Stopped by Tien, Ginyu (in Krillin's body) flew into a rage.
He suddenly opened his mouth, firing a Ki Blast Cannon straight at Tien.
Tien crossed his arms, his aura condensing.
The moment the energy wave struck him, it bounced straight back.
Ginyu (Krillin's body) was startled and tried to dodge—
but it was far too fast. His body simply couldn't react in time.
Left with no choice, he took his own attack head-on.
Yet when the energy slammed into him, it felt like a gentle breeze brushing past his skin. Not a single bit of damage.
The Ki blast dispersed instantly.
Ginyu (Krillin's body) blinked his exaggeratedly large eyes.
"What?"
"Is this really the power of the strongest Earthling? How can it be this weak?"
Tien's lips curled into a high, confident smile.
"That's right. Krillin is the strongest Earthling."
"But you don't suit his body at all."
"You can't bring out even a fraction of his real power."
"So hurry up and switch back with Krillin already."
Ginyu refused to accept it, roaring angrily,
"Don't spout nonsense! My abilities are beyond your understanding!"
"I took that attack without the slightest effect—that proves this body is still extremely strong!"
As he spoke, Ginyu (Krillin's body) set the Dragon Balls aside and threw a heavy punch at Tien.
Tien quickly raised his guard.
Krillin's body was incredibly tough. Even without full mastery, the attacks were still fierce. And Tien didn't want to damage Krillin's body, so he could only engage in a prolonged exchange.
Their fight looked intense.
But Tien was constantly holding back, afraid of seriously injuring Krillin's body.
Ginyu (Krillin's body), on the other hand, had no such concerns—pouring out every ounce of strength he had, unleashing power recklessly.
As the fight dragged on, Ginyu's control over Krillin's body improved rapidly.
Tien was forced to expend more and more energy just to keep up.
His expression darkened.
"This is bad… he's adapting to Krillin's body faster and faster!"
Ginyu (Krillin's body) also noticed it. Excitement surged through him.
"Such incredible power… such a perfect form!"
"I, Captain Ginyu, will completely claim it!"
"Hahaha! Once I rebuild the Ginyu Force, this small body will finally be lifted high by everyone!"
Hearing this, Tien froze.
He immediately imagined Krillin being hoisted into the air by a group of grown men performing the Ginyu Force poses.
His face flushed red in an instant.
Just thinking about it was unbearable.
Too horrifying to picture.
Tien turned toward Krillin (in Ginyu's body) and shouted,
"Sorry, Krillin! I have to subdue your body now!"
Krillin nodded quickly.
"I didn't expect him to adapt this fast. But he still doesn't know Kaio-Ken, so I'm not too worried."
"Tien, don't let him keep adapting. Hit harder if you have to—just don't blow my body to pieces!"
Tien nodded.
"Understood."
With a sharp shout, Tien released even more power—clearly preparing to give Ginyu a brutal beating.
Just then—
A figure shot out from the mountainside at incredible speed.
It slammed straight into Ginyu (Krillin's body), sending him flying dozens of meters away.
Tien froze.
Then he recognized the figure.
"Vegeta!"
Everyone turned to look.
Krillin (Ginyu's body) scratched his head.
"Huh? Where'd he come from?"
Yamcha explained,
"Earlier, when Ginyu swapped bodies with you, Vegeta was too close."
"Your body punched him the instant the swap finished—sent him crashing into the mountain."
Krillin nodded.
"Oh, I see."
"Honestly, I can't bring out this body's strength either. And I don't want to adapt to it. I just want my body back."
Son Goku patted Krillin on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. If he refuses to switch back, we can always find the Dragon Balls later and ask Shenron to swap you back."
"We could even make you five centimeters taller while we're at it!"
Krillin's eyes lit up.
"Hey—that's actually a great idea! Just feels like a waste of a wish."
"No problem," Goku said cheerfully. "With the Dragon Radar, finding Dragon Balls is easy for us."
Krillin finally relaxed and nodded.
"You're the best, Goku."
After being sent flying, Ginyu (Krillin's body) forcibly stopped himself midair.
He turned to Vegeta, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
"Well, well—if it isn't Vegeta."
"What are you sticking your nose in for? Want me to toy with you?"
Vegeta snarled.
