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"In a moment, when the opportunity arises, we will coordinate our efforts with Goku to launch a combined assault. We must kill King Piccolo today! Otherwise, our world is doomed!"
While Goku and King Piccolo were exchanging words, Master Roshi had not been idle; he was secretly transmitting telepathic messages to Yamcha, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu.
He knew that Goku possessed immense strength, but he was absolutely convinced that the boy could not possibly be stronger than King Piccolo.
For deep within his heart, Master Roshi believed King Piccolo's power to be unfathomable—a force so overwhelming that even his own master, the legendary Mutaito, had proven no match for it, leaving no choice but to rely on the...
Only the Evil Containment Wave could seal him away.
Therefore, the only viable strategy now was for everyone to attack together and see if they could collectively overwhelm and kill King Piccolo.
If that proved impossible, then he would have to sacrifice himself, using the Evil Containment Wave to seal King Piccolo away.
The Evil Containment Wave was a sealing technique invented by his master, Mutaito.
As long as the opponent was struck by the move—even if their power level was more than ten times his own—they could be sealed inside a vessel.
However, if the opponent's power far exceeded the user's, performing the technique would drain the user of their life force, leaving them utterly exhausted and resulting in their death.
His own master, Mutaito, had met precisely this fate—dying of exhaustion—after successfully sealing King Piccolo away all those years ago.
And now, his own power was not significantly greater than Master Mutaito's had been back then; thus, even if the sealing attempt succeeded, his own death was inevitable.
"Wh-wh-what? How could it be you... K-King Piccolo!"
However, just as the battle was about to erupt, the Crane Hermit—whom Tien Shinhan had laid down beside the ring—suddenly regained consciousness.
When he saw King Piccolo standing in the center of the ring, his body gave a violent start; he was so terrified that he nearly wet himself right on the spot.
If one were to ask who had left the deepest psychological scar on him in his entire life, the answer would undoubtedly be King Piccolo.
The terrifying King Piccolo had slaughtered every martial artist in existence; even his own formidable master, Mutaito, had been utterly powerless against him.
He and the Turtle Hermit had been forced to live on the run, constantly hunted down by King Piccolo's demonic warriors.
It was precisely during that time that he came to a realization: everything his master had preached—about justice, the dignity of a martial artist, and kindness—was nothing but utter rubbish.
Only power was the absolute truth; as long as one possessed power, one could do whatever one pleased—just like King Piccolo.
"Crane! King Piccolo has escaped from Master's seal! Join us—together, we must overwhelm and kill him!"
Seeing that the Crane Hermit had awakened, the Turtle Hermit felt a surge of relief and immediately sent a telepathic message to him.
The Crane Hermit's power was only slightly inferior to his own; if he could lend a hand, the chances of successfully ganging up to defeat King Piccolo would increase significantly.
"So it's you, you old turtle!"
The Crane Hermit suddenly turned his gaze toward the Turtle Hermit's alias—Jackie Chun—and instantly understood the situation.
No wonder Jackie Chun had always seemed so familiar to him; it turned out he was merely the Turtle Hermit's alter ego. How utterly shameless—to think he would personally enter the tournament ring to compete!
However, this was hardly the time to squabble over such matters. Trembling, he turned his head to look at King Piccolo, feeling a flicker of internal conflict.
Should he really heed that "old turtle's" words and join the attempt to take down King Piccolo?
After hesitating for barely a second, he had already made his decision.
"Lord King Piccolo! They are plotting to use this opportunity to launch a sneak attack on you—you must be on your guard!"
With a sudden blur of motion, the Crane Hermit appeared by King Piccolo's side. Bowing low, he spoke with a look of utter sycophancy:
"I have long held you in the highest esteem, Lord King Piccolo, and I wish to pledge my services to you."
To oppose King Piccolo now? That would be nothing short of a suicidal act!
As for "world peace"—to hell with it!
Besides, his younger brother had been killed by that brat; he had been agonizing over the seemingly hopeless prospect of avenging him.
He might as well seize this opportunity to defect to King Piccolo's side. By leveraging King Piccolo's power, he could kill that brat and avenge his brother, Mercenary Tao.
Once King Piccolo eventually conquered the world, he, too, would stand to gain immense power and wealth.
"Oh? Very good. You show great promise."
King Piccolo stared at the subservient Crane Hermit, pausing in momentary surprise before bursting into loud, booming laughter.
