Our heroes reach the Yellow River, so named for how the soil tints its waters. Naturally, the Magic Stone points across it. While searching for a way over to the other side, they come across Captain Jim's restaurant. Upon noticing them, he idly comments on how long it's been since he had any customers come by that weren't baddies. He takes a lackadaisical attitude towards the villains' presence, insisting there's no way they can control the whole area.
After a meal, he shows off his ferry, the S.S. Raspberry, and offers to take them across the river... for a fee of 300 Gold per person. As he assures the group when Hare tries to haggle, he's the only one around who can help out, and he's willing to help anyone who pays him, regardless of their affiliation.
He then recruits Golem's help to get the boat out into the water. Genki offers to help, but gets rejected and humiliated, leaving him fuming about how he's not Just a Kid.
Captain Arrowhead and his troops ambush the ferry, and Jim shows that he's not afraid to fight back against sabotage. When his spear gets snapped, Genki charges in and tackles his attacker clean off the boat, nearly getting drowned for his troubles; thankfully, Jim dives in and saves him. Taking the fight to the nearest sandbar encourages the arrowheads to retreat rather than pressing the assault.
That evening, Genki's mulling over Jim's comments, wondering whether he really is a kid who gets his friends into trouble. Jim sits down with him and talks things out, stressing the importance of learning from your mistakes.
The next morning, the arrowheads attack again — but this time, our heroes are more prepared for their assault, using sharpened stakes to drive them off... until they dive into deeper waters, driving their claws up through the boat. Jim orders everyone to swim to shore while he stays with the ferry. Activating its engine one last time, he drives it up into the air and lands it on the baddies, taking them out... but seemingly at the cost of his own life.
The others search for him well into the night. Just when Genki's about to give up hope, he arrives, laughing that he's not so easy to get rid of — he just got caught in the downcurrent and had to walk all the way back. They bid their farewells to each other the next morning, with Jim declaring that they'll surely meet again — they're friends, after all~!
Meanwhile, Pixie discovers, much to her horror, that Moo and his minions have been evacuating his original body.
This episode contains examples of:
- Armor-Piercing Question:
- During his pep talk, Genki excitedly asks Jim "I could grow up to be strong like you?" Jim looks taken aback at the notion that Genki admires him that much.
- When Golem rejects the idea of swimming for shore by declaring he doesn't know how to swim, Jim asks if he plans on going down with the ship then.
- Big "NO!": Genki lets one out when he sees the ferry go under with Jim still at the wheel. Followed shortly by Captain Arrowhead getting one when the S.S. Raspberry reemerges and lands on top of him and his troops.
- Brick Joke: The first time the group sets off, Golem helps Jim push the S.S. Raspberry into the river. The second time, everyone but Golem and Holly shove the boat in, as Golem's too busy clinging to the mast.
- Comically Missing the Point: After Jim tells Genki how important it is to learn from your mistakes, Genki declares that he'd better get to making some mistakes so he can start learning.Jim: That's not quite what I meant.
- Commonality Connection: Jim admits that when he was younger, he used to be a reckless kid who got himself and his friends into a lot of trouble.
- The Engineer: Downplayed; according to Eared Mew, they found the engine, and Jim built the S.S. Raspberry around it.
- Establishing Character Moment: Jim and his Eared Mew are introduced snoozing in a hammock on the front porch of their restaurant. Eared Mew wakes up first and bangs on a wok to wake his captain; he rouses slowly, and is surprised to see he's got customers, idly commenting that up until now, he's only had the baddies around.
- Fight for the Last Bite: Exaggerated; most of the Searchers end up fighting over the spaghetti, with Tiger swiping all the meatballs.
- Get on the Boat: Once again, to Golem's dismay, the heroes must do this in order to cross the Yellow River.
- Gilligan Cut: Golem tries to see the group off by waving to them from the restaurant, shouting "Have a great trip! Sorry I can't join you~" Cut to him clutching the mast miserably.
- Going Down with the Ship: Jim stays on the S.S. Raspberry while everyone else is evacuating.
- Hero-Worshipper:
- Eared Mew constantly hypes up Jim as The Ace, talking about how great, fantastic and awesome he is.
- Downplayed with Genki, who's clearly impressed with and admires Jim, but whose attitude towards him is tempered by his temper over being treated like Just a Kid.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Jim pushes the S.S. Raspberry's engine to the limit, crashing it down on top of the Arrowheads and dragging them to a watery grave. Subverted in that he survives this, seemingly none the worse for wear beyond getting swept downstream and having to walk back.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Aside from Golem, the rest of the Searchers comically hide behind a single post holding up the shade behind the wheelhouse while listening in on Genki's conversation with Jim.
- Just a Kid: Jim blows off Genki's opinion this way. After seeing Genki fight alongside him, he still thinks of him as a kid, but one with a lot of guts.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: When Genki insists that he can pull his own weight, Jim throws a coiled rope on top of him, then laughs at him getting tangled up. He then twists the knife by throwing another rope on top of him before he can recover.
- Mega Maelstrom: Several whirlpools naturally dot the surface of the Yellow River in its roughest waters.
- Morality Pet: Eared Mew serves as Captain Jim's hype man, along with showing that he's not a bad person, just stubborn in his ways.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Genki shows none of his usual energy after the arrowheads' first attack, listlessly rejecting Mocchi's insistence on going to eat together.
- Shirtless Scene: Jim doffs his shirt when pushing the ferry into the river, and later while fighting the baddies.
- Taking You with Me: The S.S. Raspberry is irreparably damaged, but Jim uses it to take out the Arrowheads that punched it full of holes.
- This Is Going to Suck: Golem is on the verge of dissolving into tears upon realizing that he has to swim through the river, kept from sinking only by the harpoon floats strapped across his body.
- True Neutral: Invoked. Jim offers his services to everyone, good or bad, and refuses to choose a side in the war.
- Neutral No Longer: However, after learning that Moo's forces don't care about his neutrality, he decides to take a stand. In the season 2 finale, Jim leads an army of rebels to fight against Moo.
- Trying Not to Cry: When bidding Jim and Eared Mew farewell, Genki leaves abruptly, forcing the others to hurry after him. Mocchi notices when he catches up that he's crying, but Genki insists it's just sweat.
- Villain Opening Scene: Naga opens the episode by informing Captain Arrowhead that the Searchers are headed for the Yellow River, with his minion boasting about the natural advantage that gives his troops.
- Wrecked Weapon: Captain Arrowhead snaps Jim's polearm right in two with one of his claws, spurring Genki to tackle him off the side of the boat.
