Vegeta's words stunned everyone present.
Nail stared at Vegeta in a daze, while Krillin and Son Gohan wore looks of utter disbelief.
If they hadn't heard it straight from Vegeta's mouth, they wouldn't have believed it.
They had, in fact, considered the possibility over the past two days, and even thought about how to make it happen.
There was no doubt that, for them, Vegeta going up against Frieza would be a very good thing. It would be even better if the two of them fought to the death and took each other out.
Although Vegeta had done the Namekians some favors, the other side of it was that he wouldn't have helped if he had nothing to gain or hadn't received a boon from the Grand Elder.
Nobody spoke. Even the Namekians Vegeta had escorted here had begun to feel a rift between themselves and him.
There were three reasons.
First, Vegeta had originally been one of Frieza's men. Even though he had now betrayed Frieza and hadn't done anything to harm them, in their eyes, he still wasn't a good person.
Second, they instinctively feared him. The aura he gave off was too powerful and oppressive, making them shudder.
Third, Krillin and Son Gohan had told them what Vegeta had done when he invaded Earth.
In truth, Vegeta hadn't done much on Earth. He hadn't even managed to kill a single Earthling. Yet they had described him as an utterly villainous monster.
Of course, Vegeta didn't care about any of this, nor did he care what others thought of him.
This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. Even though he was a transmigrator and, fundamentally, no longer the original Vegeta, he still wouldn't go out of his way to please anyone or lower himself.
After a long moment, Krillin was the first to recover. He asked sternly, "You say you're going to take down Frieza. I don't know what you're really plotting, but if you're going, you can just go. Why come tell us? What do you want?"
Krillin was indeed fairly sharp. His words made the others see the point, too.
Exactly. If Vegeta was going, then he should just go. Why go out of his way to tell them?
Seeing the wary looks everyone was giving him, even Vegeta's good temper ran out.
He wanted to say that even if the original Vegeta had invaded Earth with Nappa, he himself hadn't done anything to the Namekians since arriving here.
He could understand to some extent how Krillin and Son Gohan felt about him, but these Namekians were actually showing him hostility. They really weren't thinking straight.
Of course, Vegeta could more or less guess the real reason. It was probably because of Krillin and Son Gohan.
"You little bald runt, you sure have a sharp tongue. Looks like you've been filling these Namekians' heads with all sorts of ideas about how evil I am. Whatever. I've never claimed to be a good person. Even though I'm no longer who I used to be, if there's something I want, none of you can stop me."
Vegeta stared at Krillin as he spoke.
His gaze made Krillin feel as if he'd fallen into an icy pit. The cold aura Vegeta released made him tremble, and he couldn't stop swallowing.
"What are you trying to do?!" Sensing something was wrong, Son Gohan cut in and stepped in front of Krillin, looking angry.
"I thought you were pretty smart, kid, but you're asking me the same stupid question! Is stupidity contagious?" Vegeta gave Son Gohan a cold look, then looked at Nail. His meaning was clear.
After making the two of them uncomfortable under his gaze, Vegeta suddenly smiled, full of mockery.
"Why am I wasting my breath on you? In the end, you're just afraid of how strong I am! Sure, I have an agenda, but so what? Isn't it the same as you wanting to use the Dragon Balls to make a wish? I was too nice to you before. I'd planned to give you the two extra wishes, but now I'm starting to regret it!"
As he spoke, Vegeta locked eyes with Nail. "Don't look at me like that. If I'd wanted to kill you, I would've done it already. In your whole race, the only one with any foresight is the Grand Elder. He knows how to make the right choice!"
"You!" Nail gritted his teeth, but couldn't get another word out.
When you weren't strong enough, other people got to say whatever they wanted.
"What do you mean, 'you'? You should be grateful you're dealing with me. If you were facing Frieza, you'd all be dead by now."
After saying this, Vegeta didn't linger. He turned and went inside.
No one stopped him, because Vegeta was strong enough.
Once inside, Vegeta immediately spotted Bulma hiding beside the doorway.
After staring at her trembling form for a while, Vegeta let out a small breath and calmed his aura and emotions. Only then did he take the fake Dragon Radar from his clothes and hand it to her.
"Here. You should be glad you tricked me. If it had been someone else, you'd all be done for." With that, Vegeta stopped paying her any mind and went straight into the inner room.
Bulma stood there, holding the fake Dragon Radar, stunned. She only regained her composure after Vegeta disappeared from sight.
He hadn't blamed her for giving him a fake Dragon Radar. The thing she'd been most worried about had passed just like that.
For a moment, Bulma couldn't make sense of it. Her mind was full of Vegeta's behavior and expressions just now.
Vegeta was indeed fierce and overbearing, but he seemed different with her than he was with everyone else.
He still looked serious, but he'd been much gentler than he'd been outside just now.
Could he really be interested in me? No, that can't be. He's pretty handsome, aside from being a little short, he'd score full marks in every other way. But, but... he's a prince, too. If he really tried something with me, wouldn't I...? Bulma's imagination ran wild.
Inside the room.
Vegeta once again stood face-to-face with the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder already knew everything that had happened. He simply hadn't been able to stop his people from growing wary of Vegeta.
"I'm truly sorry. Things shouldn't have turned out this way. You've done our people a great kindness. These children will understand that one day."
All he could do was apologize to Vegeta, even though he hadn't wanted to see things end up this way.
The real problem was that Vegeta had a grudge against the Earthlings.
The Namekians were simply too quick to hate evil, and they were in the middle of this calamity. It had only taken a few words for Krillin and Son Gohan to sway their emotions.
In truth, Vegeta wasn't their enemy. Besides, they had a common enemy.
As a shrewd old man, the Grand Elder wouldn't offend either side. He would ingratiate himself with both and maximize his people's benefits.
"Enough. No need for all the talk. I came here for two reasons. First, to tell you I'm going after Frieza! Second, I need your assurance on something!"
Vegeta looked at the Grand Elder and stated the real purpose of his visit.