"Tri-Beam!"
Tien Shinhan swung his hand upward, and the Tri-Beam slammed toward Nappa.
"Waaah..."
Nappa was swallowed up by the Tri-Beam.
But Nappa was completely unharmed.
Tien Shinhan was utterly despairing.
"Damn..." Tien coughed up blood. His body went limp as he fell to the ground, dead.
"Idiot. He used up the last of his strength just to die for nothing," Vegeta sneered.
"Goku! Hurry up!" Krillin shouted.
"Heh-heh." Nappa chuckled.
That three-eyed freak had died all on his own. I didn't even have to lift a finger.
"Could he... be immortal?" Piccolo was so terrified that cold sweat streamed down his body.
"Ah... ah..." Krillin trembled uncontrollably.
Son Gohan's face had gone deathly pale.
"Goku!" Krillin called Son Goku's name again.
Why aren't you here yet?
If you don't hurry, we're all going to die.
"Goku? Who exactly is that?" Vegeta muttered, taken aback.
Why did that bald guy keep calling out for someone named Goku?
"Heh-heh-heh, another one's dead. Now it's your turn, the three of you," Nappa said with a laugh. "Leave that Namekian alive for now. We still need to ask him about the Dragon Balls."
"You're lucky, Piccolo. He thinks you're the only one who knows about the Dragon Balls," Krillin said with a bitter smile.
"The outcome will be the same either way. His goal is to kill every one of us," Piccolo replied calmly.
"We're all in the same boat now. I never thought things would come to this," Krillin sighed. "Do you think we can win?"
"No," Piccolo answered bluntly.
Krillin: "..."
You bastard!
You could've at least tried to comfort me.
That was way too brutally honest!
"I didn't expect this monster to be so strong either. He's much more terrifying than the Saiyan who came here before," Piccolo said with a faint smile.
The Lookout.
"Goku still hasn't come back!" Kami's face was pale.
"Can you still not sense Goku's energy?" Mr. Popo asked.
"Hurry up, Goku! If you don't get back soon, I'm going to die!" Kami said gravely. "Piccolo is about to be killed..."
"Kami, could Luo Tian go fetch Goku? Can't Luo Tian send Goku to King Kai? Then he should be able to bring him back, too," Mr. Popo suggested.
"That's impossible! If Luo Tian could do that, things wouldn't be so complicated." Kami shook his head. "Perhaps Luo Tian has a reason he can't intervene."
Mr. Popo said nothing.
At the battlefield.
"Let's fight on the ground. It'll suit us better," Piccolo said to Krillin.
Krillin nodded.
The two descended from the sky and landed on the ground.
"Hmph. It makes no difference. The two of you are just struggling in vain," Nappa said with a contemptuous laugh. He dove down from the sky and charged toward Krillin and Piccolo.
"Dad!" Son Gohan covered his eyes in fright.
"He's coming!" Krillin felt utterly hopeless.
Piccolo clenched his fists, feeling helpless.
"Wait, Nappa!"
Just as Nappa was about to kill all three of them, Vegeta suddenly shouted.
Nappa hit the brakes in midair.
Piccolo and Krillin both froze, then turned to look at Vegeta.
What was this guy up to?
"Vegeta? Why did you stop me?" Nappa asked, looking confused.
"Don't rush. I have something to ask them," Vegeta said with a smile.
"What?" Nappa was speechless.
That was all?
"Is the Son Goku you mentioned Kakarot?" Vegeta asked with a friendly smile. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Yes. So what?" Krillin nodded.
"What? At a time like this, why hasn't he come yet? Where are Kakarot and that guy named Luo Tian? Why haven't they shown up?" Vegeta asked with a smile. "Or are they planning to ambush us from a distance? You should know that even an ambush won't do us any good."
Vegeta was genuinely curious.
Kakarot was still alive, so why hadn't he shown up?
That little boy was his son, right?
If he didn't show up soon, Nappa would probably kill him.
An ambush?
That didn't seem likely.
"Hmph. So Kakarot is the savior you're counting on," Vegeta said with a faint smile. "He couldn't even beat Raditz. What good would it do if he came?"
"He's not the same as before! He's become incredibly strong!" Krillin hurriedly said.
"You'll never beat Son Goku!" Piccolo gritted his teeth.
"Hahaha! Why hasn't he come? Maybe he got scared and ran away long ago," Nappa said with a laugh.
"He will! Dad will definitely come. He'll take care of you!" Son Gohan shouted.
"Heh-heh-heh, you really trust him," Vegeta said with a smile. "Interesting! Fine, we'll wait until he gets here."
"What? Are you kidding me? Kakarot isn't coming. Stop doing something stupid and hurry up and finish them off!" Nappa shouted.
"Just three hours. After that, time's up." Vegeta held up three fingers.
"Three hours!" Nappa exclaimed, frantic. "What are we supposed to do for three hours? We've been asleep until today, and now we're itching for a fight! Waiting is pointless! This is ridiculous. I'm going to kill them!"
As he spoke, Nappa dove down from the sky, ready to kill Piccolo and the others.
"Nappa! You're disobeying me again," Vegeta said.
Nappa seemed to suddenly realize something. He hurriedly hit the brakes in midair again.
"Sorry... sorry... I couldn't control myself," Nappa hurriedly apologized.
"Fine, that's settled. I've extended your lives, so you should thank me," Vegeta said with a smile.
"Luo Tian, that little guy is something else. The big guy, Nappa, actually listens to him!" Bulma exclaimed in amazement.
"The little guy's name is Vegeta. He's the Prince of Saiyans, known as an elite Saiyan warrior," Luo Tian explained.
"He's a prince... He's not good-looking." Bulma studied him for a moment, then shook her head. "Can Goku get back within three hours?"
"Probably," Luo Tian said thoughtfully.
"I wonder if Goku can beat the Prince of Saiyans," Bulma said uncertainly. "He might not even be able to beat the big guy."
"We'll find out when Goku gets back," Luo Tian said with a smile.
Before you continue