Chapter 213

## Escape from Karafuto

**Escape from Karafuto** (樺太脱出, *Karafuto Dasshutsu*) is the 213th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Sometime before meeting the 7th Division, the innkeeper comments that Sugimoto’s Group must be having a tough time as the ship that is supposed to take them back to Hokkaido has been out of commission for a while but that it will be able to set sail the next day at an earlier time than usual. She also warns them about the drift ice so the boarding spot is a bit farther away from town but Shiraishi tells her that they are getting a special ship coming just for them.

Back in the present, Shiraishi and Tanigaki looks for Sugimoto and Asirpa, as Asirpa is the only other person to know about the other ship and Shiraishi is certain that she and Sugimoto will board that ship. Meanwhile, Asirpa tends to Sugimoto’s wounds in order to stop the bleeding so that the 7th Division cannot follow their trail. She reassures Sugimoto that they only have a little further left to go before reaching their destination and readies to leave. They are suddenly approached by Vasily who offers to help them escape.

On horseback, they come across Shiraishi and Tanigaki, the former who immediately jumps on the horse. Tanigaki pleads them to wait but Asirpa says that he cannot come as Tsurumi still has Inkarmat with him but Tanigaki argues that Tsurumi also has his eyes on her village and that she won’t be able to return home. Asirpa asks Tanigaki to send a message to her grandmother that she had a dream about meeting her again, hoping that it would put her at ease. Sugimoto’s Group says their farewells to Tanigaki as he runs out of breath and stops running.

Kikuta spots Tanigaki, asking where Shiraishi is and Tanigaki points towards town, saying that he saw Shiraishi head inside along with Sugimoto and Asirpa. Kikuta berates him for not chasing after them but Tanigaki says that he is a Matagi. Sugimoto’s Group manages to board the ship and Shiraishi notices Sugimoto’s wound, saying he is surprised that he is still alive. Sugimoto states that he is fighting since he also needs the gold for his own reason and that this situation is something that he was prepared for.

Vasily gestures for them to look at something and through his binoculars, Shiraishi spots a 7th Division soldier investigating Sugimoto’s bloodstains. The soldier requests for the ship to stop so Shiraishi tells Vasily to shoot at him and Asirpa asks to just hit his foot. Vasily takes aim and fires, shooting the soldier in the head, killing him. Tsurumi hears the gunshot, noting that it came from the ocean but they are too late as the ship has departed Karafuto. Shiraishi explains that it will be about three hours before they reach the port of Wakkanai before questioning Sugimoto’s timing to run away from the 7th Division.

Sugimoto claims that if they had handed Asirpa over to Tsurumi, they would have kept her under heavy guard with no chance of escaping. Shiraishi agrees with Sugimoto’s words, saying that they would have kept the both of them separated and that they will lock Asirpa away since they have no need for her while hunting tattooed convicts.

Sugimoto declares that if they are the ones to find the gold, they get to decide how to use it, knowing that Asirpa will never waver from her decision to not kill people. He believes that Asirpa will stay true to her own beliefs and that she will find her own way of protecting the Ainu people. Shiraishi accepts Sugimoto’s statement but wonders how they will find the gold all by themselves. Suddenly, an explosion erupts next to their ship and Sugimoto’s Group realizes that the 7th Divison is chasing after them.

## Character Appearances

* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Asirpa
* Genjirou Tanigaki
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Vasily
* Kikuta
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Tokishige Usami
* Umeko Kenmochi *(Mentioned)*