A flurry of cards filled the air, and to everyone's astonishment, Kid seemingly teleported to the center of Times Square. That night, every electronic billboard lit up for him; that night, Kaitou Kid was the focus.
"Kid, so cool!" Mary Jane, along with the other fans, was thrilled. The atmosphere at the scene was incomparable to watching videos online—it was much more tense, exciting, and exhilarating. It felt like she was having trouble breathing. But it didn't matter, just seeing Kaitou Kid in person made it all worth it.
"What's going on? Why hasn't Kid been caught yet?!" Commissioner Stonberg shouted, but the police officers' weapons had all malfunctioned, and they were helpless. At the same time, they didn't dare to rush in. Looking at the frenzied crowd around them, the officers feared that if they charged, they'd be overrun by the people. So, they stood still, watching Kid's performance unfold.
"Welcome, everyone, to Kaitou Kid's April Fool's Night!" The voice rang through the loudspeakers across the square.
"Kid, Kid!" The fans cheered excitedly. Even the non-fans who were just there to watch were caught up in the atmosphere, joining in the chants of Kid's name.
Kid was pleased. With so many supporters, it seemed that the thief still had a bright future ahead of him in this world. "I will take the Deep Sea Blue while swimming through the ocean. Tell me, is there an ocean here?"
?
Everyone quieted down, looking at each other, completely confused. This was New York's Times Square—where was the ocean? Yes, there was an ocean two hours' drive outside the city, but not here.
Suddenly, Kaitou Kid pulled out a white, smiling face mask from somewhere, the eyes curving into slits, the smile as though mocking the entire world. The crowd was confused. Didn't Kid already cover his face with a monocle? Why was he now wearing a mask?
They soon found out, as Kaitou Kid softly whispered, "The Fool's Ocean!"
Before anyone could react, the cards stacked around the exhibition case or in the hands of the crowd suddenly released smoke.
"Not good!" Seeing the smoke rising from the ground, Commissioner Stonberg immediately realized something was off. "Block all entrances immediately!"
The police cars stationed around the square quickly blocked the entrances. Commissioner Stonberg then smiled with satisfaction. With this, Kid was now trapped. He knew Kid had a glider, but at this height, he could never take off.
The smoke spread between the skyscrapers, and the volume of smoke soon engulfed the entire Times Square. No one could see anyone else.
"All officers on-site, immediately arrest Kid! Rush in, we must prevent him from stealing the gem. Block all the exits—don't let anyone leave!" The commissioner frowned as he looked down. "Kid, what kind of trick are you playing?"
The people upstairs had no idea what was happening, and the people downstairs were even more clueless.
For a moment, everyone anxiously waited for the smoke to clear. Fortunately, a cool breeze blew through, clearing away the obstacles, and the smoke slowly dissipated. But enough time had passed for Kid to make his move.
"Commissioner, look!" A young officer said, panic evident in his voice.
"What's wrong?" The commissioner stepped behind the binoculars and looked down, a cold sweat immediately forming on his brow. The crowd was already overwhelming, and now, the scene below was even more terrifying.
So many people. So many people wearing masks. Kaitou Kid had disappeared, and among the thousands of people below, a small portion had donned the Fool's masks that Kid had been wearing earlier. Particularly, those surrounding the exhibition case were all wearing white masks.
"The gem! Look at the gem!" The commissioner shouted excitedly.
The police immediately pushed through the piles of papers. But where was the gem on the three-dolphin exhibition stand? The glass case was intact, but the gem was gone. All they could report was: "Commissioner, the gem is gone. Only a card remains."
"F**K!" The commissioner cursed to himself. "No one is to leave! Increase the police force immediately! Everyone present must be checked, especially those wearing masks!"
The crowd hadn't expected that after the smoke, they would find themselves wearing masks. It seemed like they were glued on, impossible to remove. This was Liu A'dou's special glue, which could only be washed off with water. But now, without any water on hand, they had no choice but to endure for the moment.
"Kaitou Kid must still be hiding in the crowd, using the mask as a cover. You really underestimate the police in New York City!" The commissioner commanded. "All officers, be sure to check everyone carefully."
Fortunately, after a brief moment of chaos, the crowd calmed down. After all, it was just a mask, and there was a note attached to each one explaining that water could remove them. With that, everyone relaxed and stopped worrying about not being able to remove their masks. As they saw the empty exhibition case on the screen, they cheered at Kid's impressive skills. It truly was the best April Fool's joke.
The police blocked all exits and began their checks. But with so many people, it would take at least an hour to finish, by which time everything might be over.
Spider-Man, arriving earlier than his classmates, stood on the rooftop, separate from the police. He was eating his fast food dinner while keeping an eye on Mary Jane below. His vision, sharper than the highest-powered binoculars, allowed him to see her clearly. He noticed her anxious expression, her face showing a rare look of anticipation, the first time he'd seen her so eager about something.
He finished his drink and took the last bite of his burger while glancing at the time on the screen. The unveiling ceremony was almost upon them. Once the Deep Sea Blue was revealed, Kid was sure to make his move. Spider-Man thought about what he knew of Kid's methods. He had already seen the white dot in the sky earlier and knew it was a decoy. Kid was hiding in the crowd, waiting for the perfect moment when everyone's view was blocked.
Could he still be in the crowd? Spider-Man didn't see anyone flying off, so Kid was probably still there. But seeing how the police were set up, hiding in the crowd was dangerous, even with the masks. Spider-Man saw the disappointed looks on Mary Jane and his classmates, who seemed sad that they hadn't been given masks like the others.
Kid had done his best. He'd quickly handed out masks to as many people as possible, but he couldn't give one to everyone. The crowd today was just too large. Would he really hide among the crowd wearing a mask? Spider-Man didn't think so.
Spider-Sense tingling, Spider-Man turned around to see the familiar, troublesome mask. "Kaitou Kid, what are you doing here?"
"If I'm not here, then where would I be?" Kid slowly took off his mask. "Don't think that because I mentioned swimming in the Fool's Ocean, I'd actually hide in the crowd."
While everyone was still stunned by the masks, Kid had already used a rope to ascend to the rooftop.
"What an untrustworthy thief," Spider-Man muttered.
"It's just an April Fool's joke, Spider-Man. So, are you going to catch me?" Kid teased.
Spider-Man crouched down, ready for action. He knew he had to catch the thief—after all, he was a criminal. It was the job of a superhero to stop thieves. "So, will you be a good thief and let me catch you, Kaitou Kid?"
Spider-Man preferred to avoid violence when possible, but this situation might require it.
Kid, still holding his mask in one hand, pulled out the Deep Sea Blue gem from his jacket pocket. "What a beautiful gem," he said, turning it toward the moonlight. But it wasn't the Pandora gem.
The gem was right in front of him. Spider-Man made up his mind to at least get the gem back. He shot out his webbing and swung toward the gem.
With a sly smile, Kid quickly switched the gem for the mask. The webbing attached to the mask instead of the gem, and Spider-Man reeled it in, surprised at how fast Kid's hands were. "You're pretty good."
Kaitou Kid smiled faintly. "Not bad yourself, Spider-Man." He then tossed the gem to Spider-Man.
Spider-Man was stunned. He hadn't expected Kid to give the gem to him so easily. "?" Before he could process it, Kid had already flown off from the building, propelled by the wind. Within seconds, he was out of Spider-Man's reach.
All that was left on the rooftop was a purple rose and a card. The method Kid had used to steal the Deep Sea Blue gem from the case remained a mystery. How had the gem turned into a card? No one knew—except for Kaitou Kid.