Those who ceaselessly hone their killing arts are known as "Masters."
After many generations, they have gained lethal abilities
called "Modified Bloodlines."
This is the story of one such Master, the Poison Master, Hikaru Gero,
and his attempts to get married.
Hey, Kinosaki. Why do you have a first-class boating license?
It goes over well with middle-aged rich guys.
I've got all kinds of other qualifications, too.
I'm a certified IT engineer, secretary, sommelier,
color designer, drone operator,
cosmetician, soup-stock sommelier, night tour guide,
You weren't a marriage swindler for nothing.
bookkeeper, real-estate broker, financial planner, social insurance consultant,
It looks like it's settled down for now,
notary, nurse, care assistant, childcare worker, radiology technician...
but we still don't know how to get that thing off her.
I'll use truth serum or whatever it takes
to make the Beast Masters give up the secret.
Okay!
Ham!
This is goodbye. Thanks for the lift.
You did the job I hired you for, remember?
You protected me from the Hitman Hunter.
Now I'll talk to the main family myself and get them to let me leave.
In other words...
I'm done with you guys.
Ham?
Arashiyama, I know you're trying to be considerate, but—
Oh, for the love of... Listen to me!
This is 100% a trap for sure!
They're out to kill Hikaru Gero from the Five Great Families.
I can't take it.
I can't take you risking your life for me.
I want to risk it.
Something's telling me...
if I leave you in the lurch now, I'll never be able to make anyone happy.
Ham.
I'm good as long as I get to clean up the Beast Clan.
Kinosaki, thanks for the ride.
Wait at the harbor we left from until we call you.
We can't take you with us beyond this point.
I'll be waiting with the next date plan, so you'd better come back.
Sure.
I bet the Beast Clan's using Arashiyama as bait
to take out Piichi and me at the same time.
You've been out hunting them,
but I don't know what I did to piss them off.
Maybe they see me as a business rival, but...
A squid and an eagle? A Beast Clan ambush?
Anyway, Arashiyama comes first.
Toxin: Step Up
Toxin: Step Up!
Whoa.
Ultra simple: everything about chopping squid you're in too deep to ask.
Ultra simple!
Anyone can prep a squid like this!
Even a giant squid
Um...
Sorry. You're in the way, so I'll cook you up.
Now that's a surprise.
Since when could Poison Masters walk on water?
Step one: removing the entrails from the body of the squid.
Removing the entrails from the body of the squid!
Start by placing your squid on a cutting board.
Remove the tentacles and pull out the entrails.
All of your tentacles are in the way.
So, uh, I remove the entrails, and then—
Step two: removing the squid's ink.
Removing the squid's ink!
Slit the de-tentacled squid's body open vertically,
grab the ink sack, and pull it out.
Finally, cut the squid into bite-size pieces.
So this...
is what Gero meant.
This is what somebody who is good at fighting can do.
We could serve squid-ink pasta in our café.
Looks like I'm first up to bat.
No surprises there.
I am the world's fastest man, Kota Hanezawa!
This guy's no Beast Master.
I'm guessing he's from a branch family. A Bird Master, maybe.
A subcontractor for the main clan.
What do you guys want? You took a hostage to lure us here.
Why do you want us dead?
Hell if I know.
Figures. He wouldn't tell me even if he knew.
But...
Hunting you will make me enough money to live like a king for the rest of my days.
I can't say how much. Confidentiality, you know? But it's in the tens of billions.
Why go after Arashiyama?
Word is, if I take her hostage, I can bring you down easy.
I don't like it, but I'm a Master. I keep my feelings out of my work.
Still, I'm nicer than I look.
I compromised on my principles only once.
Yup. It was a snowy night, which was unusual for March.
I was on my way to the store and practicing stealing bases,
when a crane I formed a last-minute battery with said it was quitting the team.
This guy...
doesn't know when to shut up!
And that's how I met this guy.
How do I get rid of the Bonda Constrictor?
Well, I mean...
Just trying to find that out is a crime.
Play ball!
Come on, teammates!
Let's give him a game to remember!
Birdsball!
He's ridiculously fast.
His branch must be pretty close to the main clan.
What's wrong, pitcher? Chicken? Hey, hey, hey!
If I can make him fight on my terms, I know I can take him out.
I don't want to get on the Poison Clan's bad side, but the money's too good to pass up.
The Five Great Families may be the best at killing,
but they're not the top five in a straight-up fight.
How could I pass up the chance to turn my life around with one home run?
I'll finish this job and get America, home of baseball,
to break free of the rule book...
and embrace Birdsball!
