The day after Kaito Kid stole the Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace, Gotham woke up to chaos.
From early morning onward, the news spread through the city like wildfire, racing through streets, alleys, cafés, and subway platforms.
Unlike before, Kaito Kid was no longer just a rumor whispered among criminals.
He was now Gotham's most talked-about figure.
A single heist notice was enough to throw the entire media industry into a frenzy.
Dozens of newspapers—large and small—sent out reporters and photographers at once, desperate to capture even a single usable image of the phantom thief. Every outlet wanted Kaito Kid on its front page.
Fortunately for them, Kaito Kid had made his first appearance in the grand plaza of the Gotham Natural History Museum, giving photographers countless opportunities to snap photos.
By the end of the day, almost every media company had gotten what it wanted.
And each of them crafted headlines more exaggerated than the last.
"SHOCKING! BATGIRL PUBLICLY OUTPLAYED BY KAITO KID!"
"DRAGON EGG RUBY NECKLACE STOLEN ON FIRST EXHIBITION — CHANDLER FAMILY SUFFERS MASSIVE LOSS!"
"UNSTOPPABLE STREAK! WHO CAN HALT KAITO KID NOW?"
"MAGIC OR SORCERY? WITNESSES CLAIM RAIN FLOWED BACKWARDS!"
Under this overwhelming flood of sensational reports, another piece of news was quietly buried.
"Escaped arsonist Firefly, Garfield Lynns, defeated by Batgirl and Robin, captured and returned to Arkham."
Normally, that would have been front-page material.
But compared to Kaito Kid's spectacle, it barely drew attention.
Still—
No matter how insignificant a story seemed, someone would always notice.
---
Iceberg Lounge
Bang!
A newspaper slammed hard against the table.
Penguin's face was dark with rage.
"That useless piece of trash, Firefly!" he roared.
"He swore he could kill Kaito Kid by himself—and instead he got played like a clown!"
Below him, Ogilvy and several other trusted subordinates stood in a line, heads lowered, not daring to speak.
"Firefly isn't the only one!" Penguin continued, voice rising.
"Robin and Batgirl are useless too! When they fight us, one person wipes out dozens. But when it comes to Kaito Kid, they let him escape again and again!"
"And Nygma!" Penguin slammed the table again.
"That idiot can't even decipher a simple notice and still calls himself the Riddler?"
"Useless! All of them are useless!"
Even locked away in Arkham Asylum, Riddler couldn't escape Penguin's fury.
Penguin suddenly turned his sharp gaze on the people below him.
"What are you all doing with your heads down?" he barked.
"Speak!"
The subordinates exchanged uneasy glances.
Almost instinctively, their eyes shifted toward Ogilvy.
As if only his words mattered.
With no way out, Ogilvy stepped forward.
"Boss," he said calmly, "please cool down. Although the trap against Kaito Kid failed, we didn't come away empty-handed."
Penguin snorted.
"I don't see what we gained."
Ogilvy hesitated for a brief moment—then spoke firmly.
"This incident revealed a critical mistake we've been making," he said.
"Our understanding of Kaito Kid was completely wrong."
"We underestimated him."
"Kaito Kid is an exceptionally dangerous phantom thief. In my opinion, only Catwoman can truly compete with him—and even she may not be his equal."
"If we don't face this reality, we'll only be humiliated by him again and again."
The room fell silent.
Penguin's expression shifted repeatedly.
Ogilvy's words were polite—but the meaning was clear.
Penguin had misjudged his enemy.
The others instinctively edged away from Ogilvy.
In the Iceberg Gang, Penguin criticized others—never the reverse.
To point out his mistake during a rage-filled outburst was practically asking for death.
Yet—
Penguin didn't explode.
Instead, he stared at Ogilvy for a long moment, then asked coldly:
"Kaito Kid is now our sworn enemy. Do you have a solution?"
Ogilvy exhaled quietly.
"We've already challenged him once with bait, and he accepted openly. If we repeat the same tactic, the underworld will think the Penguin Gang can't play fair."
"So… we need a different approach."
He leaned closer and whispered several words into Penguin's ear.
Penguin's eyes lit up instantly.
His anger vanished.
"This plan is excellent," Penguin said, smiling.
"Promoting you was one of my best decisions."
"It's only because of your guidance, Boss," Ogilvy replied smoothly.
Penguin waved his hand.
"Running the casino wastes your talent. I thought about it all night."
"You should stay by my side."
Then he spoke the words that made the room freeze.
"Ogilvy, the strategist position is too small for you. From today onward—you are my secretary."
Ogilvy's heart skipped violently.
Was Penguin reclaiming control of the Iceberg Casino?
Did he sense something?
Countless thoughts raced through Ogilvy's mind—but his face remained calm.
"I'm honored to serve you directly, Boss."
Penguin nodded, then casually added:
"Oh, did you hear? Lark and Grayletard were stabbed to death in prison yesterday."
The words were spoken lightly.
Too lightly.
Ogilvy's heart leapt into his throat.
"Yes," he answered evenly.
"The GCPD said it was a conflict between inmates."
Penguin smiled faintly.
"Do you believe that?"
He continued slowly.
"The inmate with the weapon died of food poisoning last night. A patrolling guard vanished. Several key cameras were destroyed—specifically the ones facing the scene."
"How could an inmate obtain a sharp weapon without help?" Penguin mused.
"Someone bribed a guard, arranged the killing, then erased every loose end."
"Clean work," he said softly.
"Very clean."
Penguin turned his gaze toward Ogilvy.
"I also heard you killed someone in the casino yesterday."
Ogilvy's heartbeat spiked.
Penguin opened a drawer and removed a photograph.
As he set it on the table, he said casually:
"Before the prison murders, someone was seen bribing a guard nearby."
"He looks… very similar to the man you killed."
The photograph lay between them.
The room fell deathly silent.
---
Above Gotham, dark clouds gathered.
And in that silence, a new game had begun.
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