Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

Yugi shook his head and looked at Hayato and the two missing men in black who should have been unconscious: "If I'm not mistaken, it's probably like last time on the ship, Pegasus controlling the others, right?"

Hayato nodded, and was about to say something when he heard Kaiba snort coldly from the side:

"Hmph! From the very beginning, you've been spouting nonsense about 'souls,' 'spirits,' and 'mind freeze'—what rubbish have you all been talking about?" Kaiba, a staunch believer in science and refusing to accept superpowers, looked at Hayato with a cold arrogance. "Don't try to fool me with those unrealistic pronouncements and waste my time!"

Hayato wanted to complain, but didn't know where to begin. In this world of card players who are obsessed with metaphysics, is Seahorse Dumpling the only one who's so superstitious about science?

“Uh, well, Pegasus has some kind of infrasound weapon that can paralyze the thinking ability of people who receive it, and then take the Arc Reactor from their chests.” Hayato did his best to translate Pegasus’s [Millennium Eye] ability into a language that Kaiba could understand. “Anyway, we were just attacked by Pegasus with that weapon, and then he took Keihei away.”

"Infrasound weapon? Hmph, I see. That pretentious Pegasus." Kaiba couldn't accept the idea of ​​superpowers, but if you forced a scientific explanation, he'd believe it. "To actually take Keihei away from me again, that's unforgivable, Pegasus!"

After glancing at Pegasus Castle in the distance, Kaiba angrily rushed towards it, ignoring Hayato and Yugi's attempts to dissuade him.

"My mind is made up. I will use my Blue Eye to take Keihei back from that bastard Pegasus. No one can stop me. Anyone who dares to stand in my way, even you, Yugi, Hayato, I will crush them!"

Yugi quickly explained, "No, Kaiba-kun. I'm on your side when it comes to defeating Pegasus, and I'm even more eager than you to do so."

"However, without collecting all ten star chips, there is no way to enter Pegasus's castle."

As he spoke, the game revealed the glove on his right hand, which was already inlaid with seven star-shaped chips.

Jonouchi, standing to the side, proudly raised his right hand. He had modified Yuga's dueling glove to make it fit him fairly well, and now he had placed eight star chips on it: "Hehe, we all have star chips, unlike some people who don't even have one. Even if someone is willing to accept your duel, the quarterfinals will probably be over before you collect ten chips."

Kyoko and Honda exchanged a speechless glance: "Isn't Jonouchi getting a little too cocky? Has he forgotten that he didn't actually have any star chips at the beginning?"

But Kaiba only glanced at Jonouchi before looking down at Yugi and coldly said, "You're not even as fast at collecting star chips as that fourth-rate duelist? You've disappointed me, Yugi."

With that, Kaiba broke free from Hayato's grasp and walked alone toward Pegasus's castle.

Kaiba's arrogant demeanor annoyed Jonouchi. Turning to Kaiba's retreating figure, Jonouchi shouted, "Tch! If it weren't for your brother's misdeeds, the game would have already collected all the star chips. The reason we're still missing a few is because that guy from the International Illusion Society at the dock threw all the chips into the sea!"

Seeing Jonouchi chasing after Kaiba with a displeased expression, Hayato quickly pulled Jonouchi back: "Alright, alright, is this the time to argue about this? The most important thing is how to collect enough star chips to gain the right to enter the castle, and then take back Keihei, Sugoroku, and my Gaia from Pegasus."

The game was also in a bit of a predicament. He had already collected enough star chips, and if it weren't for Guiping's situation, he would have had enough stars within the castle by now. But now, the first person to collect all the star chips had already entered the castle, and if he didn't hurry, he might—

Just as the game was thinking this, he suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance, and a fist was stretched out in front of him. In the palm were five star chips.

Chapter 102 As soon as I entered the door, I saw Laifu beating up Chang Wei.

Standing before the castle gate, the gatekeeper in black—"Saruwatari," who had once worked for the Seahorse Group and then betrayed them to the International Illusion Society—yawned boredly, wondering why the shift change hadn't arrived yet.

A dozen minutes earlier, his former boss, Seto Kaiba, had entered the castle with his help, and his reward was a gun that had been taken from him.

'That arrogant bastard, I wonder where he is now? Could he already be caught?' With his sunglasses on, Saruwatari felt the sun wasn't too glaring today; it was even a little warm. 'Whatever, as long as he didn't betray me. Being threatened by such a brat is too embarrassing.'

