When the pressure in his mind finally faded, Bardock let out a long breath and relaxed.
With just a thought, he pulled out a strange crystal—the Law Energy Stone he once got from hunting Star Beasts five million years ago.
"I wonder if those Star Beasts still exist in this time?" Bardock muttered, holding the crystal and preparing to find out.
If they did, then what he remembered from the "original story" was just a small piece of the universe.
Bardock used Instant Transmission again and again, warping across thousands of galaxies. He moved through the South, East, North, and West galaxies endlessly.
But no matter how far he traveled, the crystal stayed silent.
That meant in this era, Star Beasts no longer existed.
He had spent countless days flashing through the universe. As he explored, he confirmed one thing—
"Just as I thought… Once something's erased by history, it's gone forever. No exceptions." Bardock stared at the stone, his eyes cold.
The world itself seemed to run on fixed rules. No mistakes. No surprises.
The only reason he could exist here… was because he was a traveler outside of time. He didn't belong to this world's rules, so he could change things.
Suddenly, Bardock's eyes widened. A huge, water-blue planet floated in front of him.
"Wait… Earth?!" A memory hit him, and his body froze.
This world looked exactly like the Earth from five million years ago, back in the dinosaur age.
"No way… don't tell me…" Bardock's mind raced.
He spread out his senses. At once, tens of billions of life signatures filled his awareness—not beasts, but humans!
"So it really is Earth…" Bardock whispered. "Earth five million years ago… is the same Earth in this future."
Fate? Coincidence? He couldn't tell. But Earth had always been part of his plan anyway. He wanted to see Kakarot.
And now Earth was right in front of him.
Bardock's eyes softened. "Guess I'll take this chance to see my son."
He vanished, a streak of light darting toward Earth.
Soon he broke through the atmosphere, floating a thousand meters high. Below him stretched a modern city—tall buildings, endless traffic, millions of people living normal lives.
If not for a few differences, Bardock might've thought this was his Earth from his past life. But no… this was still the Dragon Ball world.
He sighed. "I'll never go back to my old world. This is my reality now."
With his senses, Bardock searched the planet. "According to the timeline… Kakarot should already be here."
He spread his aura further—then found it.
"There you are!" Bardock's face lit up. The faint but familiar ki was almost identical to his own. No doubt—it was his son, Kakarot.
Bardock locked on and vanished.
Far away, deep in the wild mountains of Mount Paozu, ferocious beasts roamed. Normal humans would die in minutes here. But martial artists seeking strength came often to train.
And among these mountains lived an old man—gentle-faced, harmless-looking. Yet the beasts avoided him, sensing danger from his hidden power.
He was Son Gohan, Master Roshi's first disciple. Living alone, he lived quietly, only coming out for food or herbs.
That day, as he gathered herbs, he suddenly heard the sharp cry of a baby.
"Hm?! A baby, out here?!" Son Gohan frowned and followed the sound.
Soon, he reached a cliff. Below, a massive crater stretched out—like something had fallen from the sky.
At the center lay a small space pod, cracked open.
Before Son Gohan could investigate, the baby's cry pulled his gaze.
There, on a boulder, sat a tiny child in Saiyan armor. Black hair, tail, barely three years old—crying loudly.
"A child?! Out here?!" Son Gohan leapt down.
The moment the baby saw him, he stopped crying, blinking curiously with big black eyes.
Son Gohan's heart softened. "Poor kid… abandoned at such a young age. Do you even have a name?"
The child only cooed. He couldn't speak yet.
Son Gohan smiled warmly. "Heh. Guess you don't. Alright then… from now on, you'll be my grandson. I'll raise you myself."
He picked the boy up gently, placing him in his basket.
This was how Son Goku's Earth story began.
Hidden far away, Bardock watched it all. His heart clenched, but he made no move.
Whis had warned him: if he interfered, history would collapse.
He scanned Son Gohan's ki—just under 100 in power. Not strong, but still one of Earth's mightiest humans.
"Fate's cruel," Bardock thought. "One day, Gohan will be killed by my son's Great Ape form… Still, this meeting is destiny."
Bardock closed his eyes. He'd seen enough. With a burst of ki, he shot back into the sky.
He soared across the Earth, scanning everything like a god. Korin Tower. Kami's Lookout. Ancient wonders.
At Kame House, he found Master Roshi, napping in sunglasses. His power was about 139. The strongest man on Earth for now.
Bardock smirked. "This world has its protectors."
During his roaming, he even spotted a Dragon Ball—but left it untouched. The Earth's Dragon Balls couldn't help him. Only the Super Dragon Balls could. Besides, he couldn't risk breaking the timeline. That Dragon Ball had to be left for Bulma.
