"Hmph, hmph, hmph~~! Hmph, hmph, hmph~~!"
Bathed in golden light, Vegeta completed his transformation, his hair turning blond and his eyes green as he kept letting out cold laughs.
The laughter sounded oppressive, carrying an overwhelming sense of menace.
Of course, that was how it seemed to anyone who heard it.
To the one laughing, it was also a way to vent the negative emotions that had built up inside him.
With those laughs, he cast off all the negative obsessions left behind by the original Vegeta, as well as the last trace of his own anxiety.
Becoming a Super Saiyan was only the first step in his life, but he had to admit that he had successfully taken it. His future looked bright.
Forget the future—for now, with the power he possessed, he no longer needed to deliberately hide himself, and he certainly had no reason to fear Frieza.
A battle power of over a hundred million! And definitely no less than 150 million.
Vegeta was certain that he was no weaker than Kakarot had been in the original story.
"Though I'd like to go over there and kill you right now, I'll let you live a little longer. Once I've fully stabilized this power, your life will be over."
He spoke in a cold voice, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes, sensing the pure Saiyan energy of his Super Saiyan form.
The boost from the transformation was enormous. He couldn't let his exhilaration cloud his judgment; he needed to stay calm and stabilize his new strength.
After all, he had only just broken through. He still couldn't transform whenever he wanted, wherever he wanted. If his transformation faltered halfway through, he'd be finished.
As someone who had crossed over from another world, he knew all too well that transformation's drawback was that it could make people act on impulse.
That had been true of Vegeta and Son Goku in the original story, and the other Saiyans were no different after transforming.
Ultimately, the Super Saiyan form wasn't absolute. How strong someone was after transforming depended closely on their base form.
Vegeta wasn't wary of Frieza, and he feared Frieza's father, King Cold, even less.
But there was one being he had to treat with caution: Cooler!
After merging with the original Vegeta's memories, he did indeed have some recollection of Cooler's Armored Squadron.
So even with this kind of power—even as a Super Saiyan with a battle power exceeding 150 million—he still couldn't afford to get too full of himself.
At least, Cooler had a battle power of 470 million after transforming. If he showed up, Vegeta wouldn't stand a chance against him as he was now.
Of course, there was no need to worry about Cooler right now. Even in the original story, Cooler didn't go to Earth for revenge until a long time after learning what had happened.
Cooler might be in the North Galaxy even now, but he was definitely nowhere nearby.
In truth, Cooler wasn't all that great a threat to Vegeta. He just needed to keep him in mind for now.
He had already achieved his primary goal. His future goal was no longer a mere few hundred million in battle power. Now, he was aiming for several billion—ten billion!
Over the coming years, the Androids would be the main event. That would be a turning point, and if he didn't work hard now, he would surely regret it later.
Meanwhile.
Frieza, savoring fine wine aboard his spaceship, furrowed his brow slightly.
A strange feeling lingered in his heart, leaving him deeply unsettled, as if something were pressing down on him.
Confusion gave way to irritation in his blood-red eyes, then irritation turned to murderous intent. Thinking that the Ginyu Force wouldn't reach Planet Namek for another five days made him increasingly restless.
"Crack—pop!"
The wineglass in his hand suddenly cracked. Then the glass shattered outright, scattering fragments across the floor.
The wine splashed over his hand, its deep red color like blood, and thick as well.
The three service staff from the squadron in the lounge witnessed what had happened. They didn't dare make a sound, keeping their heads down as they swallowed nervously.
Anyone who went up to speak to him would be asking for death.
As crew members aboard the main spaceship, they had all been handpicked as elites, and they knew Frieza inside out.
Now that Zarbon and Dodoria were gone, they had lost their guiding hands.
Only after quite some time did Frieza finally sigh. He flicked his hand, then turned to look at the three of them.
"Now that Mr. Zarbon is gone, you don't know what to do? Can't you see my hand is dirty? Don't you know how to clean up the trash?" Frieza glanced sidelong at his subordinates.
If he weren't short-handed, if the spaceship didn't need these useless fools to pilot and maintain it, he would have killed the three idiots on the spot.
For decades, Dodoria and Zarbon had always been at his side. Their battle power might not have been the highest in the squadron, but they knew how to get things done and were loyal enough. With them gone, every part of Frieza's life felt a little off.
It hadn't been long, and already he missed having them around. They had always been able to take care of everything.
Elsewhere, aboard the spaceship heading toward Planet Namek, Son Goku's strength had improved by leaps and bounds after a period of gravity training.
This only further convinced him that gravity training could greatly increase his strength.
"Whew~~ I've finally gotten completely used to thirty times gravity. Maybe I should just try fifty times next!" Son Goku said, preparing to give fifty times gravity a try.
Just then, North Kai's voice reached his mind, bringing him some good news.
The warriors who had died on Earth had run Snake Way in less time than he had and made it to King Kai's Planet.
"That's great! Has everyone made it? It hasn't been long, but I really miss them." Son Goku was overcome with excitement.
This meant that everyone could receive North Kai's care in Otherworld, and they could train under his guidance on King Kai's Planet. Maybe they'd become even stronger.
After they talked for a while, everyone learned about the situation.
When they heard that Planet Namek, where Son Goku was headed, was full of powerful enemies—and that the Universe Emperor Frieza was there—they all began to worry about him.
Even though being brought back to life was important, if there really was nothing they could do, it would be better for him to avoid the danger for now.
Piccolo was the most agitated of them all, because they talked about how Gohan had gone to Planet Namek with Krillin and Bulma to find the Dragon Balls and bring them back to life.
After the conversation ended, Son Goku resumed his training, pushing himself even harder.
Learning how everyone was doing put his mind at ease.
On King Kai's Planet, at Piccolo's request, North Kai established a connection with Son Gohan on Planet Namek.
Piccolo hadn't been particularly polite, but North Kai more or less understood his intentions, so he agreed to help.