Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

After so long the gang was sure that it won't happen, but it happened. After Lupin managed to recover Rebecca and defeat Da Vinci, Lupin decided to retire. He called the gang at a café in Milan, near the central station of Milan. He waited there at the café, one leg on the other, a cup of coffee on the table next to him. He was wearing his blue jacket, red tie, and white jeans, breathing heavily while waiting for the others to come. How would he explain this? Stealing and this gang had been their lives for decades at this point, how was he going to tell them that they are done now with stealing? That was practically impossible. But it was Lupin's turn to retire. After the fight, Lupin realized that it was time to stop after the whole Italian peninsula fell into a coma.

Jigen, the eternal faithful man was the first one to show up, a lit bent Marlboro Red in his mouth as he sat down

"So what about did you want to discuss, boss?" The man asked. Lupin just nodded, a sign to wait. Next came Goemon, silently as the night as he sat down quietly. Jigen, confused about the sudden meetup, leaned back and continued to smoke the cigarette that was in his mouth, dreading what could only be the next person in the gang to show up.

Fujiko wasn't much of a woman of silent entrances... or unneeded secrecy in general. Jigen could hear her stilettos from 20 meters away, and the closer she got, the more weight Jigen put into his sighs. She got to the table the rest of the gang was at and jumped into her seat. She was dressed in an elegant red dress, outfitted with golden sparkles layered all along it. She let her hair out for this occasion. Jigen immediately sighed from her arriving

"I know you don't like me that much Jigen, but Lupin called all of us~" She taunted him the second she heard his sigh, making Jigen even more miffed but he couldn't rebuttal. Lupin in the call did say all of them, not just Goemon and Jigen. She placed a handbag on the table in front of them all. "So what about did you want us to talk about?" She asked the man of the hour

"Well gang, after the fight with Da Vinci, I've concluded it might be time for a... retirement of sorts?" He tried using his hands to explain, but nothing could make sense to the others. The reactions went from Goemon's curious eyebrow rising, to Fujiko's leaning towards him in curiosity, and Jigen's flabbergasted face at the preposition made Lupin realize that his decision was even more preposterous than he could ever have imagined

"Did Da Vinci mess with your mind?" Said a bewildered Jigen looking one of his best friends in the eyes. Lupin sighed as he looked back

"My mind is long gone and you know that Jigen" Lupin smiled as memories of heists came to his mind. It was a good run... a very good run. The best run now that he thought. They had managed to do so many great heists in so many places on Earth, both on the ground and in the ocean. Like the time they stole the nuclear submarine or the misadventure in Cagliaostro... good times, but it felt like it was time to end the show. The world would be in shock, Zenigata amongst the ones most shocked. "But dear friends, I've realized that theft is a young man's game, and let's all be honest with ourselves, we are quite old" Jigen laid back in confusion but understanding. "But!" Lupin continued, catching but surprising the gang, "Let's do something that we will be known for-for centuries!" He signed for the others to lean in close and so they did, "Let's paint our faces on the Sistine Chapel." The group leaned back and got up, Jigen walking alongside Lupin. The idea was a daring one, but one that for sure would make sure that they won't be forgotten.

Lupin and Jigen were driving their famous Fiat 500, with Goeman sitting on the roof of the car. Fujiko decided she'd go by motorbike and not with the boys, but the scope was the same, Rome and the Vatican City. The car was silent, the only sound was the music on the radio as Jigen drove the car. Lupin decided to wear the green jacket as they continued marching to Rome, towards Genova, and then going along the coast toward Rome.

"So are you sure about this boss?" Jigen asked while driving. He continued to look at the road, waiting for Lupin's answer

"We will be written in the history books Jigen!" The man answered back

"Not about the Sistine Chapel, but about retirement. Are you sure about that?"

