The drums sounded.
"I didn't expect to fight you so soon," Son Goku said excitedly. In his eyes, Duran was a very strong opponent.
"Yeah," Duran replied. "Luckily we both have Senzu Beans, so we don't have to hold back."
Of course, Duran was also thinking about Piccolo, who was still watching them like a tiger waiting for its prey.
"Ah, that's true," Goku said, thinking the same thing.
Duran gathered the ki inside his body. Fighting Goku without using ki was impossible.
"Here I come."
The two fighters disappeared from the audience's sight once again.
Goku's punches were stronger and faster than Tien Shinhan's. For the first time, Duran felt that he couldn't keep up with someone's speed.
"Ah—!"
To escape this disadvantage, Duran immediately fired a small ki blast. It didn't hit Goku, but it slowed him down enough for Duran to catch his breath.
The blast exploded on the arena floor, leaving a large crater.
"Whoa, that was dangerous," Goku said, surprised by its power.
"Goku, get ready—I'm attacking!" Duran shouted.
He made sure his angle wouldn't hurt the audience.
"Rapid Ki Barrage!"
Duran began firing countless ki blasts like bullets.
The announcer was stunned as explosions rang out across the arena.
"Duran is incredible! I hope Son Goku isn't in danger!"
"Da-da-da-da!"
Duran pushed his perpetual-energy engine into action, endlessly supplying him with ki.
However, firing so many blasts still strained his body.
Meanwhile, Goku noticed something important.
Duran's attacks were gradually slowing down and becoming weaker.
Opportunity!
Goku suddenly rushed forward through the explosions.
Duran felt a sharp pain in his stomach. His attack faltered, and his body was thrown backward.
When he looked up, he saw Goku—clothes torn and face covered in dust—charging straight at him.
Bang!
Duran blocked one punch.
But Goku clearly intended to finish the fight quickly.
A storm of punches rained down on Duran.
Even though he wore weighted clothing, the blows made his eyes water.
"That hurts…" Duran thought.
If he weren't worried about losing face, he would have screamed.
Goku's punches were unbelievably powerful.
"Aaaah!"
With no other choice, Duran released a burst of ki to numb the pain.
Finally—
"Ha!"
He threw a punch that collided directly with Goku's.
But the result was already decided.
Duran's back had touched the ground.
He had lost.
"Winner: Son Goku!"
"Ow! That hurts! That hurts!"
The moment the match ended, Duran felt pain all over his body. It was the first time he had endured such an intense barrage of attacks.
"Duran, that rapid-fire technique was amazing," Goku said while helping him up. "Look, my clothes are completely ruined."
Duran shrugged.
Still didn't beat you though.
But being able to fight his childhood idol already made the trip worthwhile.
"Goku, you're amazing."
The second semifinal was a battle between two Namekians.
It was a clash of the Evil Containment Wave and its counter.
For Duran, this was the first time seeing such a sophisticated use of ki. It opened his eyes to entirely new possibilities.
In the end, Kami was sealed and swallowed.
The final match began.
Goku and Piccolo fought fiercely without any weights, shaking the arena.
The result was a happy ending.
Goku finally won his first World Martial Arts Tournament championship.
Piccolo left the island after saying a few threatening words. The next time he appeared, he would eventually become an ally.
After the tournament, Duran and the others celebrated Goku's wedding with plenty of food.
But after the celebration came the time to say goodbye.
Before leaving, however, Duran had something important to do.
"You want a device that can control gravity?" Bulma asked uncertainly.
"Yes," Duran said. "Like training weights—but if I can increase gravity instead, the training will be more balanced."
Bulma frowned.
"I've never researched gravity manipulation… but if you give me time, I might be able to build something like that."
"Thanks," Duran replied.
But he didn't know how long it would take.
So he decided not to rely on a single plan.
Plan B: go to Penguin Village and find the crazy scientist there.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Duran began his journey around the world.
His first destination:
Penguin Village.
Although remote, it wasn't impossible to find.
After spending a day figuring out the route, Duran set out.
This time he didn't use a vehicle. Instead, he traveled freely using the Flying Technique.
With his endless supply of ki, he never had to worry about running out of energy.
Penguin Village was… strange.
Duran saw things you couldn't see anywhere else on Earth:
Ultraman climbing trees
crying monsters
and a disturbing creature known as Poop Boy
Finding Dr. Senbei Norimaki wasn't difficult. In Penguin Village, he was famous for being useless.
When Duran knocked on the door, a cheerful voice answered.
"Who is it?"
The door opened.
Standing there was the girl he knew well—
Arale.
Although she looked small, she was already a middle school student.
"Oh! I don't know you," Arale said.
"I'm looking for Dr. Norimaki. Is he home?"
