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Ran Mouri walked along the familiar sidewalk that she takes every day to and from school back home. Though her best friend Sonoko Suzuki and their new friend Sera Masumi would usually join her, the karate champion is alone this time. Sonoko is visiting her uncle while Sera is following up on a case - similar to a certain high school detective that she knows. In the silence, Ran couldn't help but let her mind wander to the said high school detective, a childhood friend, and long-time crush Shinichi Kudo. She unconsciously worries over her crush as he has been gone for far longer, missing school for close to half the school year. Too consumed in her thoughts, Ran didn't notice the mugger come running towards her.
"Move out of the way!" exclaims the said mugger, a man in his late forties with dirty clothes and a scruffy appearance.
Ran quickly notices the man after he yells out and the expensive item that she concludes should not be in his possession. Before the scrawny man can shove her out of the way, Ran naturally moves back a few steps before performing a roundhouse kick right into the man's face, knocking him down and rendering him unconscious. The high school student then falls out of her stance and retrieves the expensive-looking briefcase that was most likely the stolen item. Ran then notices the two large foreign men standing a few feet away from her. The men wore black suits, black sunglasses, and a calloused expression on their faces. Ran felt a little intimidated by the men, but then bravely handed them the briefcase. The man standing to her right accepts the briefcase handed to him and nods quietly in thanks. Right then, a car came up to where the three were standing. By the looks of the sleek black car, Ran knows it is expensive and holds an important person. The tinted windows rolled down and revealed a western man: his laugh lines were clear making him appear much older, but not weaker, his slick back dark hair and piercing grey eyes gave Ran a cold chill. However, the older gentleman also gives off a regal and elegant aura.
"We are sorry for taking so long sir," the man that took the briefcase speaks up while bowing slightly to the man sitting in the car.
The regal did not say anything but shifted his gaze to Ran and smiled gently, "Thank you, my dear."
Stuttering out in English, Ran returns the smile sheepishly, "N-No problem sir. I was happy to help."
It was then that the grey-eyed man stepped out of the car and stood in front of her. The man towers over Ran like any normal foreign male due to their tall genes. The man then gently asks, "Is there any way I can repay you?"
Ran waves her hand in front of her and replies, "You don't need to repay. Anyone would do the same."
"But I insist my dear," the man continues.
Ran remains stubborn and smiles genuinely, "Doing good deeds don't need rewards. Rewards come with seeing I make someone's day better."
Nodding silently, the man then asks, "What is your name my dear?"
Ran answers, "My name is...Ran Mouri."
"Ran," the man states while taking a card out of his breast pocket, "My name is Winston. If you need anything, please call me."
"Thank you, Mr. Winston," Ran protests, "You don't need to repay me."
Winston insists, "Keep it. You might need it one day."
Taking the card, Ran smiles nervously and bows, "Thank you, Mr. Winston."
"Have a good evening my dear."
With that, the elder man enters the car with the two large men following him, and the car zooms away.
Like any other murder case, Ran thought it would end with finding the culprit. Unfortunately for her, the recent case brought more on the family than she thought. Ran had walked home alone once again when she was abducted. Ran did her best to fight her abductors off, but in the end, she failed. The high school student later found herself woken up to her kidnapper's demands for ransom. Ran also noticed that her mouth was taped, wrists and ankles were tied tightly behind her. Watching the men carefully, Ran tries to find an escape route but to no avail.
After demanding ransom and the release of their boss, who was put away from the recent case, the men ended the call, turned to Ran, and licked their lips lustfully. Shivers roll down the girl's back as she scoots away from the men, who only cackle mockingly. Tears begin to fall rapidly down Ran's pale cheeks, fearing the fate that soon awaits. They approach her like coyotes preying on a single gazelle. As a man reaches out and rips off her uniform top, a shot rings the air. The said man flops on the floor like a rag doll as all focuses are redirected to the entrance of the abandoned warehouse. The moonlight dimly lit the large space as a dark and foreboding figure moved in the shadow. Ran's kidnapper frighteningly fires their gun in random directions, trying to lure out the being that put their comrade down.
