Maybe a Fake Gintama

Chapter 579: To the Universe!

The right dragon general raised a signboard slowly—?Are you joking??

"No one would joke about selling out their friends," Sakamoto replied with a faint smile unhurriedly. "Why not try pitting the white demon against Shiroyasha? That man won't consider Earth, a small player, as significant. For the sake of his companions, he's a demon who can easily destroy one or two planets."

At this moment, Gintoki also stood up. He knocked away all the Renpou soldiers attacking him and intercepted the left dragon general's attack with his wooden sword, quickly blocking it in mid-air.

Seeing the right dragon general stand up, Sakamoto remained seated, arms crossed, speaking leisurely, "If you don't buy, this planet will be destroyed. But if we join forces, we'll help you conquer Earth or any other planet you want."

?Nonsense! You who invaded this planet now say you'll help us conquer Earth together??The right dragon general raised a signboard while pointing his sword at Sakamoto's forehead.

"I'm not joking," Sakamoto said calmly, without changing his expression. "Continuing to fight like this will only weaken both sides. As a trade-off, if you provide a place for Earthlings, we'll hand over a complete Earth to you. A planet is just a container, not a necessity for people..."

Sakamoto lifted his head, pressing his forehead against the sword tip of the right dragon general, allowing the blade to draw a few drops of blood.

"People make the planet, not the other way around," Sakamoto continued. There are many treasure boxes, but I'm interested only in the treasures within. No, what's inside isn't money."

As if recalling a beautiful memory, Sakamoto lightly scratched his chin and added, "To others, they are just battered scraps of iron, but to me, those broken pieces are irreplaceable, glittering treasures."

Meanwhile, in the governor's mansion not far from Gintoki and Sakamoto, Midojin watched the active Gintoki on the monitor, raising a signboard.

?Jouishishi??

?The investigation report didn't mention anything like that.?

Turning around, Midojin issued commands to the gathered Renpou soldiers.

? support immediately!?

?Don't let any escape. Turn them into space dust!?

At this moment, a Renpou soldier raised a signboard—?Sir!?

?Look behind!?Another soldier raised a signboard.

Midojin turned slowly, while on the other side, Shinpachi, Elizabeth, and Fujiko widened their eyes, looking outside the window.

"That... that is...!" Shinpachi pressed his hands against the glass, staring in disbelief.

Back at the governor's mansion, Midojin and the Renpou soldiers stared intently at the large monitor screen.

?What is that…??

?What's happening??

Two Renpou soldiers simultaneously raised signboards beside Midojin.

Midojin's eyes didn't blink as he stared at the display screen showing Earth. The Renpou-specific expressionless cloud was changing shape! The edges of its duck mouth slowly curled upwards as if… it was smiling!

?Smiling? Midojin raised a signboard slowly.

At the same time, on Earth, in Edo.

Citizens who couldn't speak until just now were surprised to find themselves able to talk again, exchanging glances.

"Huh?"

"Your face..."

"You can speak again..."

"Really! Both voice and face are back!"

Everyone tossed aside their signboards, cheering in the rain.

"What a timely rain!"

"It seems the heavens still favor us!"

"Did you see that?" A news anchor who had also recovered, holding a microphone, addressed the camera joyfully. "People who couldn't speak are recovering one after another. This is wonderful! Truly wonderful! I'm good, you're good, everyone's good!"

…

On the Renpou mothership, Shinpachi muttered in disbelief, "The clouds over Earth are dispersing."

Meanwhile, in space outside the Renpou mothership, Katsura, who survived the internal explosion of the Gundam, pushed open the battered cockpit door.

Through his visor, Katsura gazed at the distant blue planet, his eyes trembling with emotion.

At that moment, the clouds disappearing from Earth reappeared, slowly gathering again. But this time, they formed words instead of the Renpou face—

[To my great mother planet]

[My friends]

[From the universe]

[I offer my love]

…

Midojin calmly raised a signboard inside the governor's mansion as he watched the monitor.

?It seems the infiltrators are not just rats...?

Suddenly, a massive, pixelated robot face appeared outside the window behind Midojin and his soldiers.

Realizing they were in the shadow of the giant figure, Midojin, and the soldiers turned to see the Gundam raising its fist and aiming directly at them without hesitation!

?Rebellion?? Midojin remained calm, raising a signboard.

?This is not rebellion.?Inside the cockpit, Elizabeth raised a signboard. ?This is not an espionage act, nor am I a general or a Renpou soldier. This is my original and final unmasked signboard!?

For some reason, perhaps because the director was making a cameo, Elizabeth's voice reached everyone's ears. Without any hesitation, Elizabeth pushed the control lever.

"Elizabeth!!" Katsura shouted, watching the Gundam from a distance.

Elizabeth's Gundam punched through the governor's mansion, causing a massive explosion.

BOOM!!! (Note: There's no sound in a vacuum, but let's pretend there is, just like in the anime…)

Meanwhile, on the mothership, Shinpachi, feeling the violent shaking from the explosion, asked Fuziko, staring at the window with a complex expression, "Who? Who else betrayed besides us? Who is it?"

"Someone who planted seeds among the Earth's soldiers and took preventive measures," Fuziko analyzed calmly, looking out the window. "The only one capable of such things is that person. The Gundam explosion wasn't caused by my bomb. He led the invasion force of Gundams and secretly carried out sabotage. That was his initial plan. He deceived and betrayed you to return to the Renpou and prevent the invasion of Earth. He deceived and betrayed the Renpou to prevent his subordinates—the Earth lovers—from rebelling. He severed their means and set the stage to confront the mastermind Midojin alone. To protect both Earth and his Renpou companions, he chose to betray both mother planets!"

As Fuziko analyzed, one by one, all the Gundams in the Renpou mothership were detonated, and most of the parked ships were similarly blown up.

At the same time, Elizabeth's soldiers received their final order.

?To all who love Earth, this is my final order as a general. Evacuate immediately, and do not sacrifice your lives needlessly.?

Seeing Elizabeth's message, although confused and puzzled, the soldiers acted. They boarded the few remaining ships not destroyed by the explosions and quickly fled the steel planet.

Deep inside the planet, a man clenched his fists, standing before a seemingly impregnable wall, veins bulging on his face.

"That bastard..." Kawaki gritted his teeth, glaring with bloodshot eyes, cursing furiously, "Next time, I'll kill him! How dare he... How dare he destroy my Gundam! How dare he... that bastard!!"

"When did those robots become yours?" Tsukuyo, standing beside him, retorted.

"You wouldn't understand, Tsukuyo..." Kawaki shook his head slightly, his eyes complex. "Though they seem like cold pieces of iron, deep inside, there are burning hearts!"

"The only thing burning is your brain!"

Ignoring Tsukuyo's retort, Kawaki, fists clenched, closed his eyes with a look of sorrow. "We had made a promise, after the war, we'd go home together... I'd take them back home."

"You were going to say marry, weren't you? Marry the robots? That's a terrible line! It's a flag, isn't it?" Tsukuyo, eyes white with disbelief, shouted, "And when did you make such a promise? How can you make a promise with a robot?!"

"You just don't understand..." Kawaki shook his head again, his eyes filled with sorrow, mourning, and sadness. "Two hearts resonating through the cold iron, that's what we... Uwah!"

"Can you stop?" Tsukuyo, frustrated, kicked him to the ground. "Now's not the time for this!"

Turning to the thick red metal wall, Tsukuyo asked, "Is this the place? The mastermind is behind this wall?"