"He went out."
Duran felt disappointed.
But then Arale added:
"You can come inside. The doctor will be back soon."
"Thank you."
Sure enough, just as Duran sat down, the doctor returned—snacking casually.
"Doctor, someone's here."
"Who?" the doctor replied lazily.
Duran stood up quickly.
"Hello, Doctor. My name is Duran."
The doctor thought for a moment.
"Oh! You were in the World Martial Arts Tournament, right? The guy who got beaten by the champion."
Duran laughed awkwardly.
"Yes… that was me."
"What do you want?"
Duran explained that he wanted a gravity-control training device.
"I could build it," the doctor said casually while picking his nose."But why should I?"
Duran didn't expect that answer.
Then he suddenly used a trick.
"You can't make it, can you? I should've asked Dr. Brief from Capsule Corp instead."
"What?! That old guy can only make capsules!"
"But you can't make it either."
Dr. Norimaki snorted.
"If I build it, you'll work in my house for three years."
"Fine."
The moment he said it, Duran regretted it.
But the doctor immediately agreed.
"Deal."
And thus began Duran's three years of misery.
One night, a shadow quietly climbed out of the house.
"Damn it… this family is insane," Duran whispered.
He had endured enough experiments and decided to run away.
Then he heard a voice behind him.
"Oh? Mr. Duran, are you going to the bathroom?"
Duran froze.
It was Arale.
"Uh… yeah. Bathroom."
"No. The doctor said if you go outside at night, I should hit your head."
Before he could escape—
Everything went black.
When he woke up, cold water had been splashed on him.
"Hurry and cook breakfast," the doctor said. "Then come to the lab."
"NOOOOO!"
Duran screamed.
Arale's combat power was terrifying. He had seen her destroy Earth several times, only for the doctor to rewind time using a time machine.
Those who didn't know the truth were probably the happiest people.
Meanwhile, Duran had become the doctor's human battery, because his ki was practically endless.
"If your body were stronger," the doctor often said, "you could surpass even the gods."
Over time, Duran's body was heavily modified by countless experiments.
Now he could withstand 30× gravity.
Not because of talent—but because the experiments had toughened his body.
"Working with my experiments is faster than training yourself," the doctor claimed.
Duran suffered… but also improved.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally free, Duran left Penguin Village carrying various advanced technologies he had acquired.
This time, instead of flying, Duran chose to travel the world on foot.
One day, he climbed an unnamed mountain.
Above the clouds, he discovered a hidden courtyard.
Above the gate hung a plaque with two large characters:
"Martial Arts."
Although Duran was powerful, he didn't have the same warrior spirit as Goku.
He respected martial artists—but didn't necessarily want to become one himself.
While he was posing for photos, a voice spoke behind him.
"Young man, why don't you chat with an old man?"
Duran turned around.
Standing there in a white martial arts robe—
Was Mutaito, the master of Master Roshi and Master Shen, the man who had once sealed King Piccolo.
"Master Mutaito?!"
Duran was shocked.
"Kids these days are rude," the old man said. "I'm just on vacation."
He even had a halo above his head.
Meaning—
He was a ghost.
Mutaito said he appeared because Duran's ki carried the signature of their martial arts school.
"I'm Duran, Master Roshi's disciple."
Mutaito sighed.
"Three hundred years have passed…"
Then he took a fighting stance.
"Come. Show me what Roshi's disciple can do."
Duran wiped sweat from his forehead.
Do martial artists always want to fight?
Still, he couldn't refuse a legendary master.
He raised his hands in a Tai Chi stance.
"This is a technique I recently developed—Tai Chi. Please teach me."
(Like many transmigrators, Duran shamelessly claimed it as his own.)
Despite its imperfections, Mutaito was impressed.
"Excellent! To invent such a style at such a young age!"
They exchanged moves, Mutaito guiding him rather than overpowering him.
During the fight, Duran's improvised Tai Chi began evolving into a complete martial art.
"Wonderful!" Mutaito laughed. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time!"
Duran bowed.
"Thank you for your guidance."
Mutaito then asked:
"What do you think martial arts truly are?"
Duran thought for a moment.
"At a small scale, it strengthens the body. At a greater scale, it protects one's home and country."
Mutaito nodded, then shook his head.
"Martial arts are about understanding—understanding heaven, earth, others, and oneself."
Duran admitted it was easier said than done.
Mutaito smiled.
"That's why martial arts are a journey of refinement—of both body and heart."
Afterward, Mutaito prepared to leave.
"Give my regards to Roshi."
Then his body gradually faded away.
Duran smiled.
Meeting Mutaito and perfecting his Tai Chi had been an unexpected reward.
"Martial arts… maybe that's not a bad path."