"So that's Earth."
Inside the spaceship, a red-skinned giant with hair in a ponytail gazed at Earth and muttered admiringly.
Beside him, a man with long blue hair tied at the nape of his neck crossed his arms and voiced a frank impression.
"It's a beautiful planet. These remote worlds aren't so bad after all."
"...Impossible... Earth should be where Kakarot was sent. It should've been destroyed long ago..."
Overlapping the blue-haired man's words, another man's voice interjected.
If anyone who knew Goku heard that voice, they'd mistake it for his.
The man who emerged from the shadows could be described as a dark-skinned Goku.
Wearing black combat armor with a Scouter over his left eye.
A white cape draped over his combat uniform, he gazed at Earth through the ship's window.
"Still, it's far too pristine. Kakarot... Have you forgotten a Saiyan's true purpose?"
The man—Turles—was the leader of the Crusher Corps, one of Frieza's military divisions.
Though he belonged to Frieza's organization, his heart held no loyalty.
That didn't mean he pledged loyalty to Vegeta either—far from it.
He'd long since dismissed Vegeta, and even with Frieza, he was merely pretending to obey for now.
Someday he would replace Frieza and rule the entire universe—such wicked ambition burned within his heart.
And to fulfill that ambition, he'd set his sights on this Earth.
"Apparently he defeated Prince Vegeta, but I'm different from that brat. I've constantly fought on the front lines, nearly died countless times... just like Bardock. The Dragon Balls that grant wishes, this planet's rich soil—I'll take it all. And Kakarot... you and your children will join my ranks."
Turles's lips curled into a smile twisted by ambition.
The man once taught by Bardock, and Bardock's son.
Their encounter was drawing near.
★
After that incident, Nappa had flown off somewhere as Lizette instructed.
Lizette had expected him to immediately commit murder and that she'd have to execute him eventually, but so far Nappa hadn't committed any evil acts.
In fact, he'd joined the Dragon Goddess Sect—which she'd thought had long since disbanded—and was offering annoyingly loud prayers every single day.
Honestly unexpected... no, completely beyond all predictions. How did it end up like that?
If she had to list some reasons, one would be Saiyan women's preferences.
Saiyans were obviously a warrior race, which inevitably meant their women were also warlike and strong-willed.
Therefore, for reproduction purposes, Saiyan men were instinctively programmed to favor such women, with few exceptions tending toward strong-willed females.
They also loved strong women, of course. After all, combat power was largely hereditary, so for producing powerful offspring, strong partners were preferable.
In other words, women strong in both combat power and temperament were the ideal for Saiyan men.
Regardless of her appearance, Lizette seemed at first glance to be a gentle woman, not matching Saiyan preferences.
Indeed, Nappa initially showed no interest beyond her beautiful appearance.
But once things actually unfolded, she delivered sharp counters to Nappa's harassment, showed no fear against the Saibamen, and ultimately even beat down the Great Ape Vegeta—it was devastating.
At that point, even Nappa realized: "Oh, this woman's got an incredibly strong will."
And on top of that came a Madonna-like smile and a declaration to spare him.
In reality, Goku had pleaded for his life behind the scenes, and the smile was a mask hiding her disgust—but Nappa couldn't possibly perceive that far.
Additionally, Nappa had just been thoroughly beaten, then abandoned by Vegeta and called trash—a triple combo that left his heart severely weakened. To put it in perspective: imagine a world-famous boxer smugly barging into a local high school boxing club thinking there's no way he'd lose, getting one-sidedly pummeled, then having his coach slam him with "Wait, you were always that weak? ...Pathetic." His heart would break.
Furthermore, Nappa had zero experience being treated kindly by anyone.
He claimed to be an elite from a noble house, and indeed, a combat power of 4,000 wasn't shameful for nobility—but it wasn't exceptional either.
To serve as the prince's aide, he needed at least 6,000.
For example, Paragus, also an elite from nobility, had a combat power of 9,000.
Adding to that, low-class warrior Bardock had 9,000, Toma had 5,000, Pambukkin had 4,200, Toteppo had 4,000—making Nappa's position increasingly awkward.
Therefore he was scorned by those around him as "nobility in name only," while forced to babysit a spoiled prince with 18,000 combat power daily.
Again, Nappa wasn't weak by any means. His comparison subjects were just too strong.
From such stress, his hair finally fell out completely, and he became magnificently bald.
Here we should recall Saiyan hair characteristics.
Saiyans' hair pointlessly doesn't change from birth—meaning unlike Earthlings, it neither frequently falls out nor grows back.
Thus once Nappa went bald, there was no hope of regrowth. His lifelong baldness was sealed here, adding another whispered insult about him.
