Ginger had no idea what had become of his companions. He was flying through a desolate area filled with strong winds and barren rocks, almost no vegetation, and a huge smile on his face because he had obtained a Dragon Ball.
He was now heading toward the location of the second one. Through the guiding talisman, he could sense that the remaining Dragon Balls were gathered at a single point. With the one he already had and the one he was about to get, he would have the full set.
"There really is such a wonderful treasure in the universe!" the demon murmured, his smile turning cruel as certain thoughts entered his head. It wasn't as if he was opposed to them.
After all, he came from the weak and abandoned regions of the Demon Realm, where life had to fight to survive. Him? He had only followed Garlic Jr.'s orders because the demon was strong enough to protect him from dangers he couldn't handle alone.
However, this mission gave him a golden opportunity to change his life. If Garlic Jr.'s claims about the Dragon Balls were true, why should he let his boss enjoy that privilege? Couldn't he step in and wish for something that would benefit only him?
Yes, he could simply snatch the Dragon Balls and make a wish! His wish! To be immortal? To be stronger? To have his own realm where he could enjoy whatever he pleased? The possibilities were endless!
Ginger couldn't help but fantasize about it. It filled him with such excitement that it boosted his energy and sped up his flight. If she wanted to fulfill her wish, she had to fight for the Dragon Balls. To do that, she had to find the last one.
So it was time to find it! However, halfway there, she sensed a powerful energy signature, which made her stop and reconsider. Was someone in possession of the Dragon Ball? They didn't seem weak!
Ginger calmed his energy, and his figure began to blur and gradually disappear. To survive in the harsh Demon Realm, he couldn't fight like a hothead; he had to be cunning. Thus, he honed his stealth skills to the limit of his ability.
An ordinary martial artist with average Ki perception would be unable to sense him while he was invisible. Confidently, he approached the spot where he believed the turning point of his life lay.
He soon found that the person near the Dragon Ball was unusual; they didn't resemble the ordinary Earthlings he'd seen while flying over cities and towns.
This person was wearing clothes and a cape similar to those worn by some people in the Demon Realm. He was sitting in a meditative pose with a violet aura surrounding his body. 'A unique but powerful Earthling,' Ginger thought, before noticing his most distinctive features: green skin, pointed ears, and a pair of antennae.
No, this person was clearly one of those legendary Namekians! This being probably knew a lot about the Dragon Balls. Driven by greed, Ginger's first thought wasn't to rethink his strategy upon seeing the Namekian, who opened his eyes, disturbed by something he sensed.
'I sensed someone approaching, but their energy signature has vanished. Now, I can only sense hostility toward me, but I don't know where it's coming from,' Piccolo thought as he stood up and focused on his ki perception, wanting to better pick up on the surrounding energy signatures.
However, he couldn't find anything, so he began to use his other senses. His ears were incredibly sensitive, capable of hearing over long distances with great detail. But this had a weakness, though he was already working on it.
His ears twitched as he sensed something cutting through the wind and emitting a whistle that an ordinary Earthling wouldn't be able to hear, but he could. Thus, Piccolo confirmed that someone was indeed approaching him, apparently with great stealth.
However, the Namekians wouldn't be considered a mysterious race if their secrets were easily uncovered. Aside from being a martial artist, Piccolo was also a psychic and a magician. Although he focused more on using Ki, he never neglected his mental or magical powers.
If he couldn't sense the enemy's ki, wouldn't it be better to sense their mind or soul? Guided by the vague direction from which the whistling sound came, the Namekian's eyes first glowed with a subtle green light.
He was thus able to detect a mind filled with hostility, bloodlust, greed, and arrogance slowly approaching him from behind, as if confident he wouldn't notice. The complacency was so strong among all those emotions that it served as a beacon for Piccolo.
Then, his eyes emitted a golden glow, and he caught sight of the enemy's soul. He was able to glimpse its appearance as well as other details. It was part of his enemy's true essence, his inner evil.
If he were a specialized mage, he could use that evil to attack or benefit the being he intended to ambush. Unfortunately, the magic he understood did not cover those areas.
However, knowing Ginger's direction and appearance, even if he didn't know exactly who or what she was, it was clear she was coming for him. Furthermore, due to his connection with Kami-Sama, Piccolo could sense the Dragon Ball within her body.
'Is he here for the Dragon Ball embedded in the rock?' Piccolo wondered, standing atop a stone pillar. His cloak billowed in the strong wind, but he remained impassive in the face of everything happening around him.
Ginger, unaware that they were already aware of her presence, positioned herself behind the Namekian. She drew her swords and proceeded to deliver a fatal blow to the back of his neck, aiming to decapitate him.
