Earth
At the estate of Bulma's family on the outskirts of West City!
In the cozy room, Bulma listened closely to everything Vegeta told her, her expression shifting through countless emotions. She had worried when Vegeta fell unconscious, and she had even gotten jealous of him...
"Alright, that's what happened. I'll accept whatever punishment you give me! If you don't agree, I'll go reject Gulnara!" Vegeta said, no longer holding anything back.
At worst, he wouldn't complete the system's mission. He could take his time reaching Super Saiyan 2. But he couldn't let down the woman in front of him!
Watching him admit his mistake, Bulma couldn't bring herself to be harsh. She wanted to laugh, but deliberately kept a straight face to scare him!
Vegeta sneakily studied Bulma's expression, thinking to himself:
She's definitely angry. There's no way she'll agree! In the original story, I think Yamcha's unfaithfulness was why they broke up... Gulnara, I guess I'll have to let you down!
Bulma looked at the man who feared nothing, no matter the circumstances, now trembling with anxiety.
She couldn't hold back her laughter and burst out, "Hahaha, Vegeta, go look in a mirror! Take a good look at yourself right now. You're so adorable!!!"
Vegeta stared at her in astonishment. Had she agreed!?
"Alright, what are you worrying about? If this had happened before, I might not have agreed. After all, not just any woman could compare to me! But I genuinely admire the queen you told me about!" Bulma explained.
"You agreed just like that?? You're not jealous at all? I'm starting to wonder if you even love me," Vegeta said.
Bulma didn't seem like herself at all right now.
"I agreed. From the moment I left Earth with you, I understood that your future wasn't limited to Earth! We have plenty of time ahead of us. What's wrong with that? Besides, she can help me keep you in line..." Bulma said shyly.
Three months later
Everyone at the estate gathered together: Goku, Chi-Chi, Gohan, Oolong, Krillin, and Piccolo. Even that old geezer Master Roshi had come!
The Namekians summoned their dragon and made their first wish: because Chiaotzu's body had disappeared, they asked for him to be brought back to life first. The great thing about Porunga was that he could even recreate a body as part of the resurrection!
Next, because Porunga couldn't grant a wish to revive everyone killed by a particular person, they wished for all the other people who had been killed to be brought back to life.
The others would wait until Earth Shenron was revived before making their wishes! Dende had already stayed behind. Unlike in the original story, Vegeta had invited him to become Earth's new Guardian, so he had stayed ahead of time.
The Namekians wished for a new planet suitable for habitation, then took all the members of their clan who were present with them. Only Dende remained behind.
Dende watched Moori and the others leave, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Dende, don't worry. We have a spaceship. If you miss them, we can borrow one from Aunt Bulma and go visit them!" Gohan comforted him.
Ever since they'd returned, Gohan had spent his time either studying or coming to play with Dende. The two children had already become very close!
"Mm. Thank you, Gohan," Dende said, wiping away his tears.
Everyone was overjoyed that Chiaotzu had been revived.
Krillin asked, "Dende, can you make Dragon Balls? Can you revive Earth Shenron?"
He hadn't been there during this time, so he didn't know what Vegeta had arranged!
"Enough, Krillin. I've already arranged everything. I'm taking Dende to the Lookout now," Vegeta said impatiently.
He suddenly turned to Master Roshi, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and said, "Old man, I don't care about what you did before. But if you ever reach those pig's trotters toward Bulma again, I'll make sure you die without a place to be buried!"
Without even looking at Master Roshi's terrified expression, he took Dende and teleported to the Lookout. He also had something he wanted to discuss with Mr. Popo!
Oolong looked down at his own hands in confusion. "Huh? Pig's trotters... Did he mean me...?"
Everyone stifled their laughter as they looked at Master Roshi. He was sweating so much with fear that he didn't even dare look at Bulma!
"Haha, Master Roshi, I never thought I'd see the day you were scared," Krillin teased.
"Hmph, I'm not scared. I'm just old and... not up to it anymore!" Master Roshi insisted stubbornly.
"Old man, you'd better remember what he said, unless you want him to give you a real funeral one day," Piccolo warned him.
"Relax, Master. As long as you don't go grabbing at people again, Vegeta won't do anything to you!" Goku tried to smooth things over.
The Lookout
Mr. Popo looked at Dende, who looked exactly like Kami, and was overcome with emotion. His heart was racing with excitement! At last, he had someone to keep him company!
Dende looked at the dark-skinned Mr. Popo beside him and asked Vegeta in confusion, "Mr. Vegeta, who is he?"
