Piccolo Takes the Field!

"Uncle Piccolo, y-you've gotten so strong." Son Gohan sensed the power radiating from Piccolo and stared in disbelief.

Piccolo nodded at Son Gohan. "I have gotten stronger, but this power isn't really mine..."

His words made it clear just how proud and arrogant he was. He seemed to hold this power in disdain.

"What? You don't want it? Then give it back to me."

Ron looked at Piccolo with a sly smile and said,

His words were clearly teasing.

Piccolo was taken aback, but quickly composed himself and didn't take Ron's words seriously.

Though they hadn't known each other long, Piccolo had learned a little about Ron's personality and how he operated.

He turned away from Ron and took a few steps forward.

"Once you've given something away, you can't just take it back! This Demon King won't spit out what he's swallowed. Besides, if you want me to fight, then this is my payment. I won't let you have wasted even this little bit of your power."

Piccolo spoke with righteous conviction.

As he finished, his gaze sharpened, and his aura grew stronger by the moment.

"Then I'll be watching." Ron smiled.

Piccolo said no more.

At that moment, his body was undergoing a transformation as it absorbed the power Ron had given him.

His strength was at least ten times greater than it had been at his peak!

He was still no match for Son Goku at the height of his strength, but with this power, he could fight Frieza for another round!

Even if Frieza still overwhelmed him, he wouldn't be able to kill him with ease.

"Piccolo, even though you've gotten so much stronger, you still have to be careful! That monster Frieza is far too powerful." Krillin still looked worried. In no mood to joke, he spoke solemnly.

As an experienced fighter, he knew very well that while Ron had greatly boosted Piccolo's strength, Piccolo was still far weaker than Frieza—and than Goku had been when he fought at full power.

"Don't worry! I know what I'm doing... I'm entrusting Gohan to you from here on, Krillin!" Piccolo placed his trust in Krillin.

Although Krillin was far weaker than him and, in some ways, had even fallen behind Gohan, he was still a veteran fighter with plenty of experience handling things.

Besides, Krillin was the only one here Piccolo could trust completely.

After saying this, Piccolo secretly sent Krillin a telepathic message.

He told Krillin to keep an eye on Gohan—and to watch Ron's every move as well.

For now, Ron didn't seem like an evil person or someone with evil intentions, but no one knew what his true goal was.

Krillin understood this too and silently accepted Piccolo's request.

After weathering several crises together, Krillin and Piccolo had clearly become friends who stood on the same side.

In the original story, this was also when Piccolo underwent a complete transformation. He truly became a warrior who protected Earth, joined the Z Fighters, and eventually became the group's strategist.

After exchanging a nod with Krillin, Piccolo looked at Ron again.

Under Ron's smiling face, which was urging him on without quite urging him, Piccolo hesitated no longer. He leaped into the air and charged toward the island where Frieza was.

He didn't power up, yet he moved so fast that the naked eye could barely follow him.

Watching Piccolo go, Ron folded his arms and stepped forward twice. He clicked his tongue, recalling the scenes from the original story.

In the original story, Piccolo gathered the energy of Krillin, Son Gohan, and the others, then unleashed a limit-breaking flying kick. It briefly freed Son Goku from his predicament, giving him time to keep gathering energy for the Spirit Bomb.

Unfortunately, even after the Spirit Bomb was finally ready, it still failed to destroy Frieza and only left him slightly injured.

At that moment.

Frieza was standing at the edge where the island met the water.

After being struck by Frieza's shock wave, Son Goku had less than a tenth of his strength left.

He clung to the shore with both hands, struggling to lift his eyes toward Frieza's condescending expression as he gasped for breath.

"Hohohoho! You wild monkey, it looks like this is finally the end for you. I thought you might have some hidden trick, but now I see you were just stalling for time..." Frieza raised his hand, a streak of blood-red light gathering at his fingertip.

There was no doubt: it was his Death Beam.

In his eyes, Son Goku was already a dead man.

But just as he was about to kill Son Goku, the reflection on the water made him freeze. A moment later, he looked up at the enormous Spirit Bomb gathering beyond the planet.

"Th-that... What is that?! Is that what you were gathering when you raised your hands just now?" Frieza felt a chill run down his spine.

The strange sphere of energy made him deeply uneasy.

The next moment, Frieza looked back at Son Goku, his face twisting with fury. "So that's it! You wild monkey, you were planning to ambush me! Too bad I saw through your little trick! Now I'll send you to your death!"

As he spoke, Frieza was about to fire the Death Beam.

Son Goku clenched his teeth, mustered all his strength, and leaped up, punching at Frieza in an attempt to catch him off guard.

But how could he possibly take on Frieza in his current state?

In Frieza's eyes, Son Goku's little move was nothing but a death throe.

Frieza caught the punch with ease, his fingertip pressing against Son Goku's forehead.

The scene was exactly like the moment in the original story when Son Goku was driven to the brink of death.

"Die..."

Frieza had just begun to deliver his sentence. The Death Beam was on the verge of firing.

Then came a thunderous BOOM!!!!

Piccolo had arrived and kicked Frieza flying, striking him squarely in the back of the head.

The kick was so powerful that it rivaled the greatest damage Son Goku had dealt Frieza.

The unexpected blow caught Frieza completely by surprise. He couldn't sense energy.

His body rocketed away under the force of the blow like a cannonball, smashing straight through two islands before crashing into the depths of the water.

"It's you, Piccolo! Y-your power..." Son Goku cried out in delight, realizing that Piccolo was far stronger than before.

"Son Goku, this isn't the time to celebrate. That kick of mine was already a limit-breaking attack! You're the one who'll have to deal with Frieza, so hurry up and gather energy for the Spirit Bomb!!" Piccolo shouted.

Piccolo's words stunned Son Goku for a moment, but he knew this was no time to talk about anything else. He immediately stood up and raised both hands.