Frieza actually blushed for once. "Hehe… I'm simply used to being approachable, so I usually meet people in my first form."
"Exactly!" Captain Ginyu chimed in earnestly. "Those soldiers who gossip behind your back about Lord Frieza being short—none of them understand you, my lord!"
Frieza asked, "How did you arrive so quickly? It's only been half a day."
Ginyu reported seriously, "We were on our way to Planet Yardrat for a mission, and we happened to be relatively close to this area.
When we received your order, we changed course and came straight here."
Frieza nodded. "I see. Looks like I've got a bit of luck as well.
By the way—did you bring the new-model scouters?"
"We did. We keep them on us."
Jeice stepped forward at once and handed Frieza a sleek case.
Frieza opened it, then happily put the scouter on his face.
"You've worked hard. Without scouters, it's truly inconvenient."
But the moment Frieza activated the scouter, his expression shifted.
He noticed there were no energy readings inside the ship at all.
Frieza's pupils tightened.
"No… that's not right. Cui should be here. Why is there no response…?"
Frieza rushed into the ship. Sensing something wrong, Ginyu hurried after him.
Very quickly, Frieza saw it—
Cui's headless corpse…
and the Dragon Balls that had been stored there were gone.
Instantly, Frieza's mood sank like a stone.
"Bastard… someone stole my Dragon Balls. Don't tell me…"
He glanced at the scouter.
Not far away, a strong energy signature was racing away from this position.
"There's a powerful energy reading fleeing in that direction!"
Frieza's fist clenched. "So that's who it is… Nappa stole my Dragon Balls!"
Captain Ginyu immediately said, "Lord Frieza, don't worry. I'll go capture him."
Frieza snorted. "Now that the Dragon Balls are gone, there's no reason to guard the ship.
I'm going too. I want him to die screaming."
Frieza left the ship again.
He glanced at Vegeta on the ground—still not quite dead yet.
So Frieza lifted one finger and fired a thin beam of red light straight through Vegeta's heart.
"Farewell, you traitorous mutt."
Vegeta's body trembled as the beam pierced him again. The energy reading on the scouter plummeted rapidly.
Frieza didn't need Vegeta to die instantly.
Letting him suffer a while longer before death was far more satisfying.
After that finishing strike, Frieza and the Ginyu Force immediately pursued Nappa's direction.
In Frieza's mind, Vegeta had no possible way to survive.
…
Vegeta could feel his life force draining away. His vision blurred, his consciousness slipping.
Regret clawed up from his gut.
"Frieza's second form… is this strong?
I've become so much stronger… and yet in front of him, I don't even have the right to run.
Damn it… I can't accept this…"
Then he suddenly remembered the last Senzu Bean.
The "bug" might not work anymore—
but healing would always work.
He hurriedly fumbled inside his clothes. The moment his fingers touched the bean, joy surged over his face.
"Good… it's still here!"
With the last of his strength, Vegeta shoved it into his mouth.
A warm current flooded through his body.
The bloody hole in his chest sealed at a visible speed.
Vegeta jolted upright, laughing hoarsely.
"Hah… hah… Frieza… you miscalculated!"
He felt the strength refill his body—if anything, it was even a little stronger than before.
But his reason was clear:
Even so, he still wasn't Frieza's match.
"Nappa… that idiot should've succeeded…"
Vegeta stood, brushing the dust from his battle suit.
"But the problem is the Ginyu Force arrived… and they brought scouters. Nappa doesn't know that.
He's going to die for sure.
And worse—those six Dragon Balls will fall right back into Frieza's hands…"
Vegeta clenched his fist, cursing fate.
The Ginyu Force had shown up at the worst possible moment.
If Frieza still had no scouters, this might've worked…
Then another thought struck Vegeta like lightning.
Even with six Dragon Balls, you still couldn't summon Shenron.
As long as he found the seventh Dragon Ball and hid it…
Frieza would still be unable to make a wish.
A petty, triumphant grin crept across Vegeta's face.
