Detective Conan: Death Note

The next morning, after waking up, Hayashi Yoshiki suddenly received a call from Inspector Megure Juzo. Through fingerprint comparison, the

The next morning, after waking up, Hayashi Yoshiki suddenly received a call from Inspector Megure Juzo.

Through fingerprint comparison, the identities of the two treasure hunters had been uncovered—they had robbed artworks, unearthed cultural relics, and committed various crimes in relic sites and museums around the world. They had also taken several lives.

They were, without a doubt, internationally wanted criminals.

At the same time, news of a theft came from the museum on Koumi Island: a scimitar, suspected to belong to Anne Bonny, and a flintlock rifle, suspected to be Mary Read's, had been excavated from the underwater palace. The display cabinets holding the two artifacts had been violently dismantled, and the original objects had vanished.

"Inspector Megure said he wants me to go over and help, so I'll head over now. Also, it looks like the wind will be very strong today, so be careful if you want to go out and play,"

Hayashi Yoshiki said as he looked at everyone in front of him.

The group, still enthralled by the treasure-hunting game, replied with a long sigh, and Ran and Sonoko nodded.

Hayashi Yoshiki left shortly after.

Ran and Sonoko looked at each other, trying to decide how to spend their day.

"Should we skip diving this time?"

"Yeah... I'm still a little scared after what happened."

"...But we're leaving tomorrow. It'd be a shame not to enjoy a bit more."

"So, should we go out to sea? But the wind's supposed to be strong—it might be dangerous."

"How about we go to the beach? Didn't Miss Yamaguchi say there's a beautiful one on the island?"

"Okay, let's go buy swimsuits later."

After that pleasant discussion, an excited Ran suddenly yawned.

Sonoko noticed and tilted her head in confusion.

"What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Well... I stayed up a little late."

"But you went to bed at the same time as me, right? Insomnia? That's weird. You're not someone who struggles to sleep in a new bed."

"I don't know either."

Ran smiled softly in response to her best friend's puzzled look.

Hayashi Yoshiki quickly rushed to Megure Juzo's side.

"You're finally here, Brother Hayashi."

"What's the situation, Officer Megure?"

"We tried to arrest them as soon as we confirmed their identities, but they didn't return to the hotel. There's no sign of them leaving the island either... They must be hiding somewhere."

Megure spoke, his expression grim.

At that moment, Shiratori Ninzaburo stepped forward.

"At least one of them was shot with a rifle. There's blood at the scene. He might be in need of treatment."

Hayashi Yoshiki absorbed the details swiftly. The criminals, Izu Yamataro and Mitsuji Matsumoto had been attacked by an unknown assailant with a rifle during the attempted theft last night. Now the police believed the attacker might have been the same murderer who had eliminated one of their accomplices.

"We've confirmed with the island clinic—they haven't shown up," said Takagi Wataru, raising his hand.

"The only scheduled boat leaves Koumi Island at 1 PM every day... But we can't rule out that some local fishermen may have private boats and struck a deal with them."

"We were just about to bring this up," added Takagi. "Chika Mabuchi—manager of the Diving Grotto Shop—took their money and lent them a boat."

"Is that so?"

"Still, it's strange. Why steal something now, with the police here?"

Miwako Sato furrowed her brow.

Indeed, the island's isolation made it perfect for quiet escape after committing a crime. But the suspects acted the same night multiple police officers were stationed on the island. Why?

"Two theories," said Hayashi Yoshiki. "One, they knew their identities were about to be discovered. Two, they urgently needed what they stole—the scimitar and the flintlock rifle said to be relics from the infamous female pirates. But without official confirmation, their value isn't particularly high. A repeat offender with global hits... would usually aim for something bigger."

He turned to look at Jouji Iwanaga, the tourism director of Koumi Island. The man stayed silent.

"So when will backup from Tokyo arrive?"

"I'm afraid not today," said Megure. "Due to the low sea pressure, neither helicopters nor boats can operate. We're on our own."

"The bullets used against Matsumoto Mitsuji came from a very old hunting rifle. Let's investigate in that direction."

The police sprang into action.

Hayashi Yoshiki checked his watch, then pulled out his notebook and started writing.

As the police questioned island residents about stolen rifles, they identified the owner as an elderly man living alone, currently being cared for by his niece—Chika Mabuchi, the diving shop manager.

It took quite a while to bring her in for questioning.

Outside, the wind was growing fierce.

The windows of the small room rattled with every gust.

It wasn't until late afternoon when the sky was already darkened by storm clouds, that Kogoro Mori and the others received shocking news—

Ran and Sonoko had been kidnapped.

The report came from Kimiko Yamaguchi, the diving instructor.

She explained that the girls had asked her earlier about the most beautiful beach on the island. Feeling guilty for yesterday's poor diving experience, she offered to take them there personally... but they were intercepted and captured by the two wanted criminals.

The two girls had been forced onto the rented boat with oxygen tanks and were seen heading toward Koumi Island, clearly to re-enter the underwater palace.

"What!?"

Kogoro's face turned deathly pale. His daughter—was kidnapped and dragged out to sea during a typhoon, by murderers.

His fists clenched. If those men had been in front of him then, he would have strangled them without hesitation.

"Prepare a boat!" he demanded, turning to the nearest officer.

The older officer nodded solemnly but warned:

"It'll be difficult to launch during a typhoon. We may have to wait a little."

Just then, Hayashi Yoshiki stepped forward.

"Yoshiki! Where are you going!?"

"I'm going to find another boat."

"…"

Kogoro Mori, seeing Yoshiki's determinated back, did not try to stop him. He turned away, heading straight for Megure to find another solution.

Meanwhile, Hayashi Yoshiki walked out of the village office, pulled a notebook from inside his coat, tore out a page, and shredded it into pieces.

The content had already served its purpose. There was no point in keeping it—especially not in a storm where even paper could betray you.