Is this the world of card dealers? Yada thieves!

"Well, there's no need to be so polite. In the end, I was called here by that guy Kobayashi Hayato. He said he wanted me to be the safety officer for his students. But I didn't expect that the first person I'd run into would be 'the noble prince of fate,' you." As he spoke, the man squatted down and started tapping the wooden board with a hammer.

Ed then realized that the trembling he had felt earlier was likely caused by the man tapping on the exposed nails on the wooden board. But more than what the man was planning to do with the board, he was concerned about something else: "Kajiki Ryota!?"

Yes, when the man crouched down, Edward was surprised to find that the person who saved him was none other than the legendary duelist known as "The Fisherman," Ryota Kajiki, who is currently ranked eighth in the professional dueling world!

Originally, if Edward had won his duel with Caesar, he would have secured a victory at the beginning of this season. Given his excellent performance in winning the championship last year, his next opponent would have been either the "tough guy" Ryuzaki Dinosaur or the "fisherman" Ryota Kajiki. Edward, who was so confident of winning his duel with Caesar, had even prepared by researching his upcoming opponents.

But there are no "what ifs". Because he lost to Caesar, Edward had to compete for the first victory against other professional duelists who also failed to win their first match. One step behind leads to another, and it would probably take him several months to catch up with the professional duelists ahead of him.

The only thing that Edward was relieved about was that, for some reason, top professional duelists like Kajiki Ryota and Ryuzaki announced a temporary suspension of their competition for a month, just like they did during the championship season last year. This way, Edward wouldn't fall too far behind them in terms of results.

But what he didn't expect was that after he came to the Duel Academy and was forcibly dragged to this island by Hayato-sensei, he would unexpectedly run into Kajiki Ryota here!

Also, what does he mean by "safety officer"?

"The monsters on the island look just like ferocious monsters in the wild, right? If someone comes to the island for the first time, they might even think they've stumbled into some kind of demonic realm." Kajiki Ryota hammered the nail back into the wooden board and said without looking up, "But in reality, all the creatures on the island act on the premise of 'not causing incurable damage.' That is to say, there may be cuts or bruises, even internal bleeding, limb amputation or bone fractures, but there will absolutely be no sequelae, let alone death."

"You can even do that kind of thing?"

What Edward was asking about wasn't that Kajiki Ryota claimed all the serious injuries could be cured without leaving any sequelae, because he knew that with the technological level of the Haima Group, they really wouldn't take such injuries seriously. As long as the person wasn't dead, they could definitely be saved or even fully healed. "Netherworld Soul Chaser" was the best summary of the medical level of the medical companies under the Haima Group.

—Even in urban legends, it is said that even if someone has been dead for many years, the Haima Group is not without the ability to bring them back to the human world, but because it is too outrageous, it should be fake.

What he was asking was, how could those materialized dueling monsters on the island be restrained by Hayato-sensei and prevented from causing harm beyond their limits? Did those beings possess self-awareness? And the ability to think?

Although he believed that cards possessed a spirit, Edward's insight was that only cards imbued with significant emotions could receive the same spiritual response in an equivalent exchange; at least, only sufficiently important cards could possess a "soul" that seemed to be alive, like his [D·hero Blood Demon-D].

Putting aside the question of what supernatural power or massive virtual projection system was used to create so many materialized Duel Monsters, the fact that materialized Duel Monsters within an entire island possess their own consciousness and intelligence is what Edward finds most unbelievable.

Kajiki Ryota seemed to understand his true meaning, nodding and saying, "I wouldn't believe it if just anyone said that, but who told me this? After all, he's the Duel King, so it feels like anything he does is reasonable. Trust Kobayashi Hayato, just trust him. Trust doesn't need a reason."

"If that's the case, then who is the safety officer?"

Having seemingly finished hammering, Kajiki Yuta put down the hammer with satisfaction. Hearing Edward's question, he stood up and said, "Actually, it's just in case. Like before, you were suffocated and knocked unconscious by the seemingly weak attack of the [Regenerating Slime]. If it weren't for a 'safety officer' like me, you would probably be brain dead. Although it can be cured, it's too troublesome."