"Ah... Well yes, but we always have the chance to backpedal. But after what Rebbeca did with the flying thingamajig, I realized we are getting old. But we continued, but then Da Vinci came knocking, and let's say, the stakes are getting higher and higher. So why not retire? And leave the new thieves in our way" Jigen listened to his friend while looking out the window... then he realized Lupin's masterplan. The goal was to paint their faces on the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, why do that when they could just rob a bank or casino? Because Jigen realized that those would fade, some even might not know that it was the Lupin's gang handiwork. But painting the Sistine Chapel with their faces? That won't go away, maybe even physically, not just metaphorically. But it was also a key for other thieves, to impersonate the Lupin gang and continue on their legacy. That's what Lupin meant by backpedal, in a swarm of Lupins, Jigens, Goemons, and Fujikoes, they could just sneak in and continue their thieving, unknown to the police that they were the originals

Jigen looked at his partner in crime and it was clear that Lupin read Jigen like a book, that he realized Lupin's master plan. Jigen was more than ever determined for something, as it would lead to a legacy of all their names, and they will be amongst the greatest names, maybe even overlapping Arsene Lupin I! It was time for the greatest heist, the heist of all the world's attention

"Ready guys?" Lupin asked them all. They were outside the Vatican, all ready for the heist. Goemon nodded and got in the Fiat with Jigen

"Buena suerte amigo." Said Jigen as he drove off to his and Goemon's parts in the plan, leaving Lupin and Fujiko alone. Lupin booped Fujiko's nose, an act that she didn't enjoy at all as he walked towards the city, her following him. The plan was simple. They'd go up to the windows that would lead them into the room of frescoes, gas the eventual guards in there, and then paint their faces, the problem was getting to the window. Saint Peter's Square was open and the Italian Police would be there, alongside the Swiss Guard would be on patrol. The Sistine itself would be the hard part, but getting there. However, Lupin and Fujiko had an idea of how. They climbed up the side of Saint Peter's Square and on top of the not-very-lit roof where they slowly went towards the location of the Sistine frescoes. They waited...

Meanwhile, Jigen and Goemon were at the energy bank that would cut the power to the Papal state. It would cut the cameras all over the country. Fujiko had called some favours already to not be any cameras in the Chapel, and they made the decision to install more guards, which was just dandy with the gang

"How much do you have left? It can't be that hard to cut a wire" Said Jigen on the ground looking up to see Goemon's progress with cutting it. While normally he'd be able to cut something with ease, this required more precision to cut the exact thing. The gang didn't want hospitals to not have power and for all the people who were on Life Support to die

"It's more complicated than that Jigen." Said a miffed Goemon as he finally managed to find the right wire and cut it, and the second he cut the power, the Vatican lost all of its power. 

"The power is out, have fun you two, but not that kind of fun. Over" Communicated Jigen towards Lupin and Fujiko as they cut the glass

"Thank Gogo for me. See you later Jigen" was heard on Jigen's side of the radio as Fujiko started to cut a circle in the glass. Fujiko could hear the chatter between the guards inside, barely but still. "Is it done Fujicakes?" asked Lupin. He saw the men outside in the Square going around when the power wouldn't come back.

"Just a moment" She answered in a miffed tone but she wasn't that with Lupin but more with the circle glass cutter but she managed to make it work. The two split to the sides of the Chapel

"Night Night!" Exclaimed Lupin to the guards as he threw a sleeping gas bomb onto the ground, a signal for Fujiko to throw her bomb as well. The guards tried to call it in but the gas took its effects and knocked them out and before it would affect the two heisters, they wore on their faces gas masks. "We're in. Good job you two, see ya later" Lupin said through the radio. "You ready Fujiko?"

