The next day, the outskirts of Milan witnessed three rather distinctive figures speeding along in a large green 4x4, hair and hats whipping in the wind. Goemon sat calmly in the backseat, his Zantetsuken resting serenely across his knees, eyes closed as if meditating despite the jolts of the bumpy road. Jigen smoked his cigarette in silence, wearing the same shit-eating grin as Lupin.

Lupin had spent a good part of the morning meticulously packing his endless supply of gadgets, and it was only after devouring a gloriously cheesy pizza that they finally set off. ("Try this, Goemon! You won't find anything as good anywhere else—not even in France!")

Lupin had driven them far out of the city, into a dense forest a few kilometers from Milan. The engine roared as they left the main roads, transitioning from urban areas to increasingly narrow backroads. Eventually, Lupin veered off entirely, guiding the 4x4 onto an unmarked trail.

The scenery changed quickly, shifting from rolling hills dotted with vineyards and picturesque Italian villages to an ominously thick forest. The trees closed in around them, their twisted branches creating an almost claustrophobic canopy that darkened the already difficult-to-spot trail. Yet Lupin appeared completely confident in his navigation.

At last, Lupin pulled the 4x4 into a tiny clearing, utterly isolated and seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

"This is it," he said, hopping out of the vehicle. "The entrance is hidden around here somewhere."

Goemon and Jigen climbed out of the vehicle normally, though the gunman slammed his door a little harder than necessary. The forest was silent and devoid of any trace of human presence. The tall, dense trees formed a thick curtain of greenery that made visibility nearly impossible.

A faint, cold breeze swept through the woods, as if urging them to turn back. But that chill only confirmed what Lupin had told them. A breeze like this on a day this hot could only have come from deep underground.

Lupin followed the breeze like a hunting dog. He crouched down, carefully scanning the ground, and after a few minutes, pointed to what looked like a simple heap of leaves, stones, and roots, all dusted with an extra layer of moss.

"There it is!"

"You're kiddin', right?" Jigen raised an eyebrow.

Lupin chuckled softly. He brushed away a few branches, revealing an old metal lever hidden beneath layers of dirt and moss.

"One of these days, you're gonna have to tell me how you find this stuff."

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Lupin grinned.

He pulled the lever. A faint rumble echoed beneath their feet, and the ground gradually rose, revealing a dark, narrow entrance leading underground. Further down, the dirt gave way to white stones. The ones at the entrance were so old and dirty that Jigen had mistaken them for soil.

The three of them descended underground. Passing through the first archway, they pulled out their flashlights. Daylight quickly faded as they delved deeper into the subterranean darkness. Old torches lined the walls, and Jigen lit one with his lighter. Lupin took it and used it to ignite the others as they moved further in. Goemon brought up the rear, vigilant as ever. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

The ruins were ancient and weathered by time. The walls were covered in moss and carvings that were half-erased. The air was damp, and the faint, icy breeze that had led them here seemed to seep from the very depths of the earth. The place looked as though it had been abandoned for centuries, but the three thieves knew by experience that places like this were often teeming with traps—traps that weren't as dormant as the ruins themselves.

Lupin led the way, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He thrived in situations like this. There was no one better at spotting traps than him. Ruins were often riddled with them, but neither Jigen nor Goemon felt anxious about encountering any. Lupin could easily distinguish a pressure-sensitive tile from an old, cracked, harmless one. Hidden wires and concealed mechanisms were like a game to him.

The only issue was his overconfidence, which meant Goemon often had to slice a boulder in two to save them.

Lupin moved with a stooped posture, scanning every stone and inspecting every crack like a Zenigata hunting a Lupin. When he spotted something suspicious, he would stop abruptly, toss a rock into the corridor, and watch as a massive trapdoor opened in the middle of the floor.

Their progress was slow and methodical until they encountered a trap Lupin couldn't bypass on his own.

"Hum…" he murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Arrow launchers."

He pointed to several rows of small openings between the stones, barely visible, cleverly camouflaged and perfectly aligned.

"If we go through there, we'll end up as human piñatas."

Lupin stepped aside without hesitation and extended his hand toward Goemon, inviting him forward. "Goemon, if you please."

Goemon calmly unsheathed Zantetsuken, the legendary blade glinting faintly in the dim light, before stepping into the trapped corridor.

The moment he crossed the first line of tiles, a sharp click echoed through the space. Instantly, arrows shot from the walls at lightning speed. With impeccable grace and astonishing speed, Zantetsuken sliced through the air, cutting the arrows down before they had any chance to reach him. The projectiles shattered under the sheer power of his blade, falling to the ground in splinters of wood and metal. Lupin whooped.

Another click sounded, and a second volley of arrows launched. Once again, Goemon anticipated them. In a swift, fluid motion, he obliterated the incoming projectiles.

He leapt from tile to tile, too fast and deliberate to be caught by the traps. Each triggered volley of arrows met the same fate—splintered and destroyed mid-air.

