Nail's Power

After several days of traveling through space, despite a small incident along the way, Rhode and Aila crossed the stars and finally caught sight of Planet Namek in the distance.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

The Spaceship plunged into the atmosphere. Rhode gazed out at the world below, largely untouched by civilization and covered in all manner of vegetation, his heart filled with anticipation for what lay ahead.

Buzz~

Before long, the Spaceship landed safely on the ground. The hatch opened, and the two stepped out.

Rhode and Aila were still wearing Frieza Force Battle Suits, simply because the suits offered excellent protection.

Their flexibility was especially impressive; even transforming into Great Apes would not damage them in the slightest.

In fact, Rhode had already asked Dr. Brief to research this aspect, but the research had not been underway for long, and the materials Rhode had brought contained no relevant knowledge.

So there had been no progress for the time being.

Bang!

After stepping down from the Spaceship, Rhode pressed a button on it. As a cloud of smoke dispersed, the Spaceship turned into a Hoi-Poi Capsule.

Dr. Brief had modified this Spaceship so it could be stored away, making it convenient while also preventing losses should anything happen to the vessel.

"Rhode, the strongest Aura on this planet is over there. Shall we head straight for it?"

As Rhode put away the Spaceship, Aila identified the location of the strongest person on Planet Namek and looked toward him as she spoke.

Hearing Aila's words, Rhode nodded after storing the Spaceship away. "Of course. That should be where the Namekians' Great Elder is. As long as he agrees to let us use the Dragon Balls, everything will be easy."

"Then let's go!"

Having confirmed their destination, neither hesitated. Their bodies shot into the air, their Auras erupting as they flew at tremendous speed toward the Great Elder's location on Planet Namek.

Not long afterward, they could see the Great Elder's residence in the distance.

But at that moment, a powerful Aura erupted. Immediately afterward, they saw a tall, lean figure with green skin, antennae, and bulging muscles fly out from the building.

His Aura flared as he charged toward them at high speed, blocking their path.

The newcomer was none other than Nail—the only combat-type Namekian on the planet, the Great Elder's guard, and its strongest warrior.

Seeing that the newcomers were two Saiyan children, Nail was puzzled. Yet the Saiyans' infamy was well known, so he showed them no friendliness and spoke coldly.

"Saiyans, this planet is not a place you should have come to!"

As he spoke, Nail assessed the two of them, paying particular attention to Rhode. He could sense that this Saiyan Youth was extremely dangerous.

"Oh?"

Rhode was neither surprised nor bothered by Nail's hostility. But Aila sensed that Nail's strength was roughly on par with hers, and her interest in fighting immediately rose.

Her eyes gleaming with excitement, Aila looked at Nail and issued a challenge. "Hey, let's fight!"

Before she had even finished speaking, Aila moved. She rushed forward and threw a punch at Nail's face.

Rhode did not interfere when Aila attacked Nail. After all, this was not more than twenty years later. From what he could sense, Nail's Power Level was probably only a little over twenty thousand now, about equal to Aila's.

"Great Elder, we mean no harm. You should be able to sense that!"

While Aila charged in to fight Nail, Rhode did not recklessly cross the battlefield to meet the Great Elder. He did not want to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings, so he condensed his Aura into sound and spoke to the Great Elder inside the nearby building.

Not long after Rhode's voice faded, a mature voice tinged with age sounded in his ear. "Child, I can clearly sense the peace in your heart. You are very different from other Saiyans!"

"Then should I have Aila stop?"

Having received the Great Elder's response, Rhode looked at Aila, whose fight was growing more intense, and made the suggestion.

"There is no need. Nail is a combat-type Namekian, and his strength is quite good, but he lacks real combat experience. This is a good chance to temper him."

The Great Elder refused Rhode's suggestion to stop the fight.

On all of Planet Namek, Nail's strength was second only to the Great Elder's, far surpassing that of the other clansmen.

But as the Great Elder's guard, he remained at his side year-round. Though he had sparred with other clansmen, he had never fought at full strength.

It could be said that Nail's experience with all-out battle was practically nonexistent.

And that was indeed the case. During the initial probing stage of his fight with Aila, neither used their full strength, and for a time they were evenly matched.

However, as both sides continuously increased their strength, Nail, whose combat experience was severely lacking, fell into a disadvantage in a short time—and it only grew worse!

Bang!

Aila swung her left palm like a blade at Nail's neck. He hurriedly raised a Hand to block, but at the instant he did, Aila clenched her right hand into a fist and drove it straight toward his abdomen.

Seeing this, Nail hurriedly lowered both arms to block. Yet rather than retreat, Aila pressed forward, smashing her fist heavily into Nail's hastily raised arms.

How could Nail possibly withstand a heavy blow Aila had deliberately set up in such haste? His arms held for only an instant before Aila's fist broke through his guard and slammed into his abdomen.

Puh!

Having Suffered a Heavy Blow to the abdomen, Nail's eyes bulged. His body instantly curled like a shrimp, and his mind went blank.

Yet Aila did not stop there. Her figure flashed, and she appeared above him. Crossing her Hands and clasping them tightly together, she hammered them down on the back of Nail's neck, ruthlessly smashing him toward the ground below.

Boom!

Nail's body flew out of control like a cannonball and crashed into the ground, instantly forming a deep crater. At the center of it, Nail took a long time to recover.

"Tch! Boring!"

After smashing Nail into the ground, Aila did not pursue him at all. She had crushed him from start to finish, and it was utterly boring. Grumbling in dissatisfaction, she looked at Rhode. "Should we go straight to that Great Elder?"

Bang!

As Aila's words fell, a figure shot toward them. Looking closely, it was unmistakably Nail.

However, Nail looked extremely battered now, with purple liquid—likely Namekian blood—hanging from the corner of his mouth. Yet his eyes were incomparably sharp, filled with Fighting Spirit and determination.

I absolutely cannot let these two Saiyans threaten the Great Elder!

At that moment, Nail roared firmly in his heart and stubbornly stood in front of Rhode and Aila.

"Nail, you have done well. Stand down. They mean no harm."

Just then, a voice rang out. Looking toward it, they saw an extraordinarily tall Namekian walk out of the building and approach them, gently patting Nail on the shoulder.

He was the Great Elder—the ancestor of the Namekians and one of the survivors of the great cataclysm on this planet.

He was not as frail and aged as he would be more than twenty years later. Though his face had already begun to show signs of age, he remained robust and powerful, and his Aura was still quite formidable.

Seeing that the Great Elder differed from the one in his memories, Rhode was surprised, but quickly accepted it. He stepped forward, looked at the Great Elder, and spoke with a hint of respect.

"Greetings, Great Elder. We have come to borrow the Dragon Balls."