Awa Arc is the fourth arc of Akatsuki no Yona. It consists of chapters 26 - 40 and episodes 17 - 23.
Premise[]
The arc begins with the group arriving at the port town of Awa, and Kija in unable to properly trace the presence of the Green Dragon, and the rest are tired, so Hak volunteers to go into town. As he walks through, he promptly finds two officers harassing a young woman. After battling his conscience for a while he finally intervenes as another man attacks the officers as well. They rescue the woman, but the other man is disturbed and leaves her with Hak, disappearing suddenly. As Hak wonders how the man got away, he is revealed to have left via leaping through the sky.
The man is revealed to be the Green Dragon, whose name is Jae-Ha. He lands on a pirate ship and is chastised by the pirate captain, Gi-Gan. She scolds him for messing with officers, but tells her he was actually escaping a for more dangerous presence; that of Hakuryuu and Seiryuu.
Hak returns to the group empty-handed, and Yoon angrily replies that to get work done, he will ask everyone else to town the next day. Kija and Shin-Ah look out into the distance, agreeing that the Ryokuryuu is out on the ocean. Meanwhile, Jae-ha plays his erhu and eventually stops to look at the sky.
The next day, Yona, Yoon, Shin-ah and Kija leave to track down the Green Dragon but Hak does not join them to keep the officers away from Yona. Yoon finds Hak's behavior suspicious and wonders if Hak is going to town with girls. Kija and Shin-ah find a pirate ship as the Green Dragon's presence suddenly disappears.
Hak is back in town and bumps into Jae-ha, who implies that the Dragons are chasing him. Hak takes the comment to mean the officers and Jae-ha suggests they go someplace to hide. Hak is put off as he finds out the Jae-ha's idea of a hiding place is a brothel, but he isn't too concerned. The two chat and Hak nearly gives away the fact that he is from Fuuga, but he dodges the question and asks Jae-ha why he dresses in Kai fashion and where he is from. Jae-ha lies and states that he was born in Awa, but says it's easy to get anything in a port town. Hak then asks why the town seems lifeless, and Jae-ha replies that there is deep corruption there, and that the lord of Awa, Yang Kum-Ji is trafficking women and children. He begins to rant about his hatred of captivity and Hak asks why he so fixated on freedom.
They are interrupted as Yoon and the rest of the group catch up. Hak tries to blame Jae-ha for being there, but Jae-ha has once again vanished. Kija and Yoon chew him out for his ammoral actions, but Yona defends him. Though, this only embarrasses him more. Hak spots officers and hides the group as they pass by. He then meets the woman he had previously saved, and she shows her gratitude as the rest of the group listen in. She takes them to her house and it is revealed the rest that Hak attacked an officer. Yoon asks if the officers' behavior was common in Awa and the woman confirms it. Yona then understands why she found the town lifeless, and Hak is amazed that even though she had a limited knowledge of these things, she could still recognize it. Yoon asks if the pirates are problematic, but the woman denies this, stating that they only attack the officers' ships.
That night, two officers converse on a ship and call out to the look out, asking if there are any odd boats. The look out replies no, and asks about what they are shipping. The officers explain that it is a new drug they are planning to flood the town with to get rich. The look out at first laughs with them, but his tone of voice changes and he states that their plan is ugly. The real look out is tossed from the crow's nest and Jae-ha is revealed to have been posing as him for a while. The pirates then attack on Gi-Gan's orders and they battle begins. Jae-ha is lightly wounded by an archer, but brutally retaliates with an assault of knives as he seemingly flies over the boat. A pirate named Tok is cornered by an officer, who is easily struck down by Jae-ha, who criticizes him for not fighting hard enough.
The boat is then burned away with the drugs but Captain Gi-Gan forbids the pirates to kill the officers as she does not want them to be murderers. As the pirates call her mother, she notices that Jae-ha is being uncharacteristically quiet and he replies his Dragon's Leg is hurting him. She guesses he probably likes it, which he confirms and she steps on him. He tells her it had never happened to his leg and she remarks that it has always mystified her. The captain asks if he is going to meet the other Dragons, but Jae-ha replies that they are only strangers. They go on to talk about their need for more man-power, specifically a strong, handsome, young man. Jae-ha tells her she already had him before realizing there is another. She believes he is referring to himself, and he convinces her that there really is another powerful person in Awa. She orders him to recruit Hak, and Jae-ha remembers Hak is already employed. He shrugs off his doubts and believes he can convince nonetheless.
