On arriving there, we discovered some one by the name of Dr. M had already set up shop, by the looks of things, he had been trying to crack it for years.
― Sly Cooper[src]
The Cooper Vault is a large cave system located on Kaine Island in the South Pacific. Believed to be originally modified by Slytunkhamen Cooper II around 1300 BC into a vault, it contains the fortune and canes of the many members of the Cooper Clan. Only a true Cooper cane can open it.[1]
History
Creation
It is not completely known who originally started using the cave system as a vault, though the first member who has a pedestal and treasure is Slytunkhamen Cooper II, who lived around 1300 BC.
As time went on, many of the more prominent members of the Cooper Clan made a trip at some point to Kaine Island, where they stored their gold and treasures, as well as traveling further into the cave system where they set up a pedestal that held their cane and a self portrait of some form. They then surrounded this shrine with their most prized possessions; ranging from vases and bags of money, to swords and wanted posters.
Eventually, a large door to seal the vault was installed. It could only be opened by placing a true Cooper cane into the shaped "keyhole."
Dr. M's fortress
Sometime after the death of Sly Cooper's father, a member of his gang, a mandrill called Dr. M, gained the deed to the island in an attempt to obtain the treasures within.
For years he tried to break through the door to take the fortune inside the vault. However, as the vault could only be opened by a Cooper's cane, Dr. M grew paranoid and built a massive fortress with security "as tight as Fort Knox" around the entire island. During Honor Among Thieves, Sly, Bentley and Murray finally gained access to the inside of the vault using Sly's cane.
Despite the entire gang having access to the vault, only Sly can access the ancestors' gauntlet. While he explores the legacy of the Coopers', Dr. M finally breaks into the vault. Bentley and Murray hold him off for as long they can, but he eventually gets free of them and, using a tracking device he had planted on Sly's cane before they entered the vault, follows Sly through the gauntlet.
Final battle
As Sly finds the inner sanctum, Dr. M meets up with him, and they fight. Carmelita arrives partway through the battle, and attacks Dr. M after Sly took a shot for her. Defeating Dr. M, Carmelita and Sly leave as the entire vault starts to cave in due to the intensive battling. Bentley heads in to the sanctum to find Sly, but only finds his Cane, as well as an intact section of the vault filled with a fortune's worth of gold.
Between Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Bentley and Penelope became the keepers and maintainers of the remaining Cooper Vault, making repairs to it and creating new security for it, including a new vault door.
Contents
Inside the vault is all of the fortune and wealth of the Cooper line and a pedestal that displays the cane that each of the prominent Cooper members owned. The vault also has many booby-traps only a Cooper could get through, ranging from Ninja Spire Jumps to Rail Walks. The entire treasure trove in which the Cooper had placed their treasure had been placed at the very end of the vault inside the inner sanctum, which not only held treasure but also some of the Coopers' greatest inventions.
Treasures and canes
- Slytunkhamen Cooper II: Presumed founder of the vault, ancient Egyptian thief - Twin khopesh-like canes, a sarcophagus
- Salim al-Kupar: Arabian thief with the stealth of 40 thieves - Scimitar-like cane, a rug and Arabian lamp
- Sir Galleth Cooper: Honorable knight and cunning thief - Lance-like cane, his shield
- Slaigh MacCooper: Scottish thief and also known as the strongest of the Clan - Stone-topped caber cane, his wooden shield
- Rioichi Cooper: Japanese ninja thief - Twin sai-like canes, a suit of samurai armor and a jade dragon
- Henriette "One Eye" Cooper: Pirate thief - Hook-like cane, a cannon
- "Tennessee Kid" Cooper: Western American outlaw and railroad thief - Pistol-like cane, a wagon wheel and a horn from a steer
- Thaddeus Winslow Cooper III: British aristocrat and gentlemanly thief - Ruby embellished cane, cup/goblet
- Otto Van Cooper: Outstanding mechanical thief - Propeller-like cane, tool boxes and his plane
- Conner Cooper: Scientific thief and proud father of Sly Cooper - Cane now belongs to Sly, a laptop, and a microscope
Gallery
Trivia
- Salim lived before Sir Galleth, yet Sir Galleth's section is before Salim's. This could be due to the path connecting Slytunkhamen II and Salim's sections was damaged, so Sir Galleth decided to bridge the gap by adding his own little shrine.
- According to Sly, every Cooper stored their wealth in the vault. However, it is unknown if all Coopers' built a shrine, as only a small amount are seen.
- Bob Cooper, the minor Coopers, Slytunkhamen I and Sly himself are the only members that do not have known sections in the Cooper Vault.
- Despite the vaults seemingly impenetrable fortification that only a Cooper can bypass, Bentley was able to enter the Inner Sanctum and Carmelita was able to break through a back entrance. There was also a cave opening that lead to the Cooper fortune hidden only by some bushes that Sly left open for the rest of his gang.
References
- ↑ Episode: Beginning of the End; Job: The Cooper Vault.