"So it was time for me to step in and help you tear off the [Regenerating Slime] and clean the residue from your nose and mouth. It took me a lot of effort."

Edward finally understood why he had changed his clothes after waking up, but he was still a little confused: "You are a legendary duelist, and if you didn't waste time here, you could have continued to be quite active in the professional arena, so why would you do something like this?"

“I’m probably different from many others. At first, Duel Monsters was just a tool, you know, and I even had a bit of a disdain for it.” Kajiki Ryota said casually, making Edward quite surprised. “If Duel Monsters hadn’t helped me earn enough money to buy a fishing boat, I wouldn’t even want to use my deck. Strange, isn’t it?”

Edward nodded: "But why...?"

“Well, because my deck symbolizes the sea, and my father happened to disappear after a voyage.” Kajiki Ryota shrugged. “So, using my cards, which symbolize the sea, in a duel is like reliving my father’s disappearance over and over again.”

"However, as time went on, I came to terms with it. A man of the sea can't blame the tragedies that happen in reality on innocent cards. And maybe miracles do exist in the world? My father might still be fighting the sea, and maybe one day I will also charge into the waves. Through duels, I realized that I actually enjoy using sea cards to duel, this feeling of conquering the sea. Gradually, I fell in love with dueling."

After a pause, Kajiki Ryota looked at Edward: "Ah, I think I accidentally went off-topic? What did you just ask me again?"

Looking at Kajiki Ryota, who also lost his father at a young age and became involved with Duel Monsters because of it, Edward felt the existence of "fate" and couldn't help but think of himself.

Ryota Kajiki, who initially disliked the cards but unknowingly formed a deep bond with them, and himself, who initially loved the "hero" themed cards created by his father but later viewed [D·hero] through a filter after his father's death.

【D·hero】is perhaps not a hero bound by fate or suppressed by chains, but rather one who fights against fate and changes it...

Shaking his head, putting aside his thoughts for the moment, Edward asked again after hearing Kajiki Ryota's words, "I mean, why did you agree to come here as a 'safety officer'?"

Looking at Edward, Kajiki Ryota's tone was slightly sour: "Actually, at first, I wanted to refuse because I also wanted to win a world championship. You took such a good opportunity last year. But Kobayashi Hayato said that he had the card design department of International Illusion Company create a new set of ocean-themed cards as my reward."

"Trying to hire me as a slave with Duel Monster cards? That's an insult to me!" After a pause, a smile appeared on Kajiki Ryota's dark face. "But he gave me way too much."

Chapter 1464 Moon-Slicing Blade

The truth is actually far more complicated than Kajiki Ryota made it out to be.

Although Kajiki Ryota initially became a duelist because Pegasus held the "National Duel Monster Tournament" to select powerful duelists with extremely generous prize money, he still managed to win third place as a newcomer.

However, after he continued to be active as a professional duelist and made a living, Kajiki Ryota began to use most of his prize money, after deducting daily expenses and the maintenance costs of his fishing boats, to support maritime search and rescue teams.

Because his father disappeared at sea, he chose to hold an umbrella for others after being caught in the rain. This is also the main reason why Kajiki Ryota accepted without hesitation when Hayato asked him to be a "safety officer".

After all, the dangers on this island include materialized Duel Monsters, but not only Duel Monsters. Even the natural world itself, without any ferocious beasts, is dangerous enough. Kajiki Ryota knows this more clearly than most people. And Kobayashi Hayato asked him to take charge of the waters surrounding the island and a small river that almost divides the entire island in two.

"The 'safety officers' needed on this island are dealing with materialized dueling monsters. Ordinary people wouldn't have the ability to do it, and might even have a heart attack from the fright." As he spoke, Kajiki Ryota showed off his muscles. "So not only me, but also quite a few other very strong duelists have been called to the island to help."