"He used to be Kami's servant. From now on, he'll be yours too, and he'll take care of your daily needs," Vegeta said, without exposing Mr. Popo's true identity.
Since Mr. Popo had chosen to live in seclusion, there was no need to expose him! After all, Vegeta wasn't strong enough to defeat him yet.
"Mr. Popo, I'll be counting on you from now on," Dende said respectfully.
"Don't mention it, don't mention it. I'm very happy to see you here, too. This is the staff Kami used to carry. It represents the position of Earth's Guardian. It belongs to you now," Mr. Popo said excitedly.
Dende accepted it with both hands, then stood holding the staff in one. He seemed to have taken on a little of Kami's old air!
"By the way, Mr. Popo, are there any models of Shenron at the Lookout? I can revive him!" Dende remembered why he had come and asked Mr. Popo.
"There are... I think there's one. Kami made two sets of models back then, in case the first attempt failed. But he managed to create Shenron on the first try anyway! I'll go look for the other set. This is wonderful—you can make Dragon Balls too!" Mr. Popo said, then headed toward the storeroom at the Lookout.
"Dende, you're still young. If you get lonely, you can ask Gohan to come play," Vegeta said.
"Don't worry, Mr. Vegeta. When I hold this staff, it feels like I can sense the whole Earth and see all sorts of things people are doing... I won't be bored!" Dende said excitedly.
Vegeta suddenly recalled Piccolo saying the same thing back then. So that was the power of Earth's Guardian—the power that came with the position!
He immediately felt awkward.
"Dende, look at what you should look at. Don't go staring at things you shouldn't. You'll hurt your eyes!" Vegeta warned him.
Dende looked completely baffled.
"You'll understand when you're older! Anyway, you Namekians don't have that particular function!"
He'd have to be careful from now on. Earth had a Guardian again.
Although Vegeta couldn't yet create a separate dimension with his Space-Time Technique, he could easily isolate a section of space!
After all, there were too many gods with the ability to spy on others: Fortuneteller Baba, King Kai, Supreme Kai, and even Whis's staff!
It was just that Supreme Kai and Whis hadn't noticed him yet.
Mr. Popo came out carrying the model of Earth Shenron and handed it to Dende.
Dende looked at its appearance, so different from Porunga's, and was amazed! He hadn't expected Earth's dragon to look like this. It didn't seem as powerful as Porunga, but there was a hint of majesty about it! It looked much better than Porunga!
Dende spoke in Namekian Language while making a series of hand signs Vegeta couldn't understand. The model gradually turned golden, burst through its container, and flew into the air, becoming seven balls of light that scattered in all directions!
"Alright. Besides reviving Shenron, I also upgraded the Dragon Balls' abilities. They can now grant three wishes as well. But if you wish to revive a lot of people, it'll use up more energy, and you'll only get two wishes," Dende said.
"That's more than enough, Dende. Honestly, I don't approve of using the Dragon Balls too much. Even their rightful creators suffered disasters because of them. Earthlings, who are full of all kinds of desires, are even more at risk!" Vegeta said worriedly.
After all, he knew about the Shadow Dragons from the original story! Although the system had said they wouldn't appear in this alternate world, it seemed that Super Saiyan 4 was already beginning to emerge. Other unexpected things might happen too. Dragon Ball GT was a work Akira Toriyama had approved of, so it wasn't exactly fan fiction. It made sense that it might happen! Maybe the original history would change...
"That's true. I don't know exactly what happened, either. But every time the Grand Elder brought this up, he was terrified, his eyes filled with fear. We're all the Grand Elder's children. If he didn't tell us, we had no way of knowing," Dende said solemnly.
"Mr. Popo, let's talk," Vegeta said.
"Alright. Come with me, then. Dende, Guardian, could you wait a little?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
Dende held the staff at the edge of the Lookout, watching the many different kinds of lives on Earth, just as Kami had done before. Mr. Popo led Vegeta into a nearby room.
"What is it, Mr. Vegeta? Whatever you want to say, go ahead," Mr. Popo said, puzzled.
"I know everything about what happened between the Saiyans and the gods, including the Elf Race! Former Grand Priest," Vegeta said gravely, looking at Mr. Popo.
After all, he had no idea how Mr. Popo would react to him.
"Oh. So you know everything. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Mr. Popo threatened.
"I am. Right now, I'm no match for you. But I care more about your attitude and the gods' attitude," Vegeta said, fighting back his fear.
After all, there was still a huge gap between them.
"Don't worry. I won't do anything to you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taught you techniques or shown you the battles your ancestors fought." Mr. Popo let his aura subside.
