Leaving Namek?

After all, he was an enemy only a short while ago.

Now that they knew the reason for Vegeta's surge in strength, it was hard to accept, and they felt a sense of injustice toward the heavens.

Son Gohan stepped forward and spoke to the Grand Elder: "Grand Elder, you shouldn't have trusted his words. He is a terrible villain; not only did he invade Earth, but he also killed many people, including our companions."

"Gohan is right. He even slaughtered his own comrades without mercy back then, so his words are absolutely untrustworthy. If I'm not mistaken, he must have a greater agenda," Krillin added, searching for reasons.

The Grand Elder did not speak, listening quietly instead.

In truth, even if there were a greater agenda, the only thing on Planet Namek worth coveting was the Dragon Balls, which could grant wishes.

If he truly helped the Namekians resolve their extinction crisis, the Grand Elder would be willing to let him use the Dragon Balls to grant his wish.

Moreover, summoning the Eternal Dragon to grant a wish required the special language of the Namekians.

Therefore, the extent of the wish-granting was ultimately determined by the Namekians themselves, so there was no need to worry about Vegeta making an outrageous or world-threatening wish.

Having lived for such a long time, the Grand Elder viewed people and events differently than Krillin or Son Gohan.

As of now, Vegeta had not destroyed Planet Namek, nor had he harmed the Namekians. On the contrary, Vegeta had indeed eliminated the invaders and saved the Namekians; thus, in a sense, Vegeta was not an enemy.

If the Grand Elder were more rigid, he could have pointed out that while Vegeta might be an enemy to the Earthlings—despite not having killed one himself, many had died because of him—he could also be a friend to the Namekians.

Everyone stood from a different perspective, so their thoughts naturally differed.

Of course, he would not actually say such things, as it would only deepen the conflict.

For now, he was willing to help the Earthlings, as it would provide a better chance of surviving this catastrophe.

"Actually, I feel that although Vegeta looks fierce and invaded Earth, he doesn't seem to have much hostility toward us. Otherwise, we would probably have been killed by him already..."

"Perhaps there is some hidden story. Maybe he was following Frieza's orders, and now he has rebelled? If he is willing to help, then the crisis might really be resolved..."

"Besides, didn't he say he would give us two wishes and only take one for himself..."

Bulma suddenly spoke up, voicing her thoughts.

When they met earlier, Vegeta hadn't done anything to them. Although she felt he had improper intentions toward her, he had only taken the Dragon Radar in the end.

Thinking back, she regretted not being honest at the time and handing over a fake Dragon Radar.

That Vegeta must surely know the Dragon Radar she gave him was fake; otherwise, how could he have failed to detect the Dragon Ball here at the Grand Elder's place?

She wondered if he would be angry because of her trickery.

"You're thinking too simply, Bulma! That kind of heinous guy—even if he helps us, he would kill us afterward," Krillin said sternly.

"That's right, Aunt Bulma, don't be fooled by his previous performance. I'm afraid that once he gets the Dragon Balls, he won't give us a chance to make a wish at all." Son Gohan remained on the same front as Krillin.

After all, they had experienced brutal battles; if there had been any slip-ups, they would have died long ago, and Earth would likely have been destroyed.

"O-okay, you guys are the boss, I don't know..." Bulma shrank her neck as she looked at the expressions on Krillin and Son Gohan's faces.

Such concerns were not entirely impossible.

"Regardless, let me unlock your potential now," the Grand Elder said at the right moment, shifting the topic.

With those words from the Grand Elder, the atmosphere eased slightly.

"Thank you, Grand Elder." Son Gohan moved closer to the Grand Elder to receive the potential unlock.

The process was the same as it had been for Krillin, though it took a bit longer.

After unlocking Son Gohan's potential, the Grand Elder was visibly much more withered.

The exertion of this ability consumed a great deal of mental energy; when Vegeta had asked earlier if it consumed his lifespan, it was actually related to this drain on his mental energy.

Seeing the Grand Elder's frail state, Krillin and Son Gohan were filled with gratitude and worry.

Nail, standing to the side, wanted to stop it, but knowing his interference would be useless, he only clenched his fists, feeling powerless.

"It is fine. Even without doing these things, my life is nearing its end. Being able to do something for you before I die is also to ensure the safety of my people. I hope you can protect them..." the Grand Elder said.

These words sounded like a final testament. Dende could not help but step forward and hug the Grand Elder's leg, tears streaming down his face.

A long while later, to let the Grand Elder rest, everyone walked out of the inner room.

As soon as they stepped outside, Nail blocked the path of Krillin and Son Gohan.

"I hope you will not betray the Grand Elder's trust, nor his sacrifice for you."

His tone was extremely stern, showing that after the incident with Vegeta, Nail's resistance toward outsiders had grown even stronger.

In the original story, he had actually been quite kind to Krillin and Son Gohan, not nearly this cold.

In truth, if Krillin and the others hadn't saved Dende, he wouldn't have given them a pleasant look at all.

"We certainly won't let the Grand Elder down. It's just that, given the current situation, even if Gohan and I have had our strength greatly increased, whether we could even defeat you is a question, let alone stand against Vegeta and Frieza's group. We can only stay here to ensure our safety," Krillin said.

"Perhaps we could take everyone and leave Planet Namek," Son Gohan suggested.

"Leave... perhaps when the final moment comes, there will be no other choice," Nail sighed, having considered this himself.

But at the moment, Planet Namek had no spacecraft, and the ship the Earthlings arrived in might be the only hope for escape.

Bulma suddenly realized, "If you hadn't brought it up, I would have completely overlooked it. I need to perform a comprehensive inspection. Gohan, come help me; if we're going to leave Planet Namek, the spaceship cannot have any hidden defects."

"Alright, Aunt Bulma." Son Gohan nodded earnestly.

On the other side, on an island a hundred kilometers away.

Vegeta was unaware of the situation unfolding here, maintaining his Super Saiyan state the entire time.

He closed his eyes to meditate, savoring the immense transformation that the Saiyan energy had brought him.