Chapter 123: Bandit Keith Nearly Becomes Polpo
"I won. That was a truly interesting Duel." As his own avatar enlarged on the big screen and Bandit Keith's avatar dimmed, confirming his victory, Chumley broke into a happy smile.
As a former All-American Champion, Bandit Keith's strength was truly formidable. Though he loved to use various underhanded tactics, fortunately, Chumley was ultimately superior in skill, securing a spot in the Top 4. What made Chumley even happier was that, although it was his first time using his Armed Dragon cards in a Duel, based on how the Armed Dragon had responded to him earlier, he was likely not far from awakening its Duel Monster Spirit.
Just as Chumley was gathering his cards and preparing to return to the Audience Seating, a furious roar suddenly erupted from the Duel Arena opposite him: "I don't accept this!"
Bandit Keith had lost the Match. Staring at Chumley's position, his eyes were filled with rage. "You're just a mere amateur duelist! How could you possibly defeat me? I'm the All-American Champion! You must have cheated!"
Chumley sneered. Just as he was about to say something back to Bandit Keith, who refused to accept the truth, a man's voice called out: "Your protest is invalid, Mr. Keith. Chumley-boy is a duelist in the truest sense of the word. He committed no acts of cheating in this Duel. Me can guarantee it with my honor."
Even without looking up, Chumley could tell who the owner of that voice was. Sure enough, Bandit Keith's attention was completely captured by the silver-haired man who had appeared in the Spectator Stands. He growled through clenched teeth, "ONORE, Pegasus!"
At some point, Pegasus, who was supposed to be waiting behind the scenes for the Top 8 duelists to determine the King of Games, had appeared in the Audience Seating. He looked down upon Chumley and Bandit Keith on either side of the Duel Arena below. Staring at the defeated Bandit Keith, Pegasus wore a bored expression. "I thought Mr. Keith could have tested Chumley-boy's limits for me. That's why I came here personally. After all, me is very interested in Chumley-boy.
"But in the end, me didn't even get to see half of Chumley-boy's strength. How troublesome." As he spoke, Pegasus opened his mouth and yawned. "Yawn. Me can't stop."
His words were filled with disappointment for the Duel, causing the flames of anger in the already foul-tempered Bandit Keith's Mind to burn even brighter. "Pegasus, you're the one person I will never forgive!"
As he spoke, Bandit Keith actually reached into his coat and pulled a pistol from an inner pocket. As if considering the possibility that Pegasus might try to run and create distance, Bandit Keith stepped on the railing of the Duel Arena, leaping high into the air, grabbed the railing of the Spectator Stands with one hand, and with a stylish flip, landed on the barrier, aiming the pistol straight at the now close-by Pegasus!
"That guy, Bandit Keith, actually brought a gun?!" Nearby, Joey was a little flustered; he'd never seen a real pistol in his life. But Mai Valentine and Sheppard, standing beside him, seemed rather calm. This was especially true for Mai Valentine, probably because she had spent time in the land of the free before. She wasn't just unsurprised by a pistol; she had seen plenty of shootings, so she wasn't shocked by Bandit Keith's actions at all.
"Pegasus, let's see where you can run to now!" The pistol was almost pressed against Pegasus's forehead, and Bandit Keith was incredibly smug at this moment. "All these years, I've longed for my revenge against you every single moment, to return all the humiliation I've suffered!"
"Now, I've finally gotten my chance. Hand over all the Prize Money, or I'll shoot you dead!"
Bandit Keith's facial expression was completely out of control as he stared menacingly at Pegasus before him.
Ever since his last loss in a Duel against Pegasus—and especially having lost to a mere child—the corporations that had sponsored Bandit Keith's participation in tournaments all pulled their funding. At the same time, due to various contracts he had signed and gambling Duels he had participated in, he found himself deep in debt overnight. However dashing he had once been, that's how pathetic he became after that Duel.
Because of this, he was even forced to participate in underground Duels. To stimulate the senses of the audience, the underground duelists all wore dangerous devices that would release powerful electric currents as their Life Points decreased. Bandit Keith had barely managed to pay off his debts through these dangerous underground Duels, but he had suffered a great deal of torment in the process.
Bandit Keith blamed all of this on Pegasus. He swore to inflict everything he had experienced onto Pegasus as his revenge, and now, he was just one step away from achieving his goal.
"You are really quite annoying, Mr. Keith." Despite having a pistol capable of easily taking a human life pointed at his head, Pegasus remained as calm and unruffled as ever. He glanced at Bandit Keith before him, his smile vanishing to reveal a cold expression. "Unable to accept the fact of your own defeat, you've chosen to resort to violence. Keith Howard, you are not a duelist."
"Hmph, Duel Monsters is just a kid's game. If it can bring me profit, of course I'll play a round or two. But if there's a greater profit to be made, who would bother following the rules?" Being scornfully called "not a duelist" by Pegasus, Bandit Keith felt no shame, but rather took pride in it. "Whoever wants to be a duelist can go right ahead. Now, I'll repeat myself one last time: hand over the prize money!"
"Or I'll shoot you dead right now!"
Chumley didn't doubt that Bandit Keith, being an American, would actually pull the trigger. But the instant Bandit Keith finished speaking, Chumley sensed a well-controlled stream of Dark Power gush forth from Pegasus's left Millennium Eye, following his line of sight to strike the nearby Bandit Keith.
Bandit Keith, who had been holding his arm straight out and threatening Pegasus with the gun, suddenly began to tremble. The expression on his face became one of absolute terror, as if he were seeing something completely unbelievable. His trembling hand bent, and the muzzle of the gun, which had been pointing at Pegasus, moved away, inching bit by bit towards his own head!
Chumley frowned. He had thought Pegasus might activate some hidden trap, just like in the anime's plot, and banish Bandit Keith into the sea outside the island. But this scene was clearly him using the power of the Millennium Eye to delude Bandit Keith's mind, intending to make him shoot himself, just like in the manga's plot.
The Millennium Ring on his chest glowed faintly to prevent himself from being entranced by the Millennium Eye's magical energy. Chumley then copied Bandit Keith's move, leaping up from the Duel Arena and climbing into the nearby Audience Seating. Just before Bandit Keith could pull the trigger and kill himself, Chumley sent him flying with a kick, knocking him to the ground. The gun in his hand fell to the side and was collected by the men in black accompanying Pegasus.
Bandit Keith, who had nearly become Polpo, had fallen unconscious. Chumley turned his head to look at Pegasus, an artificial smile on his face. "My, my, that was dangerous, Mr. Pegasus. Uncle Keith nearly shot you dead. I saved your life, you know. Don't forget to thank me properly~"
"You've had quite a harvest on this island, haven't you, Chumley-boy." Pegasus glanced at the Millennium Ring on Chumley's chest. The last time they met on the island, Pegasus hadn't paid it much mind, but this time, seeing it up close and in person, he could recognize the extraordinary nature of the Millennium Ring.
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Author's Note 1: I was actually thinking of splitting this chapter into two, but then I figured it's better to resolve it in one. After all, there are still five matches to go from the Top 8 to the champion. Even if I skip a few people's Duels, I'll still have to write two or three more in detail. I need to speed up the pace.
P.S. The Polpo mentioned here is from JoJo Part 5. His final fate was suicide by shooting himself.
(end of chapter)