Thinking this, Saruwatari suddenly noticed several people walking up the steps not far in front of him.

"Who goes there!"

“Since you’ve asked so sincerely, we’ll mercifully tell you. Skip the whole thing, ta-da!” Hayato raised his right hand, his glove adorned with ten star-shaped chips. Behind him, Mai, Yugi, and Jonouchi each raised their duelist gloves, displaying their own chips.

"The four of us have collected all ten star chips, making us the top eight in Duel Kingdom!"

Kyoko, panting, walked at the back with Bakura, supporting each other. Looking at the people in front, she complained, "You guys are really energetic, after all that climbing up those long steps."

"You've already collected all ten stars." Saruwatari checked the number of star tokens on Hayato and the other three's gloves, then stepped aside. "Put your star tokens into the door, and you can turn the mechanism to open it."

As he spoke, he looked at Kyoko, Honda, and Bakura standing behind him: "You guys aren't contestants, are you? What are you doing here?"

"Hmph, you haven't been with the International Illusion Society for very long, have you? I remember seeing you at the Kaiba Corporation headquarters." Hayato chuckled smugly, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm Pegasus's special guest; these are the people I brought to the island. Now we're going in. What, you have a problem with that?"

Hayato wasn't wrong. Although Saruwatari had long been bought off by Pegasus, drawing a salary from Kaiba Corporation while simultaneously preparing to betray them, joining the International Illusion Society was a recent development. He had indeed heard that Pegasus had invited special guests to this year's Duel Kingdom tournament, but he wasn't entirely sure who they were.

"No, no objection." Forcing a smile, Saruwatari bowed slightly, hoping not to offend this "important person" whose identity was still unclear. "I'm just confirming things according to the rules for safety reasons. Please come in."

Pegasus invested heavily in this Duel Kingdom tournament, not only using all his accumulated connections but also spending most of the available working capital of the International Illusion Society. This massive investment included building the Duel Kingdom island, holding qualifying tournaments around the world to invite players, and also bringing in major figures from various industries as special guests.

As far as Saruwatari knew, Anasis, the king of the shipping industry, the Garham conglomerate which was involved in various industries, and Paradis Corporation, which could be called the strongest in the world, had all been invited. Although not all of them attended, it was certain that those who were qualified to be special guests were people he could not afford to offend.

The only exception might be the Kaiba Group, where Saruwatari previously worked. Although the acting president, Keihei Kaiba, was also a special guest, his current status is... well...

Hayato glanced at the respectful Saruwatari, then ignored him; this was the epitome of a bully who preys on the weak. Just then, Yugi activated the mechanism on the castle gate, and the group walked into the castle without looking back.

Hayato, having been here before, led the way. After entering the main gate, there was an extremely long corridor, at the end of which was a staircase leading to the second floor. As soon as they started climbing the stairs, they heard a very familiar voice in the distance:

"I challenge you to a duel, Pegasus!"

"Who is that voice?" Mai Kongque couldn't recognize who was speaking, so she asked Jonouchi, who looked annoyed, as Jonouchi's expression indicated that he knew the person who was speaking.

Yugi and Hayato exchanged a glance, and Yugi replied to Mai, "That voice should be Kaiba-kun, right? Could it be that he has already found Pegasus and is confronting him?"

"Then we need to hurry!" Jonouchi said anxiously. "If Kaiba defeats Pegasus, all the star tokens we've collected will have been for nothing!"

"Tch, I have a share in your chips, Jonouchi," Mai said. Shortly after Kaiba left, Mai found Yugi and the others and gave him five star chips to fill the gap.

The game was only three chips short, and the extra two were used by Jonouchi. Mai was quite unhappy about this, because she felt that although she had given the chips to the game, she owed it to the game, and Jonouchi was just a cheat.

Last night, it seems some duelist assassins, posing as "Dark Duelists" and dispatched by Pegasus, launched a midnight raid, apparently to speed up the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Unfortunately, Mai Kujaku, who had sought out a game duel at Hayato's suggestion but was defeated by Jonouchi, was chosen as the target, losing a full five Star Chips.

Afterwards, Yugi defeated the "Dark Duelist" and gave five of the star chips he had taken from him to Mai, because Yugi believed that Mai would never lose in a proper match.