Meanwhile, Hak shivers in fear.
The next day, Jae-ha heads out to search for Hak, who once again shivers as Jae-ha talks about him.
Jae-ha stands in front of a wanted poster, laughing. The poster depicts a poorly-drawn Hak, but Jae-ha is happy with it as it means Hak will be easier to recruit. Hak appears and points out Jae-ha's own likeness is being badly portrayed and the two burn their posters.
Jae-ha remembers why he was looking for Hak and invited him to go someplace private. Hak refuses, but Jae-ha repeatedly pesters him until Hak finally punches him flat on his back. Jae-ha staggers back up, and Hak realizes Jae-ha is some sort of freak or pervert. He runs away and joins back up with the group, and states that he has been chased by a pervert. Yona doesn't know the term, but suddenly, a window is broken and she looks up. She is then angered to realize it is some officials trashing a store. She attempts to help but is stopped, and Kija heads off to search somewhere else.
Jae-ha is once again on a roof, arrogantly saying that Hak cannot escape him and that he will find a way to seduce Hak. His foot slips and he falls from the roof, and into a large pot. He praises his own resilience just as Kija arrives.
Yona, Yoon, and Hak enter the store that was being trashed, and find that some officers killed a young boy. Yona angrily laments over her inability to help and her own powerlessness.
Meanwhile, Jae-ha explains to Kija that when he was very young, he was imprisoned in his village and escaped. He feared being found by the other Dragons and continually erased his presence until he reached Awa, which he thought was safe. He was certain he would be able to keep running but angrily states that due to the fact that he has now fallen into the pot, and is perfectly stuck he has now given up over it. Then, he notes that the White Dragon with the grotesque hand is actually quite beautiful. Kija smiles and immediately picks up the jug along with Jae-ha and begins running, shouting gleefully. Jae-ha asks him why he has to go that way and the conversation soon turns to Kija stating that all the Dragons will soon be with their master.
Jae-ha immediately breaks the jug with his leg and asks Kija if that was what he always was told. Jae-ha then tells him that if Kija believed that to be his greatest wish that it was in fact, a tragedy. Jae-ha begins to walk away, sticking his tongue out at Kija, leaving the White Dragon in shock.
Jae-ha once again flies around, and finds Hak. He lands behind him, and just as he greets him, Hak keeps walking away in disgust. Eventually Hak tells Jae-ha that he isn't allowed to talk to strangers, but Jae-ha doesn't see a problem in that, and properly introduces himself, which hadn't done in their previous meetings. He then finally tells Hak the reason why he is following him. Hak answers no, and Jae-ha only continues to try and persuade him. He tells Hak he could even bring his master, which Hak quickly rejects. Jae-ha jokes that his master must be very important just as Yona arrives.
She sees Jae-ha, and in that moment, his initiation starts. He hears voices in his head and his blood feels as though it's boiling. He realizes that Yona must be Hiryuu and urges himself to get away from her. However, his blood prevents him from doing so. Yona asks him if he is the Ryokuryuu, but in an attempt to escape, Jae-ha tries to say that he is normal, though Kija shows up, shouting that Jae-ha is the Green Dragon. Hak catches Jae-ha, who finally admits to it, much to the latter's chagrin. Jae-ha feels the effects of the Dragons connection to Hiryuu as he feels drawn to her. He fights it, however, stating in his head that they are not his real feelings. He begins trying to intimidate Yona, saying that he has never wanted to meet her and wants to live and die on his own terms. Yona tells him it's okay, that she understands, and she won't force him to join.
Jae-ha then says he wanted to recruit Hak, who continues to refuse, and tells Yona that Jae-ha has been pestering him to meet his captain. Yona states that she wants to meet Jae-ha's captain, and Jae-ha is willing to make a deal with her that they can discuss his cooperation later and if she brings Hak to the pirates, she'll be able to speak with his captain. He leaves the after saying they can meet at the ship tomorrow.
