The spaceship that had broken through the atmosphere was impossible to catch now. Raditz gave up the chase and raised his Ki with all his might, letting the others know where he was.
The most urgent task was stopping the Sacred Tree's rampant growth. The only thing that could do that was the Dragon Balls!
"Bulma, give me the Dragon Ball Radar!"
"Huh?"
"I need to gather all seven Dragon Balls as soon as possible. Hurry!" Raditz urged.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Bulma's face as she pointed at the crashed plane. "It might be broken already..."
"It isn't broken. I have it." Master Roshi took out the Dragon Ball Radar, wisdom gleaming behind his sunglasses. "I figured we might need the Dragon Balls, so I put the radar away beforehand in case we couldn't find it later."
"Just what I'd expect from Master Roshi!" Raditz exclaimed happily.
"Um... I don't know if I saw it wrong, but someone who looked a lot like Goku took something from beside me." Bulma's voice grew quieter and quieter, as though she had realized something irreversible had happened.
"What was it?"
"I think it was Gohan's... hat."
"It was only a hat..." Raditz waved it off, then suddenly froze. "Could there have been a Dragon Ball on Gohan's hat?"
Master Roshi was also shocked. "That's right! After we made that wish, we found the Four-Star Ball again and set it back into the hat! We were always planning to return it to Gohan, but we kept forgetting. It just happened to be brought out today!"
During their earlier conversation, Goku had vaguely revealed the existence of the Dragon Balls. Turles had never seen one before, but the unusual appearance of a Dragon Ball would surely have caught his attention. If that was really what happened, they were in serious trouble!
By then, everyone else had arrived. Seeing the shattered remains of the spaceship and the group safe and sound, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where's Turles?" Vegeta was the first to ask.
"He got away."
"You actually let him get away?!"
"He also took a Dragon Ball," Master Roshi added.
Everyone's faces turned ashen in an instant, and they stood rooted to the spot. The Sacred Tree was absorbing energy too quickly. Without the power of the Dragon Balls, they had no way to stop this disaster. The entire Earth would be destroyed!
They had driven Turles away, only to lose the Earth? That was truly not worth the cost!
Vegeta and Nappa did not care, but for Goku and the others, Earth was their homeland.
"Let's go find Kami. Maybe he has a solution." Goku offered a suggestion. Not long after, he suddenly cried out in delight, "Look! It's Mr. Popo!"
They looked in the direction of his finger and indeed saw a man dressed entirely in black flying toward them on a carpet, holding an exquisitely decorated jar in his hands.
"Mr. Popo! Did Kami send you?"
"Goku!" Popo brought the flying carpet to a stop. "Kami saw everything from Heaven. He told me to give you this 'Super Holy Water.' If you pour it into the Sacred Tree's roots, it should stop it from spreading any further."
"Super Holy Water? Isn't that meant for drinking?" Goku remembered using the power of the Super Holy Water when fighting King Piccolo.
"The Super Holy Water itself is highly poisonous, but it also has detoxifying effects. It may be useful against the Sacred Tree. Since the Sacred Tree bears the fruit eaten by gods in legend, Kami told you to give it a try."
Popo handed the jar to Goku.
Super Holy Water? Goku was doubtful, but they could only try anything at this point. Holding the jar, he flew toward the Sacred Tree and sprinkled it all around until every last drop had been used before returning.
The Super Holy Water took effect immediately, and the Sacred Tree's expansion stopped. However, the damage Earth had already suffered had not recovered. Nearly a quarter of the planet had fallen into a state of biological extinction.
They still had to find the Dragon Balls!
To achieve that goal, they needed to increase their strength, modify the spaceship, and locate the Dragon Balls. So everyone chose to rest and regroup for a short while.
During this time, Bulma prepared to develop a Dragon Ball Radar for space travel, while Raditz wanted to ask Bulma's father, Dr. Briefs, to build a Gravity Chamber.
Over the next half month, violent incidents broke out everywhere across Earth, and unrest never ceased. Cities and villages of all sizes fought over the remaining resources. Some armed groups even started wars for a chance at survival.
The king deployed many troops for rescue operations and suppression efforts, doing his best to stabilize the situation. Natural disasters and human calamities gradually brought peace to its end.
Raditz floated high in the air, able to see the harbor and the sea stretching out from it at a glance. The vast blue waters were the last patch of purity on Earth. Strands of sunlight pierced through the torn clouds, forming mottled beasts of varying shapes upon the sea. The city where he had once lived had also been a coastal city. Countless ships entered and left the harbor every day, their horns blaring like soldiers marching off on an expedition.
When he was young, he often skipped going home after school and went alone to watch the sea. The vastness of the ocean could always calm him down. After a busy day, being able to linger by the shore beneath the sun's final brilliance and gaze into the distance was a kind of happiness in itself.
Come to think of it, he had not seen the ocean in a long time. Even this color was rare to him now. Thinking carefully, most of King Kai's Planet had been green.
"Raditz, how much longer are you going to stand here looking? Vegeta said the Gravity Chamber is finished and told you to go train." Nappa placed a hand on Raditz's shoulder.
"Earth is a wonderful place, isn't it?"
"Hm?"
"Look at this scenery. You won't see it on other planets!"
Nappa looked somewhat surprised. He gazed at the boundless, crystal-clear ocean, where glittering waves shone silver and dazzling. At the edge of sky and sea, the two merged into one, blending into gentle hues. Seagulls soared on spread wings through the wind, waves whispered softly, and the air was filled with a fresh, cool dampness.
"Right?"
"Uh... yeah." Nappa hesitated. "But Vegeta said..."
"Let him wait."
"Th-this..."
"You're afraid of him, but not of me?" Raditz asked coldly.
"..."
Nappa could not argue and could only endure it in silence. Raditz really was far stronger than him now. Even Vegeta had acknowledged it. What else could he say?
"Take in the beauty of life. You don't get many moments like this," Raditz said.
In truth, over the past half month, Nappa had also found Earth quite comfortable. His battle-loving nature found full release in the most advanced game consoles. He had mastered every fighting game there was. Though he lost repeatedly whenever he faced Raditz, his enthusiasm for games never faded in the slightest.
Other than actual combat, his greatest pleasure was playing fighting games.
Vegeta had competed with Goku once and lost. He had then made up his mind to surpass the two brothers, thinking day and night about how to do it.
At dinner, the Saiyans always competed over who could eat more. Vegeta had lost the fight and refused to lose in appetite as well. The others also gave no ground, eating like mad. Often, each person had an entire table beside them solely for stacking empty plates.
Gohan often went to train with Piccolo, and occasionally played with Fast Dragon.
The coconut trees on Kame House Island swayed in the breeze. Beneath the sun, Master Roshi lay on a lounge chair wearing his sunglasses, while the beauty magazines beside him gave off a pleasant scent...
"Let's go. The Gravity Chamber should be finished."
Raditz turned around and gave the ocean one last look.
Before you continue