"Like never!" she said in an excited tone

Zenigata was in his office in the Rome Interpol headquarters, waiting for a Lupin case to show up. He was virtually never not on the case, as it had become his life, joy, and pride for what he knew was his life. He took out his pack of Shinsei and a lighter and started smoking while looking at the ceiling. He had nothing to do really, so he waited until a phone rang and he scrambled to pick it up

"Inspector Zenigata, what do you want to report?" Said Zenigata loading his Colt. He knew that the Interpol chiefs wouldn't redirect this call to him if it wasn't Lupin related. And what he heard was something else. Lupin painting his face on the Sistine Chapel? That was quite an interesting case. He climbed down to the ground level of the Interpol building and called his men to drive

As he arrived at the Chapel, he was gobsmacked. Every. Single. Fresco had one of the gang's faces. All the males either had the face of Jigen, Goemon or Lupin and all the females with Fujiko's face. The knocked-out guards were starting to wake up. As Zenigata was looking around, he found a message in Japanese that wrote 

Pops, thy crusade is finished 

                             ~Lupin III

It was clear is was left for him but he didn't know what it could mean.

The next couple of weeks were mayhem. Lupin's plan worked, and dozens upon dozens of copycats would invade the world, while the real gang was gone from any radar

Chapter Text

It had been a month since the Sistine Chapel painting ended, and Lupin copycats were swamping Interpol. They'd investigate 25 Lupin gangs daily, so Zenigata became an Interpol legend. But he knew that no gang that they would investigate was the real Lupin gang. The real gang was perfect in their smaller-scale heists, the banks or casinos noticing at the last second they were robbed, all clean. Even more big heists were still clean but these, the heisters varied from not knowing where to run to killers. The other investigators knew this wasn't the actual Lupin gang, but they decided to continue with the investigations just to help the crime scene get smaller.

However, the new Lupin criminals also lead to genuinely dangerous killers. While the Lupin gang would sometimes kill people, it was out of necessity, but a peculiar gang would let their crime scene's walls be painted in the blood of the people that even dared oppose them. They were placed above the Lupin gang even on the lookout, due to their sheer bloodshed and their reputation for hitting places which could lead to more deaths. But there were many, many more gangs in the world, all special in their way of MO. But the biggest question is, where in the world was the real Lupin the Third?

"Ready guys?" Asked Lupin. The gang was currently in the middle of France, having evaded border control and Interpol, here with just one thing in mind to do, bury the past for the moment. In front of them was a hole, 3 meters in diameter, dug in in haste by the gang, including Fujiko, much to her chagrin but much to Jigen's mood. The weather wasn't much on their side either, the clouds above them letting their water drop on the French countryside

"Do we have to do this?" Asked Fujiko, not wanting to do what was necessary

"Look Fujicakes, if we don't do this, it will be like all of this was for nought" he said as he took the initiative and threw in... a backpack filled with jackets. A blue, green, red and pink jacket. Currently, he had a white jacket. Goemon took the next one and placed his normal clothes inside the hole, as he was dressed in normal clothes for once, a disgrace to his skin really.

"Alright, fine" she reluctantly said as she threw inside her fancy clothes, a sign of her moving on from thieving once and for a while.

"Well Lupin, it's been an honour and a dishonour fighting alongside you" Said Goemon. Lupin walked to him and gave him a new identity. A passport, licences to many things, a stack of cash, and a pat on the back.

"Say Fujiko, do you need your money?" Asked Lupin. She turned back to him as she showed a stack on her already.

"No need Wolfy, already got mine" She giggled as he gave her the fake identity packet. She blew him a kiss, a move that did warm him up as he turned back.

"Only us, like usual right!" Exclaimed Lupin

"Guess so boss." Said the dressed man with a cigarette in his mouth. The brim of his hat just barely managing to keep the cigarette lit. Jigen looked into the hole in the ground. While the others might've not realized what this hole meant, for him it represented the end of his current life and the start of a new one. Gone were Jigen, Lupin the Third, Fujiko and Goemon, and in came their new identities. He realized something that the others might not have, this was the end of a period of their life. Jigen had dedicated 20, maybe more, years dedicated to helping Lupin. This was his life. "This is it then." He said in a monotone voice looking deep into the hole.