"Don't you hate the Saiyans? After all, your resignation was heavily influenced by our ancestor, Yamoshi."
"Actually, I didn't resign only because of Yamoshi. It was also because the current Grand Priest was getting out of control. When I was still in office, his strength was already nearly equal to mine. He even intended to kill me! So I chose to step down while I still could and live in seclusion," Mr. Popo said with a sigh.
"The current Grand Priest? You mean the father of the Angels now?"
"That's right. I always knew he had enormous ambitions, but I couldn't tell what they were. All I could do was quietly set things up," Mr. Popo said.
"Could Yamoshi's release have had something to do with you too?" Vegeta had another question.
When Gulnara had explained everything, Vegeta had wondered how the Elf Queen had crossed the universe and reached Universe 6. After all, the Super Dragon Balls were scattered across Universe 7 and Universe 6!
"Yes. Back then, I deliberately arranged for her to find out about Super Shenron. I deliberately hid the fact from all the gods, brought the Super Dragon Balls in Universe 6 to Universe 7, and sent people to create the ruins of the gods so she could learn the divine language! Even when she summoned Shenron, I was controlling Universe 7 to keep the energy from spreading," Mr. Popo revealed a shocking secret!
Vegeta couldn't understand why Mr. Popo had done all that.
"The current Grand Priest is my disciple! I taught him Ultra Instinct too, though now he tells the new gods that he learned it himself," Mr. Popo continued.
"Why did it end up like this? And why did you seal and curse the Saiyans?" Vegeta asked angrily.
"Yamoshi actually knew about my plan. After our first battle, I had the power to kill him, but I wanted to work with him instead! So I made an excuse to seal him, hoping he would secretly train. I just never expected him to stubbornly insist on defeating the gods by himself. In the end, he died and was annihilated," Mr. Popo explained.
"I gradually realized that the Grand Priest had slipped out of my control. His strength had even surpassed mine. I had no choice but to give up the position of Grand Priest," Mr. Popo said.
"Who is the current Grand Priest, then? You gave up your position, but aren't you worried about Zeno's safety?"
"Zeno is the embodiment of this world's rules. As long as the world isn't destroyed, Zeno can die and come back to life. So there's no need to worry. If Zeno ever dies for good, that means the entire universe and world have been wiped out! What the hell would there be left to worry about?" Mr. Popo even swore.
"Then why are you hiding on Earth? And who exactly is the Grand Priest? What is his scheme?" Vegeta fired off three questions in a row.
Mr. Popo replied unhurriedly, "First, I'm hiding on Earth because Dragon God Zalama disappeared several billion years ago, but I'm certain he didn't die. Super Shenron still exists!"
"As for your second and third questions, I don't know who he is, either. Back when I was traveling through the universe, he suddenly appeared before me without any warning. He was still a baby then, wrapped in swaddling clothes! I saw that he had extraordinary talent, so I took him in as my disciple and taught him everything I could. It wasn't until after Dragon God Zalama disappeared that I realized something was wrong with him. He was hiding some enormous scheme, and he even gave me a murderous look! I still don't know what his scheme is. All I can do is wait patiently."
After saying that, he looked at Vegeta with a complicated expression.
"Don't tell me you think I'm something created as part of his scheme? What the hell!" Vegeta said, looking at Mr. Popo's expression.
"When I found you, I thought you might be. Your soul and body didn't seem to belong together, so I thought you were a soul created by that man! But after observing you, I found you were loyal and devoted. You weren't as cold and heartless as you seemed. That made me think you might not be. But whether you are or not, only you know," Mr. Popo explained.
"Don't worry. I promise I'm not one of his pawns. I can't tell you where I came from yet. I hope you understand," Vegeta said.
"Never mind. Your strength isn't a threat to me yet. Let's wait and see. One day, we'll find out! If you aren't one of his pawns, you'd better hurry up and get stronger. You're far too weak right now," Mr. Popo said calmly.
"Then undo the curse on the Saiyans and unseal our genes!" Vegeta demanded.
"That's not possible right now. First, my strength has diminished since I gave up my divine position. Second, even if I could undo the seals, aren't you worried the current Grand Priest would notice? If he found out, he'd know you'd met me, and he wouldn't let you go! If you get stronger and break the seals yourself, you might even make it through your weak phase. After all, my staying out of sight also serves as a deterrent. It makes him wary," Mr. Popo explained.
"Fine. This world is a lot more complicated than I thought," Vegeta said with a sigh.
