With Dende, Son Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma by his side.
As the Grand Elder's life neared its end.
The Namekians scattered across Planet Namek finally began arriving one after another.
Young and old alike, they were all children born of the Grand Elder. They gathered together to see him through the final moments of his life.
Not a single Namekian lost control of their emotions before the Grand Elder truly drew his last breath.
They remained calm. Though their hearts were filled with sorrow, they stayed quiet.
This was the best way to bid him farewell.
Even the Namekians who had been killed by Vegeta, upon seeing him, refrained from making a scene in front of the Grand Elder.
To be honest, Ron was rather curious.
These Namekians had been killed by Vegeta, while the wish had been to revive those who had died at Frieza's hands.
It was true that Vegeta had come to Planet Namek and killed Namekians to seize the Dragon Balls, which was, to some extent, connected to Frieza. Strictly speaking, though, the connection was tenuous.
After all, Vegeta had slaughtered them to make sure he could gather all the Dragon Balls and summon Shenron to grant his wish.
They watched as the Grand Elder's enormous body rapidly withered. When it touched the soil of Planet Namek, it sank into the earth like nourishment...
Soon, a new sprout pushed up from the soil.
When a Namekian's life reached its end, they withered away and were reborn. The seed of their rebirth would grow into an Ajisa Tree.
As the Ajisa Tree grew, a new chapter was about to begin.
"Dust to dust, earth to earth. In accordance with the Grand Elder's final wish, this place will be his resting place. May he watch over Planet Namek and protect all of us... I, Mulin, will inherit the Grand Elder's will. From this day forward, I will continue leading our people in restoring Namek's ecology and protecting Planet Namek!" The Third Elder, Mulin, stepped forward and bowed to the Ajisa Tree the Grand Elder had become.
Then every Namekian offered their heartfelt blessings and vowed to follow Grand Elder Mulin.
Only after the mourning had ended did Mulin turn to Ron, Son Goku, and the others. He told them he already knew everything that had happened and promised to strengthen Porunga so that, ninety days later, he could help Son Goku and the others make their wish.
Of course, he also thanked Ron and promised that from then on, Ron could summon Porunga with the Dragon Balls and make a wish whenever he wanted.
This special treatment left everyone except the Namekians stunned.
Vegeta was especially shocked, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.
What he had desperately wanted but couldn't obtain, Ron could get without even asking.
Humiliation, resentment, indignation... All kinds of emotions churned in his heart, but there was nothing he could do.
After all, Ron was a Super Saiyan. He had defeated Frieza, the Emperor of the Universe, and saved the Namekians.
The others were shocked simply because this meant Ron could fulfill any wish he wanted without limit.
No matter what he wished for, the Namekians would help him make it come true.
If they hadn't already learned that Ron wasn't some utterly wicked villain, they would have been beside themselves with worry.
"Now that the Grand Elder has passed on, let's get down to business and settle things with him!"
A voice suddenly rang out among the Namekians, drawing everyone's attention.
It came from a warrior in the tribe who was relatively skilled in combat. Though he wasn't a true combat-type Namekian, his power level was still 3,000.
As soon as he spoke, several warriors around him with power levels of one or two thousand stepped forward as well, glaring at Vegeta.
They clearly wanted to settle the score with him.
Vegeta had killed them before, and he had mercilessly slaughtered the young and old in their villages. They hated their own helplessness. If the Grand Elder hadn't been on the verge of death, they would have lost control long ago.
Facing the hostility of most of the Namekians, Vegeta's expression turned cold, his eyes icy.
"Hmph! I remember you. You put up quite a fight back then. What, are you looking for revenge? Go ahead and try! But let me warn you: don't think you can beat me just because you outnumber me. Even the old me was beyond your reach. The me now is on another level entirely."
Vegeta's words were full of bravado.
He had expected this to happen. He neither fled nor backed down because he owed the Grand Elder a debt!
Some things had to be faced sooner or later.
As far as he was concerned, he didn't want trouble, but he wasn't afraid of it either.
Besides, he had only done what he had to in order to secure the Dragon Balls and stop Frieza from gathering them all.
So much had happened in between that now, looking back on it, he found the whole thing ridiculous.
Vegeta's words made every Namekian's expression darken.
They kept glancing toward Piccolo.
He had fused with Nail, a fellow combat-type Namekian.
If he stepped in, he ought to be able to defeat Vegeta.
But although Piccolo was one of their kind, he had grown up on Earth. He didn't know them, and had no emotional ties to them.
Piccolo clearly noticed the many eyes on him.
As a Namekian, and especially with the Grand Elder having just passed away, he thought for a moment before speaking up. "Vegeta, you'd better think carefully about what you're doing. I promised the Grand Elder I wouldn't kill you, but if you really attack my fellow Namekians, I won't honor that promise! Even if it means breaking my word, I'll kill you!"
Piccolo's threat clearly infuriated Vegeta.
"Do you even hear yourself?! I'm not the one picking a fight!! And I already told the Grand Elder I wouldn't attack his people again!!"
Vegeta knew full well that Piccolo was much stronger than him now. He stood no chance against him.
At this point, he was the one on the defensive.
Piccolo snorted again and looked over his fellow Namekians.
He was in a difficult position too. The Grand Elder had given him specific instructions, and he had also helped Vegeta unlock his potential, which meant Vegeta had surely made some kind of agreement with him.
Just then, Mulin stepped forward and stopped the Namekians who were about to lose their tempers. He sternly ordered them to stand down. "That's enough. Fighting serves no purpose now. The crisis is over, and everyone has been revived. Have you forgotten the Grand Elder's final request?"
At Mulin's words, the Namekians still seething with anger finally quieted down, lowering their heads one by one.
Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Mulin turned his cold gaze on Vegeta and said:
"At this point, pursuing the matter will only stir things up all over again!
"I trust the Grand Elder's judgment, and I'm willing to put this grudge aside!
"But I want you to understand one thing: the Namekians love peace and don't wish to make enemies. But we're not afraid of anyone either. The Grand Elder gave you a gift. I hope you'll keep your word and stop doing evil!
..."
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