The wind swept across the plain, lifting Raditz's long hair and making it drift slowly and gently.
"Goku, do you remember me telling you that I wasn't the only Saiyan who survived?" Raditz said.
"Including me, there are four of us in total."
"That's right. The other two are even stronger than I am. One comes from a prestigious family and possesses astonishing strength, while the other is Prince Vegeta. His Battle Power is more than ten times mine!"
Raditz spoke in a deep voice. The expressions of the two men opposite him changed instantly, as if they had heard the most horrifying news imaginable.
There were actually two even stronger Saiyans!
"I can tell you that your current Battle Power is around 400. Even your strongest attacks only exceed 1,000 by a little, while I can maintain a Battle Power of 1,800. As for Vegeta, his Battle Power is a full 18,000! Wiping us out would take him no more than a single energy blast."
"Eighteen... thousand..." Fine beads of sweat seeped from Piccolo's brow again, and his breathing grew heavy.
Though Goku said nothing, his entire body trembled.
Even a child could understand the enormous gap between those numbers. If they could barely withstand a few blows against Raditz, then against Vegeta, they were nothing but ants.
This was exactly the effect Raditz wanted. The corner of his mouth curled upward as he continued, "Don't rush to be surprised. There are even more secrets. We Saiyans work for someone who calls himself the Cosmic Emperor. His name is Frieza, and he is an extremely terrifying figure. I told you earlier that the Saiyan planet was destroyed by a meteor, but that wasn't true. Planet Vegeta was personally destroyed by Frieza!"
"Destroyed... a planet?"
"Frieza... the Cosmic Emperor... Wait, aren't the Saiyans the people who work for him? Why would he destroy them?"
Too much information flooded into Goku and Piccolo's minds at once, making it difficult for them to process.
King Piccolo had once thought ruling the world was already incredibly impressive. Now, a cosmic-level monster had suddenly appeared, instantly raising the stakes to another level and leaving the current Piccolo deeply shaken.
"Let me explain bit by bit. Frieza did need Saiyans to work for him, but secretly, the Saiyans never truly obeyed Frieza and had long been preparing to rebel. Frieza was even more wary of the Saiyans, though, so he struck first and destroyed the entire planet."
"The Saiyans didn't resist? How could so many powerful warriors be wiped out by one person?"
Raditz could not help laughing. Shaking his head, he said, "No matter how many ants gather together, they can't fight a beast. Frieza's Battle Power is... 530,000!"
Goku and Piccolo's pupils quivered. It was as if their hearts had been struck by a massive hammer, leaving them utterly stunned.
Such an enormous Battle Power was simply unimaginable, and they could not help feeling how insignificant they were.
"There's actually someone that powerful. We wouldn't stand a chance!" Goku was half frightened and half excited as Saiyan blood boiled within him.
"Heh heh, don't tell me you want to fight Frieza," Piccolo said with a teasing smile.
"That really is what I'm thinking."
"That sounds like you..."
Having learned that there were always greater heights beyond greater heights, they calmed down after their initial fear.
Seeing this, Raditz said, "The surviving Saiyans are being deceived and manipulated by Frieza, continuing to work for him. Sooner or later, they will be erased. He has no mercy. Anyone who threatens him, or anyone useless to him, has only one fate: death."
"But what does that have to do with us?" Piccolo asked.
"Nothing to do with you? I came to Earth this time because Vegeta assigned me to. Before long, Earth will be the next target for conquest. The most terrifying part is that Frieza's ambition encompasses the entire Milky Way Galaxy, even the universe itself. Earth is among his targets. Goku, you are a Saiyan too. If Frieza ever decides to wipe out the Saiyans completely, he will come for you eventually. After all that, do you still think this has nothing to do with you?"
Piccolo fell silent.
"The only way is to resist! The other two Saiyans also refuse to submit to Frieza, but they do not yet have enough power to deal with him, so they have chosen to endure. As long as we unite them and keep growing stronger, we will have a chance to fight Frieza!" Raditz raised an arm and shouted, making the air currents around him surge in all directions.
