Su Ming made up an excuse and brushed off Bulma's concerns.
He couldn't exactly tell her that he'd fallen unconscious because he was absorbing the memories of a powerful warrior from another world.
That night, Bulma didn't leave. She lay down beside him and fell asleep almost instantly.
After all those sleepless nights rushing to complete Baymax, she was completely exhausted.
Su Ming looked at the sleeping girl next to him. The corner of his mouth lifted in a soft smile.
With no energy left to sort through the newly gained memories, he simply drifted off to sleep beside her.
To them, nothing about this was unusual.
Over the years, they had slept like this countless times it had become second nature.
The next morning.
A knock sounded at the door.
Bulma woke up in Su Ming's arms and was startled to find herself wrapped around him.
One hand clung tightly to his waist, her entire body pressed intimately against his.
"Morning. I—I'm going to get up first!"
She scrambled out of bed, clutching her chest as if to calm her pounding heart, and fled the room in a panic.
Su Ming chuckled and got up too.
Today was his birthday.
He was certain Mrs. Brief would have the whole house decked out to celebrate.
He spent the entire day not thinking about training.
Instead, he stayed with the family and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.
It wasn't until nightfall that he finally found time to explore the memories he had gained the night before.
The last time he received memories from another world was three years ago.
Coincidentally, it had also been on his birthday.
Perhaps it was a kind of cycle every three years, he'd awaken a new memory that didn't belong to this world.
If it happened again in another three years, he could be sure:
He had access to the power and knowledge of countless worlds.
Even without Saiyan blood, he might still stand toe-to-toe with them.
This time, the memory wasn't from a scientist like before it was from a warrior.
A legendary one at that.
Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King.
While the world of Dragon Ball dwarfed One Piece in terms of raw power scaling, each world had its own unique treasures.
Dragon Ball had ki and the mystical Dragon Balls.
One Piece had Haki and Devil Fruits.
Only those who mastered all three forms of Haki could truly stand at the top.
Roger had never consumed a Devil Fruit, but with Haki alone, he conquered the seas.
His Observation Haki was so advanced that he could even predict the future an ability that mirrored Ultra Instinct in many ways.
What intrigued Su Ming most was this: Observation Haki.
That kind of instinctive reaction the ability to feel and react without thought felt eerily similar to Dragon Ball's divine realm of Ultra Instinct.
Roger's memories also included many training methods to strengthen the body.
While the One Piece world lacked power levels in the millions, it excelled in monstrous durability and raw physical power.
Su Ming worried whether Haki could even be awakened in a world like Dragon Ball.
So, for the next few months, he worked hard to integrate Roger's training with his own ki techniques.
Training Chamber.
Su Ming stood blindfolded in the center of the room.
Dozens of tiny holes lined the walls around him.
Suddenly—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Specially crafted bullets fired rapidly from all directions, each one targeting Su Ming.
Outside, Bulma watched through the glass with a focused gaze.
Inside, Su Ming's ears twitched.
His body twisted and turned like a slippery eel, narrowly dodging each shot with graceful precision.
But—
Bang!
Despite his reflexes, the noise in the room and sheer volume of bullets made perfect dodging impossible.
One bullet grazed his thigh. Then another clipped his side.
After a full barrage, Su Ming removed his blindfold, breathing slightly heavier and visibly disappointed.
He had come a long way from getting hit by most of the shots to dodging nearly all.
But he still hadn't fully awakened Observation Haki.
Still, his progress was undeniable.
—
In the past few months, his strength had soared.
Especially his mastery of ki.
With guidance from the memories of past legends, his grasp of ki was improving by the day.
He had even recreated the Destructo Disc (Kienzan)—a technique so sharp that it once severed Frieza's tail despite the massive power gap.
Had Frieza not dodged in time, it might have sliced him clean in half.
That alone made it a fearsome weapon Su Ming wouldn't forget.
He'd also absorbed other techniques like the Thunder Shock Surprise and Hypnosis from Master Roshi expanding his arsenal for different battle scenarios.
Physically, he'd enhanced his body with Roger's One Piece-style training.
When he first met Master Roshi, his own power level was barely above the old man's.
Now, he had far surpassed it.
Su Ming estimated his power level was close to 200 still far from the elite, but impressive for someone his age and background.
After a few more rounds of bullet training, Bulma finally pushed open the door.
Holding a dry towel and water, she frowned, scolding him gently:
"I told you not to hurt yourself! Even if those are special bullets, they still hurt!"
She handed him the towel, clearly concerned.
Su Ming took it with a grin.
"Come on, you know these won't actually injure me. I'm totally fine."
Bulma sighed. She'd asked him to go easy on himself before—but she always gave in when she saw how much it meant to him.
"I guess that ability still hasn't awakened?"
"Not yet," Su Ming admitted, sipping water.
"These bullets aren't dangerous enough. I need more pressure to truly focus total immersion."
He didn't resume training.
Bulma had waited for him for so long, and now he had time to spend with her.
"Alright, let's go. I'll carry your bags today, Miss Bulma," he said, jokingly bowing.
Bulma smirked with satisfaction.
"Let's go. Today's perfect for shopping and strolling."
Together, they hit the most bustling shopping district.
Store after store, bag after bag.
Several hours passed.
Su Ming felt exhausted while Bulma looked like she'd only just started, full of life and energy.
He finally admitted to himself:
Nothing drains you quite like shopping with a woman.
But despite the fatigue, he stayed close by her side, step for step.
And later, when he finally looked at all the bags he was carrying—
To his surprise, a large portion of them were clothes Bulma had picked out for him.