Master Roshi hurriedly pressed his palms together and closed his eyes, praying to the universe with what he considered his most devout thoughts. "Shooting star, shooting star, could you... could you grant me a young, beautiful, curvy, gentle and caring young lady? Please!"
However, the moment Master Roshi finished making his wish in his heart, before he could even open his eyes, he felt an intense pressure descending from above!
Master Roshi abruptly opened his eyes and was horrified to see—
The shooting star he had just placed all his hopes in wasn't disappearing over the horizon. It was growing larger and brighter.
And trailing blazing flames, it plunged toward the area where he was with astonishing precision!
Master Roshi: "!!!!"
Master Roshi's expression instantly changed from delight to ashen horror. Even his graying mustache stood on end.
I wanted a pretty young lady!
You've got the wrong target, Mr. Shooting Star!
Master Roshi let out a silent wail in his heart.
"RUMBLE—!!!"
The next moment, a deafening crash shattered the island's peaceful stillness!
The shooting star didn't hit Master Roshi's House directly. Instead, it slammed into the sea less than 500 meters from the island!
As if a giant bomb had been dropped into the water, the impact punched a huge crater nearly a hundred meters across into the sea's surface. The surrounding water was blasted aside by the tremendous force.
Then something even more terrifying happened.
The displaced seawater rushed back with even greater force, forming a ring of enormous waves hundreds of meters high, like a wall. With the power to destroy everything, they crashed down toward the island at the center!
"Ah..."
Master Roshi only had time to let out a brief cry before the murky wall of water came crashing down!
In an instant, it swallowed the entire island.
Master Roshi felt like a fallen leaf, swept along by an irresistible force and tossed around in the raging current.
Everything went dark, and salty seawater surged into Master Roshi's nose and mouth.
The giant waves came and went quickly.
A few dozen seconds later, the raging water finally began to recede, revealing the battered island once more.
Master Roshi's House was sturdily built, so it hadn't collapsed, but it had been battered askew. The tables, chairs, parasols, and other things outside had long since been swept away.
Master Roshi himself was like a stranded fish, soaked from head to toe and sprawled miserably on the ground. He coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of seawater.
As Master Roshi struggled to get up, he felt something soft and heavy on his head, along with a faint... fragrance?
Confused, Master Roshi reached up to touch his head. His hand met something cool and smooth...
Master Roshi lifted his dripping face in bewilderment.
Through his tear-filled eyes, he saw a beautiful mermaid perched on his head.
The golden glow of the setting sun fell over her, making the scales on her tail shimmer.
Her upper body looked human, with fair skin and a pretty face. Her large eyes held a hint of curiosity and wariness, while her lower body was a graceful fish tail covered in glistening scales.
"A... a mermaid?" Master Roshi's pupils contracted. His drooping eyelids, which had fallen with disappointment, shot up, and his old eyes seemed to come alive, suddenly turning into two wildly beating pink hearts!
Master Roshi's mouth fell open, and drool nearly ran down his mustache again.
A mermaid... wouldn't be bad either!
And this mermaid was so fresh-faced and beautiful!
Those alluring lips, so enticing they looked like delicate flower petals...
Tsk, just looking at them was enough to make his heart race.
Was this the gift the shooting star had granted me?
Shooting star, you're the best!
I'll give the mermaid some mint and millet pepper later...
Th-this... this is absolutely incredible!!!
The mermaid was still bewildered.
How did I end up here?
I remember swimming in the ocean!
"Beautiful mermaid, be my friend! I have all kinds of skills!" Master Roshi said excitedly.
"Smack! Smack!"
The mermaid's pretty face darkened, and she smacked Master Roshi across the face twice with her tail.
"Splash!"
The next moment, the mermaid shot straight into the sea, kicking up a wave before quickly disappearing from sight.
Master Roshi remained where he was, his expression blank and his mind struggling to catch up.
"Hey, don't go! We can talk about something else!" Master Roshi shouted at the top of his lungs.
However, the mermaid had already vanished. No matter how loudly Master Roshi called, she didn't respond.
Master Roshi was close to tears, instinctively thinking he'd lost the beauty the shooting star had given him.
What a lovely fish...
Master Roshi gazed into the depths of the sea as two streams of tears flowed from his eyes.
Just as Master Roshi was weeping bitterly, mourning the shooting star's gift that he'd gained and then lost—
"Smack!"
Broly's spaceship suddenly rose from the depths of the sea and hovered above the surface.
Master Roshi turned around in confusion. Through his tear-filled eyes, he saw the giant baseball that had just sunk beneath the sea now floating steadily on the water near the shore.
Seawater continued to run down the surface of the sphere, glinting with a faint golden sheen in the sunset.
Master Roshi rubbed his tear-blurred eyes and blinked hard, focusing on the strange object.
H-how did it float back up by itself?
Could there... be another beauty inside?
The real gift must be coming next!
Wahahaha!
Master Roshi was overjoyed.
The next moment, he shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice full of urgency and anticipation. "Sea Turtle! Sea Turtle! Get over here!"
"Splash—"
The water broke as Sea Turtle swam over at an unhurried pace and stretched out his neck. "Master Roshi, you called?"
"Quick, let me ride you!" Master Roshi called to him.
Without waiting for Sea Turtle to answer, Master Roshi made a light leap and landed squarely on Sea Turtle's broad but clearly uncomfortable shell.
Sea Turtle: "..."
It was as if a thousand horses were galloping through Sea Turtle's mind.
What splashed up wasn't seawater, but an endless stream of complaints.
You called me over just to use me as a mount?
You shameless old pervert!
Absolutely disgraceful!
But in the end, Sea Turtle didn't say any of that aloud. He simply resigned himself to paddling his limbs.
"See that giant baseball floating over there? Quick, swim over and take a look!" Master Roshi excitedly pointed ahead.
Sea Turtle turned his head and peered at the sphere with his beady eyes. Though he had his doubts, he obediently carried Master Roshi toward the spaceship, swimming with all his might.
Soon, the man and turtle reached the hovering spaceship.
Master Roshi eagerly clung to its smooth hull, pressed his face close to the viewing window, and peered inside.
A baby wrapped in a simple spacesuit was sleeping soundly with his head tilted to one side and his little mouth slightly open. He seemed completely unaffected by everything that had happened outside.
The earth-shaking crash and subsequent trip beneath the sea seemed no more than an insignificant interlude in Broly's dream.
Before you continue