"I can indeed help with this."
After a moment of contemplation, Kami nodded. As a staff member with a formal position in the Other World's bureaucracy, he could manage to request an audience from King Yama—provided the person he brought wasn't an evil soul destined for Hell.
"However, there is one thing I must make clear. Reaching King Kai's planet is no easy feat. You must cross Snake Way, an incredibly long path where the slightest slip could send you falling into the depths of Hell."
"Snake Way?" Goku asked curiously from the side.
"Yes. Snake Way is over one million kilometres long. Even for you, Goku, running without eating, drinking, or sleeping, it would likely take half a year." Kami turned to Shane. "However, given Sir Shane's strength, I imagine that time can be significantly shortened."
"Then it's settled. What's a little jog for the sake of getting stronger?" Shane laughed. "I'll stay here first with you and Mr. Popo to learn the basics of Chi. In two months, once I've mastered them, you can take me to Snake Way."
"Count me in too!" Goku chimed in eagerly. "Kami, take me as well! I really want to train under this King Kai!"
"Very well." Kami nodded. He had planned for this anyway. Though Sir Shane was powerful and reliable, he was a guest from another universe who could only stay for a year. When Earth faced danger in the future, it would ultimately fall to local powerhouses like Goku.
In the days that followed, Shane began his training at the Lookout. Here, he could temporarily cast aside his majesty as the King of the Four Seas, his status as the Leader of Curtain Call, the heavy administrative burdens, and the pressure imposed by Imu.
Just like years ago in the orange groves of Cocoyasi Village in the East Blue, he became a humble beginner, throwing himself heart and soul into the study of "Chi."
Every morning, before the sun had even risen, he was already up. He would seek out Mr. Popo for meditation training, learning to sense the flow of energy within his body.
"Chi is the manifestation of life energy. Sir Shane, please close your eyes and feel it with your heart," Mr. Popo guided gently. "It is like a river flowing through your body. Once you can sense the Chi within yourself, you will naturally discover that the outside world is also full of Chi—like a vast, boundless ocean..."
Shane followed the instructions. For the first two or three days, he could only sense traces of Haki, but gradually, he began to perceive a completely different energy. It was soft and warm, like a trickling stream—utterly unlike the overbearing fierceness of Haki.
"Is this Chi?" Shane opened his eyes, looking down at himself with novelty. He felt as though he had gained a subtle connection with everything in the world. He opened his right palm and tried to condense it.
Snap!
A ball of hazy white energy appeared out of thin air, but after flickering a few times, it suddenly burst and dissipated.
"Yes," Mr. Popo nodded in admiration. "You are learning much faster than I anticipated. You have already mastered the basics of sensing Chi and can even briefly manifest it externally."
"Next, we need to learn how to deepen that connection, how to guide it, and ultimately how to transform Chi into various combat techniques."
"Understood. I'm in your hands."
Thus, only three days into his training at the Lookout, Shane began a comprehensive, systematic study of Chi's practical applications: from sensing, hiding, and tracking energy, to compressing and condensing it into various forms of energy blasts. Bit by bit, he accumulated experience.
Meanwhile, Goku wasn't idling either. He, along with Krillin and the later arrivals—Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu—continued to polish their martial arts while also following Shane to learn the use of Armament and Observation Haki.
Everything is hard at the beginning. Mastering an entirely different system was challenging for them. However, they felt guilty about constantly pestering Shane and taking up too much of his time.
Fortunately, at this point, Mr. Popo managed to master both types of Haki in just a few days. He stepped in to relieve Shane, taking over the responsibility of teaching Haki.
"Observation Haki can wait until the afternoon. The morning is for Armament Haki. This divine power does not conflict with 'Chi' at all; they can be used simultaneously. It's truly miraculous," Mr. Popo said seriously.
"If you master this, it's like wearing double-layered armour when defending, and having a double enchantment when attacking. It is extremely practical." He raised his arms. "Look, I am using Armament Haki now. Has it turned black? Does it feel more imposing?"
The group below looked left and right, appearing completely bewildered.
"Uh, Mr. Popo," Krillin scratched his head. "Um, did you forget that you're already very, very black? Even if you turn blacker, we can't really tell the difference..."
Mr. Popo looked down at himself. "..."
"Is this some kind of racial joke?" Mr. Popo made a show of wiping away mock tears. "You people are too much!"
"Ah, sorry! Just a joke!" Krillin burst into laughter, and the others joined in.
While it was hard to distinguish visually, they were all seasoned martial artists; they could easily sense the change in energy. Their interest in Observation Haki wasn't as high, as Chi could achieve similar results. But Armament Haki, which could be combined with Chi, was incredibly powerful. If they could master it, their combat power would surely skyrocket. After the laughter, the group focused their attention and began practicing with Mr. Popo.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed. The night before leaving the Lookout, Shane sat alone at the edge of the plaza, gazing into the distance at the mountains and rivers below. The night breeze was pleasant. For these two months, apart from eating and sleeping, he had poured all his energy into bitter training, rarely having moments to relax like this.
However, the effort had not been in vain. After these two months of cultivation, he was increasingly certain he had come to the right place.
Firstly, as anticipated, after mastering "Chi," the limits of his physical body and energy had expanded to an incredible new realm, and they were still rising. That barrier had been shattered with ease!
Secondly, Shane noticed something else. Chi and Haki were not merely coexisting; combining them produced a miraculous transformation. He could feel the two energies within him gradually merging to form a brand-new power. This was a new path. But to fully develop it, he clearly needed more time and guidance from someone of a higher realm.
Namely...
"Deep in thought?"
Kami's voice came from behind. Leaning on his staff, he slowly sat down next to Shane, smiling. "We set off for King Kai's tomorrow. Are you ready?"
