Sitting on the rock, with a calm smile on his face, Zaiko looked at Broly, although he watched Paragus out of the corner of his eye.
The clearest example he had to understand what was happening at that moment with the scouter was, without a doubt, Goku Black.
Like Goku Black, he had a Saiyan body inhabited by the essence of a Supreme Kai, a god.
He was, in every practical sense, a god in a mortal's body... or perhaps, a mortal with the pure essence of a god.
Although... isn't that practically the same thing?
Therefore, Paragus not being able to detect his power level with a simple scouter was perfectly understandable.
Furthermore, he would have been genuinely worried if he had succeeded.
It all came down to God Ki.
It was a very particular type of energy, naturally used by gods, though it could also be attained by extraordinary mortals with proper training.
The most distinctive characteristic is that God Ki cannot be sensed by individuals who only possess regular Ki, only other beings with God Ki can perceive its presence and power.
However, even if mortals couldn't detect a god's Ki, there were those capable of feeling the crushing pressure generated by the immense magnitude of this energy.
A suffocating weight in the atmosphere that warned of imminent danger, even if the individual neither possessed nor understood God Ki.
This was probably how Broly had sensed his presence, when their eyes met.
He had decided to approach Broly first not only because she turned out to be an undeniably beautiful woman—which, to be honest, was a huge plus—but because approaching Paragus directly and confronting the bitter old man from the very first second could negatively condition how Broly would see him from then on.
Although as father and daughter they surely felt something akin to love, the way Saiyans showed affection was, to put it mildly, somewhat difficult and quite dysfunctional.
Not all Saiyans were like Bardock and Gine.
The relationship between Broly and her father was extremely complex, founded more on dependency and fear than on healthy affection.
Paragus used Broly as a mere tool to achieve his long-awaited revenge, controlling her like a wild animal through a collar she wore around her neck, an electrical device designed to cause her immense and paralyzing pain if she dared to disobey him.
For her part, Broly, due to her completely isolated and abusive upbringing, remained loyal to her parent.
She feared him deeply, yes, but at the same time she loved him.
As I said, a complex relationship.
He was still her father and the only company she had known in her entire life, after all.
Zaiko knew very well that, if a fight broke out between him and Paragus at that moment, he wouldn't doubt for a single second that Broly would immediately jump to defend her father and attack him with everything she had.
«And let no one mistake this for fear of Broly on my part», Zaiko thought, maintaining his calm expression.
He knew perfectly well that, with his current level, he could defeat her with overwhelming ease long before she managed to reach the necessary power during the fight to put him in a bind.
Broly's astonishing evolutionary growth in battle was terrifying, yes, but the gap that separated them right now was simply too large.
He simply wanted to get this whole ordeal over with quickly and leave this disgusting planet as soon as possible.
His thoughts were cut short when, with a quick and abrupt movement, Broly grabbed one of the thick, hairy legs of the giant tick roasted over the bonfire and pulled it.
The exoskeleton crunched loudly before giving way with a nasty snap.
Unfazed and without saying a single extra word, she turned to Zaiko and extended her arm, holding the dubious-looking chunk of meat right in front of his face.
"For you," she said simply.
Her bright black eyes observed him with genuine curiosity.
Zaiko looked into her eyes for a second before shaking his head.
"Thanks, but I'm afraid I'm going to skip lunchtime today, you can eat it."
Broly wasn't a woman of many words.
Her life of isolation had left her with zero social experience and outright non-existent manners.
By nature, Broly was a kind and peaceful woman who, deep down, didn't like to fight or hurt others.
She simply nodded and, still staring at him, sitting on another rock across from him, on the other side of the bonfire, tore off a good chunk of meat from the leg with a huge bite.
Zaiko just looked at her with a small, somewhat tense smile, trying to keep her from noticing his discomfort.
That was when Paragus reacted, suddenly snapping out of his stupor, and walked quickly toward them, closing the distance with heavy footsteps.
Without a second thought, the old man reached out his rough hands and grabbed Zaiko by the collar of his clothes tightly.
He pulled him forward, trying to intimidate him.
"You!" he yelled right in his face, with his eyes bloodshot and his voice trembling with urgency. "Guide us to your ship immediately! Tell me where the hell you have it hidden, I'm ordering you!"
Seeing her father's aggression, Broly frowned slightly and dropped the giant tick's leg from her hands, straight to the ground.
"Dad... let go of... my new friend," she tried to tell him, taking a step forward, showing a clear dissatisfaction with her father's hostile attitude.
"Shut up, Broly! Stay out of this!" Paragus roared at her without even turning to look at her, keeping his grip firm and his attention fixed on the white-haired man.
Zaiko blinked, mildly surprised to hear Broly refer to him that way.
«Your new friend?» he thought, feeling a laugh almost escape him.
Ha... Hadn't they only shared a couple of words, and that was less than five minutes since he had sat on that rock?
At what exact moment, which basically consisted of rejecting a disgusting piece of alien insect meat, had they become friends?
He supposed that, for someone who had been on Planet Vampa her whole life with the only company of wild beasts and Paragus, anyone who didn't try to murder her immediately fell into the category of friend for her.
Pushing those thoughts from his mind, Zaiko focused back on Paragus, whose face was mere inches from his own.
Far from feeling pressured or intimidated by the old man's outburst, Zaiko simply raised both hands to chest height, in an exaggerated sign of surrender.
Then, he let a wide, shit-eating grin spread across his lips that made Colonel Paragus's blood boil.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any ship," Zaiko replied with a calm voice and a hint of amusement. "I'm afraid we're all trapped."
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Did no one think he'd adapt Zaiko for Dragon Ball Super?
When Toyotaro created Dragon Ball AF, the term "Divine Ki" didn't exist.
Now, 27 years after the first drawing and concept for Dragon Ball AF were created in 1999, we know much more about the Dragon Ball hierarchy and have discovered Divine Ki.
Zaiko, as a Saiyan-Kaioshin hybrid, should undoubtedly possess Divine Ki.
What do you think about this?