"No no no dear Jigen!" Lupin said as he circled next to Jigen. "We can always come back from this, but a small retirement would be nice right?" He asked. He knew the answer was yes, and so did Jigen

"It wouldn't be awful." He responded as he did the final thing, throwing his trusty hat and revolver into the hole, a sign of his end for now. "See ya, boss"

"Don't call me boss Jigen, call me Lupin!" Said The Third to Jigen. Jigen smiled as he took the disappearance kit and walked off, leaving Lupin alone

"Hope I did you two proud" Lupin said as he placed dirt over everything and left.

A month had passed since the Sistine Fresco fiasco. The Lupin cases only got more and more common, but the man himself, Arséne Lupin the Third, and the third member of the important Lupin family of thieves had vanished. Zenigata was on forced leave when he trained one of his men a little too much and accidentally broke a Lupin impersonator's collarbone. But Zenigata was on something specific, "Pops, thy crusade is over". What could that mean?! It was left specifically for Zenigata, but what did it want to say? At one point he walked out of the Tokyo base. He needed to go home anyway. Ever since the real Lupin case went dead, a Zenigata being too aggressive with a Lupin faker, and his overall age, he had been placed in reserve. Interpol couldn't fire Zenigata, even if they did want to, so Zenigata was in good hands for not getting retired.

He walked home, as he walked to work this day instead of driving, which allowed him to think things, a thing that was so rare when he was always hunting Lupin. Because of Lupin's mobility, Zenigata barely had the time to... think. He realized in what mess he had gotten himself in, hunting Lupin and all, but only now realized how much he had sacrificed, for just one man. He had a family before Lupin, a girl named Toshiko, and a wife. His wife had left him long ago, and his relationship with his daughter, Toshiko, had been strained ever since he dedicated himself to Lupin and catching him, and look now what happened, he had nothing.

As he was walking, he arrived at Shibuya Crossing. He walked here a lot, as it was one of the streets and places he'd need to go in order to get home, especially now. The swarm of people slowed Zenigata a bit. Usually, he'd speed through Shibuya, but now that he didn't have anything to do, he let the ocean of souls lead him. But something stood out to him, the screens around were showing broadcasts of Lupin fakers all across the world. This didn't mean really anything to Zenigata at first, after all, it was the month's anniversary of Lupin's biggest identifiable crime, but that phrase came back to his mind "Pops, thy crusade is over". He realized at that moment that Lupin... had the last laugh!

He could've chosen anything in the world, but he chose that formulation. He hadn't thought of Lupin retiring, he didn't want that to be true. It would mean that the last couple of decades, his family, everything would've been in nought. At that moment, he realized that Lupin won, and had become one with history, he stole the world essentially. Lupin impersonators were everywhere over the news, Lupin was number one in every criminal database, but no one could find him. It was like one of his heists, they knew who made it, but didn't know where he was. He essentially robbed the world's attention and by extension, the world itself. He got the thing that every thief wants, rob something that would change the course of history, and in this case, the world. The Sistine incident wasn't a regular crime, it was Lupin's certificate of victory, the piece that proved his dominance. Lupin got the last laugh. Zenigata wanted to burst out crying but he couldn't in public after all.

He shambled home, not walking. Before entering his home, he spotted his car, why couldn't he have taken the car, why couldn't he have continued to live in the delusion that he could get Lupin once and for all? As he entered his home, he collapsed on his knees and started crying. He knew that he had wasted his life, his family, EVERYTHING, and now everything didn't matter anymore, as the man he had chased, disappeared like the snow in March.

Zenigata got up off of his knees and walked to the fridge, looking at what drinks he had. Sake, that was it in terms of alcoholic drinks. Better that than anything right? He poured himself 5 glasses of Sake, and with every single glass, his mind got more and more drunk and confused. Even after the 5 drinks, he still poured himself more and more until, after 16 glasses of Sake, he passed out, in a pool of his own vomit.