The strong-willed Peacock Dance really wanted those five chips, but her pride wouldn't allow her to keep them. In the end, she decided to treat those five chips as "temporarily borrowed" and collect other chips herself.

Jonouchi, disregarding whether he was running in the right direction, bypassed Hayato and ran ahead to find the place where the seahorse's voice had come from. Hayato and the others had no choice but to run alongside Jonouchi, having been leisurely strolling through the castle.

Not long after they arrived on the second floor, the group—or rather, the game—encountered someone they knew. A man wearing an American flag headscarf, a stubble beard, a denim shirt, a leather jacket, and sunglasses was leaning against a railing, looking down at the scene below.

"Keeth the thief!"

Jonouchi angrily called out the other person's name. Hearing Jonouchi's loud voice, the bandana-wearing man turned around and looked at Yugi and the others with slight surprise. Then, he revealed a provocative smile: "Yugi Muto, and some other guy whose name I don't know? I didn't expect you guys to move so quickly. I thought you were going to be locked up underground until the end of the match."

"You shameless bastard—" Jonouchi was about to step forward angrily when the turbaned man—"Thief" Keith—placed a finger on his outstretched palm, signaling Jonouchi to be quiet.

"Shh~" Keith said, turning his head back over the fence. "Quiet down, kids. Don't disturb the show down there."

Their curiosity was piqued, and they took a few steps to look down from the fence.

Kaiba and Pegasus were standing on opposite sides of a dueling platform, about to put down their respective decks!

Chapter 103 The Comedy Character is Invincible

"Hey, Pegasus! Why is Kaiba dueling with you?!" It was Jonouchi who spoke. "Didn't you say you needed to collect ten star tokens before you could duel me?!"

Pegasus looked at Jonouchi, a thoughtful expression on his face: "You are... Oh~ you're Game Boy's partner, Jonouchi Boy, right?"

"That's true according to the rules of Duel Kingdom, but Kaiba Boy is placing such a huge bet on this duel that even I find it hard to refuse his challenge~"

"After all, he risked his soul."

"Hmph!" Kaiba glared at Pegasus. "Stop with the nonsense. If you hadn't hypnotized Keihei, how could I have agreed to your terms!"

"Enough talk, let's duel!"

Seeing that the match between the two was about to begin, Yugi quickly shouted to Kaiba below, "Kaiba-kun, be careful of Pegasus's [Dragon Sealing Jar]! Even the [Blue-Eyes White Dragon] has no chance against that jar!"

"You must choose the cards you use carefully, Kaiba-kun!"

As soon as Yugi said that, not only Yugi below, but even Hayato and the others next to him all looked at him. Jonouchi said to him with dissatisfaction, "Why did you give that Kaiba guy advice, Yugi! If that guy wins, Sugoroku will be..."

“But Kaiba was fighting to save his brother, risking his life in the duel!” Yugi looked at Kaiba, their eyes meeting. In Kaiba’s eyes, Yugi saw a hint of madness mixed with confusion, inner turmoil, and anger. Knowing Kaiba’s personality, Yugi had no doubt what he would do for victory. “So, he also had a reason not to lose!”

"The game... I understand! I appreciate your sentiment!"

The seahorse below took the initiative and drew a card, while the group by the fence, including "thief" Keith, saw an old man with white hair walking towards them from not far away.

"Butler."

Hayato had seen this man behind Pegasus; he was the steward of Pegasus's castle.

"Mr. Hayato." The old butler bowed slightly to greet Hayato, then respectfully raised his arm and gestured in one direction to Yugi and the others, saying, "Congratulations to all those who have qualified for the top eight of Duel Kingdom and have passed the selection stage."

"As per Lord Pegasus's instructions, all qualified candidates and their friends, if you are interested in the duel between Lord Pegasus and Mr. Seto Kaiba, please come with me to the audience seats to watch the battle."

Thinking that it would be better to sit than stand, the group followed the butler's instructions and took their seats in the audience. Yugi, Hayato, and Jonouchi sat in the front row, while Mai sat in the same row as Jonouchi, one seat away. Kyoko, Honda, and Bakura sat in the row behind them, and Keith, with his legs crossed, occupied the last row like a big shot.

