Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

————A pleasant trading time————

That night, after taking a nice hot bath, Hayato stepped out of his room and let the cool sea breeze dry his hair. He saw Yugi and Jonouchi sitting at a round table on the deck outside their room, sharing their day's experiences.

"Hey Hayato-kun, aren't you going to rest?"

The first person in the game noticed Hayato's arrival and made room for him to sit down.

"We're arriving in Duel Kingdom tomorrow, how can I possibly sleep under these circumstances?" Hayato chuckled as he sat down, glancing at Yugi and Jonouchi's cards. "So, how was your day?"

Because Hayato and Jonouchi had such a lively trading session, Yugi ended up exchanging two cards from his spare deck: Lightning Vortex in exchange for Water Magician and Absorption Shield in exchange for Lion Wizard. Jonouchi, on the other hand, received four cards from the original timeline.

"Isn't my haul pretty good?"

Jonouchi boasted, and even Hayato had to admit that the four cards he had acquired were indeed quite powerful.

"Hmm, these are all pretty powerful cards." Hayato also took out his haul from his pocket. "However, my haul is better than yours. Quite a few people traded their powerful cards to me."

Jonouchi curiously leaned closer to see what cards Hayato had traded for, but retreated after seeing a sea of ​​red and green. "What? Hayato, you're just like a game, only getting some magic and trap cards."

"Of course, it's because those who were willing to trade cards share your idea—that all you need in Duel Monsters is a Monster Card." Hayato said, drawing his only Monster Card from a pile of Spell & Trap Cards. "Besides, I also got some pretty good Monster Cards in the trade!"

"【The Unlucky Beauty】? This monster looks weak and frail, not strong at all." Jonouchi didn't quite understand what the use of the monster with only 0 attack power in Hayato's hand was.

"You can't judge a Duel Monster by its appearance; their true power lies hidden. Speaking of which," Yugi remarked to Jonouchi, having recognized the strength of Hayato's "Unlucky Girl" card. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he pulled a card from the golden chest in front of him and handed it to Jonouchi.

"Jonouchi-kun, will you use this card?"

"Ugh, [Time Magician]? Its attack power is so weak." Jonouchi looked at the card Yugi had given him with some disdain, and was about to say something when Hayato interrupted him, "You've got it, so keep it safe. You'll see how powerful this card is. Even if you don't believe in this card, at least believe in me and Yugi, right?"

"Since you've said so, fine." Jonouchi, having heard Hayato's insistence, reluctantly put away [Time Magician]. Just as he placed the card into the deck, a familiar voice came from behind them:

"Oh my, what a coincidence, Game Master, I didn't expect you guys didn't sleep last night either."

Hayato turned his head and saw a green moth walking up to the third deck where they were with a smile: "Yes, what a coincidence, an insect moth."

Chapter 56 The Invincible Old Ai Falls—Hey, he hasn't fallen yet.

"Ah, it's Yuga-kun." Hayato didn't have a natural liking for Yuga, but Yugi was completely unaware of how disgusting Yuga was. On the contrary, he had a slight liking for Yuga, who had informed him of the existence of the "new rules." So, seeing Yuga's appearance, he was actually quite welcoming. "Did you get any powerful cards, Yuga-kun?"

"Hehe, those cards used for exchange can't possibly be the duelists' strongest cards. At most, they can only be used to exchange useless cards for other useless cards. Besides, I have a lot of confidence in my deck." Yuga approached enthusiastically, her gaze wandering across the round table before quickly locking onto the golden cabinet where Yugi had just taken out [Time Magician] and hadn't had time to close the lid yet.

"Besides, no matter how powerful a card is, it won't be a match for your [Exodia] in the game."

Hearing that even a powerful duelist like Yuga, who had won the national Duel Monster Tournament, acknowledge his friend's strength, Jonouchi said with pride, "Of course! [Exodia] is an invincible monster."

Those who don't know might think that [Exodia] isn't a game card but his.

"Although there isn't just one set of the [Exodia] card set, it's not as rare as the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] set, which only has four cards. But among the duelists I know, only you, Yugi, have collected the entire [Exodia] set, Yugi."

Yuga seized the opportunity, constantly steering the conversation toward Exodia. Hayato, knowing his intentions, simply sat on the sidelines watching this ill-intentioned fellow, waiting for him to reveal his true purpose.

Yugi, feeling a little embarrassed by what Yuga said, scratched the back of his head and said with a smile, "Don't say that. Actually, this set of [Exodia] isn't even mine. It was collected by my chicken sauce."

