Mount Paozu, Goku's house.
"Father, Uncle Vegeta is in danger! We have to get over there right now!" Gohan urged.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Gohan." Goku remained calm, giving a slight shake of his head.
"Eh? Why not?" Gohan was taken aback.
"Something's not right with Vegeta's situation," Piccolo cut in. "Based on the intensity of the energy he was putting out, there's no way his power should have dropped this low so quickly... I get the feeling he has some other motive!"
"Piccolo's right. Let's not mess up Vegeta's plan just yet." Goku mused for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Gohan finally understood, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
Could it be... Uncle Vegeta is going to pull that self-destruction stunt again?
And then have Trunks transform into Father's Super Saiyan 3?
It seems possible!
But that same old routine... can Trunks even handle it?
The battlefield.
"You first. How do you know who I am?" Cell asked with a curious smile, looking at Vegeta.
"Before this, I took Trunks' Time Machine to his future world and saw you there. It's as simple as that," Vegeta replied flatly.
Trunks: "..."
Father, your lying skills are truly second to none.
There wasn't even a Cell in my future world.
The one we fought was Majin Buu, wasn't it?
"Oh? You even took a Time Machine to Trunks' future?" Cell was a bit surprised. He then mused, "So, that means you were the one who killed Androids 17 and 18?"
"Correct," Vegeta nodded.
"No wonder I couldn't find 17 and 18 in the future. It turns out it was all thanks to you!" Cell finally understood, his teeth gnashing in hatred.
"Now, how about your story?" Vegeta snorted, asking coolly.
"Fine, there's no harm in telling you. You're both dead men anyway," Cell chuckled. "A long time ago, Dr. Gero collected the cells of the most valiant warriors and began synthesizing them for his Android research. Because the process took too long, he eventually gave up, but the computer never stopped working, continuing the task until it was complete."
Vegeta didn't interrupt, listening patiently.
"The cells of Son Goku, Piccolo, and yourself, Vegeta, were collected when you and Nappa first came to Earth," Cell continued his explanation with a smirk.
Vegeta remained silent.
"Later, Frieza and Broly came to Earth, and I was lucky enough to obtain their cells as well," Cell said with a grin. "Combined with that brat Trunks' cells, I've basically gathered all the Saiyan DNA I need."
"Broly?" Vegeta's mind immediately went to Broly.
The Saiyan who had come to Earth alongside Frieza.
But where did that guy go?
I remember Kakarot took him away.
"What I'm asking is, which world did you come from?" Vegeta snorted. He wasn't particularly interested in Cell's origins; he mainly wanted to know where he had popped up from.
However, from Cell's words, Vegeta could already tell.
This guy must have been born in our world!
Otherwise, how could he have Broly's cells?
"Which world? How should I know?" Cell shook his head, giving Vegeta a flat look.
Vegeta clenched his fists, his teeth gnashing. He really wanted to step forward and give Cell a thorough thrashing.
You don't even know which world you came from?
"After I was activated, I knew nothing of my future destiny..." Cell snorted, looking at Vegeta. "Then, a guy claiming to be a god appeared before me, saying he wanted me to serve him!"
Vegeta's pupils shrank slightly.
A guy claiming to be a god?
Could it be...
"Claiming to be a god? Who?" Vegeta asked.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know him." Cell shot Vegeta a glare, but he said the name anyway. "He said his name was Zamasu, from another universe. Some kind of Supreme Kai from another universe! I was going to kill him right then and there, but after hearing what he wanted to do, I suddenly thought it sounded quite interesting."
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta's expression grew more solemn.
It really is that Zamasu fellow.
Doesn't seem to be Goku Black.
Why on earth would Zamasu go looking for Cell?
What's the logic there?
Also, Zamasu, you're quite the talker, aren't you?
Vegeta remembered that Zamasu wasn't actually a Supreme Kai, but merely an Apprentice Supreme Kai.
He hadn't become a true Supreme Kai yet!
Trunks, meanwhile, was listening from the side, feeling completely lost.
Lord Supreme Kai?
A Supreme Kai from another universe?
What does any of this even mean?
Trunks didn't interject. Seeing his father's expression grow increasingly grim, he also became more tense.
"What did he want you to do?" Vegeta asked, keeping his voice steady.
"He wanted to wipe out every human in the entire universe," Cell said with a grin. "What a coincidence—I had the same goal, so we hit it off immediately."