That evening, Yona talks to Yoon, who is extremely concerned that they are going off to meet pirates. Yona asks if he does not want to come, but Yoon insists on joining. Yona then speaks with Hak, who dislikes that Jae-ha is getting what he wants. He asks Yona why Jae-ha gets to be free while Yona forced Hak to join. Yona ungracefully tries to dodge the question by saying Hak was a special case, but he proceeds to tease her.
They arrive at the pirate ship and meet Gi-gan, who Yoon thought would be a big man rather than an elderly woman. The pirates are intrigued that Yona is a cute girl, but also wonder why Shin-ah wears a mask as Gi-gan tries to pull it off. Gi-gan states that she values trust above anything, but Hak points out that she is in need of manpower. As a test, she pits the pirates against Hak, Kija, and Shin-ah, who are all confident they'll win. The pirates are easily beaten and the three are allowed to join. Gi-gan asks what Yoon and Yona can do, and Yoon proves himself through his abilities in medicine, cooking, cleaning, sewing, and even explosive making. Yona is unable to think of anything useful for herself and Gi-gan dismisses her since she is useless. Kija is angered by this, and tries to force Gi-gan into letting Yona join by saying the rest won't come if Yona doesn't. Yona tells Gi-gan she is willing to still fight and Gi-gan says she'll then have to perform a high-risk test.
Later, Jae-ha shows Yona the Vanishing Cape, a gigantic cliff that leans out over the sea. He asks her what she wants to do.
Before, Gi-gan tells Yona she needs to get the senju herb, which grows on a steep cliff, but she can only do it alone. Everyone is worried as Gi-gan describes the cliff, but Yona is determined. Jae-ha is told to bring Yona to the Vanishing Cape and he agrees.
At the Vanishing Cape, Jae-ha tells Yona that the herbs are at the end of the cliff, and says that it's easy. He scold himself for saying that as the cliff is hit constantly by powerful winds, strong waves, and that the height alone is terrifying. Instead of backing away, Yona proceeds and they head down the cliff.
As Yona walks, she is hit by a powerful wind and freezes up in fear. She starts panicking, but Jae-ha calms her down slightly and she keeps going. She keeps crying and shaking, but refuses to stop. Jae-ha's need to protect Yona builds up and he starts telling her to stop and return. Yona shakes her head and tells him she's happy that the herb is medicinal, because she is terrified of losing someone, and she wants to repay her friends kindness to her. She eventually states that she finds it comforting that Jae-ha is with her, and he eventually stops going, saying the path is too narrow. Yona reaches the senju herbs, but meanwhile, Gi-gan senses a storm, alarming Hak, Kija, Shin-ah, and Yoon.
As Yona exits the cave with the senju herbs, a huge wave hits the cliff as Jae-ha calls out to her. As it passes, he looks up and finds Yona is no longer there. He panics and jumps over to where she had been. He finds her hanging off a vine, as she tells him not to help her, but at that instant, a wave comes up once more, consuming the cliff.
As it passes, it is revealed that Jae-ha grabbed and protected Yona in the last second. She is disappointed in herself that she needed help, but Jae-ha praises her resolve and tells her she protected the herbs alone, and that Gi-gan doesn't need to know.
The rest worry as Yoon looks at the cliff in shock. Shin-ah spots Yona and they all run to meet her. Gi-gan tells her she has passed the test, but Yona refuses, being honest about Jae-ha's interference. Gi-gan laughs it off as Yona proposes to go again, and says that she would throw Jae-ha into the sea if didn't save a girl. She likes Yona's honesty and still allows her to join.
Hak and Jae-ha converse, beginning their near daily routine of Jae-ha teasing Hak. Jae-ha says he find Yona unique, but states that she would be a pain to care for. He then makes several observations regarding Hak's relationship with Yona, saying that they seem close, but still far apart. Hak tells Jae-ha that it's none of his business, and Jae-ha says that Yona has caught his interest. This shocks Hak, but Jae-ha walks away, laughing and telling him he doesn't want the Dragon Warriors' master. Hak is angry with Jae-ha, but the latter is extremely amused.
