"Yes, Lord Daimao!"
Terrified of disobeying Piccolo Daimao's command, Pilaf immediately piloted the airship downward, bringing it to a halt just above the tournament arena.
Meanwhile, Piccolo Daimao utilized the demonic art of flight, descending slowly from the airship with an air of supreme arrogance and gravitas. "Allow me to offer you a little 'welcome gift' first."
As he descended, he raised his hand and pointed down toward the arena below.
"Demon Light Cannon!"
"Look out!"
Sensing the terrifying attack descending from the sky, Goku reacted instantly, leaping high into the air.
With a mere wave of his hand, he deflected the attack—one powerful enough to obliterate every single contestant and spectator in the entire stadium—sending it flying away.
"Boom!"
The deflected attack crashed into the ocean just off the coast of Papaya Island, unleashing a colossal explosion.
The shockwave generated by the blast swept across the water and slammed into the stadium, scattering the spectators in all directions.
"It's King Piccolo!"
Master Roshi looked up and saw King Piccolo slowly descending from the sky; the expression on his face shifted once again.
Although King Piccolo appeared far more aged now than he had three hundred years ago, Master Roshi recognized him at a single glance.
"Quick! Tell all the spectators to get out of here!"
He spun around and bellowed at the blond-haired announcer.
King Piccolo was a bloodthirsty tyrant—cruel and ruthless—and when he attacked, he showed absolutely no regard for the lives of ordinary people.
"R-right... Y-yes... Okay..."
The blond announcer frantically grabbed his microphone, announced a temporary suspension of the tournament, and urged the spectators to evacuate immediately.
He had been standing nearby listening earlier when Master Roshi was recounting the tale of King Piccolo.
At first, he hadn't really believed it, dismissing it as nothing more than a tall tale; but now, seeing King Piccolo actually descending from the heavens—and witnessing the terrifying attack he had unleashed—how could he possibly doubt it any longer?
As for the spectators all around, they didn't even need the announcer's warning; the majority of them were already screaming in terror as they fled.
King Piccolo's malevolent aura was simply too overwhelming for ordinary human beings to withstand.
For those with weak wills, merely sensing that aura from a distance was enough to make their legs go numb with fear.
Compounding the terror was the massive airship slowly lowering itself from the sky; it, too, had extended a dense array of cannon muzzles, locking its sights directly onto the stadium below. "Tambourine... to think you were actually defeated by a runt like that! You're a disgrace to me!"
Piccolo Daimao was somewhat surprised that his attack had been deflected, yet he didn't give it much thought.
After all, that strike had merely been a casual "greeting"—he hadn't unleashed his true power.
"Lord Daimao, I was too careless."
Enduring the agony of his grievous injuries, Tambourine slowly rose to his knees, bowing his head to welcome the arrival of Piccolo Daimao.
He had botched his mission, forcing Lord Daimao to intervene personally; he knew that some form of punishment was inevitable once this was over.
But at least his life had been spared—a realization that allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, he had clearly rejoiced too soon, for a figure had already appeared directly behind him.
"Kamehameha!"
The newcomer was none other than Master Roshi, currently operating under his alias, "Jackie Chun."
After warning the blond-haired announcer, he had instantly flashed behind Tambourine to unleash a lethal finishing move.
Indeed, his priority was to first eliminate Tambourine—a demonic warrior whose strength surpassed even his own.
No one understood just how terrifying Piccolo Daimao's power was better than he did.
If they allowed Tambourine to recover, they would stand absolutely no chance in the ensuing battle.
Therefore, seizing the opportunity while Tambourine was critically injured—and while Piccolo Daimao was still posturing and hadn't yet reacted—he moved to take Tambourine out first.
That way, they could focus their full collective strength on ganging up on Piccolo Daimao later; perhaps then, they might stand a chance of winning.
"What?! Tambourine!"
