03x04 - My Ill Deeds are The Work of God

[bunniefuu]

[KARMA] It's not as though I'm unaware.

I just have terrible luck.

What an awful life.

So is this... really him?

[ABDUCTOR] Yup.

That's the monster you asked for right there.

[KARMA] Your payment, as promised.

[ABDUCTOR] Shoulda asked for a lot more, considering.

Watch yourself.

He'll trick your soul right outta yer body.

His ability's dangerous, to say the least.

[gasps]

Fyodor?

[ACE] Yes.

The one behind the destruction of the Moby d*ck.

I hired a bounty hunter to capture him.

He leads a group of thieves

called the Rats in the House of the Dead.

And he was also part of the Shibusawa incident.

To me, he's no better than the lowliest sewer rat.

[chuckles]

[OUGAI] Describe him to me.

[ACE] I would have to say he is soulless... like a vampire.

Actually, he's just in charge of some arctic mice.

Using my organization's finances, capturing him

was easier than taking money from a casino dealer.

[KOUYOU chuckles]

Your organization? Really?

[OUGAI] In any case, now we have him in our custody.

And he knows how viciously the Port Mafia retaliates.

[KOUYOU] Shall we leave things to our team of interrogators?

[ACE] If I may.

Instead of them, allow me to be the one to question him.

Really?

Well, aren't you excited to work today?

Surprising from the executive

who's the first to run from trouble.

That makes me more qualified than the executives

who were captured by the enemy.

What matters is this man betrayed the Guild.

We'll need to be prepared.

I already have a plan in mind.

You were the one who caught the rat.

Do with him as you will.

[ACE] Thank you for the honor, sir.

If you'll excuse me.

[KOUYOU] Are you sure about this?

He's a gambler who made an awful mess of the Port Mafia's casino.

The only thing he has any loyalty to is himself.

He only became one of the five executives

because he bought his position.

As far as he's concerned, we're all nothing

but his glorified personal bodyguards.

You are correct.

But an aptitude for money is a strength.

Let's wait and see exactly what he's capable of.

[chuckling]

[ACE] Open it.

Give me the Kn*fe.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

[FYODOR D.] Hm.

[laughs]

[yells]

How can you philistines lock up our guest in a place like this?!

Get him clothes and something to drink immediately!

Don't stand around, get to it!

Halfwits! Each and every one of you!

[ACE] I happen to be a lonely man.

The Port Mafia doesn't trust me.

Though to be fair, I don't trust any of them, either.

The only things in this world I put my faith in are poker,

the gems I keep in my vault, and the men under my command.

[ACE] Diamond straight flush.

It appears I've won.

[ACE] I may have found my st recruit today.

What do you say? Care to join me on my mission?

The two of us can team up and get rid of Ougai for good.

That small-town doctor won't suspect for a minute

that you and I have joined forces.

A man who's able to outwit the Guild

is worthy of commendation.

However, if I were to refuse,

I'm assuming I'd never see the light of day again.

Do I have that about right?

Precisely.

[FYODOR D.] It seems I cannot refuse.

I'm locked in an inescapable underground room.

And as you can see,

I'm not exactly in the best of health.

So how about this?

I will simply k*ll you instead.

[gasps]

Your answer disappoints me, Fyodor.

Fine then.

It seems I need to show you your place.

[BOTH gasp]

[choking]

[ACE] This is my gift:

Exchanging my subordinates' remaining lifespan

for gems of equal value.

Even worthless lives can be turned into something valuable.

It's a merciful ability indeed.

The collar is a symbol of one's servitude to me.

It can't be put on without permission.

And once it's put on, it can never be removed.

[ACE] If you decide to put on the collar by the time I return,

I'll allow you to live.

Don't worry, Fyodor.

I have no doubt it'll look good on you.

[door closes]

[KARMA] You should really just give in.

You can't win against Ace.

The only way to survive is by agreeing to put this on.

Leaving this room is impossible.

Ace is the only one with the key to open the door.

That's just how it is.

Even we can't enter or leave this cell

without his permission.

[KARMA] Earlier, when you were talking to Ace,

you said were gonna k*ll him, right?

Gotta say, I'm impressed.

I wish I could stand up to him like that, but I can't.

