Eighteen looked up at the massive spaceship blocking out the sunlight, her expression clearly annoyed.
"What is that thing? It's blocking the sun!"
Kaito took a casual bite of roasted meat and chuckled.
"That, my dear, is the spaceship of the Emperor of the Universe. Naturally, it has to look impressive."
"Emperor of the Universe? Is he strong?"
"Eh, he's decent. Got a bit of power, I'd say."
Hearing that, Seventeen's interest immediately flared. He patted the apron around his waist and said excitedly,
"Brother-in-law, can I go meet him later? I haven't had a proper fight in a while!"
"Go ahead. Don't hold back—he's not here for a party. He's the enemy."
"Got it!"
Seventeen tore off his apron, stretched his neck, and wore an eager grin, itching for a fight.
It had to be said—Bulma's house was massive. Massive enough that even a spaceship could land there with room to spare.
When the ship finally touched down, a group of armored soldiers poured out from the open hatch. They lined up on both sides, forming a corridor.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Frieza slowly floated out of the ship, seated in his hovering pod. Zarbon and Dodoria flanked him on either side.
Frieza rested one hand against his cheek, his eyes sliding toward the bound Vegeta with a hint of surprise.
He had assumed Vegeta had either fled with the Dragon Balls or been killed by those two unknown powerhouses on Earth.
Never had he imagined that Vegeta would end up captured.
Vegeta glared coldly back at Frieza.
"Frieza. So you came to Earth too, huh? Let me guess—you're after the Dragon Balls, aren't you?"
Frieza was momentarily stunned. That tone—Vegeta had never spoken to him like that before. The Saiyan prince had always been respectful, even fearful.
The pink, rotund Dodoria immediately roared,
"Vegeta! How dare you speak to Lord Frieza that way! Are you tired of living?"
Vegeta gave Kaito a quick glance and instantly felt reassured. With newfound confidence, he sneered,
"And what the hell are you supposed to be? Lord Frieza? Tch."
"Nani?"
Dodoria's face darkened. He instinctively turned to Frieza—and froze when he saw that Frieza's smile had vanished.
Frieza's tone was icy.
"Dodoria, what are you waiting for? Do I need to teach you what to do next?"
Cold sweat broke out all over Dodoria's body. He snapped to attention and shouted,
"Yes! I'll teach Vegeta a lesson he won't forget!"
With that, he lunged straight toward Vegeta.
But Gohan stepped in front of Vegeta, as if trying to protect him.
Vegeta shoved Gohan aside with his head, shouting,
"Idiot! You can't take that guy! Get out of my way!"
Dodoria grinned savagely.
"Oh? Didn't think you'd care about someone else. Guess this little brat means a lot to you, huh? Then I'll start by killing him!"
Whoosh!
Goku appeared in front of Dodoria in an instant, his voice cold.
"Who did you say you were gonna kill?"
Dodoria flinched in shock. Before he could react, Goku's fist slammed into his round pink face.
After exploiting the Senzu Beans to break through countless limits, even without gravity chamber training, Goku's power level had already far surpassed Dodoria's.
The punch shattered all of Dodoria's teeth and sent him crashing into the ground, where he lay for several seconds before staggering back up.
White, jet-like energy flared around Goku's body. Dodoria's threat to kill Gohan had clearly enraged him.
Ignoring the blood dripping down his face, Dodoria hurriedly checked Goku's power with his new scouter—and the number that appeared almost made his heart stop.
50,000!
The man before him had a power level of fifty thousand!
Even Vegeta could tell from Dodoria's horrified expression that Goku's strength had reached a terrifying level.
He'd watched Goku abuse the Senzu Bean glitch these past days—so much that Vegeta had nearly drooled with jealousy.
With a bitter tone, he said,
"Kakarot, now do you see how powerful a Saiyan's potential really is?"
This time, Goku didn't argue with being called "Kakarot." Vegeta was right. No matter how much he denied it, Saiyan blood ran through his veins—that was undeniable fact.
And it had indeed benefited him immensely. His skyrocketing power level was proof enough.
Realizing he was outmatched, Dodoria turned tail and fled in panic. But before he made it halfway, a purple-red beam shot through his chest.
He looked up in disbelief at Frieza, his lips trembling.
"F-Frieza-sama..."
Thud!
Dodoria's corpse hit the ground with a heavy thump, bouncing twice like a grotesque pink ball.
Zarbon stared in horror, sweat beading on his forehead. He could already see what his own fate might be.
When Frieza's gaze shifted toward him, his entire body trembled—but thankfully, Frieza didn't order him to fight.
Frieza knew Zarbon's limits. Sending him forward would be no different from sending him to die. A subordinate like Zarbon wasn't easy to replace, so there was no point in wasting him.
Floating out of his pod, Frieza landed in front of Goku.
Goku looked down solemnly at the small, white-skinned tyrant. Despite his small frame, the pressure radiating from Frieza's body was monstrous.
Frieza clasped his hands behind his back, smiling pleasantly as his eyes met Goku's. Just as he was about to speak—Seventeen suddenly rushed forward.
He stepped in front of Goku, grinning eagerly.
"Alright, alright, leave the little guy to me!"
Frieza froze for a moment.
Little guy?
That was his trigger. Nothing infuriated him more than comments about his height—and anyone who'd ever dared to say it was already long dead.
Out of habit, he glanced at his new scouter to gauge Seventeen's power level.
But the number shot up to 180,000—before the scouter exploded. It couldn't even measure him.
Frieza's smile faded into a serious expression. Narrowing his eyes, he asked,
"No wonder you're so bold. You've got some power indeed. What's your name?"
Seventeen flicked his glossy black hair and smirked.
"Name's Lapis. But you can call me Seventeen."