At exactly 5:00 p.m. on January 27, the luxury cruise ship docked at Yokohama Port departed on schedule.
Its destination was Tokyo Port, a voyage of approximately three hours.
Today marked the 60th anniversary of the Suzuki Financial Group, and to commemorate the occasion, they had specially commissioned the construction of this magnificent vessel, the SallyBeth.
Conan, dressed in a dark navy blazer with both hands tucked into his pockets, yawned as he waited.
After standing around for nearly ten minutes, he finally spotted Suzuki Shiro.
Looking around, he noticed that the guests were all members of high society.
'As expected of one of Japan's largest financial groups... None of the invited guests are ordinary people.'
Come to think of it, when most people celebrated an anniversary, they threw a party and cut a commemorative cake.
The Suzuki Financial Group, on the other hand, built an entire luxury cruise ship.
'Rich people really do have more money than they know what to do with.'
"Today marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Suzuki Financial Group!"
Shiro addressed the crowd enthusiastically.
"On behalf of the Suzuki family, I sincerely thank every one of you for your continued support and encouragement!
For tonight, I hope you'll all forget about that so-called phantom thief.
I sincerely hope that all five hundred distinguished guests aboard the Sally Beth will simply relax and enjoy this elegant celebration!"
Conan wore his trademark half-lidded expression.
'Forget Kaito Kid? Yeah, right. I boarded this ship specifically to catch the thief who embarrassed me.'
"Before that," a woman's voice interrupted,
"I'd like to explain the plan I've come up with."
Suzuki Tomoko, the chairman's wife, walked gracefully to her husband's side. She wore a dark purple evening gown draped with a light lavender shawl.
Raising the small pink box she'd been hiding behind her back, she smiled.
"When everyone boarded, I personally handed each of you one of these boxes. Please open them.
To be honest... This is my own little challenge to that foolish thief."
In truth, Tomoko wasn't nearly as confident as she appeared.
The one she was worried about wasn't Kaito Kid.
It was Arsène Lupin.
The kimono-clad phantom thief who had only ever targeted sapphires had suddenly resurfaced. His appearance was completely unexpected.
'...I wonder if he's already mixed into the crowd.'
Too short to see because of his height disadvantage, Conan stretched up on his tiptoes in an attempt to peek inside Ran's box.
Noticing his curiosity, Ran smiled gently, crouched down, and opened it for him. The instant she saw what was inside, she gasped.
"Huh? This is..."
"That's right!"
Tomoko smiled proudly at everyone's astonished reactions.
"This is our family's treasured heirloom, the Black Star, tonight's target. Of course, only one of these is genuine.
I'm the only person who knows who has the real pearl. Everyone else has a replica."
Seeing Ran reach for the pearl with her bare hand, Conan quickly stopped her.
"Ran-nee-chan, you should use a handkerchief. We still don't know whether it's the real one."
"Oh?"
Ran blinked in surprise.
"I didn't know you understood jewelry too, Conan. You're so smart."
"Hehe..."
Conan scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"I just saw something about it on TV!"
Wrapping the Black Star in her handkerchief, Ran carefully pinned it to her chest.
Turning to her best friend, Sonoko, she smiled.
"Your mother really thought this through. I think this time—"
She paused.
"Hm? Sonoko? What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Sonoko waved her hand.
"No, that's not it. I just can't find my sister anywhere. She couldn't still be at home at a time like this... could she?"
Ran laughed.
"That's impossible. The ship has already left port."
However...
After Sonoko called her older sister, she discovered that her sister had indeed never boarded the ship.
Even more shocking, her father hadn't boarded either.
'Wait... Then who was the man who gave the speech just now?!'
The moment Conan heard the news, he reacted instantly.
He immediately sprinted toward the restroom. But in his haste, he failed to notice a man walking toward him.
Thud!
"Oof!"
Conan slammed straight into the man's knee and tumbled backward onto the floor.
"Are you alright, little guy?"
Grimacing as he rubbed his sore backside, Conan looked up at the hand being offered to him.
It was covered by a white glove.
Following the arm upward, he found himself staring at a handsome young man dressed in a black suit.