He'd trade my life for gems in a split second.

Ya know, it was my dream

to become the boss of the Port Mafia someday.

I wanted to try my hand at running this city.

Look at me now.

I'm nothing more than one of his underlings.

I was sold to a sl*ve dealer as a child,

and eventually ended up here.

I used to fantasize about someone coming to free me

from this thing.

But it was just a silly pipe dream.

I just had to accept it.

No one would ever wanna come and save a villain like me.

What are you doin'?

It seems that I cut my finger on a shard of glass earlier.

[KARMA sighs]

You weren't even listening to a thing I said, were you?

Aren't you... scared at all?

Course not. This room might as well be my own bedroom.

Let me tell you about my ability.

It allows me to control space and consciousness.

[FYODOR D.] Well?

A game.

Your wish is to have me join your group.

But if you can't get me to agree to that,

you'll still need me to tell you about my finances,

whom I work with, and what my plans are.

Therefore, you're not in a position

to get rid of me just yet.

[ACE] He's right.

I need to get information out of him

if I'm going to stamp out the other rats.

It'll also be difficult to prove he was the leader

if I k*ll him now.

So then, why don't we play a game using this deck of cards?

[chuckles]

If you win, I'll agree to wear this collar with no complaints.

But if I win, you'll set me free from this facility.

[ACE] Very well.

However, I'll be choosing the type of game we play.

Go ahead.

[ACE] I'll deal one card at a time from the deck.

You have to guess whether the card

will be higher or lower than the previous one.

If you're correct, I draw another.

If not, we switch roles.

Once we've gone through the deck,

the one who's guessed right the most will be the winner.

You can guess first.

What will the next card be: Higher? Or lower?

The card values are through .

Chances are slightly higher that the next card

will be lower than nine.

Low.

[ACE] Correct. Now...

Will the next card be higher? Lower?

[FYODOR D.] Hm.

Lower.

Not bad at all.

[ACE] But his luck won't last.

As a gambler, I'm adept at the skill of card counting

to determine what cards still remain in the deck.

I have an overwhelming advantage in the second half.

Next card... Lower.

Higher.

Higher.

Lower.

[gasps]

Higher. Higher.

Lower. Higher.

Lower. Higher.

Lower. Lower. Higher.

Higher. Lower.

Higher. Higher. Higher.

Lower.

[FYODOR D.] Oh?

Already finished?

That was quite a fun game, didn't you think?

[ACE] Bring in my unit!

We're done messing around.

Cut off every limb on this con artists' body!

Are you listening?

Why aren't you answering?!

[FYODOR D.] It's no use.

[chuckles]

[ACE] What?!

[FYODOR D.] That door won't open, either.

It took a bit of preparation from my team,

but my friends have taken control of the outside.

Being hidden unground,

it's natural a pack of rats could find me.

All of this was just a way for you

to buy yourself enough time.

Let's make a deal:

If you hand over the key to the vault,

I'll be sure to guarantee your safety with my men.

[chuckles]

You're lying to me.

Not even the boss knows about this secret hideout.

Not only that, we aren't even underground.

We're currently inside a ship out at sea.

A ship that is equipped to engage in battle

against the gifted.

Subjugating you was never going to be peaceful.

All that aside, however, there's no reason to believe

this room actually exists, is there?

[FYODOR D.] Let me tell you about my ability.

It allows me to control space and consciousness.

[ACE] I was listening in on your conversation,

and now I'm certain.

You've been playing a clever game.

Your ability is to trap a victim's mind

inside that of your own.

In other words, this isn't reality at all,

but somewhere inside your head.

That's right. A space of your own design!

That's why you could manipulate the cards' values

to suit your needs.

What makes you think that?

[ACE] The broken communicator,

the locked door,

and lastly, that clock.

You thought I wouldn't notice, didn't you?

Those hands haven't moved since I entered this room.

I see right through your little tricks, you filthy vermin!

Nothing less from one of the Port Mafia's five executives.

I have to say, I'm impressed.

Now what?

Does it really matter you've figured things out?

The fact that we're conscious in this fabricated space

means that our bodies in the real world are not.

Until we starve to death at least.

I'm well-trained for this situation, but are you?

