Chapter 96: Dragon Ball Wish
Master Roshi, dressed in a black martial arts uniform, breathed heavily as he glared at the King Piccolo standing before him, his eyes filled with contempt.
"Mafuba!!!" (Evil Containment Wave)
He hurled the capsule rice cooker into the air and, in the final moment of his life, unleashed his most powerful sealing technique without hesitation.
As the sky was bathed in green light, a strange aura surged out from Master Roshi's body. A beam of green light shot toward King Piccolo. In that instant, Master Roshi silently prayed.
But when he saw King Piccolo standing there completely motionless, he suddenly remembered Franklin's warning.
He let out a faint sigh as the Mafuba stormed toward King Piccolo. The green sealing wave engulfed the demon king, yet King Piccolo remained utterly unfazed.
Master Roshi knew then that everything was over. "How did you do it? You just broke free from the Mafuba's seal… how did you undo it so easily?"
King Piccolo chuckled softly. "Sealing techniques like this are everywhere in my world. Four Symbols Seal, Five Elements Seal, Eight Trigrams Seal—every single one of them is far more powerful than a seal powered by someone's life force.
"And the monsters sealed there are far stronger than this body of yours. I can feel your anger, but save it. Before I leave, I'll destroy this body and the soul inside it completely. You may rest in peace."
Hearing these incomprehensible words, Master Roshi collapsed weakly to the ground.
King Piccolo shook his head slightly as he looked down at the lifeless Roshi. With a casual gesture of his finger, the last two Dragon Balls slowly floated out from Roshi's fallen body and drifted into his hand. Then, with another wave, the remaining five Dragon Balls floated out from the airship hovering above.
The seven Dragon Balls gathered together, and King Piccolo took a deep breath before shouting, "Come forth, Shenron!"
A golden pillar of light shot into the sky as a four-clawed azure dragon spiraled upward.
King Piccolo watched this miraculous scene with a look of mild amusement, as if such a spectacle was nothing special to him.
"No matter what your wish is, I shall grant it. Speak your desire."
Hearing Shenron's question, King Piccolo thought for a moment, then said, "I want to return to my original world!"
Shenron's red eyes gleamed, and a surge of spiritual energy rippled outward from King Piccolo's body.
"I'm sorry. I cannot do that. I can only grant wishes within Blue Star. Your wish crosses into another world."
King Piccolo's face immediately darkened. "So there's no way for me to return? I came to this world—don't tell me there's no way back. Tell me how I can return to my original world!"
Shenron's eyes flashed red again. "Your wish is to learn the method of returning to your original world, is that correct?"
King Piccolo's eyes lit up at those words—but the next instant, his aura shifted completely, and an ancient, chilling voice emerged from within him.
"So you really thought I couldn't counter you? An insignificant foreign soul dares to act so arrogantly."
"Shenron, I want you to make me young again."
Shenron's red eyes glowed once more, and instantly, King Piccolo was enveloped in a green light. As it faded, his loud, exuberant laughter echoed across the plains.
"Finally… finally, I'm young again! It feels so good—brimming with vitality and power.
"Thank you for sharing so many memories of another world with me. Sleep for now. When I've conquered this world, I'll visit yours as well."
"Your wish has been granted. My task is complete."
At Shenron's words, a cold gleam flashed through King Piccolo's eyes. A beam of energy shot toward Shenron's forehead—but Shenron, possessing intelligence, flicked his red eyes, and with a casual sweep of his tail, the beam shattered instantly.
"This is your only warning. Next time, there will be no mercy."
Shenron vanished, and the seven Dragon Balls turned into stone before floating upward and scattering across the world as seven streaks of light.
The dots on the Dragon Radar suddenly disappeared. Franklin's heart sank. He was still one step too late.
Suppressing his thoughts, he began slowly restoring his depleted spiritual energy.
Now that he thought about it carefully, he found it strange. The sixth heavenly tribulation bolt had chased him down—so why didn't the rest follow?
Could it be that, because he was nearly struck to death, the tribulation spared him temporarily? No… that was clearly impossible.
The only explanation was that someone had hidden his aura. And in the future, the self who returned to the past had already gone back to the future.
Having crossed time multiple times, Franklin was filled with doubt. If time travel really existed, then what exactly was the nature of time itself?
Was it truly like a river of flowing light, constantly surging forward? And if so, what exactly allowed him to return to the past?
Each time he traveled through time, aside from consuming part of his lifespan, what did the Dimensional Heavenly Tome take in return? And what did it gain from it?
Franklin shook his head. These were things he could not touch right now. Learning the answers might well be courting death.
The Flying Nimbus sped through the sky. While he was lost in thought, he and Goku were already nearing the place where the seven Dragon Balls had once been. As they descended, an old bald figure lying on the plains came into view—Roshi. They really were a step too late.
Goku rushed over and flipped Master Roshi onto his back. His eyes went wide with joy. "Grandpa, you're not dead!"
Hearing Goku's excited voice, Franklin looked toward Roshi.
His face was pale and his energy was weak, but he was indeed alive. Franklin didn't hesitate. He took out a Senzu Bean, placed it in Roshi's mouth, and helped him chew and swallow it.
Master Roshi's color visibly returned. "Thank you, Franklin. If not for your medicine, I'd really be dead.
"Luckily, King Piccolo didn't personally check my vital signs. Otherwise, even my Turtle Hermit Breathing Technique might not have fooled him."
Franklin sighed helplessly. "I told you—if necessary, abandon the Dragon Balls. Don't go head-to-head with him. Why didn't you listen?"
Roshi scratched his shiny head with an embarrassed grin. "I was planning to. But that guy was sneaky. The Dragon Balls on the airship stayed put, and he personally chased me down through the air."
Recalling their trip to Korin Tower, Franklin's brows furrowed tightly.
"Not only strong, but smart. This is going to be a real problem."
Roshi nodded in agreement, then shook his head again. "King Piccolo is extremely arrogant. He won't think too deeply about it.
"All of this is the work of that foreign soul inside him. By the way, Franklin, did you know that there's another soul inside King Piccolo?"