“Collecting cards is just the basic requirement. Being able to collect the entire [Exodia] set in a duel shows you're really good, Yugi.” Yuga smiled as she approached Yugi. “Hey, Yugi, I’ve never seen such a rare card as [Exodia] before. Could you show it to me?”

The simple-minded (?) Yugi didn't think much of it and readily took out the deck from the golden cabinet, picked out five [Exodia] cards, and handed them to Yuga: "Of course, no problem."

"So this is [Exodia]? As long as you collect all five cards in your hand, you can win the duel regardless of the situation. So powerful, so incredibly powerful." Yuga held five cards in her hand and spoke in an extremely calm but affected tone.

"Hey, Yugi, you know what? Ever since I heard about Exodia's invincible abilities, I've been thinking about one thing: if I were to duel with you, how would I deal with Exodia?" Yugi paused, then turned to look at the sea under the night sky.

The wind on the sea had picked up, causing the waves to rise considerably. The bright moon that had hung high in the sky was now obscured by dark clouds, so the sea was shrouded in darkness as far as the eye could see. It was as if time had been deliberately given to someone or something.

The game was a smart man, and although he was relatively trusting, he could still sense something amiss in Yuugo's words: "What are you trying to say, Yuugo?"

"I've finally confirmed it: I can't defeat you under the infinite power of [Exodia]." Yuu suddenly smiled, having retreated until she leaned against the fence. "But when I obtained these [Exodia] cards from you, I finally got the answer—the answer to how to defeat you!"

Seeing the game about to rush towards him, Yuga swung the hand holding the [Exodia] card violently over the fence, throwing all five cards out into the sea: "If I can't defeat [Exodia], I'll just destroy it!"

"Chicken Sauce's card!" Yugi desperately raised his hand to grab the card, but the distance between them was too great. Amidst the astonishment of Jonouchi, Yugi's anxiety, and Haga's joyful gaze, the cards that Haga had thrown were about to drift overboard when, just then, several insect nets suddenly appeared from the lower deck and caught all the cards precisely.

Hayato then leisurely got up from his chair, walked to the railing, peered down, and said, "Thank you all for waiting so long. Please bring up the cards."

"Yes, Mr. Hayato." The voice of the black-clad staff member came from the lower level; it was clear that they had caught the falling card with an insect net.

Seeing that her plan had failed, Haga tried to run away, but Jonouchi, who had reacted quickly, grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her up. Haga struggled and flailed her legs, looking at Hayato with disbelief: "You actually planned this all along! I didn't tell anyone!"

"Ask yourself honestly, can your acting skills really cover up your true thoughts? I could smell it the moment I saw you in the cabin. That stench on you, more disgusting than frog pee, is unique to villains." Hayato paused. "Trying to destroy his card by exploiting the game's kindness and trust, you're worse than a rat in a toilet."

Several men in black, carrying insect nets, walked up the stairs. One of them, holding the five [Exodia] cards they had just rescued, approached the game and respectfully handed them over.

"Yugi, quickly check if all the cards are there," Jonouchi asked with concern. The power of [Exodia] is built upon having all five cards; even missing just one won't work. Yugi spread out the five cards, and after confirming they were complete, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hayato-kun, thanks to you this time, the cards Chicken-chan gave me weren't thrown into the sea." Yugi sincerely thanked Hayato. If it weren't for Hayato, those five cards would have fallen into the sea long ago.

Hayato waved his hand: "I had a suspicion when I saw that Yuga kept bringing up the topic of [Exodia], but I didn't have any evidence. It would be wrong of me to take action in advance."

"Fortunately, the VIP treatment that Pegasus gave me was genuine, and he could command the people at the International Illusion Society. Although it scared you guys, we've got dirt on Yuga."

Seeing that the others' attention wasn't on him for the time being, and that the members of the International Illusion Society were still eyeing him greedily after he'd been caught red-handed, Yuga was filled with dread. He'd taken such a huge risk, and not only had he failed to destroy [Exodia], he'd also been captured; he secretly vowed revenge.

She grabbed Jonouchi's hand that was holding her by the collar, turned her head and bit him. Jonouchi, in pain, couldn't help but let go. The moment Yuga's foot touched the ground, she immediately crashed into Yugi's body.

Chapter 57 Is Fate Irreversible?

Although Yuga appears quite short, that's only in comparison to taller figures like Jonouchi and Hayato. He's actually 1.6 meters tall, exactly the same height as a certain super-germaphobic soldier. His all-out charge caught Yugi completely off guard, leaving him no time to react. He could only cling tightly to the round table fixed to the deck beside him and the five cards in his hand.

