Wow. You're a much more forceful kid than I thought.
No wonder Legoshi fell for you.
How do you know--
Look here.
He and I have similar eyes. Don't you think?
Surely you're not--
Yeah, I'm his grandpa.
But... you're a lizard.
THE DEMON KING OF BEASTS
I'm sorry again about the stun gun thing.
I didn't know Legoshi was related to a lizard.
I'm not offended.
If he didn't tell you about me, how would you know?
Honestly, that's not surprising for Legoshi, right?
A normal person might mention something like that.
Oh, I had a quick question for you.
So, is this Legoshi's mother in this photo?
Yeah.
My daughter takes after her mom.
I see that.
I wish I had some juice to offer you.
Legoshi always offers me tea when I go and visit him.
Oh, is that right?
Oh!
Huh?
Ah! All disinfected.
What is that spray?
The venom of a Komodo dragon is very dangerous.
A slightest touch could be deadly and really ruin your day.
Uh, venom?
Using a stun gun on me was such a good move.
You don't even have to touch your opponent to stick it to him.
I apologize again for zapping you like that.
No, it's on me.
I'm the one who scared you.
I got a bit carried away.
I was just happy Legoshi shared info about someone he really cares about.
I should have told you who I was and explained what I was doing there.
It's all right.
Legoshi would probably think I'd be annoyed with him for talking about us.
I guess he just had me so paranoid about being attacked.
So it sounds like you're pretty comfortable around my grandson.
- You being a rabbit, he doesn't scare you? - Huh?
Well, there's always the risk of devouring,
and his grandpa is a dragon and he's a wolf on top of that.
Oh.
I'm not worried about it.
Sure, there were times when I was scared.
But when a rabbit falls for a wolf, you've already overcome quite a lot.
Besides, he's not just any wolf.
He's Legoshi, right?
Oh, I get that.
Actually reminds me of Toki.
Toki? Was that your wife?
Yeah.
She used to say the same sort of thing about me.
I won the lottery with her.
I was just a big old Komodo dragon.
When we first met, we were a couple of teenagers.
Everybody had an opinion, but it was love at first sight.
Now, back in the day, you stuck to your species.
But we said to hell with that.
The two of us were in love,
and pretty soon, we had a kiddo.
Honey, I think I need a kiss.
I got you, baby.
You're such a cutie.
- Ugh! - Mmm.
Uh...
Wait, you did that with your wife, too?
Yeah, and she definitely wasn't a fan.
She said it wasn't romantic.
I got a kick out of every day we were together.
I had this beautiful, kind-hearted woman building a family with a monster like me.
Crazy, right?
Uh... Well, it doesn't sound like you were a monster to her.
No, that's true.
Toki always wished that I would stop worrying so much
about my venom and the sprays.
It turns out that's what led to what happened.
She was my whole world.
We only had eyes for each other.
Happy birthday, baby.
Honey, you're so sweet.
You know what I keep thinking about?
There are so many people in this world
and you chose to open up your heart to me.
No! Oh!
Toki, what are you doing?
Where'd I put it?
Where is it? Where's the disinfectant?
It's gotta be here!
Stop. Honey, it's okay.
This is what I wanted.
So you could love without worrying about...
I hope this helps you let go.
You don't need all those fears, my love.
It was after that when it hit me.
The reason I fell so hard for Toki
was because she was the most sincere person I ever knew.
If I'd just realized that sooner, maybe I wouldn't have had to lose her
in the way that I did.
All that to say I'm happy for you and Legoshi.
My hope for both of you is that you feel the same kind of happiness that I had.
Your whole lives, the two of you together.
We'll be fine.
You know, as you were sharing your story,
I thought, I want to know Legoshi even better.
And I want him to know more of me.
To do that, we have to really be alive.
That's right.
With Toki, it sounds like you had a very powerful love.
Yeah.
I tell you, I sure miss her.
Why are you crying?
You don't smell that?
My eyes burn.
Fresh air. Thank you.
I'm sorry, Mama!
I guess he stole something again?
Sure, she's a parent.
But isn't that a bit much?
- Oh, no. He's not really her kid. - But he called her Mama.
- That's his foster mama. - Don't make me tell you again.
So he's an orphan then?
That kid was raised by his grandpa.
But it turns out the old man messed up big time.
