Before long, Goku gathered all seven Dragon Balls.
After a brief summoning ritual, dark clouds flooded the sky, and Shenron was called forth.
The serpentine dragon spoke in the same old tone as always:
"Those who have gathered the seven Dragon Balls… speak your wish. I shall grant you one wish—whatever it may be!"
Bulma looked up and pointed at the Tree of Might. "Shenron, can you eliminate that Tree of Might and restore Earth to normal?"
"Very simple."
Bulma's eyes lit up. "Then please—destroy the Tree of Might and restore Earth! Thank you!"
"Very well."
Shenron's eyes glowed red. A wave of divine power spread outward—
and the Tree of Might, along with all of its fruit, crumbled away piece by piece, dissolving into pure life energy that flowed back into the land.
Earth's vitality returned.
Shenron spoke again. "Your wish has been granted. Farewell."
"Farewell."
Shenron turned into a beam of golden light and vanished into the Dragon Balls. The orbs became stone spheres and shot off in every direction.
The storm clouds dispersed, and the night sky returned to silence.
But after seeing Shenron, Vegeta couldn't calm his heart.
Any wish can be granted… That dragon is absurd.
If he could obtain immortality, then he could dominate the universe…
Of course, the Dragon Balls could only grant one wish per year, so Earth's set was useless for now.
That immediately made him think of the Dragon Balls rumored to exist on Namek.
He glanced around and saw everyone celebrating Earth's recovery—
not a single person even seemed to be thinking about using Shenron for anything else.
Vegeta couldn't help sneering inwardly.
A bunch of country bumpkins…
They have something this miraculous and don't even know how to use it. What a waste…
But Goku had already predicted exactly what would go through Vegeta's mind after seeing Shenron.
He simply didn't feel like calling him out.
Sometimes, it was fine to let Vegeta chase something.
Only after living through enough would he realize that immortality meant nothing in the face of true power.
With the Tree of Might gone, Krillin finally felt his body relax again.
He wiped sweat from his forehead, relieved. "Thank goodness… We collected the Dragon Balls fast enough. Earth is finally back to normal!!"
Yamcha nodded. "Yeah. Good thing we were quick.
For a second there, Krillin looked like you were getting a little… kidney-deficient."
Krillin raised an eyebrow. "What kind of nonsense is that? How could I be kidney-deficient?"
"Oh? You're not?"
Krillin stiffened, stubborn. "Absolutely not!"
Yamcha shrugged. "Krillin, you're a world hero. One wife is an insult to the public.
If you can't handle it, then when Shenron comes back in a year, just wish for him to strengthen your kidneys."
Tien and Chiaotzu burst out laughing at Yamcha's teasing.
Krillin's face turned iron-black for a second—then he forced it back to normal.
He looked at Goku. "Goku, if there's nothing else, I'm going home.
I want to make sure Marron is okay."
Goku nodded. "Yeah. Go."
Then Goku looked over everyone else. "Alright—everyone, you should head back too…
Vegeta, wait. I need to talk to you."
Soon, Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo, and the rest all left as well.
Before long, only Goku, Bulma, Raditz, Vegeta, and Nappa remained.
Vegeta stared at Goku coldly, silent. Nappa, on the other hand, looked tense to the point of shaking.
Goku didn't even glance at Nappa. He faced Vegeta directly.
"Vegeta… I've been thinking.
The Saiyans who survived are basically just us now, and we don't have any real blood feud between us.
Fighting each other to the death is pointless—so I've decided to let you go this time.
Yeah, I beat you today, but I wasn't trying to humiliate you.
And honestly… your talent still hasn't truly been brought out. It'd be a shame to die like this.
You saw my strength—if even a low-class warrior like me can become stronger,
then if you train properly, and actually make use of those Senzu Beans, you might reach heights even beyond mine."
Vegeta's fist clenched on its own.
Goku's words were clearly meant as goodwill—
but every sentence felt like it was stabbing straight into his pride.
"Kakarot… are you giving me charity?"
Goku shook his head. "No. I just think Saiyans killing Saiyans is unnecessary. We can become stronger in the future."
"We?"
"Yeah. We."
Vegeta's eyes locked onto Goku. Teeth grinding, he spat, "Kakarot… I won't forget what happened today. But don't think for a second I'm grateful."
Goku smiled faintly. "I know. Saiyans have to keep a warrior's pride."
Then he looked at Vegeta seriously.
"Vegeta—if one day you feel like you've surpassed me, you can come challenge me.
But here's the rule: you challenge me openly. You beat me fair and square.
If you ever set your sights on Earth—or the people around me—
I'll look down on you for the rest of my life."
Vegeta's pupils trembled slightly.
After everything that happened today, he felt like a clown.
And somewhere deep down, he realized something—
Kakarot had something he didn't.
The dignity of a true strong warrior.
After a long pause, Vegeta seemed to come to a decision. He snorted.
"Hmph. We'll see, Kakarot."
He turned away.
"Nappa. We're leaving."
Nappa blinked, then hurried after him.
Soon, Vegeta and Nappa boarded their single-person pods and left Earth behind.
Raditz suddenly asked, "Right… Kakarot, now that you let them go, are we still going after Frieza?"
Goku nodded. "Of course.
Defeating Frieza is a wall Saiyans can't avoid."
Then Goku looked at Raditz. "Alright. Don't overthink it. Go back and rest first."
Raditz frowned. "Kakarot, Frieza isn't just strong. His movements are unpredictable.
Even if we could beat him… finding him won't be easy."
Goku nodded. "I know. And when we fight him, it can't be on Earth.
Tell everyone not to relax these next few days—keep training.
We'll leave within the next ten or so days."
Raditz nodded. "Understood."
For space travel, protective measures were non-negotiable.
Goku clearly remembered that the ship Dr. Briefs modified could develop problems.
He decided a second ship—one without such extreme gravity—would be necessary.
So Goku took Turles's spacecraft with him, then returned to Capsule Corp with Bulma.
"Bulma—Father-in-law, we need to hurry.
Modify this ship into a backup craft.
We don't need a gravity chamber—just make sure it stays stable and doesn't lose gravity.
It has to be fast, it has to be able to turn into a capsule, and it has to be done quickly. We'll need it soon!"
Originally, Goku had planned to have Vegeta and Nappa's pods modified—
but Turles's ship was larger and far more luxurious, and it looked easier to work with.
So he let Vegeta and Nappa leave in their own craft.
Dr. Briefs pushed up his glasses. "This ship's much bigger, so the modifications will be simpler. About half a month should do it."
Goku nodded. "Half a month? Then we have plenty of time. I'm counting on you."
Bulma said, "I'll help too. If I'm involved, it'll be even faster. Leave it to us!"
Goku thought for a moment.
Dr. Briefs could make ships extremely fast—but he absolutely couldn't risk any instability or loss of control.
Goku could survive weightlessness, but the others traveling with him couldn't.
He immediately added, "And Bulma—things like music systems don't matter.
Make it faster, make it more stable. Everyone's safety comes first."
Bulma nodded. "Don't worry. I'm riding the ship too—I'll take it seriously."
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