Who is Mr. Popo?

Korin Tower

Korin watched the Saiyan, drenched in sweat, standing before him. Sensing his ki, he realized it had increased significantly since just a moment ago. He couldn't help but exclaim, "You Saiyans really are monstrous creatures!"

"Hmph, Saiyans aren't something you can fathom, let alone the fact that I am the Prince of all Saiyans!" Vegeta retorted.

Immediately after, Vegeta thought of the battles in the latter half of the original story. His gaze shifted toward a fat man sitting against a pillar in the center, a hint of killing intent leaking from his eyes.

Yajirobe suddenly felt a cold breeze sweep past. Seeing Vegeta's look, he knelt and begged for mercy, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm willing to be your servant. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west!"

"Vegeta, what are you doing? Please, don't touch him. Although he is lazy and gluttonous, he has been with me for a long time," Korin said in a panic.

Vegeta thought about how, in the original story, it was because of this fat man that Senzu Beans became increasingly scarce. Korin could only grow a dozen or so a year, yet this coward had eaten through a century's worth of stock in just a few years! Suddenly, he remembered that during the Goku Black arc, this same man had protected his future daughter-in-law and wife. His killing intent dissipated, and he turned to Korin.

"From now on, he is not allowed to eat any more Senzu Beans. I will trade with you. Any food, water, or even dried fish you want, I will have Bulma send to you regularly. In return, you must grow more Senzu Beans. Aside from me, I imagine Kakarot and the others will need them quite badly, right?"

Hearing Vegeta's words, drool began to drip from the corner of Korin's mouth. Dried fish—his favorite! He said to Vegeta, "Fine, it's a deal."

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

Looking at this good-for-nothing, Korin wondered if he had made a mistake in stopping Vegeta. Would this guy end up stealing 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. If I don't see any, you're finished!" Vegeta threatened.

Korin felt a sense of dread, yet he thought with reluctance, "It seems my last remaining stock won't be saved after all. I was hoping to keep it just in case!"

Vegeta took flight, drifting up toward the Lookout above.

Lookout

A jet-black, shiny fat man said to the Guardian of Earth, "Guardian, why is he here? He isn't going to destroy the Lookout, is he?"

The elderly Guardian, gripping his staff with both hands, explained, "No, I cannot feel any killing intent from him. He has come to see us, so he must have business here, though I do not know what it is..."

As for Piccolo, the terrifying aura in the sky had dissipated, and he had arrived at Korin Tower. He looked at Korin and asked, "What happened? How did I feel Vegeta's aura become even stronger?"

Korin explained everything that had just occurred. After hearing his account, Piccolo asked in confusion, "This is his first time on Earth, so how does he know everything? The Dragon Balls could be explained by that strange detector they wear on their ears, but the Ultra Divine Water? If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't even know about it!"

Korin was also puzzled, and not just about the Ultra Divine Water, but the Senzu Beans as well.

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

At the Lookout, a figure descended.

Vegeta looked at the elderly Guardian and the man standing behind him—the one he had always been curious about: Mr. Popo. "Namekian, I'll call you that for now. After all, in my eyes, a 'Guardian' doesn't amount to much! I heard you have a magical room here, and I've come to use it."

Although he had watched the anime and knew about future events—that Beerus and Whis were terrifying—Vegeta was confident he could catch up to them. Saying this wasn't arrogance!

The Guardian asked with great suspicion, "You seem... to know everything that has happened on Earth. How do you know these things?" At this moment, Mr. Popo's expression, which had remained unchanged for a century, flickered with a hint of clarity.

"Hmph, there is much about me that you don't know! Stop the chatter. Are you going to let me use it or not? If not... then I'll just kill you!" Vegeta threatened.

"Mr. Popo, take Mr. Vegeta to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Explain the precautions to him... though perhaps no explanation is needed. Since he already knows about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he must be aware of everything else as well!" The Guardian was suspicious, but he dared not refuse.

"Very well, Guardian. Follow me, Mr. Vegeta," the black-faced Mr. Popo said expressionlessly.

Vegeta looked at the Guardian again and added, "Namekian, you and Piccolo are one and the same, aren't you? I suggest you fuse with Piccolo soon. Otherwise, your lifespan won't last until he goes to Namek!"

The Guardian's body trembled. "You even know this? Is there anything you don't know?" In truth, the Guardian had already decided to fuse with Piccolo. After all, aside from maintaining the Dragon Balls, he was of little use now.

In the original story, after the Frieza arc, when the Androids appeared, Piccolo fused with the Guardian. Even then, the Guardian had felt his time was running out. Since he was no longer useful, he might as well go and see his ancestral home! The memories of how to create Dragon Balls, the magical language, and the special abilities that Earthlings lacked—all of these had existed in his mind since birth.

Vegeta said, "Don't worry about the Dragon Balls. Since I have decided to go to Namek as well, I assume there must be a genius there who can create them. I'll just bring one back!"

After the Frieza arc, when Piccolo fused with the Guardian, the Dragon Balls turned to stone. If the original Piccolo hadn't been corrupted by the aura of the Demon Realm, that wouldn't have happened. That was why, later on, Goku used Instant Transmission to bring Dende back from Namek. Furthermore, the Dragon Balls ended up with two more wishes than before!