"Ginyu, you bastard! You really pissed me off!"
"You sneak-attacked me after the body swap—what, you think I'm the weakest one here?! Looking down on me?!"
Ginyu raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, that?"
"Honestly, I've never thought much of filthy Saiyan monkeys like you."
Vegeta exploded in rage.
"How dare you insult Saiyans! I'll make you regret this!"
Seeing Vegeta seething with fury, Tien said,
"Vegeta… maybe we should leave him to you."
"Just—please don't damage Krillin's body too badly."
Vegeta smirked.
He had no such scruples.
He came here for two reasons.
First—Ginyu had looked down on him and ambushed him.
He wanted payback.
Second—he didn't trust these soft-hearted Earthlings to finish the job properly.
In the next instant, Vegeta launched himself at Ginyu (Krillin's body).
His punch carried terrifying force—no restraint at all—slamming straight into Ginyu's abdomen.
Still not fully adapted to Krillin's body, Ginyu couldn't dodge in time.
He took the blow head-on.
As Ginyu groaned, Vegeta followed up instantly.
A sweeping kick smashed into Ginyu's face.
Then Vegeta flashed behind him and drove a vicious kick into his lower back.
"Crack! Crack—!"
Ginyu's spine snapped in that instant.
Seeing his own body getting wrecked, Krillin hurriedly shouted,
"Hey! Vegeta! Don't hit my body that hard!"
Vegeta ignored him completely.
At this level of strength, it wasn't easy to kill someone outright.
Without fatal external injuries, death wasn't likely.
To prevent another body swap, Vegeta knocked Ginyu down and immediately began condensing an energy sphere to finish him off.
Yet instead of fear, a savage smile appeared on Ginyu's face.
"Body… CHANGE!"
At the instant Vegeta charged his blast, a beam of light shot toward him.
Vegeta was horrified.
He hadn't expected the technique to be instantaneous—no charging, absurd speed.
At that critical moment—
Ginyu's original body suddenly burst forward, blocking the beam.
The Ginyu below turned pale.
"Get out of the way!"
It was useless.
The beam struck perfectly, swapping Ginyu and Krillin back.
Krillin collapsed on the ground, his body wracked with pain, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Yet he couldn't stop smiling.
"That's great… I'm finally back… my own body…"
For a split second after the swap, Ginyu was dazed.
His eyes swept over the others.
They weren't far—he could swap with anyone.
Just as he prepared to activate it again—
A deadly presence descended from above.
"Ginyu… DIE!"
Ginyu jerked his head up.
Vegeta's energy sphere had expanded to several meters in diameter—crackling with lightning as it crushed downward with annihilating force.
In an instant, Ginyu was completely engulfed.
Watching from afar, everyone couldn't help but marvel at Vegeta's ruthlessness.
Cruel to others—and even crueler to himself.
He'd nearly been body-swapped just moments earlier, yet he never stopped charging his attack.
If the swap had succeeded, the blast would still have fired—
destroying both himself and Krillin.
"BOOOOM—!"
The explosion ripped through the battlefield.
Ginyu's aura was obliterated, his body shredded into fragments that rained down, dyeing the land crimson.
Goku was about to feed Krillin a Senzu Bean, when Dende suddenly ran over.
A healing light flowed from Dende's hands.
In just two breaths, Krillin was completely healed.
Krillin stared in shock.
"Whoa! Dende, your healing's just as good as Senzu Beans!"
Dende blushed shyly.
"Please don't say that…"
"You saved our planet. Being able to heal you… at least I can help a little."
Seeing the enemies defeated, Bulma and Chi-Chi walked over.
Bulma looked around and said,
"Hey—we've wasted a lot of time."
"Next we go find the Grand Supreme Elder, get the final Dragon Ball…"
"Then it's time for our showdown with Frieza."
Everyone nodded.
Carrying the six Dragon Balls, they flew straight toward the Grand Supreme Elder's village.
Soon, they arrived.
Atop a high mountain stood an insect-like structure.
That was the Grand Supreme Elder's home.
As they landed, a young Namekian stepped outside.
Dende smiled brightly.
"Nail! That's great—the enemy didn't attack this village!"
Nail examined the group, then focused on Dende.
"You came at the right time."
