Introduction
Gintoki and Asaemon joins hands to stop Yaemon's scheme of killing both of them off.
Plot
Asaemon is about to be killed by Yaemon, but is saved by Gintoki. Unfortunately, he is shot for his trouble. The head berates her for trying to help Gintoki and reveals that Gintoki is responsible for her real father's death!! The two Ikedas come to a stalemate of attack (either Yaemon cuts off Gintoki's head or Asaemon cuts off Yaemon's) but Yaemon decides to allow the young woman the chance to kill Gintoki to get her revenge. He tells her that her father was actually a Joui patriot who 10 years ago after the war ended, ratted out his former comrades to the Hitotsubashi so he can live. But when they turned on him, he desperately tries to offer his daughter instead. Gintoki just so happened to overhear this, knocks the man out, and offers himself in the daughter's stead so they don't take anyone else. The previous head himself also happen to overhear everything. As such, he decided to let Gintoki live, behead the father, and adopt Asaemon.
Yaemon demands that Asaemon cuts off Gintoki's head, while threatening Shinpachi and Kagura. Before doing so, she asks Gintoki if the old head might of suspected that he might be killed by Asaemon someday. Gintoki didn't know but states that he probably was glad that Asaemon did it. Asaemon no longer hesitates and slashes at Gintoki's head but at the same time, Yaemon decides to cut off Asaemon's head instead! He mocks her for thinking that she, a criminal's child had a right to judge people and states that her usefulness as ended. But to his shock, Asaemon and Gintoki was actually alive! It turns out that in a span of those seconds, Gintoki had pulled out Asaemon's sword, cut his neck in the process and sliced off a part of Yaemon's sword.
The head tries to strike at Gintoki; he start to think back to how he had tried desperately to catch up to his father. It fell apart when he slaughtered inmates to perfect the Ikeda beheading technique, angering his father and resulting in Yaemon losing out on being his father's successor to Asaemon. In retaliation, he teams up with the Hitotsubashi faction and reveals his father's transgressions, leading to this arc's events. Gintoki defeats him; the gunners start to retaliate until they are knocked out by corpse barrels thrown by Okita (One of them containing Hijikata) who tells them to abandon ship. Asaemon and the injured Gintoki are saved by Yaemon who admits that she was closer to his father's ideals then he ever was and gives her the title of 'Yaemon' as a parting gift as they escape.
A man comes out of the ship Yaemon arrived in and expressed his disappointment in the executioner for betraying him, finishing it off by slicing Yaemon's head. The man, revealed to be Nobu Nobu, states that he will place the blame on Yaemon and have decided not to follow the escaped people. He admits to the revealed Takasugi that he came with Yaemon to learn about a unique corpse that was still alive, Gintoki. He placates the Kiheitai leader by stating that he had no intention of harming the Shiroyasha and that the Kiheitai fascinates him. Takasugi retorts that as long as Nobu Nobu goes against the Bafuku, he'll help. But if he ever strays from that, then the person who will most likely take him down is Takasugi or Gintoki.
The next day, Hijikata reports to Asaemon that her adoptive brother's body have yet to be found, most likely killed by the Hitotsubashi faction. She corrects him to say that she killed him; she had killed two generations of executioners and didn't deserve the Ikeda name. Hijikata suggests that she should protect the Yaemon name instead and Asaemon remarks that she is a head short. Later, Okita takes the Yorozuya out of prison and rides with them to their execution near a riverbank. Shinpachi asked why were they being killed when they helped cleared Asaemon's name. Okita answers that the case became complicated due to the fact that the victims were criminals slated for execution, the perpetrator went missing (Actually killed), and the group pulling the strings didn't outwardly do anything wrong. It also didn't help that the Shinsengumi was in an altercation with them. So in order to smooth things over, Asaemon and the Yorozuya will be scapegoats to appease the government. To the Yorozuya's shock, Okita tells them that Asaemon had already committed suicide to take the blame for everything and protect the Ikeda name. Gintoki demanded to know why she wasn't stopped and the Shinsengumi captain retorts that Asaemon was already suicidal when they met her, in fact Gintoki was the one who killed her.
Hijikata opens the door from the outside, stating that they will complete the executions with them, especially Gintoki, who was meant to be killed 10 years ago. He finishes by stating that to take responsibly of what an Ikeda Yaemon has done will be another Ikeda Yaemon, who reveals herself to be Asaemon! To the confused Yorozuya, Asaemon states that the person is dead, the trio helped assisted with her 'suicide', cleansed her of her sins and returned her to being a human. She is now the 19th Ikeda Yaemon. She completes the changes by slicing in half her shinigami mask, as well as the trio's handcuffs.
While the 19th, Shinpachi, and Kagura talk, with Hijikata and Okita watching in the distance, Gintoki secretly wondered to the 16th Yaemon if Gintoki himself regained some of his humanity. He throws the broken mask into the river and walks back to the others.
...Then angrily realizes that the executioner had sliced his nipple again, the right one this time!