"Tsk! Only 600 combat power. Even if you can hide your strength from me, it won't help!" Raditz mocked in a low voice, his figure shooting into the air with explosive speed to intercept Piccolo's attack.
"Confidence is good, but overconfidence..." Karnel muttered from his chair, watching the scene unfold. He could see at a glance that Piccolo, launching himself through the air, was about to walk into a trap.
Piccolo paid a heavy price for his dramatic entrance. Just as he was about to strike the Saiyan who claimed to be Goku's brother, Raditz suddenly vanished. The next instant, a devastating punch connected with the back of Piccolo's neck. His eyes nearly bulged from their sockets as his entire body went rigid, plummeting straight down from the sky.
"One move... just one move and he defeated me," Piccolo gasped, staring at the Saiyan with bloodshot eyes, his hands pressed tightly against his injured neck. Fortunately, his cervical vertebrae weren't broken.
"Very fast speed..." A flash of understanding crossed Goku's mind as he studied Raditz with newfound wariness.
Karnel showed a meaningful smile. "Look at that, Krillin. Piccolo couldn't handle it and went down in one move. What do you think would happen if you went up there with your small frame?"
Krillin shuddered visibly, his voice trembling. "Are Saiyans really that powerful? Piccolo is so strong, but he was defeated in a single attack."
"Powerful?" Karnel mused. "Not particularly. You'll understand later, anyone with decent talent can become strong with enough hard work and proper training."
He thought of various examples, not least of which was Kakarot himself, a low-class warrior born with a measly power level of 2, who eventually became a force that shook the entire universe.
Yamcha, feeling somewhat overlooked, asked hopefully, "Could we become that strong in the future?"
Karnel smiled but said nothing. Poor Yamcha's trajectory was rather... predictable.
Instead, he pointed at Goku, who was tensing up and gathering his energy. "Look, Kakarot is about to fight his brother!"
"Wait!" Krillin suddenly shouted, temporarily halting the confrontation. He quickly ran over to help Piccolo, pulling out a Senzu Bean from a bulging pouch and feeding it to the injured Namekian.
"Senzu Beans... It seems Korin is keeping himself well-hidden and hasn't been completely cleaned out by Yajirobe yet," Karnel thought to himself, noting the impressive supply in Krillin's possession.
Piccolo was revived to full health, sitting on the ground and glaring with gritted teeth at the Saiyan who had knocked him down with a single punch.
Goku finished powering up, his fists clenched as he stared intently at the larger Saiyan with the distinctive hair.
"What... 3,000 combat power?" Nappa checked his scouter, his mouth falling open in shock. "Kakarot actually has 3,000 combat power..."
"Everyone on this planet is skilled at hiding their true strength. These scouters are completely useless!"
Crack!
Raditz ripped off his scouter and threw it to the ground, stomping it to pieces. A flash of cold determination crossed his eyes as he flexed his muscles and launched a whistling punch directly at Goku.
"Now they're really going to fight. Kakarot's current strength is comparable to his brother's. Care to guess who'll come out on top?" Karnel grabbed a piece of fruit, peeling it to reveal the juicy flesh beneath as he asked with obvious amusement.
Krillin, who was concentrating intensely on the battle, broke out in a cold sweat and smiled awkwardly. "I think it should be Goku. I heard that after he died, he went to some incredible place to train before coming back."
"Goku's strength should be greater than what we're seeing now," Piccolo observed, folding his arms with a cold snort. "For him to willingly die just to reach that mysterious training ground, it must be truly extraordinary."
"Look! That Saiyan disappeared, Goku's in danger!" Krillin suddenly shouted.
Hearing this, Karnel glanced over. Raditz was indeed being underhanded, taking advantage of Kakarot's apparent blind spot by flying up behind him to deliver a silent kick to his back.
"Didn't Kakarot notice? That shouldn't be possible," Karnel frowned in confusion. While Raditz was fast, Goku should have been able to detect the movement.
"Wait... no, he did notice! What a clever Kakarot, when did he become so tactical? He's using misdirection, pretending to be unaware to lure Raditz into attacking from behind," Karnel chuckled, swallowing the fruit. At the moment Raditz disappeared from sight and flashed toward the sky, Goku had noticed his intention and feigned ignorance.
"Raditz is about to learn a hard lesson. After being hit by Kakarot's powerful counter-elbow, Kakarot's incredible fighting instincts kicked in. He seized the opportunity and instantly unleashed hundreds of punches into Raditz's chest," Karnel observed with surprise. "Kakarot's showing some real tactical awareness now."
Yamcha and Krillin cheered excitedly at the display.
A flicker of determination crossed Piccolo's eyes. "Goku has truly become incredibly strong. He actually defeated such a powerful Saiyan. Could it be that mysterious place has methods for rapidly increasing one's strength? If I could train there for a while... it's just a matter of dying once, right? I, Piccolo, could do that too..."
Raditz was severely battered by Goku's relentless combination attack. His chest churned with internal injuries as he lay on the ground, coughing up blood.
Cough! Cough!
Raditz struggled to stand up from the ground. His Saiyan combat armor had been shredded to pieces, leaving him looking thoroughly disheveled.
"Kakarot! You can beat me this badly?" Raditz's eyes flashed with murderous light as he shouted furiously. "I don't want to take you back anymore, I'll just kill you here!" He began gathering his energy while standing on the ground, his aura flaring dangerously.
Goku looked surprised. "You're really powerful, you only suffered minor injuries after taking so many punches from me."