"The Grand Supreme Elder already knows everything that's happened these past few days."
Dende froze.
"The Grand Supreme Elder knows… already?"
Nail nodded.
Dende asked again,
"Then why didn't you all hide?"
Nail replied,
"The Grand Supreme Elder is too old to move."
"So I stayed behind to protect him."
Dende nodded.
"I understand."
The Earthlings stared at Nail in awe.
"He looks exactly like Piccolo…"
Bulma suddenly remembered—Piccolo had once merged with Nail on Planet Namek, barely keeping up with Goku afterward.
Now that Nail hadn't been gravely injured…
Would that mean Piccolo was incomplete?
Bulma shook her head.
Staying at the Lookout was far safer for him anyway.
If he died, things would get troublesome.
Nail gestured inside.
"Please—come in. The Grand Supreme Elder is waiting."
Inside, an elderly, rotund Namekian sat in a chair, eyes half-closed.
"Welcome, welcome… you're all from Earth, aren't you?"
"First, thank you for saving my children."
Vegeta frowned.
"Your children? How do you know the ones we saved were yours?"
The Grand Supreme Elder nodded.
"Of course I know."
"All Namekians are my children."
"All of them?!"
Dende explained the Namekian birth process, leaving everyone stunned—except Goku and Bulma.
The world truly was vast and strange.
Krillin stepped forward.
"Grand Supreme Elder, could you give us the final Dragon Ball?"
"Earth also has Dragon Balls, but the one who made them was killed."
"We need to revive him so Earth's Dragon Balls can be restored."
The Grand Supreme Elder looked surprised.
"Earth has Dragon Balls too?"
"Are there Namekians there as well?"
Krillin nodded.
"So you know only what happens on Namek."
"You don't know about Earth's Guardian… or Piccolo."
"Long ago, when Namek suffered a natural disaster, he escaped in a spaceship to Earth."
The Grand Supreme Elder's eyes lit up.
"Ah… I remember."
"Katas' child."
"How astonishing—he really did reach Earth safely."
"That child was a genius."
"Not only could he create Dragon Balls—he could even reproduce."
"Surely Earth has many Namekians now?"
Krillin hesitated.
"No… he couldn't reproduce…"
Bulma stepped in immediately.
"To become Earth's Guardian, he had to purge all evil."
"So he split into two beings."
"The reproductive ability went to the evil half—King Piccolo."
"That half brought disaster to Earth for centuries and was sealed away by martial artists."
"He resurfaced recently but was already old."
"The children he created were all monsters."
"Eventually… he was killed by Turles."¹
Bulma rattled everything off in one breath.
She expected the Grand Supreme Elder to sigh.
Instead, he said calmly,
"You spoke too fast. I'm old—I couldn't keep up."
Everyone: "..."
Even Bulma froze.
So she'd said all that… for nothing?
The Grand Supreme Elder smiled kindly.
"Earthlings… could one of you come forward?"
Bulma lit up.
"Krillin—go! He's going to unlock your potential!"
Krillin hurried over.
Everyone watched eagerly.
The Grand Supreme Elder placed a hand on Krillin's head.
After a moment, he sighed.
"To become Guardian, one must abandon evil… splitting into two beings."
"What a foolish act."
"A rare talent, divided in half."
"If those two had reunited and trained properly…"
"No one on Earth should have been able to kill him."
Bulma waved it off.
"Grand Supreme Elder, don't worry about that."
"Those two are completely incompatible. Fusion would be harder than climbing to the sky."
"Frieza's forces are already dealt with—please help the rest of us now."
"We're here to fight Frieza."
The Grand Supreme Elder nodded.
"Very well."
As his hand rested on Krillin's head, a guiding force spread through Krillin's body.
In an instant—
Krillin's Ki exploded upward at an astonishing rate.
Everyone gasped.
His aura surged to unprecedented heights.
His battle power multiplied several times over.
Bulma immediately pulled out her scouter.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
It went wild.
Seeing the final number, Bulma was stunned.
"My god… Krillin's battle power is over two million!"
Everyone's jaws dropped.
"Two… million?!"
Tien sucked in a sharp breath.
"That's insane!"
"If he uses Kaio-Ken, wouldn't that reach tens of millions?!"