Dragon God Zalama

Popo turned and headed deeper into the Lookout. Son Gohan and Trunks immediately followed.

As they passed Dende, Son Gohan couldn't help pausing for a moment.

Dende was still standing quietly at the edge of the Lookout, gazing out at the sea of clouds below. From the moment they had appeared out of thin air, to their conversation with Popo, and now as they walked past him, the current God of Earth hadn't reacted in the slightest.

It was as if he couldn't see them at all.

But it wasn't just that he couldn't see them. Son Gohan keenly sensed that the three of them seemed to exist in another dimension. No matter how hard he tried to release his ki, he couldn't make it pass through and reach Dende.

Was this Popo's doing?

Son Gohan pushed his doubts aside and hurried after Popo.

The three of them walked through a dim corridor. Though they were inside the Lookout, the surroundings grew darker and darker.

As they walked, the walls, floor, and even the pillars of the Lookout abruptly vanished.

In their place was a vast, white nothingness.

There were no boundaries and no sense of direction. It felt similar to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but the air lacked that suffocating, harsh atmosphere. Instead, there was a strange calm.

"Mr. Popo." Trunks finally couldn't hold back any longer. His voice was urgent. "You said you knew how to restore our timeline. What exactly is the method?"

Son Gohan said nothing, but his muscles had already tensed instinctively.

I hope I didn't choose the wrong path. Now that I'm this close to him, I can't shake the feeling that this guy is much harder to deal with than an Angel or a God of Destruction.

He had always been deeply wary of Popo, and curious about him. Back in his previous life, Dragon Ball fans had endlessly speculated about this dark-skinned, rotund man. Some said he was the previous Grand Minister, others claimed he was Dragon God Zalama, and some even joked that he was Zeno's father.

As it turned out, Popo really was no ordinary person. The way he had just hidden them from Dende, this empty space that had appeared out of nowhere, and how he seemed to have vanished into thin air during the battle with Cell all went a long way toward confirming just how unusual he was.

Popo stopped. Rather than answer Trunks directly, he spoke slowly in his ethereal voice.

"Before I answer that question, you need to understand the true structure of this universe."

Trunks froze.

"The universe you know is only one of twelve universes. And the world formed by those twelve universes contains countless parallel timelines." Popo's unruffled eyes gazed into the void. "In each universe, there are supreme deities who maintain the balance: the Supreme Kai, who create life, and... the Gods of Destruction, who destroy everything."

"Gods of Destruction?" Trunks' eyes widened.

"That's right. Gods of Destruction possess the terrifying power to easily erase a galaxy, or even half a universe. To supervise them and teach them how to properly guide the development of all things, beings of a higher dimension known as 'Angels' are assigned to them."

Popo's voice never wavered, yet his words struck Trunks' nerves like a heavy hammer.

Trunks' worldview had taken a severe blow. He'd always thought a monster like Cell was already a disaster for the universe. Now he'd suddenly learned of Gods of Destruction who could easily erase a universe, and even more powerful, higher-dimensional Angels.

Son Gohan opened his mouth at just the right moment, putting on an expression of utter shock.

But inside, a tempest was raging.

Popo really does know about Gods of Destruction and Angels. That's far more information than an ordinary Earth god's attendant should have. Could those outlandish theories from my past life actually be true? Is Popo really one of the Angels?

"Mr. Popo..." Trunks swallowed, his voice trembling slightly. "Could you... be one of those beings known as Angels?"

Popo looked quietly at Trunks.

"You could understand it that way." Popo didn't deny it.

Trunks took half a step back, while Son Gohan's gaze sharpened.

Popo continued, "At the beginning of creation, there was a supreme deity who stood above all others. He possessed power that transcended every rule—the Dragon God, Zalama."

Son Gohan's eye twitched. Dragon God Zalama! The ultimate being who created the entire Dragon Ball World!

"My relationship with Dragon God Zalama was like that between an Angel and a God of Destruction." At last, Popo's voice showed the faintest hint of emotion, as if he were lost in some distant memory. "Lord Zalama wielded Miracle Power. It was an absolute power that could ignore cause and effect and reshape reality."

"But Miracle Power had two sides."

Popo turned to look at Son Gohan.

"Miracles used in moderation can guide the world toward proper prosperity. But excessive use—forcing the universe's established laws to change—brings an irreversible backlash, ultimately leading to the collapse and destruction of the entire world."

"To correct too many misguided developments, Lord Zalama overtaxed his Miracle Power. Before the backlash struck him down, he divided all the power he had left into seven parts, which became seven Dragon Balls scattered throughout the depths of time and space."

A trace of sadness flickered in Popo's round eyes.

"After Lord Zalama died, the Dragon Ball World was left without the power to correct itself. As his guide, I had to avoid letting my own existence interfere too much with the world's development. So I chose to exile myself, settling in an obscure corner of Earth and living in seclusion as an ordinary attendant."

Son Gohan understood completely now.

Popo was Dragon God Zalama's personal Angel. After Zalama was struck down by the backlash, Popo feared disrupting the world's natural course, so he hid away on Earth, pretending to be an old man who'd retired. That's also why the Gods of Earth throughout the ages have all been Namekians with Dragon Clan blood, capable of creating Dragon Balls. Popo is here. Even though he does nothing, he subtly influences Earth's development.

"But..." Trunks urgently cut Popo off. "Mr. Popo, what does all this have to do with restoring our Future Timeline?"

"Of course it's related." Popo looked at Trunks. "The Dragon Balls on Earth, along with the Super Dragon Balls of Universes 7 and 6, are merely tiny projections of Lord Zalama's power. So they're limited by the abilities of their creators. They can't affect the time rules of parallel worlds; they only work in their original worlds."

Son Gohan was a little surprised to hear this, since the original story had never said that the Super Dragon Balls couldn't change timelines.

"But the seven planets formed from Lord Zalama's body are known as the Original Dragon Balls." Popo's tone was firm. "They contain the most primal and immense Miracle Power. Once gathered, they can grant any wish in the truest sense. Restoring a destroyed timeline would be nothing. Even restarting every world would be easy."

Trunks' breathing immediately grew heavy.

Any wish! Restore a timeline!

"Please tell us where the Original Dragon Balls are!" Trunks bowed deeply.

Son Gohan didn't react. He stared straight at Popo.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Popo's been living in seclusion all these years, never lifting a finger even when Earth was destroyed countless times. Now he's suddenly appeared to show us the way. There's no chance he's doing it out of kindness.

"I can give you a way to find the Original Dragon Balls, and help you along the way," Popo said calmly. "But in exchange, you must agree to one condition."

"What condition?" Son Gohan asked.

"Correct the timelines changed by the Original Dragon Balls, and take them away." Popo's words carried an unmistakable air of authority. "Because of the Original Dragon Balls, Miracle Power has run rampant in those timelines, and the laws of time and causality have been twisted beyond repair. If left unchecked, those timelines will eventually spread like cancer cells to every other timeline, until the entire world collapses."

Popo stepped forward, closing in on the two of them.

"I want you to take the Original Dragon Balls, cut off the source of miracles in those timelines, and return them to their normal paths. In exchange, I'll allow you to use the Original Dragon Balls once to restore your timeline."

Popo's deep eyes moved between Son Gohan and Trunks.

"Are you willing to become Gods of Spacetime Destruction and help me restore order to the timelines?"