Although he is not a rare "spirit user," his robust physique, honed through years of training, allows him to unleash strength far exceeding that of ordinary people. Coupled with the assistance of card monsters that can materialize even in the island's unique environment, dealing with monsters like "Regenerated Slime" is a piece of cake.

"In any case, it's definitely not because of the card given by Hayato Kobayashi."

"Okay, I completely understand. You don't need to overemphasize it."

Hearing Edward say that, Kajiki Ryota knew he didn't really believe him at all, and continued to argue... I mean, clarify: "No, I really didn't do it for Kobayashi Hayato's card."

Edward asked helplessly, "Then tell me if those cards are strong or not?"

"It's not a question of whether those cards are strong or not. They are very, very special cards. You can feel their immense power just by looking at them." Kajiki Ryota tried to describe the enhancement cards he received from Hayato, but after struggling for a long time, he still couldn't come up with the right words. "Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to duel anyone after getting those cards, so I can't say how they perform in practice."

"Luckily, I found you, Edward. It's such a joy to see you again!"

Edward understood the first part of what was said, but Kajiki Ryota's last sentence was beyond his comprehension. How was Kajiki Ryota's act of saving him connected to the card he received from Hayato-sensei?

"Huh? What's with that look on your face? You look like you don't understand anything." Kajiki Ryota looked at Edward with some surprise. "Didn't Kobayashi Hayato tell you anything?"

"In fact, before we met you, Hayato-sensei only told us that this was an undeveloped, uninhabited island under his name, and had no idea that there were other people on the island."

Seeing that Edward's tone didn't seem insincere, Kajiki Ryota didn't dwell on it much. Instead, he gestured for Edward to stand to the side first, then gripped the edge of the wooden board with both hands: "Anyway, come over here with me first, and I'll explain everything to you slowly when we get there."

As he spoke, he used his strength to lift a thick wooden plank onto his shoulder. Only then did Edward realize that what he had been lying on was not an ordinary wooden plank, but a floating platform made up of several planks.

Carrying the floating platform, Kajiki Ryota walked ahead, leading Edward away from where he woke up. Edward then discovered that Kajiki Ryota had taken him from his original location to the edge of the forest. They left the forest and arrived at the seaside not far away.

Kajiki Ryota threw the wooden pontoon he was carrying into the sea with all his might, trying to send it as far as possible. He then took a running start from the shore and jumped towards the pontoon that had drifted out to sea. The momentum from Kajiki Ryota's successful landing on the pontoon sent it drifting even further.

Standing on the self-made floating platform, which was simple but spacious, Kajiki Ryota had excellent balance. Even though the platform was swaying up and down with the waves, he landed as if on flat ground. He turned around and looked at Edward standing on the shore: "So, this is it."

"Perhaps you already anticipated this? Consider this a substitute for the duel we almost had on the professional stage, or the price I pay for saving you." He reached behind his back and pulled out a duel disk from who-knows-where, putting it on his wrist. "In any case, as duelists, we cannot survive without dueling!"

On his way here, Edward had a vague premonition that this situation would arise, since Kajiki Ryota had made almost no attempt to hide anything. Although he didn't say it explicitly, the underlying logic was that he "didn't have time to duel after getting the new card," and "luckily he ran into me," plus the fact that as a duelist, having "card games" on his mind was perfectly reasonable. So, unsurprisingly, Kajiki Ryota was indeed planning to duel Edward.

No, to put it another way, it was Ed who was the challenger.

Without any intention of refusing, Edward accepted the duel without hesitation, but he raised his bare arm and said, "But before that, you have to tell me where my duel disk is?"

Because Edward was knocked unconscious after being attacked by [Regenerated Slime], Kajiki Ryota rescued him and changed his clothes. Although the deck was still safely left in the card box on Edward's waist, his own backpack and Duel Disk had disappeared.

