Vegeta's Move

While Turles and the others were making their moves in the center of the galaxy, Vegeta, still under Frieza's command, wasn't sitting idle either. He had begun to make new plans.

After fighting Turles, Vegeta had discovered that Turles possessed a technique for concealing his ki.

Vegeta had seen similar abilities before, when invading planets, but those natives probably weren't as strong as he was, so he had never taken them seriously.

Turles was different. A single chop to the neck had knocked him unconscious.

The blow had shattered the pride Vegeta had always held as the Saiyan Prince. Being defeated by another Saiyan had made the humiliation even worse.

Yet Vegeta was worthy of being someone who could keep pace with Son Goku. His talent and insight were exceptional. After seeing Turles use the technique just once, he had figured out how to conceal his own power, and had even learned to sense ki.

Vegeta had great faith in his talent. He believed that if he could keep growing, he would one day become the Legendary Super Saiyan. Then he would trample Frieza beneath his feet.

Vegeta was no fool. He didn't believe Frieza's claim that Planet Vegeta had been destroyed by a meteorite. But he knew he wasn't Frieza's match yet, so he kept pretending he knew nothing and carefully concealed his thoughts.

But then, one day, Vegeta's dream was shattered!

That day, Frieza summoned Vegeta's squad. Knowing he was no match for Frieza, Vegeta had no choice but to take Nappa to the base planet.

But when he returned to the base planet and saw Frieza again, Vegeta was stunned by the ki he sensed from him. He could never have imagined Frieza's ki would be so powerful!

That icy ki entered Vegeta's awareness, and every cell in his body screamed a warning, urging him to run!

Fortunately, Vegeta had survived under Frieza for this long because he was far more levelheaded than most. He suppressed his instincts and managed to get through the encounter with Frieza.

After leaving the base planet and getting away from Frieza, Vegeta felt as if he had been given a new lease on life. The feeling filled him with shame—and after the shame came boundless fury.

As the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta had always been unbelievably proud. Yet now, he had survived only because his enemy had ignored him, and he had even felt relieved about it.

Then there was Turles, a low-class warrior whose power far surpassed his own. Vegeta couldn't accept any of it.

If even a low-class warrior like Turles could break through his physical limits and gain such tremendous power, then Vegeta could do the same.

So Vegeta began studying Turles's technique for concealing his ki. He also took on invasion missions to high-level planets with reckless abandon, nearly dying on one of them—all to hone himself.

Vegeta's efforts paid off. After this period of relentless training, he had mastered ki control, and his battle power had increased dramatically. It had now surpassed 30,000.

But that still wasn't enough. He needed greater power, and he needed more allies. With Raditz gone, Nappa alone couldn't stand against the Frieza Force, so Vegeta thought of Raditz's younger brother, Kakarot.

"Nappa!" Vegeta called to Nappa, who was resting nearby.

"Yes!"

At Vegeta's call, Nappa sprang up and hurried over. He watched Vegeta warily, waiting for his orders.

Ever since Turles had defeated him, Vegeta's temper had grown worse and worse, and his thoughts had become increasingly hard to read. Recently, he had even invaded high-level planets recklessly, nearly dying on one of the missions. So Nappa had been keeping his own temper in check and carefully catering to Vegeta.

Nappa envied Raditz, who had already left. He didn't know what Turles was like, but from what he had seen, Turles seemed much easier to deal with than Vegeta.

Vegeta could naturally tell that Nappa had his own thoughts, but he paid them no mind and simply asked, "Did you find out which planet Kakarot is on, like I asked?"

"I did! As you ordered, I avoided the Frieza Force's territory and hired a broker. I didn't reveal anything about the Saiyans, but..."

Nappa quickly reported what he had accomplished, but he hesitated at the end.

Vegeta frowned, displeased. "But what?"

Seeing Vegeta's frown, Nappa didn't dare hesitate any longer and immediately voiced his concern. "Do we really have to travel all the way to that distant planet to find Kakarot?"

Seeing that Vegeta was growing impatient, Nappa continued, "I mean, if Raditz already told Turles about Kakarot, and Turles has already taken him away, then won't our trip be a waste? Even the fastest ship would take half a year to get there."

Nappa's words made Vegeta frown even more deeply.

Nappa did have a point, but in the end, Vegeta made up his mind. He was still going to make the trip.

Vegeta had two reasons for deciding to spend half a year on the journey.

First, he had learned from the Frieza Force's system that after Turles left Planet B1000, he had headed straight for the center of the galaxy. That meant Turles couldn't have gone looking for Kakarot and reached him so quickly.

Second, if he really did run into Turles on Earth, Vegeta would be even happier. He would repay Turles for the humiliation he had suffered, in full. And it would be even better if he could bring Turles under his command.

Even if he didn't run into Turles or find Kakarot, it wouldn't matter. They could use the trip to get out of Frieza's sight, and the planet where Kakarot had been sent was remote enough.

Seeing that Vegeta had made up his mind, Nappa still wanted to say something, but intimidated by Vegeta's tyranny, he went to arrange the ship.

Watching Nappa walk away, Vegeta snorted.

If he hadn't been so short of people, he would have killed Nappa for his little schemes. But Nappa was the only subordinate Vegeta could trust right now.

"Soon. Once my battle power exceeds 100,000, I'll be able to defeat Frieza for good with the Great Ape Transformation. If Frieza can sit on the throne as Emperor of the Universe, then so can I, Vegeta!"

Vegeta clenched his fist, felt the strength he had gained over the past few days, and muttered to himself with absolute confidence.