The wild winds howled, sweeping clumps of withered grass into the distance.
A few of the world's top martial artists stood with grave expressions, facing off against the heinous space pirates.
After a brief silence, Vegeta spoke first. "Nappa, you go first. It's time to prove your worth. Dispose of those small-fry across from us."
There were quite a few opponents; it would be too much of a hassle for him to deal with them all alone.
"No problem!" Standing nearly 2.5 meters tall, Nappa stepped out from behind Vegeta with a cruel grin, the ring of beard around his mouth twitching with his smile.
He felt humiliated by his earlier fear and was determined to wash away the shame, as long as he didn't have to cross paths with those two.
"In that case, I'll take this one." Goku stepped forward without hesitation, causing Nappa's heart to sink.
"Wait a second, Goku," Piccolo interrupted. "It's not your turn yet. Let me go first. I've been waiting a year for them; I'm starving for a fight."
"But..." Goku started to protest.
"It's fine, let him go," Aomori said. "Piccolo has grown a lot; he won't be killed that easily."
"Alright." Goku nodded. "Piccolo, be careful. Your life is linked to Kami's."
If Piccolo died, Kami would perish as well, and the Dragon Balls would lose their power.
"Hmph, just keep your eyes open and watch how I defeat him." Piccolo gave a confident smirk and strode to the very front.
The others stepped back several paces.
"That voice... you're the one who killed Raditz, aren't you?" Nappa looked at the green-faced Piccolo and had a sudden realization. "So, a Namekian. No wonder you had the strength to kill a loser like Raditz."
"A Namekian? So Piccolo is an alien too?" The others were shocked.
Piccolo looked dazed for a moment. "This... I... I didn't know either."
"I've heard that Namekians are not only powerful but possess many incredible abilities. You must be the one who created the Dragon Balls," Vegeta remarked.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my specialty is fighting. I wasn't the one who created them." Piccolo snapped back to reality and settled into a fighting stance.
"A fighter? Then let's see what you've got." Nappa raised his hand and pressed a button on the Scouter over his eye. Numbers immediately flickered across the lens before stabilizing at 2,100.
"2,100? Not bad at all." Nappa himself only had a power level of 4,000.
He tilted his head, his mouth twitching as his gaze bypassed Goku and Aomori, whose power levels he already knew, and scanned the rest of the group.
"1,320... 1,730... 1,490... 650... 1,660... 1,660?!" Nappa stared in shock at the small child in the crowd, thinking for a moment that the machine was malfunctioning. "How old is he? How could he possibly have such a high power level?!"
As he stood puzzled, Vegeta took off his own Scouter behind him and warned, "Nappa, take off the Scouter. They have techniques to change their power levels during battle; you can't trust those numbers too much."
"True. Raditz relied too much on his Scouter, which gave his enemies an opening to kill him despite being weaker." Nappa tossed Gohan's strange reading to the back of his mind and, following Vegeta's lead, ripped off the Scouter and threw it aside.
"Hey, what are you dawdling for? Can we start?" Piccolo said impatiently.
"Hmph, since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you." Nappa sneered, lifted his right foot, and slammed it down heavily.
A violent torrent of energy erupted, blowing Krillin and the others watching from behind nearly off their feet.
"Damn, it feels like being submerged at the bottom of the sea. I can hardly breathe."
"Is this guy really that terrifying? Can Piccolo handle him?"
"What's scarier is that the short guy behind him is probably even stronger..."
"It's okay, have faith in Piccolo," Goku said with a smile.
Krillin looked worriedly at Gohan beside him. "Are you alright, Gohan? Are you scared?"
"Uh, I'm fine." Gohan shook his head, speaking calmly. "This pressure... it doesn't even compare to Uncle Aomori."
After being put through the wringer by Aomori for an entire year, he had become numb to such things.
"Yeah, he's far from it." Goku patted Gohan's head, nodding in agreement.
"..." Krillin watched them with dead eyes before turning back to the battlefield.
Piccolo, a veteran of countless battles, remained unaffected by the opponent's aura. He showed not a single opening, bringing the scene to a tense standoff.
A moment later, Nappa could no longer restrain himself. He kicked off the ground and charged toward Piccolo.
He's definitely holding back, so now's the time! Sensing Nappa's caution, Piccolo's eyes flashed. White light swirled around his body as he suddenly detonated all of his Ki.
