The black night was deep and intense, tightly connecting the sky and the earth, with not a single star visible in the sky. The sea breeze carried a bone-chilling coldness, sweeping over the empty dock, bringing with it a harsh, wailing sound.
Men in black clothing silently gathered at a corner of the dock. A few dim streetlights swayed in the wind, their sparse light barely illuminating the area where the people stood.
A long-faced man sat in a chair, with neatly dressed men in black suits standing on either side of him.
A group of masked people slowly approached. Each of them wore a red cloth over their face, concealing their features. They were a local gang, and the red mask was their gang's symbol.
The long-faced man lazily gestured with his hand, "Let's see your sincerity first."
The leader of the masked group nodded. A subordinate beside him stepped forward, carrying a metal briefcase.
The man in the black suit beside the long-faced man took the briefcase, opened it to confirm, and, after seeing the neatly packed box of cards, nodded slightly before closing the case.
The long-faced man revealed a satisfied smile.
"Cash for goods, hand in hand."
He gestured to the other man in the black suit, who immediately stepped forward with another suitcase, handing over two fully packed briefcases.
The masked people on the other side also took a look, seeing the briefcase filled with cash, nodded with satisfaction, closed it, and handed it to the person behind them.
"So," the long-faced man smiled, spreading his hands, "a pleasant cooperation?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden snapping sound.
The few rickety streetlights went out simultaneously.
"What's going on?"
Everyone present was taken aback.
Then someone, no one knew who, let out a scream.
Everyone looked up. Under the moonlight, a demonic figure stood coldly on top of a container at the dock, their cape billowing behind them.
Everyone was startled. But when they looked again, there was no one there, as if what they just saw was an illusion.
"There!"
Someone shouted.
They turned to look and saw that the demonic shadow had somehow appeared behind them.
A masked man yelled and drew a dagger to stab. But as he charged at the shadowy figure, he saw no movement from the figure, only hearing a dull thud, and the masked man screamed as he was knocked back.
The remaining people shouted in unison, with several strong men rushing forward.
But the demonic figure was agile, slipping between the strong men to their backs. Not only was their speed fast, but their strength was immense. With a palm pressed to one man's chest, a force that seemed inhuman slammed him, screaming, into the corner as he rolled away.
Someone drew their gun, firing at the shadowy figure. The muzzle flashes, bullets flying into the darkness, but the figure was unmoved.
Perhaps the bullets didn't hit, or perhaps they passed straight through. In any case, there was no sign of impact, and the figure didn't even flinch, showing no sign of feeling the bullets' kinetic energy.
The figure's arm swept over, and their fingers became claws that cut through metal like mud. As the claws struck, the masked man's gun barrel was sliced in half, making him gasp in shock.
Then a powerful leg from beneath the cloak kicked into his chest, fracturing bones and sending the man flying with a scream.
In less than half a minute, only the long-faced man on the chair remained.
The demon calmly approached the long-faced man.
The long-faced man, however, did not panic, though his expression was more serious. He silently raised his hand, revealing a Duel Disc, which unfolded with a swish.
The demon stopped in its tracks at the sight of the Duel Disc, no longer advancing.
"Friend, where did you come from?"
The long-faced man said coldly.
"I don't recall provoking you."
After a moment of silence, the cloaked demon stepped back, as if to make way.
In a white suit, wearing a masquerade-like mask, Ed Phoenix emerged.
The demon was actually his summoned monster, Destiny Hero: Demon Man. Being a Duel Monster, it was naturally impervious to conventional weapons.
Indeed, it's worth mentioning that Demon Man's Attack Power is actually only 600. Aside from Monster Effects, when it came to physical strength, it was weak in the Duel Monster World.
"So you're that meddling guy from the recent news."
The long-faced man said coldly.
"I thought you were made up or a pawn from some faction's struggle. I can't believe there are still such busybodies these days."
He squinted his eyes.
"However, these days, you need real skills to get by. Let's see if you have what it takes..."
"Interesting."
Ed raised his Duel Disc gracefully.
"That's exactly what I was going to say."
...
...
A moment later.
"Aaargh!"
[Long-faced man, LP 0]
The long-faced man, beaten black and blue, collapsed to the ground, struggling to crawl forward.
"What kind of... joke is this..."
He gritted his teeth with difficulty.
It was too strong...
But a foot pressed down on his wrist as he tried to crawl forward. The long-faced man screamed in pain.
Destiny Hero: Demon Man stepped on his hand, leaned down, and pulled his card deck from the Duel Disc, handing it to its master.
Ed took the deck, quickly spread it out for a glance.
Hmm, not bad. Ed had a habit of taking the card decks of every criminal he hunted. But this wasn't because he was intuitive like someone else. He looked through the decks to find a specific card.
"Tch, as expected, nothing."
Ed shrugged nonchalantly, unsurprised.
He knew that the card he was looking for likely wasn't in the hands of a minor thug. Still, he had developed the habit of checking every enemy's deck he suspected might have committed such crimes, leaving no possibilities unexplored.
The long-faced man screamed as Demon Man pressed his face against the wall.
"I-I'll tell you everything I know..."
He screamed.
"I do smuggle cards, and sometimes I have forbidden cards with dangerous powers..."
"But I really don't know anything about any Ultimate D!"
"Is that so."
Ed was unsurprised.
Just like Saio said, he was catching these criminals not only to leave no stone unturned but also to vent anger at these criminals, similar to those who killed his father.
He hadn't held much hope to begin with.
But just then, the long-faced man's tone suddenly changed.
"But, I know there's an organization collecting all kinds of Rare Cards, many of unknown origin, including some Forbidden Cards. I seem to have heard they have some lead on some... some kind of D card. I don't know if that's what you're looking for, but maybe..."
"Hmm?"
Ed's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked.
"Who?"
"They call themselves Hanuo... Hanuo Knights!"