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Chapter 81 -  Branch May Be Young, But He Is Still My Son

"Is… is that so?" Bulma forced a smile, the corner of her mouth twitching. This family was stranger than she had imagined.

"But even if he transforms," she continued, "he's still only four years old. Can he really beat Goku's brother? That Raditz guy looked extremely strong!"

"He may be young," Broly said calmly, taking over the conversation.

A faint smile appeared on his face—quiet, yet filled with confidence.

"But he is still my son."

Those simple words carried an unquestionable certainty.

Bulma suddenly didn't know what to say.

"Damn it! That bastard!"

Goku finally managed to recover slightly from the pain. He punched the sand repeatedly, leaving shallow dents.

His face was full of frustration and helpless rage.

Raditz's strength had far exceeded his expectations.

"Are… are you okay, Goku?" Bulma asked worriedly, kneeling beside him.

Broly walked over as well.

"Relax," he said calmly. "With Branch there, Gohan will be fine."

"That may be true," Goku said hoarsely.

"I trust your strength, Broly. And maybe Branch is special."

"But how can I relax?!"

"Gohan is only four! He's never experienced anything like this before! He must be terrified!"

A father's worry overwhelmed him.

"Branch is four too," Launch said quietly.

Goku: "…."

He was instantly speechless.

Looking at how calm Broly and Launch were, Goku suddenly wondered if he was worrying too much.

"Flying Nimbus!"

Goku suddenly shouted toward the sky.

A golden cloud streaked toward him immediately.

"Wait, Goku!" Master Roshi quickly stopped him.

"Don't rush!"

"That Raditz is far too strong!"

"You saw what happened earlier—you're no match for him!"

Bulma grabbed Goku's arm.

"If you go now, he'll kill you!"

"We need a better plan!"

Krillin asked quietly,

"Goku… can you really defeat him right now?"

The memory of Raditz knocking Goku down with a single strike was still fresh.

"Broly…"

Goku turned hopefully toward him.

"Come with me!"

"If the two of us fight together, we can defeat him!"

But Broly immediately shook his head.

"Not now."

Goku froze.

"Why?!"

"Branch was kidnapped too!"

"Aren't you worried?!"

"Let him play there for a while," Broly said with a mischievous smile.

"We'll go pick them up later."

"If we go now, we'll interrupt the kids while they're playing."

Goku rubbed his aching head.

"You're really sure… Branch can beat him?"

"No need to think about it," Broly said, waving his hand.

"Let's eat first."

"We'll restore our strength."

"After we finish eating, we'll go get them."

"There's plenty of time."

Broly walked inside the house.

Moments later, he came back carrying the Infinite Gourmet Bowl.

He placed it on the table and patted it like an old friend.

Then he began listing dishes.

"Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roast duck, roast chicken, roast goose, braised pork, braised duck, soy chicken, cured meat, sausage, assorted cold platter, smoked chicken belly, steamed eight-treasure pork…"

He paused.

"That should be enough. The table might not fit more."

Immediately—

Flash! Flash! Flash!

Soft lights flickered inside the bowl.

Dish after dish appeared from thin air.

Steaming hot.

Fragrant.

The table quickly filled with food.

Roasted meat aroma.

Rich stew scent.

Sweet desserts.

The delicious smell spread everywhere.

Bulma and Goku stared in shock.

Master Roshi and Krillin were already used to it.

They simply swallowed their saliva.

"Broly…" Bulma finally asked,

"Where did you learn all those dish names?"

Broly grinned proudly.

"From the internet."

"There's a popular video called 'Reciting Dish Names.' I memorized it."

Bulma fell silent.

Her worldview had collapsed again.

Meanwhile Goku's stomach growled loudly.

The smell of food was irresistible.

Even his pain and anxiety faded slightly.

Soon everyone sat around the table:

the worried Goku

the stunned Bulma

the calm Master Roshi and Krillin

the relaxed Broly and Launch

They began eating.

Not far away, hidden behind a giant rock—

Piccolo had witnessed everything.