Even after the Saiyans went extinct, Frieza and his subordinates mocked him daily... called a bootlicker, a lapdog, baldy. Shut up, Dodoria. You don't have any hair either.
Quiet, Zarbon. Just because you're somewhat handsome doesn't mean you should call me ugly every time we meet.
Babysitting a spoiled thirty-something prince...
Whispered insults made no effort to hide...
Overwhelming combat power gaps...
The all-too-accurate words "Don't we not need those two?" due to the massive difference with Vegeta...
His wallet growing lighter from buying Saibamen... Saibamen pointlessly wasted by Vegeta's whims during each invasion...
Raditz's death, the only one below him in rank. Automatically establishing him as rock bottom in the hierarchy...
A place where he didn't belong... Days without recognition... Increasing workload... Mounting mental stress...
Days without rest... Called in even on rare vacations... A prince with pointlessly high pride... Vegeta's supporting actor...
Nappa had long since hit his limit. Yes, his limit. So near the breaking point that all his hair fell out from the stress.
Then kind words spoken to him.
A beautiful girl's smile.
A divine halo overflowing.
And the charisma Lizette wasn't fully aware she'd acquired somewhere along the way.
Specifically, it had sprouted when she began being called the Heavenly Maiden, grown as she gathered faith, and fully bloomed upon becoming a deity—a literally god-given presence that made people naturally bow their heads in worship, an otherworldly aura beyond human.
This struck the utterly weakened Nappa with a critical hit. An overkill with corpse-kicking.
Hence this result—but Lizette had no way of knowing this.
In any case, she'd successfully gotten through the Saiyan battle without casualties.
Though Goku was severely injured, he'd fully recovered thanks to Senzu Beans and was actually in better shape than before. Zenkai boost, delicious.
Lizette looked down at the lower world from the heavenly realm, considering what came next.
Following the original flow, the Namek arc would come next.
They'd need to go to Planet Namek to revive their fallen comrades—but here, that wasn't necessary.
So what would happen if they didn't go?
First, Vegeta wouldn't obtain eternal life.
He might collect six, but the last one was with the Grand Elder.
And since Vegeta couldn't defeat Nail, he'd never obtain that one.
Then the Ginyu Force would appear, kill Vegeta, and that would be the end.
That said, Frieza couldn't grant his wish either.
The Grand Elder's lifespan would run out first, and even if he collected them beforehand, he wouldn't understand Namekian.
He might threaten Dende or someone to summon Porunga, but ultimately Dende would be the one stating the wish.
In other words, the Namekians would definitely get a chance, and Frieza wouldn't understand whatever Dende wished for.
So if he wished something like "Transport everyone except Frieza to another planet," that would be the end.
Knowing Frieza, he might discover the Namekians, but the Grand Elder would probably already be dead by then.
In that case, Frieza's next target would be...
"...At this rate, Frieza will come to Earth in the not-too-distant future."
Setting aside personal feelings and thinking coldly, the best scenario would be for Frieza to destroy Planet Namek then skip Earth entirely—but she couldn't expect such convenient timing.
Word had already spread that Earth also had Dragon Balls, so sooner or later, Frieza would definitely target them.
Plus, being unable to establish friendly relations with Namek would be painful considering the future.
Most importantly, what about combat strength?
Base power could be raised on Earth alone.
If Lizette provided training, surely Goku and his companions would reach comparable strength to going to Namek.
But what about Super Saiyan? Could that be achieved without battling Frieza?
...
...No, wait. Thinking calmly, those conditions might actually be pretty light.
It's easy to be blinded by Goku's famous scene, but there's no requirement for it to be a famous scene.
Gohan awakened through imagination, and probably the strictest requirement was the minimum combat power needed for awakening, not the emotion.
Conversely, once that was cleared, awakening through imagined rage would probably work.
But the biggest problem remained: not establishing a pipeline with Namek.
If that wasn't resolved, they'd truly be stuck later. Specifically, stuck in the Buu arc.
(...Should I have let Piccolo and the others die? No, that can't be right. Letting them die couldn't be the correct answer. Think... My greatest advantage is this knowledge. How can I maneuver favorably? How can I protect this planet?)
...First, two crucial points.
Frieza or Vegeta potentially gaining immortality through Namek's Dragon Balls.
And fate flowing in a bad direction due to the Namekians' extinction, affecting the future.
The key was focusing on these points and preventing them.
(Use the Dragon Balls to transfer all Namekians to Earth... ...No, unauthorized transfer won't earn their trust... I must speak with the Grand Elder first. Through Goku, via King Kai, I'll first convey Namek's crisis and obtain consent. Then...)
While maintaining an outwardly cool expression, her mind desperately strategized future prospects.
What if they used the Dragon Balls to transfer all Namekians to Earth?
Naturally they'd be confused, but Namek's rational people should understand once the situation was explained.
