Disgusting!

"Oh!"

As soon as Master Roshi saw what was on the cover, all thoughts of martial arts went straight out the window.

"Well, I'll be! What a good girl!"

He stared fixedly at something on the page. Before he could stop himself, his blood surged, and two "teardrops" slowly trickled from his nose.

"Oh my! The cut, the lace—absolutely exquisite!"

Son Gohan's lips curled slightly as he watched Master Roshi practically bury his head in the magazine.

He'd known it: giving Master Mutaito something like this was definitely the right move.

No matter how beautiful the women in the magazine were, they had nothing to do with him, did they?

He'd already used Bulma as bait to hook a dragon once. He couldn't bring himself to keep doing that.

So after thinking it over carefully, he'd come up with this plan.

"These are all top instructors in the aerobics world right now. Their routines have a real artistic quality to them!"

"Take Teacher Ozawa, for example. She's won the Art Photography Award in their Island Nation two years running."

"And Teacher Aoi here is one of the most senior instructors in the magazine!"

"As for the other, younger instructors, well, you'll have to consider them carefully based on your own tastes!"

He'd really gone all out with this one!

Master Roshi carefully examined the graceful details on every page, nodding continuously.

"Ahem, you've got a thoughtful student here! I've lived a long time, and I'd say I'm quite the artist myself, but I never imagined things had developed so quickly while I was living in seclusion on that island!"

"Good, very good! I'll give them a thorough critique!"

"Is there anything you need, kid? Tell me now. If it's not too much trouble, I'll do my best to help!"

"Even if you want me to teach you a few tricks for picking up girls... well, that's not out of the question!"

He winked and grimaced at Son Gohan. With two teeth missing, he didn't look remotely like a master.

"No need for that. I'm confident in myself, Teacher, so don't worry!"

"I don't need your help with anything just yet. But once we've wrapped up this trip and come to Kame Island to formally become your disciples, I hope you'll give me an official place among them!"

He'd kept it vague, planting a seed for later.

"Sure, sure..."

"By the way, Wuneng, what were you and that lecherous old man talking about in the house? Why did he seem so satisfied when he left?"

The group had parted ways on the beach half a day ago. Now they were following the signal on the Dragon Radar toward another Dragon Ball.

With Ribut carrying them on his back, only Bulma and Son Gohan were with him.

Bulma still had no idea what had happened inside the house, so she kept pressing him for answers.

Son Gohan had clearly made up his mind to play dumb. He mumbled and dodged the question.

"Bulma, look! The Dragon Radar says the Fifth Dragon Ball is nearby!"

"..."

She'd lost count of how many times she'd asked, but she still hadn't gotten an answer.

Son Gohan was tight-lipped, always finding an excuse to change the subject.

Seeing the Small Village below draw closer and closer, she could only answer him.

"Ribut, let's go down!"

At Bulma's call, Ribut answered and plunged straight toward the ground.

"Huh? Is it time to eat?"

Son Goku stared blankly as Ribut descended, then excitedly followed on his Flying Nimbus.

Once they landed, they saw that the village was desolate.

There wasn't a soul in the streets.

"The Dragon Radar says the Dragon Ball is around here. How about we split up and look?"

Bulma offered.

"No need. Let's knock on every door. Looks like everyone's hiding inside."

After looking over the surroundings, Son Gohan rejected her suggestion, just to be safe.

If someone swung an axe at them while they were knocking, he and Goku would be fine.

Bulma would probably be killed on the spot.

Meanwhile, the villagers peered out through every crack and gap in their houses.

The group looked strange, and they even had a "monster" like Ribut with them. No one dared venture outside and risk crossing their path.

"King Oolong is back!"

The villagers trembled, praying that this time it wouldn't be their own child who was taken away.

"Knock, knock!"

"Hello, we're travelers passing through. We're thirsty and were hoping to ask for some water. Is anyone home?"

Son Gohan walked at the front of the group, with Son Goku bringing up the rear and Ribut protecting Bulma in the middle.

The house was utterly silent, as if no one were inside.

But Son Gohan could clearly hear a faint, hurried breath right behind the door, almost pressed against it.

When the person inside heard him knock, they were obviously startled. Their breathing abruptly grew heavier!

"Hello, we mean no harm. Would you mind letting us speak with you?"

Before Son Gohan could finish, the door in front of him creaked open from the inside.

A terrified-looking man charged at him, swinging an axe about half an arm's length long straight at his head.

But the next instant, Son Gohan had caught his arm in midair, leaving it unable to move.

Son Gohan frowned slightly, but he could understand why the man had acted that way.

"Sir, the three of us are just passing through your village. We mean no harm, so please don't be afraid!"

The bald, middle-aged man across from him looked at the strange visitors with a slight tremble. Two boys with monkey tails and a giant dragon more than five meters tall—no matter how he looked at them, they didn't seem like good people!

At that moment, Son Gohan realized something and turned to tap Bulma, motioning for her to step forward.

Out of their group, Bulma was the only one who looked remotely normal.

"Hello, we're outsiders looking for Dragon Balls. Please don't be afraid."

Her sweet smile gradually put the middle-aged man at ease, and soon he was chatting with her.

Son Gohan secretly sneered. No matter the time or place, it seemed a pretty woman always had the advantage—especially with a middle-aged man like this. He wouldn't even look at a handsome young guy like him.

"I'll go gather everyone in the village for you!"

In just a few words, Bulma had already won the man over. His obsequious expression made Son Gohan sick. Sick!

Before long, the space in front of the man's house was packed with villagers. It seemed he had quite a bit of standing in the village.

The villagers still seemed a little afraid of Son Gohan and the others, but at least they didn't run away.

After Bulma went over and spoke with them for a while, she was already holding a new Dragon Ball.

"Gohan! It's the Six-star Ball!"

Bulma came over joyfully.

"But we need to help the people here subdue a monster that's been abducting them. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

She scratched her head sheepishly. After all, she'd made the decision herself without discussing it with Gohan.