When he saw them eating instead of chasing Raditz, the muscles on his green face twitched.

Piccolo: "..."

These people were unbelievable.

Their children had just been kidnapped.

Yet they were calmly eating?!

"Hey, you should eat something too," Broly suddenly said.

He looked directly toward the rocks.

Piccolo froze.

Was he talking to me?

Impossible.

His energy was perfectly concealed.

Krillin looked up.

"Broly, who are you talking to?"

Broly smirked.

"Do I really have to say the name?"

"Piccolo."

Piccolo's eyes widened.

He stepped out from behind the rocks.

His white cape fluttered in the sea breeze.

"Piccolo?!" Goku blinked.

"What are you doing here?"

"I followed that guy," Piccolo replied coldly.

"Did you see how strong he was?" Goku asked.

"Yes."

Piccolo nodded seriously.

"If Broly isn't going, then I'll go with you."

Goku looked surprised.

"He's far too strong," Piccolo continued.

"Neither of us can defeat him alone."

"Even Broly might struggle."

Broly ignored him completely and calmly ate grapes.

Piccolo continued anyway.

"But if we work together, we can defeat him."

"Broly could beat him easily," Goku said confidently.

"You underestimate Broly."

Now that Goku had eaten some food, his mind was clearer.

With Broly's strength, everything would be fine.

Piccolo stared at Broly.

But Broly ignored him again.

"Why are you helping?" Goku asked while eating a rice ball.

Piccolo snorted.

"Don't misunderstand."

"I'm not doing this for peace."

"I don't care about your son either."

"That alien will interfere with my plan to conquer the world."

"So we defeat him first."

"Then I'll deal with you and Broly."

"After that, the world will be mine."

Goku nodded casually.

"Fine."

"Let's cooperate for now."

"Eat something first."

Piccolo refused proudly.

"I don't eat your food."

"I only need water."

"There's plenty of seawater," Broly said lazily, pointing toward the ocean.

Piccolo: "..."

"Can you drink that?!" Piccolo snapped.

"You're picky," Broly replied.

He turned to the bowl.

"Two bottles of water."

Two bottles instantly appeared.

Broly tossed one to Piccolo.

Piccolo caught it and drank cautiously.

It was pure fresh water.

His eyes drifted toward the magical bowl again.

So this is the treasure Broly wished for from Shenron…

Bulma suddenly asked again,

"Broly… are you really sure Branch will be okay?"

"Yes," Broly replied simply.

"Wait… what?!" Bulma panicked.

"If something might happen, shouldn't you go save him?!"

Launch laughed softly.

"Bulma, you misunderstood."

"What Broly means is…"

"The one who might be in trouble…"

"…is Goku's brother."

Bulma was speechless.

Master Roshi pushed up his sunglasses.

"Don't underestimate Branch."

"That boy is even more… special than his father was at that age."

Meanwhile, far away on a wasteland—

Raditz landed beside a huge crater.

At the bottom was his space pod.

Branch and Gohan landed on the grass.

Thanks to Branch cheering him up the entire flight, Gohan had finally stopped crying.

Raditz sighed in relief.

Gohan had cried for nearly ten minutes.

His head had nearly exploded.

Thankfully Branch kept distracting him.

Otherwise the crying might have lasted all the way.

"We're here," Raditz said.

Branch immediately peeked into the crater.

"Huh?"

"Isn't that our table leg?"

Raditz: "..."

Table leg again…

Raditz nearly exploded internally.

"That's a Saiyan space pod, you idiot!"

Branch slid down the crater happily.

He knocked on the metal surface.

"Uncle, is this one stronger?"

"Is it the same model as ours?"

Raditz forced himself to answer.

"Yours is an older version."

"Mine is a newer one."

"What's the difference?"

"The seat is more comfortable."

Branch looked disappointed.

"That's it?"

"Isn't it faster?"

Raditz sighed.

"It's slightly faster."

"Kid, why do you have so many questions?"

Then he waved his hand impatiently.

"I'm hungry."

"Go get me something to eat."

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