When Vash and Wolfwood finally reach Knives, Legato uses his abilities to restrain Vash as a prisoner for eight months straight, which greatly weakens him. Wolfwood later betrays the Guns and rescues Vash, shooting the weakened Legato in the back of the head. The wounded Legato is left in a catatonic state, with his body slowing breaking down. However, Legato reveals a full recovery in time to save Knives from Zazie the Beast, where it is revealed his power functions through the use of microscopic strings that connects his mind to the muscles of his victims. While in confinement in his coffin, Legato developed his power further to restore his broken body to functional form. In the final stage of Knives's plan, Legato faces off against Vash in order to prevent Vash from getting to Knives, revealing that the now completed Coin Case functions as a device that blocks Legato's abilities to make their battle more interesting. As Legato and Vash do battle, Legato reveals his past as a sex slave, and how he came to love and swear loyalty to Knives for destroying the city he was trapped in. Legato beats Vash so severely that it activates an automatic defense power in Vash, which severely wounds Legato. Vash destroys the coin case in an attempt to even the battle once again, and the two clash one final time, both of them pushed to the absolute limits of their strength.