Those were his true feelings. As the greatest source of instability, Frieza absolutely had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
His words gave Goku and Piccolo much to consider. It was as if they were facing an unprecedented crisis, their minds burning hot. Saiyans, the Cosmic Emperor, destruction, power... the words swirled through their heads.
Goku analyzed the situation calmly. "But there's no way we can reach 530,000 Battle Power in a short time, right? And from the way you talk, those other two Saiyans don't sound easy to deal with."
"Indeed. Those two are both very arrogant, and one of them is a prince. Mere persuasion will be useless. We'll probably need strength to make them acknowledge us. As for increasing our strength, I have a shortcut—" Raditz deliberately dragged out his words, drawing both of their complete attention. "All we have to do is die once!"
"Die?!" Goku and Piccolo's expressions changed abruptly.
How could dying make someone stronger? What a joke.
Raditz had expected that reaction and patiently explained, "Don't be surprised. There is a god named King Kai. He is an existence on a higher level than Earth's Kami, and he lives on King Kai's Planet. Training under him will definitely increase your strength dramatically. You could go there without dying, but under our current circumstances, that isn't possible. We can only use this method."
"Do we really... have to die?"
"Aren't there Dragon Balls? We can be revived."
"You even know about the Dragon Balls?!" Goku was astonished.
"Of course I did some research. That isn't the point. The point is that you need to make arrangements with Earth's Kami so that you can keep your bodies after death for training. Then, with his recommendation and King Yama's approval, you'll be able to meet King Kai."
Raditz spoke with complete seriousness, as if he had experienced it himself. Piccolo immediately grew suspicious. "How do you know so much about everything?"
"I just do. Don't worry, I'll be the first one to die. I only need Goku to come with me, introduce me to Kami, and we can train together."
"This..." Hearing Raditz say he was willing to die first, Piccolo had nothing left to say. After all, if Raditz was willing to risk his life and place it in someone else's hands, what trick could he possibly be playing?
"Also, I need you to train Gohan. He is an indispensable source of fighting strength."
Goku nodded as well, indicating that he was willing to trust Raditz.
In truth, Goku had already begun trusting Raditz when Gohan was returned to him. Raditz holding back during their fight had made Goku feel there was more to the story. After hearing the explanation, he found it quite reasonable and was even somewhat happy to have found his biological older brother.
"Piccolo, your life is linked to Kami's. You can't take part in this training, sorry. Heh heh." Goku smiled and waved his hand.
"Hmph. If he's fooling you, then you'll die for nothing." Piccolo shot Goku a glare. "Still, that's fine. With you gone, there will be nothing stopping me from conquering the world, Goku."
The two exchanged smiles.
Raditz picked up the Scouter, walked forward, and stood before Goku. He nodded to Piccolo.
"Then let's do it!"
At that moment, Gohan ran out from behind a rock, crying as he shouted, "Dad!"
"Gohan! Dad will come back!" Goku shouted. Even facing death, he was smiling.
He was actually excited. He was about to face so many terrifyingly powerful opponents, and his blood had long since begun to boil.
After charging his power for a long time, Piccolo faced the two men preparing to die and unleashed a new technique—Special Beam Cannon!!!
The spiraling beam contained immense energy. Its dazzling light stretched their shadows several feet long, and in an instant, the pillar of light shot toward their bodies. A thought suddenly flashed through Raditz's mind. "Damn it! I miscalculated!"
Facing the Special Beam Cannon, he fired back a shockwave with lightning speed!
The two energies collided, triggering a massive explosion. Air currents swept in every direction, and the ground split apart from the middle. The fissure extended far into the distance, as though the earth had been cleaved in two.
"So you really were lying!" Piccolo shouted furiously.
"No, no, no! I just suddenly realized, why don't we make a wish directly to Shenron? It's still one wish, and we won't even have to die..." Raditz hurriedly explained, sweat pouring down his face.
"..."
Goku and Piccolo were silent for a long time before saying in unison, "I guess... that's right."
Before you continue