Chapter 115: Silver Soul (Earth Arc)

"Oh no! This is terrible! The Prince has been kidnapped by thugs! What will become of the relationship between the Central Star and Earth because of this? And where are the Shogunate police? What on earth are they doing?" Before reporter Hanano could finish her sentence, a long blade was slammed into the ground right at her heels.

"Ah—!" Hanano shrieked, collapsing to the ground in terror.

"My apologies, my hand slipped," Okita said with a smile as he slowly walked over.

"How is that possible! Are you trying to kill me?" Hanano said, trembling with rage.

"Tsk, annoying pests have arrived," Gintoki muttered. He looked toward Shinpachi and Kagura and whispered, "Kagura, Shinpachi, you two hurry to the captain's cabin and tell him to get this ship moving immediately."

"Gin-san, will you be alright on your own?" Shinpachi asked, sounding worried.

"It's fine. You two go, I'll stall these tax thieves for now," Gintoki replied. Shinpachi and Kagura exchanged a look before sprinting into the spaceship.

"Are you trying to stall for time? It's useless, we’ve already got our people inside," Hijikata said, walking over slowly with his sword drawn. Neither he nor Okita had yet realized that the individuals before them were the trio from the Odd Jobs agency.

*Bang! Thud!* Gintoki heard the sounds of fighting erupting from within. He narrowed his eyes, pressed Prince Hata against the railing of the boarding ramp, and said, "Is that so? Then I suppose you won't mind what happens to the Prince, right?"

"Stop it—! Don't do this!" Prince Hata shrieked in terror, kicking his legs frantically. At this height, even if he didn't die from the fall, he’d surely break his legs—and he was terrified of pain!

"We only want the ship. Let us board, and we’ll return the Prince to you. How about it?" Gintoki proposed.

"Boss Kondo, what do you think?" Hijikata asked, turning to Kondo.

"Toushiro, the Prince is the priority. Let them go for now," Kondo said with a frown. Although this idiot Prince was always causing trouble on Earth, he was still of great importance.

Just as Kondo finished speaking, several Shinsengumi officers were thrown out from inside, and four figures clad in tight black suits emerged.

"We are not 'The Drifters,' we are 'The Checkers'!" the four stood in a neat line and declared. They were Shimura Tae, Kyubei, Sarutobi, and Tsukuyo.

"..." Gintoki thought, *Why are you all here too?!*

After negotiations, the Odd Jobs trio and the four members of "The Checkers" boarded the ship along with the Prince and his attendant. The Shinsengumi—Kondo, Okita, and Hijikata—also boarded the same vessel.

Both sides agreed that once they reached the next stop, the Odd Jobs group would release the Prince, while the other Shinsengumi members would follow in a separate ship to pick up the Prince and Kondo’s team. Thus, both ships took off, leaving Earth behind.

An hour after leaving Earth, the ships arrived at the next planet. It was time to fulfill the agreement and return the Prince. However, as the transfer was taking place, a crisis unfolded: the planet was currently in the midst of a war. Just as the Prince had crossed over to the other ship and Kondo’s group was preparing to follow, a shell exploded near their position. Both ships immediately took flight to evade further shelling.

When the smoke cleared, the Shinsengumi members tried to regroup with Kondo, Hijikata, and Okita, only to discover that Gintoki's ship had long since vanished into the void...

"..." the Shinsengumi members stood in silence.

*Ahhh—! The bosses have been lost!*

***

Inside the ship, Kondo and Hijikata stared at the endless black curtain of space, their hearts filled with a profound sense of loneliness... What were they supposed to do? They were now orphans abandoned in the middle of the universe!

Okita, however, remained completely unfazed. He calmly watched the black-clad figures opposite them and spoke, "Danna, what do you plan to do now?"

"Eh? Danna?" Kondo and Hijikata turned their heads in confusion.

"Tsk, I didn't think you'd figure it out," Gintoki said, unwrapping the black cloth from his head to reveal his messy, silver curly hair.

"Why is it you lot?!" Kondo and Hijikata roared in unison. They never imagined the Odd Jobs crew would have the audacity to kidnap a Prince and hijack a ship... No, on second thought, that sounded exactly like something they would do.

"No, I didn't recognize you, Danna. I recognized you by the sour, penniless stench clinging to girl A," Okita said, looking at Kagura.

"What! You're the one who smells sour! As the Queen of Kabukicho, there's no way I have such a scent! Gin-chan, come smell me, do I really have a smell, aru?" Kagura said, thrusting her arm toward Gintoki.

"Ugh..." Gintoki swatted her away, pinching her face and pulling her to the side.

