Jigen slowly regained consciousness. The dull ache at the back of his skull reminded him that he'd been taken out like a rookie. And the sharp pain in his side was the promise that Lupin was going to be furious with him—which was far more terrifying to Jigen's mind.

When he managed to open his eyes, he realized he was seated on a chair in the middle of a dark, cold room with concrete walls, illuminated only by a few flickering lights. His arms were tightly bound behind him.

Those bastards had taken his hat.

At the far end of the room, two silhouettes were deep in conversation. Their voices eventually pierced through the haze clouding Jigen's brain.

One of them was Jacques, and he sounded visibly nervous. "You don't know Lupin! He's dangerous! You can't keep Jigen here! He'll come for him, and it'll cost us—big time."

He sounded both agitated and a little scared. The encounter at the Louvre must've rattled him more than Jigen had expected.

The other voice belonged to Zorin, and he sounded downright furious. The argument must have been going on for some time. "There is no 'us,' Jacques. Who do you think you are to give me orders? You're nothing to the Black Dawn. And if you dare criticize my plan again, you'll find yourself chained up next to that dog!" Jigen caught a thumb pointing in his direction. "Drawing Lupin here is exactly the plan!"

Jacques took a shaky step back, visibly rattled. "No… no, you don't understand! Lupin won't fall for a trap like that!"

Zorin slapped Jacques so hard that the poor Frenchman was sent stumbling against the wall.

"Silence!" Zorin roared. "Don't you dare question my methods! You'd do well to remember who's in charge here!"

Jacques clutched his bruised face but didn't argue. Zorin turned back to the papers on the table in front of him—Jigen spotted his hat and magnum among the mess.

Jigen shook himself mentally. He didn't have time for this nonsense.

Even through the fog clouding his mind, he remembered his tie clip. Lupin, ever the meticulous planner, had outfitted it with a small GPS-microphone. Lupin had wanted to add a camera too, but the clip would've been far too bulky to look believable.

Jigen began to move subtly, hoping his efforts wouldn't draw attention. He lowered his head just enough to press the hidden button on the tie clip. There was a faint click. A small victory. Unfortunately, his movements had caught Zorin's attention.

The leader of the Black Dawn immediately came striding toward him, his face adorned with a wide, mocking grin.

"Ah, Lupin's lapdog is awake. Trying to wriggle out of your restraints? Don't bother. You're not leaving here—not with all the guards I've stationed."

Zorin planted himself in front of Jigen, his cold eyes boring into the gunman's.

"It's time to talk. You're not going anywhere until you tell us everything."

"…Go to hell."

Jigen didn't even know what Zorin wanted, but he didn't need to. He would never betray Lupin.

Zorin's mocking smirk vanished, replaced by a cold, steely determination. He grabbed Jigen by the collar and yanked him forward, the chair screeching across the floor as he forced the gunman to meet his eyes.

"Listen here, you mutt," Zorin hissed. "I have better things to do than interrogate you, so you're going to save me the trouble and spill everything. We know the medallion contains a hidden message. Lupin must've figured it out. Now, tell us what it says."

Straight to business. Jigen had endured interrogations like this before. Zorin was just another maniac in an endless list of deranged lunatics.

"Even if I did know," Jigen replied coolly, "I wouldn't tell you, asshole."

Zorin's fist crashed into Jigen's jaw, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Refusing to show weakness, Jigen spat onto the floor, defiance burning in his gaze.

"You think you're clever? Where is Napoleon's treasure, you bastard?" Zorin shouted, his voice rising with frustration.

He followed up with a savage kick to Jigen's ribs, hard enough to send the chair skidding back before it toppled over. Jigen instinctively tried to protect his injured side, but tied up as he was, there wasn't much he could do. The force of the blow left him gasping for air, pain exploding in his chest.

His head hit the cold, hard floor with a dull thud, and for a moment, his senses spun wildly.

"Kh…!"

"Well?! Where is it?!" Zorin's eyes burned with madness. "The treasure?! The Heart of Napoleon leads to it. Tell me!"

Jigen stayed silent, his jaw clenched as he stared Zorin down with defiance. The man knew how to land a hit, but Jigen had been through worse. Pain and threats of death weren't exactly new to him.

"If you don't know that, then tell me his weaknesses. How many men does he have? Where is his hideout?"

"Gh… Fuck you."

Zorin's rage boiled over. He could see that Jigen wasn't going to talk, and that infuriated him even more. He pressed his boot down on Jigen's face, grinding it against his cheek. Zorin clearly enjoyed seeing the gunman trying to remain stoic, his brows furrowed and eyes narrowing to maintain his composure under the pressure.

