Bullseye held 54 cards in his hand, a confident smile on his face. As soon as he let go, all 54 cards would block every possible escape route for Kaitou Kid.
"Kid, you're out of luck."
"Why am I out of luck?" Kid replied with a calm smile.
"We both use cards as weapons, but I'm better than you," Bullseye said.
Kid thought, 'What nonsense. There's even a mutant ace who uses cards as weapons—I'm not bad either.' "Don't get cocky, Bullseye."
"So you know who I am," Bullseye chuckled. The cards flipped back and forth between his hands with a crisp "pa pa pa," his shuffling as smooth as a casino dealer.
"If I didn't, how could I steal Kingpin's ring?" Liu A'dou said as he raised his magic card gun and fired at maximum power. The card shot faster than a bullet.
Interesting. Bullseye grinned, not moving his hands, yet his own cards flew out instantly to meet the attack.
The two cards split in midair into four pieces as they collided and shredded each other. The magic card gun's top power could send cards slicing through metal sheets, and the force of Bullseye's cards was just as strong. And Bullseye clearly hadn't even used his full strength yet.
"I like your style," Bullseye said, genuinely impressed by Kid's sudden attack. He quickly fired two more cards of his own, launching a counterattack.
Liu A'dou thought, 'Those two kids outside are taking way too long to act. Looks like it's time to step things up.' He quietly channeled a Ripple wave into his card, firing it with a repulsion Ripple.
Bullseye watched in shock as his two cards and Kid's card collided—and then suddenly bounced away from each other like magnets with the same polarity, veering wildly off course.
He had never seen anything like this. He caught his own returning cards midair, trying to figure out what had just happened. But as soon as his fingers touched Kid's card, a jolt like an electric shock zapped him, forcing him to fling it away. When he looked up, Kid had already vanished.
Thud. Another bodyguard hit the floor. Kaitou Kid now stood face-to-face with Kingpin, who towered over him by a head.
"Little guy," Kingpin said with a menacing grin. "You're interesting."
Kid raised an eyebrow. He suddenly felt like he was face-to-face with a final boss. The whole scene felt like Cao Cao sizing up Guan Yu.
"Kid, do you want money? I can give you as much as you want. Join me. Your skills would shine under my command. Together, we could unite every gang in America. All the money would be ours. What do you say?" Kingpin offered, true to his gangster nature. Seeing Kid's abilities, he couldn't resist trying to recruit him.
Too bad Liu A'dou liked money, but not enough to stoop to trafficking or forcing people into prostitution for profit. Kid looked up at Kingpin and said, "I only want your ring."
"Don't get cocky, kid," Kingpin growled, eyes narrowing to cold slits. "If you really choose to go against me, I'll make sure you end up dead in the gutter with no grave to be found." Light glinted off his eyes, sending chills down anyone who saw him.
"If I get the ring, I think the one who'll end up dead will be you," Kid shot back with a grin.
"Die!" Kingpin's eyes flashed murderously. He spread his massive arms, lunging for Kid with the intent to crush him until his ribs snapped. Kingpin knew Kid had come for the ring to expose his crimes—there was nothing left to discuss. The only option was to kill him.
Luckily, Kid moved fast. He ducked in time to dodge the grab, and while crouching, snatched the ring right off Kingpin's hand.
Once Kaitou Kid tried to escape, the two apprentices would definitely come out. Then Kingpin's men would chase him. That was when the apprentices would have to make their choice.
Kid shook the ring in his hand. "The Ring of Faith is mine now."
'When did he…?' Kingpin stared at his empty finger. Kid had stolen the ring right when he went for the grab—truly a master thief.
Kid turned to flee.
"Catch him! Get the ring back!"
Bullseye was the first to give chase, and the other thugs, their vision finally recovering from the flashbangs, grabbed their guns and followed.
At the warehouse door, Kid tossed a smoke bomb over his shoulder, slowing his pursuers, then sprinted toward the dock.
"He's getting away! The thief is escaping!" Ben shouted, rushing forward. If Kid got away, they'd fail their mission for sure.
Kailan ran after him too.
Finally, they were here. Kid thought to himself that his two apprentices were still too young—but at least they hadn't rushed in recklessly. That was something to be proud of.
"Kaitou Kid!" Ben reached out, channeling the Force, and grabbed hold of Kid.
Kid stopped in his tracks, swirling his cloak as he turned around. "And who are you two?"
The three of them stood face-to-face, two sides now clearly drawn.
"We are Jedi Knights, and we're here to arrest you," Ben declared.
"Arrest me?" Kid smirked—and struck first. This was a test for the apprentices, after all. They needed to learn how dangerous the world could be.
Luckily, Ben and Kailan had become skilled with the Force. As the cards flew toward them, they froze in midair, stopped inches from their faces. "It's useless. Give up quietly," Ben said, trying to lock Kid in place with the Force.
But Kid suddenly leaped backward, arms crossed over his chest. Without even moving his hands, two roses appeared, one in each palm. "You're still too green if you think you can catch me."
The roses shot out, charged with Ripple energy, aimed right at the two apprentices.
They raised Force barriers, but the roses' Ripple energy was too strong. Their Force wasn't powerful enough to block it completely. They had no choice—time to draw their lightsabers.
Vmmm—vmmm—
Their lightsabers sliced the roses apart. Ben frowned; Kid was even harder to catch than he'd expected.
Just then, Kingpin's men arrived behind them, with Bullseye among them. Seeing people blocking his way, Bullseye didn't hesitate. Cards shot from his hands like bullets, targeting the three in front of him.
Kid couldn't be allowed to escape again. Bullseye wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
Ben and Kailan froze for an instant as the attacks sped toward them. They quickly moved their lightsabers, cutting every card out of the air. 'Damn it, they really are all bad guys,' Ben thought.
In an instant, the two apprentices were caught between the armed gangsters and Kid. They hesitated, not sure whether to keep chasing Kid or turn and fight the thugs closing in.
"What do we do?" Ben whispered urgently to his princess.
Kailan closed her eyes, breathing calmly. "Let's follow the Force."
'She's meditating? Now?' Ben thought in disbelief. On a battlefield?
The Force began to flow, guiding Kailan. She opened her eyes and said, "We should work with Kaitou Kid."
"What?! Are you crazy?" Ben thought for sure their master would kill them if they went back empty-handed.
"This is the right way. The Force tells me so," Kailan replied firmly. She turned completely, putting her back to Kid to show her decision.
"Fine, fine," Ben muttered, spinning around too. 'Let's gamble on this.'
Bullseye saw the mysterious pair's sudden move and grinned viciously. "Good, I'll kill all three of you at once."
"Open fire!"
Dozens of guns roared at once, their muzzles blazing as bullets filled the air, closing in on their targets.