Millions Knives (episode)

Millions Knives is the ninth episode of the Trigun Stampede anime.

Synopsis
Vash lives with Luida and Brad. Meanwhile, Knives is working with Conrad, the leader of the research organization Sinners, who survived the Big Fall, a mass crash of a fleet of immigrant ships. One day, an abnormality occurs in the bio-power reactor "plant" at a facility in the village that is hurrying to recover. Under the bright red light of the plant, the twins who had taken different paths meet again.

Summary
Knives plays the piano when the emergency alarm activates. He goes to the plants with William Conrad and see that all the plants are turning red. As some men show up, Williams asks them why they pushed beyond the limit of the plants as they know the plants would die. The men explain its because they needed to speed up the reconstruction and intend to start the plants Last Run soon. Knives wants William to heal them, but he explains its too late. The Last Run starts and the plants turn bright red. The men explain that when you force a plant that had reached its limit to go out of control, it uses all of its remaining energy, their final harvest. As the plants die, William hopes that Knives can forgive the humans. Vash then shows up and Knives is sure that he heard the screams of the plants. Knives then creates some blades and cuts the humans. He explains that he intends to kill all humans and his name is now Millions Knives.

Vash wonders why he killed the people, since Rem sacrificed her life to save them. Knives agree that if she didn't meddled, all ships expect the plant carriers would have been destroyed. More humans show up. Knives asks Vash to join him and eliminate all humans, but Vash reminds him that plants can't survive without humans as they use all their energy in one burst and die. Knives states they have their own free will and can walk. He then proceeds and kill the humans that came. Knives picks a gun and gives it to Vash, stating its a perfect for a human-lover like him. Luida shows up, having looking for Vash and asks him to go home with her. Knives tells Vash to kill her with the gun. Vash doesn't move and seeing that Knives takes the gun, stating he can't do anything without him and heads towards Luida.

Vash then runs and takes Knives down, stating that all he ever did was let Rem protect him and because of that he lost her, so he won't let Knives take anyone else from him. Knives pushes Vash and knocks him out for a moment. Angry, he start chocking Luida, stating that she keeps stealing Vash from him. Vash wakes up and activates his power. He creates a small black ball, however as that is actually a gate, it starts sucking everything. Having no choice, Knives then cuts Vash's left arm, causing the gate to suck his arm and disappear. Vash points the gun at Knives, who gets sad and disappointed, but promises that in a century or so, he will build a world of plants. Knives then leaves and William follows him. Right after that, Vash then loses consciousness.

At the present, Vash wakes up in his old room. Brad then shows up and state that each time he comes, he has messed up the left arm he made him. Luida shows up and tells Vash that everyone, including his friends are safe. Meryl guesses that Brad and Luida know Vash for a long time and Brad confirms its been 150 years. The group is surprised, but the two explain that they use cold sleep, during which they don't age. There are many humans in cold sleep and its Luida and Brad's job to maintain the ship. The two state they are just humans, but use some technology as well. Meryl guesses they use plants too and Luida then asks them to follow her.

She takes them to a dome with of greenery. Meryl is surprised and sees some flowers. Luida explains that are fauna and are different than plants and humans. They do use plants, but with the fauna they intends to lesser the plants burden. They wish to spread it across the planet, but Roberto is sceptical as it will take then decades, even centuries. Luida wants to use the right path and doesn't care how long it will take. She also doesn't want to justify wrongdoing just to survive. Roberto states she sounds like Vash. He doesn't care of her way of thinking and will go his way, but hopefully they head the same way. He then decides to smoke, but Luida tells him he can't smoke on the ship. Roberto tells Meryl to find him a place he can smoke, but as he used her name and not "newbie", she gets excited, but Roberto denies of saying it.

Wolfwood wonders if Vash intends to make up with Knives, as he is sure that won't be possible. Vash explains that he don't want to kill ever again and will find a way to save everyone. Wolfwood believes those are empty words as one day he will find himself in situation where he has to choose. Brad states he is just like he used to be, thinking everything is white and black. Brad states that Vash is tough and if he stays long enough, he will learn it. Luida then comes and informs them that they got attacked by a swarm of worms.

Meryl and Roberto wake up on a different place. Zazie then shows up and welcomes them to the third of the seven cities, July, a crashed plant carrier. He tells them that the planet Noman's Land stands at a crossroad, and wonders with who the Worms will side with; humans or plants. Roberto shoots at Zazie, but his body turns into worms and reconstructs back. He explains its pointless as his body is just a conduit. Zazie states that the planet is theirs as the Worms have been here before the humans, who are also repeat offenders. The humans messed up their planet Earth, which is why they send a colony ship to this planet. Meryl can't believe it, but Zazie explains that Earth was a lush place with bountiful resources and life forms, however humans ruined it. Zazie states that the colony ships crashed because the twins did it. For a plant, 150 years is nothing. Zazie then shows the all the plants that turned red and explains that Knives brought them here. William shows up and wonders why he brought them here, but Zazie states he doesn't take orders from him and that Knives took him as a guest. Meryl wonders why they collect the red plants, but William states she doesn't need to know. Zazie states he will tell her, but in return wants she to tell him who will benefit this planet more, humans or plants.

Appearances

 * Knives Millions
 * Vash the Stampede
 * William Conrad
 * Luida
 * Brad
 * Meryl Stryfe
 * Roberto De Niro
 * Nicholas D. Wolfwood
 * Zazie the Beast