1. A condemned storyteller once asked
to be beheaded while telling a story.
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2. My father, Yamada Asaemon Kichiji,
accepted his request.
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3. Even after he was beheaded,
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4. the storyteller finished his tale.
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5. He didn't even realize he'd been beheaded.
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6. It was the perfect blow,
painless and devoid of emotion.
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7. After that, I made it my goal to duplicate
that stroke my father made.
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8. An impressive blow.
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9. Brilliant work for a woman.
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10. Thank you.
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11. There's fear.
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12. In your swordsmanship.
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13. Doubt and fear.
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14. You'll make the condemned
die painful deaths.
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15. I'll work on it.
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16. Sagiri...
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17. Look at your blade.
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18. The truth is reflected in the blade.
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19. My blade, heavy with fear,
causes the condemned to suffer,
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20. which makes my blade heavier still.
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21. What should I do?
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22. How can I eliminate doubt
and fear from my heart?
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23. Like my father.
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24. Perhaps...
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25. if it were a life I could take
without doubt or hesitation.
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26. Thank you for coming, condemned criminals.
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27. The man sitting before you
is the 11th Sei-i Taishogun,
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28. His Excellency Tokugawa Nariyoshi.
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29. Normally, you'd never have the opportunity
to have an audience with him.
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30. What was that?
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31. You ain't so special!
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32. You lookin' down on us, huh?
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33. What's a shogun?
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34. Who do you think you are?
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35. Is it safe to have so
many of them gather here?
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36. It's what the shogunate wanted.
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37. A burglar who killed 30 people, Tanio Seikichi.
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38. The serial arsonist, Nikimaru.
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39. The former constable and murderer, Kido Shukan.
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40. They're all heinous criminals
who've caused chaos.
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41. Aw, man. I can hardly breathe.
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42. I wanna see Tokugawa in person.
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43. You cannot.
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44. Here are your secret orders.
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45. You will travel to Shinsenkyo and return
with the immortality-granting Elixir of Life.
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46. Whomever completes this task
shall receive an official pardon...
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47. in the form of this certificate.
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48. The atmosphere changed.
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49. With that, I could go
on a killing spree again.
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50. Adachi Matagoro...
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51. A fiend who killed only woman
and children, and only for pleasure.
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52. Could I kill a truly evil person who's
better off dead without doubt or hesitation?
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53. Are you Gabimaru the Hollow?
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54. Your hair color and build gave you away.
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55. You're pretty famous in our line of work.
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56. But...
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57. I'm disappointed.
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58. You're way smaller, more wretched-looking,
and even tinier than the rumors say.
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59. You've even been apprehended, too.
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60. Sorry to disappoint you.
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61. I was certainly wary of him at first.
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62. But now he's so listless,
like he's a different person.
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63. Is this man just like the other criminals?
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64. Or is he even more evil than
that, as the rumors claim?
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65. I shall now describe to you
the island you'll be going to.
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66. It is like Paradise...
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67. We already heard that!
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68. Whatever!
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69. Is this some kind of fairy tale?
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70. Remove your masks, criminals.
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71. I can finally breathe again.
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72. He's the only sergeant who returned alive
from a recent expedition.
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73. As you can see, he's no longer human.
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74. When he returned,
he had lumps all over his body.
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75. They began blooming the next day.
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76. The roughly 60 other members
of the expedition are still missing.
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77. We don't have
the slightest clue what happened
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78. on the island, considering this
is our only source of information.
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79. No one said the island
would be so dangerous!
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80. What's the problem?
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81. Blossoming into flowers would be
a mystical blessing.
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82. It would almost be wasted on you lot.
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83. Screw you!
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84. What are you talking about?
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85. I'm not going!
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86. Don't mock us!
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87. Enough.
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88. You're criminals sentenced to death,
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89. and you're being granted
an opportunity to travel to Paradise.
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90. Don't you realize how generous
His Excellency is being?
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91. Hey!
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92. You don't know anything
about the island, right?
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93. What if the Elixir's not there?
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94. Yeah!
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95. Can we come back empty-handed?
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96. They've got excuses for everything.
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97. If you don't like what we're offering,
then you can drop out.
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98. Participation is voluntary.
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99. Then I'll pass. Gives me the creeps.
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100. I'd rather die with my
boys waiting for me at the—
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101. I forgot to mention one thing.
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102. When you arrive on the island,
you'll be assigned monitors.
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103. M-Monitors?
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104. You've already been condemned to death.
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105. That still applies on the island.
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106. In other words...
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107. Act out on the island, and you'll
be beheaded on the spot.
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108. The Yamada Asaemon will
accompany you as your monitors.
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109. Don't get any funny ideas.
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110. They're from the Yamada clan.
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111. Turn against them,
and you'll end up like him.
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112. Naturally, if your monitor dies, whether by
accident or homicide, you'll be beheaded.
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113. If your monitor isn't with you,
you won't be allowed onto the return boat.
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114. Really?
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115. Yes.
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116. I see.
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117. I can't tell if he's brave or just dumb.
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118. Hey, you.
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119. Yes, Your Excellency.
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120. Sorry, but there's one more thing.
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121. Before you land on the island,
you need to reduce your numbers.
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122. What?
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123. All of you won't be able to
land on the island.
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124. The ship's capacity and the number
of Asaemon available are limited,
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125. so we'd like you to reduce your numbers.
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126. Reduce?
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127. You're a bunch of idiots.
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128. In other words...
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129. You want us to winnow the chaff here, right?
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130. Wh-What are you...
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131. See?
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132. They're not saying anything
after witnessing that.
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133. They want us to kill each other.
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134. If you don't act quick, you'll be killed.
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135. Well, that's one way to interpret it.
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136. Anyone who dies here
would've been useless anyway.
