Everyone followed Krillin's gaze.
Not far away stood Piccolo Jr., draped in a white cloak and wearing a white turban, his expression cold and aloof as he silently observed them.
"What's with that guy?"
"He's been staring at us."
Goku nodded calmly.
"You think hiding under a turban makes him unrecognizable?"
"He's Demon King Piccolo's son — Piccolo Jr."
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Tien's face instantly turned pale.
"Demon King Piccolo's… son? How is that possible…"
Yamcha said nervously,
"So he really left a child behind… but why would he come here?"
Goku smiled faintly.
"Relax. Since he's participating properly in the Martial Arts Tournament, it means he's not confident he can defeat us outright."
"Stay sharp. I'm confident I can handle him."
"But keep this secret — if the public panics, this tournament won't be able to continue."
Krillin clenched his fists.
"Don't worry. I'm not afraid of him."
"My strength is far greater than it was three years ago."
"Even if he really is Piccolo Jr., I won't lose easily!"
At that moment, the referee announced loudly:
"Contestants, please collect your number tags!
The preliminary matches are about to begin!"
Goku grinned.
"Alright, everyone — see you in the finals."
Yamcha laughed.
"If any of us gets eliminated early, we'll be laughed at for the rest of our lives."
And just like that, the fierce preliminary rounds began—
and ended just as quickly.
Thanks to Chiaotzu secretly interfering with the drawing again, no early internal battles occurred.
Soon, the referee stepped forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"The preliminary matches of the World Martial Arts Tournament have concluded!"
"Thank you all for your patience!"
"The matchups are as follows—"
"Tao Pai Pai versus Tien Shinhan!"
"Son Goku versus the Invincible Masked Man!"
"Piccolo Jr. versus Krillin!"
"Shen versus Yamcha!"
...
Spectator Stands
Under Launch's machine-gun-assisted "seat clearing," Bulma and the others secured excellent spots.
They sat proudly in the front row, waiting for the tournament to begin.
Launch commented,
"Feels like every tournament is the same people over and over."
"They should just give the championship to Goku already. He's obviously the strongest martial artist."
Bulma shook her head with a smile.
"That won't do. The tournament exists to inspire people to train."
"If you block that path, things will go wrong."
"Besides, Goku said this time Piccolo's child is coming."
"Once that's resolved, he doesn't plan to participate in future tournaments."
"Oh?" Violet smiled.
"The heir of Demon King Piccolo coming here for revenge through a martial arts tournament… that's interesting."
Chi-Chi said uneasily,
"What if he plans to kill civilians on the spot and cause chaos?"
Bulma thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Probably not."
"Goku said the Guardian has been observing him for three years."
"If Piccolo Jr. had harmed even one innocent person or animal, Goku would've been sent down to stop him."
"But strangely enough…"
"In all these years, he's done nothing but train alone."
"He hasn't hurt a single person. Not even a small animal."
"My guess is—"
"He himself doesn't realize it yet, but he's already completely different from the old Demon King Piccolo."
The group fell silent.
Chi-Chi asked hesitantly,
"Really? Wouldn't the bloodline of such an evil being be filled with darkness?"
Launch snorted.
"Who cares? If he dares cause trouble, Goku will kill him for good this time."
Suno nodded firmly.
"That's right. After training under Mr. Popo, Goku's far stronger than when he defeated Demon King Piccolo."
"Even if Piccolo's child has grown fast, he's only three years old."
"He's definitely no match for Goku!"
Just then, the referee's voice boomed across the arena:
"The 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament—
now officially begins!"
"The first match: Tao Pai Pai versus Tien Shinhan!"
Mechanical Tao Pai Pai walked onto the stage, smiling coldly at Tien.
"Relax. I won't kill you."
"I'll just beat you half to death."
"I want to keep my status as a contestant—so I can kill Son Goku in front of the entire world."
Tien stared at him, emotions surging within.
At that moment, he felt immense gratitude that Master Roshi had once pulled him away from this path.
Otherwise, even now, he would still be chasing the shadow of the world's greatest assassin.
Both fighters stepped onto the arena.
The referee shouted,
"Match begin!"
Tao Pai Pai sneered.
"Traitor. Are you mentally prepared?"
Tien looked at him quietly.
There was no fear in his eyes—only regret for the past.
He assumed his stance.
"Come, Tao Pai Pai."
"Let this battle sever my final ties with the Crane School!"
Tao Pai Pai laughed sharply.
"Hmph. Then I'll finish you cleanly!"
In a flash, he lunged forward at incredible speed—
far faster than when he was still a human assassin.
Yet in Tien's eyes…
his movements were full of openings.
Slow. Painfully slow.
In that instant, Tien realized—
after leaving the Crane School, he had truly grown far beyond his past self.
The idol he once worshiped…
was now utterly insignificant.
As Tao Pai Pai rushed forward, Tien withdrew his stance—
and struck with a precise knife-hand to the back of his neck.
Bang!
Tao Pai Pai collapsed face-first onto the arena.
In the stands, Master Shen's eyes widened in shock.
"What?!"
Master Roshi laughed heartily.
"Hohoho! Crane Hermit, your disciple is quite impressive."
"After leaving you, he continued training under my school."
"He's far stronger now."
"That so-called mechanical Tao Pai Pai couldn't even take a single move from him."
Master Shen exploded in rage.
"You damn turtle—!"
He shouted Tao Pai Pai's name desperately—
but Tien's strike had knocked him completely unconscious.
Even after the referee finished counting, Tao Pai Pai still didn't wake.
Master Shen's face twisted grotesquely with fury.
As the staff carried Tao Pai Pai away, Master Roshi burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! This is priceless!"
"Seeing you this angry makes me incredibly happy!"
Humiliated beyond measure, Master Shen had no choice but to leave the tournament grounds carrying the unconscious Tao Pai Pai.
The referee announced:
"Winner: Tien Shinhan!"
"Next match—Son Goku versus the Invincible Masked Man!"
Soon, Yajirobe stepped onto the arena wearing a full head mask.
Seeing him like this, Goku blinked in surprise.
Gold always shines eventually.
Even without eating Yajirobe's grilled fish, the man had still made his way here.
At that moment, a system notification flashed in Goku's mind.
[In your previous life, Yajirobe once saved your life.
However, after climbing Korin Tower with you, he latched onto Korin and lived off Senzu Beans for the rest of his life, never striving again.
This resulted in massive waste of Senzu Beans.
Later, when true crises came, shortages nearly led to failure.]
[Your life has restarted.
In this life, Yajirobe never climbed Korin Tower and never obtained a lifetime food ticket.]
[You believe he has talent — he is simply too lazy.
His life should not be wasted this way.]
Mission: Send Yajirobe to work and experience the hardships of life.
Reward: Stamina +10
Side Effect: Appetite +10%
Goku stared at the reward.
"…Appetite plus ten percent?"
So this is energy conservation, huh?
But where should he send Yajirobe to work?
A food company was impossible — he'd slack off and steal food.
Capsule Corp wouldn't work either — he'd cause more problems than solutions.
Goku thought carefully.
Yajirobe had once decapitated Cymbal in a single strike.
Later, he even cut off Vegeta's tail.
His knife skills were unquestionable.
After some consideration, Goku nodded to himself.
A slaughterhouse.
With those knife skills, his efficiency will definitely be outstanding.
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