That would leave Frieza and Vegeta confused on Namek for a while, and they might even crush each other.
Frieza would naturally come to Earth afterward, but they'd gain time to prepare.
If they could use Namek's Dragon Balls, destroying Frieza's forces' spaceships in space was also possible.
That would kill everyone except species capable of surviving in space, drastically reducing Frieza's forces arriving at Earth—with luck, Frieza might become lost in space.
...No, that won't work.
The Dragon Balls had just been used to revive Goku, requiring a year's wait before next use.
Waiting a year would mean the Namekians' extinction.
In other words, the option of staying on Earth and somehow managing wasn't viable.
(After all, we have no choice but to head to Namek... But how do I explain this to everyone? Just saying "No particular reason, let's go" won't make anyone come... If I go alone, I probably can't defeat Frieza...)
Should she just bluntly say Namek was being targeted by Vegeta and Frieza?
That would naturally lead to "How do you know?"—but she could say she sensed Frieza targeting Namek through energy detection.
It wasn't actually a lie. If Lizette seriously used energy sensing and clairvoyance, she could see even the distant Frieza, and he was indeed preparing to head to Namek.
Lizette closed her eyes briefly in contemplation, but suddenly interrupted her thoughts and snapped her face upward.
She'd noticed something strange stirring on the surface.
Moreover, searching carefully, even the energy quality was wrong.
Hastily peering at the lower world, she couldn't help but notice a sinister, growing tree.
Still developing, but if it matured completely, Earth's nutrients would be entirely absorbed.
No time to space out.
"Could this be the Tree of Might!?"
The Tree of Might—forbidden fruit only gods were permitted to consume.
And one seed was preserved in Earth's temple as well.
But Lizette had never used it, nor intended to use it on Earth.
She entertained thoughts of using it on Planet Frieza or something, but had absolutely zero intention of executing such a counterproductive usage on Earth, which she was duty-bound to protect.
Meaning someone must have brought it from space.
At that moment, someone's voice suddenly echoed in Lizette's mind.
'Earth's deity, can you hear me? I am King Kai, ruler of the North Galaxy.'
"! K-King Kai?"
She knew of his existence, but this was her first time hearing his voice.
Lizette's voice wavered at this sudden contact from the galaxy's deity.
'Earth is in terrible danger. You know of the Tree of Might—its seed has been planted on Earth.'
"...As I suspected."
'Goku and the others have already headed toward the perpetrators, but they alone cannot deal with the Tree of Might. Earth's deity, only you can handle the Tree of Might. Please lend Goku and the others your aid.'
"Understood, King Kai. Thank you for your cooperation regarding Earth's crisis. —Monster Carrot, come! We're heading to the surface."
"Yes, as you command!"
After thanking King Kai, Lizette descended from the heavenly realm with Monster Carrot.
Wings sprouted from her back as she accelerated.
During descent, she spotted Korin sharpening his claws. That cat was always at his own pace.
Reaching speeds even Goku and the others couldn't track with their eyes, she rapidly closed the distance to the Tree of Might.
At the problem location, she could already see Goku, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu facing off against aliens.
Piccolo wasn't there yet, and Gohan was... well, Chi-Chi had probably stopped him.
Flapping her wings to decelerate, she stirred up wind and landed behind Goku and the others.
Both Goku and the aliens startled at her sudden appearance, focusing their gazes on Lizette.
"Deity!"
"Sorry for being late. I've already heard from King Kai. I'll handle the Tree of Might, so please take care of eliminating the enemy."
She made a request to Goku, omitting unnecessary explanations.
Dealing with the Tree of Might was genuinely troublesome, and interference would be extremely annoying.
Eliminating all enemies then dealing with it was possible, but that would take time and expand Earth's damage.
Best to wither and destroy the Tree of Might before it sprouted.
For that, she wanted to eliminate all unnecessary combat.
"Hey, did you hear that, Goku? She can handle it. That's our deity for you!"
"Yeah, now we can focus on those guys."
Currently five enemies. Six on their side excluding Lizette.
They had numerical advantage, but in terms of energy—Goku excepted—the enemy side had a slight edge.
By the numbers, enemies averaged around 8,000.
Ideally, while the other five held them off, Goku would take them down one by one, then with freed-up allies, move on to others.
"Everyone, I'm counting on you."
"Hold on, you think I'll let you..."
A red giant leaped in front of the flying Lizette.
But he couldn't possibly obstruct her.
Colliding head-on with Lizette as she flew regardless, he was 'struck down' like a civilian hit by a truck.
Thus the deity left the battlefield immediately after arriving, leaving only Earth's warriors and the invaders.
"...Looks like that woman's dangerous enough that we'll need everyone to take her on. Can't be helped—let's defeat these guys first then head there together."
