Who Exactly Was Mr. Popo?

Korin Tower

Korin watched the sweat-soaked Saiyan before him, carefully sensing his ki. It had risen considerably since just moments ago! He couldn't help exclaiming, "You Saiyans really are a monstrous race!"

"Hmph. You can't see through a Saiyan, let alone the Saiyan Prince!" Vegeta said.

Then Vegeta thought of the battles later in the original story. His gaze suddenly shifted to a fat man sitting against a pillar in the center. A trace of killing intent leaked into his eyes...

Yajirobe suddenly felt a chill pass over him. Seeing Vegeta's gaze, he dropped to his knees and begged, "Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me! I'll be your servant. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west!"

"Vegeta, what are you doing? Please don't hurt him. He's lazy and gluttonous, but he's been with me for a long time," Korin said in alarm.

Vegeta remembered that in the original story, it was all because of this fatso that the Senzu Beans dwindled. Korin could only grow a dozen or so a year, but this coward had eaten the entire century-old stock in just a few years! Then he remembered that during the Goku Black period, Yajirobe had also protected his future daughter-in-law and wife. So he let go of his killing intent and turned to Korin.

"From now on, don't let him eat any Senzu Beans. I'll trade with you. Whatever food you want, water, even dried fish—I'll have Bulma send it to you regularly. You should grow plenty of Senzu Beans. Besides me, I'm sure Kakarot and the others will need them too!"

As Korin listened to Vegeta, drool gradually trickled from the corner of his mouth. Dried fish, his favorite! He said to Vegeta, "All right. It's a deal."

Yajirobe chimed in, "Lord Vegeta, I swear I won't eat any more Senzu Beans. Please spare me..."

Korin looked at the good-for-nothing and wondered if he'd made the wrong call. Would Yajirobe take some of his dried fish?

"Enough. I'm leaving. I'm going up to see the Guardian of Earth. When I come back down, you'd better have some Senzu Beans ready for me. If I don't see any, you're finished!" Vegeta threatened Korin.

Korin was frightened, but couldn't help thinking regretfully, "Looks like even my meager stock won't be safe. I'd been saving it in case of an emergency!"

Vegeta flew up toward the Lookout above...

The Lookout

A plump man with skin that gleamed black said to the Guardian of Earth, "Sir, what does he want? Is he going to destroy the Lookout?"

The Guardian of Earth, his frail body bent with age, gripped his staff and explained, "I don't think so. I can't sense any killing intent from him. He's probably come to see us for some reason, though I don't know what..."

Meanwhile, the terrifying presence in the air dissipated. Piccolo also arrived at Korin Tower. Looking at Korin, he asked, "What happened? Why does Vegeta's ki feel even stronger?"

Korin explained everything that had just happened. After hearing him out,

Piccolo asked in confusion, "It's his first time on Earth. How does he know so much? I can understand the Dragon Balls—maybe he heard about them through that strange device they wear on their ears. But the Ultra Divine Water? If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known about it!"

Korin was puzzled too. Not just the Ultra Divine Water, but the Senzu Beans as well...

They would never have guessed that this Vegeta was a transmigrator who had read the original story!

The Lookout. A figure descended!

Vegeta looked at the frail, elderly Guardian of Earth before him, then at Mr. Popo behind him, who had always made him curious. "You're a Namekian, so I'll call you that. After all, a god is nothing special in my eyes! I heard there's a special room here. I came to use it."

Though he'd watched the anime and knew what would happen later, and though people like Bruce and Whis were frightening, Vegeta was confident he could catch up to them. He wasn't just boasting!

The Guardian of Earth asked in confusion, "You seem to know a lot... about what's happened on Earth. How did you learn all that?" At that moment, a flicker of clarity passed through Mr. Popo's eyes, though his expression had remained unchanged for a century!

"Hmph. There's plenty you don't know about me! Cut the nonsense. Are you letting me use it or not? If not... I'll kill you!" Vegeta threatened.

"Mr. Popo, take Mr. Vegeta to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Explain the rules to him... Though perhaps there's no need. If he knows about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he probably knows everything else too." The Guardian of Earth was puzzled, but didn't dare refuse him.

"All right, Guardian of Earth. This way, Lord Vegeta," the black-faced Mr. Popo said expressionlessly.

Vegeta looked at the Guardian of Earth and added, "You're one with Piccolo, aren't you, Namekian? I suggest you fuse with Piccolo soon. Otherwise, you won't live long enough to make it to Planet Namek!"

The Guardian of Earth's body trembled. "You even know that? What don't you know?" He had already decided to fuse with Piccolo. After all, apart from maintaining the Dragon Balls, he had little use left!

In the original story, after the Frieza Saga, the Androids appeared, and Piccolo fused with the Guardian of Earth! The Guardian of Earth had felt that his life was nearly over. Since he had little use left, he might as well go see his ancestral home! The memories of how to make the Dragon Balls, the mysterious language, the supernatural abilities Earthlings didn't have—all of them had been in his mind since birth!

Vegeta said, "You don't need to worry about the Dragon Balls. I've already decided to go to Planet Namek, and I'm sure there are talented people there who can make them. We just need to bring one back!"