Birdsball
Fish egg monitor
Absolutely delicious.
Ah, Gero blood.
Will the Poison Master fall to the Bird Master? It's a poor match-up for him.
You've got no taste, Byakko.
It's the birdbrain who's in over his head.
Oh, be still my heart.
It's obvious when you think it through.
The Poison Clan has lived by traps and foul play this whole time.
Of course he has something up his sleeve.
His venomous fangs gnaw away at you before you even know it.
By the time you realize, it's too late.
I'm so worked up, I can barely contain myself!
Poison Master, Hikaru Gero.
Show me what foul play is really all about.
Entrance me.
Hey, hey!
Hey, hey, hey!
This game's over, Poison Master!
Birdsball Modified Bloodline++
Birdsball: Winning Shot!
Increment
Fowl Stadium Farewell!
Fowl Stadium Farewell
You can't get away on these rocks!
A smoke screen?
It smells like he's made his move.
Poison gas?
He's buying himself time to set a trap.
Luckily, we're on the coast.
I'll just wait for it to blow away, and I'm safe.
Still...
Just to be sure...
Birdsball: Reverse Swing
Birdsball: Reverse Swing!
Avian Iron—
Avian Iron
He slugged me? Where's the trap?
Moron.
Sure, Bird Master, you're the fastest guy around.
But that won't get you very far against guys who don't fight fair.
Traps pack the punch they do because they catch you off guard.
The fact he telegraphed it like that means telegraphing it was the real trap.
Puff Puff
Extra
smoke!
I spooked him with scented smoke and strained his resources,
so that brief opening when he looked away...
was all I needed to accelerate with Toxin: Step Up, jump, and take him down.
Hanezawa, I've still got questions for—
The main Beast Clan...
is up on that mountain peak.
Of course, knowing that won't make getting there any less impossible.
How many enemies are—
Like I'd ever tell you!
The main clan mobilized all the major and minor branches to hunt you down.
I guess the Koala Master and the Rhino Master are the ones to watch out for.
Don't tell me...
He's so desperate, he's spilling secrets?
You want to get a Bonda Constrictor off?
You're nuts. It's never been done.
But I have heard this one rumor. The Beast Clan—
Testing, testing. Okay.
Yo, Hikaru Gero!
Here at Dogo Animal Kingdom...
...we welcome you. I'm the king, Beast Master, Toshiro Dogo.
While we're getting to know each other,
tell me about these stories I'm hearing.
They say the future head...
Hikaru Gero
...of the Gero family keeps taking jobs that don't pay squat.
Starting a new business? Why bodyguard work?
Marriage.
Huh?
I'm trying to get married.
And I'm using Operation White Kni— um, helping people to meet women.
I know I used her as bait, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me
why the heir to the clan would bite at this useless woman.
That's one mystery solved. You're considering taking her as a bride.
But word to the wise:
forget it.
The Poison Clan has spent centuries refining their bloodline.
It's an SSR work of art.
You'd be costing the whole industry.
You have money and power, so you can't be hurting for chicks with good bloodlines—
It's a good thing she's asleep for this.
Listening to you would make anyone sick.
What could that be?
A spear?
Bird Master meets Spear Master. The perfect pairing.
He who collects blood, gains power.
It's the dawn of a new era.
Thrilling, right?
The Animal Kingdom
Spear Master, Nagihiko Kushima.
Spear Master Nagihiko Kushima
Aged 72 at time of death.
Aged 72 at time of death
Kill count:
Kill count: 887 people.
people
(men and women of all ages)
The secret of his arts
The secret of his arts...
lies in the blood of his clan,
which devoted all they had to the spear.
which devoted all they had to
the spear
In a single second, he unleashes 88 silent thrusts.
strikes/second
Thrusts
Take this and this and this and this and this and this and this!
Overwhelming power!
It feels incredible!
This rules. I'm so glad I pledged my allegiance to the Beast Clan.
Birdsball is going to the next level: the Bird-Spear Master!
Bird-Spear Master
These have to be Spear Master moves.
How's a Bird Master doing them?
Does it have something to do with the lead Piichi's following?
I heard they were planning "something dangerous that'll kill a lot of people."
You're finished.
My Bird-Spear's blazing speed will end every attempt to steal a base
with a hit by pitch
from this Avian Alloy Bat.
Avian Alloy Bat
Cross-Sanguination combines Master bloodlines to create all-new Masters.
In this era of all-you-can-eat possibilities,
mastering only one bloodline's just dull, you know? Now...