Back at the ship, Hak finds Yona doing something and catches a glimpse at her hands. He finds them scratched all over, and wonders how it happened. Yona says that the senju herbs had thorns, and that she was digging them out with a needle. Hak asks if she had cleaned the needle beforehand, and when she states no, he says her hands will rot off. She is alarmed but Hak reveals that he is kidding, and attacks him the needle. Hak then gets out a jar of honey and pours it on her hands saying that it will help ease out the thorns. The honey keeps dripping and as it overflows, Hak begins licking Yona's hands. Yona pulls away and quickly goes off, leaving Hak to wonder why he was doing that.
Yoon has created a soup filled with seafood, which the others enjoy. The one of the pirates asks if Yoon will marry them, but Yoon declines. Kija is terrified by the crabs in the food, and Yoon tells him to eat like Shin-ah -who will consume anything. Yoon asks where his honey is, but Hak says nothing of it.
Later, Yona find Gi-gan and gives her a bowl of the soup. Gi-gan confesses that she intends to disband her crew after they finish the fight with Kum-ji. She says that one of her crew members will be hard to get rid of, and reveals that it is Jae-ha. Gi-gan says that Jae-ha's home is the ship and that there aren't many places to go since he has his power. She asks if Yona will take him, but Yona says he won't go with her. Gi-gan finds this funny and says he's not yet ready to leave the nest. Jae-ha corrects her and shows that he has eavesdropped. He says he'd consider going if it was just him and Yona, but Yona is too young and he dislikes baby-sitting. Yona walks off, angrily comparing him to Hak, which Jae-ha finds amusing. Gi-gan is surprised he'd talk to Yona like this, since he usually says things to women that make her gag.
As Yona walks, she finds Shin-ah looking out at the sea. Shin-ah says he sees many ships, and Gi-gan asks how many. He tells her there are seven, and that the people on board are armed. Gi-gan realizes Kum-ji wants to finished them off for good and calls everyone over to make a plan.
Gi-gan begins looking over a map, and makes an estimation as to where the deal will go down regarding the trafficked girls. One pirate suggests they attack them at port, but Gi-gan shuts it down as it will endanger civilians. Another pirate assures them that they can win since they now have some strong recruits. Yona thinks of how strong Gi-gan is, and that she won't let her crew die.
Later, Yona is wandering around, and tries to help move supplies, though Kija helps her out. She finds Hak asking for ridiculous amounts of money in exchange for training the pirates, and finally goes off to find Yoon yelling harshly at wounded pirates. She gets Jae-ha's attention as she aimlessly walks around and he asks if she wants to go into town with him.
Jae-ha takes off with Yona and flies to town. Yona says she feels at ease with him. Jae-ha then says aloud that he hates his Dragon's blood.
When they arrive, they land on a rooftop and Jae-ha hides Yona as Kum-ji passes through town. He tells Yona to watch how people react around him, and they spot someone acting particularly frightened. The approach and Jae-ha recognizes them to be a woman disguised as a man. She cries, saying that she was hiding because she and her friend, who is very beautiful, applied for jobs at a store, but only her friend was hired. They lead her friend to a room in that back and told her she could leave. The woman says she peaked into the room and watched the floor beneath her friend give way, and her friend fell in.
Jae-ha recognizes this as a human trafficking base, and says he'll find her friend whilst hitting on her relentlessly.
The two of them return and Jae-ha explains to Gi-gan that he had had a man ask about the store, which is owned by Kum-ji. Apparently, they offer high-paying jobs to women, but secretly are capturing them for profit. He also finds that they will be hiring until the day after tomorrow.
Yona professes that they have someone sneak on board and light a firework so the pirates will know which ship the women are on to prevent their use as hostages. Yona then volunteers to go herself.
Hak, Kija, and Yoon all find this to be a bad idea, but Yona convinces them to let her. Gi-gan knows it will be suicide to do alone, so Yona will have to go with someone else.
Hak and Kija immediately volunteer, but Gi-gan says they need to be a beautiful as the other women, or they will be turned down. They volunteer again, and Jae-ha even volunteers. Finally, Gi-gan says there is only person capable of convincingly dressing as woman, Yoon. Yoon reluctantly agrees to go along with Yona if they are using explosives.
