"Although we've never met, I have to thank you for saving Bulma and my friends... As a fellow Saiyan, you're incredibly strong. You must know we're at the end of our rope here...
"So let's team up. With your strength and mine together, we should be able to hold him off a little longer...
"Don't worry. Even if you die, as long as Piccolo and the others survive, we can use Earth's Dragon Balls to bring you back."
Son Goku's words left everyone staring at Ron in shock.
Ron was at a loss for words.
He was starting to wonder if he hadn't made himself clear enough.
Were they really so certain he couldn't beat Frieza?
"So, you still haven't figured out what's going on?"
Son Goku, Piccolo, and the others all froze at Ron's words.
"What do you mean?" Son Goku asked, bewildered.
"I mean, haven't you noticed that Frieza's terrified? That's why he's using a move like this. And you're giving him too much credit. He's not all that." Ron didn't look at them again. With his back to them, he kept his eyes on Frieza high above and continued, "Why do you think I haven't attacked and interrupted him? Piccolo, you're a Namekian, and my power is still inside you. You should know how strong I am. What, have you already forgotten that the power I gave you was just a casual gesture?"
"You..." Piccolo was at a loss for words.
"Then... why...?" Son Goku opened his mouth and asked woodenly.
He was baffled. He couldn't read Ron at all.
"Because I want to feel how powerful Frieza's move is. If I'd stepped in earlier, you wouldn't have had a chance to do anything. Your Spirit Bomb was impressive, and it gave me quite a bit of inspiration. So if you're scared, you can all leave. I'll deal with Frieza, and I'll kill him!" Ron's answer made everyone draw in a sharp breath.
Piccolo, in particular, only now realized he had still underestimated Ron.
He'd assumed Ron might be stronger than Son Goku, but not by much.
Now it seemed Ron was far stronger. The power he'd lent Piccolo was probably nothing more than a drop in the ocean to him.
Frieza's terrifying presence had taken root in Piccolo's heart, making him believe there was no way to stand against him.
But if he could break free of that mindset, then while Frieza was indeed beyond their ability to defeat, he wasn't as limitless as he'd seemed at first.
"Y-you really have the power to beat Frieza? You're going to feel out his attack? A-are you crazy?" Krillin stammered.
"Yeah. What if something goes wrong? An energy blast this powerful might actually destroy the planet. Even if you survived the explosion, you couldn't live in space," Son Gohan said, voicing an even greater concern.
"Can't live in space?" Ron's lips curled into a smile, and he laughed.
That only made everyone more puzzled.
They understood Ron less and less.
Only after he'd finished laughing did Ron answer Son Gohan's question.
"I'm not like you. I can survive in space. But you've reminded me of something. Here's another thing you should know: Frieza dares to destroy Planet Namek because he can survive and move around in space. That's why he isn't worried about being affected."
Ron's words answered the question that had been troubling them all.
None of them had thought of it before. Son Gohan's reminder had finally made them realize how important it was.
Now that Ron had explained, they all drew in breath one after another, trying to calm themselves.
"So you're absolutely certain you can beat Frieza?" Son Goku asked again, his voice solemn.
He wanted a clear answer.
Ron glanced sideways at him.
He said nothing, only flashing a confident, slightly roguish smile.
Son Goku wasn't the only one who saw it. Everyone did.
He hadn't answered, but that expression said it all.
Bulma gazed blankly at Ron's tall back. Remembering their earlier intimacy and the sense of safety he'd given her, she felt much less panicked.
North King Kai's Planet.
The atmosphere was unbearably tense.
North Kai was drenched in sweat, wound tight with nerves.
First, Frieza had survived. Then Ron had appeared and prevented the tragedy of Krillin being ambushed and killed by Frieza.
And now Frieza was launching an attack in his madness, intending to destroy Planet Namek.
As a Kai, North Kai had seen Frieza destroy planets many times before.
But none of those attacks had come close to the power of this one.
"Lord King Kai, does this Saiyan Ron really have the power to beat Frieza?" Tien Shinhan asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. From the way he looks now, he doesn't seem nearly as strong as Goku with his tenfold Kaioken," Yamcha said doubtfully.
Their words made North Kai's expression grow even more grave.
"I don't know much about this Saiyan Ron either... But he wouldn't say something like that unless he had some strength. At the very least, he must be no weaker than Goku using the twentyfold Kaioken... Still, he's far too confident in himself. Frieza is much stronger than he can imagine..."
North Kai sighed and voiced his thoughts.
"So we're still going to lose?" Chiaotzu asked anxiously.
"If that's the case, Lord King Kai, shouldn't you contact Goku and the others and tell them to find a spaceship and escape while they can? Frieza's still gathering energy for that attack..." Yamcha said urgently.
Tien Shinhan was about to speak too, but North Kai cut him off.
"Forget it. Trying to escape from the Emperor of the Universe, Frieza, is wishful thinking. Even if you managed to get on a spaceship, Frieza would shoot it down the moment it took off. You don't really think Frieza has lost the ability to attack just because he's using this move, do you?" North Kai's words discouraged all three of them.
Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu all looked utterly grim.
"Besides, even if the spaceship took off safely, it would be caught in the planet's explosion. The ship would be destroyed, and everyone aboard would die..."
Planet Namek.
High above.
The Planet Destroyer Bomb Frieza had gathered had swelled to a diameter of several thousand meters.
Its terrifying destructive energy seemed capable of tearing everything apart.
Compared with the Spirit Bomb, it was at the complete opposite extreme.
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