Chapter 56: The Invincible Old Exodia Collapses—Oh, Not Yet!
"Ah, it's Weevil." Chumley had no inherent good feelings towards Weevil, but Yugi had no idea about how disgusting Weevil was. Instead, he had a slight good impression of Weevil for informing him about the existence of the "New Rules." So, seeing Weevil appear, he was rather welcoming. "Weevil, have you managed to trade for any powerful Cards?"
"Heh heh, the Cards used for exchange can't possibly be the Duelists' strongest Cards. At most, they're just useless Cards exchanged for other useless Cards. Besides, I have great confidence in my Deck." Weevil approached with considerable enthusiasm, his gaze drifting around the round table, and quickly locked onto the Gold Sarcophagus from which Yugi had just taken out his Time Wizard, and hadn't yet had a chance to close its lid.
"Moreover, no matter how powerful a Card is, it wouldn't be a match for your Exodia, Yugi."
Hearing that even a powerful Duelist like Weevil, who had won the National Duel Monsters Tournament, affirmed his friend's strength, Joey beamed with pride: "Of course! Exodia is an invincible Monster!"
Anyone who didn't know would think Exodia was his Card, not Yugi's.
"While there isn't only one set of Exodia Cards, and it's not as rare as the four copies of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, among all the Duelists I know, you're the only one who has gathered all the pieces of Exodia, Yugi."
Weevil immediately seized the opportunity, continuously steering the conversation towards Exodia. Chumley, knowing his intentions, simply sat by, watching the malicious fellow, waiting for him to reveal his true purpose.
Yugi felt a little embarrassed by Weevil's words, scratched the back of his head, and said with a smile, "Don't say that. Actually, this set of Exodia isn't even my Card; my Grandpa collected them all."
"Collecting Cards is just the basic requirement, but to be able to gather Exodia in a Duel, you're still amazing, Yugi." Weevil said, walking closer to Yugi with a smile. "Hey, Yugi, I've never seen a Rare Card like Exodia before. Could you let me take a look?"
The simple-minded (?) Yugi didn't think much of it, and readily took out the Deck stored in the Gold Sarcophagus. He selected the five Exodia Cards from it and handed them to Weevil: "Of course, no problem."
"So this is Exodia? As long as you gather all five Cards in your Hand, you can win the Duel regardless of any situation. How powerful, truly powerful." Weevil held the five Cards, speaking in an affectedly bland tone.
"Hey, Yugi, did you know? From the moment I heard about Exodia's invincible ability, I started thinking about one question: If I were to Duel you, how could I possibly deal with Exodia?" Weevil paused, then turned his head to look at the sea under the night sky.
The wind on the sea had grown stronger, and the waves had also significantly increased. The bright moon that had hung high in the sky was, at some point, obscured by dark clouds, leaving the sea utterly dark as far as the eye could see. It was as if time had been deliberately set aside for someone to do something.
Yugi was a clever person himself, and though he tended to trust others easily, he now somewhat detected something amiss in Weevil's words: "What are you trying to say, Weevil?"
"I finally confirmed it: under the infinite power of Exodia, I cannot defeat you." Weevil suddenly revealed a smile, having backed up until he was leaning against the railing. "But the moment I got these Exodia Cards of yours, I finally got my answer, the answer to how to defeat you!"
Seeing Yugi about to rush towards him, Weevil, holding the Exodia Cards, violently flung his hand over the railing. The five Cards were forcefully thrown by him, fluttering towards the sea: "If I can't defeat Exodia, I'll just destroy it!"
"Grandpa's Cards!" Yugi desperately raised his hand, trying to catch the Cards, but the distance between them was too great. Amidst Joey's astonishment, Yugi's anxiety, and Weevil's triumphant gaze, the Cards thrown by Weevil were about to drift overboard. But just then, several butterfly nets suddenly extended from the lower deck, precisely catching all the Cards.
Chumley then leisurely rose from his chair, walked to the railing, and leaned over to look down, saying, "Thanks for waiting so long, everyone. Bring the Cards up."
"Yes, Mr. Chumley." The voice of a black-clad staff member came from below, clearly indicating they were the ones who had caught the falling Cards with the butterfly nets.
Seeing his plan fail, Weevil was about to flee, but Joey, having reacted, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him. With his legs flailing and struggling, he looked at Chumley with disbelief: "You actually prepared for this? I didn't tell anyone!"
"Ask yourself, could your acting really hide your intentions? The moment I saw you in the cabin, I smelled it: that disgusting stench, unique to villains, worse than a frog's piss." Chumley paused, "Using Yugi's kindness and trust to destroy his Cards, people like you are worse than rat droppings in a toilet."
Several black-clad men, holding butterfly nets, walked up the stairs. One of them, holding the five Exodia Cards they had just rescued, approached Yugi and respectfully presented them.
"Yugi, quickly check if all the Cards are there." Joey asked with concern. Exodia's power relies on all five pieces being complete; even missing just one would render it useless. Yugi spread out the five Cards, and after confirming, couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"Chumley, thanks to you this time, Grandpa's Cards weren't thrown into the sea." Yugi sincerely thanked Chumley. If not for Chumley just now, those five Cards would have already fallen into the sea.
Chumley waved his hand: "I suspected something when Weevil kept bringing up Exodia at every turn, but I had no evidence, so acting prematurely would have been unreasonable on my part."
"However, it's a good thing Pegasus's VIP treatment for me is legitimate, allowing me to command the people from Industrial Illusions. Although it caused you all a fright, we've got something on this guy, Weevil."
Weevil saw that the attention of the others was not currently on him, and the Industrial Illusions staff were glaring at him, caught red-handed. His heart was filled with dread. He had taken such a huge risk, not only failing to destroy Exodia but also getting caught; he secretly gritted his teeth.
He twisted back his hand and grabbed Joey's hand that was holding his collar, and turned his head to bite him. Joey, in pain, instinctively let go. The moment Weevil's feet touched the ground, he immediately lunged towards Yugi's body.
(end of chapter)