"As for your backpack, I've hidden it. What I meant by 'you can't survive without fighting' is exactly what it sounds like. Although being rescued by the 'safety officer' won't disqualify you from continuing to participate in Kobayashi Hayato's games, the prerequisite for resuming your activities is to defeat the 'safety officer'—that is, duelists like me who were brought to the island by Kobayashi Hayato."

Kajiki Ryota looked at Edward and said, "This is one of the reasons why Kobayashi Hayato approached us in the first place. But it seems that he didn't tell you about this either, since he didn't even mention that there were other people on the island."

"In short, your Duel Disk is hidden in the bushes behind you, but if you want to get the backpack containing supplies, you'll have to pass my test by dueling first."

Guided by Ryota Kajiki, Edward quickly found his own Duel Disk in the grass. After skillfully putting it on and inserting it into his deck, he returned to the shore and faced Ryota Kajiki.

"There's something that's bothering me." Looking at Kajiki Ryota standing on the sea, Edward couldn't help but ask before the duel began, "Couldn't we have dueled in the forest? Why did we come here specifically?"

"Because he's still a child, he obviously doesn't understand, right? The romance of a man on the sea." Kajiki Ryota shook his head. "If I had the opportunity, I would definitely prefer to let my monsters fight in the environment they are most comfortable with, even if changing the battle environment doesn't have the same direct impact on the monsters as it did in Duel Kingdom."

When Duel Kingdom was mentioned, Kajiki Ryota recalled something interesting: "Speaking of which, do you know Yugi Muto? The Yugi Muto who was once ranked as the 'King of Duel' alongside Hayato Kobayashi and is now a big shot at the International Mirage Society, he's very famous, right? But a long time ago in Duel Kingdom, when facing my Ocean deck, that Yugi Muto was also in danger several times."

"—Although, because of the imperfections in the rules at that time, he made up some inexplicable 'tide' and caused me to lose. In fact, that guy Kobayashi Hayato even made a card based on that duel called 'Moon Slashing Blade'."

"Anyway, the current situation is very similar to that time, so let's just consider it a tribute. No one has ever said that I can't pay tribute to myself, right?" Kajiki Ryota laughed and raised his duel disk as well. "The man who stands on the sea, known as 'Fisherman' Kajiki Ryota, I hereby report!"

"I see, a duel against a legend of the past. This is getting me a little excited." Edward couldn't help but smile, raising his Duel Disk to look at Kajiki Ryota, and introducing himself, "As for my title, well, I don't really like that weird nickname, so please leave me alone. Anyway—I, Edward Phoenix, a first-year student at Duel Academy, hereby issue this challenge!"

"Duel!" x2

Ed Phoenix: 4000LP, 5 cards in hand

[Ryota Kajiki: 4000LP, 5 in hand]

“I’ll take the first turn, draw a card!” After easily taking the first turn, Edward realized that Kajiki Ryota had no intention of taking the first turn at all. He just glanced at his hand and nodded to Edward, signaling him to continue.

Edward had previously investigated Kajiki Ryota for the same reason he mentioned before: Ryota was just a hair's breadth away from becoming his opponent. He thought that the deck information and dueling style he had gathered through his special investigation would be wasted because the difference in their win rates this year would prevent them from meeting again on the field. Who would have thought that by participating in Hayato-sensei's "Wilderness Survival" event, he would actually encounter Kajiki Ryota?

The information he had gathered mentioned that Kajiki Ryota was known as "the Fisherman," not only because he was indeed a fisherman before he became involved with Duel Monsters, and because his name also contained the character "fisher," but mainly because of the deck he used.

My definition is "a deck that can represent the sea," but more specifically, it refers to a "sea creature" deck that is almost entirely composed of Fish, Water, and Sea Dragon types, and that revolves around the field spell card "Sea" in battle. Its most famous cards are the monster cards "Legendary Fisherman" and "Torrent Tribute."

However, this is only the most easily obtainable part of the information about the other party, and it is not enough to be used as the whole basis for judging Kajiki Ryota's strength. Just like the phrase "tip of the iceberg", it is obvious that the other party definitely has hidden true strength.

