Piccolo put Gohan somewhere safe, then took off his cape and turban.
For the first part of those six months, Piccolo had still trained with Gohan. But during the final two months, he received word from Namek: Grand Elder Guru didn't have long to live, and Nail and the others needed him to return and help.
Grand Elder Guru had asked Piccolo to go to Namek and take Dende, the most gifted child of their people, back to Earth to live. He had also asked Nail to fuse with Piccolo, saying that it was what the prophecy foretold.
Nail was deeply grateful to Li Feng, Piccolo, and the others for resolving the crisis on Namek last time. He agreed to fuse with Piccolo, with Piccolo's will taking the lead.
Piccolo had been unwilling to fuse at first, but faced with the heartfelt pleas of Grand Elder Guru and Nail, he eventually had no choice but to agree.
In Universe A1807, Piccolo had still fused with Nail. Some unseen force seemed to be setting the world back on its proper course.
Not long after the fusion, Grand Elder Guru passed away. As promised, Piccolo brought Dende back to Earth's Temple and told the Guardian of Earth what had happened on Namek.
After the fusion, Piccolo became even stronger than he had been right after fusing in the original story. His personality also grew gentler, and his darker side faded.
As they were talking at the Temple, they suddenly sensed two terrifying presences approaching Earth. Piccolo immediately headed for the battlefield, keeping his power hidden.
Seeing Gohan grow stronger and unleash his power filled Piccolo with pride.
But Gohan was still no match for Cooler. Badly wounded and brutalized, he drove Piccolo past his breaking point. In the end, Piccolo stepped in.
Piccolo's battle power was now a staggering three million!
"Hm? A Namekian?"
Cooler's tail stung. He looked up and saw a green-skinned man striking a cool pose as he rescued the brat. When he realized the man was a Namekian with mysterious powers, he couldn't help but feel surprised.
"You Frieza Clan scum all deserve to die!"
Piccolo said coldly.
His power had grown tremendously. The enemy before him was terrifying, but he had to fight.
"Big words."
Cooler sneered, then instantly charged at Piccolo.
"Ha!"
Piccolo wanted to test the new power he had gained. He burst forth with a white aura and collided with Cooler.
"Boom!"
Their fists collided, unleashing another burst of astonishing energy and a terrifying aura.
"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!..."
Piccolo's aura kept rising, along with his speed and strength. He was gradually gaining the upper hand over Cooler.
"Hmph. You're a little stronger than that brat, but still not enough. Bring out the Saiyan who really killed Frieza!"
"Shut up!"
Piccolo was secretly alarmed. He had thought he'd be formidable after raising his battle power, but after exchanging punches, his bones ached. His body was nowhere near as tough as Cooler's.
The two fought in the air, their figures flashing past each other so quickly they were impossible to see. Only the thunderous crashes and bursts of astonishing energy revealed their clashes.
"Is that all you've got?"
Cooler sneered as his aura continued to rise. He overtook Piccolo, then sent him flying with a blow from his tail.
"Cough! Ah!"
Piccolo spat blood in agony. It felt as if a planet had slammed into his chest. His ribs were broken, and he crashed into the ground with a boom. The earth shook and rocks flew as the terrifying impact triggered a massive quake.
"Y-you bastard!"
Piccolo was furious.
He had thought that training and fusing would make him strong. And though he really had become many times stronger, he was still nowhere near Li Feng's Super Saiyan form! He had already been weaker than Son Goku, and then there was Li Feng, Frieza, and now Cooler, not to mention King Cold watching from the sidelines... More and more people were stronger than him!
Piccolo was a proud warrior. He couldn't bring himself to surrender to anyone!
"Ha!"
Piccolo forced himself upright and powered up again.
Boom!
The boulders on top of him shattered.
"Take this!"
Whoosh!
Piccolo crossed his arms and dropped into a wide stance. An astonishing aura swept out around him.
"Heh heh heh. Go on, struggle all you want."
Cooler's tail swished back and forth, shattering the nearby peaks. He sneered.
No matter what Piccolo tried, it would be futile against overwhelming strength.
"Ha!"
Piccolo spread his arms, swelling his aura to its limit.
Then he gathered yellow Ki Blasts in his hands and hurled them at Cooler in a furious barrage!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!----
The energy blasts slammed into Cooler, each one crashing with a deafening roar!
Piccolo had used the Prince Trick!
In an instant, rocks flew across the battlefield and clouds of dust billowed everywhere.
"H-he's amazing! Has Piccolo really gotten this strong?"
Seeing Piccolo's barrage engulf Cooler in an instant, and feeling the tremendous aura it gave off, Krillin couldn't help but be amazed.
After a while, the smoke cleared and the dust settled, revealing the figure within.
Cooler was still standing there calmly, without so much as a scratch.
"What's wrong, Namekian? Is that all you can do?"
"Hmph. Take a look around you!"
Piccolo's lips curled slightly. He had seemed to attack recklessly, but in truth, he had been extremely cautious. He knew that the barrage couldn't hurt Cooler at all. It had only been meant to draw his attention and obscure his vision, while Piccolo quietly prepared his real follow-up.
Cooler was surrounded by yellow energy blasts, each one hovering in the air!
While training, Piccolo had also been working on a new finishing move.
"Hellzone Grenade!"
That was right: the Hellzone Grenade. In the original story, Piccolo didn't use this technique until much later, when he fought Android 17. In this world, he had developed the same move, only much earlier.
"What?"
Cooler was shocked. He hadn't expected to be surrounded.
"Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!----"
Now hundreds of energy blasts hurtled toward Cooler at once and exploded on impact. Their power was astonishing, like several nuclear bombs going off—many times greater than the Prince Trick barrage from before!
Even Cooler was caught off guard this time, since he hadn't been using his full strength!
After the deafening roar and the nuclear-scale bombardment, Cooler was still standing tall. But the serene look on his face had vanished: his skin had actually been scraped!
"Damn you, Namekian! You'll pay dearly for your ignorance!"
Cooler gritted his teeth and roared in fury.
His perfect body had actually been injured? To the Frieza Race, that was nothing short of a disgrace!
"Ha!"
This time, Cooler was truly enraged. He bellowed and unleashed a terrifying aura. Purple flames burst around him, scorching the air as his energy swept toward them like a tidal wave.
"I'll kill you!"
Cooler was going to finish Piccolo off.
"Hmph. As I thought, that wasn't enough. I've got no choice but to use this move."
Before you continue