The next day he woke up, with a hangover to beat all hangovers. He felt like shit, actual shit. He couldn't go to the office like this! He got his phone out and dialled his boss

"Good morning chief. Sorry to interrupt but could I get the day off?" He asked. He was polite with the chief of course, especially at 9 AM. The chief obliged with the condition he'd work overtime tomorrow. "Thank you chief, will do" He said as he hang up, ready to get his act up together for the next day. He'd need to get his mind off of Lupin for a while. The realization broke him, and it was time to move on. Maybe he'll get in touch with his daughter? Though they might be too estranged at this point

Chapter Text

"Why this night as well?" Jigen said as he dry-washed his face. He had just got a vivid nightmare, but this wasn't new news. He had nightmares for a couple of weeks at this point, all at different moments but he always seemed haunted by something. He looked around his room, his main room where he slept. It had almost no furniture, only a table, a chair, and the very bed Jigen was sleeping on, nothing else. There was a small kitchen and bath though. He didn't have enough space for any more furniture, so this was the max of the room's potential. It didn't mind Jigen though, he had slept or even lived in much worse rooms and houses than this, but still, this room was driving him partially insane. He missed the heists and all the thrill and joy that those heists came with, now he was stuck here, in this apartment. He had enough money that he didn't need to work, but he did work as a bodyguard on occasion, but only when it would be suspicious how he could spend for an apartment but also not work. It wasn't all that shit, but he missed heisting, he missed the thrill. But the retirement did help him with certain internal issues, so it wasn't all bad.

He got up from his bed, today was a day with no clients so simply a day for relaxing and staying at home. While not in heists, Jigen was known for relaxing at home and not going out, and even there he went to places he knew that wouldn't disappoint like his favourite local bars or a chophouse, and those two were on his places to go for the day. Today he wanted to take it slow. He had a stressful bodyguard shift recently, and he needed a day off to relax in his mind, there was no other way than going and drinking for the day and getting sober in the night, just in time for tomorrow's bodyguard job. He tiredly shuffled to the window and opened the curtains to welcome the morning sun into his room and to see his city once again, The Bronx, the borough he had been raised from a young age. Jigen smiled as he looked at his part of the city. He had seen it a number of times before, but it still felt nice and reassuring to do so.

Jigen then went to the bathroom in order to change his clothes, from his regular night pyjamas to his outgoing clothes, aka the suit, tie, and shirt underneath. He didn't wear much of anything, especially against the others. Lupin dressed in fancy jackets and ties, Goemon had his traditional clothes, and Fujiko constantly had her fancy dresses, instead he had casual clothes for basically everybody.

He got out of the apartment and breathed that Bronx air. It didn't compare with the air in colder areas but still was pleasant as he lit a cigarette on the stairs to his apartment building. He had an idea for breakfast, he had the money, but he didn't have the ingredients. He walked on his street a bit. Jigen hadn't done this in a bit, and he did need ingredients for breakfast after 3 minutes, he found a store he hadn't seen in his life before, a rare occasion but might as well check it out. The store had those... homely sensations. It wasn't like more industrial stores, all arranged perfectly, but it didn't feel like a shithole either. The thief walked around the store, getting milk, eggs, bananas, flour and strawberry jam. He placed them all in a bag and went to the checkout.

"Pack of Marlboro Red please." Jigen said as he placed the bag onto the checkout. The woman at the checkout obliged. But she glanced at Jigen's face, a cold sweat ran through her. She realized who it was, but she couldn't be sure

"Aren't you the man with that Lupan guy?" She asked worried out of her mind. Jigen chuckled a bit, but it was a worried chuckle. How in the fuck did she guess that?!

"I'm not don't worry. I just like the man's fashion choices, what can I say." He said as a solution to his current predicament. The woman bought it, after all, it wasn't all that bad of a look for someone to have. Jigen waved to the cashier and walked back home, after all, it was just a quick shopping session and then getting home

When he arrived home, he cracked the eggs, placed them in a bowl with flour and started to cook crepes, a recipe that Lupin taught him long ago but it was a good enough breakfast. When he finished it, he ate them with jam and bananas as he looked at a movie and relaxed for a bit.

