Leaving the scene, Gojo Satoru arrived at the underground garage of a nearby shopping mall to meet up with Pinga and Curacao.
The two had been executing an infiltration mission together today, so both were in disguise.
Seeing the delicate-looking woman in a long skirt and a wig standing before him, Gojo Satoru teased, "Yo~ beautiful lady, can I have your contact info?"
Pinga, in full drag, let out a weary sigh. "Please spare me, Master Caesar."
Gojo Satoru laughed and hopped into the car.
Pinga inserted the key and started the engine, while Curacao sat in the passenger seat, peeling off her unremarkable prosthetic mask to reveal her elegant, true features.
Gojo Satoru couldn't fully stretch his legs in the front, so he much preferred the relatively spacious backseat. He lay back comfortably and began playing with his phone.
Driving himself was impossible—not in this lifetime!
Actually, he had obtained a driver's license once out of curiosity, but he'd lost track of it within a few days. Besides, with his teleportation ability, he almost never needed a vehicle; he only occasionally hitched a ride with Pinga.
Having been colleagues for so long, he was quite familiar with both Pinga and Curacao.
However, Pinga was ambitious, deep-scheming, and obsessed with climbing the ranks—a total "grindset" king who was on a mission almost every waking hour. His respect for Caesar was built solely on the foundation of the latter's overwhelming strength and special status; thus, the two didn't share much of a genuine bond.
Though it had to be said, the guy actually looked pretty good in a dress. (?)
As for Curacao, Gojo Satoru made a conscious effort to get her to open up. Occasionally, during her downtime, he would coax her into visiting the orphanage he sponsored. Over time, he noticed that when a group of children swarmed around her, she no longer looked lost; instead, a genuine, gentle warmth flickered in her eyes.
After spending so much time together, Gojo could feel the subtle shift in her attitude. Compared to his shallow, professional relationship with Pinga, he and Curacao were more like friends.
Yet, perhaps because her loyalty to Rum was so deeply rooted, Curacao still showed no desire to defect. Gojo Satoru wondered if amnesia was a mandatory prerequisite for that.
Oh well, it's still a long way until the start of the 'Conan Era.' No need to rush. As long as he planted a seed in her heart, it would one day grow into a towering tree.
Suddenly, he received a message from "Shu-chan."
[Satoru, how have you been lately? — Shu-chan]
After Akai Shuichi joined the FBI, although they hadn't met in person again, they hadn't lost contact.
Gojo Satoru remembered promising him that "if there was any info on that Organization, he'd let him know." To keep his word, he had handpicked several "lucky" criminal members from the branch and mentioned their whereabouts to Shu-chan as if he were an oblivious bystander, leading to their successful arrests.
Caesar's "diluting the liquor" score: +1.
While those low-level members didn't hold much valuable intel, Shu-chan certainly trusted him more because of it, sending plenty of Impression Points across the ocean.
[Doing great~ What's up? (*^_^*) — Satoru]
A few minutes later, Akai Shuichi's reply arrived.
[I wanted to ask... have you ever heard of a code name "Caesar"?]
Oho, you've definitely asked the right person.
Gojo Satoru's fingers flew across the screen.
[I think I've heard of it. Probably a member of that Organization, right? Supposedly a very strong Ability User, but I don't know much else. — Satoru]
On the other side, in an FBI archives room, Akai Shuichi was flipping through a file. He looked at the descriptions, his mind clouded with doubt.
Code Name: "Caesar"
Status: One of the high-ranking executives of "The Crow," Leader of the Mexico Branch, currently relocated to the US.
Details: Male, age unknown (likely under 30). Tall stature. Rumored to operate wearing a blindfold or bandages. Appearance, nationality, and Ability unknown. Suspected connection to explosions; massive destructive power. Also possesses extreme movement speed undetectable by surveillance.
Preliminary Assessment: At least an SS-rank Ability User.
Over the past four years, Caesar had been relatively low-key in the US. While he didn't make as much noise as he did in Mexico, the titles of "White Ghost" and "Black Emperor" never faded from the underworld.
He was a phantom, his traces elusive. Aside from a few members of "The Crow," no one knew his true face. Even an A-rank Ability User who had fought him years ago was reportedly struck from a great distance and severely injured without ever seeing the man's face.
Four years later, the FBI still couldn't reach a concrete conclusion, only raising their evaluation of Caesar's power by another grade.
SS-rank... there are probably only a handful of Ability Users at that level globally.
Based on survivor testimony and the scene's evidence, if his guess was correct... the one who caused the Rhodes Group explosion was that very "Caesar."
To think such a terrifying existence was in that Organization. This raised the difficulty of destroying "The Crow" by another level. And as for his father's whereabouts—who knew when he would finally find out?
Akai Shuichi closed the folder, his heart heavy with mixed emotions.
[He is extremely dangerous. If you ever run into a tall weirdo wearing a blindfold or bandages, it might be Caesar... you must be careful. — Shu-chan]
Gojo Satoru complained internally: Hey! This handsome guy is not a "blindfold weirdo"!
[Okay~ I got it. — Satoru]
He sent back the mock-serious reply.
After ending the chat, Gojo Satoru continued to lounge in the car. Feeling a bit bored, he turned his attention to harassing the "Model Employee" (Gin).
What he didn't know was that a spark of suspicion had suddenly flickered in Akai Shuichi's mind.
Both Caesar and Satoru are tall and are incredibly strong Ability Users. Come to think of it, Satoru also likes to hide his face with sunglasses...
If Caesar wears a blindfold to hide eyes that are unforgettable once seen... wouldn't that make sense?
...No, impossible.
If Satoru were Caesar, he wouldn't have stepped in to save him back then, let alone helped him track down those Organization members.
How could a demolition demon dwelling in the deepest shadows be the same person as a pure-hearted boy like Satoru?
Unless... every word and action he showed while they were together was a disguise. Akai Shuichi shook his head, still finding the idea unrealistic.
Meanwhile, in a safehouse in Tokyo.
Gin took a rare glance at the news report on the television.
"...Latest news: The Rhodes Group building in Manhattan, New York, has suffered an explosion of unknown origin. The scene is in total chaos. Furthermore, according to reporters, the CEO, David Rhodes, has reportedly committed suicide at his home. The motive remains unclear..."
New York? Explosion?
Gin opened his phone and saw a message from Gojo Satoru.
[Gin-chan, what are you doing? Not catching "rats" again, are you? — Kaiser]
The mere thought gave Gin a headache. For some reason, the number of traitors and moles in the Organization had been skyrocketing lately. No sooner did he execute one than another appeared; it was driving him mad.
He didn't answer whether he was catching rats, asking instead:
[Was that building in Manhattan your doing? — Gin]
Usually, communication between members ended with their code names, but given their history, they had both mutually decided they were "too lazy for that."
[Wow, you found out so fast? We really are on the same wavelength~ (๑＞ڡ＜)☆ — Kaiser]
Seeing the guy's intentionally annoying emoji, Gin chose to ignore it.
[Keep acting so high-profile, and see if you don't end up being caught and sliced into specimens one of these days. — Gin]
Gojo Satoru's mouth twitched. He only "set off fireworks" in that building because he couldn't stand the sight of David Rhodes.
He really wanted to throw a DVD of The Raven Chaser at Gin's face so the man could see himself strafing the Tokyo Tower in a V-22 Osprey.
Talk about high-profile—the man acted like the Metropolitan Police Department didn't even exist.
[The person with the least right to call others high-profile is you, Kurosawa Jin!! — Kaiser]