Prevent

Nappa wiped the blood from his mouth, glaring viciously at Goku, breathing heavily.

He couldn't believe it—how could a low-class warrior stand against him, a warrior born of noble lineage, and even surpass him? It had to be a mistake! A mistake!

"Impossible! Kakarot, I can beat you!" Nappa roared madly, then suddenly, the sound from his open mouth died, and a ghastly white beam erupted from it!

The energy blast appeared with shocking speed, startling Goku the moment it shot out.

But Goku reacted swiftly, countering almost by instinct. The Kamehameha launched at the last possible second, its pale blue light instantly devouring the white beam and engulfing Nappa's mountainous body.

"Whew... that was close. Shooting a cannon from his mouth, just like Piccolo." Goku wiped his sweat, unable to resist a jab.

Piccolo's ear twitched, and he turned sideways. "Hmph. Pointless."

The light faded, leaving Nappa in nothing but a high-quality pair of underwear. Bruised and battered, he stood frozen midair, eyes wide and mind blank, utterly at a loss.

He had lost. Completely. The pride of being a Saiyan noble was crushed again and again, and his rage had long since burned out. Yet... none of it mattered.

He stared blankly at Goku, and for the first time, felt the fear of death.

"Nappa, you're no match for him. Come back!"

At the critical moment, Vegeta gave the order. He couldn't stand watching any longer and had to recall Nappa. Otherwise, given Goku's strength, he might just kill Nappa outright.

A moment ago, he had seen Goku's Battle Power jump directly from 5,000 to 10,000. No matter how much Nappa erupted, he could at most reach around 6,000. The gap was too wide. The only reason Nappa was still alive was that Goku had deliberately held back. He would have to step in himself and end this farce.

Nappa received Vegeta's command and immediately obeyed, landing without further struggle. In truth, he had lost all will to fight and dared not continue against Goku.

But his eyes caught sight of Gohan and the others, and a sly thought crept into his mind. Can't beat you, but what about your son?

Nappa stole a glance at Goku. Seeing that Goku wasn't paying attention, he sneered and charged at Gohan!

His fist, packed with strength and fury, came crashing down with absolute certainty.

Thud!

He came fast, but retreated even faster. Nappa flew backward, landing at Vegeta's feet.

Looking closely, one could see Nappa's entire arm bent at an odd angle, mostly crippled. Drool dripped from his mouth, and his face was twisted in agony. Recalling the moment, he had been about to hit Gohan when that Namekian ambushed him, shattering his arm with a single kick!

Another humiliation.

Vegeta could no longer tolerate it. He grabbed Nappa by the wrist, hoisted him up, and flung him into the air. "You useless piece of trash!"

"No, Vegeta! Please, no!"

Even as stupid as he was, Nappa knew what Vegeta intended. He screamed desperately, using the last of his strength to beg.

His hysterical cries did nothing to change Vegeta's resolve. At this moment, Vegeta still clung to his primal creed: kill anyone who was useless to him. Nappa had become a burden, and keeping him served no purpose.

A spherical orb of light flickered around Vegeta, like a glowing miniature sun. The surrounding rocks crumbled to dust, devoured by the energy. The sheer Battle Power of this attack moved everyone present; none dared underestimate it.

Suddenly, a fierce beam shot upward from the orb, rising like a dragon into the sky.

"What a strong ki!"

"This Saiyan is far stronger than the big one!" Piccolo shielded his eyes from the blinding light, gritting his teeth.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure charging straight toward that blazing energy. The fearless posture shocked him—it was Raditz!

"Don't go killing people so easily!"

Raditz roared as he hurled an Energy Blast he had already charged. The blue sphere spun through the air, striking Vegeta's energy wave dead-on, deflecting it several meters away into the endless sky.

At the same time, Goku flew over, caught Nappa, and headed back toward his comrades.

"Why?"

"Why save me? Kakarot."

Nappa had been consumed by despair at the moment of death, but he never expected Raditz and Kakarot to rush in and save him. In an instant, a flood of emotions surged through him, an indescribable feeling stirring in his chest.

"We're all Saiyans." Goku answered simply, dragging him to a distance and setting him down.

The others also moved aside with unspoken understanding, clearing the arena for Raditz and Vegeta's decisive battle.

Among them, Raditz was the strongest, but Nappa didn't know that yet. He said to Goku, "Raditz is asking for death. If you and the Namekian teamed up, you might have a chance. You have no idea how terrifying Vegeta is..."

"No, you have no idea how terrifying Raditz is." Before Nappa could finish, Piccolo cut him off.

Goku nodded as well. "I've fought my brother many times, but I've never won once. I believe he can beat Vegeta."

"Haha, there was even that time all of us got taken down by him alone. So frustrating. Unforgettable memories..." Krillin added.

Listening to them, wave after wave of shock crashed over Nappa until he was completely dumbfounded.

"You... just what..."

The wind swept his voice away, carrying it between Vegeta and Raditz.

Unlike Nappa, Vegeta had long seen Raditz's extraordinary nature. Though he couldn't believe how much progress could be made in a year on Earth, Goku's performance had just slapped Nappa in the face. He couldn't afford to be careless now.

"Raditz, what have you done? Your Battle Power should only be 1,500, and those Earthlings—there's no way any of them have over 2,000!"

"Your question is the key to defeating Frieza." Raditz deliberately teased. "Want to hear it?"

"Hmph!" Vegeta snorted coldly and said nothing.

"One word for yes, two for no—it's up to you. I'm guessing you don't want to be Frieza's lackey forever, do you?"

"I'll beat it out of you, Raditz. You've made me angry." Vegeta stepped closer to Raditz, his eyes blazing with furious fire, as if they would burn everyone to ash. His ki surged sharply, making the earth tremble!

"I am the Prince of the Saiyans. You may have forgotten that—let me remind you today!"

Before his words faded, Vegeta's figure vanished, then suddenly appeared at Raditz's side. His fist had already sunk into Raditz's stomach; the Battle Suit tore like paper, shattering into fragments.

Raditz's eyes bulged wide. His abdomen caved sharply, and excruciating pain shot through his entire body.

A trickle of blood slowly seeped out...