"Hell Cannon." Perhaps to contradict a certain blue-haired woman, Piccolo spun around abruptly and fired a powerful beam of energy that engulfed the demon's body. The beam propelled the demon forward, smashing through rocks along the way and sending it several kilometers away.
Piccolo then flew toward where his enemy had landed. The demon was covered in wounds and could barely stand. With his stealth broken, the Namekian could sense the demon more clearly, picking up more details about it.
"So, a demon, huh? What are you looking for here?" Piccolo asked, though he already sensed the answer. A direct confirmation was better than guessing. The demon's presence was imposing. He barely hovered above the ground, and his height stood in stark contrast to Ginger's. Ginger glared at him with hatred.
"Hehe! Namekian! You have no idea what's in store for you!" Knowing that his ambush had failed and that he lacked the physical strength for direct combat, Ginger said he was about to die. But if he could unsettle his enemy's mind, he would at least die with a small victory.
Just as Piccolo was about to respond, a melodious sound came from his pocket, accompanied by a buzzing vibration. The Namekian calmly pulled out his specially customized phone and answered.
"Son Goku! Why are you calling me now? No! Why are you calling me? We aren't friends!" Despite knowing him for years, Piccolo still acted a bit tsundere, as Bulma would say. Goku was used to it.
"HEHE! This is important, Piccolo. Some demons are looking for the Dragon Balls. It has something to do with Kami and his past. I took care of one, and Bulma took care of another. I have the Dragon Balls with me, and I think I'm heading toward the location of the last one. Want to come?" The Saiyan's voice was clearly audible to the two figures standing next to each other.
Ginger grimaced when she heard those words because all her previous fantasies were apparently doomed to failure from the start, and he was the only one who didn't know it.
Meanwhile, Piccolo narrowed his eyes, intrigued by the situation. His current connection to Kami-Sama was merely a remnant of what it once was. Over time, they had separated, regaining the potential lost due to their split.
However, that connection transcended everything because it was tied to destiny. In essence, they were one individual. Therefore, if something serious happened to one of them, such as death, it would affect the other.
Any danger faced by Kami-Sama was literally a danger to Piccolo, which is why he took Goku's words seriously. This stimulated the energy within the Namekian's body, which surged from his body like a pillar of light that rose into the clouds.
"Piccolo! Is that your ki? Are you in danger!?" Goku asked worriedly on the other end of the phone. He sped up his flight, cutting through the sky at top speed, eager to support his friend.
"Yes, Son, it's me. I'm about to take care of one of the attackers. I hope you have more information than last time," Piccolo replied seriously as he extended his free hand toward Ginger, who didn't dare move, not that she could.
He was being tracked by three different detection methods. On top of that, Piccolo had sealed off the area with magic, solidified a large amount of air with psychic power, and pressured the demon with his aura.
"I'm hanging up. I have to finish this," the Namekian said. He hung up without waiting for a response, then calmly put away his cell phone. A large amount of energy was gathered in his free hand. The energy seemed somewhat unstable, releasing small arcs of electricity and constant crackling.
"Attacking me is one thing. I'll admit that's quite brave. But threatening an old man and putting me in danger without showing your face are things I deeply dislike," Piccolo declared. He clenched his fist around the energy he had gathered and punched forward.
"Hell Punch!" His hand pierced through Ginger's body, and the ki in his arm ran wild, shattering the demon's body into ashes that were carried away by the wind.
Piccolo took a deep breath as he floated upward, surveying the area where he had meditated days ago. This place was etched into the memories of both Kami-Sama and himself.
He had spent years here waiting for a group of people he no longer remembered because they had promised to come find him. Those were the moments when he was completely alone with no means of communication. Only his iron will has allowed him to keep his sanity during that time.
"Hey, Piccolo! Why are you on the Yunzabit Heights? This place is a little scary." Goku made that carefree comment when he arrived and saw that Piccolo wasn't in trouble.
"This place reminds me of a home I've never seen. Only vague impressions remain in my mind," replied the Namekian, causing the Saiyan's silly grin to vanish.
"I understand that. Here, take care of them," said Goku, pointing to the Dragon Balls floating around him. Piccolo nodded and used his psychic power to pull them toward him, along with the Dragon Ball that had fallen from Ginger's body and the one embedded in the rock.
Seven Dragon Balls orbited Piccolo, and they began to glow and hum softly because the set was complete. However, perhaps because Piccolo was essentially Kami-Sama, the Dragon Balls 'danced' around the Namekian, as if expressing happiness.