Broly Surpassed Goku? Bulma Felt Her Face Slapped So Quickly

The group sat back down together, chatting idly for a while, sharing their experiences and worries since they'd parted.

"Hey, everyone, you here?"

Just then, a voice they all knew intimately—full of energy—called out from outside.

It was Son Goku's voice!

"That's Goku!" Bulma's heart leaped with joy. She jumped up from the sofa, her face beaming with an unstoppable smile.

"So Goku really did come back to life! Awesome! I knew that kid wouldn't die so easily!" Yamcha let out a long sigh of relief, pumped his fist, and broke into a genuine grin.

"Creak!"

The next moment, the door slid open, and Goku's short but powerful figure stepped into the room, dusty from the road but brimming with vitality.

"Krillin! You're alive! Great!" Goku spotted the lively Krillin at once, shouted in excitement, and dashed over to hug him tightly.

"Goku... thank you... thank you for chasing that monster for me... I... I'm really moved." Krillin was touched by Goku's sincere friendship, his eyes reddening as his voice choked up. He wiped away the tears threatening to fall.

"Goku, did you get revived through the Dragon Balls too?" Yamcha walked over with a smile, clapping Goku on the shoulder in a relaxed tone.

"Huh? Revived?" Goku blinked in confusion, a blank look on his face. He shook his head and answered naturally, "I didn't die. I've been alive the whole time."

"Didn't die?"

Yamcha and Bulma's smiles froze instantly. They stood there stunned, exchanging glances as if they'd heard something impossible.

After a brief daze.

Yamcha and Bulma quickly caught on, their faces lighting up with realization.

"Haha, I was wondering how Master Roshi and Tien Shinhan were so efficient—gathering the Dragon Balls and making the wish that fast!" Bulma giggled, elbowing Yamcha. "So it was you who beat King Piccolo, Goku! That means you didn't even need to wish for him to be destroyed; you just wished Krillin back to life!"

"Goku, you're amazing!" Yamcha sighed in admiration, looking at Goku with respect and patting his shoulder firmly. "You actually took down that terrifying King Piccolo? Tell us, how'd you do it?"

"It wasn't me." Goku shook his head, denying their guess. He looked around, a hint of confusion on his face, and asked back, "By the way, didn't Grandpa and Broly come back yet? I thought they'd be home before me."

"Not yet..." Yamcha replied, then muttered under his breath, "If Goku didn't beat King Piccolo, then who did? Could it be Tien Shinhan?"

"That's possible!" Bulma nodded thoughtfully, analyzing, "After all, Tien Shinhan won this year's World Martial Arts Tournament. Maybe he had some lucky encounter or mastered a new technique and got way stronger!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Goku watched them guessing back and forth, looking puzzled, and answered honestly, "It was Broly! Broly beat King Piccolo!"

The words hit the room like a bombshell.

Everyone there, including the newly revived Krillin, froze as if petrified.

An eerie silence fell, broken only by the sound of waves crashing on the beach outside.

After a brief pause.

"Pfft—hahaha!"

Yamcha, Krillin, Bulma, Oolong, and Puar all burst out laughing at once, as if they'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.

Their laughter was filled with absurd disbelief, nearly shaking the roof off.

Only Launch didn't laugh. Her big blue eyes flickered with surprise at first, then a delighted smile spread across her face, as if she took Goku's words seriously, even wearing a hint of proud satisfaction.

"Haha, Goku, I didn't know you'd picked up joking!" Yamcha doubled over, slapping his thigh, tears nearly streaming from his eyes. "That joke wasn't funny at all!"

"If you'd said Tien Shinhan beat King Piccolo, we might've believed it!" Bulma laughed so hard she swayed, clutching her stomach. "But you're saying Broly did it? Does Broly even know how to fight? In our minds, he's just a super glutton who eats and sleeps, with zero interest in training!"

"Yeah, Goku, we lived with Broly at Master Roshi's House for so long," Krillin added, shaking his head in disbelief with a teasing grin. "That guy's only passion is food—he's got this crazy ritual around it. We've never seen him seriously train, not even a horse stance! How could he beat someone as terrifying as King Piccolo? No way!"

"I'm not joking! I'm telling the truth!" Goku stomped his foot in frustration, his face turning serious. "I heard it straight from Master Korin! Master Korin wouldn't lie to me, would he?"

Silence fell again, dead quiet.

Everyone's laughter cut off abruptly, like ducks with their necks squeezed.

Master Korin said so?

That venerable, all-knowing Master Korin?

That meant... this absurd-sounding news...

Its credibility seemed... very high?

"Broly... really beat King Piccolo?" Krillin's smile faded, replaced by sheer shock and bewilderment. He muttered to himself, trying to process the earth-shattering revelation.

"Haha! That Broly guy, I didn't know he was this strong! How exciting! I'm getting more and more pumped!" Goku was equally stunned, but more than that, he felt pure joy and anticipation at encountering a powerful fighter. A battle-hungry grin spread across his face.

"No... way?" Yamcha's jaw dropped, his worldview shaken. He glanced at the equally shocked Bulma, then back at Goku's earnest expression, still struggling to believe it.

"That Broly... has surpassed Goku?" Bulma took a long moment to recover from her shock, instinctively covering her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

At that moment, something clicked in Bulma's mind. She whipped her head around and gave Launch—who stood nearby with a gentle, proud smile—a long, hard look.

Had Launch known all along that Broly was strong?

Was that why she'd shown such obvious interest in him early on and snagged him?

A pang of complex emotion—tinged with jealousy—stirred in Bulma's heart.

How ridiculous of me... I thought Broly might not even be a match for Yamcha...

And now this slap in the face... came way too fast!