With the Ginyu Force wiped out, even the air on Namek seemed a little fresher.
That last fight looked like a one-sided stomp.
In truth… it really was a one-sided stomp.
"So where to next? Frieza still hasn't shown up," Goku said, rolling his wrists. The fight with Captain Ginyu hadn't even counted as a warm-up for him. At best, it felt like a light stretching routine.
Krillin glanced at his system map.
As someone who knew the original Dragon Ball storyline inside out, the current situation was clearer to him than Namek's three suns.
Frieza, the so-called emperor of the universe who could not even sense ki properly, was almost certainly on his way to the Grand Elder. He would try to force him to hand over the last Dragon Ball and make that plain, almost laughably simple wish for immortality.
Which meant one thing.
His base, that massive disk-shaped spaceship, was now at its most vulnerable.
"The most dangerous place is often the safest. And the one with the most loot."
Krillin grinned like a bandit chief.
"Let's go clean out Frieza's place."
"Looting? I like that!" Tolin's eyes lit up. As Bulma's son, he had a natural enthusiasm for what he called "zero-cost shopping."
No one hesitated.
They formed a circle. Krillin wrapped one arm around Aki and grabbed Bulma with the other, then activated Instant Transmission.
Flash.
In the next instant, they appeared directly on the landing platform of Frieza's ship.
A number of Frieza Force soldiers were still stationed there, mostly low-level fighters with power levels in the low thousands. They were gathered in small groups, pointing at the devastated battlefield and speculating about what had happened to the Ginyu Force.
"Hey, look! Who are those?" one soldier with a crocodile-like face shouted.
"Humans…?"
"Take them down! Lord Frieza ordered us to eliminate any suspicious targets on sight!"
Dozens of soldiers raised their energy blasters or opened their mouths to fire energy waves.
Krillin did not even lift a finger.
He simply opened his eyes slightly.
A dense, invisible wave of pressure surged outward from him.
Not battle ki, but pure mental force.
Mental Shock.
Buzz.
The air trembled.
Every soldier froze mid-motion. Their eyes rolled back as they collapsed in unison, like a field of wheat cut down in a single sweep.
Foam gathered at the corners of their mouths as their bodies twitched.
"So weak," Tolin muttered, kicking one aside. "Not even worth my time."
"Quit playing around. Let's get to work."
Krillin walked straight into the ship.
The group moved through the corridors without resistance. Any stragglers they encountered were casually erased by Piccolo's ki blasts.
They stopped outside the medical bay.
Through the thick reinforced glass, a healing pod hummed softly. Green liquid bubbled as a familiar figure floated inside, wearing a breathing mask.
Vegeta.
After being beaten badly by Zarbon and then treated like a ragdoll by Recoome, he had been in terrible shape. But with that cockroach-like Saiyan resilience and the near-death power boost, he had managed to crawl back to the ship.
The display on the pod flickered rapidly.
Treatment progress: 68 percent.
Vegeta's eyes were shut tight, his brow furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare.
Probably dreaming about getting beaten again.
"Oh hey, it's Vegeta!" Tolin pressed his face against the glass and poked at it.
"Leave him. Let him soak."
Krillin pulled out a black marker from his pocket and drew a large pig face on the glass, then added a line beside it:
Krillin was here.
He stepped back, clearly pleased with himself, then turned toward the main control room.
That was where the Dragon Balls were kept.
The Namekian Dragon Balls were massive compared to Earth's. Each one was about the size of a basketball, heavy, glowing faintly with an ancient, mysterious energy.
Bulma counted them, her eyes sparkling.
"With the ones we already have, that makes six! We only need one more!"
"Frieza worked so hard gathering them, only for us to take everything," Krillin said with a smirk.
He waved his hand.
System prompt appeared.
High-energy items detected: Namekian Dragon Balls.
Store in system space?
"Yes."
In an instant, the enormous Dragon Balls vanished into storage.
If Frieza came back and saw an empty room, he would probably burst a few blood vessels on the spot.
"Um… will Frieza go crazy if we take them?" Gohan asked hesitantly.
"Crazy or not, he's not getting his wish," Krillin replied casually. "Namek's Dragon Balls need a voice password. You have to speak the Namekian language."
"Even if Frieza collects all seven, all he'll summon is a set of oversized glowing rocks."
He shrugged, clearly amused.
Information advantage was the deadliest weapon of all.
Suddenly, Krillin raised an eyebrow.
His sensing field covered half of Namek. Just now, he picked up a faint but pure ki signature moving quickly from the north.
It was not a combat aura. It felt calm, almost healing in nature.
"Dende?"
Krillin's thoughts shifted.
In the original timeline, Dende should have already been rescued and taken to the Grand Elder. But things had changed. Dodoria had been eliminated early, and Elder Moori survived. Dende never had to flee.
Now this presence was moving toward them. Most likely sent by the Grand Elder after sensing the looming crisis.
"The details changed, but the overall direction is still the same."
Krillin opened his status panel.
Host: Krillin
Race: Human (Divine Regenerative Body)
Power Level: 68,000 (suppressed, boosted by current mood)
Skills: Kaio-ken (modified), Serious Series Sacred Buddha Form, Super Bald Form, Instant Transmission (God-tier), Ki Resonance
Current Mission: Final Battle on Namek (Progress 30%)
"Alright. We've got the Dragon Balls, Vegeta is still soaking, and now it's time to meet Namek's top authority."
Krillin looked north, his gaze steady.
"The Grand Elder… and that potential unlock. I'm already ridiculously strong, but stronger never hurts."
"And Piccolo should probably go meet his roots too."
Piccolo, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, suddenly felt a chill.
"Why are you looking at me?" he said coldly.
Krillin smiled in a way that suggested far more than he said, placing a hand on Piccolo's shoulder.
"You'll see. We're about to witness history."
"Tolin, Gohan, grab on. We're moving!"
"Got it!"
They quickly formed a circle again. Krillin pressed two fingers to his forehead, locking onto that distant ki signature.
"Instant Transmission."
Flash.
The ship fell silent.
Only the medical pod remained, quietly bubbling, with Vegeta inside and a freshly drawn pig face on the glass, completely unaware of everything that had just happened.
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