Hearing Turles' invitation, Vegeta scoffed.
He wasn't exactly offended—after all, they were both Saiyans—but if there was going to be cooperation, he would have to be the one in charge. He was the Prince of all Saiyans, after all.
Before Vegeta could even respond, Raditz stepped forward, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. After confirming this wasn't Kakarot, he began circling Turles, scrutinizing every detail from head to toe.
Turles frowned.
"Hey—Raditz, right? What are you looking at?
Do you have to stare so intensely?
You don't have some… weird fetish, do you?"
Raditz finally stopped in front of him, face serious.
"Hmm. Strange. You look exactly like my younger brother Kakarot."
Turles laughed.
"Maybe a lot of low-class warriors just look like me. Isn't that a good thing?"
Raditz shook his head. "No… something's off."
Suddenly, his pupils contracted.
"Turles, let me ask—who's your father?"
Turles blinked. "What kind of question is that?"
Raditz narrowed his eyes, voice heavy with implication.
"To be honest, you don't just look like Kakarot… you look like my dad, Bardock! I'm starting to think you're his illegitimate child."
"I-illegitimate?!"
Vegeta, caught off guard, immediately perked up—his gossip radar fully activated.
He said thoughtfully,
"Now that you mention it… I have seen Bardock before, back when Planet Vegeta still stood. You really do look like him."
Turles growled.
"Enough of this crap! I'm not Bardock's son!"
"My father was just a no-name low-class warrior! Any resemblance is pure coincidence!"
Vegeta rubbed his chin.
"Hmm… I guess that's possible."
But Raditz wasn't done.
"Okay then, Turles—mind if I ask who your mother was?"
Vegeta nearly burst out laughing.
He turned to Turles, smirking with barely contained amusement.
Feeling their suspicion—and that mocking look on Vegeta's face—Turles snapped.
"You wanna die, Raditz?!"
With that, he hurled a Ki blast at him.
It wasn't lethal—more a warning shot to shut him up—but Raditz had been ready. He dodged it easily.
"Relax, Turles! Planet Vegeta's gone, the Saiyan race is nearly extinct. Meeting another one of our kind is pure luck!"
"You look just like my brother. What if you are my half-brother, huh? Shouldn't we talk this through?"
But Turles was furious.
"Shut your damn mouth! Don't you dare talk about my mother!"
His rage boiling over, Turles lunged.
Raditz wasn't intimidated in the slightest. He cracked his neck and took a stance.
"What, little brother wants to fight big brother?"
"Fine by me. I'll go easy on you. If I accidentally kill you, Dad's ghost might scold me."
"BASTARD!!"
Turles charged, his powerful fist aimed straight for Raditz—
But Raditz vanished.
"Over here!"
Turles turned. Raditz was standing behind him, arms crossed, smirking arrogantly.
Vegeta had been following the fight, but Raditz's sudden movement made him lose track completely.
'Damn it… Raditz's gotten this fast? I can't even follow him anymore!'
Just then, Turles' scouter beeped frantically.
"Huh? Over 50,000?!"
Raditz grinned.
"Surprised by a power level of 50,000?"
Turles frowned.
"What are you implying? That you're hiding even more power?"
Raditz waved dismissively.
"Nah. That's all I've got. But among the few of us left, I'm pretty strong."
"If 50,000 impresses you, then maybe you're not all that powerful."
"Forget joining your team. I'm bored of conquering weak planets."
"Let me make you a counteroffer—come with me instead. Let's kill Frieza."
"We're all Saiyans. After Frieza falls, the universe will be ours."
He grinned.
"And since you look just like my brother, I'll call you my second little bro. So how old are you anyway—older or younger than Kakarot?"
"YOU SON OF A—"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Turles roared and swung a fist.
Raditz dodged with ease, arms still folded.
No matter how wildly Turles attacked, he couldn't land a single hit.
Humiliated about his parentage and increasingly frustrated, Turles launched another barrage. After several failed strikes, he finally backed off and looked up at the massive tree canopy—searching for the ripening fruit of the Tree of Might.
Raditz, unaware of what he was planning, laughed again.
"What's wrong, little bro? Tired already? Guess it's my turn!"
He cracked his knuckles and charged.
Turles tried to dodge, but Raditz was too fast—his fists slammed into him like meteors. Just a few hits left Turles reeling, ribs aching, body smashed to the ground.
But suddenly, the sky above shimmered.
The branches of the Tree of Might began to glow—tiny stars crawling over them as thick, glowing fruits began to form and swell.
Raditz stared in awe.
"Whoa… they're ripening already? That's a lot of fruit. Wonder what it tastes like… or what it does?"
He turned to Vegeta.
"What do you think?"
Vegeta scoffed.
"Hmph. Nonsense."
"You really believe eating some fruit permanently boosts power? I doubt it."
"Judging from Turles' performance, he's probably eaten it before—and you still crushed him."
Raditz blinked.
"That… actually makes sense. Prince Vegeta, you're sharp as ever!"
Vegeta raised a fist, pride swelling.
"Even if it can make me stronger, I have no interest."