Even so, one card, "The Sealed Exodia," symbolizing the head and torso, still managed to escape from the game's fingertips.

Yugi and Haga both lost their balance and fell to the ground, but Haga, who had taken the initiative, got up first and was about to rush at Yugi to grab the card again when Hayato, who was standing to the side, punched him. The fist, as big as a casserole, hit Haga's nose, causing blood to gush out and his nose to be crooked to one side, as if a sauce shop had been opened, with salty, sour, and spicy sauces all gushing out at once.

Just as Yu Moth was about to get up again, the men in black rushed forward and pinned him to the ground, restraining his limbs and bringing his head to face-to-face contact with the deck, while he made continuous "mmm" sounds. This time, he couldn't bite anyone again.

"Are you alright, Yugi?" Jonouchi's hand was bitten by a moth and bled, but he was much better than those who cried and screamed about dying when they got a cut on their finger, and rushed to the hospital with bandages. He endured the pain and came to Yugi's side, who had fallen to the ground, and helped him up.

Yugi got up from the ground, one hand covering the back of his head: "I'm fine, Jonouchi."

Yugi's last shove almost knocked Yugi off the third floor—just like Cruella's mother's dog killed Cruella's foster mother—but even though it didn't succeed, Yugi's big head still hit the railing hard when he fell to the ground, and now he couldn't help but feel a little dizzy.

But when the game turned its attention to [Exodia], which he had been clinging to tightly, he instantly snapped to reality: "[Exodia]! Chicken Sauce is missing a card!"

At this moment, he only had four [Exodia] cards left in his hand. The four mortal bones and limbs were still there, but the most important one, the "head," had disappeared.

Hayato belatedly realized something, shoved aside the security guard in black, grabbed Hato's hair and lifted his head off the ground. Hato was chewing something with his mouth bulging, his face smeared with blood from his nose, but he was looking at Hayato with a cold smile.

Hayato was no pushover. Seeing Haga looking at him defiantly, he punched him again in the eye, splitting Haga's eye socket and causing his pupil to burst out, like a colorful silk shop bursting open, red, black, and purple all at once. Haga saw stars and his vision went black, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, revealing what Hayato had swallowed.

This guy, still not giving up, swallowed the [Sealed Exodia] card that had accidentally fallen to the ground during the game, and now he's already chewed half of it off with his teeth. Even if you were to disembowel the moth and retrieve the card fragments, you couldn't restore the card to its original state.

'Is this the inertia of the plot? Is Sugoroku destined to have his soul sealed by Pegasus, and Haga destined to tear Exodia apart?' Hayato felt a deep malice emanating from the world. Was everything in this world predetermined? Were all people slaves to fate?

Enraged, he laughed and slapped the unconscious Hagoromo across the face again, waking him up. The slap was like a grand Buddhist and Taoist ritual, with chimes, cymbals, and gongs ringing all at once. Hagoromo, who had been unconscious, was suddenly awakened by Hayato's slap.

Grabbing Yuga by the collar, Hayato vented all his frustration on the person in front of him. He was about to raise his fist again, but just as he was about to strike, he was pulled back.

The ones who took action were the men in black who had just helped Hayato subdue Hato. One of them grabbed Hayato's raised fist, while two others grabbed Hayato and Hato's bodies respectively, snatching Hato from Hayato's grasp and quickly creating distance between them.

"Let me go!"

The man in black remained unfazed by Hayato's words: "I'm sorry, Mr. Hayato, although you are a VIP, this Mr. Yuga is also a contestant invited by Mr. Pegasus."

"This is the contestant who just tore up someone else's card using underhanded means!" Hayato pulled his hand away from the man in black and tried to find Yuugo, but his view was blocked by a human wall formed by several men in black. He could only see through the gaps that Yuugo was being carried down the stairs by two men in black, who were holding him under his arms.

"You should just revoke that insect bastard's qualification." Jonouchi's expression was equally unpleasant. He was feeling both angry and guilty, because if he hadn't let go because of the pain, Yuga would never have had a chance to succeed.

"We don't have the authority to disqualify a contestant, no matter what he did on the ship. As long as he didn't directly harm any other contestants, we must follow Mr. Pegasus's orders and bring him to the 'Kingdom'," the man in black said, looking at Jonouchi with a cold tone that seemed to disregard the lives of others.

