Kaitou Kid had stolen the great detective's case, and Conan was never going to let him off.
At the same time, both Jodie and Vermouth weren't going to let Kaitou Kid leave easily either. So the three of them moved at once. Conan once again dashed ahead, sprinting straight for the bridge.
Inside the bridge, the crew were all asleep. Only Kaitou Kid was standing there with the microphone in hand. He was waiting for Conan to come find him.
But they weren't the only ones in motion. Ada and Haibara had also reached the deck. This time it was on purpose, to let Haibara witness the thief's dazzling performance and give her a taste of the thief's world.
'Kaitou Kid, this time I won't let you get away. I'll arrest you for sure,' Conan thought as he ran.
The audience spilled outside too. Seeing the legendary thief in action was a rare chance. On top of that, Kid had just reasoned out the killer and stolen Mouri Kogoro's spotlight, so now everyone wanted to see what the man who stole Mount Fuji really looked like. Until now, almost no photo or footage of him existed.
All they knew was that the one who stole Mount Fuji called himself Kaitou Kid. They didn't know what he looked like, or if he was as outrageous and magical as the reports made him out to be.
No one in the bridge? Only the sleeping crew. Damn, did he already leave? Of course not. It was Jodie, following right after, who spotted Kid: "There, on the deck!"
Kid was already standing at the bow, perched like a flag on the mast.
"Kaitou Kid, don't even think about escaping!" Conan shouted as he burst onto the deck. His speed was faster than an adult's.
The massive moon hung right behind Kid. From Conan's angle, the thief was framed entirely by the moonlight. With his hands in his pockets and his cape flowing, only the monocle over his right eye gleamed faintly in the shadow.
The searchlights on the deck blazed on, flooding everything with light. That was Jodie's doing from inside the bridge. She was cautious about traps, so instead of charging out she flipped on the deck lights first.
Behind Conan, the crowd poured out. What they saw was a gentleman draped in a cloak. So this was Kaitou Kid? He wasn't like the thief they'd imagined at all—too bold, too striking. Now they realized the reports hadn't exaggerated a bit. In fact, they'd been understatements. Because Kid was dazzling, like a new star hung in the sky.
"Kaitou Kid!" Conan clenched his teeth. Meeting the thief again filled him with fury.
Hidden among the spectators, Vermouth narrowed her eyes. 'Who exactly is this thief? He's seen through my disguises more than once, and even called himself Erguotou when he invited me to this party. What's his real aim?'
Jodie was staring hard at him too. This was her first time seeing the thief, but he already knew her identity. She couldn't figure out his purpose. Still, it didn't matter. As an FBI agent, she had already contacted her colleagues before boarding. She trusted that her team was either already on the ship or keeping the entire cruise under watch nearby.
"Good evening. My party's not bad, right?" Kaitou Kid said lightly.
"Kid, what the hell are you after? What's your goal? Why did you organize this masquerade?" Conan shot out all the questions at once, speaking for everyone's doubts.
"Right now this cruise ship is like a stage. On stage there are actors—main roles, supporting roles, heroes and villains. I just like to watch what kind of chemical reaction happens when all those roles gather together. Unfortunately, it seems the smart detective has already realized that both his friends and his enemies are right at his side."
Conan froze. What did that mean? Kid's words carried another meaning, hinting that there was an enemy close by. Could it be someone from the Black Organization right beside him? Who? Conan swept his gaze over the people he knew, and finally his eyes landed on Jodie.
Clearly, Conan hadn't yet realized that the "man" nearby was actually Vermouth in disguise. Her build didn't match at all, but he didn't know she was wearing an inflatable inner lining that made her frame look like a man's.
Right now, Conan simply didn't have the sharpness to see through Vermouth's disguise. So instead he suspected that Jodie was Vermouth pretending.
But this wasn't the time for that. He pulled his thoughts back. First he had to deal with the thief. "Kaitou Kid, don't tell me you called in a plane again to rescue you?"
"Of course not," Kid replied. "Tonight's moonlight is so bright, I plan to enjoy a swim through the sky."
"But there's no wind!" Conan knew that a glider couldn't fly without wind.
"That's none of your concern. You'd better worry about yourself," Kid said calmly.
A target locked in—Kaitou Kid. Far out at sea, about a kilometer from the yacht, a small boat floated. On it, Gin's lips curved into an icy smile. Tonight he was going to settle all the humiliation in one shot.
He was using America's most advanced electronic sighting and firing system, with a Barrett anti-material sniper rifle mounted on an electronic tripod. Effective range: 1,600 meters.
Through the optical scope he tracked his target. A joystick let him fine-tune his aim. The 12.7 mm rounds could tear a human body clean in half.
"Big brother, I didn't think Erguotou would turn out to be Kaitou Kid. Guess our luck's good tonight," Vodka said. He knew his brother had been fuming at Kid for a long time. Finally having a chance to vent that rage was a relief. Otherwise, even being near Gin was unbearable.
Gin carefully adjusted the remote controls, making the final tweaks. The crosshairs were locked squarely on Kid.
Sniping a target a full kilometer away at sea with electronic targeting was no easy feat. Gin had to be cautious. He knew he only had one chance. If he missed, the thief would escape.
"Kaitou Kid, go to hell!"
Bang!
Conan saw a flash of light far out on the ocean. A muffled boom followed—the sound of a gunshot. Not just any shot, but the roar of the most powerful sniper rifle.
"Everyone get down!" Conan shouted. But it was already too late.
People were still confused when Kid suddenly toppled sideways. It was like an eraser had swiped across him—the upper half of his body was gone.
Haibara's eyes widened. She knew that had to be the Organization's sniper. But she couldn't understand. Why would her mysterious foster father, who always dismissed the Organization, actually get hit? How could the miraculous Kaitou Kid end up like this?
Her old terror of the Organization surged again. She had always known—going against them never ended well. Just the thought made her tremble once more.
Ada pulled Haibara into her arms. "Don't be afraid, Haibara. Look closer. Kid isn't hurt at all."
"What? A dummy?" Conan, stunned, focused in. Impossible. Unbelievable. But it was true. He zoomed in and saw clearly—the sniper was Gin. Gin's lips curled into a victorious grin. He thought he had killed Kaitou Kid.
Why was the Organization here? Could there really be one of their agents hidden among the crowd? Maybe Kid hadn't been lying. Conan was now more certain than ever—someone close to him was an Organization spy.
Everyone else soon noticed too. The fallen figure was just a dummy. Not Kaitou Kid at all. But then—where was the real Kid?