Piccolo's green face grew even darker as he narrowed his eyes at Goku.
"Didn't you say the Saiyans were wiped out?
And now we run into another Saiyan this fast—looks like you Saiyans are harder to exterminate than cockroaches."
For a moment, Goku didn't even know how to explain.
Yamcha had just eaten a Senzu Bean. His injuries were completely healed, and he hadn't rejoined the fight. Still half-dazed, he saw two Gokus and rubbed his eyes.
"Am I hallucinating because I got beaten too hard…?"
At that moment, Turles finally spoke.
"What a coincidence. I thought our entire Saiyan race died along with Planet Vegeta…
But on this tiny backwater planet, I end up meeting four Saiyans. This is perfect!
Let me introduce myself—my name is Turles.
Sure, you just killed off my crew, which is a bit of a headache…
But your strength? I like it.
So here's my proposal—why don't we Saiyans join forces and conquer the universe together?"
Krillin and the others immediately bristled with hostility at his goal.
And Vegeta—who wouldn't even bow to Frieza—was never going to become someone else's subordinate.
Hearing Turles's invitation, Vegeta's gaze turned cold. He sneered.
"Hmph. A mere low-class warrior dares to recruit a prince?"
"Oh?" Turles looked Vegeta up and down. Whether he was pretending or genuinely slow, he suddenly acted like he'd realized something.
"Ohhh, so that's what you are. I was wondering which piece of trash you were… turns out it's Prince Vegeta.
By the way—were you the one who just got beaten up by Kakarot?"
Vegeta's fury detonated. "Bastard! You dare mock me?!"
He lunged and threw a punch at Turles.
But right as Vegeta's fist was about to connect, Turles vanished.
"What?!"
In Vegeta's moment of shock, Turles flashed behind him.
"Where are you looking, Prince Vegeta?"
Vegeta's body jolted. He spun to counter—
but Turles was faster.
A brutal punch slammed into Vegeta's abdomen.
"Hrk—!"
Blood burst from Vegeta's mouth. Every ounce of offense he'd built up was crushed by that single blow.
Turles's lips curled. Then he drove a savage hammerfist into the back of Vegeta's neck.
Vegeta screamed as his body was smashed into the ground, the earth erupting again into a bottomless crater.
"Vegeta!" Nappa shouted instinctively, taking a step forward—
but then he stopped.
Whether it was fear, or the memory of Vegeta using him to test the Senzu Bean… his feet wouldn't move.
Turles pointed down at Vegeta with open contempt.
"Hmph. Planet Vegeta's been gone for years and you still think you're some Saiyan prince?
Besides a noble's disease, you're basically useless."
As he spoke, an energy blast shot from Turles's hand—aimed straight at the battered Vegeta.
Goku's brows furrowed. He flickered forward and appeared in front of Vegeta, knocking the blast away with a knife-hand.
"Turles. Picking on the injured isn't exactly honorable."
Turles blinked, then laughed.
"Kakarot, you've got a strong sense of justice.
But do you really think you can stop me?"
Goku raised his stance. "Try me."
Turles snorted—then exploded forward, unleashing a storm of punches and kicks like a hurricane.
But Goku was faster.
He slipped every strike with ease—and even countered in the gaps.
BAM!
A heavy punch smashed into Turles's face, sending him flying. He tore through several thick branches of the Tree of Might before coming to a stop.
"Damn it!"
Turles wiped the blood from his lips, furious.
"You… You're a low-class warrior! How did you get this strong?!"
Goku arched an eyebrow. "Aren't you a low-class warrior too?"
Turles's eyes narrowed.
"You think you're the same as me?
I've eaten more Fruit of the Tree of Might than you can imagine. That's how I reached this power!"
Goku nodded slowly. "Oh, so that's it.
And you're proud of power you got from doping?"
Turles snarled. "What do you know?!
Give me more time—let me harvest more life energy to produce more fruit—
and someday, even Frieza won't be my match!"
Nappa's heart jolted. That strong…?
The others were confused.
"Life energy?"
"Fruit of the Tree of Might… what is that?"
They didn't understand, but Goku did.
He pointed at the massive tree covering the sky.
"That's the Tree of Might. And those fruits are its Fruit of Might.
But this tree will drain all life energy and ki from Earth…
Until the entire planet turns into a dead world… slowly desertifying."
"What?!" Everyone's faces changed instantly.
"A tree like that… can destroy Earth?!"
Turles looked at Goku with newfound interest.
"You actually know about it?"
Bulma, already weaker than the others, had been feeling sick for a while.