That night, Yona talks with Gi-gan, who thanks her for volunteering. Yona says she does not really remember her mother, and wonders if this is what it is like to have one.
The next day, Yona and Yoon are dressed up to look beautiful to infiltrate the operation. Kija also has dressed up, but has failed miserably. Yoon tells Hak that he probably seems stupid to do this, but he will protect Yona.
They are successful in their infiltration and as they are lead to the backroom, Yona begins shaking. Yoon tries to comfort her, but the floor drops beneath them.
Kum-ji is alerted that one of his 'goods' has rare red hair and leaves to take a look. Yona has sprained her ankle from the fall, and before the two of them can get their bearings, Kum-ji opens the doors to examine the girls. He sees Yona and wants to keep her for himself, but Yoon, terrified for Yona, tries to get his attention by saying he'd be more satisfying than Yona. In his head he panics, but he assures himself that it is all for Yona's sake. Kum-ji however hits him hard in the gut and he falls back, coughing up blood. Kum-ji states he dislikes being interrupted, and an offficer tries to get him to stop damaging merchandise, but he is struck down as well. He says Yona is the sort of person a woman should be, totally submissive, but he catches a glimpse of Yona's hostile glare and drops her in fear.
He asks if she is Princess Yona, who he knows disappeared from Hiryuu castle, but Yona denies it, saying that she was the daughter of a poor merchant in Awa. She asks if it would help him for her to pretend to be 'Yona', but Kum-ji says 'Yona' has self respect and would never lower herself like that. He leaves, but is still shaken by what he saw.
A terrified girl realizes they are going to be sold off, and bangs on the door, asking to be released. Another girl, Yuri, who has been there for two weeks tells her escape is impossible. Yona asks if no one has ever tried to go up against Kum-ji, but Yuri says that only idiots, outsiders, or strong people say things like that. However, Yona is adamant and says she wants to change things.
Back on the boat, the rest prepare for battle, and Jae-ha asks Hak if he is sleeping okay since all he has done is stare out into the distance. Hak brushes it off and says they should actually be concerned for Kija who every time he nods off, jumps back up to pick a fight with the air. As Jae-ha mocks him, Shin-ah creeps up behind him, and says he has dark circles, frightening the other Dragon. Jae-ha tries to say he slept well, but is pinned down by Hak and Kija who discover he really does have dark circles. Jae-ha is delighted from the pain, and attempts to say he has dark circles because was fooling around with girls, but Shin-ah knows he was actually in the crow's nest all night.
Kija is happy to hear that Jae-ha cares for Yona like him, and Jae-ha says it's natural since she is just a frail girl. He asks why no one seems to care for Yoon's safety, but the rest are confident that Yoon will be fine.
Yona and Yoon begin their plan and break out of their bindings and lure a guard down into where the women are kept to tranquilize him. Meanwhile, the battle begins outside.
They are successful and Yuri volunteers to help them since her father worked on ships, she remembers shortcuts through them.
Yoon again lures some guards into a trap and Yona and Yuri knock over some barrels to incapacitate them. Yoon tries to tranquilize them, but the boat rocks and he misses. A guard grabs Yuri, threatening to kill her, and Yona shouts she had nothing to do with it. Yoon panics about what to do, as he could easily enough abandon Yona and Yuri, make it onto deck and light the firework. However, instead he says that he is actually a pirate that has hidden a bomb on deck. They attack him but he says only he knows where it is, and that it will be going off soon. They tie him up, but Yona attacks them, trying to save him. She is then flung into a crate full of weapons and grabs a bow and some arrows and runs.
Up on deck, the officers realize Yoon's bluff and attempt to kill him. Yona shoots at them, stunning them long enough to grab the firework hidden in Yoon's dress and runs towards a lantern to light it. The guards grab her, but are too late as the firework shoots up, and lights up the sky.
Far away, Shin-ah sees the firework.
Yona is attacked and pinned down by the officers who have now realized their scheme. The take a sword to decapitate Yona as Yoon screams for them to stop. Suddenly, something drops down from the sky, taking out a few officers. Yona looks up and sees that it is Jae-ha, who praises her.
