Yu-Gi-Oh! - Duel 040

"A Piece of His Heart"

Names
English	A Piece of His Heart
Japanese name Japanese 心の１片 Rōmaji Kokoro no Ichiben
Serialization
Series	Yu-Gi-Oh!
Number	40
Japanese magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump 1997 #32
English magazine	Shonen Jump
Tankōbon volume	5: "The Heart of the Cards"
Bunkoban volume	Volume 3
SJR volume	Volume 2
Release dates
Japanese	July 8, 1997
Chronology
Yu-Gi-Oh! chapters
Previous	"Endgame!!"
Next	"Let's Find "Love"!"

"A Piece of His Heart" is the fortieth chapter of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga.

This chapter was originally printed in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in Japanese. Its first English release was in the Shonen Jump magazine. It has been reprinted in volume 5 of the tankōbon.

After defeating Seto Kaiba, Dark Yugi inflicts the "Mind Crush" Penalty Game and Mokuba tells the story of how Seto grew-up to be the way he is.

Summary

Kaiba Land

The "Mind Crush" Penalty Game.

Kaiba is stunned that his "Blue-Eyes White Dragons" have been blown away and that Yugi had managed to Summon "Exodia". He starts to deny what happened, saying that it would take a miracle to Summon "Exodia". However, Yugi informs him that miracles happen as long as you remember the Heart of the Cards. Yugi says that he wins and that there is a Penalty Game for the loser. The Eye of Anubis appears on his forehead and he announces that it is time for Kaiba to pay for his crimes. He points at Kaiba and shouts "Penalty Game!! Mind Crush!!". A sphere appears in front of Kaiba and breaks apart like a 3D puzzle. Yugi explains that he has destroyed the part of Kaiba's heart that was filled with evil and says goodbye to Kaiba.

Jonouchi and Anzu start to celebrate Yugi's victory. Anzu wonders whether it is "Yugi" or "the other Yugi" she is cheering for, but decides that it doesn't matter; He's no longer the scared boy he once was. People in the audience are surprised that Kaiba lost to "that shrimp Yugi", but others cheer his name.

Yugi looks at his Deck and thinks to himself. He did it, he thinks to Grandpa, he beat Kaiba with his Deck and thanks Jonouchi and Anzu for being there with him, when he needed them.

Johji wakes up annoyed by all the cheering. He asks what's going on and swears, asking can't they let a baby sleep. He spots Kaiba's guard's gun and quickly quietens down and decides to play dead.

Jonouchi and Honda fight Kaiba's guards.

Jonouchi decides that something must be done about the goons holding them, but since they've got guns he can't risk putting Anzu in danger and can't take on both of them alone. However someone suddenly appears and hits one of them on the back on the head. Jonouchi and Saruwatari look over and realize that it was Honda. While Saruwatari is distracted, Jonouchi kicks him in the back of the head and Honda punches him. Jonouchi is surprised to see Honda alive and Honda explains that he wasn't going to let a bunch of blocks flatten him. Johji and Anzu both cheer for Honda. As Jonouchi and Honda continue to hit Saruwatari, Honda says that there are two many guys asking for a beating for him to leave this world yet. The other guard gets back up and seizes Jonouchi, holding a gun to his face and threatening to kill him. However Mokuba appears and orders the guard to let him go. The guard complies and releases Jonouchi.

Honda asks if Mokuba is Kaiba's brother. Jonouchi says that he is and he's just as big a creep as the other Kaiba. To Jonouchi's surprise, Honda says that "this creep" saved his life. He had been locked in the room for a while with blocks falling until Mokuba turned them off and helped him out. Mokuba says not to take it personally, he just owed Yugi a favor.

Yugi, still as Dark Yugi appears before them, and his friends go over to congratulate him. Honda gives him and thumbs up and wishes he could have been there. Yugi is thankful to see him alive. Honda whispers to Jonouchi that Yugi seems different, but Jonouchi replies that Yugi is Yugi. Yugi thanks his friends for being there for him.

