Goku picked up the scouter that had fallen to the ground.
"Vegeta, you're listening, aren't you?" he said calmly. "Aren't you curious how a so-called low-class warrior like me became this strong? Come to Earth. I'll be waiting."
With a slight squeeze of his fingers, the scouter shattered into pieces.
Raditz's pupils shrank.
"Kakarot! Why did you crush the scouter?!"
Goku looked at him indifferently. "Some things aren't meant to be said in front of that device."
He glanced over Raditz's injuries. "Can you still stand?"
Raditz tried to move. A sharp wave of pain made him hiss.
"My bones are broken. I need to use the recovery pod in my space pod. It won't heal everything, but it'll stabilize me."
"The recovery pod? The one inside your spacecraft?"
"Yes."
Goku shook his head. "Too troublesome. Let's use Earth's method."
Raditz blinked. "What?"
Goku reached into his clothes and took out a small pouch. From it, he retrieved a Senzu Bean.
"Eat this. Your injuries will recover."
Raditz eyed it skeptically but swallowed it anyway.
Instantly, his wounds vanished. The fractures Goku had inflicted mended completely.
And because he had been beaten so severely, his Saiyan biology triggered a Zenkai boost.
His power surged—at least thirty percent higher than before.
Raditz clenched his fists, feeling the strength overflowing through him.
"Incredible… Just one bean healed everything. My power—it's pouring out!"
Then he looked at Goku eagerly.
"Give me the rest of that bag."
Goku immediately understood his intention.
"You're thinking of exploiting it—hurting yourself to trigger more potential. Your limits won't survive that kind of abuse. If you want to grow stronger, train properly."
Raditz stiffened, his thoughts exposed.
Still, Goku tossed him the pouch.
"If you want to live, train seriously. I spared you not because I'm joining Vegeta's squad or serving Frieza. I called Vegeta here because my goal is simple—grow stronger and kill Frieza."
Raditz froze.
"Kill… Frieza? Are you insane? Do you even know his power level?"
Goku raised five fingers.
"On the surface, 530,000. In his final form, 120 million."
Raditz felt his scalp go numb.
"One hundred… twenty million?!"
The gap between 1,500 and 120,000,000 was beyond comprehension.
That was why Raditz had never even considered rebellion. He was content surviving in Vegeta's squad, cleaning up scraps, conquering weak planets, slaughtering civilians, and pretending he was important.
To him, Goku sounded completely mad.
As for intense training or becoming a Super Saiyan, Goku didn't mention it. He knew Raditz lacked both the discipline and the obsession Vegeta possessed.
…
On the other side of the universe, Vegeta and Nappa had just conquered a planet. They were eating when Raditz's screams echoed through their scouters.
Nappa frowned. "Vegeta, Kakarot's beating Raditz. You think he'll kill him?"
Vegeta smirked. "Looks like his little brother isn't cooperating. If he dies, so what? He's useless."
Nappa chuckled. "True enough. Raditz was weak. The scouter showed Kakarot stronger than him."
Then a different voice came through.
"Vegeta, aren't you curious how a low-class warrior like me became this strong? Come to Earth. I'll be waiting."
The transmission ended in static.
Nappa blinked. "Did Kakarot destroy the scouter?"
Vegeta didn't respond immediately. His mind was turning.
After a moment, he smiled coldly.
"A low-class warrior dares provoke Prince Vegeta? How amusing."
Nappa nodded. "He may be strong, but he's still just a low-class warrior. Even if he's over 5,000, that's nothing compared to us."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes, tapping the armrest thoughtfully.
"Nappa, the scouter showed his power exceeding 5,000."
Nappa snorted. "So what? 5,000 is trash."
Vegeta's gaze sharpened.
"Idiot. The point isn't the number. It's how he achieved it. A low-class warrior sent to a fringe planet. No frequent high-level battles. No gravity chamber. No Saiyan military resources. A planet with gravity one-tenth of Planet Vegeta's… and yet he surpassed elite warriors."
He stood up.
"Does that growth rate make sense to you?"
Nappa's eyes widened.
"You're right… It doesn't. On a low-gravity world like that, a few hundred would be the ceiling."
Vegeta finished his meal.
"Nappa. Prepare the ship. We're going to Earth."
"At once!"
As Nappa rushed off, Vegeta shut off his scouter and smiled.
"If I can learn whatever method allowed Kakarot to grow that quickly… perhaps…"
His eyes gleamed.
"…I could surpass even Frieza."
A cruel smile curved his lips as he imagined the future—himself standing at the top.
Cui. Zarbon. Dodoria.
And even the so-called Emperor of the Universe, Frieza.
All dead by his hand.
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