Turles nodded. "Fine, I understand. But you'd better do a good job teaching this Supreme Kai his duties. Otherwise, there's a real chance he'll get himself killed through sheer incompetence one of these days."
"As for that favor, just help me unlock the potential of one of my juniors later on."
Old Kai nodded. To him, that was a trivial matter. He then turned a somber gaze toward Shin. He truly hadn't expected the lineage of Supreme Kais to produce such a reckless, death-seeking individual.
Seeing the mood, Turles took his leave. He was happy to leave the rest to the old-timer.
As Turles flew away, Old Kai delivered another sharp smack to Shin's head. "What are you staring at? Move! I'm going to give you a thorough lecture on the structure of the universe and what a Supreme Kai is actually supposed to do!"
On Beerus' Planet, Whis watched the scene unfold and nodded.
The current Supreme Kai was, quite frankly, pathetic. Having Old Kai around to educate him put Whis much more at ease. At least now he wouldn't have to worry about Lord Beerus suddenly dropping dead in his sleep because his life-linked counterpart did something stupid.
Still, that human was interesting. How had he ascended to godhood so quietly?
"Hohoho... Lord Beerus shouldn't be too angry when he wakes up, even if someone did release Old Kai from his seal. Though, Lord Beerus might have finally met his match. That one doesn't look like he'll be easy to deal with..."
"Found you!"
On the other side of the world, Turles had just arrived home when a little girl blocked his path.
Looking at the pink-skinned, pink-haired "loli" before him, a flash of awkwardness crossed Turles' eyes. He clearly recognized who she was.
Standing before him was the Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa.
The little girl pouted at him, looking quite cross. "Do you have any idea how much extra paperwork you've caused me?? If it weren't for the fact that you haven't actually done anything evil, I would have sent someone to arrest you long ago..."
Turles gave a sheepish laugh. "Hahaha, is that so? And you are? Also, your clothes look a lot like the Supreme Kai's..."
"I am the Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa! Because of your reckless time-traveling, I got a lecture from the Time King, and my workload increased by this much! So, tell me—how are you going to make it up to me?"
As she spoke, a glint of mischief flashed in Chronoa's eyes. She had sensed that this man was incredibly powerful. If she could trick him into becoming a Time Patroller, then...
Turles' lip twitched. Can't you just ask me to be a Time Patroller? Did you have to take such a long detour? I can practically hear your gears grinding from here. Also, there really is a 'Time King'? The waters of the Dragon Ball world truly are deep...
"Fine, tell me. What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to join the Time Patrol! I have plenty of experts over there. What do you think? Interested?"
"The Time Patrol?"
"Exactly! I'm not a monster, after all. Even though your time travel is technically illegal, you've mostly done good deeds. Since that's the case, why not just join Tokitoki City?"
"What would my job involve?"
"Work? It's mostly dealing with villains who show up in anomalous timelines, or people trying to sabotage history. Usually, you won't have to do much. You'll only be called in to deal with the exceptionally powerful ones."
She leaned in slightly. "Besides, your reckless traveling makes the other gods dislike you. Crossing timelines is a felonious crime, you know."
"I see. So if I join Tokitoki City, I can travel through time whenever I want, right?"
Chronoa's expression stiffened. "Well... technically, yes. But it's still best not to interfere with the development of timelines. Every era has its own laws of time."
"Understood. I'm in!"
"Really?"
Chronoa's face lit up. There were very few warriors of Turles' caliber even in Tokitoki City. She hadn't expected to recruit him so easily. He seems like a pretty decent guy, she thought.
"This is your Time Patrol Badge. With this, other deities won't treat you with hostility if they discover you. Also, do you want to visit Tokitoki City with me now?"
"Tokitoki City? Maybe next time..."
"Alright then. I'll head back for now. Oh, and give this to that Bulma you brought from another timeline. You wouldn't want the gods of this era to find out about her..."
Turles froze. Why does that sound like a threat? If you weren't a woman, I'd punch you.
"Fine, I get it. I'll make sure she joins too."
Watching the Supreme Kai of Time disappear, Turles sighed. Life was unpredictable. Now he was officially "part of the establishment."
Still, joining the Time Patrol wasn't a bad move. The Time King sounded like a big shot on the same level as Grand Zeno. In this multiverse, you needed a background and a title to get by.
I'm with the Time Patrol. Who are you with?
Just then, Future Bulma and the others walked over, looking at Turles with curiosity. "Honey, who was that?"
"That was the Supreme Kai of Time. She's the deity who maintains the stability of countless timelines. She came to invite me to join Tokitoki City. And here, Bulma—this is for you. You're a member of the Time Patrol now, too."
"Eh? I have to join as well?"
"Yeah. Time travel is a serious crime among the gods. With these credentials, we don't have to worry. We've got official backing now."
After Turles' explanation, Bulma realized the gravity of the situation. She hadn't realized that jumping between timelines carried such heavy consequences.
"Alright, I understand..."
Turles nodded. The Battle of Gods events were approaching. If Bulma were discovered then, it would be a headache to deal with. This was reality, after all—Beerus wasn't always a "nice guy." In the original series, his good mood only came after he bonded with Goku and needed Bulma to be his "caretaker."
Now, with the Time Patrol Badge, Beerus likely wouldn't care which timeline Bulma came from.
This was the importance of having a background.
"Wait, where's Bulla?"
"She's playing with Buu. I have to say, Buu makes for a very qualified playmate..."
"Is that so? It seems Bulla really likes him."
Meanwhile, the Supreme Kai of Time was questioning the Time King.
"Lord Toki-O, was it really necessary to personally recruit Turles? It's not like Tokitoki City is short on warriors of his level..."
The Time King pinched Chronoa's cheek and smiled. "Chronoa, don't you think this Turles is different? Looking across all timelines, has any other Turles ever followed a life path like his? Don't you find his power growth remarkably fast?"
Chronoa frowned. If it weren't for the Time King mentioning it, she wouldn't have noticed how unique this Turles was. Usually, she didn't bother observing such "small" figures. In every other timeline, Turles was a minor player—only this one had carved out a completely different destiny.
"Besides," the Time King added, "don't you think he's a perfect fit for the position of a Time God of Destruction?"