After the Frieza Saga, Piccolo fused with the Guardian of Earth, and the Dragon Balls turned to stone. If Piccolo the First hadn't been corrupted by the aura of the Demon Realm, he wouldn't have turned out that way! That was why Goku later used Instant Transmission to bring Dende back from Planet Namek! And the Dragon Balls even had two more wishes than before!

After speaking, Vegeta followed Mr. Popo toward the central hall!

Looking at Mr. Popo, Vegeta carefully recalled his identity in the original story. He never aged or died, and had taught Kakarot martial arts when he was a child. Later, Whis said Kakarot had the beginnings of Ultra Instinct, so Vegeta suspected Mr. Popo had taught him when he was young!

Vegeta suddenly threw a punch at the back of Mr. Popo's head. Mr. Popo's body slid ten centimeters to the left, instantly dodging Vegeta's iron fist!

"Who are you, exactly? Even Kakarot couldn't dodge my punch at such close range and in so little time," Vegeta asked in confusion!

Mr. Popo slowly turned his head and looked at the Saiyan before him. A mysterious pressure, imperceptible to others, instantly pressed down on Vegeta!

Vegeta immediately understood: this was godly ki. The original story had explained that mortals couldn't sense divine power, no matter how strong they were!

"Vegeta, who I am doesn't matter. What matters is who you are..." Mr. Popo said slowly.

Vegeta was shocked. Does he know I'm a transmigrator? Who is he?

"Ding. Rest assured, host. When the system fused with the rules of this universe, it erased your origins. This person can only sense that your soul and body aren't a perfect match. He's bluffing you," the system's voice appeared in his mind.

"Are you a god? Which god are you, exactly?" Vegeta asked!

Mr. Popo replied coldly, "You know too much. Focus on your own business, and don't even think about doing anything to hurt the Lookout. If you do, I won't let you off... You'll go straight to Hell!"

Cold sweat ran down Vegeta's forehead, yet he felt a surge of humiliation throughout his body!

"I know you only want to become stronger. I won't do anything to you. In fact, if you're interested, once you come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I'd be willing to teach you some divine techniques—as long as you can learn them!" Mr. Popo said.

Mr. Popo's tactic of giving him a slap and then a sweet date gradually put Vegeta at ease. The tension and pressure faded!

"Fine. You said it. I'll only spend one day in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. When I come out, I'll find you! Now take me there!" Vegeta said.

But in his heart, he thought, Just wait. One day, I'll defeat you! Endure for a moment, and the storm will pass. If I don't, I'll lose my life—then how could I ever defeat him?

"Wait. Piccolo is here. Perhaps having him go in with you would make him an excellent sparring partner," Mr. Popo said, stopping in his tracks!

"Piccolo? What use is that useless guy? I could pin him down with one hand!" Vegeta said disdainfully!

Actually, though he said that, Vegeta had always admired Piccolo. He never gave up, and although he wasn't especially gifted compared with Saiyans, he was still considered the greatest among the Namekians. Few in the universe could rival him!

But the Piccolo of this era couldn't put much pressure on him yet! Vegeta was also puzzled by why Mr. Popo had suggested it!

"Your power is great, but your ki is full of brutality and hostility, and it's unstable. If you suppress your battle power and spar with Piccolo, you'll stabilize your ki and get rid of your hostility in no time," Mr. Popo explained slowly!

After speaking, Mr. Popo telepathically explained everything to the Guardian of Earth and asked him to have Piccolo come as well! The Guardian of Earth didn't know why Mr. Popo had made that choice, but if Piccolo sparred with Vegeta, he could improve his strength too.

"Fine. I'll do as you say!" Vegeta replied.

At the edge of the Lookout, Piccolo looked at the old man and said, "You old geezer, hang on for a few more days. Don't die, or I'll die too!"

"Don't worry. Soon, once you come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I'll fuse with you. With you as the dominant one, I'll get to go with you and see our ancestral home," the Guardian of Earth said.

"What? How do you know I'm going to Planet Namek? Did Vegeta tell you? How does he know everything?" Piccolo exclaimed in surprise!

"I'm not sure either, but he doesn't seem hostile. He was even worried that my death would drag you down, so he urged me to fuse with you. After this, I've realized Earth doesn't need a god—it needs strong fighters! Go on. Vegeta invited you to be his sparring partner. You'll become stronger too, and by the time you come out and we fuse, you'll be even more powerful!" the Guardian of Earth said.

Though Mr. Popo had said it, the Guardian of Earth still made up an excuse. He was afraid Piccolo might hurt Mr. Popo, but he didn't know that hardly anyone in the entire Dragon Ball universe could harm him!...

Piccolo didn't want to go, but he didn't want to miss the chance to grow stronger either. So he slowly walked toward the center of the Lookout!

Vegeta watched Piccolo approach and said, "I hope you can last against me! Haha..."

Piccolo's mouth twitched, but he refused to back down. "Don't underestimate me. I'm King Piccolo!"

Mr. Popo opened a door. Beyond it, all they could see was a sea of white light! "Go in. There's food inside. You can't stay for more than two years, or the entrance will disappear and you'll never get out!"

Although Vegeta knew that in the Majin Buu Saga, Super Saiyan 3 could punch a hole through space, he wasn't sure he could reach Super Saiyan 3 after going in for the first time, and in such a short time!...

The two of them walked into the space beyond the door...