Jigen had woken up from a nap as he looked around his room, bored and hungry. He was always hungry after sleeping, and if he wouldn't eat for a bit after waking up, he'd become more and more snarky and groggy, but this time... he didn't have anyone in the room. He had slept with his clothes on him, as there wasn't much of a reason to take them off.

As he got out of his apartment he immediately b-lined to his favourite restaurant in the area, Mike's Chopshop was the place's name. While Jigen enjoyed American food no doubt, this place just did it so far he thought they had crack cocaine on their stakes, that's how much he enjoyed their stakes, they also had not that shabby of a bar for a steakhouse.

He entered the restaurant, smelling the steaks and cuts being cut. The Steakhouse decided to release the smell of the cooking for all to smell and enjoy. It was also a good choice for them, due to the fact the customers would order more because their appetite rose from the smell of the meat being cooked on the stoves. Jigen was a regular customer at this place, as it was one of the few places he enjoyed eating. While he had a soft spot, he still had some pickiness with American food, and this was one of the few places that would cook all of their food items perfectly.

Jigen sat down, breathing the symphony of meat being cooked, while reminiscing on some old memories, of his adventures. He had saved Lupin's ass multiple times, one of the most daring was with the ICPO blockade, very risky but it succeeded. After 5 minutes, a waitress came to him asking about what he will order

"The usual burger." Jigen answered. There were 5 burgers on the menu, and to him, their regular burger was the best, both in terms of cost but also in flavour. It just had that quality he couldn't really taste in the others. Jigen could only guess it had something to do with how fast they could make it. While it was a generic way to order it, that's how everyone who ordered this burger called it, the usual, and the waitresses caught on with the slang for the burger. She nodded and left to give the order as Jigen turned to his front.

Suddenly, 4 people enter the Chopshop, all dressed in different styles of clothing and hairstyles, they were Lupin clones. One dressed in a maroon jacket which seemed weathered, a tie with a clap on, and jeans with black, it was a Lupin clone all day long, just without the hair. Another had a fedora, black shirt and a suit, with a curtain beard, a clear clone of Jigen. The next one was dressed in samurai clothes, not much to say other than it being Goemon. And finally, there was a lady with the three others, dressed in a fancy, but to Jigen, cheap dress, a clear Fujiko in the making. They sat down next to the real Jigen, and Jigen could hear all of their discussions.

They were quiet until one of their voices said "So, where is the Lupin cache or is it still unknown?" he said. It was quiet for a bit until a feminine could be heard, "I've heard that the gang scattered them everywhere, not just Japan. It does sound a bit desperate, considering Japan was turned on its head by our kind of people looking for that cache, but that's the common thinking right now." She giggled in a very high pitch, which helped Jigen smile. He knew they were off the track levels of wrong with the cash, so his and the rest of the gang's chance in the sunlight would be in safe sounds, or at least idiotic hands. The fake gang continued eating, having switched the subject to non-Lupin discussions, which left Jigen calmly eating his burger when it did arrive. 

He finished his burger after around 20 minutes, and he decided to call it a day and return home. He did want to go to the bar at the chophouse, but in case he went overboard, at least at home he was safer to pass out, and he didn't have to pay for the alcohol with steep prices. Jigen walked out of the Chophouse, the sun was almost setting so Jigen took a more rapid pace when getting home this time. He knew that walking around in the Bronx wasn't the safest idea. Very few people were on the streets besides Jigen, mostly just people leaving their homes to go to bars or nightclubs in other zones of the city.

Jigen arrived home and got a bottle of Jack Daniels and some shot glasses. He was no lightweight, and with this bottle of whiskey, there were very low chances he would pass out or worse from it. After 9 shots of whiskey, Jigen started to feel tipsy, and he decided to call it a day. He walked to his bed and there he slept, ending a day, one of his calm days