"Rumble—!!"
A tremendous explosion rang out!
Pilaf's meticulously constructed castle ship couldn't withstand the impact of that terrifying power. It broke apart in midair, bursting into a massive fireball and countless flying fragments!
Burning wreckage rained down from the sky.
The little bit of ki Master Roshi had just gathered vanished in an instant. This time, his eyes really did nearly pop out of their sockets, and his jaw dropped all the way to his feet.
Y-you actually used King Piccolo's corpse... to smash the ship?!
Master Roshi felt like his brain could no longer process the shocking, absurd scene before him.
That move of yours...
It was just... just unbelievable!
Since King Piccolo's corpse had landed directly on Piano, the terrifying impact instantly crushed the poor Piano, breaking his bones and killing him on the spot. He didn't even get to scream.
Pilaf, Mai, and Shu, meanwhile, had been lucky enough to be hurled out of the wreckage by the shock wave from the ship's explosion. They landed hard on an open patch of ground nearby.
All three were covered in dust and dressed in rags. They clung to one another, trembling in terror, unable even to cry.
Master Roshi forced himself to ignore his physical weakness and the shock to his spirit, then hurried over to the three terrified culprits. His face was as dark as the sky before a storm.
When the Pilaf Trio saw Master Roshi, they reacted as if they were looking at the King of Hell come to claim their lives. They clung tightly to one another, streaming with tears and snot as they kowtowed over and over.
"You three... You were the ones who released King Piccolo from the sealed Rice Cooker, weren't you?" Master Roshi's voice was icy, like a cold wind, and carried an unquestionable authority.
"Th-this... I-I want to say it was just an accident... a huge misunderstanding... D-do you... do you believe me?" King Pilaf stammered, his voice choked with tears. His will to survive had never been stronger.
"I'm sorry! We were wrong! We'll never do it again! Please, spare us!"
Mai and Shu followed suit, kowtowing nonstop until their foreheads turned red.
"Where did you find the Rice Cooker that sealed King Piccolo?" Master Roshi continued, his face still cold.
He needed to confirm a few details.
"W-well... we... we found it by accident at the bottom of the sea when we were diving..." Pilaf replied, forcing himself to speak through his stammer.
"Was... was he really King Piccolo?" Master Roshi was still a little dazed. Pointing at the twisted green corpse in the distance, he couldn't help asking again.
"I-I don't know... H-he probably was?" Pilaf shook his head in confusion, then nodded in fear. He was completely lost, too.
"Have you seen Goku?"
Broly slowly walked over, then helpfully described what Goku looked like. "A short, rather dimwitted kid who carries a staff and wears orange clothes."
"H-he..." Mai stammered even more when she heard Son Goku described. Her eyes darted around, and she didn't dare meet Broly's or Master Roshi's gaze.
"What happened to him?!" Master Roshi's heart sank. A foreboding feeling welled up inside him, and he hurriedly pressed them for an answer.
"I-if I say... h-he was beaten to death by King Piccolo... y-you won't get so angry that you kill us on the spot, will you?" Pilaf stammered through his tears, almost squeezing his eyes shut as he shouted the words.
"W-what did you say?!" Master Roshi's face instantly turned ashen. He swayed, then said in a low voice, "Goku... he's... dead after all?"
Though he'd been prepared for the possibility, hearing it confirmed still filled Master Roshi with a heart-wrenching grief.
"It's okay, old man. Didn't we already gather all the Dragon Balls?" Seeing Master Roshi's eyes dim in an instant, Broly offered a rare word of comfort, his voice calm. "We can use the Dragon Balls to bring him back."
"You're... you're right." Reminded by Broly, Master Roshi suddenly remembered their last hope and nodded. The tight string of tension in his heart slackened a little.
But the grief of losing his beloved disciple still weighed heavily on him.
"What should we do with those three?" Broly glanced at the trembling Pilaf Trio on the ground. His gaze was indifferent, as if he were looking at three ants. He asked casually, "Should I just crush them and eliminate the problem for good?"
Master Roshi: "..."
Master Roshi glanced at Broly in surprise. The boy usually did nothing but eat and sleep, looking completely harmless.
He hadn't expected him to be so... decisive—or even cold-blooded—when dealing with enemies.
Had that fight just now awakened the dormant battle instinct inside him?
"No! Please, no! Spare us! We'll never do it again! We promise we'll turn over a new leaf and become better people! Please give us another chance!" The Pilaf Trio were truly terrified. Hearing Broly's casual words, laden with killing intent, they unleashed another desperate burst of survival instinct, kowtowing and begging even louder and more pitifully.
"Get out of here!" Looking at how wretched they were, completely robbed of their will to fight, Master Roshi couldn't bring himself to kill them. He shouted angrily, "If I ever find out you've done anything bad again, I'll never let you off! Understand?!"
The three of them felt as if they'd been granted a pardon, as if they'd just heard the most wonderful words in the world. They scrambled to their feet, stumbling and staggering, ignoring the pain in their bodies. Supporting one another, they fled at the fastest speed they could manage, screaming as they ran from the scene they'd never forget.
Broly didn't chase after them to finish them off.
He had no particular interest in killing. He'd only asked on a whim.
Since the old man had decided to let them go, he couldn't be bothered to pay them any more attention.
"Broly... you..."
Only after the Pilaf Trio had disappeared from sight did Master Roshi slowly turn around. His gaze as he examined Broly from head to toe was extraordinarily complicated, mixed with shock, joy, confusion, and countless questions.
It was as if he were truly seeing the child he'd raised for more than ten years for the very first time.
"You're something else! Tell me, when did you get so strong?! This... this is ridiculously powerful!" Master Roshi asked.
"I don't know, either." Broly scratched his thick black hair, a pure, slightly puzzled smile on his face, as if he were trying to work it out himself. "It just feels like... every day when I wake up, I've naturally gotten a little bit stronger. It's not much, but it's happening."
Master Roshi fell silent, glaring at Broly with an expression that said, Do I look like an idiot to you?
All this kid did was wonder what to eat and how to eat it, then sleep like a log.
He'd never even practiced the most basic horse stance!
And he claimed that he naturally got a little stronger every day?!
How was that possible?!
There was no such thing as getting something for nothing!
Before you continue