Operation Big Safe

***Operation Big Safe*** is a Golgo 13 story by Takao Saito, first published in the monthly manga magazine Big Comic in October 1968. It was the first appearance of Golgo 13 in manga, It follows Golgo 13 on a mission to assassinate former Nazi officer Bernhart Mueller, as well as destroy a fortune in counterfeit British Pounds.

## Synopsis

**Spoiler warning**: ***Plot and/or ending details follow.***

As Golgo 13 stares out the window of a hotel room in Hamburg, a prostitute he has just slept with approaches him from behind. Golgo responds by punching her in the face, causing a commotion that results in him being arrested for assault.

Sometime later in London, agents of British Intelligence gather to discuss a recent wave of assassinations. The commander displays photographs of the aftermath of each of the killings, and points out that the same man, Golgo 13, is visible at every crime scene, deducing that he is the killer. The commander briefs the room on what they know about Golgo, and informs them that after Golgo was arrested for punching a prostitute, he disappeared from his prison after a large explosion occurred. The commander then tells his agents that a man recently hired for the "Bernhart Operation" is arriving tomorrow, and that it may be Golgo 13, and if it is, that he is to be arrested after completion of his task.

The next day, two agents arrive at Liverpool Harbor to meet Golgo 13, but don't see anyone matching his description. One of the agents is startled by someone passing by their car, but is relieved when he sees that it is just a young boy passing by. The boy runs out of sight and down to a dock, where Golgo 13 pays him for accomplishing his task. The two agents eventually give up and return to base to meet with the commander, but all three are suddenly surprised by Golgo, who has infiltrated the headquarters after tracing the two agents with a tracking device attached to their car.

The commander explains that Golgo is being hired to assassinate Bernhart Mueller, a former Nazi officer whom has gone into hiding in Zurich, Switzerland to escape from the Israeli War Crimes Bureau, but refuses to go into detail about why Mueller must be killed before they find him, only alluding to him being a "ticking time bomb." The commander gives Golgo a file on Bernhart's mansion, a passport, and a plane ticket to Zurich, explaining that he has a reservation for a hotel near Mueller's mansion. He also tells Golgo to remember the code "Woodpecker." After Golgo is paid and leaves, the commander calls someone, ordering them to eliminate Golgo upon completion of his mission.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Golgo is informed of several packages in his name. Golgo tells the staff to bring them to his room, claiming them to be "business samples." After ordering lunch and checking his hotel room for surveillance devices, Golgo opens the packages, which contain the parts of an assault rifle, which he assembles. As he surveys the mansion through his scope, he notices both a hidden mounted machine gun, and a man spying on him from outside the hotel, whom flees into a nearby forest upon being spotted.

A maid arrives to deliver Golgo's lunch, but reveals to him that she is actually his contact for the mission, codenamed "Woodpecker." Golgo orders her to stay in the room, and leaves to chase down the man he saw spying on him. Golgo confronts the man, whom is revealed to be a lookout working for Mueller. The man pulls a pistol and attempts to shoot Golgo, but misses. Golgo doesn't miss, and disposes of the body by shoving it off a nearby cliff.

Returning to his room, Golgo tells Woodpecker that he intends to complete the mission that night. Woodpecker informs Golgo of a message from British Intelligence, ordering him to destroy a large time-locked safe in the mansion with explosives after he kills Mueller. Golgo refuses, stating that he was hired only for the assassination of Mueller and reveals that he already knows British Intelligence's motive, which is to destroy a large stash of counterfeit pound notes created by the Nazis during World War II, which are contained in Mueller's safe, which only can be opened every two days, and only for Mueller to show his fortune to his henchmen to maintain their loyalty. Woodpecker explains to Golgo while he studies the mansion's floorplan that the British fear that if the fake currency was to be released into circulation, that it could cripple their economy. Golgo again refuses to destroy the safe, and orders Woodpecker to rent an aircraft for him.

Flying a small Cessna low over the mansion, Golgo drops a small explosive onto the roof, exploding a large hole, then flies off before the machine gun can shoot him down. Two of Mueller's henchmen call him to report on the attack, and they theorize that it might have been an attack by the Israelis.

Golgo captures a local mason hired to repair the mansion roof and takes his place to infiltrate the mansion. While working on repairing the roof, he removes a damaged part of the safe's roof, which had been right under the spot he had bombed, leaving a large hole. He then hides the hole with a slab of concrete, and leaves, claiming he will return in a few days to finish the roof once the concrete hardens.

That night, Golgo sneaks onto the mansion grounds and climbs up to the roof, where he removes the loose concrete. Meanwhile, Mueller prepares to once again display his fortune to his men, and opens the vault, revealing Golgo, whom had entered the vault from the hole he had made in the ceiling. Before Mueller or his men can react, Golgo shoots Mueller in the head and closes the vault door, appearing to Mueller's henchmen to have locked himself inside. As they question why Golgo would do such a thing, Golgo climbs out the hole and escapes as the thugs begin to put the pieces together.

Golgo returns to his room and reports to Woodpecker that Mueller has been killed, upon which she suddenly draws a gun, telling him that he must die to keep the mission a secret. Golgo warns her that firing her gun would alert the entire hotel, leading Woodpecker to explain that the room has been soundproofed. Golgo explains that this will work to his advantage as well, and dives to the side as Woodpecker fires, causing her to miss, while Golgo draws his own gun and shoots, mortally wounding her. As she lays on the ground dying, Golgo drops a detonator in front of her, revealing that he actually did plant explosives in the vault, and tells her that the safe will be destroyed if she presses the button on the remote.

As Golgo waits for a taxi, a loud boom is heard, and the bellhop rushes in to warn everyone of a large fire that has suddenly erupted at Mueller's mansion. As the hotel staff gather outside to watch the fire, Golgo nonchalantly gets in the taxi and rides off into the night.

***Spoilers end here.***
## Trivia

* Golgo 13 is a lot more chatty and emotive in this story than how he is typically depicted. Takao Saito has explained that this was due to the character evolving overtime to match what readers found most interesting.