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137. Oh, and don't untie your hands.
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138. Die!
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139. Die!
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140. My, my.
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141. You don't often see fights
to the death in this day and age.
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142. I've always wanted to see one.
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143. Stupid shogun...
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144. What point is there in doing this?
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145. They can't fight properly
with their hands tied.
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146. It's a brawl. A chaotic free-for-all.
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147. In the end, they'll all be useless.
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148. So, which ones have red seals?
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149. You mean the criminals
with exceptional skills.
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150. One might even describe them as superpowers.
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151. They've been stamped
with red seals in the registry.
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152. That man is one of them.
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153. Despite his young age,
he led a group of bandits.
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154. He's an extraordinary
fellow who established
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155. a bandit village deep
in the mountains of Iyo.
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156. Last year, that woman was involved
in the invasion of Sagiwa Castle.
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157. She's a kunoichi who neutralized
every last retainer in the castle.
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158. He's a master swordsman known as the "Blade
Dragon" or "Unparalleled in Eight Provinces."
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159. He's a massive fellow said
to eat bears head-first.
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160. They say neither swords
nor spears were effective against him.
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161. It's like a Warring States picture scroll.
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162. Among them, the most notable is
the living legend, Gabimaru the Hollow.
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163. Over there.
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164. Wait, what? The legend hasn't moved at all.
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165. Feeling overwhelmed, Sagiri?
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166. Eizen-dono...
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167. It'll be even more brutal on the island.
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168. Not just among the criminals.
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169. You'll be exposed to harm as well.
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170. When that happens, will you be able to kill?
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171. Let me take this opportunity to tell you...
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172. you're not suited to this job.
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173. Why would a woman bother to wield a sword?
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174. The daughter of a warrior should
live quietly in her mansion
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175. and stay far away from
the fate of an executioner.
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176. With all due respect, Eizen-dono,
I would have if I could.
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177. Testing swords on bodies, beheading criminals,
making medicines from corpses...
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178. Even if you don't wield a sword,
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179. everyone born into the Yamada clan makes
their living through people's deaths.
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180. Wait up!
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181. Daughter of Neck-Chopper Asa!
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182. Daughter of Cannibal Asa!
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183. Murderer!
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184. Get out here!
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185. Come on!
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186. You can try to turn a blind eye to it.
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187. But the truth is reflected in the blade.
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188. Damn.
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189. We've got no choice.
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190. We'll have to break through
the samurai to get out of here.
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191. Boss...
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192. That samurai is a woman.
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193. We'll kill her and take her sword.
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194. Can you kill him?
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195. I can't escape the executioner's fate.
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196. In that case...
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197. I refuse to quietly accept it.
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198. I'll see for myself what my fate is.
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199. Why?
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200. Why?
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201. Killing people is never okay, y'know.
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202. Can't you come up with another way
to choose who's going?
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203. When did you...
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204. Get back!
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205. We might be murderers, but not all
of us killed because we wanted to.
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206. What are the guards doing?
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207. I won't let you do this to us.
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208. How dare you tell His Excellency what to do!
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209. Oh, come on.
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210. Not killing people if you don't have to
is the most natural thing in the world.
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211. Watch your tongue, fiend.
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212. If you don't want to participate,
then forfeit your chance at the pardon.
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213. You're not listening.
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214. Hey, you there.
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215. Huh?
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216. I'll send you on the expedition
if you kill this man.
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217. What?
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218. Seriously?
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219. Stay where you are.
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220. No, wait.
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221. You guys don't like this
pointless killing either, do you?
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222. Doesn't bother me.
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223. If that's what it takes to survive,
then it suits me just fine.
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224. Don't dodge that.
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225. Can't we talk about this?
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226. If you're not going to fight,
then shut up and die.
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227. Fine, then.
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228. You leave me no choice.
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229. Guess I'll kill you.
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230. Huh?
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231. If you try to kill me, I'll kill you.
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232. I thought you didn't want to kill anyone.
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233. I don't.
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234. But I can't afford to die either.
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235. So I don't have a choice.
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236. What?
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237. What are you talking about?
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238. Just thinking about what
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239. I'm going to be burdened
with weighs heavily on my mind.
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240. Aw, man. This sucks.
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241. This really sucks.
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242. He's a m-monster...
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243. This is...
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244. the Hollow.
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245. Just thinking about what
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246. I'm going to be burdened
with weighs heavily on my mind.
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247. His methods are brutal.
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248. Would you approve if
I made it pretty instead?
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249. Is it possible that what I needed wasn't
the strength not to fear killing...
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250. But the resolve to take on the burden
of that fear and the lives I took?
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251. Sagiri, are you all right?
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252. Perhaps this was too great
a responsibility for you after all.
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253. No.
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254. I will kill him.
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255. Stop, criminals.
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256. You will be joining the expedition.
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257. Aza Chobei the Bandit King.
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258. Tamiya Gantetsusai the Sword Dragon.
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259. Twisted Keiun, the Hunter of One Hundred.
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260. Nurugai of the Sanka.
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261. Horubo the Killing Prayer.
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262. Runaway shinobi, Gabimaru the Hollow.
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263. Akaginu the Cannibal Courtesan.
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264. Kunoichi, Yuzuriha of Keishu.
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265. Moro Makiya the Apostate.
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266. Rokurota the Giant of Bizen.
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267. The ten of you will be going.
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268. Each of you will be accompanied by
an Asaemon executioner of the Yamada clan.
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269. You will board a ship,
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270. travel to the uncharted
island in the southern sea,
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271. and find the immortality-granting
Elixir of Life.
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272. Do this, and you will earn your freedom.
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273. Do not worry.
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274. You are going to Paradise.
Heaven. Shinsenkyo!
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275. There is no danger.
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