On the deserted dock, Hayashi Yoshiki and Lupin III were locked in a fierce hand-to-hand exchange.

What a pain...

While defending against Yoshiki's attacks, Lupin III muttered complaints in his heart.

This guy was dangerous.

Fujiko Mine had warned him already—this man appeared gentle, refined, and dependable in public, but beneath that exterior, he was full of schemes and sharp instincts… like a venomous snake. Most people only realized the danger once they'd already been bitten.

And Lupin III couldn't agree more with Fujiko's assessment.

After all, her instincts about men were frighteningly accurate.

"Whoa, that was close."

Lupin narrowly dodged a punch that came at him like a cannonball. He grinned as he diverted the follow-up strike with his forearm and retaliated with a punch of his own aimed directly at Yoshiki's chest.

Though often cast as a "mastermind type," Lupin III was also a skilled brawler. He was adept at boxing and street fighting, and proficient with weapons like daggers, katanas, batons, even nunchaku.

Yet despite his skills, something felt off about this fight.

His punch should've landed solidly on Yoshiki's torso—but it missed completely. It felt like his fist had passed right through him.

Confused, he staggered—

Only for Hayashi Yoshiki's fist to slam into his gut.

To Yoshiki, it felt like punching a slab of steel. He sensed something was off immediately and followed up with a spinning roundhouse that sent Lupin staggering backward.

"Tch..."

The monkey-faced thief stumbled, then chuckled slyly.

"Tada~! I was hiding a steel plate under my shirt," he grinned, pulling the metal sheet out theatrically like a circus clown revealing a hidden trick.

These tricksters always seemed to have an impossible number of things hidden under tight clothing.

"Is that so?" Hayashi Yoshiki replied calmly.

"Then… I was hiding something too."

"Oh? What is it?"

Yoshiki didn't answer.

He just smiled and suddenly rushed forward.

Lupin responded on instinct—dodging and parrying—

But—

Zzzzt! Crackle!

A burst of lightning arced across Lupin's arm.

"Eeeeh?!" he cried out, body seizing up like a shocked cartoon character.

In a blink, Yoshiki now held a taser, discharging a violent current directly into him.

What the hell...?

An illusion? A hallucination?

Lupin collapsed—but the instant he hit the ground, he rolled away with surprising agility.

"You... you're really something," Hayashi Yoshiki murmured in surprise. "Most people would be down for a while after that. But you're barely affected."

"You're one to talk! Using a cheap trick like that?!"

Lupin then noticed something—the red light flashing intermittently from the warehouse roof.

Without hesitation, he drew his gun and fired—

Bang!

The glowing red device shattered.

Immediately, something changed in the air—something subtle, maybe a shift in humidity or pressure.

Yoshiki was still there, smiling, the taser in hand still sparking...

But now Lupin spotted something strange—a small item lying on the ground a short distance away.

It looked like a wallet… positioned exactly where Yoshiki had earlier tossed the taser.

Wait… was I under an illusion since then?

"So that's how it is..." Yoshiki mused. "Should've asked Professor Agasa to make a stronger taser. This one might've jolted you hard enough to break the illusion by accident."

"I heard…" Lupin said with curiosity, "That an assassin named Spider died recently.

Wasn't he known for using illusions to kill?"

"Never heard of him," Yoshiki replied, smiling.

Lupin smirked and aimed his gun.

"Look, kid, how about you don't drag me to the police station tonight, yeah?"

"You're really going to shoot?"

"Who knows? Maybe the trigger'll just slip."

Yoshiki's smile faded.

What replaced it was a calm so cold it made the air feel heavier.

"Are you sure," he asked slowly, "you've really broken free from the illusion?"

Bang!

The taser in Yoshiki's hand shattered from the gunshot.

Then—

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four more shots rang out, hitting the surrounding area.

Yoshiki smiled, letting the broken taser drop to the ground.

Lupin blinked—What?

He had been aiming right at Yoshiki…

But now, where he'd seen him standing was nothing but empty air.

Hayashi Yoshiki was now two meters to his side.

He looked up at the rooftop of a nearby metal warehouse—

Where a man in a fedora and black-gray suit stood, a smoking revolver in his hand and a glowing cigarette in his mouth.

"Jigen Daisuke, huh?"

Yoshiki just gave him a small smile.

"Yo," Jigen nodded in greeting.

Lupin scowled. "Man, you're a nasty piece of work, kid…"

Yoshiki didn't reply.

Only after Lupin III and Jigen Daisuke had disappeared did Conan finally show up, dripping from the river.

He clutched his soaked skateboard and approached Hayashi Yoshiki.

"Yoshiki-nii!?"

He paused for a moment, surprised. Then rushed over.

"Where's Kaito Kid!?"

"He got away."

"He escaped...?"

Conan glanced around.

The vintage car, the shattered taser, the lingering smell of gunpowder... Even the gunshots he'd heard just moments ago.

And yet, Yoshiki simply said: he got away.

Conan opened the face of his watch, aiming it at Yoshiki.

"...Let me confirm first," he said firmly.

"Are you really Yoshiki-nii...?"