He focused, sensing the other auras on the planet.
It didn't take long before he confirmed where the last Dragon Ball was—
in the village where the Grand Elder lived.
Vegeta suppressed his ki and flew toward the Grand Elder's direction.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning seemed to cut across his mind.
"What was that? A hallucination?"
"It felt like an extremely powerful ki appeared… and vanished…"
…
Goku and the others reached the Grand Elder's village, where a warrior-type Namekian blocked their path.
It was Nail.
"Stop, outsiders."
Nail's voice was calm, but when he saw Piccolo, a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes.
Piccolo looked at Nail, feeling that massive aura, and was shocked by his strength.
He stepped forward. "I'm also a Namekian. I came from Earth. We need to see the Grand Elder."
Nail studied him carefully. "You… aren't one of the Grand Elder's children. Your ki is… unusual."
Goku spoke up. "We're not here with bad intentions. We came to help Namek. Please take us to the Grand Elder."
Nail hesitated, glanced at Piccolo, then finally stepped aside.
"If a member of my own people brought you, then follow me.
But the Grand Elder doesn't have much time left. Don't cause any unnecessary disturbance."
Everyone nodded and followed Nail into the Grand Elder's chamber.
The room was spacious but simple.
The elderly Grand Elder sat in a wide chair, looking at them kindly.
"Welcome… travelers from afar…"
But when his gaze fell on Piccolo, his eyes widened.
"You… you are Katatz's child?" The Grand Elder's voice trembled.
Piccolo frowned. "Who is Katatz?"
The Grand Elder blinked, then beckoned gently.
"Child… will you come closer?"
Piccolo felt an inexplicable warmth toward him. Without resisting, he walked up.
The Grand Elder placed a hand on Piccolo's head—
and instantly read everything that had happened on Earth.
Naturally, he also saw certain truths about Kami.
"…So that's it. Ah…"
The Grand Elder sighed softly.
"I understand now."
Piccolo's brow tightened. "Grand Elder… why are you sighing?"
The Grand Elder looked regretful. "Such a brilliant genius… split into two beings.
What a waste…
If you could become one again, you should be able to defeat Frieza—the one invading Namek."
"What?!" Piccolo couldn't imagine it. The Grand Elder was saying fusion could beat Frieza?
Goku had already roughly calculated it.
In the future, after years of training and then fusing with Kami, Piccolo could surpass the Androids and early-stage Cell.
That implied at least hundreds of millions in power.
If he fused now, reaching over a hundred million shouldn't be impossible.
But at the mention of fusion, Piccolo resisted instinctively. He clenched his fist.
"I won't fuse with him. But I'll train and become strong enough on my own!"
The Grand Elder smiled and nodded. "I understand your feelings.
And I understand your purpose as well.
Come—let me unlock your potential."
The Grand Elder guided Piccolo's latent power outward.
Piccolo's potential release was astonishing. Everyone felt his ki surge violently.
When the Grand Elder's hand lifted away, a shockwave burst from Piccolo, blasting objects around the room.
Bulma's detector flickered wildly as she read the numbers, trembling with excitement.
"Six hundred thousand… seven hundred thousand… eight hundred thousand… nine hundred ninety-nine thousand…
My god—out of range!
Piccolo, you're insane!"
Piccolo felt power he'd never possessed before. His heart hammered with excitement.
It was like all the strength he'd fallen behind on over the years had been returned to him at once.
A moment later, his aura settled.
Piccolo's mouth curved slightly. "Good. Now I can deal with Frieza."
Feeling Piccolo's terrifying ki, Krillin immediately rushed to the Grand Elder.
"Me next! Me next!"
The Grand Elder placed a hand on Krillin's smooth head.
Warm energy poured in.
Krillin felt strength surging through every cell in his body—like his entire being was cheering.
"Whoa! This feels amazing!" Krillin jumped up in excitement.
"Bulma! Check my battle power!"
Bulma quickly activated her detector. "Let me see… twenty-five thousand!