"And then?" Vegeta asked, everything going exactly as he had anticipated.
"Zamasu also said that the world I was in wasn't very safe, that there were higher-level gods who would suppress him... so he said he'd take me somewhere safer." Cell gave a light chuckle and continued, "I didn't really care. I couldn't find 17 and 18 anyway, so since he said he'd take me somewhere safer, I went along with it."
Vegeta fell silent.
Cell went to Trunks' world with Zamasu?
"What I didn't expect was that this Zamasu guy was actually quite remarkable. With just a few words, it felt like I was traveling through time and space with him, appearing in another world," Cell said with a smile.
"Hmm..." Vegeta had already guessed as much and nodded silently.
"That world was actually quite boring. There was only Trunks, and he wasn't even as strong as the Trunks standing next to you," Cell chuckled.
"So, you killed that Trunks and took his Time Machine to this world?" Vegeta inquired.
"What? Did the future me die after all?" Trunks clenched his fists, his expression full of emotion.
"That's about the gist of it." Cell nodded, not denying it. He then glanced at Trunks. "But that Zamasu guy said he wanted to keep Trunks alive to let his other companion keep getting stronger."
"Another companion?" Vegeta's heart sank slightly.
The 'other companion' Cell mentioned had to be Goku Black.
"You'll definitely be interested in his other companion, Vegeta." Cell grinned broadly, his smile radiant.
Vegeta didn't respond.
"It's Son Goku." Cell's smile became even more triumphant.
"Mr. Goku?" Trunks was stunned, looking at Cell in disbelief.
"Hmph." Vegeta merely let out a cold snort. Of course, he knew that person wasn't Kakarot, but Zamasu, who had swapped bodies with Son Goku.
"How ironic! The so-called Savior of Earth, ruthlessly slaughtering humans across the universe in another world!" Cell rubbed his nose, unable to resist mocking them.
"You're lying! Mr. Goku would never be that kind of person!" Trunks shook his head with firm conviction.
"I worked with them for a while, but our opinions started to clash. Besides, I still wanted to achieve my Perfect Form, so I decided to part ways." Cell ignored Trunks and snorted. "Of course, they didn't want to let me leave; they wanted to keep using me as a tool! I obviously wasn't having it, so I wiped them both out, then found Trunks and finished him off too."
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta was silent.
Cell killed Zamasu and Goku Black?
Are you joking?
If that's true, just how strong would this Cell have to be?
Back then, even with Super Saiyan Blue, I couldn't beat Goku Black's Super Saiyan Rosé.
And that Zamasu was immortal.
An incomplete Cell claiming he killed Zamasu and Goku Black?
That's one hell of a tall tale you're spinning!
Trunks said nothing, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
"What surprised me was that Trunks actually had a Time Machine there," Cell said with a smile. "So I took the Time Machine and came to this world!"
"With your abilities, you could take out a Supreme Kai?" Vegeta snorted. "Hmph, don't make me laugh!"
"Heh heh heh." Cell chuckled a few times, neither refuting nor denying it, his laughter sounding rather meaningful.
Vegeta looked at him coldly, saying nothing.
However, Vegeta was silently considering something.
It was possible that Goku Black hadn't yet reached the heights of Super Saiyan Rosé, or perhaps he couldn't even perform a basic Super Saiyan transformation before being taken out by Cell.
Judging from Cell's words, Goku Black should have been able to transform into a Super Saiyan by then.
Cell's current strength was at least above Super Saiyan 2.
So, taking out Goku Black was plausible.
But before that, Cell would have had to find a way to restrain that immortal, healing Zamasu.
Otherwise, even if he heavily injured Goku Black, Zamasu could have healed him instantly.
How Cell managed that was anyone's guess.
"I've said about all there is to say. Now, you can die in peace." With that, Cell reached out his hand, aiming it at Vegeta's body.
The corners of Vegeta's mouth curled up into a cold smile.
"Father! Let's fight together!" Trunks stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Vegeta. He dropped into a fighting stance, a golden aura erupting around him as he entered Super Saiyan 2.
"Trunks, stay back. You're no match for him!" Vegeta ordered.
"Father!" Trunks couldn't bear to watch.
"You two really are a devoted father and son!" Cell chuckled, a dark green aura gathering in his hand. "But don't you worry, I'll send your whole family to the underworld together, nice and neat."
After saying this, Cell unleashed the dark green energy directly at Vegeta.
