Gohan didn't answer. He just stared straight at Vegeta. He could feel that, under the Grand Elder's guidance, the power inside his body had multiplied several times over. But whether this power could truly stand against Vegeta… even he didn't know.
Vegeta suddenly burst into laughter. "That's right. Compared to just now, your power really did increase a lot. But with just this little bit of strength, you want to fight me? It's still way too early!"
At that moment, Nail also walked out of the room and stood in front of Gohan. He didn't say a word—he only fixed his gaze on Vegeta, fists clenched tight.
But Vegeta, who had already defeated Zarbon, didn't take him seriously at all. Just as he was about to rush in and start fighting, Dende suddenly dashed out and shouted, "The Grand Elder told me to inform you—some more people are approaching this place!"
"What?" Vegeta stopped and frowned lightly. "Grand Elder? Who's that?"
Gohan looked up, noticing the disturbance in the sky. "Someone really is coming… and their power is incredibly strong. And there's more than one."
Sensing those terrifying auras from above, Vegeta's pupils shrank sharply. He didn't even need to think, Frieza had definitely called the Ginyu Force over here. Having personally experienced how terrifying the Ginyu Force was, he lunged forward, grabbed Gohan by the collar, lifted him up, and roared, "Brat! Give me that Dragon Ball now! Hurry up!"
"No way!" Gohan was young, but stubborn. Even though he could barely breathe, he still gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not giving it to you."
Vegeta stayed relatively calm. He knew that even if he killed the kid, he still wouldn't learn where the Dragon Balls were. So he said, "I can guarantee you— even if I obtain an immortal body, I absolutely won't kill you. But if you don't hand it over right now, things will become impossible to control!"
"Don't lie!" Dende said. "Gohan, don't fall for his trick! Don't give him the Dragon Ball!"
Vegeta tossed Gohan aside, his hands trembling as he spoke. "Listen carefully! The Ginyu Force Frieza sent is even stronger than I am right now—and there are five of them! They've got the newest model scouters. We can't hide for long. Once they find us, they'll kill all of you! Can't you feel how strong they are? Right now, there's only one way!"
The more he spoke, the more worked up he became. "That is: give me eternal life, and I'll be the one to defeat them!"
Even after hearing that, Gohan still hesitated. Nail suddenly said, "What he's saying might be true. There really are five powerful, evil forces coming this way."
But Dende said, "Then that eternal life could be given to Gohan and Goku instead!"
Vegeta gritted his teeth. "Kakarot doesn't even know where he is right now! And this brat—even if he has power, he lacks real combat experience."
Nail said, "The Dragon Balls here can grant three wishes, so your wish can definitely be fulfilled."
He said that because he hadn't sensed any evil power from Vegeta. Seeing them hesitate, Vegeta grew even more frantic. He grabbed Gohan by the collar again and bellowed, "All of you—if you don't hand over the Dragon Ball right now, I can't guarantee what'll happen next!"
Gohan also realized how serious the situation was. He could only agree for the moment, then flew off toward where Bulma was. Under the Grand Elder's instructions, Nail followed along as well.
Bulma had been waiting for them at the mountain rift for several days already. Water and food were plentiful, but in such a narrow place, she couldn't use capsules to build a house. For her, the biggest torture was probably going several days without bathing. To keep herself from falling asleep in the chair, she even tied the Dragon Ball to her ankle with a rope.
Just as she was drifting in and out of sleep, Gohan flew back. He didn't even have time to greet her before he scooped up the Dragon Ball—and Vegeta was right behind him. Judging by how they looked, the two of them had no conflict at all, and seemed to be cooperating on something. Bulma, already not in great shape, was completely dumbfounded. She didn't react for a long time. By the time she was about to ask what was going on, the two of them had already flown away.
Meanwhile, the Ginyu Force flew over from their base in a spaceship and landed in front of Frieza's ship. Watching them step out while striking those awkward poses, Frieza forced a bitter smile after a long while and said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. You've all worked hard."
Captain Ginyu—the leader of the Ginyu Force, with purple skin and horns on his head—said, "Many thanks for Lord Frieza's welcome. May I ask what the mission is this time?"
Frieza didn't waste words. He said directly, "That ungrateful traitor Vegeta stole my Dragon Balls and ran. I don't know why, but that guy's battle power keeps rising. That said, he's still no match for you. Go bring him to me. You can 'discipline' him, but don't kill him—because I still need him to reveal where he hid the Dragon Balls."
Ginyu turned on the scouter. "That's easy. Our scouters have already found Vegeta's location. He's moving at ultra-high speed not far from here. But… who's the one with him? That guy's battle power is pretty high too."
Frieza said, "Probably that little brat who was guarding against me before. So they've teamed up. Then kill him."
At this moment, Vegeta, who was flying at top speed, also sensed that the Ginyu Force was already chasing them down. With no choice, he could only grit his teeth and push his speed to the limit, dragging Gohan along as they rushed to the place where he had hidden the Dragon Balls.
When he looked back, he saw Gohan still far behind, clutching the Dragon Ball and refusing to come closer. No matter how he thought about it, Gohan felt something was off.
Vegeta walked toward him slowly and shouted, "There's no time for nonsense! Give me that ball now! Hurry up! There's no time to dawdle!"
Just as he was about to snatch it, movement suddenly came from behind him. His pupils shrank violently. When he turned his head, he saw the Ginyu Force appear right behind him.
"Yo, cute little Vegeta, long time no see."
Just as he was about to snatch it, movement suddenly came from behind him. His pupils shrank violently. When he turned his head, he saw the Ginyu Force appear right behind him.
"Yo, cute little Vegeta, long time no see."
Ginyu laughed loudly. "The one you're holding… that's what they call a Dragon Ball, right? Lord Frieza is going to be ecstatic."
Vegeta took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "Damn it… I was just one step away from success. It's all because you dragged things out, you idiot…"
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!] [[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]