Now it hit even harder. She stumbled, almost falling.
Goku caught her quickly. "Bulma—are you okay?"
She shook her head, grimacing.
"Now I get it… That's why I felt my body getting weaker earlier.
Goku—finish him. Now."
Goku nodded. "Got it."
At that moment, the top of the Tree of Might suddenly flared with dazzling light.
Countless red fruits rapidly ripened, releasing a tempting surge of energy.
Ecstasy flashed through Turles's eyes. He shot into a hollow among the fruit-laden branches, grabbed a fruit, and took a huge bite.
Crunch. Crunch.
In an instant, terrifying energy erupted inside him. His muscles swelled, and his ki skyrocketed wildly.
Turles threw his head back and laughed.
"HAHAHAHA! Power—this is real power!"
Everyone was shaken.
Krillin gasped. "That ki… it's insane!"
Raditz stared in shock. "He got that strong from a single bite?!"
Vegeta watched Turles's muscles bulge, eyes tightening.
But remembering how Turles had just been beaten senseless by Kakarot, Vegeta quickly deduced the truth.
This kind of power was temporary—an extreme boost that would fall back down later.
Otherwise, Turles wouldn't have gotten crushed earlier.
Now supercharged, Turles turned to Goku and roared with wild laughter.
"Kakarot! Now you die!"
He charged, punching straight for Goku.
Goku barked, "Kaioken x3!"
Crimson ki wrapped around him instantly, his battle power surging to its peak again.
He met Turles head-on—punch against punch.
BOOM!
Their collision rippled the air like an expanding ring.
Then Turles was blasted backward, smashing through a cluster of fruit and snapping a thick branch before stopping.
But the moment he stabilized—
Goku was already there again.
A heavy fist drove into Turles's abdomen.
Turles screamed. His eyes bulged, veins cracking red with disbelief.
"No…!"
"Impossible! I ate the Fruit of Might—I—!"
Goku stepped in and smashed a punch into Turles's face.
Turles's body slammed into the trunk. The impact forced blood to spray from his mouth.
Goku's voice was cold.
"Power from fruit… was never yours to begin with."
He drew both hands to his waist.
Kamehameha gathered, roaring to life between his palms.
Turles lay on a broken branch, drenched in blood.
Seeing Goku about to kill him, terror flooded his mind.
"W-Wait! I surrender! Spare me!
If you let me live, I can make the Tree of Might fade! I can return the life energy—!"
Goku's eyes sharpened. "You mean it?"
In the original story, killing Turles made the Tree of Might collapse and Earth recover.
But it always felt too convenient. Goku wasn't sure killing Turles would really fix everything.
Turles nodded painfully. "It's true… We're Saiyans. Please… spare me…"
Goku let the Kamehameha disperse.
But the instant Goku moved closer—
a vicious glint flashed in Turles's eyes.
He snapped his hand up and fired an energy wave straight at Goku's chest.
"Die!"
"Goku!" Krillin shouted.
But Goku already knew what kind of scum Turles was.
Even though he'd lowered the Kamehameha, his Kaioken x3 hadn't dropped.
In the instant of the ambush, Goku knocked the blast aside with a knife-hand—
then drove a counterpunch forward.
That punch pierced straight through Turles's chest.
SPLRTCH!
Turles's eyes went wide, staring at Goku in disbelief.
"Y-You…"
Goku pulled his blood-soaked fist back.
"I gave you a chance. You didn't take it."
Turles's body toppled backward, eyes still open, life leaving him completely.
The world fell silent.
Everyone stood frozen.
Vegeta stared at Turles's corpse, his heart shaking.
Kakarot… a low-class warrior… is strong enough to do this?!
But Goku turned toward the Tree of Might—
and it hadn't changed at all.
If anything, it looked like it was still growing.
Sweat appeared on Krillin's forehead. "At this rate… the Tree of Might is going to drain Earth dry. Everyone will die!"
Bulma's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Wait—then we grab the radar, collect the Dragon Balls, and have Shenron restore everything!"
Tien and Yamcha and the others rushed over too.
Tien said grimly, "Everyone's life energy is fading. We have to hurry.
If we wait too long… people will suffer and die."
Goku nodded. "Don't worry. Leave it to me."
Time was critical. Goku scooped Bulma up and rushed toward Capsule Corp.
Only after Goku had gone far did Nappa finally speak up, confused.
"So… what exactly are Dragon Balls?"
Raditz laughed. "Didn't we hear about them on missions before?
They're wish orbs made by Namekians.
If you gather all seven, you can summon a dragon—
and it'll grant you any wish."
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