"Think it'll go that smoothly?"
The blue-haired man with earrings and a necklace quickly realized everyone was needed to obstruct Lizette, shifting his thoughts to battle.
Monster Carrot stood blocking them, his sunglasses glinting.
"In other words, whichever side wins gets to head to the Tree of Might and determine the future."
"Seems that way."
Two short aliens with identical features stood side by side.
Named Rasin and Lakasei, Beenz people said to possess unknown technology.
But if the enemy had two, so did they.
From Earth, Tien and Chiaotzu moved to intercept.
"I'll crush you all."
"Try it if you can."
The giant Lizette had struck down earlier stood up, looking down at the warriors.
Krillin stepped forward to counter.
"I'll settle my grudge over that loan!"
'...Nda.'
Finally, Yamcha assumed his stance while saying something incomprehensible, opposed by a fully mechanical cyborg.
This was completely irrelevant, but Yamcha had coincidentally been hit by the aftershock of an energy blast they'd fired when planting the Tree of Might seed, destroying his loan-purchased new car.
Naturally they knew nothing of this, and even if they did, it wouldn't matter to them.
"All right, then I'll..."
And Goku, left over, decided to first support his comrades.
This battle would heavily favor whoever eliminated one opponent first.
After all, with one person free, they could support someone else and create a two-on-one situation.
So choosing to support his comrades wasn't wrong at all.
...If only there weren't a sixth opponent in reserve.
"You look bored. I'll be your opponent, Kakarot."
A voice rang out.
Very similar to Goku's voice, but colder.
Goku turned toward the voice and for a moment mistook it for a mirror.
But he immediately realized. No, not a mirror.
Someone with similar features to himself—and vastly greater energy!
"Wh-Who are you...!"
"My name is Turles. You don't know me, but I know you well. ...I see, you look just like your father."
"That face..."
"Yeah, you think I look like you? Can't blame you. Us disposable low-class warriors don't come in many types."
His lips curved in an arc, Turles speaking with a voice exuding confidence.
Even seeing Goku's combat power displayed on his Scouter, that confidence didn't waver in the slightest.
"But though our faces match, inside we're completely different."
"What!?"
"Come at me, Kakarot. Let's have some fun. Show me the power of Bardock's son."
Turles moved his finger in a beckoning gesture, provoking Goku.
A dangerous gleam dwelt in his eyes, mixed with something nostalgic, tinged with melancholy from the past.
[The Tree of Might] The sixth theatrical release in the Dragon Ball series. Since Goku and the others know about Saiyans and no one died, this is considered a timeline where they repelled Vegeta & Nappa without casualties. Perhaps the same timeline as "The World's Strongest." Not just the boss Turles, but his Crusher Corps underlings are abnormally strong—all capable of easily crushing Nappa. Incidentally, in this movie Piccolo's power level suddenly jumps to 18,000. Maybe he accidentally drank Ultra Divine Water thinking it was drinking water.
[Turles] Extremely popular as Craprot material. Those who watch Broly MADs have surely seen Craprot spouting lines like "Die!", "Saiyans should live like Saiyans," "Let's be friends," "There's no better life than this," "Smash them against the rocks like insects!", "Make the entire universe kneel!" The movie pamphlet listed his power level as 19,000, but since he defeated Goku's 10x Kaioken (when Goku had 30,000 power), he conservatively has at least 300,000. Strong. Unlike Slug who appears later, he seems to value his subordinates, apparently recruiting companions everywhere. All Crusher Corps members were personally recruited by Turles. As a boss, he might be quite competent.
[Daiz] The Crusher Corps' apparent vice-leader. According to the movie pamphlet, power level 8,400. Formerly a prince of Cabbage Planet's Pukimpa Dynasty. Relationship with Pambukkin unknown. Descendant perhaps?
[Cacao] Crusher Corps member. Battle cyborg created during the interstellar war on Ikonda Planet. Can only say "Nda." Movie pamphlet lists power level as 13,000. Only he is exceptionally strong.
[Amond] Crusher Corps member. Vicious criminal arrested by the Space Police Organization (Galactic Patrol?) and imprisoned on Natto Planet. Adds "dessei" to his sentences for character flavor. Movie pamphlet shows power level 9,100. Looks remarkably like Bora, even same voice. Bora: "C-Could you be my older brother who left home when we were young...!?"
[Lakasei & Rasin] Crusher Corps members. Twins with power levels 7,600 and 8,000—but which is which is unknown. Both probably think they're the stronger one. Beenz people with unknown technology—Turles's massive spaceship was built by them. Meaning they're scientists, but during battle they charge the front lines barehanded without weapons. Two men overflowing with fighting spirit, completely ignoring who'll maintain the spaceship if they die in battle.