Piccolo II

Three months after the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, the egg cracked.

"Crack—"

Master Roshi stood guard by the egg, his white beard trembling, his eyes filled with tension. As the shell shattered completely, a small green infant crawled out—

Just like Son Goku back in the day, Piccolo was born as a mere infant, but unlike him, there was no innocence in his eyes, only cold, icy hatred.

"Piccolo... Great Demon King..." little Piccolo spoke, his voice raspy and aged, "I... will have my revenge..."

Master Roshi looked at him without a word, simply reaching out to gently pick him up.

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" little Piccolo struggled, but the infant body was far too weak.

"Hungry, are you?" Master Roshi smiled kindly, pulling a piece of dried fish from his robes, "Come now, Grandpa will feed you."

Little Piccolo froze.

He stared at the dried fish, then at the kind smile on the old man's white-bearded face, and the hatred in his eyes... wavered ever so slightly.

"I... I won't eat it!"

"You'll get a tummy ache if you don't eat," Master Roshi stuffed the fish into his mouth, "There, be a good boy, open wide—ah—"

Little Piccolo: "..."

He bit down instinctively.

So... delicious? It's actually delicious!

In a few quick bites, he finished the dried fish.

"That's the spirit," Master Roshi held him, rocking him gently, "From now on, your name is Piccolo. Remember, a martial artist's stomach... must never be left empty."

Little Piccolo lay in Master Roshi's arms, his green eyes gazing at the sky, the hatred in his heart feeling as if something had... gently touched it.

"This old man... what is his deal?"

"Why... didn't he kill me?"

Six months after the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament.

Son Goku returned to Earth after learning the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb on the King of Worlds Planet.

After consulting Kami, he located the spaceship Kami had arrived in when he first came to Earth and brought it back to West City.

At Capsule Corporation, in Dr. Brief's laboratory.

"Whoa! So this is an alien spaceship?!" Dr. Brief circled the disc-shaped craft, his lenses reflecting a gleam of excitement, "Incredible! This engine... this material... this design... genius! Absolute genius!"

Son Goku stood to the side, watching the old ship of Kami, a sense of anticipation rising in his heart. It was worth the few days he spent tracking it down.

"Namek..."

"In the original story, Goku reached a combat power of 90,000 after adapting to 100x gravity in the gravity room, then went to Namek, was healed by Dende while near death, and finally transformed into a Super Saiyan."

"But now... I'm way ahead of schedule."

He looked down at his own hands; his combat power had stabilized at around 20,000, and he had fully adapted to 30x gravity.

He had mastered the Kaio-ken and could use it at 10x for short bursts, meaning a maximum combat power of around 200,000.

If he wanted to continue improving rapidly, he needed to find other methods.

Namek held the potential unlocking of the Grand Elder, the wishes of the Namekian dragon Porunga, and... the fated showdown with Frieza.

"Dr. Brief," he spoke up, "can you fix it?"

"Of course!" Dr. Brief gave a thumbs up, his smile radiant, "Give me four months! No, three! When Dr. Brief is on the job, there's nothing that can't be fixed!"

"Thank you, Dr. Brief!"

Son Goku turned and left, a plan already forming in his mind.

During the three months it would take to repair the ship, he would gather the Dragon Balls, fix the lingering side effects left by the Ultra Divine Water, and then spend some time with his grandfather, Son Gohan, at Mount Paozu. After all, his grandfather was not immortal, and his health was not what it used to be.

One month later, in the wilderness.

The seven Dragon Balls were arranged in a circle, and a golden light surged into the sky. Dark clouds gathered, thunder rolled, and the massive green dragon circled into view.

"State your wish."

Son Goku looked up at the dragon and said in a deep voice, "Shenron, please repair all the hidden damage left in my body by the Ultra Divine Water, including any latent toxins and physical burdens!"

The dragon's red eyes flickered: "This wish... is simple."

A golden light enveloped Son Goku. He felt the places in his body that had been aching faintly being smoothed over by a warm power in an instant. His heartbeat became more powerful and steady, and the flow of energy within him moved more smoothly.

"Thank you."

"Your wish has been granted... farewell."

Shenron dissipated, and the Dragon Balls scattered.

Son Goku felt the brand-new state of his body, a brilliant arc forming at the corners of his mouth.

"The hidden dangers are gone..."

"Next stop, Namek!"

Two months later, at the Capsule Corporation launch site.

The spaceship had been fully repaired, its silver-white hull gleaming brilliantly under the sun. Dr. Brief, Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Master Roshi... everyone had come to see him off.

Trailing behind Master Roshi was a green infant around three years old—Piccolo. Piccolo was clearly growing much faster than a human child; in just a few months, he had already reached the size of a three-year-old Earthling.

Little Piccolo looked at Son Goku, his green eyes devoid of hatred, replaced only by a sense of... complex curiosity.

"Goku," Krillin's bald head shone brightly, "are you sure you don't need us to come with you?"

"No need," Son Goku said, shaking his head with a smile, "the environment on Namek is too harsh. Your current strength... isn't enough yet."

Though the words were blunt, no one refuted them. After their intense, competitive training, their strength had indeed made leaps and bounds, but compared to Son Goku... the gap remained as vast as heaven and earth.

"Then when will you be back?" Bulma asked.

"I don't know," Son Goku answered honestly, "maybe a year, maybe two, or perhaps sooner. But I will definitely return, with even greater power."

He turned and walked toward the spaceship's hatch.

"Goku!" Tien Shinhan suddenly shouted.

Son Goku looked back.

The three-eyed youth clenched his fists, his three eyes filled with both frustration and admiration: "Next time we meet... I will definitely catch up to you!"

"Yeah!" Son Goku beamed, "I'll be waiting!"

"Me too!" Yamcha raised his fist.

"Count me in!" Krillin jumped up.

Chiaotzu nodded gently, his small face full of determination.

[Z Fighters team roster initially formed!]

Son Goku looked at his companions, a warm current surging through his heart.

[This time...]

[None of you will die.]

He waved his hand and ducked into the ship.

"Boom—"

The engines ignited, and the ship slowly lifted off, circling once above the crowd before transforming into a silver meteor that streaked toward the azure horizon, eventually vanishing into the depths of the cosmos.

On the ground, Master Roshi held little Piccolo's hand, his white beard fluttering in the wind. He looked up at the sky and whispered:

"Go, Goku."

Little Piccolo's green eyes stared at the fading contrail, his small hand clenching involuntarily.

"Son Goku..."

"When I grow up... I will definitely surpass you!"