Master Roshi took off the Dragon Ball hanging from his neck.
"You mean this?
I picked it up from the seafloor a hundred years ago. Thought it looked pretty, so I made it into a necklace.
It hasn't faded a bit all these years—must be worth a fortune."
Seeing the longing in Goku's eyes, the sea turtle quickly said, "It's useless anyway. Just give it to him!
He carried me all that way back here."
Roshi glanced at the turtle, then at Goku.
"Alright then. I'll give you this bead as thanks."
He handed the Dragon Ball to Goku.
Goku weighed it in his palm, then passed it straight to Bulma.
"Here."
Bulma grabbed it happily.
"Yes! It's a Three-Star Ball!
If it had been in the ocean, finding it would've been so hard—this is really lucky…"
[Mission: Prevent Bulma and Master Roshi from making an improper deal — Completed.
Reward: Flight granted.]
A sudden flash of understanding surged through Goku's mind.
In an instant, he grasped the principles of flight and mastered it completely—as if he'd used it tens of thousands of times before.
With their fourth Dragon Ball in hand, Goku and Bulma bid Master Roshi farewell and set off once more.
Bulma rode her motorcycle with Goku on the back, grinning from ear to ear.
"Ha ha, this is great!
Four Dragon Balls already—we're so lucky!"
Laughing and chatting, they headed toward the next one.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and they finally reached the area of the fifth Dragon Ball.
Bulma glanced at Goku, puzzled.
"Has it just been me, or… did you get taller?"
Goku smiled. "Really? Maybe I'm just hitting a growth spurt."
Thinking about how some of her classmates shot up from short to tall in just a few months, Bulma nodded.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Boys do develop later. Guess it's your time."
"That's right," Goku said confidently. "I'm definitely in my golden growth phase!"
Bulma didn't dwell on it and turned on the radar.
"Great, Goku—we're almost there.
The radar says there's a Dragon Ball just ten kilometers ahead!"
Goku floated into the air and looked forward.
"Mm. I see a village."
Bulma stared up at him in surprise. "Huh? You can fly too?"
Goku looked down at her. "It's called Flight. It's a martial arts technique."
"Wow… that's amazing."
"It's just a small trick, nothing special."
Bulma's eyes lit up with curiosity. "If it's so simple, can you teach me?"
Goku scratched his head. "I could… but with your physical condition, it'd be really hard.
Even if you learned it, flying would tire you out way faster than walking. You'd probably be exhausted after just a few hundred meters."
Bulma's mouth twitched. "Okay, okay, never mind.
If flying were that easy, people wouldn't have invented airplanes."
"That's actually a pretty good comparison."
"Of course. I'm the smartest scientific genius girl on Earth!"
They chatted as they walked toward the village.
The moment they entered, a girl's scream rang out.
"Ah! No, please!"
"Lord Oolong, please let my daughter go!"
Right then, a towering giant rose up ahead.
Bulma's legs went weak at the sight. She hurried behind Goku.
"Goku, there's a monster! Can you beat that thing?"
Goku already knew it was Oolong.
He did find it odd that no mission had appeared—but then he realized dealing with Oolong didn't count as some major regret.
He patted his chest confidently. "Of course I can. I'm really strong."
"Then hurry and go kill it!" Bulma said at once.
Goku: "…"
What a ruthless beauty.
Seeing his reaction, Bulma tilted her head. "What's wrong? Are you scared too?"
"Of course not," Goku said. "I just mean—before killing it, ask about the Dragon Ball.
They'll definitely trade a Dragon Ball for me chasing the monster away."
Bulma's eyes lit up. "You're pretty clever for a kid.
So what now? You chase it away first?"
"Yeah. Once it runs, you go talk to them."
"Got it!"
Goku pulled out his Power Pole and charged toward the giant.
"Release that girl, you monster!"
Oolong and the girl both froze.
Then Oolong burst into laughter. "Ha ha! You little brat—aren't you afraid I'll crush you?"
Goku gripped his staff, carefully holding back his strength.
"Take this!"
Seeing Goku charge so recklessly, Oolong was startled. He dropped the girl and rolled aside.
The next instant, his blood ran cold.
The Power Pole slammed into the ground like a thunderbolt, blasting countless bricks into the air.
Even with Goku holding back, the sheer power was terrifying.
Oolong didn't dare stick around. He immediately transformed into a bird and fled.
The rescued girl looked at Goku with shining eyes.
"You're amazing! Thank you for saving me!"
"It was nothing," Goku said with a wave.
Seeing his face up close, the girl blushed.
"You saved me… so to repay you, I'll be your bride!"
Goku jumped in shock. "N-No, that's not necessary!"
At that moment, villagers poured out of their houses.
"You're incredible!"
"You scared Oolong away with one hit!"
"So brave!"
The girl's father rushed over. "Young man, thank you so much for saving my daughter!"
"You're welcome, really!"
Just as everyone was celebrating, one villager suddenly sighed.
"We finally met such a powerful hero… but he didn't hit Oolong. He got away.
My daughter is still in his hands—I don't even know if she's alive…"
Another villager chimed in. "Same here! My daughter's been taken for two months already…"
"And mine too…"
"Hero, if you can rescue my daughter, I'll marry her to you!"
"Me too! Mine's even prettier!"
The villagers all began offering their daughters in exchange for help.
Goku could only sweat awkwardly—was this village really that hardcore?
Just then, Bulma walked over holding a Dragon Ball.
"Hey, everyone. Sorry to interrupt.
Have any of you seen a bead like this?"
All eyes turned to the Dragon Ball in her hand.
"You don't have to marry your daughters to him," Bulma added.
"If you can give us one just like it, we'll stay and help get rid of the monster."
An old woman immediately shouted, "Oh! I've got one exactly like that at home!"