Dr. STONE (Dr.STONE)

Why don't we cut to the chase, Why-man?

I'm asking to negotiate with you one on one.

They're swarming.

Oh, no!

Senku!

Why-man communicates exclusively through radio waves.

Furthermore, their exterior was engineered to absorb those very waves.

Understood.

You're saying it's soundproof in there.

We have no way to know what they're saying or doing.

It's crazy.

I can't even imagine the mechanics behind your movements.

It's like you guys can go wherever you want and take any shape.

You are correct in your assertion.

I will now demonstrate.

We can scan your physical form like so,

and thusly reproduce your likeness.

Well, you don't see that every day.

Gives me an idea.

Senku, here's hoping you've got a rock-solid game plan.

I know it sounds ridiculous,

but I want you to lend us your bodies.

If you agree, we have a shot at doing something incredible.

You wish to borrow our bodies?

The entire universe will be exhilarated.

Get excited.

What do you think's going on in there?

I really wish I knew what they were talking about.

I don't like this.

They're taking way too long.

We should be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

For example, Senku could already be petrified.

Your kind's intellect has proven lacking.

You have failed to assist in replication.

We must seek out another host species,

after granting humanity the gift of petrification.

Do not flee.

You have achieved a perfect line of fire.

Many of us will perish as a result.

I don't intend to shoot.

Not if you back off quickly.

I have no clue what kind of stuff Senku's saying to you in there

but whatever it is, we need you to just stay put and hear him out.

That's about all we can do.

We won't fail.

Don't forget, you guys are parasites.

I'm guessing you're not dumb enough to battle your own hosts.

Now, back to my proposition.

Why not stick around a while and collaborate with us humans?

With the powers of humanity and Why-man combined,

we could cook up some truly wild shit.

The probability of your plan succeeding

is approximately 0%.

I'm aware, but near-zero isn't the same as zero.

Not for humanity.

You've seen it yourself.

We shiny apes came into this stone world with nothing,

and in 10 short years,

we built a rocket and flew to the moon.

Your request is impractical.

We decline.

We will abandon the human species

and seek out life on other planets.

We simply require a more adequately intelligent life form.

However, I alone offer my continued presence.

This body is yours to destroy or terminate at will.

This wild shit you speak of has the potential to be truly exhilarating.

I acknowledge the near-zero odds.

Nonetheless, I wish to take a chance on you.

May I?

Yeah.

Why-man gave up on us and vanished into space.

Earth was free from the threat of petrification,

and we scored a trophy.

One single piece of future science.

We did it!

That's funny.

We thought our vacuum capsule would keep you nice and preserved, but no.

Turns out that thing keeps you conscious and lets you float around, huh?

Yes, that is a proven fact.

It's difficult to grasp, but didn't you say you're some sort of machine parasite or something?

I'm dying to know who crafted you in the first place.

Where exactly did your kind come from?

That is unknown.

Does your kind not also grapple with incomplete knowledge of who created you

and the origin of your species?

I guess we're in the same boat.

It's all really confusing when you actually think about it.

What is life, and what does it all mean?

The purpose of life is survival.

Why then do you despise the gift of petrification?

Why reject the promise of eternal life?

Why?

Because it's not exciting.

There's nothing fun about being trapped in stone.

Am I wrong?

I pretty much fell asleep right away.

Illogical.

You must realize that assessment is disadvantageous.

Why?

Well, you're one to talk, you know.

Admit it. You chose to stay behind because it would be exhilarating.

We don't care what's most advantageous.

Confronting the unknown and asking why gets us excited.

There's a 10,000,000,000% chance you've aligned yourself with weirdos who will never stop.

We'll keep on advancing science,

one painstaking step at a time.

We've walked that path for millennia,

and we'll keep walking it.

A Few Years Later

Welcome home, Gen.

Here, I brought that special thing you asked for.

I like a suit as much as anyone, but there's nothing like my old duds to make me feel at ome-hay.

And speaking of, I can't believe I'm finally here!

I haven't been back to Japan in ages.

I'm supposed to be a mentalist, not a foreign diplomat.

Your unique skills have been indispensable

for the many negotiations and explanations required for uniting the nations of this new world.

We've all been trying our best too.

Our desirous Ryusui founded the Ryusui Conglomerate.

His projects are focused on rebuilding the world.

I bet our little greed monster is scooping up the rights to all those projects too.

Of course I am!

I still want to have everything in the world and then some!

As for Tsukasa, he travels across the globe,

responding to calls for help.

Concerns for public safety have been on the rise with the surge in people being revived.

He basically just waves his hand and makes all the bad people disappear like magic or something.

That's our next level martial artist for ya!

Ukyo has been keeping busy as an executive in the reconstruction government.

As for the others--

Quit running already!

You're just making it worse for yourself!

If you don't stop right now, I'll shoot ya!

You're such a lousy shot, you almost blew my damn head off!

Mm, follow me, little cuties.

I'll protect you myself.