Chapter 224

## On the Shores of Lake Shikotsu

* Volume
* Magazine

**On the Shores of Lake Shikotsu**, or **Near Lake Shikotsu** (支笏湖のほとりで, *Shikotsuko no Hotori de*) is the 224th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Sugimoto’s Group goes out hunting for swans at the Uryu River as Asirpa explains how to catch them to Sugimoto. A swan and Shiraishi approaches Sugimoto’s Group at the same time and they are startled by each other’s presences, giving Asirpa the opportunity to kill the swan. They prepare the swan and Asirpa offers the head to Sugimoto who is very reluctant about eating it.

Shiraishi examines the gold dust that Heita had been carrying around in his pouch and notices that he had kept samples of gold dusts from every river he visited. He recalls that Heita had told both him and Sugimoto about how each gold has a different “face” which enables a skilled gold panner to identify from which river they came from. Shiraishi then talks about the Ainu gold and the seven men who had hid it only to be killed in the “Noppera-Bou incident”.

Shiraishi believes that there is a possibility that there may some other people who knows where the gold had been hidden but Sugimoto says that it is for this reason that Noppera-Bou had moved the gold elsewhere. However, Shiraishi says that Noppera-Bou had worked by himself and that it would be difficult to move such a large amount of gold by himself, and as such had to move them somewhere close. Shiraishi wonders if they could look for any Ainu who had known where the gold was previously buried and believes that they are still living close to the rivers where the gold dust had been panned.

Shiraishi suggests that if they were to narrow their search down even more, they would be able to identify what kind of gold the gold dust was and use it to deduce the river and the region that they came from. Sugimoto and Asirpa are skeptical of Shiraishi’s words but Shiraishi reminds them what Tanigaki had told them about Noppera-Bou’s boat sinking along with the gold dust that they were on. Sugimoto notes that Noppera-Bou had been at Lake Shikotsu at the time and Asirpa asks if they are going to be changing their goal from looking for the tattooed skins to searching for the gold dust.

Shiraishi says that in case they are unable to get their hands on the tattooed skins, this alternative would prove to be a way for them to instantly turn things around. Sugimoto goes over the plan once more and completely dismisses it, saying that each individual steps are too difficult and Asirpa agrees that they will fail on the first step as Lake Shikotsu is the deepest lake in Hokkaido, and thus impossible for them to retrieve the gold from so deep in the lake.

A flashback to one year ago occurs in which Heita takes a certain person out to Lake Shikotsu, with Heita warning the person about the temperature of the lake. However, the person claims that another person would just get the gold before them. Heita once again warns the person, this time about the depth of the lake, but the person just brushes off Heita’s words, saying that he does not need his opinion, and only just for him to identify the gold before threatening him not to let the brazier go out. He tells Heita that he will try for a deeper spot and that if he is gone for over 35 minutes, then he should pull up the rope tied to his ankle.

When Heita expresses disbelief at the time, Boutarou the Pirate, whose real name is Fusatarou Oosawa, states that he is able to stay underwater for up to 30 minutes. Boutarou then takes a deep breath before diving into the water and going over 200 meters deep in Lake Shikotsu. Heita keeps track of the time and notes that it has been over 30 minutes since Boutarou jumped into the water, pondering if he should just leave since Boutarou has to be dead after so long underwater.

Back in the present, Shiraishi presents some gold dust that had been found by a “Mister Pirate”, and Sugimoto and Asirpa wonders who he is. Shiraishi reveals that he is one of the 24 escaped convicts from Abashiri Prison who was noted to be a tough person that always went all-out. Shiraishi exclaims that Heita must’ve finished identifying the gold and suggests that they do not have to go to the trouble of following the unlikely path to the gold and keep doing things the same way they always have, while gathering up the tattooed skins. As Sugimoto takes the sample, he realizes Shiraishi’s plans are to capture a pirate.

## Character Appearances

* Hyakunosuke Ogata
* Asirpa
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Heita Matsuda *(Flashback)*
* Wilk *(Flashback)*
* Genjirou Tanigaki *(Flashback)*
* Fusatarou Oosawa