After several days of recuperation, the light wound on Raditz's forehead had long since healed. He could hardly wait to head to Earth. It was a wonderful place. Leaving aside how Earthlings had a better grasp of using Ki, the food and beautiful women alone were more than enough to attract him.
On this planet, he could only eat sour, astringent fruit. Even when he occasionally got some game, he simply could not stomach aliens like Frogman. As for Vegeta, who gnawed on bloody hands raw, the sight alone made him want to vomit. He practically slept out in the open, lying down wherever he was, never got to bathe, and repeated the same thing every day: fighting, fighting, fighting...
Though Earth's overall combat level was not high, its standard of living was hundreds of times better than this barren, lousy planet.
Having made up his mind, he picked an auspicious day and set off on his journey to Earth.
The spherical spaceship had a sleep chamber that could put a person into hibernation during a long journey. By the time one finished a dream, one would arrive at the destination. Otherwise, being crammed into such a tiny cabin for so long would be unbearably dull and suffocating.
However, Raditz did not sleep during the first part of the journey. Instead, he meditated through consciousness, using spiritual cultivation to increase his strength. Only after he had eaten all the fruit he had stored did he have no choice but to use the life-support system and sleep chamber for the rest of the trip.
One year later...
On Earth, ambitious men and demon kings who had once sought to conquer the world had all become history. People were now living through an era of peace. Everyone lived and worked in contentment, enjoying their wonderful lives.
A few idle clouds drifted across the azure sky. Tender green fields stretched across the land, while layered mountain ranges stood at the edge of the wilderness like giants guarding the boundless earth.
A breeze suddenly swept in. Leaves rustled noisily in the forest, and blades of grass swayed across the plains like green waves, rolling onward in one surge after another with the wind.
Without warning, a meteor-like streak of light flashed across the sky, trailing a long blaze as it shot straight toward the ground!
"Boom!"
The tremendous blast came with a shudder of the earth, and people for miles around felt the distinct tremor. Many thought it was an earthquake and hurried into open areas. Yet the shaking lasted only an instant. Once they calmed down, they saw a plume of thick smoke rising into the sky in the distance.
"Finally, I'm here. After sleeping for so long, my whole body's stiff. Looks like this kind of one-man spaceship isn't suited for long-distance travel." Raditz opened the hatch and quickly crawled out to get some air.
Though his time aboard the spaceship had passed like a dream, the stiffness in his body was all too real. Eagerly, he stretched his arms and legs a few times, then swung his tail in a circle to make sure every part of his body was fine.
Raditz sprang upward and leaped out of the massive crater the ship had made.
The moment he stood on solid ground, Raditz froze.
Before him stood a middle-aged farmer. Fat-bodied and wearing a straw hat, he had on a plaid shirt beneath a rustic pair of overalls and was staring wide-eyed at him. Sweat streamed down the man's hairy face, his Adam's apple bobbed, and the gun in his hands trembled nonstop as it pointed at Raditz.
Even an untrained Earthling could sense the intimidating aura radiating from Raditz.
"H-Hey, you... what are you?"
Raditz did not answer. A number flashed across the screen before his eyes—5.
He had actually... actually run into one. A legendary weakling with a Battle Power of only five.
"Damn, it really is a Battle Power Five weakling! Hahaha..." Raditz burst into uncontrollable laughter, utterly disregarding his image as he laughed so hard he doubled over.
"This guy... he isn't mentally ill, is he?" The middle-aged farmer was left at a complete loss by the sudden change.
Raditz continued laughing for a long time beneath the farmer's dumbfounded stare before slowly managing to stop.
He had no intention of killing the man. Looking at the wary farmer, he said, "Here's a piece of advice. If you see someone dressed like me in the future, don't go firing your gun recklessly."
"Ah... huh?" The farmer blanked for a moment, then came to his senses. "Hey, what exactly are you—"
Before he could finish, he froze again. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground—Raditz had flown straight into the sky and sped away faster than the wind.
Flying through the air, Raditz recalled his own famous line and grinned. "What a historic moment." As he was savoring the thought, his Scouter began beeping. It had detected another signal.
"This energy reading is huge for Earth, and it's 2333 away... Could it be Piccolo?" Raditz flew onward. "Whatever. I'll take a look first."
Following the signal, Raditz made his way to its location.
The surroundings were not barren mountains at all, but a small town. Though it was in the countryside, the roads were broad and level, the houses stood densely packed together, and plenty of vehicles came and went. It was completely different from where he remembered first encountering Piccolo.
Could history have already changed? I haven't even started my rebellion yet. History can't be this disrespectful, can it?
He simply landed and walked toward the signal source, entering a bar. The instant he stepped inside, he saw many corpses on the floor. Their deaths had all been simple, as though they had been killed in a single blow. It had definitely been the work of an expert.
There were knives and guns around the bodies, but they had died before they even had the chance to strike.
"Piccolo? No, if it were him, this whole place would have been blasted away too... Hm?" Raditz suddenly noticed that the Scouter signal had disappeared.
His opponent was an expert who understood Ki!
Raditz simply stopped relying on the Scouter and directly sensed the flow of Ki.
Suddenly, a figure pounced down from above him, sword light flashing in his hand as he moved at incredible speed.
But that speed was only impressive to Earthlings. To Raditz, it was like watching an animation in slow motion, every frame frozen before his eyes. With only a slight turn of his body, Raditz evaded the deadly strike.
The man reacted swiftly. The moment his attack missed, he immediately sprang back and slipped into the shadows.
"Hehehe, you've got some skills. From the moment you walked in, I could tell you were different. Not only are you dressed strangely, but you feel completely unlike ordinary people. Who are you? Here to avenge them?"
"I have no interest in avenging them, and I know who you are, so there's no need to keep hiding." Raditz gave a wry smile. He had not expected to run into this guy. "The world's greatest assassin, right?"
The person in the shadows was stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha! This is the first time anyone has said my name so calmly. Hmph, that's right. I am the world's greatest assassin, Mercenary Tao!"
As he spoke, he slowly emerged from the shadows. Mercenary Tao was already in his modified form. His long braid and robe remained, and the character for "kill" on his chest was especially conspicuous. But his arms and eyes had been turned into machinery, and the sword from earlier had been a weapon that extended from his hand.
"Young man, I only kill for the wealthy. I do not take disciples." In Mercenary Tao's eyes, since Raditz was not seeking revenge, he had most likely come to admire him and ask to become his disciple.
What the hell? Become his disciple? Mercenary Tao thinks far too highly of himself.
Raditz's mouth twitched, and he said helplessly, "Sorry, I was just looking for the wrong person..."
Before you continue