Oh my god, Krillin—you got way stronger! You're even stronger than Vegeta was before!"
Krillin stared at his hands, satisfied. "I can't compare to Goku or Piccolo… but I'm more than happy."
Soon after, Tien also underwent potential unlocking, rising to twenty-seven thousand.
He clenched his fist, feeling the power flow. "Great… I can get this strong too. I can finally help."
Watching everyone gain so much, Bulma ran up as well.
"My turn! My turn! I want to become super strong too!"
The Grand Elder smiled kindly and placed his hand on Bulma's head.
A moment passed…
Nothing happened.
The Grand Elder shook his head helplessly. "Sorry, young lady. You don't have even a trace of potential."
Bulma's face collapsed. "What?! I have zero potential?!"
Krillin couldn't help laughing. "Hahahaha! Bulma, you really do belong in a lab!"
"Shut up, baldhead!"
Bulma smacked Krillin on the head so hard he yelped and ran away clutching it.
Goku stepped forward next.
The Grand Elder placed his hand on Goku's head.
Suddenly, the Grand Elder's whole body trembled.
"Your potential… is bottomless…"
Everyone turned to look at Goku.
As the potential was unlocked, Goku's body began to glow faintly, his aura rising higher and higher.
Bulma's detector started shrieking again.
"Again—nine hundred ninety-nine thousand… out of range again!
Goku, I knew you'd be even crazier!"
Before she finished speaking—
Goku's eyes snapped open.
A golden aura exploded upward like a pillar. He threw his head back and let out a long howl.
In an instant, a violent wind tore through the room—the roof was blasted clean off and disappeared into the night sky.
His hair lifted and spiked upward, turning a brilliant gold.
His eyes shifted into a vivid green.
And his aura surged into something terrifying.
The transformation came as naturally as breathing—power erupting from him with no sense of strain or discord.
"Th-This… this is Super Saiyan?" Krillin stammered, jaw hanging open.
Piccolo stared in shock. "So Goku really became the legendary strongest warrior… a Super Saiyan!"
At that moment, a system notification flashed through Goku's mind.
[Mission: Ask Namek's Grand Elder to unlock your potential — Completed.
Reward: Spirit Control Training Method (Complete Edition) has been delivered.]
In an instant, a complete Spirit Control training method appeared in Goku's mind.
But that was all—there was no instant mastery.
Goku didn't focus on it yet.
Instead, he reveled in the surging power inside him. He clenched his fist.
"So this is… Super Saiyan power.
It's insane…!
I really want to fight someone right now…"
Bulma stared at him, thrilled. "Woooow! Goku—gold hair and green eyes… you look so cool!"
Right then—
POP!
Bulma's detector exploded with a puff of smoke.
She stared at the ruined device in her hand and screamed, "Nooo! It blew up! My newest model—I worked so hard on that!!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Goku pulled his aura back in and returned to normal.
Then he bowed slightly to the Grand Elder.
"Thank you, Grand Elder.
We'll kill Frieza and save your people…"
The Grand Elder looked up at the sky. "I can sense more evil, powerful ki arriving on this planet.
But compared to you… it's much weaker.
So I entrust my children to you."
Piccolo stepped forward immediately. "Grand Elder, thank you for unlocking my potential.
I will kill Frieza with my own hands.
And every one of your children who died… I'll use the Dragon Balls to revive them all."
At that, the Grand Elder hurriedly said, "Right—Nail. Bring out the final Dragon Ball and give it to them…"
"Yes, Grand Elder!"
When the Dragon Ball was placed into Krillin's hands, the Grand Elder added,
"One more thing—I almost forgot.
Our Dragon Balls require the Namekian language. Nail should go with you."
Nail's eyes widened. "But, Grand Elder… you…"
The Grand Elder waved him off. "I'm already close to death. It doesn't matter. Go…"
But Bulma immediately stepped forward. "It's fine!
Before coming, Goku reminded me—so I already learned some Namekian back on Earth.
Making a wish shouldn't be a problem."
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