What's your move, Gero?
Another sneaky trick won't get you out of this one.
Hey, Byakko! Get over here and watch with me!
What?
She went to collect the other one?
Talk about rotten timing.
Piichi took a beating shielding me.
Never thought I'd use the sea rescue training I got to impress rich surfers.
Somehow, we made it past the octopus bombs that popped up out of nowhere,
but the currents tossed us up on the opposite side of the island from Gero.
Animal Kingdom
Probably around here
I'm just a regular marriage swindler.
What did I do to deserve this?
A white bear?
Martial arts?
That's some gorgeous form.
And now I'm taking a closer look... Is that a black belt? Oh, wow!
Thank you. That was amazing.
Well, we'd better be going.
Give me blood.
Of course it wouldn't be that easy!
Your extra innings are over, Gero.
I'll knock you out of the park!
Here comes a walk-off grand slam!
My teammates' hearts...
are splintering?
When did he... What did he do?
Don't underestimate a Poison Master.
Pulling tricks without you noticing is a piece of cake for me.
No... Don't tell me...
He let us peck him on purpose?
He mixed something into his own blood?
It's a muscle-relaxant poison.
I'm resistant to it,
but what about you guys?
Damn it! I can't lose to this kind of unsportsmanlike conduct!
Teammates!
You're all up! We'll beat him with numbers!
Out!
Hikaru Gero, I want yours. I have to have it.
Arashiyama. Arashiyama.
Arashiyama, are you okay?
Y-Yeah.
Why help me?
Your bleeding will stop if you lie still.
You're just a chatty baseball nut who lost his freedom to the Beast Clan—
It's Birdsball.
Birdsball is our avian sport that transcends baseball.
Isn't that right, teammates?
I lost in a shutout, Gero.
But I'll beat you next time, fair and square.
I'll beat you with Birdsball—
There won't be a next time.
Cross-Sanguination smashes together different bloodlines.
Once I get them going, they reject each other inside the body.
The end result is death.
Bastard.
Branch families are just playthings for the main clan when you get down to it.
Birdbrain was my guinea pig.
The hamster chick is a shackle to tie you down.
You said you wanted that Bonda Constrictor off? I'll fill you in.
My blood's the master key.
So you'd better come to my place.
I'll have the whole clan come out to greet you.
For now, the blood Birdbrain pecked out is all I need.
But I'll wring every last drop out of you,
Poison Master.
I wanted to make Birdsball the next big thing...
Thanks. I'm okay now.
Piichi! Watch out!
Master Toshiro.
This is Byakko.
I collected the sample without difficulty.
I can't believe it's going this smoothly.
I've never felt better.
Here, Byakko. This one's yours.
I'm on duty.
What? You too good to play with my toys?
Damn it.
Well, whatever.
Bloodline collection complete.
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
"Bloplete" for short.
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
The trouble with Cross-Sanguination is your body rejects the transplant so hard
it wrecks you.
But the Gero family's blood
has adapted to so many toxins, it stops any kind of rejection.
So I can activate Cross-Sanguination without dropping dead like Birdbrain.
Piichi
Gero
This Piichi guy's blood boosts thinking speed and physical strength like nuts.
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Piichi
Gero
Just the two I wanted. And thanks to a branch family, they fell into my lap.
I have what I need. Now to put it to use.
Byakko. It's time to finish them off quick...
and reach our goal.
Our situation keeps getting worse.
Who knows when the Beast Master will change his mind and dispose of Arashiyama?
Okay. Let's go.
Hold it. I know you're not at your best yet, Hikaru Gero.
But we haven't got a moment to—
Ham!
H-Hey!
Shut up and taste my thighs, injured man.
I don't think—
Please.
Let me do something, too.
I'm a Master...
who's never been hired to kill someone, much to the mirth of others.
Even then, I've never once wanted power.
But now...
all I can do is hide and watch other people get hurt.
Ham.
If I'd been way, way stronger, could things have turned out differently?
Why do I...
have to be so useless?
As a Master, Arashiyama,
I just felt I wanted to save you, without caring what you could do.
Ham.
Let me correct that, Hamster Master.
Ham!
We'll kick the Beast Clan's ass together.
Translator: William Varteresian Timer: Andy Ellis Editor: SMR Quality Control: Salem Alabanza Final Quality Control: Michelle Tymon
Water Master, lend me a hand.
Disgusting.
Just eat it.
You still work like an amateur.
It's the best fit for Gero.
Next time: "Good-for-Nothing."
Good-for-Nothing