The man's shoulder-length crimson hair was striking. He was roughly 190 centimeters tall with a lean physique. His refined features were complemented by gold-rimmed glasses attached to a decorative chain. His dark golden eyes were devoid of emotional ripples.
Although he wore a perfectly courteous smile, he somehow gave off an air that kept everyone at arm's length.
"I'm okay!"
Conan grabbed the offered hand and stood up.
Only then did he notice the man leaning on a cane. The cane itself was unusually elaborate. Its handle had been crafted into the shape of a raven, with workmanship so exquisite it was obviously a custom-made luxury piece.
"Nii-san, is your leg hurt? Is that why you use a cane?"
Ran hurried over.
Hearing Conan's blunt question, she quickly apologized.
"I'm so sorry, sir. Please don't mind him. Conan, you shouldn't ask people about their private matters so directly."
The red-haired young man chuckled softly.
"My legs are perfectly fine. I simply feel that carrying a cane makes me look more like an antique collector."
His gaze shifted toward Kogoro, who was dressed in a white suit.
Walking forward several steps, he spoke in fluent Japanese with a faint foreign accent.
"Mouri-san, I've long admired your reputation. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Richard Lavelle, an antique collector.
This is my assistant... Hertz."
Standing beside him was a woman with beautiful, long pale-blonde hair.
Her slightly upturned grayish-blue eyes gave her an elegant appearance. Dressed in a black-and-white business suit, she politely folded her hands before her waist.
"Hello. My name is Hertz."
The two of them were, of course, Ritsu and Akemi in disguise. They had been observing Kogoro and the others from a distance for quite some time.
As for the Kaito Kid currently disguised as Shiro, Ritsu wasn't worried in the slightest. After all, the button he'd given Kaito the previous night had been a test of trust.
Hidden inside it was a tracking device.
No matter where Kaito went, he couldn't escape the tracker's signal.
Seeing another handsome man, Sonoko felt only a slight flutter of excitement.
First, she knew his identity and intended to behave like the proper young lady she was.
Second, she noticed the distinct outline of a ring beneath the glove on Richard's left ring finger.
A ring on the left ring finger meant one thing.
He was either engaged, or married.
And Sonoko had absolutely no interest in men who were already taken.
"Hello, Richard-san. I'm Suzuki Sonoko. I imagine you came here hoping to speak with my father?"
Her eyebrows drooped apologetically.
"I'm very sorry... but my father isn't actually on board."
Since Ritsu already knew Shiro had been impersonated by Kaito Kid, he showed little surprise. Instead, he simply asked,
"Suzuki-sama isn't aboard the ship? You mean the gentleman who gave the speech just now was Kaito Kid in disguise?"
"Yes. I'm terribly sorry. We haven't been very good hosts this time."
Lightly adjusting the imitation Black Star pinned to his chest, Ritsu smiled gently.
"It's quite alright. After all, there will be two phantom thieves appearing tonight. I'm rather curious which one will obtain the genuine BlackStar first."
Conan looked up at him curiously.
"Richard-san, how did you know yours is a fake?"
"Because I'm not only an antique collector. I'm also an appraiser."
Ritsu smiled.
"Replicas are very easy for me to identify. For example, the one Sonoko-sama is wearing is also an imitation."
That wasn't a lie.
To perfect this new identity, he had genuinely studied antique authentication. Besides, those skills would also prove useful in his search for the Pandora Gem.
"Um... Sonoko."
Ran leaned close and whispered into her friend's ear.
"Do you know where the restroom is?"
Not wanting to embarrass Ran, Sonoko simply pointed in the appropriate direction.
"Just don't get lost. This ship is pretty huge."
"I know~"
Conan watched Ran leave.
Only then did he remember that he had originally intended to investigate Kaito Kid. With a resigned squint, he sighed inwardly.
'There's no point now. That guy has definitely disguised himself as someone else by this point.'
Then another thought crossed his mind.
'Come to think of it... Yomiuri TV's morning news said Arsène Lupin is after the Black Star too, didn't it?'
Conan rolled his eyes.
'Don't tell me he's another master of disguise and voice imitation? Are all thieves these days this ridiculously overpowered?'