone bench in the center of the square. Surprisingly, Lupin didn't head straight for Zenigata. Instead, he crouched down next to Jigen and pulled out a small first aid kit he'd been carrying. Jigen sat up, confused.

"Let me see your wound, Jigen. We need to take care of it before it gets worse."

But Jigen was far too self-conscious for that. He could feel Zenigata's inquisitive gaze on him, and there was no way he was going to undress in front of the inspector. He'd already shown too much weakness in front of Zenigata tonight. However, he also knew there was no reasoning with Lupin. With a grimace, he snatched the first aid kit out of Lupin's hands.

"I'll handle it. Go talk to him," he said, jerking his head toward Zenigata.

Lupin and Zenigata exchanged a glance.

"Jigen..." Lupin began.

He was cut off by a tired smile. Jigen appreciated the concern, but there was just no way he'd let Lupin patch him up right now. It was incredibly unprofessional.

"Don't worry, Lu. I just need to catch my breath. Go on. We'll deal with it back at the hideout."

Lupin hesitated, having clearly noticed the red stains on Jigen's jacket where they shouldn't be, but eventually relented. The gunman could be stubborn when he wanted to. Lupin straightened up and walked back to Zenigata.

"All right, Pops. I'm listening. Tell me what you know about the Black Dawn."

Zenigata had regained his energy. "Hmph. I don't know what you're planning, but you'd better be careful, Lupin. The Black Dawn has orchestrated underground networks, arms trafficking, and plenty of other illicit dealings…" His eyes wandered for a brief moment. "They have strong connections spanning all across Europe."

Lupin nodded, his gaze sharper than usual. "And they want Napoleon's treasure to fund their operations?"

"Not just that," Zenigata confirmed. "There's a rumor, I suppose you've heard of it. They say Napoleon's treasure holds more than just gold. It's said he loved his homeland more than he ever loved his marriage."

Maybe it was Jigen's imagination, but he thought he saw Lupin stiffen almost imperceptibly. Jigen was reminded of the message in the ruins.

"There's likely more to the treasure than gold," Zenigata continued, giving them no time to reflect. "Maybe state secrets… classified documents or top-secret information! And I'm not about to let you get your hands on it either, Lupin. You're still a criminal!"

Lupin smiled, but the mischievous spark from earlier was gone. "Pops, I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

Jigen shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position on the stone bench. The cold surface eased the pain in his side a little. His breathing had steadied, giving him a chance to tend to his wound. With Lupin and Zenigata no longer watching him, he decided to lift the edge of his jacket.

The stitches had torn, and blood had already soaked through his shirt. He cursed under his breath, rummaging through the kit for anything that could help stop the bleeding.

"Their move to Italy is quite recent. We suspect they've been hired by an Italian political group, but we don't know who yet. This drive…" Zenigata tapped the pocket where the USB was stored, "…should provide more answers."

Lupin scratched his chin, deep in thought. "Italy, huh? Hmm… CDELG…" A spark of realization lit up his face.

Jigen snapped his head toward them. CDELG was Jean-Luc's cryptic note.

"Their last employer is the Cercle del Giudizio—the Circle of Judgment," Lupin deduced. "It's a small Italian extremist terrorist group that dates back to Napoleon's era. They likely have a score to settle with France and plan to use the 'hidden secrets' of Napoleon's treasure to stage a comeback in Italy."

"Ho-How do you know that?"

"Hmm… just a hunch."

"If that's true, this is serious!" Zenigata started pacing in circles. He never dismissed Lupin's words. "The Circle already has the means to pressure several governments. All they're missing is significant funding to—"

He stopped mid-step and grabbed his head with both hands.

"OH! The treasure!" he exclaimed. "That's why they want it!"

… The inspector could be a bit slow on the uptake sometimes.

Jigen took the opportunity to glance wearily at Lupin. His boss was behaving for the moment, but that wouldn't last long. Lupin clearly had planned to pay a little visit to the Circle of Judgment before ICPO could get involved. Their eyes met. Time to go.

He packed up the kit and stood—ouch, bad idea.

Meanwhile, Zenigata had resumed his pacing, muttering to himself under his breath. Snippets like "Can't be… grmglgrml… Judgment?... unbelievable… definitely not amateurs…" floated in the air.

Finally, he spun around to face Lupin.

"And just how do you plan to infiltrate them, huh? You won't get lucky twice, you hear me, Lupin?"

But there was no one there. Lupin and Jigen were already gone.

Zenigata dropped his arms, utterly dejected, left alone in the quiet square with nothing but a drive and a bloodstain on a stone bench.

"Lupin…?"