He turns to the officers and tells them not to approach her recklessly, because unlike the other pirates, he will kill them for hurting Yona. They attack nonetheless and Jae-ha easily defeats them.
Yoon hardly believes he is still alive and believes Yona is the strong one, not him.
Another boat full of mercenaries attacks, but are cut down as Shin-ah fights. Yoon asks why Hak hasn't arrived yet, and Jae-ha explains that Hak is too important in battle to come, so only he and Shin-ah, whose abilities work well in the situation could come, though Hak and Kija wanted to go the most.
Hak and Kija fight together, and Kija says Hak isn't fighting hard enough, but Hak remarks that it is because he is not allowed to not kill the officers. Suddenly, an officer sneaking up from behind is shot down, and Gi-gan yells at them to stop being sluggish. She says that at this point, all they need to do is drag out Kum-ji, kill him, and the Hak can do whatever he wants with Yona, much to Kija's chagrin.
Yoon suspects that Kum-ji will be hiding on a well protected ship as they watch Jae-ha and Shin-ah struggle against the mercenaries.
Meanwhile, Kum-ji reacts angrily to the news that the ship with the girls on it has been taken and vows to not let Gi-gan destroy what he has built up all these years.
Yoon shouts to Jae-ha about which boat houses Kum-ji, and Jae-ha goes off to kill him. He finds the room Kum-ji was in empty and realizes Kum-ji has escaped.
Kum-ji is escaping with a boatman, saying that as long as he is alive, he can always return with more power, more mercenaries, and more boats to wipe out the pirates.
Jae-ha spots him and remarks that it's ugly to use subordinates to escape. He jumps after him, prepared to finally kill him. He aims his knives, but Kum-ji is prepared, and aims a bow at him. Jae-ha throws his knives, but he is struck down by an arrow and falls into the sea. Kum-ji notes that Jae-ha is good at knife throwing and that he even aimed for the boatman. As Jae-ha emerges from the water gasping for breath, Kum-ji says he probably can't jump in the water and aims again at Jae-ha before suddenly pausing.
Kum-ji feels that something is targeting him, and looks around to see an enraged Yona aiming an arrow at him from a ship. He realizes then and there exactly who she is, and is terrified.
Yona lets loose the arrow and for the first time in her life, kills someone.
Everyone looks up to see Yona looking out at the water, finishing the battle.
The pirates are tired and start to fall asleep, but Gi-gan warns them that the second they wake up, they will no longer be pirates. She remarks how the battle was finally won when Yona killed Kum-ji. The arrive on land, and Yoon notices that neither Hak nor Kija is injured, whereas he and Yona are covered with cuts and bruises. Hak and Kija then intimidate the officers.
Yuri thanks the pirates and Jae-ha begins hitting on her with pick-up lines. The pirates begin yelling at him to stop. Yuri thanks Yona, and the women ask Gi-gan what they can do as repayment. They are told to get enough alcohol to get everyone drunk.
Everyone begins to party as Yoon yells that everyone there needs medical treatment, but no one cares. Yona and Kija, who both come from rich families expect a very different sort of party from what everyone else thinks. Jae-ha says he'll do something special for the girls, and though he implies he'll play a song, he starts taking off his clothes and announces that he will strip. The wound he got from Kum-ji is now visible, and is gushing blood at a dangerous rate. Yoon then starts treating him while the pirates ask him for snacks.
An elderly man thanks the pirates, and is confused as they tell him to get drunk and bring the rest of the town out to celebrate. A pirate tries to drink with Yona, but settles for Hak while Kija easily gets drunk while a group of girls attempt to flirt with him. Yona dances with Yuri and everyone is extatic.
Yona finds Jae-ha, now actually playing a song, and he asks if she wants to try the erhu. She is extremely bad at it and he laughs at her. She says she play the koto and dance, but Jae-ha has stopped laughing. He begins to say that she is powerless, small, frail, and a pain, and Yona asks if he is insulting her. He continues that she is also incredibly annoying that she came all that way to find him, and she starts to leave, saying he doesn't need to join. He grabs her hand and says he's actually an honest man and that he wants to spend the night with a cute girl.