When he'd first arrived in this world, he'd only wanted to get stronger so he could survive. He hadn't expected to get caught up in such a huge conspiracy! Agreeing to Gulnara's conditions had also dragged him deeper into the mire!
"What about Earth? Have you discovered anything?" Vegeta continued the conversation.
"Nothing. Although I sensed a trace of Dragon God Zalama's energy reach Earth several billion years ago, it disappeared almost immediately! All I could do was create the Lookout and use what little divine power I had left to establish a lesser divine position for the next Guardian of Earth. I hid in the Lookout and watched everything. The current Grand Priest has been searching for me! His Angel sons were all created from his blood using some unknown method. I don't know whether those sons know about his scheme, but I doubt it. The fewer people who know, the better! If you ever meet them, don't reveal anything you know, or something unexpected might happen!"
"I see. No wonder you've always been on Earth. Even Piccolo didn't know when you showed up. You were already here when he accepted the divine position," Vegeta said, suddenly understanding.
So Mr. Popo had arranged all of Earth's divine positions! No wonder even the original story hadn't explained where he came from! It was all so ancient!
"Because of me, you can't learn Ultra Instinct. But don't be discouraged. If you can strengthen your base power like Yamoshi did, then break through to Super Saiyan 6, you can step off the board and become a player yourself. You'll be able to take on the Grand Priest!" Mr. Popo reassured him.
"Alright. I've got no more questions. Is there anything else you want to say? Tell me everything at once, so I don't have to keep coming back to you!" Vegeta said impatiently.
"There's one more thing. When I look back through history, I can see your past clearly. The person you are now is not merely different from the person you were before; the two of you have nothing in common. Not in how you act, nor in your schemes and calculations! I can't see your future, which proves that he can't see it either. Although I've lost my divine position, I still have my divine power and techniques! He may be stronger than me, but he can't see your future either. Your future is a complete void, unlike anyone else's! That's why you're the most likely person to uncover the conspiracy and defeat him! There are many unpredictable things on Earth. I've observed the developments involving the later Androids, Cell, and Majin Buu in other divergent worlds. But in this world alone, your power is far greater! That's why I told you everything. Do you understand what I mean?" Mr. Popo said in one long breath.
"I understand. When I'm finally strong enough, I won't forget everything you've done for me. Besides, there are people I care about. I'll never forgive anyone who hurts them!" Vegeta said gently.
"Good. As long as you understand. Don't worry. While you're away, I'll keep an eye on Bulma and make sure nothing happens to her! There aren't many people in this world who can defeat me," Mr. Popo said solemnly.
"Then thank you. I can finally stop worrying about what might happen while I'm gone."
It was a good thing to have someone powerful watching over her.
"Go on. You know the situation now. If you have any more questions, come see me again!" Mr. Popo said.
"I'm leaving. Don't come looking for me unless you have a reason. If I need anything, I'll come to you!" Vegeta said arrogantly.
His figure vanished in an instant.
"Oh? Instant Transmission? But it's not quite the same... What a strange person," Mr. Popo murmured as he watched Vegeta disappear.
Then he composed himself and walked out of the Lookout...
Serving the new Guardian seemed to have become one of the pleasures of his endless life. It made him feel like a real, flesh-and-blood being instead of a cold god!
"System, get out here! Explain yourself properly. What the hell are you? Were you sent by the Grand Priest?"
"Ding..." The system had no answer. It gave a dazed little sound.
"Ding, my ass! Tell me the truth, or I'll never complete another one of your missions! If you want me to complete them so badly, you must be after something!" Vegeta shouted angrily.
The system now felt like a ticking time bomb. Thinking about why he had come to this world made him feel a chill. It seemed someone else had a hand in it. He hadn't expected even his rebirth to be part of a scheme!
"This system cannot reveal too much. I can only tell you that I'm on the host's side. I was absolutely not created by the Grand Priest. He isn't powerful enough to create me!" Even the system's mechanical voice sounded a little smug.
"What the hell! When will you be able to tell me?"
"The host will understand in time. I can't say anything yet, or I might be discovered." The system seemed to have developed a little humanity. It was no longer a cold machine!
Vegeta thought it over carefully. Mr. Popo couldn't even see the system's existence. According to Mr. Popo, the Grand Priest was about as strong as he was, so he probably hadn't created the system!
"Fine. If I ever find out you're part of a scheme too, I'll do everything I can to uninstall you! I mean it!" Vegeta threatened viciously.
"Don't worry, host. This system's existence also depends on you. If I hurt you, I'll be destroyed too! So you don't need to worry," the system explained quietly.
But it still didn't reveal anything...
Before you continue