From the encompassing darkness steps out a man. A tall man. Dark raven hair that falls to his neckline and a bearded jaw that charmingly frames his face. Hard brown eyes stare dangerously at the males that tower over Ran. The mysterious man dons a three-piece suit that is as black as the shadow from which he emerged and in his hands are two guns. Ran's kidnappers engage the man in a one-sided fight that drops bodies on the ground one after the other. Ran watches in horror as the man mercilessly goes through her kidnappers like they are nothing; his bullets accurately find their way through the men's heads. Once all the kidnappers are dead - their blood matting the cold cement floor - the dangerously handsome man stalks over to Ran. Breaking into a panic, Ran cried out silently as she continuously pushed against the wall where she was cornered. In nothing but a skirt and her ripped shirt that exposed her bra, Ran's tears spilled like a dam as she resigned to the fact that this was where she would die and she closed her eyes tightly.
What Ran didn't expect was to feel a soft fabric being placed over her shoulder. The young girl opens her eyes to find the man kneeling on the ground in front of her and staring into her own brown eyes, his eyes shockingly gentle. Looking down to her shoulder, Ran discovers the man's suit jacket placed over her protectively. The man himself gently cut away her restraints and helped the youth to stand. Ran consciously pulls the jacket closer to herself, covering her up. It was then that she noticed how small she is compared to the foreign man. He towers over her, though not as intimidatingly as she thought (even after how she witnessed him kill all those men).
"Are you okay?" the man asked in broken Japanese.
Ran wipes away her tears and quietly nods, "Thank you. I’m…fine."
The man scanned the girl quickly before leading her out of the warehouse. "Let's get you home."
In the car, Ran couldn't help but sneak a few glances at the western man driving. The youth finds it odd that the man before the girl has a certain gentleness to him even after watching him ruthlessly kill. Ran is also conflicted about whether she should report the man for his excessive killing or not for the fact that he saved her.
At the moment, Ran bravely questions the man "Excuse me...where are you taking me?"
John glances at the girl quickly before shifting back to the streets and replies, "The Continental. Someone there will send you home."
"Did..." Ran continues hesitantly, "Did my father tell you ...find me?"
"No," the man answers, "A friend sent me to get you."
"Who?"
"I'm glad you are safe my dear," Winston says as he greets Ran and her savior at the front of what seems to be a hotel.
Ran surprisingly exclaims, "Mr. Winston!"
Winston nods to her before turning to the man next to her and states, "I believe it went well."
Ran's mysterious savior nods from behind her, "Went as well as it could have."
Winston sighs, and smiles at the high school girl cordially, "Why don't you come in and have some tea? There is a phone ready for you to call your family and some clothes prepared for you."
Ran bows in thanks before being led inside the Continental by Winston's assistant. Before she enters the door, however, Ran turns to bow to the tall man. "Thank you for saving me....uh...What is your name?"
"John. Wick."
When Ran was returned to her family's safety, she retold her encounters to them. She had told them that a man named John Wick had saved her but decided to leave out how he did it. The family and friends were happy and very relieved that Ran was alright, but Conan couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with the situation. He took note of the unassuming hotel that they (he and Kogoro) picked Ran up from, the underlining expensively plain clothes that Ran was wearing, and the black American vintage car that tailed them until they got back home. Conan, of course, quickly reached out to the FBI "Silver Bullet" Akai Shuichi - who also goes under the name Subaru Okiya - and Secret Service Amuro Tooru for help in the investigation. However, when the two heard the name of Ran's savior, they were visibly shocked and unsettled.
"So you know who he is?" Conan states.
One night, the three met at the restaurant below the Mouri's Agency where Amuro works to discuss the matter. Akai, who dons his persona of Subaru Okiya, lets out a puff of smoke while Amuro avoids Conan's gaze, cleaning the glass cups as he does so.
"What luck Ran-chan has," Amuro chuckles heavily, "To be saved by John Wick."
"John Wick," Akai hums as he lets out a puff of smoke, "Haven’t heard that name in a long time."
Conan observes the two older secret agents and cautiously asks, sensing the rising tension, “… What’s wrong?”
Putting out his cigarette, Akai shifts to Conan and begins explaining, "John Wick is a hired gun. An incredibly dangerous one at that.”
Amuro joins in, "Everyone and anyone important in the underworld knows who John Wick is, including those in the Black Organization. He has an infamous title to his name and hands dipped in the blood of his victims."
"Baba Yaga," Akai retells the rumor, "The Boogie Man....or rather, he is the one you send to kill the Boogie Man."