"Speaking of Bulma…" Bardock's eyes narrowed. "By now she should be about ten years old."
He zipped through the sky and soon reached West City, landing above Capsule Corp.
In the garden, he spotted two familiar figures. One was a tiny girl with purple-blue hair—Bulma. The other, a blonde beauty—her older sister, Tights.
And with them stood a funny-looking alien in a patrol suit—Jaco, the Galactic Patrolman.
Bardock watched as Tights boarded Jaco's ship and left Earth.
Right after they left, kidnappers broke into the Capsule Corp garden, targeting Bulma.
The young girl was snatched easily—too young to resist.
Bardock clenched his fists. He knew in the "original story," Bulma would be fine. But now that he was here, watching with his own eyes…
"…Maybe it wouldn't hurt to step in, just a little." Bardock smirked faintly.
And so, destiny shifted again.
Just as a bunch of robbers rushed into the car and tried to drive away—
"What's going on? Step on it already! If we get caught now, forget the money—we're done for!" the leader barked at the driver.
The robber in the driver's seat panicked. "B-Boss, the car's already running... but it won't move!"
"What?! Don't mess with me!!" The leader cursed, jumped out, and checked for himself.
But the second he opened the door, he froze.
The reason the car wasn't moving wasn't because the engine was broken. No... the whole car was being held up in the air with one hand by a man.
The leader's gun slipped from his hands as fear shot through him. He wanted to pick it up, but the icy killing intent in front of him made him tremble.
It was Bardock. His fierce Saiyan glare alone crushed the robber's spirit.
"I... I surrender..." the leader stammered, shaking.
Inside the car, the others saw their boss terrified and grabbed their guns in desperation. But Bardock didn't even bother to move—just a flicker of his power, and an invisible force knocked them all out cold.
From inside, little Bulma peeked out, her jaw dropping.
She was shocked, but unlike ordinary people, her wide eyes sparkled with excitement. She was fascinated by Bardock.
Soon, Dr. Brief and Mrs. Brief arrived with Capsule Corp's security team to round up the unconscious robbers.
To thank Bardock, they invited him inside.
Bulma, curious as always, tugged at Bardock's arm and bombarded him with questions. Dr. Brief, polite and observant, smiled apologetically. "Please forgive her, she's just a child. She means no harm."
Bardock chuckled. "It's fine. She reminds me of my daughter."
By evening, Bardock prepared to leave. As he stepped outside, the sunset glowed across his figure, giving him an almost heroic aura.
But before he could fly off, Bulma came running out, holding a small orange ball.
It was a Dragon Ball.
"Uncle, do you like this toy? If you want it, you can have it... just promise to come back and play with me again!" she said innocently.
Bardock smiled, gently patting her head. "Bulma... this isn't just a toy. Someday, you'll understand. This ball carries your destiny."
"Destiny?" Bulma tilted her head, confused.
"When you grow up, try finding the other ones. Collect all seven, and you can summon Shenron—the dragon who grants any wish." Bardock said with a soft laugh, then rose into the sky.
Bulma's eyes widened. "Uncle can fly?!"
In the blink of an eye, Bardock vanished into space.
Looking down on Earth from the stars, Bardock muttered, "Small things can be changed... but the big path of fate can't."
He turned his gaze outward, toward the endless universe. "Let's see what else awaits after five million years."
He used Instant Transmission, disappearing into the void.
Far away, in the Realm of the Gods, Whis watched everything through his staff. He noticed Bardock's actions on Earth but did not intervene.
"Bulma... that girl's role in the future is too important," Whis murmured. "Bardock may have changed small details, but the flow of fate remains."
Back in space, Bardock traveled through galaxies, seeking the strange planet he remembered. But after countless jumps, he couldn't find it. The world seemed to have vanished across history.
"Tch. Looks like that planet's been erased by time," Bardock sighed. "Then it's time to check the Demon Realm."
He warped to the entrance vortex. The Demon Realm's energy was more corrupted than before, the blood moon dim and filled with evil.
Disguised in a black robe, Bardock infiltrated the Demon King's Palace.
But the grand palace of old was nothing but ruins.
There, he saw a tattered portrait—not of Ashe, the Demon King he once knew—but of Dabura.
"So... Dabura is king now? Hmph. The Demon Realm has really fallen." Bardock scoffed.
Compared to Ashe, who once rivaled gods, Dabura's power was nothing. Just a pawn in Babidi's schemes.
Bardock scanned for Dabura's energy, but found nothing. He realized Dabura must already be enslaved by Babidi, plotting Majin Buu's revival.
The Demon Realm was now nothing but chaos—blood, slaughter, and madness.
Bardock frowned. "This place... it's nothing but hell."