Ripples in space slowly spread and calmed, like stones cast into a calm lake.
Setsuna's figure appeared in a world of blue skies, white clouds, and lush green grass. Beneath his feet was soft turf... in the distance, the outlines of a modern city were faintly visible.
"Dragon Ball Universe... I've finally returned." Setsuna felt quite emotional. When he left back then, he was just a small-time punk, barely able to break Demon King Piccolo's defense.
But now, he could be considered a top-tier powerhouse in this universe. Of course, that was assuming the plot didn't veer wildly into Dragon Ball Super.
Setsuna had just felt a hint of nostalgia upon his return when he quickly noticed something discordant. He touched the top of his head... there was no solid object, but he could sense a softly glowing white halo floating above it.
Setsuna: "..."
Clearly, this was the halo of the deceased that Goku and the others had when returning to the living world in death. Setsuna found it somewhat amusing. He had just returned to the Dragon Ball Universe and was forcefully equipped with a visual effect accessory. Although it didn't affect his actions, it was rather conspicuous.
Setsuna helplessly shook his head, putting this minor cosmetic concern aside. The top priority was to determine the current timeline and locate his target, Dr. Gero.
He closed his eyes, spreading his Cosmo outward, instantly enveloping the entire Earth. His Ki could do something similar, but in the Dragon Ball Universe, strong warriors could sense Ki sweeping over them. To be safe, he opted to use his Cosmo for perception.
But after a moment, Setsuna shook his head.
He had been somewhat presumptuous. He had never met Dr. Gero personally and had no feel for Dr. Gero's energy signature. It was truly difficult to locate Dr. Gero among the vast sea of life on Earth.
Setsuna thought to himself: 'This is a bit troublesome, but there's no need to rush. According to the original plot development, by the [Android Saga], Dr. Gero and his androids will naturally appear on their own. Even if Dr. Gero gets killed, I can collect the Dragon Balls and have Shenron revive him.'
After setting this 'wait and see' strategy, Setsuna began focusing his Cosmo perception on the Ki signatures he was familiar with, those with distinct energy characteristics.
Soon, he locked onto several targets… Goku, Krillin, Gohan, Bulma, Master Roshi, Korin, Chi-Chi...
Their Ki was gathered in the same place, seemingly at a hospital. Moreover, Goku's Ki was unusually weak, like a candle flickering in the wind.
'Gohan's life force isn't very strong either, and Goku is still severely injured... It seems this is not long after the Saiyan invasion ended.'
With a thought, Setsuna's figure instantly appeared above the hospital. From the intermittent conversations below, Setsuna confirmed his speculation.
Vegeta had been defeated, but because Piccolo had died, Kami had also perished, rendering the Dragon Balls useless. Therefore, to revive Piccolo and the others, Bulma decided to take the spaceship Kami had left behind back then and head to Namek.
At that moment, Bulma looked at Krillin, a short bald monk, and Gohan, still a little kid, who were only about her waist, and couldn't help but sigh, resting her forehead on her hand: "Sigh, relying on you two for protection, I'm really not confident..."
Krillin, upon hearing this, felt a bit indignant: "What's wrong with relying on me for protection? I'm at least the strongest Earthling right now..."
Just then, a voice chuckled from within the room: "Krillin, I think the title of strongest Earthling shouldn't fall to you just yet."
Everyone simultaneously snapped their heads around to look at the source of the voice.
There, standing silently in the corner of the room, was a young man with handsome features and a presence as deep as the starry sky. No one knew when he had arrived.
"Setsuna?" Master Roshi was the first to exclaim in surprise, his sunglasses sliding down his nose.
"Is it really you?" Korin also widened his cat eyes.
"The top disciple of Master Shen?" Krillin and Bulma also recognized this face that had briefly appeared at the Tenkaichi Budokai years ago before mysteriously vanishing for a long time.
"You're alive?" Chi-Chi instinctively hugged Gohan tighter.
Aside from their surprise, everyone felt a hint of concern. Although Tien and Chiaotzu had later reformed and become their allies, Setsuna was different.
He was the top disciple of the Crane School, with unfathomable strength. And after disappearing for so many years, his allegiance was unclear. At this sensitive time, the sudden appearance of a top-tier fighter from a former 'rival school' made them nervous.
Goku also struggled to turn his head, looking at Setsuna. Even while severely injured, a glint of curiosity and fighting spirit shone in his eyes.
Facing everyone's wary gazes, Setsuna smiled: "Don't worry, I'm also an Earthling. 'Brothers may quarrel indoors, but they unite against a common foe.' My position is the same as yours. Besides, I also want to revive Chiaotzu and Tien."
His voice carried a reassuring calmness and sincerity, which slightly eased everyone's vigilance. In such a difficult time, having an extra powerful fighter was ultimately a good thing.
After the atmosphere relaxed, someone finally noticed the extremely conspicuous halo floating above Setsuna's head, completely out of place with the surroundings.
"Um... Setsuna." Bulma pointed at the top of his head, her expression curious and strange. "What's that glowing ring on your head? Is it a new type of energy accessory? Or some kind of training result?"
When Goku had fought Vegeta, he had already been revived by Shenron and his halo had disappeared, so she had never seen a halo of the deceased.
Upon hearing this, Setsuna's lips twitched slightly, but his tone remained calm: "Weren't you all just surprised that I'm alive? This is the answer. I died a long time ago. This halo is the 'identifier' of my status as deceased."
"What? You're dead?"
"You were revived without using the Dragon Balls?"
Everyone was astonished.
Setsuna shook his head slightly: "I haven't been revived. But for me now, the boundary between life and death doesn't make much difference. If I wish, I can remain in the living world for a long time, or I can return to the afterlife at any time."
For those who had never 'died', Setsuna's words were merely surprising. But Goku had truly 'died'. He asked in surprise: "Don't you need King Yama's permission to temporarily return to the living world? And there's a time limit."
Setsuna smiled: "The afterlife isn't much different from the living world. Rules are always made for the weak. As long as you're strong enough, naturally, no one can control you."
In the original work, after Frieza and Cell died, they caused trouble in the afterlife, disrupting its peace.
If it weren't for the fact that they lacked bodies after death, greatly reducing their power, and that the afterlife had strong warriors like Pikkon, who were allowed to keep their physical bodies for training, the afterlife would likely have been turned upside down by them.
And for Setsuna, who had mastered the Eighth Sense and transcended life and death, the underworld held no restrictions over him.