"Only power earned through training is truly yours. Borrowed strength is meaningless!"
Just as he finished speaking, Turles grabbed one of the fruits and bit down.
With just a couple of crunches, his muscles swelled grotesquely, and his aura exploded severalfold.
Raditz's face twisted in alarm.
"No way… Just two bites and his power's already skyrocketed?!"
Vegeta narrowed his eyes.
"You said it increased severalfold? Raditz?"
Raditz nodded.
"Yeah. This is something called Ki sensing—an Earth technique."
"It lets you sense energy levels without using a scouter. You can also track where someone is by their energy signature."
Vegeta was shaken.
'So Earth has this kind of training technique too…'
Raditz smirked.
"Yep. Pretty amazing stuff, huh?"
At that moment, Turles hovered toward them again.
"Hmph. You keep saying Earth, like you're one of them."
"A Saiyan invader… yet you've come to love this planet. Guess it really is special."
"But it's too late. The Tree of Might is mature now."
"It's drained this planet nearly dry. Soon, Earth will become a desert wasteland. Eventually, a dead world."
Raditz's eyes widened.
"What…?"
Turles grinned.
"I said this planet's finished."
Raditz turned and looked around.
The earth was already beginning to dry and crack. Horror filled his gaze.
"You bastard! Kakarot and the others were gone for just a little while, and you ruined Earth! I'll kill you!"
Raditz charged, fury blazing.
But now the tables had turned.
The same Raditz who had overwhelmed Turles just moments ago was knocked flying in one hit.
He wiped blood from his mouth, face grim.
'Damn it… He couldn't even touch me before. Now he's this strong? These Tree of Might fruits really are cursed!'
He turned to Vegeta.
"Vegeta! Help me! Let's take him down together!"
Vegeta clenched his fists and threw a punch.
Raditz followed up.
But Turles moved like a demon. Before they even realized what happened, both were slammed into the ground.
Crack!
A sharp sound tore through the air as Vegeta hit the dirt—hard.
His body convulsed. A rib had shattered. Blood spurted from his mouth.
Raditz staggered to his feet—his own injuries minor—but saw Vegeta crumpled nearby, gasping for air.
"You okay, Vegeta?"
Vegeta tried to speak—only to cough up blood.
Turles hovered above them, mocking.
"So you're really the Prince of Saiyans? I expected a challenge."
"But you're even weaker than Raditz. How pathetic."
"Just so we're clear, I didn't mean to kill you just now."
He sneered.
"Too weak!"
"The future of the universe belongs to me, Turles!"
He glanced down at the two fallen warriors.
"A failed prince and a trash fighter. Why would I let either of you on my ship?"
"And you, Raditz—"
"You're going to die too."
Turles raised a glowing energy blast.
Raditz paled.
"Wait, don't—!"
But the blast fired, screaming toward them.
Raditz crossed his arms, bracing himself with every ounce of Ki.
'Just survive a little longer… Kakarot will be back soon!'
But as he felt Turles' terrifying power, he couldn't help but despair.
'Damn it… If only I had eaten one of those fruits!'
"Kakarot… if I die, use the Dragon Balls to bring me back!"
Just before the blast hit, a golden beam shot across the sky—detonating the blast mid-air in a violent explosion.
Smoke filled the area.
Raditz groaned, trying to rise—but stopped when he saw Vegeta lying near death beside him.
He clenched his teeth, pulled out a Senzu Bean, and grumbled,
"Damn it… I've only got two of these. And I gotta waste one on you?"
"When you're rich, you better pay me back, bastard."
He fed the bean to Vegeta.
The prince, who moments ago had been on the brink of death, suddenly felt his blood rushing, his wounds vanishing.
Clarity returned to his mind, and his power surged.
He looked at Raditz, stunned.
"What did you give me?"
Raditz grinned.
"Senzu Bean. Cool, huh? As long as you're still breathing, it'll heal everything."
Just then, the smoke cleared—and Turles' silhouette emerged.
"Who's there?!"
A figure stepped out from the haze.
White turban. White cape. Green skin.
Turles frowned.
"And who the hell are you?"
Raditz's face fell.
"Damn. I was hoping that was Kakarot. It's just… Piccolo."
Piccolo scoffed.
"From the sound of it, you're disappointed I came."
Raditz laughed nervously.
"Just kidding! That guy ate some freaky fruit and got super strong."
"Let's team up and take him down!"
"I didn't train for a damn year just to get wrecked by fruit powers!"
Piccolo nodded and tore off his cape and turban.
Together, the two launched an all-out assault on Turles.
Vegeta, watching them fight side by side, was stunned.
He looked down at his own hands.
'Amazing… Is this the Saiyan ability to grow stronger after surviving death?'
'Just moments ago, I couldn't see a damn thing.'
'Now… I can follow all three of them.'
Suddenly, Piccolo and Raditz were sent flying by a single kick each.
Vegeta rose to his feet and pointed at himself with his thumb.
"You looked down on me earlier, didn't you?"
"Well now, bastard—get ready to see what I'm really made of!"
With that, Vegeta shot into the sky and charged Turles with everything he had.