Chapter 69: A New Saiyan
What drew Turles's group to the arena battle wasn't the fighters' power levels—it was one combatant's attire. It was all too familiar.
One of the two fighters wore the standard Frieza Force combat uniform. More notably, a brown tail was wrapped around her waist.
That's right—the unmistakable mark of a Saiyan. A female Saiyan, no less, which was exceptionally rare.
Everyone exchanged glances, equally surprised and delighted.
None of them had expected to encounter a surviving Saiyan this quickly. The female Saiyan's battle power seemed decent—at minimum, far stronger than Nappa before his potential unlock.
The arena battle continued. The Saiyan woman appeared to be losing ground. Her clothing was torn, exposing large patches of wheat-colored skin covered in bruises. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Turles, aren't you going to help her?"
Seeing the female Saiyan's condition, Bulma felt sympathetic and couldn't help asking.
Turles didn't answer, still watching his fellow Saiyan. Through his ki sensing, this clansman's energy signature showed no signs of weakening. This was all an act.
This combat mentality surprised Turles. In his experience, very few Saiyans employed such tactics of feigning weakness. Most just charged in headfirst—if they could win, they fought; if not, they fled.
Turles's interest was piqued. His lips curved slightly upward.
Seeing Turles not only ignore her but smile while watching the female Saiyan, Bulma felt annoyed. She reached out and pinched his side.
"Hm? What is it, Bulma?"
The pinch brought Turles back to attention. Seeing Bulma's unhappy expression, he looked puzzled.
Caught in the act, Bulma's face flushed bright red. She waved her hands frantically in explanation. "Nothing! Nothing! I meant—aren't you going to save your fellow Saiyan?"
Turles didn't make much of it, patiently explaining, "No need. The fight will end soon. She's not in any danger."
The moment Turles finished speaking, cheers erupted from the stands. Bulma quickly looked at the arena. Sure enough, the female Saiyan had defeated her opponent and was raising both hands high, accepting the crowd's adulation.
Bulma first breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately glared at the show-off female Saiyan on stage.
After the battle ended, the female Saiyan withdrew. Turles immediately leaned close to Raditz's ear and whispered instructions.
After Turles finished, Raditz nodded and departed.
Several more combatants with impressive battle power took the stage afterward. The intensity matched the previous fight.
Turles's group settled comfortably in the stands, enjoying the matches. Even Nappa couldn't resist the urge to jump in and show off his skills.
The Universal Business Union truly lived up to its reputation. This arena was managed spectacularly—no worse than the Mercenary Arena on Obsidian, even surpassing it in terms of high-level combatants.
After all, finding planets where such powerful fighters could battle freely was rare in the universe.
Turles couldn't help thinking—should he host competitions on Red Stone Planet? With Saiyans' passion for combat, finding participants would be easy. With Belus's help running operations, he'd be counting money until his hands cramped.
But after consideration, Turles abandoned this unrealistic idea. Money wasn't essential in the Dragon Ball world. Besides, he already owned a massive planet—no need to worry about finances.
And Red Stone Planet didn't even have any Saiyans yet. Finding all the surviving Saiyans would take considerable time.
Just as Turles's group exited the arena, they encountered the returning Raditz. Behind him was the female Saiyan from the arena.
Turles said nothing, simply nodding at her before heading toward the ship.
Aboard the ship.
"Your name is Bela?" Turles looked at the tomboyish girl before him, asking uncertainly.
He hadn't noticed earlier during the arena match. Now that she'd cleaned up, Turles realized this clansman was actually quite attractive.
After washing up, a fresh-faced young woman stood before them. Her black hair was casually tied in a ponytail behind her head.
Bela's styling skills left something to be desired—a single hair stood straight up from her forehead, making her look somewhat adorably dopey. You'd never guess this was the same person who'd fought savagely in the arena.
Bela observed the fellow Saiyan before her without reservation. Raditz had said this clansman possessed battle power far exceeding all other Saiyans. But she couldn't detect any aura of strength from Turles, which made her skeptical.
Hearing Turles's question, Bela nodded, then immediately looked at him with confusion. "Are you really as strong as Raditz said? I can't tell at all. You look weaker than me!"
Raditz's expression changed at her words. He immediately stepped forward, covering Bela's mouth while giving Turles an awkward smile. "Boss, don't listen to her nonsense! I didn't say anything!"
Turles looked at Raditz with an ambiguous expression. He stared until Raditz grew uncomfortable before speaking. "You know exactly what kind of person your boss is, don't you?"
"Yes, yes! Boss, you're supremely wise and mighty! My admiration for you could move heaven and earth! I—"
Turles couldn't stand Raditz's flattery any longer. He cut him off directly, having no idea where Raditz had learned such phrases.
Watching Bela struggle in Raditz's grasp, Turles's eye twitched. He continued, "Since you listen to Raditz, from now on you'll follow him. Raditz, explain our situation to her properly. If there are problems, come find me later."
With that, Turles ignored them both and headed straight for the laboratory to find Bulma.
Arriving at the lab, Turles found Bulma intently focused on operating mechanical equipment at her workstation.
"How's it going? Did you collect the Super Dragon Ball's wavelength?"
Walking up to Bulma, Turles asked directly.
Hearing Turles's voice pulled Bulma from her work. She glanced at him irritably. "You're such a slavedriver—you know that? Always working me to the bone!"
Turles recognized his mistake. He immediately stepped behind Bulma, placing his hands on her shoulders and massaging them while speaking ingratiatingly. "It's only because Lady Bulma is a genius! Otherwise, why would I trouble you?"
Hearing Turles's praise while feeling his touch on her shoulders and catching his scent, Bulma's face flushed slightly. Her body went a bit soft. She somewhat unnaturally tucked her hair behind her ear, huffed proudly, and said, "Of course! There's nothing this young lady can't figure out. Look!"
Bulma subtly stepped away from Turles before gesturing toward her workstation with her chin.
Turles didn't notice Bulma's reaction. He simply followed her gaze to the workstation and spotted a familiar device.
"A Super Dragon Ball Radar! You actually made it!" Turles picked up the radar from the workstation, testing it out. Sure enough, three light points appeared on the display.
While operating the Super Dragon Ball Radar, Turles continued praising Bulma. "Truly worthy of our genius lady! You finished it so quickly. Bringing you along was definitely the right decision."
That's right—Turles had asked Bulma to create a Super Dragon Ball Radar.
Though Turles currently had no way to collect the Super Dragon Balls, that didn't prevent him from preparing ahead.
When they'd landed on the Super Four-Star Dragon Ball, Turles had Bulma start collecting the radiation wavelength data. Bulma hadn't disappointed him—she'd finished the Super Dragon Ball Radar this quickly.
Turles felt fortunate he hadn't refused Bulma's company. Otherwise, he'd have missed this opportunity. And there would be many more times he'd need Bulma's help. Turles was starting to feel he couldn't do without her.