At first, it was just fear.
But the moment the crowd saw blood and shredded flesh, the panic became real—fast.
People started leaving.
Then more.
Then a flood.
"Someone died—RUN!"
"This is horrifying—people are getting killed!"
In seconds, the arena descended into chaos. Spectators surged toward the exits, pushing and scrambling over each other.
Still, a small portion didn't think it was worth fleeing.
After all, that green-winged freak had interrupted the tournament and nearly killed the referee. In their eyes, he was clearly a villain.
"Why run? That guy was here to cause trouble. He almost killed the referee—he deserved it!"
But curiosity couldn't beat terror.
Most people still chose fear over common sense and fled.
Launch stared at the ring, eyes sparkling with excitement at Goku's ruthless finish.
"Waaah—Goku was so wild! So dominant!"
Violet's mouth twitched. She calmly offered a tissue.
"Launch… wipe your drool. Please control yourself."
Nearby, Tien picked up one of the talisman papers that had drifted down. The bold character stared back at him.
His face turned deathly pale.
"Demon King Piccolo… I've heard the name… Don't tell me he's really back…"
Roshi saw it too.
The moment he recognized that he collapsed into his seat, looking like the color had been drained from him—then returned—then drained again.
"How…? It's really him…?"
He swallowed hard, voice almost breaking.
"Is… is the world going to end…?"
Bulma, Launch, and Violet all turned toward him, startled.
"What's going on?"
"Who is Demon King Piccolo?"
"Violet said you're really Master Roshi—so why are you shaking like this?!"
Roshi forced himself to breathe.
Then he spoke—slowly, heavy like a nightmare being dragged into daylight.
"He was a demon king who once pushed the world into an abyss."
"Not only did he possess terrifying power… he could also spit out eggs—creating monsters."
He glanced at the gore on the ground, his expression hollow.
"That creature Goku killed… was likely one of those monsters—born from his eggs."
"About three hundred years ago, he and his spawn turned this world into hell."
"Even I—back then—was nothing. Even my master, Mutaito, couldn't defeat him."
Yamcha's eyes widened. "What?! But wasn't he already destroyed?!"
Roshi shook his head.
"No… he was too strong. No one could truly kill him."
"My master created the Mafuba—the Evil Containment Wave."
"It costs the user their life… but it sealed Demon King Piccolo inside a rice cooker."
Roshi's voice dipped.
"My master died… to save the world."
Bulma went stiff. "Sealed…?"
Roshi nodded, grim.
"I was the one who sank that container into the sea. By all logic… he shouldn't be able to return."
Bulma's face turned pale.
"If a monster like that is back… then is it really the end?"
Goku could already tell the tournament wasn't finishing normally anymore.
He flew over to Bulma and asked bluntly, "Bulma—did you bring the Dragon Radar?"
Bulma blinked. "W-Why do you need the radar?"
Then her eyes lit up with sudden hope.
"Wait—are you going to gather the Dragon Balls and have Shenron deal with Demon King Piccolo?!"
For a moment, hope flickered across several faces.
But Goku shook his head.
"No. Shenron can't kill Demon King Piccolo."
Then he looked up—calm, certain.
"But I can."
"I want the radar so I can find him… and go deal with him."
Everyone froze.
Yamcha stared like he'd misheard. "Goku… what are you even saying?!"
Roshi's panic snapped into anger. "Goku—this is exactly what it means to be young and reckless!"
"You don't understand how strong Demon King Piccolo is!"
"Yes, you're strong—but he's not someone you can fight!"
Even Crane Hermit, of all people, swallowed his pride and spoke with genuine dread.
"Exactly. Don't get cocky just because you killed one of his underlings."
"Demon King Piccolo is the kind of terror that makes people despair."
"If you want to live… hide somewhere remote. That's the only way."
He turned sharply.
"Tien. Chiaotzu. We're leaving!"
Tien's eyes trembled. "B-But Master… we're just… leaving like this?"
Crane Hermit sneered. "That thing's underling just got killed. You want to stay here and die?!"
Tien clenched his fists, voice tight.
"I can't leave."
"First—my match isn't over."
"And if the martial artists have to unite… then my strength will be needed too."
Crane Hermit's moustache practically stood up in rage.
"A match is nothing!"
"Demon King Piccolo was a human catastrophe hundreds of years ago!"
"No one can oppose him. Organize martial artists to resist him? Childish!"
He stabbed a finger forward.
"One last time—are you coming or not?"
Tien lowered his head. "I'm sorry… Master."
Chiaotzu walked to Tien's side, silently choosing him with his eyes.
Crane Hermit's face twisted.
"Hmph. Two unfilial brats. Go die if you want—I won't care anymore."
He flung his sleeve and left alone.
Goku watched that split happen in real time—almost unbelievable.
But he didn't have time to dwell on Tien.
He turned back to Bulma, urgency sharpening.
"Bulma. Give me the Dragon Radar."
Bulma shook her head quickly. "I didn't bring it! I wasn't planning on hunting Dragon Balls this trip!"
Goku's expression didn't change.
"Then we go back. West City. We grab it."
Roshi stepped in immediately, voice harsh with fear.
"Goku—don't be stupid!"
"Demon King Piccolo is different from everyone you've faced!"
"If you go alone, you'll just die!"
"We need to plan this carefully!"
Goku thumped his chest with confidence. "Relax, Master Roshi. I believe in my strength!"
Roshi snapped—true fury, because it was born from terror.
"That isn't confidence!"
"That's arrogance!"
"You are NOT going!"
Goku blinked, stunned. He had never seen Roshi this desperate.
And right then, as Goku moved to leave—
The referee came running.
"Wait! Son Goku!"
"Thank you for saving me earlier."
"But your match isn't finished!"
"No matter what happens, you must see it through!"
"Since you stepped off the ring because of an incident, I won't count it as being eliminated."
Goku stared around the arena.
Most of the stands were already empty.
He looked back at the referee, baffled.
"You still want me to keep fighting?"
"Do you even see what happened?"
"Everyone ran. Why are you still here?"
The referee looked around, startled as if noticing it for the first time.
"Huh… so many people left?"
Goku nodded. "Yeah. If you don't want to die, you should leave too."
The referee thought for a second… then shook his head firmly.
"No."
"There are still people here."
"For them—and for myself—I have to uphold professional ethics."
"Last time you turned into a giant ape, I didn't leave."
"So I won't leave now either."
"I will finish officiating this tournament."
Goku's mouth twitched.
…This referee was seriously, terrifyingly dedicated.
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