"You think Lupin's coming to save you? Think again! He won't. And if you won't talk, Lupin will. No one stands a chance against my hypnosis!"

Zorin stepped away, heading back to his workstation. His arrogance made Jigen's stomach churn. Lupin would come for him, and he'd find a way to counter had no idea what Lupin was truly capable of.

Zorin returned, now strapping his shield-weapon onto his wrist.

"I tried to be nice. I gave you a chance to talk," Zorin said with a cruel smile. "But you chose the hard way."

Jigen's chest tightened. His eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for a way out. They landed on Jacques, who stood nervously in the corner, wringing his hands. Useless. The man wouldn't lift a finger.

Zorin noticed the flicker of fear in his prey's eyes and grinned cruelly. He crouched down to Jigen's level, savoring the moment.

"Last chance, you bastard. Where is Lupin's hideout?"

Jigen drew in a shaky breath. Somehow, he vaguely remembered that Lupin was listening.

"Sorry, Lu."

Zorin ignored the words. He yanked Jigen's chair upright and activated the device. The shield began to glow with an ominous light, a faint hum emanating from the weapon.

"Open your eyes," Zorin demanded, grabbing Jigen by the hair and forcing his gaze upward. "You're going to tell me everything I want to know."

Jigen felt a strange mental pressure begin to weigh on him. He tried to resist, to turn away, but the light emanating from the shield was nearly impossible to avoid.

Somewhere in the haze, he heard Zorin sneer, "Look at this weakling. He's already breaking." To this, Jigen couldn't muster a response.

An invisible force was slowly pulling him into submission, and a thick fog was creeping into his mind. His breathing quickened, and he felt his will faltering under the hypnotic assault. Zorin's face drew closer, growing blurrier with each passing moment as the pressure intensified.

Jigen's last thought was to fear for Lupin. But that fear faded, just as his sense of self began to dissolve. It was as though his thoughts and emotions were being sucked into an impenetrable mist. His eyes were wide, locked on the shield-weapon, unable to look away.

Every word Zorin spoke now echoed in his mind like commands, Zorin's will imposed over Jigen's.

Somewhere deep inside, Jigen was still conscious. He could see and hear everything happening around him, but nothing seemed to concern him anymore. It was as if his body no longer obeyed his own commands. His movements weren't his own, and worse, he was speaking without any control.

Zorin stared at him, satisfied. "Now, Jigen. What are Lupin's weaknesses?"

"Lupin, he…" The words tore from his lips against his will, but the truth Jigen believed in with all his heart was not what Zorin expected. "He has no weaknesses."

Not even Fujiko had managed to take the Heart of Napoleon from him that first night at the Louvre. When Lupin wanted it, he was invincible.

Zorin frowned, irritated by the answer. "What? What kind of bullshit is that?" He rattled the hypnotic shield as though it were broken, but it wasn't. "Don't waste my time, Jigen. Everyone has weaknesses. Lupin must have them!"

He tightened his mental grip on Jigen, but the gunman offered no further response. Frustrated, Zorin dismissed this failure and moved on.

"Fine… Where is Lupin's hideout?"

Jigen replied mechanically, his throat dry. "It's… safehouse 38B… Viale delle Ombre."

Zorin finally smiled, satisfied that he had gotten what he wanted. Jigen felt like he had committed the ultimate betrayal, and yet there was nothing he could have done to stop it. Zorin stood up and grabbed a radio, barking orders into it. Once done, he released Jigen from his binds—a cruel irony, given that the hypnosis left him unable to move.

He remained motionless, sitting on a wooden chair, his back far too straight for his liking, and painfully lacking his signature hat.

A deep exhaustion settled over Jigen. He was drained, mentally shattered by the impossible battle he had lost. He knew the mic was still working, which was both a small comfort and a source of relentless stress.

Lupin had undoubtedly heard everything. Thankfully, he'd know the safehouse was compromised. But on the other hand, how would he take the fact that Jigen had betrayed him? That had never happened before, and Jigen was scared. He knew it was irrational to feel this way—Lupin would understand he'd been forced into it. Still, it was the first time Jigen had ever betrayed his boss.

He'd failed in his role. He wasn't worthy of being Lupin's partner.

He withdrew into himself mentally, though his body remained upright in the chair. He hadn't been ordered to relax, so he waited, eyes fixed on the wall, long after he saw Jacques slip out of the room behind Zorin.