"Zeru?!"
Hearing the name shouted by the crowd, Cell's brows immediately furrowed. There was no trace of this person in his memories.
Under everyone's gaze, Zeru slowly descended to the ground beside the arena. He glanced at Lazuli, and she immediately ran over, throwing herself into his arms.
"Husband… you're really too much. You actually took so long to come back on purpose."
Lazuli spoke in a soft, almost spoiled tone.
"Hahaha!"
In the original story, Lazuli had always carried herself like a strong, independent woman. Acting cute like this would have been impossible.
But in front of Zeru, she wasn't a strong woman—just a gentle wife.
"Where's Bulma?"
Zeru scanned the area, expecting her to be there as well.
"Sister Bulma is busy with research, so she couldn't come," Lazuli explained as she stepped out of his embrace.
Then she gave Zeru a subtle look. Following her gaze, he spotted another blonde woman nearby.
Without thinking, he knew—that must be Android 18 from this timeline.
"What? Seeing another version of yourself from a different timeline makes you emotional?" Zeru teased.
"Not really," Lazuli shook her head. "It's just… seeing my brother become someone else's brother feels a bit strange. Anyway, this isn't the time for small talk. They're all waiting for you to save them."
"That's not necessary…"
Zeru took a step forward and appeared directly on the arena.
He glanced at Cell with a calm, indifferent gaze.
That single look—
Was enough.
An invisible pressure crushed down on Cell, forcing him back over ten steps. Sweat poured down his face as his entire body trembled.
For a brief moment, he felt like—
He could be erased just by being looked at.
"Too… too terrifying…"
Cell swallowed hard, completely shaken. At the same time, a question burned in his mind.
Why…
Why didn't he have this man's genes?
Someone this powerful should have been part of him!
Then—
His eyes narrowed.
"If… if I could absorb him… I would become the strongest being in the entire universe!"
The thought made his blood boil. His face flushed red with excitement as he fantasized about his future power.
But just then—
A cold chuckle snapped him back to reality.
Cell instinctively looked at Zeru.
Those eyes—
It was as if Zeru could see straight through his thoughts.
Cold sweat streamed down his face again.
"I'm not interested in dealing with ants."
Zeru turned away, no longer sparing Cell another glance.
He walked over to Goku, who lay unconscious on the arena floor, crouched down, and fed him a Super Senzu Bean.
Then he stood up and said calmly, "I believe Goku is enough to deal with you."
Step.
With that, Zeru returned to the sidelines, standing beside Lazuli.
Hearing those words, Cell let out a cold laugh internally.
"So… you underestimate me, huh?"
"Good. Keep underestimating me. Only then can I grow stronger… and eventually absorb you!"
His thoughts roared like thunder.
Though he had Vegeta's pride in his genes, he also knew when to endure. At his current level, he stood no chance against Zeru.
He had to wait.
"Uncle Zeru… can Dad really beat Cell?"
Gohan walked over, asking softly.
"Don't you trust your father?" Zeru replied.
Gohan opened his mouth, then turned to look at the arena.
Seeing Goku stand up again in full condition, his expression hardened with determination.
"I believe Dad can defeat Cell and save Earth again!"
Zeru smiled faintly but said nothing more.
Bang! Boom!
The battle resumed.
After recovering with the Super Senzu Bean, Goku's power had increased slightly—now reaching 5 billion.
He began landing hits more frequently, even managing to knock Cell back at times.
"Interesting…"
After being pushed back a few steps, Cell smirked and made a strange hand gesture.
Seeing this, Krillin and the others froze.
"Wait… does he also have Tien's cells?!"
Krillin exclaimed.
That stance—
It was unmistakable.
"Four Witches Technique!"
With a shout, Cell split into four identical copies, each rushing toward Goku.
Four against one.
Eight fists against two.
Even with his improved strength, Goku quickly began to tire. His breathing grew heavy as the pressure mounted.
Fortunately, Cell was also consuming energy rapidly, preventing him from finishing Goku immediately.
"Super Kamehameha!"
After a brief pause, Goku leapt into the sky, forming a cupped-hand stance.
A massive blue beam shot downward.
"Hah! I can do that too!"
Cell sneered, mimicking the exact same stance.
Boom!
Two brilliant blue beams collided midair, shaking space itself.
"Haah!"
Both roared, pouring more power into their attacks.
Watching this, Zeru's eyes lit up.
Everyone knew—
In Dragon Ball, there was an unspoken rule.
No one beats the Son family in a beam clash.
And now—
He wanted to see if Cell could break that rule.
Boom!
"Haah!"
Goku pushed harder.
Slowly but surely—
His beam began to overpower Cell's.
"What?!"
Cell's expression changed drastically.
Seizing the moment, Goku surged again—
And completely overwhelmed him.
Boom!!!
Cell was swallowed by the blinding blue light.
"Just as expected…"
Zeru smiled faintly.
This rule—
Still held true.
Unless someone overwhelmingly surpassed Goku in raw power, no one could beat him in a beam clash.
And right now—
Aside from Zeru himself—
No one could truly overpower Goku.
"Did… did we win?!"
As a massive mushroom cloud rose from the arena, Krillin and the others stared, drenched in sweat.
"Kakarot…"
Vegeta's expression darkened.
The powerful Cell—
Defeated in a beam clash by his eternal rival.
"We won! We won!"
A loud, excited voice rang out.
Zeru turned to look.
A burly middle-aged man stood there, flashing a victory sign at reporters, his face full of excitement despite his injuries.
"Satan… this guy really is something…"
Zeru shook his head with a chuckle.
He didn't dislike Mr. Satan.
In fact—
He admired him a little.
To live a better life, he had pushed shamelessness to its absolute peak.
In that regard—
He truly deserved the title of the most shameless man in Dragon Ball.
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