Amuro continues, "Once infiltrating the Black Organization, rumors about ...John Wick floats around from the lowest criminals to highest trained assassins. People say that the Organization has lost a lot of men and firepower due to crossing paths with Wick. Others say that he once killed three men in a bar...with a pencil."
Akai announces seriously, glaring down at his drink, "That man...is a man of Focus. Commitment. And Sheer Will. He exceeds the level of the most dangerous and should be avoided at all costs."
"How come the police and the government never heard of him?" the disguised Shinichi asks, now fearing the said assassin more.
Amuro shakes his head, "You don't understand. The only way you can ever hear the name John Wick is if you are deep enough in the underworld. If you don't at least have the backing of someone powerful in the underworld, then not even the FBI, CIA, or Secret Service can do anything about them."
"The underworld has rules that they follow, and the High Table controls those rules - keeping them in check to some extent," Akai further explains, "The government can never and will never do anything because the underworld has people within the system. Therefore we stay in our lanes..."
"And they stay in theirs," Amuro finishes.
Conan nervously questions, "Jaa then...is Ran in any danger?"
Amuro smiles gently and answers, "No, she is not. It seems Wick-san was there on an assignment and happened to pass by. As deadly as the man is, he is said to have a heart. But Ran-chan sure is a trouble magnet, not to her own fault of course, but nonetheless…Doesn't even have a criminal record and she already crosses paths with Baba Yaga. I have been undercover for a while now and still haven't seen a peek of him."
"I have."
Both Conan and Amuro stare at the FBI agent in surprise.
Amuro questions, "As a member?"
"No," Akai replies as he downs his drink, "As an FBI agent."
The two quietly stare at the Silver Bullet intently as the man sighs, "It was one of my first assassination missions. I was young and wanted to prove myself. I was set up on the roof and ready to take the shot. As I went to complete my task, I saw my target already dead with a man looking down on him. The man standing over my target then looked up and straight at me. I was taken by surprise. I didn't know what else to do but pack up and report back to the higher-ups. As I did, I accidentally ran into some of my target's men. They gave me a hard time and to say...if it wasn't for him, I would have been dead."
"Are you serious?" Amuro gasps.
Akai nods, "I was fighting and didn't see one aiming at me from behind, but before he could fire it, someone else shot him. Seeing the man lying on the ground, I turn towards the direction of the shot and find the man who killed my target. The man just stared at me before saying 'For taking your kill.' and left. That was the first and last time I met...Baba Yaga."
"Did you hear about who's in town?" Amuro, also known as Bourbon, asks Vermouth as the pair and a few prominent members (Gin, Vodka, Korn, Chianti, Kir) sat at the well-known Continental bar in Tokyo.
Vermouth indifferently asks, "Who?"
Bourbon smirks as he sips on his drink, "John Wick."
Korn, Chianti, and Vodka choke on their drinks while Gin and Vermouth remain silent, though Amuro notices the slight tremble in their hands and the tightening holds of their drink.
"Wha...What!" exclaims Vodka while he takes a handkerchief to clean off the drink he spat out.
Vermouth growls, "Where did you hear this?"
"I have my connections," Bourbon smirks, satisfied that he can get under Vermouth's skin.
Gin grunts out, "Answer the question Bourbon."
Amuro shrugs, "A little birdie told me."
"Give it up Bourbon," Chianti snorts, "You are just bluffing aren't you? The Boogie Man isn't in Japan."
"The kid isn't wrong," a deep and chilling voice rings out in the empty bar, making all members freeze up in shock and fear. "Gin. Vermouth."
The said Baba Yaga held his head high as he walked over to the table, pulled up an empty chair, and sat down with his drink in hand. The group watched the assassin carefully and cautiously. John glances at his cup before downing the alcohol casually, ignorant of the stares of shock and glares of caution he is receiving.
For Amuro, he didn't expect Baba Yaga to just appear out of nowhere. Analyzing the tall Western man, Amuro finally understands why the man sitting right next to him is deemed to be one of the most dangerous assassins on earth. The bearded man oozes danger and his heavy aura screams death. His eyes are sharp as steel, and his silence makes him even more lethal and dangerous. Amuro then shifts his gaze to Vermouth and Gin and is surprised to see them trying to hide their obvious trembles.
"What do you want Mr. Wick?" Gin grounds out tightly.
Placing his empty cup on the table gently, John gave each person a silent gaze before focusing back on Gin and Vermouth. "I need to speak to your boss."