"Goodbye, Vegeta!" Cell jeered.
The dark green energy shot toward Vegeta at incredible speed.
Vegeta didn't panic at all. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, forming a faint smirk.
Cell was momentarily stunned.
Why are you smiling like such a creep?
Don't you know you're about to be killed by me?
What's that smile supposed to mean?
FLASH!
Flames erupted around Vegeta as he transformed directly into a Super Saiyan God.
BAM!
With a casual swat of his hand, Vegeta slapped away the dark green energy Cell had fired.
The energy shot high into the sky and exploded.
Immediately, dark green sparks rained down.
Cell's expression froze. He stared at Vegeta's transformation in shock, unable to process what was happening.
"Hmph, you idiot. I finally know where you came from," Vegeta chuckled.
"You... you..." Cell was aghast. "Did you feign weakness just to get me to tell the truth?"
"Of course." Vegeta's smile grew even more radiant.
"Vegeta, you're quite the cunning one!" Cell clenched his fists, glaring at Vegeta through gritted teeth. He snorted, "But do you really think you can defeat me, Cell, just because you've got some flames coming off you?"
"Hmph." Vegeta let out a cold snort, and with a blur, he vanished from his spot.
Cell's eyes widened as he scanned the area, searching everywhere for Vegeta's whereabouts.
Trunks' eyes twitched violently.
What kind of transformation is this?
I've never seen him use it before.
And Father's Ki has completely vanished.
I can't sense his presence at all.
What on earth is going on?
Mount Paozu.
"Vegeta's Ki has vanished..." Piccolo said grimly. "Has he already run into trouble?"
"No, Cell's Ki is actually quite unstable; he feels a bit panicked," Goku analyzed. "Back when we were fighting Frieza, Vegeta's Ki vanished for a while too."
"Vanished for a while?" Piccolo was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered. He nodded, "That's right... now that you mention it, I remember his Ki disappearing back then too!"
"Uncle Vegeta's Ki vanished? If Father and Uncle Piccolo say so... I think I remember that too." Gohan scratched his head and chimed in.
"Gohan, Piccolo, take my hands. Let's go see for ourselves." Goku made a split-second decision, reaching out to Piccolo and Gohan.
Neither of them objected, immediately placing their hands on him.
ZIP!
Goku used Instant Transmission, and the three of them vanished instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Goku and the others appeared beside Trunks.
"Mr. Goku? Master Gohan? Mr. Piccolo!" Trunks greeted them one by one, his face full of surprise and joy.
"Trunks, long time no see!" Goku laughed.
Immediately after, Goku looked toward Vegeta and was instantly stunned.
Vegeta was covered in flames, his hair had turned fiery red—he had entered Super Saiyan God.
At that moment, with a flicker, Vegeta appeared behind Cell.
His speed was staggering!
Cell hadn't reacted at all.
WHAM!
Vegeta delivered a powerful kick to Cell's backside.
"YEOW!"
Cell let out a cry of pain as he was kicked high into the air, tumbling repeatedly.
"Yo, Kakarot's here?" Vegeta gave a brilliant, meaningful smile.
Then, Vegeta stared intently at Goku's face, his expression full of anticipation.
Kakarot, are you stunned by this transformation?
Can you do it?
You don't know how to go Super Saiyan God, do you?
Goku was indeed stunned.
After all, this was the Goku from the GT timeline; he naturally didn't know the Super Saiyan God transformation and had never seen it before.
Not only was Goku stunned, but Gohan and Piccolo were also shocked.
How did Vegeta end up like this?
"Hey, Vegeta, are you burning up your life force?" Goku asked in shock. "Don't do anything rash!"
Vegeta: "..."
Vegeta's face darkened, and he shot Goku a fierce glare.
Ignoring Goku, Vegeta immediately took to the sky.
Vegeta's speed was so incredible that with just a flicker, he was already beside Cell.
"So fast!" Gohan was aghast. "Even I could barely track him."
Goku was also a bit surprised.
So you really are a reincarnator too, Vegeta.
But it seems the world you came from is different from mine.
BAM!
After appearing beside Cell, Vegeta delivered another heavy punch, slamming it into Cell's stomach.
"Gah..."
Cell spat out a mouthful of digestive fluid, his body doubling over like a shrimp, his face turning deathly pale.
Vegeta followed up with a bicycle kick to Cell's head.
WHOOSH!
