Kaitou Kid had never denied being a thief. He didn't care about changing public opinion through good deeds. He just knew his bottom line—no innocent people should be harmed. But The Four Horsemen had already crossed that line. So Kid decided to act.
One by one, Kid exposed the tricks behind their heist. Honestly, their methods weren't anything special. It was the usual combo—hypnotize the guards, swap the real cash, then perform a flashy show to toss the money to the crowd. They called it some kind of righteous act.
Everyone at the station noticed something strange—Commissioner Stonberg seemed different today. Just yesterday, he'd been stomping around yelling over The Four Horsemen' case. But today, he was calm and composed, like a true leader.
"Feel like you've seen this before?"
Heads nodded. "Exactly like when Kid pretended to be the commissioner. You think…?"
They all huddled together, whispering and muttering. After some quick discussion, they came to a conclusion: the commissioner had probably been impersonated again by Kid.
So, without warning, they quietly surrounded Stonberg, then pounced all at once and started tugging at the man's chubby face.
"Argh! Damn it, you idiots! Are you all trying to get fired?!" Someone even splashed water on his face just in case it was glued on, but there wasn't a single sign of disguise. "You useless fools! What the hell are you doing? Planning a mutiny?!"
"Sorry, sir." Definitely not Kid. "We thought you'd been… you know… replaced again." Everyone knew the one thing the commissioner hated most was being reminded of the time Kid impersonated him.
"You morons! I'm not Kid! I'm your commissioner! No wonder you can't even catch one Magic Thief crew!" Stonberg was livid.
"Sir, isn't this the FBI's case?"
"Idiots. Just because they can't solve it doesn't mean we sit around doing nothing! The Four Horsemen are already in New York. They could strike any minute. And when they do, it's going to be huge. If we let it happen, the NYPD's reputation will be shredded."
"Is it really that serious?"
"Useless lot. What do you think their goal is?"
"They just want to steal money and give it to the people. Like some kind of modern Robin Hood."
The commissioner shook his head and said mysteriously, "That's only the first reason…"
…??
"The second is to surpass Kaitou Kid. So what do you think they'll do next?"
No one could answer.
"Obviously, they're going to challenge the police. Just like Kid used to. They'll show up in public, then vanish right under our noses. That's the next move. But they won't just stop there. They want to humiliate both the NYPD and the FBI at the same time."
Could that really happen?
Last night, when Kid laid all this out for Stonberg, the commissioner didn't believe it either. But Kid knew these four overgrown, drama-loving dreamers would absolutely go there. The fact that they kept heading for New York made it clear. More than being Robin Hoods, they were obsessed with beating Kid.
Stonberg's analysis made perfect sense. "So, what do we do?"
"Nothing. We wait," the commissioner said coolly.
…What?
No one got it.
But Stonberg was just following Kid's request. The arrest? That would be handled by Kaitou Kid himself.
Kid was going to steal The Four Horsemen.
A bold, oversized challenge letter was pinned to the front page of Kaitou Kid's official fan site. The once quiet site exploded with activity. Ever since The Four Horsemen showed up, a lot of fans had jumped ship to their website instead. The Four Horsemen regularly posted the times and locations of their performances, and only those who arrived first could get a share of the money.
Each of their heists involved more than one million dollars. That meant if one hundred people showed up, each could get ten thousand dollars. Even with one thousand attendees, they'd each get one thousand. For the poor, it was a dream come true.
Nobody hates money. The Four Horsemen' money strategy had worked perfectly—they were now hailed as Robin Hoods. Only the die-hard fans remained loyal to Kid's site, and now their idol had finally answered. And what a bold answer it was: he would steal the entire The Four Horsemen team. What did that even mean?
No one knew what Kid had planned, but The Four Horsemen' supporters were already jumping to defend them. Robin Hood couldn't be taken down, after all. The story was starting to look a lot like something from centuries past, but the outcome would be very different.
Two conflicting ideals were about to collide.
Lawful Evil versus Chaotic Evil.
They were both thieves. But Kid preferred justice within boundaries, taking down the wicked through legal means. That made him Lawful Evil. The Four Horsemen, however, believed in brute action. Their version of justice came through reckless, grassroots methods. That was Chaotic Evil.
As thieves, they both stood on the side of "evil."
"He's here! He's finally here!" the youngest, Jack, shouted excitedly. He'd waited so long. Finally, Kaitou Kid had made his move.
The other three were fired up too—especially Daniel. He'd once been a Kid fan himself. But Kid's indifference toward the poor turned him into a hater. Now, at last, he had the chance to face him. Coming to New York had been the right call. "Brothers and sisters, our moment has arrived. Kid has responded! Now it's our chance to prove that only a true Robin Hood can win. That cold-hearted thief called Kid will be forgotten in history."
"The Four Horsemen, Robin Hood!" That was the slogan their fans created, tying the two names together. It was their belief, their identity, their soul—all packed into one short phrase.
"We accept the challenge." Since Kid had finally made a move, The Four Horsemen had to respond. "Merritt, Henley, Jack—are you ready?"
"We've been ready. Wasn't this entire trick designed just for this day?" Jack said, cracking his knuckles.
Henley, the only woman in the group, nodded. "I've always wanted to face Kid. I'm dying to see if he can see through my escape techniques."
Merritt's deep stare said it all. The hypnosis master was also ready. He was curious if his skills could defeat the legendary thief.
"Alright then. Let's get to work," Daniel said with a smile.
The four of them locked eyes and shared a silent grin.
It had only been a year since Kaitou Kid appeared, and now, at last, he had worthy rivals. Liu A'dou himself was excited. He even sent out his magic doves.
Both sides had begun preparing. No one underestimated the other. They each brought out their best tricks.
New York was on fire. The whole city buzzed—over a bunch of thieves. It was like New York had been split in two: Team Kid and Team The Four Horsemen.
This time, the police kept unusually quiet. Only the FBI stayed on the case. Something was off. And Commissioner Stonberg? He was being just a little bit evil. He didn't give the FBI agents any heads-up at all—so they had no idea just how crazy things were about to get.