Bolstered by his energy, the ground beneath him shattered instantly. Piccolo appeared at Nappa's side like a bolt of lightning, his fist, shrouded in white light, slamming directly into Nappa's abdomen.
Struck by the massive blow, Nappa's eyes bulged in disbelief.
Piccolo didn't stop. He rained a continuous barrage of punches upon Nappa before swinging his arm to hurl him high into the air.
He pressed two fingers to his forehead. A technique that previously required a long charge time now formed in an instant. A powerful, spiraling beam of light shot forth from his fingertips.
At the same time, a massive energy wave flew in from another direction, hitting Nappa simultaneously with Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon.
A bright crimson explosion bloomed in the sky like a firework.
"...Gohan, what was that for?" Goku and the others stared open-mouthed at Gohan, who was still holding his blast-firing pose.
"Uh." Gohan scratched his head sheepishly. "His position was just too perfect, so I couldn't help myself... hehehe."
"Piccolo, what on earth did you teach him this past year?" Krillin complained.
"Well, there's no need to play fair against people like them, right?"
"Isn't that great?" Aomori gave Gohan a thumbs up. "The timing was perfect. Keep it up next time."
Piccolo also looked back, offering an approving glance.
"Okay, I'll work hard!" Validated by both his uncles, Gohan was in high spirits.
Only Goku looked conflicted, unsure of what to say. "Sigh, Chi-Chi is definitely going to scold me when we get back."
…
Vegeta's face darkened as he watched the fireworks in the sky.
He never expected the fight to end so quickly.
"Nappa, you useless piece of trash!"
Whether Nappa lived or died didn't matter; what mattered was that Vegeta felt his own pride had been dragged through the mud by his partner's performance.
"You call yourself a Saiyan after that? Idiot! Moron! Garbage!"
His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he waited for Nappa to reappear. "You'd better be dead."
Piccolo and the others, who could sense Ki, knew that Nappa wasn't dead, but his energy was significantly weaker than before.
Sure enough, as the flames subsided, Nappa's wretched form appeared.
His right arm had been severed at the shoulder, blood streamed down his face, and his bloodshot eyes glared venomously at Piccolo below.
"How... how dare you do this to me?! I'll kill you!"
Nappa's aura began to climb back up from the depths, eventually surpassing its previous level.
He still has the strength to fight after taking full-power hits from me and Gohan? He really is a monster. Piccolo gave a sidelong smirk. "With just you as you are now? I suggest you crawl back and heal your wounds first."
He hadn't feared Nappa before, and he certainly wouldn't start now.
"Bastard!" Nappa moved to charge down and teach the Namekian a lesson, but a cold voice rang out from behind him.
"Enough, Nappa. Stop making a fool of yourself."
Nappa turned back to see Vegeta, whose face was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.
"Vegeta, trust me, I can do this!"
"After that performance, what right do you have to say that to me?" Vegeta flew slowly in front of Nappa and abruptly raised his hand, firing an energy blast at him. "You are no longer of any use."
"No!" Nappa's voice rose in a shrill scream. "Vegeta! Vegeta! VEGETA!"
BOOM!
The energy blast was deflected, exploding in the distance.
Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Goku, who now stood in front of Nappa. "Kakarot, what are you doing?"
"I should be asking you that!" Goku said, suppressing his rage. "Why? Isn't he your comrade? Aren't you both Saiyans? Why would you kill him?"
"Because he's completely useless now. To me, he's nothing but a burden." Vegeta's expression grew increasingly manic. "One Saiyan is more than enough!"
"Madness... Vegeta, you've gone mad!" Having narrowly escaped death, Nappa didn't dare stay a second longer. He immediately shot into the sky, intending to flee.
However, Piccolo and the others had anticipated this and blocked his path.
"Did you think we'd just let you run wild on Earth?"
Seeing the group ready to pounce, Nappa instantly threw his pride away and pleaded piteously, "I was wrong! I surrender!"
Without Vegeta as his backbone, his arrogance had completely evaporated.
Piccolo and the others looked at each other and ultimately decided to capture him and wait for further instructions.
…
After a brief exchange, Goku and Vegeta, whose worldviews were fundamentally incompatible, quickly began their battle.
