Kenshin arrives at the police headquarters. Saitou senses change in him. So, is he ready to fight Shishio?

Saitou fills in the details - mainly the destruction of Kyoto at 11.59pm. They try to analyse Shishio. He mainly uses elements of surprise and assassins to carry out his work. While the Juppongatana prepare themselves, Kenshin explore the map and remembers some Japanese history about Yoshi Tokugawa. Maybe, Shishio will attack Kyoto by sea. He points to the Osaka Harbour, which is the nearest to Kyoto. Shishio could be there. Not wanting to waste any time, Kenshin sets off to leave. He opens the door and Sanosuke greets him with a punch on the face.

Kenshin feels dizzy and collapsed onto Sanosuke. Saitou comments it as a lucky punch. Sanosuke yells at him and wants to go to Osaka Harbour. Hold on, they will go there by a horse carriage instead of running there. (Imagine the long distance they would have to cover if they go there by foot.) Sanosuke sits on top of the carriage and make a lot of noise. Saitou pokes him with his sword (by stabbing through the leather cover of the carriage. Serious, I'm not joking!)

Saitou has already had 5000 men stationing at Kyoto. Kenshin has sent out a telegram to the people of Aoiya. They will need the Oniwabanshi's help against the Juppongatana. Misao and the rest receive it and prepare for the invasion. Carrier pigeons fly over Kyoto.

Sanosuke is very confident despite Saitou's warning to be careful. Although they might reached Osaka harbour in time, one false move and Shishio might slip through their fingers. Saitou pokes Sanosuke with his sword again to shut him up. Sanosuke yells at him. Kenshin quietly tells Sanosuke that this fight is important especially to the people in Kyoto. In 1854, a foreigner named Perry entered Kyoto with a black ship. There was bloodshed and this incident is still fresh in the minds of the people. Any foreign ships would spell chaos.

At the harbour, Soujirou wonders whether Kenshin will be able to find them. Shishio doubts it. He looks at Ayumi, who seemed to be uncertain that they could pull off the plan since they are on an ordinarily wooden ship. Shishio shows her the interior. Ayumi gasps. Hoji reports the time. The destruction will take place soon. At another side of the town, Henya checks his watch. Where's the fire? A man runs towards them and reports that they can't start the fire due to the heavy security. Henya, Anji, Kamatari and Usui decide to go into town. (Their main duty was to kill the high-ranking officers in Kyoto).

Shishio's men start to retreat at the sight of the numerous police officers. Kamatari slices off their heads. Henya swoops down from the sky and slashes some policemen. He then lands at a high tower and tells them that they either fight or die. At another part of town, some men try to start a fire but they are caught by the townspeople. Misao and her Oniwabashi gather at the rooftop. As the member reports to their posts, the townspeople cheer for them. Misao does a cute action. Usui appears behind her and almost killed her if Anji didn't step in.

At the ship, Hoji becomes anxious. Where is the fire? Shishio remains calm. The destruction of Kyoto will be the beginning of his reign. Then, a guard spots a carriage. Shishio smiles. Kenshin has read his mind but not all of it. With style, the trio appears at the edge of the harbour. Sanosuke proposals that they use the hand grenades that Katsu gave him. Saitou mocks him, annoying Sanosuke a lot. Kenshin holds him back and explains to him that if they have to swim to the ship, the grenades will become wet once they touched the water. Thus, the grenades will not be able to activate.

An explosion. Self-destruction? No! Shocking the trio is a metal ship, which is hidden beneath the wooden covering. This ship is called Rengoku and it will burn Kyoto to the ground. Shishio laughs wickedly.