Not to mention that all the information he had obtained came from the opponent's performance in the duel two years ago, and that his absence last year meant that Kajiki Ryota's deck must have undergone many changes that Edward was unaware of, the fact that the opponent had already told him that he had received a strengthening card from Hayato-sensei that even he was tempted by and could not resist was enough to make Edward nervous.

Is deliberately giving up the first attack in order to break through later? Edward pondered, recalling the opponent's main tactics in the past, which mainly involved using [Sea Dragon Daedalus] to flood the field and then using [Legendary Fisherman] to attack directly. He needed a way to effectively limit the opponent's monsters.

So, the answer is quite simple, isn't it?

Looking at the six cards in his hand, Edward drew one and said, "First, I discard one [Hero] monster from my hand, and then Special Summon [V·hero Alone] from my hand."

On the field, a brand new hero appeared, whose body was inlaid with light beads and whose vision was completely covered by a mask. It was not the [E·hero] that both Jaden and Edward possessed, nor the [D·hero] that Edward's father left to his son, but the brand new [V·hero].

"V? 'Vision'? 'Phantom' hero?"

Hearing Kajiki Ryota's guess, Edward nodded and said, "This power is a gift from my friend. It is a card that represents the power of 'pain'. They seem ethereal, yet they are incredibly real. They are the best help for my [D·heroes]."

The power that Saiou gave to Edward in the past was none other than the [V·hero] series represented by [V·hero Dokuzenjin] who is appearing now. It is neither "element" nor "fate". The power of [V·hero] is the power of illusion. Even Edward is using this new power that he has kept hidden for a long time for the first time in a battle with someone else.

The main reason is nothing else—it's just that recently, the number of times he's lost and the frequency of his setbacks have been far too high. Even though the divination by the Prince of Sai showed that his luck was fine, he just seems to be having a series of troubles, as if Mercury is in retrograde.

So, although he had always intended to keep this power hidden until he absolutely had to use it, Edward felt that if he were to suffer a setback because he wasn't familiar with this power when the time came, wouldn't he just make himself look like a comedic character? So he decided to start using the [V·heroes] from this duel with Kajiki Ryota.

—It's definitely not because I took too much effect damage in my previous duel with that hideous Tenjouin Fubuki!

Chapter 1465 Self-interest leads to growth, but growth is followed by dismantling the bridge after crossing the river!

【V·hero is a kind person】【4☆/Dark】

[Warrior Race/Effect]

[1600/1800]

“The name ‘Faris’ of ‘V·hero the Alone Good’ is a variant of ‘falsifier,’ meaning forger or tamperer, so perhaps it’s okay to call him ‘V·hero the Hypocrite’?”

The manifestation of Saiou's power in Edward's deck—the [V·heroes]—is more religiously inclined than the original [D·heroes], given their darker style. After all, the tarot cards Edward received in Saiou's divination hinted at the "His Holiness."

Edward, placing the card on the Duel Disk, continued, "Looking at its first effect alone, the idea of ​​Special Summoning oneself at the expense of an ally does seem more like the 'V·hero's Self-Saving Man, but now I'm going to use its second effect!"

"If [V·hero] is successfully Summoned or Special Summoned, this effect can be activated! Select one [V·hero] monster from my Deck other than [V·hero] and place it face-up in my Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Trap Card. After this effect is activated, until the end of this turn, I cannot Special Summon any monster that is not a [Hero] from my Fusion Deck!"

"The card I've chosen is this [V·hero Incremental]! I'll place it face-up in my back row as a Continuous Trap Card."

"Phantom Alteration!"

One by one, the orange bulbs on V·Hero Almighty lit up on Edward's field, casting an orange phantom image onto Edward's backfield. This phantom was supposed to be just an illusion, but under V·Hero Almighty's power, it gradually gained its own color and began to move. Except for its lack of physical form, it was as if a real monster had appeared out of thin air in Edward's backfield.