"Argh…"
Nappa let out a miserable scream and collapsed to the ground.
Blood soaked his body red.
Krillin's eyes went wide. It felt like happiness had dropped out of the sky without warning.
"Hmph. Are you an idiot?" Vegeta snorted, looking at Nappa with open contempt.
"Ah… ah…" Nappa howled in pain, crawling toward Vegeta one agonizing inch at a time.
But the moment he inched forward a few centimeters, the tearing pain in his body intensified. From blood loss alone, his mind was already going blank.
"Vegeta… save me…" Nappa's face was filled with utter despair.
Vegeta: "…"
"You idiot. I was going to tell you to dodge, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized there was no point." Vegeta snorted. "Teaming up with a fool like you only drags down the whole team's IQ."
"I… I can still be saved…" Nappa sobbed.
Seeing this, Krillin really wanted to do a backward roll in celebration.
I actually took him out?
I killed a Saiyan?
Oh man…
Krillin even felt like belting out a song to celebrate the highlight of his life.
Gohan was both thrilled and terrified, his body trembling with excitement.
…
Capsule Corporation Headquarters.
Bulma's house.
"Whoa, way to go, Krillin! He actually took that guy out!" Bulma was genuinely happy for him.
Ken: "…"
So the plot did change.
Not that it was surprising.
Normally, when Krillin fired the Kienzan at Nappa, Vegeta should have shouted a warning.
Nappa would have dodged the attack thanks to Vegeta's reminder.
Unfortunately, with one small change of heart, Vegeta hadn't warned him—and that had left Nappa cut in half.
"Vegeta… save me… please… I can still be saved…" Nappa howled, his voice growing more and more desperate.
Vegeta ignored him.
Save you?
With what, exactly?
I'm not a healer.
Even if I wanted to save you, there's nothing I can do.
"Useless. Dying at the hands of some little bald runt." Vegeta snorted. "Now I have to step in myself."
Hearing that, Krillin suddenly remembered there was someone even more dangerous than Nappa still standing there.
His face grew even tenser.
That guy was probably stronger than the big bald one.
And he'd been way too calm.
At that moment, Piccolo finally spun around and staggered back to his feet. The first thing he saw was Nappa lying in a pool of blood, his body twitching.
Piccolo was stunned.
What happened?
How did that monster end up in such a sorry state?
"Who… who did this?" Piccolo looked at Krillin, then at Gohan, eyes lighting up in surprise. "Gohan, was it you? You really didn't let me down."
Krillin: "…"
You really think it was Gohan?
"It wasn't me… it was Krillin." Gohan pointed timidly at Krillin.
Piccolo nodded slightly, then couldn't help praising him. "Nice work. How'd you pull it off?"
"Well… he let his guard down." Krillin grinned.
"Vegeta… please, save me. I really can still be saved…" Nappa begged.
Vegeta snorted and started walking toward him.
Nappa let out a shaky breath of relief.
Maybe Vegeta really does have a way to save me.
"Is he going to help him?" Krillin landed beside Piccolo and asked.
Piccolo kept quiet, choosing to watch first.
It wasn't really that he wanted to "wait and see." In truth, he was just intimidated by Vegeta's overwhelming presence.
Vegeta had only taken two or three steps when Krillin suddenly sensed something and quickly looked up at the sky.
Piccolo also raised his head.
"What's that?" Piccolo's eyes lit up. "A powerful ki is flying this way fast."
"It's Dad! It has to be Dad!" Gohan cried, both startled and overjoyed.
"Son Goku. That guy finally showed up." A smile tugged at Piccolo's lips.
"Yes! It's Goku!" Krillin shouted.
"Oh?" Vegeta paused, then bent down to pick up the scouter on the ground and put it on his eye. He chuckled. "Is that Kakarot coming?"
He pressed the button on the scouter.
"Vegeta… save me first…" Nappa muttered weakly.
Stop walking away just to come back!
"Oh? Battle power 5,000?" Vegeta was mildly surprised. He lifted his gaze toward the blue sky.
"What? A battle power of 5,000?" Nappa screamed. "That's impossible!"
"Hey, why isn't that guy dead yet? Half his waist is gone!" Krillin muttered. "How is he still alive?"
Piccolo: "…"
"Hmph. This just gets more and more interesting. Battle power 5,000. Not bad at all, Ken. You actually turned a low-class warrior into an elite with a power level of 5,000." Vegeta snorted. "I'll be waiting, Kakarot."
"Whoosh!"
Right then, Merus descended from the sky with Goku and landed in front of everyone.
"I'm here!" Goku waved at Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin.
Merus quickly scanned the area. His eyes immediately fell on Nappa, who was on the verge of death.
Feeling a twinge of pity, Merus stepped forward, raising his staff to heal him.
"Merus, don't do anything." Ken's voice suddenly rang out.
Merus: "…"
Merus lowered his staff.
"Your mission is complete. You can come back now." Ken's voice came again.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Merus walked over to Goku and said solemnly, "Well then, Goku, I'll leave it to you. Do your best."
"Tap."
