A Dangerous Encounter in the Alley
"Where did this brat come from? If you want money, go ask your family. Don't hover around me, or I'll beat you up!" A thug with dyed, unconventional hair took a drag from his cigarette, his expression impatient as he waved away a small child clutching a clay pot.
"Haha, why are you getting worked up over a little kid?" Another thug leaned against the wall, exhaling smoke.
One of the thugs, noticing Raiga's delicate and handsome features, reached out to pinch his cheek. "Hey, this kid's got a nice face. Let me take a closer look."
Another thug jeered, "Buso, are you so desperate for company that even a child catches your eye?"
"Now that you mention it, this brat is pretty good-looking," one of them chuckled.
Laughter rippled among the group.
Raiga, however, remained indifferent, his eyes cold, while a sneer formed in his mind.
The moment one of them reached toward him, a sharp glint flashed in Raiga's gaze. He swiftly sidestepped, avoiding the hand, then clenched his fist and—BAM!—delivered a powerful punch straight into the thug's stomach. The man let out a pained howl, collapsing to the ground, clutching his abdomen in agony.
The other thugs immediately stubbed out their cigarettes and rushed to help, but within moments, Raiga had taken them all down. Since the altercation happened in a secluded alley, their cries of pain didn't attract any attention.
"You guys seem to enjoy playing games. Lucky for you, so do I."
A cold smirk played on Raiga's lips as he gathered a bit of energy. He then stomped his foot—BOOM!—a loud explosion shook the ground as the earth beneath him suddenly sank, cracks spider-webbing out in all directions.
The thugs were dumbfounded, frozen in terror at the scene before them. Trembling, they begged for mercy.
"L-Little bro, please! We won't do it again! Spare us!" They kowtowed repeatedly, their voices quivering.
Raiga grinned brightly at them, but his eyes remained ice-cold. "Hand over everything valuable you have."
"Huh?" The men hesitated.
"Now."
Clutching his clay pot, Raiga repeated his demand. In this deserted alley, he had no fear of being interrupted.
The thugs exchanged uneasy glances before hastily emptying their pockets. They handed over seven wallets and several small capsules.
Raiga counted the cash—just over 3,000 in cash. Bank cards were useless to him, which left him slightly disappointed. However, the real treasure was the handful of Hoi-Poi Capsules he had obtained. Weighing them in his hand, he tossed the empty wallets to the ground. Then, under the thugs' horrified gazes—
He soared into the sky.
"He flew away!"
"He's a monster!"
The thugs finally snapped out of their daze. Looking at the cracked ground where Raiga had effortlessly shattered the pavement, they shivered in terror.
"Boss, should we call the cops?" one thug asked hesitantly.
SMACK! His leader slapped him across the face.
"You idiot! What are we supposed to tell them? That a four or five-year-old kid robbed us and flew away?! Who the hell would believe that?"
"...Good point."
"Damn it! Let's just go home. Today's been a nightmare."
Inspecting the Spoils
Outside the town, near a remote rice paddy, a shadow flashed through the air. Raiga landed, examining his stolen goods. He popped open one of the Hoi-Poi Capsules, pressed the button, and tossed it into an open field.
Poof! A burst of white smoke appeared, and suddenly, in its place was a jet-propelled hoverbike.
Its sleek, modern design was just like the ones he had seen in the anime.
Hoi-Poi Capsules could store massive objects in a compact form.
Raiga tested the remaining capsules. Most contained appliances and vehicles, but there were no houses or large valuables.
"Figures. Those low-level thugs wouldn't have anything too expensive."
Still, he counted the cash in his hands. "Three thousand should be enough to buy a few empty capsules."
With a shake of his head, he pocketed the capsules. Blank Hoi-Poi Capsules were cheap, commonly used for storing everyday items. A standard pack of seven cost only a little over 1,000. The currency on Earth had roughly the same purchasing power as the Chinese yuan from his previous life.
Back in town, Raiga rented a room at a small inn and took a long, hot shower, washing away the sweat and grime from his body. Afterward, he bought a few sets of clothes, and before he knew it, his stolen cash was nearly gone.
"Money disappears too fast!" he sighed, shaking his head.
Carefully, he took out a small cloth bag and placed twenty Senzu Beans inside. He stored the rest of the beans in a Hoi-Poi Capsule, patting it lightly before tucking it close to his body.
Unlike the other planets he had been to, life on Earth required money.
If he wanted to maintain a comfortable lifestyle and enjoy Earth's delicious food, he needed a lot of cash.
Then, an idea struck him.
"Wait a minute... I remember that during Son Goku's battle with the Red Ribbon Army, he and General Blue stumbled upon an underwater pirate treasure vault! That place was filled with gold and jewels!"
The treasure was hidden beneath the ocean, but that wouldn't be a problem for Raiga.
According to the manga, the vault was located not far from Kame House, Master Roshi's island. The entrance was also fairly obvious.
With a goal in mind, Raiga checked out of his room the next morning and immediately set off towards the vast ocean.
Using his scouter, he locked onto Kame House's location and began searching the surrounding area.
Hunting for the Treasure
Six days passed.
Raiga scoured the ocean, his gaze narrowing as he hovered over the endless blue waters.
"It should be around here..."
He had already circled the area several times, cross-referencing with what he remembered.
"The coordinates match... but where's the entrance?"
Could it be that the pirates hadn't built the vault yet? No, that was impossible. Based on the manga, the treasure had been accumulating for decades. The vault had to be here.
Then, suddenly—
"Ah, I'm an idiot!"
Raiga smacked his forehead.
Why hadn't he thought of using a metal detector?!
Most of the pirates' loot consisted of gold and jewelry—a high-precision metal detector should easily pick up on the hidden treasure.
Without wasting another second, he flew to a nearby city and used the last of his money to buy a detector.
Returning to the ocean, he began scanning the seabed.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before the device went wild with strong readings.
Following the signals, Raiga searched carefully—
And finally, he found the entrance to the underwater pirate vault.