Yugi clutched the back of his head, even with his usually mild-mannered nature, he was now quite angry: "Destroying someone's cherished Duel Monster Cards so recklessly, that guy Haga has absolutely no understanding of the heart of cards. If Pegasus were here, he definitely would have—"

"You'll definitely revoke Yugi's status, right, Game Boy?" The man in black suddenly interrupted Yugi, but the voice coming from his mouth sounded strangely familiar, yet Yugi felt a strong sense of déjà vu. Suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the man in black wearing sunglasses: "Pegasus!?"

"Yes, I am!" The man in black, who had just been unusually serious, suddenly became like a lively child, giving Yugi a thumbs-up and saying playfully. After the man in black brushed back his bangs, Yugi and the others saw that he had a tattoo of the Eye of Cygath on his head, which emitted a faint golden light in the night.

"The [Exodia] card set is indeed quite valuable. I felt quite sorry to see it being bitten by Moth Boy through this puppet, just like when Kaiba Boy tore off the fourth [Blue Eyes]. I must say, it truly lives up to its name as a 'plant-eating' 'insect' Moth Boy," the black-clad man controlled by Pegasus said in Pegasus's signature strange tone. "But unfortunately, I won't disqualify Moth Boy for such a small reason."

"Although I care a lot about Duel Monsters, my love for Duel Monsters is quite universal. In my eyes, this Duel Kingdom tournament is much more important than a mere card."

"Because it's the only 'love' you have now, you've poured your whole heart and soul into it, and as a result, you no longer care about anything else, right, Pegasus?"

"Absolutely right, Hayato boy. You know me so well. I wonder who the real owner of the 'Millennium Eye' is."

Listening to Pegasus's strange verbal tic, Hayato looked at the man in black being controlled by Pegasus and said, "I heard you're planning to implement new rules in this tournament, right? To prevent other duelists from having trouble understanding them, how about we hold a demonstration duel in front of your castle?"

"Just like in a formal competition, we'll bet our respective costs. I've already found the players for you: me and that insect-moth."

Chapter 58 Sea Emperor Hayabusa: Extend Your Dominant Hand

The next day, in front of the castle at the very center of the Duel Kingdom island.

"Welcome to my Duel Kingdom, duelists from all over the world!"

Pegasus, a tall, silver-haired, one-eyed, humorous man, stood on the castle terrace, looking down at the duelists gathered in front of the castle gate. His one eye darted quickly through the crowd, soon spotting those he cared about most: Ryuzaki the Dinosaur who hadn't slept all night, Yuugo the Insect with its still-black eyes, Ryota Kajiki the naked man wearing only shorts, and Yugi Muto, who was glaring at him with hostility.

'We finally meet, game boy.'

"Bekassa Ma!"

"oh--!"

Pegasus only needed to utter one sentence to receive an enthusiastic response from countless duelists in the audience. Of those who have made a name for themselves in the world of Duel Monsters, at least eight out of ten are passionate about the game, and thus Pegasus, the inventor of Duel Monsters, is also adored by them.

"This 'Duel Monsters' tournament doesn't require any venue, as the arena is located on the entire island. Duels are conducted entirely using Duel Monsters cards, and the loser must hand over their Star Chips to the opponent, with card betting allowed."

After a pause, looking at the attentive gazes of the many duelists below, Pegasus smiled:

"Many rules are difficult to remember in language, so I've prepared an exhibition match that uses the official rules to demonstrate the new rules to everyone."

"Take a step forward, Moth Boy~"

Under the watchful eyes of many duelists, the two men in black who had been standing behind Yuugo nudged him, and he reluctantly stepped out from the crowd to the front.

"Hey, isn't that the Duel Monsters Japan champion?"

"The Insect Moth is said to be very skilled at using magic cards to strengthen its insect monsters."

"But why are the areas around his eyes so dark? Like a panda's."

Looking at the moths below, Pegasus gave a mysterious smile, and without turning around, whispered to someone behind him, "Hayato boy, I've already fulfilled your request~"

“Don’t talk like you’ve gained nothing, Pegasus.” Hayato’s voice came from behind the terrace where Pegasus was. “Whether it’s more balanced rules for Duel Monsters or more inspiration for card designs, my mind has been completely emptied.”

"While what the 'Millennium Eye' sees in Hayato boy is indeed what you feel inside, I always feel you're holding back." Pegasus gave a warm smile, but neither the black-clad security guards around him nor Hayato believed that Pegasus was an easy person to get along with. "But never mind, Hayato boy, enjoy your duel with Haga boy to the fullest. Duel Monsters is truly the best game in the world~"