Yahya set his sights on him and he got caught.
You know Yahya, right?
Yeah.
Once the black devil catches you, you don't come back.
Fertilizer for carrots.
It's not rare, kids like him in this Black Market.
- Koho Mama's the one feeding 'em. - Here's a little something.
- Mama? - Ah.
So, Degoshi, do you think it's more heartless inside or outside of the walls?
Hmm.
Huh?
He carried a week's worth of food in one go!
- You're amazing, Degoshi! - Oh, thanks.
I guess manual labor is right up my alley.
Huh?
Bean's going to get as strong as Kyuu for sure.
Kyuu, huh?
It's that rabbit?
Yeah! Even though she's a tiny herbivore, you'd better watch it,
because in the fight club, she's a top earner. She's a legend.
All the Black Market kids look up to her.
Whoa.
- A dream. - A dream?
She gives the kids a reason to dream.
Like, she's a shining star.
Just look at her.
They want to be like that.
When they've got someone like her,
these kids get inspired and hold their heads up.
It's about more than just a fight club.
Having someone to look up to can be really powerful.
Look down and you just trip over one another.
Look sideways and you're really just glaring.
I mean, if we can be inspired, at least for a little bit,
maybe fighting's not the only option.
Same thing for high society.
I wonder if we could all share the same dream.
Could the Black Market and regular society?
Could carnivores and herbivores?
Could they live in peace?
What do I do?
I could disappear.
No, that won't work.
What does running away solve?
- Louis? - Face this thing already.
Come on.
I just had a wonderful bath.
Oh. Well, that sure was fast.
You coward. Say it.
Tell her you can't do this.
Not with an herbivore. She needs to know.
I'm glad you came over.
I was worried you might turn me down when I invited you.
It's not like I didn't know we'd be alone together.
So why'd I even come?
All I have to do is say something.
No. Breaking off the engagement...
That's impossible. I can't.
At the same time, I'm just... I'm stuck.
- So, should I order some room service? - Uh...
You haven't had dinner yet, right?
The room service here is so--
Huh?
You're doing a lot of worrying and a lot of talking.
Why don't you just try and relax?
No, just hang on.
- No, uh, it's just-- - You're not the only one.
You think it's just you trying to make this work? You're wrong.
But it's not you.
Forgive me.
I know we both feel pressure to please our families.
Is it that you're just not attracted to me?
No, that's not it at all.
Then show me. Kiss me, take me in your arms.
Is that so wrong?
I wish I could.
It's nothing to do with you.
It's just stuff I've got to work out.
For me.
It's a thing with herbivores.
Uh...
I have feelings.
What I mean...
I think I'm only attracted to carnivores, but that's not the only part.
It's just... It's hard to explain to my father.
It seems like he just sees me as the heir to his Horns Conglomerate.
Profit matters more to him than me.
I'm sorry. I know it's a lot.
I don't pretend to understand the carnivore thing.
I just feel safe around them.
I don't understand it.
But when I'm with carnivores, even their scent puts me at ease.
You can call off the engagement if you want.
After all, I might never be able to make love to you.
The point of our marriage is to produce an heir, and that may never happen.
I'm sorry, Azuki. Uh...
I understand.
And if that's how it is, okay. It's all right.
You can let go of any pressure
- to make love to me. - Huh?
Listen, Louis, we can still focus on our goal.
You and I are meant to unite our two families.
We will still need a child, but there are other ways to make that happen.
And don't get me wrong.
I was certainly looking forward to something romantic with you.
But here we are. We'll just have to adapt and roll with it.
That's the key to a successful business.
What are you saying?
We're just shifting our priorities.
You and I will just take romance off the table as an option,
we can be together without having sex.
Seriously?
You're telling me, after all this,
that we should still go through with the marriage?
Yes, just like we planned.
- That's crazy. - And why is that?
I don't want you to be in an unhappy marriage.
- And besides that-- - Louis...
I think you have the wrong idea about me.
Let me explain.
For me, marriage itself is the goal.
Huh?
You don't have to worry.
This isn't a problem.
We can still be partners, even if it turns out that we don't end up as lovers.
Business partners.
Are you sure that arrangement works for you?
Yes.
My main concern is growing the company that down the line will be my inheritance.
And through our marriage,
my Ogura Foods business gains a legacy.