He lightly tapped his staff on the ground and vanished from sight.
Vegeta frowned slightly. He felt like he'd seen that guy somewhere before.
But for Vegeta, that Merus fellow didn't matter.
What mattered was the Son Goku who had just arrived.
"You finally showed up, Kakarot." Vegeta snorted.
"Goku, finally…" Krillin was on the verge of tears.
"Dad!" Gohan rushed forward and threw himself into Goku's arms.
Goku picked him up and gently patted his back.
"Sorry, Gohan. I'm late." Goku said apologetically.
Only then did he notice that something was very wrong with the atmosphere. His relaxed expression hardened into a serious one.
Goku's brows drew together as he soon spotted Yamcha and Tien lying dead on the ground.
"Tien… Yamcha…" Anger flared on Goku's face.
"They both died in battle… and Chiaotzu… blew himself up." Krillin said sadly.
"That guy… did Piccolo beat him?" Goku saw Nappa lying in a pool of blood.
"It wasn't me. Krillin did it." Piccolo shook his head.
"Krillin, you're impressive. Ten months away and you've gotten this strong." Goku said, rubbing Krillin's bald head.
"Just luck… pure luck…" Krillin scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
Nappa shook with rage.
Seriously? I'm going to die to this little bald runt?
"I won't accept this!" Nappa roared.
"Why aren't you dead yet? Haven't you bled out already?" Krillin shouted.
"Even as a ghost, I won't let you off!" Nappa ground his teeth, wishing he could get up and slam Krillin into the dirt.
So infuriating.
To think a high-class Saiyan warrior like him would end up killed by a little bald earthling.
"Goku, I've already taken care of the big bald one for you. The rest is your show." Krillin chuckled. "Didn't Ken say he wanted you to fight Vegeta?"
Goku nodded and looked at Vegeta, eyes burning with fighting spirit.
…
Capsule Corporation Headquarters, Bulma's house.
Merus had returned and was sitting in his original seat again.
A robot came over with a plate of fried peanuts for him.
"Merus, drink, drink. You've had it rough." Ken personally poured him a glass of beer. "Beer with peanuts is the perfect combo. Try it."
"Wait, why are there only peanuts left?" Merus looked down to see the table cleared, leaving only that one plate.
"We finished the rest, so they cleared it." Ken said.
Merus: "…"
Too much.
You couldn't even leave me a bite…
"Peanuts are already pretty good. I could snack on peanuts and drink beer all day." Ken laughed.
Merus didn't reply. He popped a peanut into his mouth, took a sip of beer, and suddenly found the pairing pretty nice.
"But anyway, it's finally time for your Supreme Kai and God of Destruction to fight." Merus turned his eyes to the projection Ken had put up.
"Yeah." Ken nodded.
"Who do you think will win?" Merus asked.
"What do you think?" Ken shot back.
"I can tell that Mr. Goku has grown a lot stronger through his training, but compared to Vegeta, the gap is still pretty big." Merus analyzed, then gave his conclusion.
"So you think Vegeta will win?" Ken smiled.
"Yes, that's what I think. Even with Piccolo and the others on his side, Mr. Son Goku's chances of victory are extremely low." Merus said thoughtfully.
"If Goku wins, can you give me Kale?" Ken asked.
Merus: "…"
He quietly wiped the cold sweat from his face.
What are you thinking?
You already stole my Buu.
Now you want to take Kale too?
"No." Merus shook his head firmly.
"If Vegeta wins, I'll give Buu back to you." Ken offered.
"No, no need." Merus shook his head again.
If Majin Buu were that easy to control, I wouldn't need you to "give him back."
He followed you on his own.
And whenever Merus thought about what Buu and Broly had talked about out in space, his chest tightened.
He'd spent so long raising a God of Destruction, only to have him poached by Ken's God of Destruction.
He'd rather be Broly's lackey than stay with me.
…
"So, you're Kakarot, huh? You really do look just like your old man." Vegeta snorted, squinting as he sized Goku up. "Ken says you'll be my lifelong rival. Today I'll show you just how powerful a true prodigy is."
Goku didn't respond. He took a deep breath, expression growing more serious.
Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan backed away, deciding not to interfere in the coming fight.
"Hmph. A low-class warrior like you should feel honored to fight a prodigy like me." Vegeta went on. "We Saiyans are screened at birth. Trash like you get sent to backwater planets with no real opponents. In other words, you were already thrown away."
"That doesn't match what Ken told me." Goku shook his head.
"Oh? And what did he say?" Vegeta asked.
"Ken told me my parents realized something bad was going to happen to our planet, so they sent me to Earth ahead of time." Goku said.
"Is that so? Doesn't matter. A low-class warrior like you can't change his fate, no matter what planet he ends up on." Vegeta smirked.
"By your logic, I might be a low-class warrior, but with enough effort, I'll surpass a prodigy like you." Goku replied calmly.
"You've got a big mouth. I'll show you the gap you can never cross, no matter how hard you try." Vegeta snorted, dropping into a fighting stance.
Goku also readied himself, his ki surging wildly…
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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