Piccolo Daimao, having just landed in the ring, felt a sudden jolt of shock. Staring at the spot where Tambourine had stood—now utterly vaporized without a trace—the look of calm composure he had worn moments before vanished completely. Enraged, he pointed a finger at Master Roshi:
"You wretched fool! Finger Beam!"
A terrifying beam of energy erupted from his fingertip.
Creating a demonic warrior consumed a significant amount of his physical stamina—and the more powerful the warrior, the greater the toll on his energy.
Given his current physical condition, generating a warrior of Tambourine's caliber had already pushed him to his absolute limit. So, upon seeing Tambourine ambushed and killed, how could he possibly not be enraged?
"I can't dodge it!"
As the Turtle Hermit watched the beam of light hurtling toward him, cold sweat instantly broke out on his face.
Compared to the Crane School's Dodon Ray, King Piccolo's Finger Beam was thinner, yet significantly faster.
Moreover, due to its highly concentrated energy, its actual destructive power was far greater than that of the Dodon Ray.
"Hah!"
The Turtle Hermit's muscles bulged as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, intending to withstand the blow head-on.
"Boom!"
Amidst a deafening roar, the Turtle Hermit felt neither impact nor pain.
Lowering his arms and looking forward, he discovered that Goku was already standing between him and King Piccolo—having single-handedly blocked the Finger Beam.
"How is this possible?"
King Piccolo's eyes widened in utter astonishment.
If his initial Demon Cannon had merely been a casual, offhand strike—one in which he exerted very little power—
Then this subsequent Finger Beam was an attack unleashed in a fit of rage; its power was far more concentrated and formidable.
Yet, it had still been blocked by that boy—who, by all appearances, didn't even seem to be struggling.
Could it be that this boy already possessed power approaching his own current level?
This realization compelled him to exercise caution; rather than continuing his assault, he smiled and attempted to probe the boy's intentions:
"I never imagined that, in this modern world, there would still be a martial artist as formidable as you. You are impressive. Would you be interested in pledging your allegiance to me? If you do, I could grant you dominion over a city or two."
"Grandpa Jackie Chun told me you were incredibly strong. I'd like to spar with you."
Goku gazed at King Piccolo, his face beaming with excitement.
After all, this was a powerful entity who, in the past, had single-handedly slaughtered nearly every martial artist in the entire world.
Even Grandpa Turtle Hermit's own master had proven no match for him, relying solely on a specialized technique to seal him away. Faced with such a formidable master, he simply could not afford to make a mistake.
"It seems you prefer the hard way to the easy way!"
King Piccolo cast aside the long robe emblazoned with the character for "Demon," let out a mighty roar, and felt the Ki within his body surge explosively.
The boy standing opposite him was no ordinary opponent; to avoid the humiliation of a fluke defeat, King Piccolo chose to sacrifice a small portion of his lifespan, utilizing a specialized Ki-gathering technique to temporarily boost his power level.
From this moment on, the potency of every attack and technique he unleashed would be drastically amplified.
In any case, once he secured the Dragon Balls and made his wish, he could easily restore his youth and attain eternal life; thus, he cared not one whit about this minor sacrifice.
"His total Ki volume has increased... but wow, it's still so weak."
As he watched King Piccolo gather his energy—observing the total volume of Ki within his body rise by roughly one-third—Goku blinked in surprise.
According to his own sensory perception, King Piccolo in his current powered-up state possessed a Ki level amounting to merely one-sixth of Goku's own normal, baseline power.
"He must be deliberately concealing his true strength."
A sudden realization dawned upon Goku; he immediately assumed the opening stance of the Turtle School martial arts.
In his mind, it was inconceivable that the legendary King Piccolo—a master of such renown—could possess a power level amounting to a mere one-sixth of his own ordinary strength.
It had to be a ruse.
He was undoubtedly concealing his true power—employing a strategy to feign weakness and lure his enemy into a trap.
He could not afford to let his guard down.