"Your wish has been granted. Now, farewell."
Having fulfilled Piccolo Daimaō's wish to regain his youth, Shenron began to fade away.
After being humiliated over and over by Naruto's impossible requests, the dragon's pride was already in tatters.
"Wait!" Piccolo suddenly shouted, stopping Shenron mid-flight.
"I can't let you leave just like that."
Before anyone could react, Piccolo opened his mouth and unleashed a blazing energy beam straight into Shenron's face.
The dragon roared in pain before its enormous body exploded into countless fragments, scattering across the sky.
The Dragon Balls, now dull and lifeless, fell to the ground as ordinary stones.
Watching the divine creature vanish, Piccolo Daimaō threw his head back and laughed triumphantly.
"Hahaha! Now there's no one left in this world who can threaten me!"
Naruto stood silently, watching the scene unfold without interfering.
He had no intention of stopping Piccolo—after all, it was about time the Dragon Balls got a proper upgrade anyway.
Then Piccolo turned to Naruto, eyes burning with arrogance.
"Boy, if you kneel down right now and beg for forgiveness, I might consider sparing your life… and even let you polish my boots."
Naruto didn't even glance at him.
He simply turned toward Bulma and the others.
"I'll take this guy somewhere else. Things might get messy here soon. After that, I have something I'll need your help with."
"You bastard—!" Piccolo growled, gathering power in his palm.
But before he could act, Naruto snapped his fingers.
In an instant, both of them vanished.
A heartbeat later, Naruto and Piccolo reappeared thousands of kilometers away.
Off in the distance, several familiar figures were rapidly approaching.
"That face—he looks almost identical to Kami! That's got to be Piccolo Daimaō!"
Tien's sharp eyes spotted them first.
"What incredible ki!" Goku exclaimed in awe.
"Didn't Naruto go to Mount Paozu? How'd he run into the Demon King before us?" Krillin wondered aloud.
"Wait a second…" Yamcha squinted. "The Demon King looks different. He's younger!"
A moment later, the group descended from the sky and landed nearby.
After a month of training under Kami, they had all learned to use the Bukujutsu—the art of flight.
"Oh? More martial artists showing up?" Piccolo sneered, glancing sideways at them before smirking knowingly.
"I see how it is. You brought backup, huh? Planning to gang up on me?"
"You've already witnessed the might of my restored youth," he boasted proudly.
"Did you really think this little group could defeat me, Piccolo Daimaō? Restoring my youth was your greatest mistake!"
"So that's it—you've regained your youth," Tien said grimly, his expression tense.
He could feel the terrifying aura radiating from Piccolo's body.
By now, Tien had learned how to sense ki.
And the pressure he felt was overwhelming.
"You rabble won't even make me break a sweat," Piccolo said coldly.
"Don't think numbers will save you."
He gagged suddenly, and then—
Splurt!
A giant egg shot out of his mouth, hitting the ground with a thud.
The shell cracked open, and from within emerged a hulking, green-skinned brute covered in knotted muscles and warty lumps.
"Allow me to introduce my newest subordinate," Piccolo said smugly.
"A warrior of the Demon Clan—Doramu!"
"He alone will be more than enough to deal with the likes of you."
Namekians possess a peculiar ability: asexual reproduction through egg-laying.
However, only "full-type" Namekians—those with divine or magical abilities—can use it.
Fighters like the future Piccolo Jr. were purely "combat-type" Namekians and lacked this ability altogether.
Normally, an egg from a Namekian would hatch into another of their own kind.
But since Piccolo was born from Kami's evil split, and because he saw himself as a member of the "Demon Clan," his offspring were… distorted.
Not true Namekians at all—monstrous hybrids, twisted and misshapen.
And Piccolo never treated them as sons—only as tools.
"I'll handle this one," Krillin stepped forward before anyone else could move.
"I don't have much confidence in taking on the Demon King himself, but I can at least handle him."
"Hah! A tiny bald runt like you?" Doramu sneered, flexing his arms.
"One twist, and I'll snap your neck."
With a roar, Doramu lunged.
Their fists met—and shockingly, the battle didn't go the way Piccolo expected.
Instead of a one-sided slaughter, Krillin fought Doramu evenly!
Blow for blow, strike for strike, Krillin began to gain the upper hand, pushing Doramu back step by step.
BAM!
Krillin's fist slammed squarely into Doramu's stomach.
"Wha—?! Im… impossible…" Doramu gasped, eyes wide in disbelief, before collapsing at Krillin's feet.
After Kami's intense training, Krillin's strength had already surpassed Tien's level during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.
"A mere human? A bald little human surpassing one of my Demon Clan elites?!"
Piccolo's eyes widened in shock and fury.
But just as he shouted, Doramu suddenly sprang back to life, eyes glowing red.
He wrapped his arms tightly around Krillin's body.
"Let's die together!"
His body began to glow, swelling with unstable ki—the unmistakable sign of self-destruction.
"Excellent!" Piccolo laughed wildly.
"Now that's one of my children!"
"Damn it!" Goku and Tien dashed forward, but they were too late.
The light grew brighter and brighter—
Then… nothing.
Doramu's body was frozen mid-explosion, covered in writhing black sealing symbols shaped like tadpoles.
He couldn't move an inch.
"The Curse Seal of Self-Binding," Naruto said casually, raising a single finger.
"Danzo's sealing technique—turns out it's pretty handy."
He turned to Krillin.
"This isn't a tournament. When you fight an enemy, make sure you finish them off."
Then he rested a hand on Doramu's body.
A swirling vortex of energy appeared—and in an instant, both Naruto and Doramu vanished.
Krillin stood there, pale but alive.
"That's the second one," Naruto's voice echoed faintly before he reappeared a few meters away.
"I can't sense Doramu anymore…" Piccolo's expression darkened, eyes narrowing at Naruto.
"Was it you who made Tambourine disappear too?"
Though he phrased it as a question, his tone was full of certainty.
Throwing off his red cape, Piccolo bared his sharp fangs in a feral grin.
"Enough games! All of you—come at me together! It's time you witnessed the true terror of the Great Demon King!"
"So you're finally stepping in yourself?" Tien said calmly.
"I'll go!" Goku declared immediately.
Aside from rare moments like the Namek saga—when power differences were too vast—these fighters preferred one-on-one duels.
That was the true spirit of martial arts.
"Let me go first," Tien stopped Goku, stepping forward.
"If I lose, you can take over."
"You're going to face me alone?" Piccolo sneered.
"How quaint. What a pointless martial artist's pride. Fine—then you'll be the first to die!"
"Haah!!"
With a shout, Tien's back writhed as two new arms sprouted f
rom his sides.
Four Witches Technique! (Shiyōken!)
The battle began—Tien Shinhan, with a battle power of 250, versus the rejuvenated Piccolo Daimaō, at 280.
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