When the final arrow was cut down and silence settled once more, Goemon calmly sheathed his blade. It was as if the entire display of mastery had been nothing more than a casual warm-up.

Lupin clapped enthusiastically, and Jigen tipped his hat.

"Bravo, Goemon!" Lupin laughed. "Very impressive, as always! We'd be completely lost without you."

Goemon, as humble as ever, gave a slight nod before returning to his place in the back. Lupin began whistling a cheerful tune as he continued to disable traps with uncanny ease. He moved through the ancient corridor as if he were strolling through the aisles of a market.

Despite his lack of involvement, Jigen didn't lose his grin.

A few years ago, he might have been on edge, worried that he wasn't pulling his weight in the team. Lupin was a master strategist, the illustrious Third of a legendary lineage. Goemon was a living legend, a samurai capable of cutting through anything with his Zantetsuken, a katana made from a fricking meteorite. And him? He was just an ex-mafia grunt, a grumpy sharpshooter with a no-nonsense attitude and a battered-up magnum. He used to feel like he didn't belong next to these two titans.

But now, he knew better. Lupin had chosen him for a reason—because he was the best. He didn't need to be useful all the time. He juste had to be useful at the right time.

Jigen took a slow drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke just as softly.

Pulling him out of his thoughts, Lupin stopped in front of a massive stone door adorned with ancient carvings.

"Ah! Now this is more like it. We're finally getting to the interesting part."

Lupin studied the door, his lips pursed in concentration. He inspected every carving and scanned each stone three times before finally breaking into a toothy grin.

"Simple as pie!"

He pressed a small stone, triggering a hidden mechanism. Lupin straightened, clearly expecting the massive door to swing open.

Instead, a hissing noise filled the air.

Small, hidden vents opened at the top of the walls, releasing a thick gas that began spreading quickly through the corridor. The sharp, acrid smell hit them immediately.

Lupin, usually unfazed by surprises, froze for a split second, his eyes widening in shock. He quickly covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, but it was obvious this twist had caught him off guard.

Goemon and Jigen instinctively shifted into defensive stances, but it was hard to fight an invisible enemy. All they could do was follow Lupin's lead and cover their faces with their sleeves as the gas continued to flood the space.

"Oops! That wasn't supposed to happen!" Lupin's voice was muffled behind his arm.

He began frantically searching around, his hands brushing against the walls, feeling for another stone or mechanism that might stop the gas from spreading. Goemon, too, looked for a solution, but he was the least experienced of the three in situations like this, so he simply scanned the walls with his hand on his katana, looking quite lost.

Jigen followed suit. The gas was spreading fast, and with the corridor sloping downward and them being miles underground, they'd suffocate long before they could backtrack to safety. His sharp eyes darted across the walls and floor, searching for anything that could save them. The gas was getting thicker, and a faint dizziness was already creeping over him.

And then, he saw it.

Nestled between two slightly misaligned stones was a copper pipe, almost invisible in the shadows. It was barely noticeable, and Lupin, in his frantic haste, had completely missed it. Whatever it was, it was their only chance. They needed to disable it. The space was tight, too far to reach manually, with hardly enough room for a finger, let alone a bullet. But Jigen was a pro, and this was exactly why Lupin had him on the team.

He drew his magnum and aimed for the narrow opening. The gas burned his eyes, forcing him to pause for a second to steady his aim. His hands remained rock-solid as he focused, every ounce of his energy channeling into the shot.

He fired.

The gunshot echoed through the corridor, and the pipe burst under the pressure of the bullet. The gas flow ceased immediately. Jigen had hit something important, probably one of the conduit lines, rerouting the remaining gas to another section behind the wall.

The gas lingering around them slowly dissipated, and Jigen exhaled in relief as he could finally breathe through his nose once more. Lupin lowered his arm and shot him a look full of admiration, though still slightly out of breath.

"Ha! Nice work, Jigen, old pal!" he said, offering a tired but genuine smile. He clapped Jigen on the shoulder, visibly relieved.

Goemon gave him an approving nod.

"Alright," Lupin sighed. "Let's move on. I promise not to trigger another trap."

Adrenaline still pounded through Jigen's veins, and he wondered if it was the same for Lupin—or if the thief was simply that unfazed by brushes with death. Lupin, casual as ever, returned his focus to the door.

This time, Lupin examined the wall more carefully and found the real release mechanism, located right next to the fake one.

"Oh, oops!" Lupin said, flashing them a sheepish grin. "It's this one."

Goemon and Jigen exchanged a look, both sharing the same desire to throttle their boss. Lupin stuck out his tongue playfully and pressed the correct button.

The sound of ancient gears turning echoed through the walls, reverberating all around them. Slowly but surely, the massive stone door creaked open, revealing a vast and imposing chamber. The stone walls stretched far into the shadows, beyond the reach of their torches.

"And there we go! I promise, no more mistakes!… hopefully."