Later, Jae-ha is still playing songs when the drunken pirates tell him he's making them fall asleep. Jae-ha tells them they didn't sleep the night before and that everyone else is asleep. The pirates complain that when they wake up, they will no longer be pirates and it will be over. Jae-ha replies that nothing will change and they will only be fishermen, but a pirate named Maya has already realized that Jae-ha intends to leave them. Now without anything to say, Jae-ha plays a song and puts the pirates to sleep, noting that he still loves them.
Jae-ha finds Gi-gan and tries a pick-up line on her. She tells him to get lost but he is already sitting down. He tells her even when she scolds him he likes it, and that she is his ideal woman. However, he makes a joke at her age by saying he wishes he had been born fifty years earlier to be with her. Gi-gan tries to stab him for the insult.
She says that he's been in a position to leave her for a while, and asks if he really knows who Yona is. He says he some idea, but that he doesn't like girls who play the koto. He also does not know whether or not the reason he wants to follow her is due to the dragon's blood.
Gi-gan tells him to leave and not to come back, and Jae-ha remarks that it's cold. He asks why she didn't say that he could come back, but she tells him that if he wants her to do that, he will have to come up with a pick-up line that will win her over, which is not easy at all.
She calls him a snot-nosed brat, and leaves.
Jae-ha laughs and remembers when he first met her. When he was a kid, he came down from the sky, begging Gi-gan to take him. She told him that he was snot-nosed brat and asks if he knows how to properly talk to women.
That morning, Yona walks through the streets, and as she heads back, she finds Soo-won. Before they can properly talk, they are approached by Joo-doh, and Soo-won hides her. Joo-doh asks why Soo-won is with a girl, and Soo-won manages to quickly get rid of him. But, during their conversation, as Yona is wrapped in Soo-won't cloak, she spots his sword and reaches for it. Soo-won stops her. When Joo-doh leaves, Soo-won asks her if she was really going to kill him in front everyone, and figures that Hak is still alive since Yona is. Soo-won leaves, and Yona crumples to the ground, sobbing.
Hak hears her and goes to her.
Later, Yona tries to help with breakfast, seemingly full of energy. However, as she eats, she drips on her clothes and instead of wiping it off, she starts taking of her clothes in front of everyone. Hak tells her to go change and she runs off, embarrassed. Jae-ha tries to joke about it, but Hak hits him hard in the face. Jae-ha then tells him that carrying his weapon around town will frighten people, but Hak tells him that it's a warning that he's become too soft. Hak's aura frightens Jae-ha, who observes that Hak has a strangely sorrow-filled blood thirst.
Yona remembers her meeting with Soo-won, and goes off to look at the sea.
Hak joins her, and she says she wants to leave Awa. Hak tells her he will, but Yoon, Kija, and Shin-ah have been eavesdropping and tell her she has to tell them these things. Hak tells Kija he can leave, and that they only have two of the Four Dragons in the first place, much to Kija's anger. Yona finally invites them all to leave with her, and while Kija excitedly agrees, Yoon tells her it would be a pain.
Yona bids goodbye to the pirates, and Gi-gan tells her if she wants a man to marry, she'll have to become more useful. Hak says that she could always find someone willing to do all the chores and laundry for her. Yona also notices Jae-ha is not there, but no one cares. Yona is given some senju herbs, and as she leaves, she turns back and hugs Gi-gan, crying.
When they are finally away from Awa, Yona cries that she never got to say goodbye to Jae-ha. Kija is confused and asks if actually didn't join them. Shin-ah takes out his sword and knocks down a tree which Jae-ha was hiding in. Jae-ha greets them, and says since he had some time on his hands with the crew being disbanded, so he decided to go with them. He says that even though he hates the Dragons' destiny to serve Hiryuu, he is going as himself and not as Ryokuryuu. He asks Yona to take him, and Hak hits him in the head. Yoon reminds him not to be so self-centered and tells him he needs to introduce himself to the rest of the group.
Jae-ha gets up and apologizes, and states that he is a beautiful monster with the Dragon's power in his right leg, and that he hopes they will get along.