"You... What did you say?" The smile on King Piccolo's face instantly froze. He even wondered if there was something wrong with his ears. For a moment, he couldn't react at all.
This insignificant human had actually dared to call me... weak?
Master Roshi glared at Broly, his face dark with anger.
The pain in his face made Master Roshi grimace.
But what enraged Master Roshi even more was Broly's traitorous behavior just moments ago.
"What are you doing, Broly?! You scared the shit out of me!!!" Master Roshi shouted furiously, forgetting all about his dignified master's demeanor. He pointed at Broly's nose and yelled with all his might, his mustache bristling with agitation.
"If I hadn't done that, you would've died using that thing called the Evil Containment Wave, right?" Broly faced Master Roshi's fury without a trace of guilt or fear. Instead, he asked seriously.
His clear eyes stared straight at Master Roshi.
Master Roshi: "..."
It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. Master Roshi's fury instantly died down. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word, falling into an awkward, heavy silence.
The Evil Containment Wave consumed all of its user's life energy. It was an ironclad rule that Master Mutaito had proven with his own life.
"Just as I thought! I'm glad I stopped you!" Seeing Master Roshi's reaction, Broly seemed to have solved an enormous problem. He breathed a sigh of relief and took another satisfying bite of his chicken drumstick.
"You... you little brat!" Master Roshi's face flushed red, then pale, as his chest heaved violently. "I... I don't know whether I should be touched or beat you to a pulp! Yes, you saved my life! But we've lost our only chance to seal him away! Not only that, you stomped the only Rice Cooker to pieces! What are we supposed to use to deal with him now?!"
"If I hadn't smashed it, you wouldn't have given up. You would've kept looking for a chance to use that Evil Containment Wave, right?" Broly blinked and asked again, his reasoning clear.
Master Roshi was left speechless again. He could only glare and pant heavily.
"I don't want you to die. Though I guess we could bring you back with the Dragon Balls..." Broly pouted, looking distinctly unhappy. He muttered under his breath, "But while you're gone, who'll cook for me? Who'll prepare my food? I'll go hungry."
The veins on Master Roshi's forehead bulged. His teeth ground together with a creak, and he could no longer hold back. He stepped forward, jumped up, and gave Broly a solid headbutt!
I was actually starting to feel a little touched by what this brat said!
And then... then it turned out you were only thinking about having me cook for you!
And about my food!
"Also," Broly said, rubbing his forehead where he'd been hit as if nothing had happened. He seemed to have suddenly remembered something important. "Before you die, remember to leave your inheritance to me. Put my name in your will soon. Your house, the food supplies in your Hoi-Poi Capsule, and your savings..."
"Even if I put your name in my will now... I'm afraid we won't be leaving here alive to enjoy any of that." Master Roshi let out a long, weary sigh and slowly turned around, his expression grave as he looked at King Piccolo, whose face had grown more and more unpleasant.
Killing intent filled the air.
"Are you two... done talking?" King Piccolo watched Master Roshi and Broly's ridiculous little performance with amusement. When he looked at Master Roshi, his eyes brimmed with vicious hatred. "You old bastard, weren't you acting so high and mighty just now? I never imagined anyone in this world besides that old ghost Mutaito could use the Evil Containment Wave! But unfortunately, your precious grandson just destroyed your only chance with his own hands! Now I'll make you understand what it means to wish you were dead! I'll torture you slowly, with a sense of rhythm, until you regret ever being born!"
"Broly... listen!" Master Roshi knew there was no way out. He took a sharp breath, forced down his fear and despair, then lowered his voice and quickly gave Broly his instructions, his tone deadly serious and even pleading. "In a moment, I'll stake my life on holding him back! Don't worry about anything else. Turn around and run as fast as you can! Run as far as possible, and never come back!"
"Got it." Broly remained as calm as ever and nodded readily.
At the same time, Broly took the chicken bone he'd finished chewing out of his mouth and pinched it between his fingertips, as if considering what to do with it.
"Now then... I'll take my time figuring out how to fix you up, old man! Hahaha! You'll die with a sense of rhythm! This is what you get for daring to use the Evil Containment Wave on me, King Piccolo!!" King Piccolo threw open his cavernous mouth and laughed maniacally. His laughter rang with vengeful delight and sadistic anticipation.
But just as King Piccolo threw back his head and laughed, at the height of his arrogance—
"Whoosh!"
A faint sound of something slicing through the air suddenly rang out!
Broly flicked his finger lightly. The chicken bone, smeared with his saliva and grease, shot through the air like a fired bullet, flying at an unthinkable speed straight toward King Piccolo's laughing face!
It was incredibly fast!
Faster than fast!
King Piccolo didn't even have time to react. His vision blurred as an unidentified object rapidly grew larger in his eyes, and then it caught him completely off guard!
"Smack!"
A crisp sound, with a slightly sticky undertone.
Like a miniature battering ram, the chicken bone slammed hard into the center of King Piccolo's tall nose!
"Crack!"
King Piccolo's nose immediately let out a sickening crunch.
His nose bridge had clearly taken more than it could bear. It had cracked!
A sharp pain surged through his entire body like an electric current!
At the same time, King Piccolo's arrogant grin froze completely on his face, like a shoddily made green mask.
No—more accurately, his smile hadn't disappeared entirely. It had simply shifted, in an instant, onto Broly's face.
Broly looked at King Piccolo clutching his nose, his face twisted in pain, and grinned even more brightly and happily than King Piccolo had moments ago, revealing a neat row of white teeth.
It had been Broly who'd casually used the leftover chicken bone as a weapon and hit his target dead on.
Before you continue