In November 1931, the Pacific region is engulfed in turmoil as Japan invades Manchuria, marking a significant escalation in global conflict. The episode of Pacific Story opens with a sense of urgency as a narrator recounts witnessing a kidnapping on the riverfront in Tien Shin. The target is none other than Henry Puyi, the last Manchu emperor, who had abdicated two decades earlier. As the narrator attempts to intervene, the gravity of the situation becomes apparent: Puyi is to be used as a figurehead by the Japanese, who are intent on establishing control over Manchuria.