Potential Development

"I understand! Although I'm still not sure who the enemies you mentioned from the future are or how strong they'll be, I'm willing to protect your people if it's within my power. Of course, that's only if the Namekians don't stab me in the back."

Ron gave the Grand Elder a clear answer.

It was pretty much what Ron had expected from the start.

The Grand Elder was simply trying to secure his people's future by making a deal with Ron using whatever means he had at his disposal. He also didn't want his children to know that he was thinking of them even as he lay dying.

Ron admired the Grand Elder.

He had truly accomplished something remarkable.

There was no one who could replicate his life.

Even if the Namekians hadn't regained their former glory under his leadership, he had preserved the seeds of their civilization. Sooner or later, they would flourish again and return to their peak.

"Thank you for understanding. Let's make the most of our time. I'll develop your potential first. After that, I still need to meet with the others..."

"Mm."

Ron answered and stepped forward.

He felt the Grand Elder's enormous hand close around his head.

It was an oppressive and... strange feeling.

"Please open your mind completely. If you resist during the potential development, my power won't be able to affect you."

The Grand Elder reminded him.

"Go ahead. I'm ready." Knowing the Grand Elder wouldn't harm him, Ron opened his mind and lowered his mental defenses.

With an ordinary person, the Grand Elder probably wouldn't have needed to warn him. He would have simply gotten started.

But Ron was different. Because he had practiced the 99 Soul Forging Technique, his mental strength far surpassed that of other cultivators at the same level in this world.

Even the Grand Elder couldn't directly use his special power to penetrate Ron's body.

The potential development process was brief.

Ron felt as if a shackle had been unlocked inside him, expanding his energy reserves. His ki had increased significantly, and so had his mental strength.

If he put it in numbers, his current base power level alone was probably around 15 million.

At this level, if he transformed into a Super Saiyan, his power level would reach a full 750 million!

750 million!

That might be insignificant compared to the enemies of the future.

But in this era, it was an absolutely overwhelming power.

Even Cooler only reached 470 million after transforming.

Even if Android 17 and Android 18 appeared ahead of schedule, he was fairly confident he could defeat them.

More importantly, he could vaguely sense where his bottleneck lay.

It was a higher level of Super Saiyan. His improved base power had allowed him to reach out and touch it.

All in all, the Grand Elder's enhancement had more than satisfied him.

Ron had initially expected his power level to increase by at most a million.

"Your potential is truly so vast that I can hardly describe it. I could only do my best to develop a tiny portion of it... If I were younger, I might have been able to draw out more... But I no longer have that ability... I hope you won't hold it against me..."

Hearing the Grand Elder's words and seeing his complexion grow worse by the moment, with his life force nearly exhausted, Ron couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

The Grand Elder was now one step closer to death.

He had already been close to death, but this potential development would clearly make his final moments more painful.

At the very least, he must be suffering quite badly now.

"It's all right. I'm already more than satisfied with my strength. Thank you, Grand Elder." Ron nodded to show his appreciation, then continued without wasting time. "If there's nothing else, I'll head out now and leave the rest of your time to the others."

The Grand Elder nodded weakly. Gratitude still shone in his tired old eyes.

Ron was deeply moved by that gaze.

He returned a look that told the Grand Elder he could rest easy, then left the room without looking back.

Outside, Ron faced everyone and remained silent for a long time.

They could clearly sense that his aura had changed. He seemed even stronger than before.

Son Gohan and Krillin, who had already undergone the Grand Elder's potential development, guessed what had happened. But before they could speak, the Grand Elder's voice sounded in their minds.

This time, he invited Son Goku and Piccolo inside together.

Son Goku and Piccolo exchanged a glance. After nodding to Ron, they passed him and entered the room.

Since it was the Grand Elder's decision, they were willing to accept it.

A few minutes later, Son Goku came out first. His expression was much like Ron's—no, there was also a hint of sorrow.

He was powerless to do anything about the Grand Elder's impending death, and yet he had accepted the Grand Elder's gift and had his potential developed, growing stronger.

Not long afterward, Piccolo emerged from the room as well.

His expression remained cold, but his unfocused eyes showed that he was upset, too.

Like Son Goku, he had accepted the Grand Elder's potential development. He might even have inherited some of the Grand Elder's abilities.

His strength had now far surpassed Son Goku's, solidly reaching a power level of ten million.

Earlier, it had taken Ron giving him enough energy for him to barely unleash a power level of ten million. That boost had only been temporary. Even if some of the energy remained in his body afterward, there hadn't been much left.

Now, he had genuinely reached that level of strength.

There was no denying that Piccolo was now the strongest fighter among the Z Fighters. Son Goku's base power level was only around five million. Without Kaioken, he was no match for Piccolo.

After that, the Grand Elder unexpectedly met with Vegeta alone.

This caught everyone by surprise, Ron included.

After all, Vegeta had previously killed many Namekians. As far as the Namekians were concerned, he was their absolute enemy!

Yet the Grand Elder let bygones be bygones and developed Vegeta's potential, helping him grow stronger.

From Ron's perspective, the Grand Elder must have seen even more of the future than he had described.

The Grand Elder might have realized that Vegeta would become an ally in the future, so he had offered him some help in his final moments, indirectly making Vegeta feel some guilt toward the Namekians.

In the original story, Vegeta did indeed come to feel guilty.

Especially during the Dragon Ball Super storylines, around the Moro arc...

After that, Dende, Son Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma went inside.

It was both a farewell and a chance for the Grand Elder to leave them his final instructions.

Ron could more or less guess that the Grand Elder wanted to entrust the Namekians' fate and future to the Z Fighters.

He had found a group of powerful protectors for his people. And by building friendly ties with Earth, he had given them more paths to choose from in the future.