"Yes," Shane nodded. "Thank you and Mr. Popo for the guidance. These two months have been invaluable."
"Nonsense, I should be the one thanking you," Kami shook his head with a sigh. "Not only did you help Earth solve the Saiyan crisis, but you also generously taught us the method for training Haki. This is a great kindness to me and to Earth's martial arts world."
"Mutual learning, that's all," Shane said dismissively. "By the way, how are Goku and the others doing?"
"Very well!" A look of satisfaction flashed in Kami's eyes. "Goku is a natural talent; he has already mastered both types of Haki. Krillin, Tien, and the others aren't far behind. Bulma sent over a power level detector; after testing, Goku's power level has surged to around 3,000, and the others have reached about 1,000."
Mr. Popo was an even bigger surprise—his power level had easily cleared 2,000, which had given Kami quite a shock.
"That's good," Shane smiled. This progress was much faster than the original timeline. It felt good to be helpful.
"Do you wish to test your own power level?" Kami asked. "I can have Mr. Popo bring the device over now."
"No need." Shane stood up and stretched, looking at the night sky. "It won't be too late to check once we return from King Kai's."
With his current speed, even bringing Goku along, it wouldn't take a week to cross Snake Way. As for convincing King Kai, that wasn't a worry—telling bad jokes could be left to Goku.
"Everything is ready, save for one thing." Shane looked at Kami and blinked. "You didn't forget what I asked you to get a while back, did you?"
"Ah, of course." Kami slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory. I came here specifically to give you this, but I got distracted talking." He took a cloth bag from his robes and handed it over. "Here are the Senzu Beans you asked for. Thirty-six in total. It's not many, but it's Korin's entire stock for the year."
"It's enough." Shane took the bag, looking at the bulging beans inside with a satisfied nod.
Once upon a time, he had only a single, pitiful Senzu Bean, which he had cherished like a treasure for over a year. He hadn't been willing to eat it until Imu's avatar pushed him to a life-and-death crisis. Now, with a casual mention to Kami, he had a whole pile. Over the next ten months, if he got tired on Snake Way or overexerted himself training on King Kai's planet, he could pop one at any time and return to full health.
Truly a broken-tier item. A pity he couldn't bring them back to the world of One Piece.
"It's getting late. I'll go get some sleep." Shane tucked away the beans and waved to Kami. "See you tomorrow morning, Kami."
"Yes, goodnight." Kami nodded hesitantly. He watched Shane's departing back, his mouth opening as if to speak, but he hesitated.
Over these two months, he had witnessed Shane growing stronger day by day at a visible rate. He had a nagging doubt: With Sir Shane's current strength, does he really need to go to King Kai's to beat those two Saiyans? It feels like his current level is already enough...
Shane, naturally, didn't know what Kami was thinking. He strode toward his bedroom, looking at the starry sky with only one thought in his mind.
King Kai's planet with ten times gravity, the cute and easy-going North Kai, and the absolutely broken Kaioken and Spirit Bomb... what an undeniable holy land for training.
I, Shane, am coming!
Time flies like a white horse passing a crack. Before he knew it, ten months had passed.
It had been a full ten months since Shane and Goku left Earth for King Kai's planet. During this time, Earth remained as usual, relatively unchanged.
West City, Capsule Corporation. In Bulma's laboratory, a sharp alarm suddenly blared.
"What's going on?" Bulma, who was in the middle of modifying Raditz's spaceship, jumped in surprise and rushed to the radar screen. Two massive red dots were approaching Earth at an incredible speed.
"Eh? They're here? They're here already?!" Bulma turned pale and scrambled for her phone. "Hello! Hello! Everyone, can you hear me? This is bad! Those two Saiyans are almost at Earth! They're five days earlier than the one year we agreed on!"
"Five days early?" Krillin's surprised voice came through the signal. "They're quite impatient. We're all still training up here at the Lookout."
"Then get down here now!" Bulma snapped. "What are you waiting for? Also, can Goku and Lord Shane make it back in time?"
"Don't worry about that. Big Brother Shane contacted Master Roshi a few days ago saying he and Goku would be back early. At this point, they might have already finished running Snake Way."
That's good... Bulma breathed a sigh of relief. Her entire sense of security was pinned on those two, especially the mysterious and powerful Mr. Shane.
"However, we should always have a backup plan," Krillin said gravely. "Bulma, send us the estimated landing site. We'll head there immediately to intercept those two Saiyans!"
"Right! I'll send it to you now!"
Earth, Southwest Wasteland.
It was high noon. The blazing sun scorched the grit, and the air shimmered with the heat.
Swoosh!
Two spherical spaceships streaked across the sky like meteors, trailing long tails of flame before crashing into the depths of the desert, kicking up a massive cloud of sand and dust.
Snap. The hatches slowly opened.
"That was a good sleep. We've finally arrived, Vegeta." Nappa stepped out, shielding his eyes with a thick arm. "Tsk, this dump of a planet. The light is blinding."
"This is a desert region, it's normal." Vegeta floated in the air with his arms crossed. After glancing around, he said coldly, "The scouter shows Raditz's ship landed to the north. Let's head there. I'm quite curious about that Saiyan bloodline... Huh? He's flying toward us on his own?"
He touched his scouter, looking surprised as he gazed toward the horizon. "Power level is 3,300. It matches the info Raditz sent. Hm, that must be him, right?"
"Three thousand three hundred? What? A year has passed and he's only gone up by three hundred?" Nappa was stunned for a second, then he threw his head back and laughed. "If I remember correctly, Vegeta, you were praising him for being young and talented? Hmph, looks like the kid is just mediocre after all!"