Mokuba turns to leave with the guards, but Anzu calls him back and asks if he can tell her why Kaiba planned this revenge. Mokuba says that it all started with a chess game and goes on to talk about how Seto ended up the way he is.

Mokuba's flashbacks

Shortly after Mokuba was born, their mother died. When Mokuba was three years old, their father died in an accident. When Seto and Mokuba were ten and five respectively, their relatives used up their inheritance and put them in an orphanage.

Seto told Mokuba not to cry, promising to make life for them good one day. Seto would always tell Mokuba not to show weakness or it's all over and would advise him not to trust anyone.

Seto and Mokuba meet Gozaburo Kaiba.

According to Mokuba, life at the orphanage wasn't so bad. Seto taught Mokuba how to play chess and they lived to play everyday. Around the time the photograph of them playing chess was taken was the last day Mokuba saw Seto smile.

Not long after the photograph, Gozaburo Kaiba came to the orphanage to adopt an heir. Seto knew that Gozaburo was the president of Kaiba Corporation and a world grandmaster at chess. Seto challenged Gozaburo to a game of chess, under the condition that if Seto won, Gozaburo would adopt both Seto and Mokuba. Gozaburo laughed at first, but said that Seto was an interesting kid and accepted the challenge. Seto won, but by cheating.

Seto's school program.

The boys were adopted and had their last name changed to Kaiba, but that day was the opposite of what they had hoped for. Gozaburo was a monster. he forced Seto into an accelerated school program, where Seto studied foreign languages, social studies, economics and game strategy day in and day out. As Seto studied, he was wearing a collar around his neck, which Gozaburo held a switch up to. However Gozaburo didn't realize that he wasn't creating an heir, but a powerful enemy.

Six years later, at a KaibaCorp board meeting, Gozaburo and Seto sat at opposite sides of a table. Ten other board members also sat at the table. By the end of the meeting, the ten of them were standing behind Seto, having agreed that starting that day, Seto was the new president of KaibaCorp. Seto smirked and asked "Have I learned what you wanted... 'father'?". Gozaburo said that he has lost his game with Seto and asked him to burn it into his brain that this is what happens to a loser, before jumping out the window, committing suicide. Kaiba smiles and thinks "lose means die" and thanks Gozaburo for teaching him that.

Aftermath

In the background, the audience from Yugi and Seto's Duel are leaving.

Seto solving the puzzle of his heart.

If Seto hadn't cheated in chess that day, Mokuba thinks that maybe he would still have a brother the way he used to be. Yugi explains to Mokuba that right now, Seto is picking up the pieces of heart in the darkness. Mokuba and Yugi look over at Seto who is sitting motionless in his chair, with his eyes and mouth wide open. Yugi says that Kaiba is reassembling the shattered puzzle of his heart one piece at a time with his own strength, so he won't make any mistakes. Inside Seto, a vision of his ten year old self is shown reassembling the sphere shown breaking when he received the Penalty Game. Mokuba asks Yugi for assurance that his brother will come back. Yugi replies that he will and that will be someday when he completes the puzzle. Mokuba vows to wait forever.

Outside Kaiba Land, Jonouchi tells the group that he has received word from Hanasaki at the hospital, who says that Grandpa is okay. Yugi, who is back to his "regular self", starts spinning around in celebration and suggests that they all go to visit him together. Johji invites himself, saying that the nurses at the hospital are hot. Honda looks at him angrily and tells him to go to sleep.

Jonouchi looks at Yugi and wonders when he changed back to his usual self. Jonouchi asks Yugi for his attention, but changes his mind and says it was nothing. However, Yugi knew what he was trying to ask. That day for the first time, Yugi remembered all the battles that he fought with his other self.

Title pages

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  Japanese tankobon

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  Japanese color bunkoban