Ginyu floated in mid-air, staring greedily at Goku—who had been nearly dead moments ago, but now stood full of energy and power.
"What a perfect body…"
"Astonishing recovery… bottomless potential…"
"Hand it over to me!"
Goku stepped forward, shielding Krillin and Gohan behind him.
"Damn it, Ginyu—come on!"
This time, the battle shifted dramatically.
Goku's speed and strength were completely different from before.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their figures clashed fiercely in the air, each collision erupting in explosive shockwaves.
The more Ginyu fought, the more startled he became.
This Saiyan's growth rate defied all logic.
A body perfectly born for battle.
"This is amazing! Completely amazing!"
"I can't wait any longer!"
Goku roared:
"Kaio-ken—Triple!"
The crimson aura flared even more violently, condensed and razor sharp.
Goku's combat power surged to a level that even Ginyu felt fear from.
Ginyu was struck head-on by Goku's blazing Triple Kaio-ken. His armor shattered, and he spat a huge mouthful of purple blood.
He couldn't keep fighting.
Ginyu made a decision.
He would steal this body.
He glanced at the grotesque wound on his chest. Instead of pain, a twisted smile crossed his face.
"Now is the time…"
"Body Change!!"
Using the last of his strength, Ginyu roared at the charging Goku.
A bizarre light shot from Ginyu's body, instantly swallowing Goku whole.
Goku felt the world spinning. His consciousness was ripped away by an irresistible force.
And then—
Thud.
He hit the ground, feeling a tearing pain throughout his unfamiliar body.
No.
This isn't my body.
Goku slowly raised his head—and saw the purple, battered body of Captain Ginyu.
Then he saw "himself."
"Himself" was standing upright, flexing his wrists, testing out the explosive energy flowing through his limbs.
"Oh ho ho ho ho…"
From Goku's mouth came the shameless laughter of Captain Ginyu.
"It worked! This perfect body is finally mine!"
Krillin and Gohan stared in shock.
But Vegeta's pupils contracted sharply. Horror flashed in his eyes.
"It's Body Change… the rumored special ability of Captain Ginyu in Frieza's army!"
Ginyu—inside Goku's body—felt the immense potential within him, but his expression quickly soured.
"Hm? What's this?"
"Why has the combat power dropped? Not even twenty-three thousand??"
He tried to gather ki like Goku, but the body rejected him. He couldn't control it properly, nor could he use Kaio-ken at all.
"Tsk… looks like I'll need time to adapt."
He shot a cold look at Vegeta and the others. He planned to flee and return once he fully mastered this new vessel.
But right as he turned—
A crushing pressure fell from the sky.
A figure appeared instantly in front of him.
Loren.
[Ding! Potential major threat detected! Ginyu has stolen Son Goku's body. If he escapes and adapts, consequences will be catastrophic!]
[God-level selection triggered!]
[Choice One: Ignore it. It's someone else's body anyway.
Reward: One box of instant noodles.]
[Choice Two: Eliminate Frieza's elite. Expel or destroy Ginyu's soul from Goku's body.
Reward: 200,000 combat power.]
"…Sigh."
Loren stared at the guy wearing Goku's face and a disgusting smile.
"He's smiling so damn lewdly."
"This Body Change trick is impressive though. Why didn't he try switching with Frieza first?"
Before he finished speaking—Loren vanished.
A casual-looking whip kick, sharp enough to tear space, slammed into Ginyu's (Goku's) skull.
Ginyu panicked.
He hadn't expected this mysterious powerhouse to appear suddenly, nor to strike "Goku" so ruthlessly without hesitation.
He barely managed to raise his arm—
Crack!
A crisp, clean bone-breaking sound rang out.
Ginyu (in Goku's body) screamed as he was launched backwards, carving a long trench hundreds of meters across the ground.
"Mr. Loren!"
"Why are you attacking Goku?!"
Krillin and Gohan shouted in fear and anger.
In their eyes, Loren had betrayed them.
Loren didn't look at them.
He only frowned at his foot.
"Tsk. I still didn't control the force properly."
"If I break someone's body, fixing it is such a pain."
Vegeta stared at the figure lying in the distant trench—"Goku"—his expression deadly serious.
Because Vegeta understood.
Ginyu and Goku had switched bodies.
"You idiots! Look closely!"
"Are those movements… that posture… does ANY of that look like Kakarot?!"
"That is NOT Kakarot!"
Just then, a weak but familiar voice came from the purple, battered body nearby.
"Vegeta… is… right…"
"I… am… Son Goku…"
The voice coming from Ginyu's broken purple body was Goku's.
Krillin and Gohan froze.
Body swapping… it was insane.
But when they turned toward Ginyu's old body—they saw Goku's familiar expression.
"Damn… bastard…"
Ginyu (in Goku's body) clutched his broken arm, face twisted with pain and rage.
He glared at Loren.
This guy was strong—overwhelmingly strong.
That terrifying ki earlier…
That must have been him.
He must have killed Zarbon and the others as well.
Ginyu's greed ignited again as he stared at Loren.
"This is the ultimate treasure of the universe…"
"The perfect body for me, Ginyu!"
Loren frowned.
"Such a pathetic trick."
"And you've messed up my future strongest henchman's body."
"You're really making me clean up after your shit."
The moment he finished—Loren vanished again.
Ginyu's pupils shrank. He had no time to react.
A hand like an iron clamp wrapped around his throat, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.
"Ugh… Ugh…"
His legs flailed weakly. He used all his strength—but that hand didn't budge.
Ginyu stared into Loren's calm eyes.
And for the first time—
He felt real fear.
Fear from the soul itself.