A monkey mischievously dashed into the busiest part of the city, snatched a wine gourd from a merchant's stall, and ran off amid everyone's laughter. The merchant shouted furiously, "What are you laughing at? Catch that thief!" But no one paid him any attention.
You couldn't really blame them. Everyone was busy with the business in front of them. This city was not always so lively. The reason the merchants were now racing against time to make money was that the annual World Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin.
This was the biggest event in the Dragon Ball world. Whenever the World Martial Arts Tournament began each year, countless gambling houses offered all sorts of odds: the champion's name, how far a certain contestant could advance, and even the outcome of individual matches. Plenty of people placed bets on all of it.
They were not worried about contestants throwing matches. In the Dragon Ball world, this tournament was an extremely important grand event. Every school and faction took it very seriously. The money earned from fixing a match was simply not worth the loss of reputation.
Of course, every tournament usually had its dark horses. In one year, for example, an unknown child had consecutively defeated renowned fighters such as Goten and young Trunks, stunning everyone by reaching the finals. It was said that the child had been the reincarnation of Majin Uub, so being that strong was only natural.
However, in the finals, he had predictably lost to Mr. Satan—the eternal ruler of the World Martial Arts Tournament ever since it began. No matter who his opponent was, he always managed to retain his title as champion in the final match. This had made Mr. Satan a god in everyone's eyes.
Naturally, maintaining such a god came at