"Hey, Vegeta! What the hell are you doing?!"
Seeing Vegeta use brute force to threaten the elder for a Dragon Ball, Chi-Chi quickly stepped forward, trying to stop him.
"Let him go!"
Still gripping the Namekian elder by the collar, Vegeta turned his gaze toward her coldly.
"Didn't you just see? Talking got us nowhere."
"My way might be crude—but it works. They don't hand them over, we beat them until they do."
Chi-Chi was furious.
"But bullying the weak isn't the way of a martial artist!"
Vegeta's eyes narrowed.
"I've never claimed to be one."
"And if being powerful doesn't let me do as I please… then what's the point of training in the first place?"
Chi-Chi hesitated, then glanced back at Bulma.
"…He kinda has a point."
Bulma: "..."
Goku stepped up beside Vegeta and said calmly,
"Vegeta, let him go."
"This is Planet Namek. Even if you got all seven Dragon Balls by force, it wouldn't matter if they won't help us make the wish. We don't speak Namekian."
Several Namekian youths rushed over, tense.
"Let the elder go! Or we won't hold back!"
Vegeta snorted but released the elder.
"Hmph. Whatever. Do things your way—this isn't my problem anymore."
Crossing his arms, he stepped away and leaned against a rock.
The elder bowed slightly to Goku and Chi-Chi, grateful for their respectful tone—but still didn't hand over the Dragon Ball.
The group soon left the village.
Krillin grumbled.
"This is ridiculous. They're still not giving us the Dragon Balls. Just wait until Frieza gets here—see if they're still so stubborn."
Yamcha said, "Honestly, I think Vegeta's approach would've been faster. We know Frieza's on the way—taking the Dragon Balls is for their own good."
Tien cut in, frowning.
"You're forgetting something. To make a wish on Namek, you need to speak Namekian. If we antagonize them, who's gonna help us?"
Bulma cleared her throat.
"Well… actually, I've been meaning to say—before we left Earth, I studied and learned the Namekian language."
Everyone blinked.
"You learned a whole alien language in just a few days?" Krillin gaped.
"Bulma, you're amazing!"
Vegeta's eyes gleamed coldly.
"So you really are that capable… All the more reason to skip the niceties."
"Instead of wasting time, let's just take the Dragon Balls by force."
Goku shook his head.
"I doubt they'll give them up unless we kill someone. I don't want to do that."
"From what I've gathered, the Dragon Balls are scattered across villages, each guarded by an elder. If we go full aggression, how many will we have to fight—how many people will we have to kill?"
"And besides… none of them are evil. That elder might be old-fashioned, but he wasn't a bad guy."
Bulma nodded.
"Right. Plus, the Namekians are all connected in some way. If word spreads that we're stealing Dragon Balls, the resistance we face from the rest of the planet will just get worse."
"And if we have to kill to bring someone back from the dead—what's the point of that wish?"
Everyone nodded solemnly.
Krillin added,
"Yeah. If I have to kill innocent people for this, I'd rather Earth stay without Dragon Balls."
Chi-Chi sighed.
"This is such a pain… Can't go soft, can't go hard. These old-timers are impossible to reason with."
"And if we wait too long, Frieza'll be here. This is bad."
"Hang on."
While everyone was talking, Bulma pulled out the repaired scouter. She tapped a few buttons, then looked up.
"Frieza's fleet will arrive in about three days. So I've got a plan."
Everyone turned to her.
Bulma scanned the group, then said confidently,
"Right now, too many of us are trying to gather Dragon Balls at once. It's inefficient."
"And trying to bargain with every village elder? Wastes time. By the time we clear a single 'test of strength and wisdom,' Frieza might already be here."
"So—why not let him play the villain… and we play the heroes?"
Everyone blinked.
"…What?"
Goku's eyes widened slightly.
She's not about to replay that old Earth drama here, is she…?
Bulma continued,
"I'm saying we rest for now—don't burn ourselves out trying to collect Dragon Balls."
"Instead, we stake out the villages. We wait. When Frieza's men attack and start killing, we swoop in to save them."
"After we protect their homes, the Namekians will be grateful. They'll willingly give us the Dragon Balls."
"We've got seven fighters total. I'm not a combatant, so that leaves Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Chi-Chi, and Vegeta."
"Six warriors—six villages. Each of you saves one village. The seventh Dragon Ball is at the Grand Elder's place."
"Once we've earned the trust of six villages, we regroup there. When the Grand Elder sees we protected his people, he'll gladly give us the last Dragon Ball."
"…And that's how we get all seven—no violence, no murder."
Silence.
Then—
"…That's genius," someone muttered.
Even Goku stared at her, visibly impressed.
Bulma's plan accomplished everything:
They didn't have to turn into villains.They'd still collect the Dragon Balls.And Frieza? They'd get a clean shot at him once the battle started.
Plus… if the Grand Elder was grateful, he might even unlock their latent potential.
It was, in every sense, the perfect route.
Compliments poured in.
"You really are Earth's number one genius, Bulma!"
"Our tactical advisor!"
"I'll give you all the Dragon Ball coordinates shortly," Bulma said proudly.
Then she turned to Vegeta.
"Vegeta—one more thing."
"I need you to promise that you won't kill any Namekians. If you do… you'll regret it."
Vegeta snorted.
"Hmph. Whatever."
But deep down, he understood—this time, brute force wouldn't get him what he wanted.