Goku carried the Sea Turtle on his back while she rode alongside him on her motorcycle,
heading toward the seaside where Kame House stood.
At first, Bulma had wanted to drive the Sea Turtle there.
But Goku said he wanted to carry the turtle on his back as weight training, so Bulma gave up on driving.
Riding a motorcycle made it easier to get through rough terrain.
Along the way, whether they ran into bears or bandits from other races,
Bulma didn't waste time. She simply ordered Goku to fight.
Those bandits stood no chance against Goku.
He thoroughly taught them a lesson.
About two hours later, the two of them and the Sea Turtle arrived at the beach.
The Sea Turtle was thrilled to see the ocean and thanked them profusely.
"I've been wandering around for a year. Thank you so much!"
Goku smiled. "No need to thank us. Hurry home!"
The Sea Turtle entered the ocean, then looked back. "Wait here for me! I absolutely have to repay you!"
With that, the Sea Turtle swam toward the open sea.
In his previous life, Goku had been a landlubber who'd grown up inland.
He'd seen plenty of rivers, but rarely the ocean.
It wasn't until after he started working, during a company outing,
that he'd visited the Gold Coast once. It was the first time he'd ever seen the ocean.
Now that he'd found himself looking at the ocean again in the Dragon Ball world, he immediately took off his shoes
and went to feel the soft, cool sand beneath his feet.
Bulma gazed in the direction the Sea Turtle had gone, a wistful expression on her face.
She knew it was heading to Kame House.
As expected, Master Roshi would arrive before long.
Just then, Goku's voice carried over.
"Bulma, come play for a while!"
Bulma turned to look at Goku.
He'd already taken off his shoes and was standing barefoot on the beach.
Wave after wave washed over his feet, then quickly receded.
He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
A warm smile appeared on Bulma's face.
"Coming!"
She took off her shoes too and stepped barefoot onto the cool sand.
At the same time, a shallow wave rolled in,
washing over her feet.
In an instant, a fine chill spread through Bulma's body.
She couldn't help shivering. "Brr, it's so cold..."
Bulma's toes curled involuntarily, and her feet arched as she tensed them.
The wave receded again, washing the fine sand from between her toes.
Seeing Bulma still adjusting to the water's temperature, Goku smiled.
The skin on the tops of Bulma's feet was as fair as snow, smooth and delicate.
Droplets of water slid from her feet,
catching the sunlight and sparkling beautifully.
Bulma was immersed in the moment, her face radiant with happiness.
She seemed almost to have forgotten what it felt like to live such a peaceful, beautiful life.
This was what a carefree life felt like. This was what a beautiful life was.
She gazed out at the ocean and sighed from the heart. "It's so beautiful!"
"Yeah, the ocean is beautiful!"
Goku agreed.
Bulma said, "Goku, when we grow up, how about I buy an island
and build a seaside resort on it?"
At Bulma's suggestion, Son Goku's eyes lit up.
He remembered the wonderful scenes from Dragon Ball Super.
Whis, Beerus, all his good friends, and the children would be there.
They'd throw parties and get together, with everyone eating delicious food.
The island would have lots of chefs, all kinds of cuisines, and famous delicacies from all over the world.
And in the original story, he and Vegeta would battle and spar to their hearts' content over the ocean.
When they got tired, they could come back and dig right into all kinds of delicious food.
Imagining that simple, unpretentious life, he thought it sounded wonderful.
Goku immediately said, "The island should have lots of chefs too, and all kinds of food from around the world!"
Bulma smiled sweetly. "Sure. It's a promise!
I'll make sure you get to eat delicious food every day."
"Yeah, it's a promise!"
Son Goku nodded at once.
Just then, a voice carried through the sound of the waves.
"Hey!"
The two of them turned to look. A lecherous figure had appeared on the sea before them.
A bald man wearing sunglasses, a floral shirt, and shorts was riding the Sea Turtle toward them.
Who else could it be but Master Roshi?
Meeting Bulma and Goku's gazes, Master Roshi flashed them a V-sign.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
Master Roshi and the Sea Turtle came ashore.
He glanced at the short Goku, then walked over to Bulma.
"Hello, beautiful young lady. Were you the one who saved the Sea Turtle?"
Bulma nodded, then glanced at Goku. "We both saved him."
Master Roshi smiled. "The Sea Turtle's been missing for a year.
Thank you so much for bringing him back.
To repay you, I'll give each of you a wonderful gift."
With that, Master Roshi began summoning the immortal phoenix.
Of course, the phoenix had died of food poisoning.
After some fuss, Master Roshi summoned the Flying Nimbus.
He turned to Bulma and said, "This is the Flying Nimbus. You can ride it through the sky. It's a real treasure.
To thank you for bringing the Sea Turtle home, I'll give it to you!"
Bulma stared blankly at the Flying Nimbus.
She remembered that in her previous life, she hadn't been able to ride it.
It was only for people with pure hearts, like Goku.
Chi-Chi and Gohan could ride it too. Their whole family could.
Bulma turned and looked at Goku.
"Goku, you should ride the Flying Nimbus instead!"
"Okay!"
Son Goku nodded and immediately walked over.
But Master Roshi stopped him, stepping in front of Son Goku.
"Wait a moment. This cloud is for you, beautiful lady.
I have something else to give him later."
Bulma froze again.
"It's specifically for me?"
Master Roshi nodded.
"That's right. Go ahead and try it!"
Bulma hesitated.
She reached out and touched the Flying Nimbus.
The solid feel of it surprised her.
Unlike in her previous life, her hand didn't pass through it. She could feel the Flying Nimbus itself.
It was soft, like cotton or a mattress.
Bulma's eyes widened. She couldn't understand why.
"Can't you get on?
Maybe I should give you a push!"
As Bulma stood there in surprise, Master Roshi moved in behind her to help.
He was clearly about to give her a boost by the butt.
Bulma glared at him and ignored him. Instead, she sprang up at once,
and landed firmly on the Flying Nimbus.
Seeing Bulma sitting on the Flying Nimbus, Son Goku froze for a moment too.
But in the next instant, his eyes lit up.
He hadn't expected the Bulma he'd met to be not only less boy-crazy than the one in the show,
but also able to ride the Flying Nimbus. That meant her heart was pure.
That was wonderful.
As for not getting the Flying Nimbus himself, Goku didn't feel he'd lost much.
Once he learned the Flight Technique, he'd be much faster than the Flying Nimbus anyway.