Unlike the towering dueling platforms scattered throughout the Duel Kingdom islands, the dueling platforms in Pegasus's castle are not very high because they are installed in the hall. In addition, the audience seats are located on the second floor, so the audience does not have to look up to watch the entire duel as they do when dueling outside. Now they can see the situation inside the dueling platform more clearly from above.

Off the field, the duel between Bekas and Seahorse became increasingly intense.

Kaiba summoned "Dragon Dominator" first, and then activated "Dragon Summoning Flute" to summon two seemingly invincible "Blue-Eyes White Dragons" in the first turn. In addition to their high attack power, they also enjoyed the "cannot be targeted by card effects" effect provided by "Dragon Dominator". The two face-down cards in the back row also seemed to have a protective effect.

Any other duelist would find it difficult to last even a single round in this dueling kingdom where direct attacks are allowed.

But the person opposite Kaiba is Pegasus, the father of Duel Monsters, also known as "Inka".

Faced with the invincible Blue-Eyes, he first summoned a lowly mortal monster, Mermaid with a Bow, and then activated a unique Spell Card, Toon World.

"In the world of cartoons, there is no bloodshed, no death. It's the best and most beautiful world in the world." Pegasus spoke of his love for the cartoon world in the tone of a young girl experiencing first love. "In the cartoon world, my monsters will never die!"

"That's a bit too much! That kind of card will ruin the experience for other duelists!" Jonouchi watched as Pegasus's [Bow-Drawing Mermaid] entered [Toon World] and transformed into a [Toon Mermaid]. Although its ATK, DEF, type, attribute, and level remained unchanged, the entire art style of the [Toon Mermaid] monster underwent a complete transformation.

If I had to put it into words, it would be that the realistic style of monster dueling that Hayato had always seen had changed to the two-dimensional style of the cards he used to play cards in his previous life—their eyes became big and bright, and even the shells they lived in had grown chibi-style human faces; their skin became smooth and delicate, without any wrinkles no matter how they moved; and the bow and arrows they used to hold became like children's toys, losing their sharpness.

If you think that [Cartoon Mermaid] is nothing special just because she's become cute, you'd be sorely mistaken. Thanks to Pegasus's nonsense, [Cartoon Mermaid] can not only bypass the wall formed by three powerful monsters on Kaiba's field and attack Kaiba directly, but also possesses invincible resistance that makes her "absolutely indestructible".

[Lightning Strike], [Man-Eating Insect], and even [Lightning Vortex], whether it's a monster effect, a monster battle, or a spell/trap card, regardless of whether it targets or not, [Toon] monsters always manage to escape attacks in all sorts of strange and wonderful ways when they are on the verge of death, just like the protagonist in a shonen manga who can always turn the tide when he encounters a crisis.

No wonder Jonouchi said such a thing.

"In lighthearted cartoons, no matter how much damage they suffer, the characters can instantly recover and never die. [Cartoon] monsters inherit this wonderful quality," Pegasus said proudly, glancing interestedly at the audience. "However, [Cartoon] cards are only available to me globally, so it won't affect the experience for other duelists."

"After all, I also hope that Duel Monsters can develop even better~"

"They've become even more shameless, huh?" Hayato retorted.

Even Keith, the "thief" in the last row, couldn't stand it anymore: "Pegasus is as annoying as ever!"

Chapter 104 The Despicable Card Printer

Hearing Keith's words, Mai turned to look at him, thought for a moment, and tentatively asked, "You wouldn't happen to be Keith, the 'thief' who won the US championship and plundered countless prize money, would you?"

"Hmph, you've got some sense, little girl." Keith arrogantly raised his chin when he realized he had been recognized.

Yugi and Jonouchi glared at him somewhat angrily.

"Game, you guys know this guy too?"

Upon hearing Mai's words, Jonouchi said angrily, "That bastard ordered his men to kidnap me and force me into a cave to duel. After his men lost the duel, he even sent people to trap us all inside the cave. If we hadn't been lucky, we almost wouldn't have been able to get out."

"I told you, you're just a burden in this game, and you even got kidnapped, hahaha. You're just lucky anyway," Mai Kongque teased after listening to Jonouchi recount his experience. She had challenged Jonouchi once, and despite having a huge advantage, Jonouchi managed to turn the tables on her with a combination of Time Magician and Baby Dragon. Because of those gambling cards, it's no wonder she couldn't let it go.

"You bastard!"