Cell plummeted from the sky like a meteor.
BOOM!
With a massive crash, Cell's body slammed into the ground below, leaving a large crater.
THUD!
Vegeta landed slowly beside Cell, giving a cold smile.
Cell gnashed his teeth, his body trembling slightly. He glared at Vegeta with eyes full of shock and unease.
How is Vegeta this powerful?
Cell's First Form was no match for Vegeta.
Even though Cell had absorbed the cells of Broly and Golden Frieza, he was still in his initial form, not his Perfect Form.
Therefore, Cell could only utilize a small fraction of Broly and Golden Frieza's power.
It wasn't the combined strength of Broly and Frieza!
Rather, it was more like their combined strength divided by two.
It was just like the old Cell; even though he had absorbed the cells of many warriors, it didn't mean he had the sum of all their energies.
The current Cell only had strength above Super Saiyan 2 in his First Form because of the cells from Broly and Golden Frieza.
But that level of power was far from enough to compete with Vegeta in his Super Saiyan God form.
"Cell, your plan has failed," Vegeta said with a light smile, reaching out his hand toward Cell's body.
"Curse you!" Cell gnashed his teeth, struggling to crawl up from the ground.
"Is this the extent of your power? How disappointing," Vegeta snorted.
At this point, Vegeta was certain that the Zamasu and Goku Black who were with Cell couldn't have been very impressive.
Either Cell was lying, or he had used some special means to restrain Zamasu before killing Goku Black.
"You... you... I'm not in my Perfect Form yet!" Cell shouted in frustration. "If I were in my Perfect Form, do you think I'd lose to you?"
"Oh? Is that so?" Vegeta chuckled. "You think you could beat me once you reach your Perfect Form?"
"Of course! Forget about my Perfect Form—even if I just absorbed Android 17 or 18 and reached my Semi-Perfect Form, I could beat you into the ground!" Cell said, his face full of resentment as he gnashed his teeth.
"I'm afraid you won't get that chance!" Vegeta gave a disdainful smile, energy gathering in his hand.
Cell: "..."
"Wait a minute, Vegeta!" Cell was aghast, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Why isn't this guy following the script?
"You... don't you Saiyans love fighting powerful opponents? The stronger the opponent, the more excited you get—isn't that right?" Cell shouted.
"Hmph, you really do know us Saiyans well," Vegeta's smile widened. "But your plan has failed. Do you really think I'd let you reach your Perfect Form?"
"You... you..." Cell was starting to stammer.
"Cell, take your dreams of a Perfect Form to the grave! Die!" Vegeta snorted, firing an energy blast directly at Cell.
BOOM!
With a dull explosion, Cell's body was blown into several pieces by Vegeta's energy blast.
Having done this, Vegeta glanced at the largest remaining piece of Cell's body, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smirk.
Of course, I want Cell to reach his Perfect Form.
Otherwise, how am I supposed to show off in front of Kakarot later?
If I just wipe Cell out like this, peace will probably return to this world for a long time.
I, Vegeta, wouldn't have any opponents at all!
Also, why hasn't that bastard Zamasu come looking for me?
You actually went looking for Cell?
If you came looking for me, I'd crush you in a heartbeat!
But then Vegeta thought about it—Zamasu's appearance was supposed to be much later.
At this point in time, Zamasu should still be the North Kai of Universe 10, working diligently, right?
The Supreme Kai of Universe 10 probably hadn't even thought about taking him as a disciple yet.
Or even if he had, Zamasu would still be on his best behavior in the early stages.
"Vegeta, you're amazing!" Goku couldn't stop marveling, walking around Vegeta to get a good look.
Vegeta immediately flashed a triumphant smile.
Goku then reached out a finger to test the temperature of the flames coming off Vegeta.
"Hot, hot, hot!" Goku quickly pulled his finger back.
The corners of Vegeta's mouth turned up, his smile growing even more smug.
"Vegeta, what kind of transformation is this? Even your hair turned red!" Goku's curiosity grew, and he circled Vegeta again and again.
Vegeta really wanted to transform directly into Super Saiyan Blue and leave Goku speechless.
But on second thought, Vegeta felt that such a spectacular scene should wait a while.
At least until Cell reached his Perfect Form.
When that time comes, I'll reveal Super Saiyan Blue.
Kakarot will be even more shocked then.
"Kakarot, how about the two of us have a match?" Vegeta asked with a smile.
To be continued…
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