And with your Horns Conglomerate,
you'll be able to secure its future.
Uh...
LION
So you're really doing this, huh?
Of course.
You guys know the deal.
You want to do this Meat Appreciation Day turf war, you need a boss.
Just so you know, this doesn't mean I accept you as our boss.
I know, I know. It's just for now.
Otherwise, we'll have to wait another year.
The Inari-Gumi, Doku-Gumi, and Madara-Gumi are all entered.
If they take our turf from us, they'll just laugh at us every time we see 'em.
Representative.
Ah! A-ga-ta. There.
Hmm. Perfect!
LEADER AGATA
All right. I'll go enter us.
Uh, hold on, hold on.
Wouldn't it be better if we all go together to show our strength?
It ain't forever, but a representative's a representative.
You got that right.
That the boss?
Ah, you're all here.
Well, this is quite the homecoming.
Huh?
What am I looking at?
SHISHI-GUMI
Well, we were planning to enter the turf war.
Huh.
Meat Appreciation Day.
What perfect timing.
I had my eye on a certain little rabbit,
but, alas, I wonder when I'll tie up that loose end.
Well, it's the day to love meat, right?
To eat her on that day... Oh.
Huh?
"Representative Agata."
I'm standing in the presence of a big shot, huh?
I have to ask, am I really this easy for you to replace?
Uh, well, what can we do, boss?
We couldn't find you, and so, uh, I ended up filling in.
So you, uh, thought you would just step right in?
I was kind enough to give you that scar.
Yet I'm sensing you still don't get it.
You might be able to write your name down as the boss,
but good luck getting any further.
In fact, I dare you to find someone who could lead this pathetic crew.
You won't find someone like me.
My mom had a hard time grasping that fact.
Poor Mom.
She said she loved me,
but she was always hoping to see a bit more Dad in me.
Never happened, though.
Be a weak herbivore?
No, thanks.
I needed her to understand that...
...I'm not like her.
I'm not like Dad.
I am not like anyone.
I'm one of one.
No one can take my place.
Now, talk about taking places,
can someone else take the pain in your place?
That pain is yours alone.
Because you're on your own.
If you think you can do it, step right up then.
Take the boss' seat with your own hands.
You want to get rid of something, you crush it.
Have the courage to forge your own path.
That's how we do things around here, right? Ha!
After all, you guys said it yourselves
when you talked about being worthy of your manes,
or whatever that proverb was,
what's the criteria for that?
What makes you worthy of your manes?
Um... Demonstrating strength.
Oh.
Is that right?
Strength comes from truly being free.
The weak love their shackles.
Do what you want to do. Eat what you want to eat.
Really...
tell me what's so wrong with living free?
Isn't that what the Black Market's all about?
This devil fits right in at the Black Market.
It all makes sense.
He's a carnivore and an herbivore.
He's the real deal.
The king of beasts.
Huh?
I'll follow you till the end, boss, I swear to you.
Agata...
I think we all know you're insane and broken.
Still, our pride's the only one that has your back.
You're on our team.
You can take my arm, my mane.
With you leading the Shishi-Gumi,
we're all stronger, and no one will dare stand in our way.
Yeah, that's right.
There's no one as crazy as you.
Aren't you smart?
Otherwise, I wouldn't be this fun.
All right, guys. Here's the next adventure.
Melda?
You haven't messed with that stuff yet, huh?
Everyone who thinks they've got it all figured out,
they're about to truly live their lives for the first time.
Let's get even darker.
Time for us to become the pitch-black beast kings of the Black Market.
Shishi-Gumi!
- Yeah! - All right.
All right.
- Yeah. - All right.
SAFETY FIRST
It's that time of the year when the Black Market territories are decided.
This year's participants for Meat Appreciation Day are
the Inari-Gumi--
the Madara-Gumi--
the Doku-Gumi!
Where's the Shishi-Gumi?
Go! Move it!
What are you looking at?
- What the hell? - Make way! Coming through!
- Move it, pal! - Watch yourself.
Give us some room, huh?
MELON
- Is that the boss of the Shishi-Gumi? - Yeah! Let's go!
- Is that a mix? - I've never seen him before.
Is that...
Have you ever seen this guy around here?
A gazelle?
- No, he's a mix. - Hey! Hey, Degoshi!
We found Melon.
Huh?
Well, where is he?