Having been trained by Aomori, Goku's true power level had reached 9,000. After activating the twofold Kaio-ken, he was an even match for Vegeta.
The two traded blows back and forth in a grueling, seesaw battle.
Standing below, Aomori watched the fight with burning eyes, his heart racing with anticipation. After a few seconds of deliberation, he made his decision.
With an excited smile, Aomori vanished and reappeared directly behind Vegeta, sending him flying with a single punch.
Goku's expression changed to one of slight dissatisfaction. "Aomori, don't interfere. This is my bat—"
Before he could finish, Aomori lunged at him, using a set of Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist techniques to slam him into the ground.
Piccolo and the others watching were stunned.
"Hey, why are you hitting Goku? Our enemy is that guy over there!"
"Hmph, don't get it twisted. I never said I was only going to help you guys." Aomori flashed a near-manic grin and wagged his index finger. "You're all too weak. Whether it's the Saiyans or you lot, you're all too weak. Fighting just one side won't satisfy me. So, come at me together. I'll be the common enemy for all of you! And don't you dare hold back, or you really will die."
"Is this guy having another episode?" Piccolo's face turned even greener as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Fighting Uncle Aomori? I don't want to!" Remembering his painful memories from the past year, Gohan couldn't help but shiver.
"Is it really that bad? Goku is so strong, surely they can win?" Krillin was unsettled by their reactions.
"I don't know. We don't know how strong he actually is. We've never seen him go all out, but I imagine it's terrifying," Piccolo said grimly.
"Then what should we do?"
"Run! Leave this place before he sets his sights on you!"
"..."
"Aomori, are you serious? I actually really wanted to fight you one-on-one," Goku said, clutching his face as he flew out of the massive crater in the ground.
"Sorry, Goku. Right now, you alone can't satisfy me." Aomori slowly began to release his energy.
A heavy pressure descended upon everyone present; even the earth began to tremble.
"I see. I understand." Goku's expression became solemn.
Vegeta, who had been sent flying by Aomori, charged back. He was so enraged that the veins on his forehead were bulging.
"You think you can take us all at once?" Vegeta pointed his thumb at himself and roared, "Don't lump me in with these weaklings! I am the noble Prince of all Saiyans!"
The moment the words left his mouth, a shadow blurred before his eyes. His neck tightened, and his breath caught instantly.
"Oh, really?" Aomori's hand, like a steel vise, gripped Vegeta's throat and lifted him up. He said coolly, "But from where I'm standing, you don't look any different from the rest of them."
"Damn... it!" Vegeta exploded with all his power, finally managing to pry one of Aomori's fingers loose. Simultaneously, he coiled his legs and kicked out fiercely at Aomori's face.
Aomori chuckled and swung his arm, hurling Vegeta away. He happened to collide with the incoming Goku, and both crashed into a mountainside.
In less than a second, the mountain exploded as both men charged out at once.
"Kakarot, stay out of my way! Get lost!"
"I can't do that. If you fall too early, I'll have to fight him all by myself." Goku refused to be left behind, overtaking Vegeta to launch a new round of combat against Aomori.
Vegeta stopped in the distance, a strange smile creeping onto his face. "Hmph, you think I'd fight alongside you? Moron! Why don't the both of you just disappear together!"
He concentrated all his energy into his hands. A brilliant sphere of purple energy swirled around him, dyeing that side of the sky purple.
Sensing Vegeta's intent, Gohan screamed, "Dad, watch out!"
"That despicable coward!" Piccolo cursed.
Goku didn't need Gohan's warning; the violent fluctuations in Ki had already alerted him. However, before he could figure out how to respond, Aomori sent him crashing to the ground with an elbow strike.
"Tch, even if it's only one, then just die! Galick Gun!" Vegeta thrust his palms forward.
A surge of energy transformed into a massive purple beam, hurtling toward Aomori.
"A beam struggle, is it? I'll play!" Aomori laughed coldly. Mimicking Vegeta's posture, he fired an even more colossal white energy wave.
In the blink of an eye, the two beams collided. The resulting hurricane shredded the surrounding rocks into dust.
Very quickly, the white energy wave began to overwhelm the purple one.
Faced with the shadow of death, Vegeta's eyes widened in total disbelief. "What?! This is impossible!"
————
NOTE: This fic has been completely translated. If you want to read the whole story head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]