"As long as you remain truly loyal to me, once I have conquered the world, you shall be amply rewarded."
Had this been three hundred years ago, he would never have deigned to accept such a shameless human as a subordinate.
Back then, whenever he required a specific type of minion, he could simply—and quite literally—spawn them himself.
But now, his power had dwindled drastically. Tambourine—the minion he had struggled so hard to bring into existence—had been killed, and he was now faced with a boy whose true power remained frustratingly unfathomable. At this moment, taking on another martial artist—one of decent strength, no less—as a subordinate was naturally a good thing.
Once he obtained the Dragon Balls and regained his youth, he could simply crush the man to death with a casual flick of his wrist.
"Master!"
Seeing his master, the Crane Hermit, defect to King Piccolo with such a fawning, servile expression, Tien Shinhan wore a look of utter disbelief.
Up until now, although his loyalty had already begun to waver internally, he still harbored a fair amount of respect for his master, the Crane Hermit.
But now, witnessing the Crane Hermit defect to King Piccolo in such a completely undignified manner—abandoning all self-respect—was something he simply could not bring himself to accept.
"Tien Shinhan! Chiaotzu! Why haven't you come over to pay your respects to Lord King Piccolo yet?"
Upon hearing that King Piccolo had accepted him, the Crane Hermit immediately turned around and barked this command at Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu.
Chiaotzu turned his head to look at Tien Shinhan; compared to his master, he was far more inclined to listen to Tien Shinhan.
A look of internal struggle crossed Tien Shinhan's face; finally, having steeled his resolve, he looked directly at the Crane Hermit and said:
"Master, I beg your forgiveness, but I cannot obey your command!"
"Tien Shinhan! Chiaotzu! You dare disobey me? Are you not afraid that I will expel you from the school?"
Hearing this, the Crane Hermit's expression instantly turned ugly.
Tien Shinhan had already been somewhat insubordinate in the past, but now he dared to openly defy his direct orders. If his tools were going to be this useless, he was better off without them.
"Master, even if you defect to King Piccolo now, once this is all over, he won't spare you either!
Come to your senses! The only way for any of us to survive is to join forces and kill him!"
Tien Shinhan pleaded earnestly.
However, the Crane Hermit was in no mood to listen; he merely sneered in response:
"Very well. If that is your choice, then you shall die."
To demonstrate his loyalty, he cast aside all familial ties and charged directly at Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu.
It had been only a short time since Tien Shinhan unleashed his Kikoho attack, and he had yet to recover much of his Ki; as for Chiaotzu, he was no match for the Crane Hermit at all.
"Crane! Snap out of it!"
Knowing the precarious situation Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu were in, the Turtle Hermit immediately stepped forward to intercept the Crane Hermit. At that very moment, King Piccolo launched his attack.
His body radiated a terrifying demonic aura that instantly engulfed the entire arena.
Under the oppressive influence of this demonic energy, Yamcha and Krillin—who had been preparing to rush forward to aid Goku—suddenly found themselves so heavily suppressed that even basic movement became a struggle.
"Die!"
Seizing the opportunity, King Piccolo charged toward Goku at full speed, delivering a kick aimed straight at his chin.
The velocity of the strike was so immense that Krillin, Yamcha, and the others—who were already struggling to move— saw nothing more than a fleeting afterimage.
However, this kick—executed with such speed, precision, and ferocity—was effortlessly evaded by Goku with a simple tilt of his head.
"Die!"
Having failed with his initial strike, King Piccolo spun his body around; his razor-sharp claws—capable of shattering metal and cleaving stone—slashed viciously at Goku's neck.
Goku shifted his body slightly to the side, evading the attack once again.
Refusing to accept defeat, King Piccolo unleashed his full power, raining down a barrage of intricate techniques upon Goku—a spectacle that caused everyone watching to break out in a cold sweat.
For every single person present felt that, were they in Goku's place, they wouldn't have been able to withstand even a single blow.
Yet, Goku simply swayed and weaved, dodging every single one of King Piccolo's attacks—remarkably, he hadn't been struck even once.
Finally, when King Piccolo's stamina was so depleted that he was forced to temporarily retreat to catch his breath and recover, Goku asked with a hint of bemusement:
"Are you sure you're up to the task, King Piccolo?
If you don't go all out soon, I'm going to start fighting back."