Your body in the real world has the only key to this room,

so your subordinates are unable to come to your aid.

[ACE] He's right.

However, what we're in right now is an ability-created space--

merely an illusion.

That would mean...

Let me ask you something.

When you were abducted and brought to this place,

why didn't you use your ability to escape?

The man who captured you

is one of the top bounty hunters in the nation.

He carries out his work

by acquiring extensive knowledge on his targets.

He learned all there was to know about you,

which included how to escape from your mind trapping ability.

That's why you didn't even bother trying to use it on him.

It would have been futile.

I was born a king.

He who controls information becomes ruler.

You could'ved me,

but instead you blew your opportunity to serve a king!

The information I've gathered has shown me

how I can leave here.

I'll delight in watching your body rot away in the real world.

So I'm afraid this is farewell.

[laughs]

[KARMA] I'm sure Ace'll end up k*lling that man.

There's no way two opposing forces of evil can coexist.

If I'm sure of anything, he'll never leave that cell.

He'll be here for the rest of eternity.

[footsteps]

[KARMA gasps]

Wha--? How did you get out?

Where's Ace?

[FYODOR D.] Is this the vault where Ace kept his gems?

He held them just in case the market crashed,

if I'm not mistaken.

Those are Ace's keys-- why do you have them?

[FYODOR D.] The answer is simple.

The nature of my ability

isn't one that allows me to control space and consciousness.

Huh?

Wait, what do you mean by that?

[FYODOR D.] I expected I'd be under surveillance, so I lied.

[KARMA] Where's Ace?

[FYODOR D.] People are eager to believe

that they are acting with free will.

That they know best.

They become so excited by their own discoveries

that they give them too much value.

We all loathe to believe we can be controlled.

The method of escape he heard from the bounty hunter

entailed erasing ones's consciousness

from an ability-created space.

But what he didn't realize:

I gave my abductor that information on purpose.

[gasps]

[footsteps]

[FYODOR D.] Just before he returned to this cell,

I destroyed the clock and the communicator with the wine,

stuffed bits of cork into the lock,

and pretended that we were in an ability-created space.

[KARMA] He k*lled one of the Port Mafia executives

with such ease.

[FYODOR D.] I enjoyed the card game we played together.

When it came to how I was able to win, however,

he was completely mistaken that I used my ability.

I observed the faint scratches on each card,

and simply committed all of them to memory.

[KARMA] He was able to memorize something like that?

There's no way!

What kind of a mind does this guy have?

[FYODOR D.] The rest is as you see it.

Based on the assumptions he made,

he decided to end his own life.

Crime starts with thought. As natural as breathing.

But he was finally able to be free from all of it.

[KARMA] "Free"?

What the hell is he talking about?

He just k*lled a man, but he's talking about it

like he just put a sick dog to sleep.

So then, was it actually part of your plan to be abducted?

Wait, were you after the gems this whole time?

[FYODOR D.] The gems?

I have no interest in such worthless pebbles.

[FYODOR D.] What I was interested in

was a set of documents he had compiled.

They detail all of the Port Mafia members'

special abilities.

It even includes information

about your boss' top-secret ability.

By using this, all evils that plague this world...

...will receive the mercy of death.

[KARMA] I see.

From the very beginning, Ace never stood a chance.

Ace was evil for sure, but this man is something else.

He comes from a world beyond.

He's a thing that exceeds human comprehension.

If the Port Mafia were to learn

that this information has been leaked,

this list would lose at least half of its value.

As a result, I cannot allow people to find out

what's happened here.

Because of that, I will do you the honor

of granting you the Great Silence.

I just had to accept it.

No one would ever wanna come and save a villain like me.

[KARMA] I understand now who's capable

of giving redemption to evil.

What you are witnessing now is my true ability.

[KARMA] He's a thing darker and more hideous than evil.

He's the one who's going to destroy the Port Mafia.

[KARMA] If this is when my life had to come to an end...

[KARMA] ...it wasn't much of a life at all.

But hey, at least this isn't too bad.

[FYODOR D.] May you be freed

from the shackles of your crimes,

and your soul be salvaged.

All of the Port Mafia is next,

along with... the Armed Detective Agency.