"Alright, now that we can't go back, let's just sail this ship into the universe and go find the One Piece!" Gintoki declared, pointing his thumb at Hijikata and Kondo.

"Who wants to go find some One Piece! What are you thinking, hijacking a Prince and stealing a ship? Do you want to be on the Shogunate's wanted list when we get back!" Hijikata shouted.

"Even if we end up on the wanted list, it doesn't matter..." Otae said, pulling off her black mask.

"Otae-san—! It’s so good that you’re here too!" Seeing Otae, Kondo lunged toward her with joy.

*Bam!* In the next instant, he was sent flying by Otae.

"We only wanted to save a friend," Otae said with a smile.

"..." Hijikata fell silent.

"Do whatever you want. Once you reach your destination, we’ll take the ship back to Earth," Hijikata said, sitting back down with a huff.

"That won't do! Toushiro, I want to be with Otae-san!" Kondo wailed, his cheek swelling up.

"Boss Kondo, I don't think your Otae-san wants to be with you at all," Hijikata retorted.

After a day of flight, Okakura Take's ship finally arrived at the planet Metikoli, the former home of the Kishari tribe.

As soon as they stepped off the ship, the older generation of the Kishari tribe began to weep at the sight of the planet's iron-gray sky and the endless, desolate wilderness. Having grown up on Metikoli, they held deep emotional ties to this world, and during their years of displacement, it was this home they had missed the most.

Okakura Take surveyed the alien planet. Her first impression was one of desolation. She didn't understand—the Bu-Jiu tribe appeared to be technologically superior to Earth, yet as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single tall building.

"Keep moving. Stop crying; this is our territory now, your tears are useless," Kurosaki Strawberry said with a sneer.

As soon as she spoke, the Kishari stopped their crying, though their faces remained etched with hatred.

Looking at the strange planet, Okakura Take felt a dark premonition. In that moment, she found herself wishing Gintoki wouldn't come to rescue her. She was terrified that Gin-san might die here. This former home of the Kishari somehow filled her with dread...

From the moment she stepped onto this land, she felt stifled, as if something was suppressing her. It was the first time she had felt such fear, and even now, she had to clench her fists tightly to keep her trembling body under control.

"Keep moving, don't drag your feet," the Bu-Jiu soldiers urged the Kishari trailing behind.

The group followed Kurosaki Strawberry and Yamazaki Ayako forward. They were on the landing pad, surrounded by many large spaceships, but strangely, there were no terminal buildings for passengers. Everything here felt bizarre... Okakura Take followed cautiously, keeping a close watch on her surroundings to guard against the unexpected.

After walking for over twenty minutes, Okakura Take finally caught sight of a city—or rather, what looked more like a small town. The houses were low and simple, no better than basic shacks, appearing even more primitive than those on Earth. What struck her as strange was that the Bu-Jiu people living here were all thin and tall, like bamboo poles. Their dark green skin was speckled with darker spots, and their features were grotesque, with pointed ears, fangs, and bulging foreheads that made their faces look massive.

Seeing this, Okakura Take looked at Kurosaki Strawberry, Yamazaki Ayako, and the soldiers behind them. *Why do they look exactly like humans?*

"Haha, look at that confused expression. You’re quite surprised, aren't you?" Kurosaki Strawberry noted, smiling.

"Well, we're home now, no need to keep up that fake appearance. Everyone, shift back to your true forms," Kurosaki said. She stretched, and her body slowly elongated; her fair skin darkened until she looked just like the other Bu-Jiu.

Okakura Take's unease deepened. *These guys can shapeshift? This is going to be difficult...*

"Finally, it feels so much better to be back in my own skin. Earthlings are just too short, and they lack pointed ears—they're incredibly ugly," Yamazaki Ayako said, twisting her neck and waist, looking relieved.

"But the ugliest of all are you Kishari. I really don't know how such a species was ever created," Ayako said, looking at Okakura Take and the others with contempt.

"What did you say!" The Kishari were incensed.

"What are you trying to do!" The Bu-Jiu soldiers immediately drew their weapons, aiming them at the Kishari.

"Stop!" Okakura Take stepped into the middle, blocking the confrontation. She knew if anything happened, her side—the weak ones—would certainly suffer.

"Hmph, let's go. Stop bickering. The Master is still waiting for us." After shifting back to her true form, Kurosaki Strawberry’s voice sounded even more sinister.

Upon hearing the mention of the "Master," everyone's expression changed. They immediately lowered their weapons and stood at attention.

Looking at the humble town ahead and the fearful expressions of the Bu-Jiu tribe, Okakura Take’s confusion only deepened.

The "Master" Kurosaki Strawberry spoke of... just what kind of person could it be?