Estrangement, Conflict

Take down Frieza!

Vegeta's words left everyone present in shock.

Nail stared blankly at Vegeta, while Krillin and Son Gohan wore expressions of utter disbelief.

If they hadn't heard it directly from Vegeta's own mouth, they wouldn't have believed it.

Come to think of it, they hadn't stopped thinking about such a possibility over the last two days, even contemplating how they might bring it about.

Undoubtedly, for them, if Vegeta could clash with Frieza, it would be a great stroke of luck; if they both ended up crippled or dead, even better.

Although Vegeta had shown some kindness to the Namekian, in other words, if there hadn't been profit to be made, or if he hadn't received benefits from Grand Elder, would he have helped at all?

No one spoke; even the Namekian whom Vegeta had escorted began to harbor a sense of estrangement toward him.

There were three reasons for this.

First, Vegeta had originally been one of Frieza's subordinates, and even if he had defected and committed no harm, in their eyes, he was still no good.

Second was an instinctive fear; they were terrified by the aura Vegeta radiated—it was too powerful, too oppressive, and made them shudder.

Third was the account given by Krillin and Son Gohan, which made everyone aware of Vegeta's invasion of Earth.

In truth, Vegeta hadn't actually done much on Earth, not even managing to kill a single Earthling, yet he had been painted as a heinous villain.

Of course, Vegeta didn't care about any of this, nor did he care how others viewed him.

This world was one where the strong preyed on the weak; even as a transmigrator who was fundamentally no longer the original Vegeta, he would not take the initiative to curry favor with anyone or lower his stance.

After a long silence, Krillin was the first to react, asking sternly, "You say you're going to take down Frieza. While I don't know what you're plotting, if you're going, you could just go. Why come and tell us? What do you want to gain?"

Indeed, Krillin was relatively sharp, and his words caused the others to snap out of it as well.

That's right, if he was going, he should just go; why go through the trouble of notifying them?

Feeling the guarded gazes of those present, even Vegeta, who had a decent temper, lost it.

Vegeta wanted to say that even if the original Vegeta had invaded Earth with Nappa, he hadn't done anything to the Namekian since he transmigrated.

He could understand how Krillin and Son Gohan felt about him, but for these Namekian to be hostile toward him was truly mindless.

Of course, Vegeta could guess the root cause; it was likely due to Krillin and Son Gohan.

"You little bald guy really have a sharp tongue. It seems you haven't spared the Namekian from your indoctrination about how evil I am. It doesn't matter; I've never claimed to be a good person. Even if I am no longer who I once was, as far as I'm concerned, as long as I want something, none of you can stop me."

Vegeta stared at Krillin as he spoke.

That gaze made Krillin feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and coupled with the cold aura Vegeta released, it made his body tremble and his throat move in an uncontrollable gulp.

"What are you trying to do?!" Son Gohan sensed something was wrong, stepped in to interrupt, and blocked Krillin's path with an angry look.

"I thought you were a smart kid, but you ask me such a stupid question too! Is this sickness contagious?" Vegeta looked coldly at Son Gohan, then at Nail, the implication clear.

Only after making both of them uncomfortable did Vegeta suddenly smile, looking mocking.

"Why am I wasting so much breath on you? In the end, you're just afraid of my power! Yes, I have an agenda, but so what? Isn't it the same as you, trying to get the Dragon Balls to make a wish? I was too polite to you before, intending to leave the extra two wishes to you, but now I'm having some regrets!"

As he spoke, Vegeta locked eyes with Nail again: "Don't look at me like that. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. Your race, in the end, only Grand Elder has any foresight and knows what the right choice is!"

"You!!" Nail gritted his teeth but couldn't utter a single word.

When your strength is lacking, you have to accept whatever others say.

"What 'you'? You should be grateful you're facing me. If you were facing Frieza, you'd likely be dead already."

After saying this, Vegeta stopped lingering and turned to walk into the house.

No one stopped him, because Vegeta was powerful enough.

Entering the house, Vegeta immediately saw Bulma hiding by the doorway.

After staring at her as she trembled for a long moment, Vegeta relaxed slightly, softening his aura and mood before pulling the fake Dragon Radar from his coat and handing it over.

"Here. You should be grateful you played this trick on me; if it had been anyone else, you'd be dead." With that, Vegeta ignored her and went straight into the inner room.

Bulma stood frozen, clutching the fake Dragon Radar, only steadying her emotions once Vegeta had vanished from sight.

He hadn't blamed her for giving him a fake Dragon Radar, and the thing she feared most had just passed by.

For a moment, Bulma was at a loss, her mind filled with Vegeta's behavior and the changes in his expression.

Vegeta was indeed fierce and overbearing, but it seemed he was different when facing her compared to others.

Although he still looked serious, it was much better than when he was outside just now.

Could it be that he's actually interested in me? No, that can't be right. Although he is quite handsome—aside from being a bit short, everything else is perfect—but, but... he's a prince, isn't he? If he really did something to me, wouldn't I... Bulma began to fantasize.

Inner room.

Vegeta was once again face-to-face with Grand Elder.

Grand Elder already knew everything that had just happened, but he hadn't been able to stop his people from harboring estrangement toward Vegeta.

"I am truly sorry. It should not have come to this. You have done our race a great kindness, and these children will come to know of it in time."

To Vegeta, he could only offer an apology, even though this was a situation he had never wished to see.

The crux of the matter lay in the deep-seated grudge between Vegeta and the Earthling.

It was only because his clansmen were so intolerant of evil and currently enduring this catastrophe that they were so easily swayed by the words of Krillin and Son Gohan.

In truth, Vegeta was no longer their enemy, especially since they now shared a common foe.

As a man whose age had brought him great cunning, he sought to offend neither side while currying favor with both, ensuring that their interests were maximized.

"Enough. There is no need for further empty talk. I have come here for two reasons: first, to tell you that I am going to deal with Frieza! Second, I require a guarantee from you!"

Vegeta looked at the Grand Elder and stated the ultimate purpose of his visit.