After speaking, Vegeta followed Mr. Popo toward the central palace.

Looking at Mr. Popo, Vegeta carefully recalled the character's identity from the original story: immortal, and he had even taught Kakarot martial arts as a child. Later, when Whis mentioned that Kakarot had the foundation for Ultra Instinct, Vegeta suspected it was because of Mr. Popo's early training.

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

"Who exactly are you? Even Kakarot couldn't have dodged my punch at such close range and speed," Vegeta asked suspiciously.

Mr. Popo slowly turned his head to look at the Saiyan. A mysterious pressure, one that could not be sensed by ordinary people, instantly bore down on Vegeta.

Vegeta realized in an instant that this was the aura of a god. The original story had explained that mortals could not sense divine power, no matter how strong they were.

"Vegeta, who I am is not important. What matters is who you are..." Mr. Popo said slowly.

Vegeta was shocked, thinking in terror, Does he know I'm a transmigrator? Who is he really?

"Ding! Host, rest assured. When the system merged with the plane's rules, it erased your origins. This person can only sense that your soul and body are not perfectly aligned; he is just bluffing you!" the system's voice echoed in his mind.

"Are you a god? Which god are you exactly?..." Vegeta asked.

Mr. Popo replied coldly, "You know too much. Do your own business and don't think about doing anything to harm the Lookout, and I won't bother you. Otherwise... you can go to hell!"

Cold sweat streamed down Vegeta's forehead, yet a sense of humiliation filled his entire being.

"I know you only want to become stronger, and I won't do anything to you. In fact, if you are interested, when you come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I am willing to teach you some divine skills, provided you can learn them!" Mr. Popo said.

Mr. Popo's "carrot and stick" approach caused Vegeta's body to gradually relax. He no longer felt the oppressive pressure.

"Fine, it's a deal. I will only stay in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for one day. I'll find you when I come out! Let's go, take me there!" Vegeta said.

In his heart, however, he thought, Just you wait. One day, I will eventually defeat you! Endure for now, and all will be calm. If I don't endure, I'll lose my life—how could I ever hope to defeat you then?

"Wait, King Piccolo is coming. Perhaps having him as a sparring partner would be a good idea!" Mr. Popo stopped in his tracks and said.

"King Piccolo? What use is that trash? This Prince could suppress him with one hand!" Vegeta said disdainfully.

In truth, despite his words, Vegeta had always admired the man. His personality was unyielding, and while his talent wasn't great compared to a Saiyan, he was arguably the best among the Namekians, and even in the universe, few could compare to him.

However, the current King Piccolo did not put much pressure on him, so he was puzzled as to why Mr. Popo would suggest this.

"Although your strength is immense, your aura is filled with brutality, hostility, and instability. If you suppress your combat power to spar with King Piccolo, you will stabilize your aura and eliminate your hostility in a very short time!" Mr. Popo said slowly.

After speaking, Mr. Popo sent a telepathic message to the Guardian of Earth to explain everything and have King Piccolo come over. Although the Guardian of Earth did not know Mr. Popo's intention, since it was to serve as Vegeta's sparring partner, King Piccolo could also improve his combat power.

"Fine, I'll listen to you," Vegeta said.

At the edge of the Lookout, King Piccolo looked at the aging body and said, "Old man, you better hold on for a few more days. Don't die. If you die, I won't survive either!"

"Rest assured. Soon, after you come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, I will fuse with you. A fusion where you are the dominant force, allowing me to follow you to see our ancestral home," the Guardian of Earth said.

"Nani? How do you know I'm going to Namek? Did Vegeta tell you? How does he know everything?" King Piccolo asked in surprise.

"I'm not sure either, but he doesn't seem to have any ill intent. He was even worried that if I died, it would implicate you, which is why he urged me to fuse with you! After this, I realized that Earth doesn't need a Guardian, but a powerhouse! Go on, Vegeta has invited you to be his sparring partner! You will improve your strength, and when you come out to fuse, you will be even stronger," the Guardian of Earth said.

Although it was Mr. Popo who had said it, the Guardian of Earth still fabricated a lie; he was afraid King Piccolo might harm Mr. Popo, though he did not know that there were very few people on Earth, or even in the entire Dragon Ball universe, who could hurt Mr. Popo.

King Piccolo was unwilling in his heart, but he did not want to pass up the opportunity to improve his strength, so he walked slowly toward the center of the Lookout.

Vegeta looked at King Piccolo as he approached and said, "I hope you can last in my hands! Hahaha..."

King Piccolo's mouth twitched, but he refused to show weakness, retorting, "Don't look down on me. I am King Piccolo!"

Mr. Popo then opened a door, behind which only a white light could be seen. "Go in. There is food inside. You cannot stay for more than two years, or the entrance will disappear, and you will never be able to come out again!"

Although Vegeta knew that during the Majin Buu arc, a Super Saiyan 3 could blast open a spatial rift, he was not certain that in his first time entering, he could improve to Super Saiyan 3 in such a short period.

The two walked into the space behind the door...