"But just now, when you were dealing with King Piccolo..." Master Roshi patted Broly's sturdy, steel-like shoulder, hoping to reclaim a little dignity as an elder and teacher. In a tone that was partly probing and partly certain, he said, "You must have... already been using your full power, right? Yes, that has to be it. After all, your opponent was King Piccolo!"
"Uh... no." Broly shook his head, his expression completely natural, as if stating the most ordinary fact in the world. "At first, I only meant to use about one ten-thousandth of my power to test the waters. But as soon as I touched him, I could tell he was incredibly fragile, like he might fall apart at any moment. So partway through, I quickly pulled back more than ninety percent of my power. Honestly, I wasn't even trying that hard."
Master Roshi: "..."
Master Roshi's old face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot, and the veins on his forehead began cheerfully throbbing again.
You little punk!
Could you stop bullshitting with such a straight face?!
One ten-thousandth of your power... and then just a tenth of that?
And you still took down King Piccolo?!
Do you think you're in some sci-fi movie?!
That joke isn't funny at all!
Not one bit!
Master Roshi felt as though his intelligence and worldview had taken an unprecedented, repeated, and devastating beating that day.
"Old man, why are you just standing there spacing out?" Broly's lazy, casual voice broke the silence. He lightly patted Master Roshi's now-sagging shoulder, a relaxed smile on his face. "Didn't we come here to find the Dragon Balls? If we don't hurry, it'll be dark soon."
Master Roshi: "..."
The corner of Master Roshi's mouth twitched. He slowly turned and shot Broly an incredibly complicated look, but in the end, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and chose to remain silent.
Wasn't the ultimate goal of finding the Dragon Balls to defeat King Piccolo and save the world?
But now...
That goal had been achieved in an almost farcical manner by the glutton he'd raised from childhood, who was standing right beside him.
For a moment, Master Roshi felt dazed. All the courage, resolve, and preparations for sacrifice from earlier seemed like a pointless farce.
Just as Master Roshi was wrestling with his complicated feelings,
Krillin tore a hole in Master Roshi's mind and poked out his bald head, repeatedly pointing at where his nose should have been.
What about me, Master Roshi?!
Aren't you going to bring me back to life?!
"Uh..." Master Roshi jolted. Only then did he fully come back to his senses. He slapped his forehead, his face showing sudden realization and remorse. "Right! We have to revive Krillin and Goku right away! I nearly forgot the most important thing!"
"But didn't King Piccolo swallow the Dragon Balls earlier?" Broly seemed to remember something. He rubbed his chin with his greasy fingers, looking thoughtful, then furrowed his brow and said gravely, with even a hint of reluctance in his voice, "Looks like we'll have to... dissect him, right? Sigh... How cruel! Just imagining it makes me feel... feel like I won't be able to eat..."
As if to dispel the horrifying image from his mind, Broly naturally pulled out another glistening, fragrant chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation. He chewed loudly, taking big bites and savoring every mouthful.
Master Roshi secretly raised a hand and wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with his sleeve, inwardly speechless.
You call that not being able to eat?!
You're eating more heartily than anyone, with a bigger appetite than anyone!
That's a pretty unique way of consoling yourself!
"Forget it. I'll handle the dirty work," Master Roshi said, glaring at Broly in annoyance as he watched him eat with grease all over his mouth. He shook his head helplessly and started toward King Piccolo's corpse to do the gruesome dissection himself.
"RUMBLE!!"
But just as Master Roshi took his first step, a deafening roar suddenly rang out in the distance!
It was like thunder out of a clear sky, and the ground trembled faintly!
A powerful surge of energy erupted in the direction where King Piccolo's body had fallen, triggering a massive explosion!
The tremendous shock wave swept up sand and dust from the ground like an invisible tidal wave and howled toward Broly and Master Roshi!
"Look out!" Master Roshi's expression changed drastically. Almost instinctively, driven by the urge to protect someone younger, he sprang forward without hesitation and planted himself in front of Broly, his broad back—old but still sturdy—shielding him. He crossed his arms over his chest, ready to withstand the sudden attack.
But then—
"Smack!"
A strong hand shot past him and grabbed Master Roshi by the back of the collar like an iron clamp, effortlessly pulling him behind its owner.
It was Broly!
Broly still had the half-eaten chicken leg in his other hand.
Facing the oncoming shock wave, Broly didn't even change his stance. He simply stood there, his chest and body taking the blast with the easy calm of an age-old reef on the shore.
The gale swept Broly's thick black hair backward and made his clothes flutter.
But the ground beneath his feet didn't move an inch, and he didn't even pause his chewing.
Broly's tug sent Master Roshi stumbling.
Once he regained his balance, Master Roshi looked at Broly's mountain-still back and slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing the truth. A self-mocking blush rose on his old face.
I really am getting senile!
This kid could crush King Piccolo with one hand. What's a little blast wave to him?!
And I was actually trying to protect him...
What a waste of worry. I was just showing off for nothing!
"What's going on?" Broly polished off the rest of the chicken leg in a few bites and casually tossed away the bone. He blinked in confusion and looked toward the explosion, curiosity showing on his face.
"That's where King Piccolo was! Could it be... he's not quite dead yet? Or... did he have something up his sleeve?" Master Roshi was startled. His expression immediately turned grave again, his eyes filled with caution and worry.
After all, King Piccolo had left a deep psychological scar on Master Roshi.
"That's great! I didn't get to fight enough earlier. It felt like he was over before it even started." Broly not only wasn't afraid; he immediately perked up with interest. His eyes lit up as he rubbed his greasy hands together excitedly, looking ready for action.
The corner of Master Roshi's mouth twitched. He fell completely silent, able only to mourn King Piccolo in his heart for one second.
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