The Galactic Bandit

In the blink of an eye, the four race cars had arrived at their respective duel zones.

Son Gohan pushed open the car door, and a blast of heat hit him head-on.

The ground beneath his feet was cracked and dry, with dark red light seeping from the fissures. Lava flowed slowly in the depths, the air warped by the extreme heat, and every breath burned his lungs.

"They really picked a great place for this."

A burst of smoke exploded across from him, and two figures slowly emerged from within it.

Once the smoke cleared, their appearances came into view.

Zangya's long orange curls fell to her waist, and her blue eyes gleamed coldly in the firelight. With pointed ears and a slim, graceful figure, she wore a white jacket and pants, gold rings adorning her wrists and waist. Her outfit was elegant, but a vicious edge showed between her brows.

Kogu beside her was the complete opposite—a short, burly bald man with the same pointed ears, greenish-blue skin, and a massive build. His muscles nearly burst through his battle suit, while a wicked grin hung on his face.

These had to be the Galactic Bandits.

Son Gohan recognized them—Zangya and Kogu, Bojack's subordinates.

Looks like this timeline really was during the Galactic Crisis.

Zangya gave Son Gohan a once-over, clearly not taking the child before her seriously.

With a curl of her lips, she and Kogu moved at the same time—Zangya charged straight at him from the front while Kogu circled around from the side. Their coordination was seamless, one in front and one behind, cutting off his escape route.

Son Gohan shifted sideways, and Zangya's finger blade brushed past his collar.

Then he leaned back, and Kogu's heavy fist swept over his head. With a light push of his foot, he drifted back several steps, his expression as calm as if he were taking a stroll.

Zangya's gaze darkened. There was something wrong with this kid.

With a flick of her right hand, an energy whip extended from her palm. Its purplish-red length cracked through the air, scattering the heat waves with every lash.

The energy whip—the signature weapon of the Galactic Bandits. Formed from pure energy, it could scorch even bone where it struck.

She snapped her wrist, and the whip coiled toward Son Gohan's neck like a venomous snake.

Son Gohan didn't indulge her. He transformed directly into a Super Saiyan.

Golden aura erupted around him, his hair standing upright strand by strand as his pupils turned emerald green.

The already-cracked ground beneath his feet was overturned by the shockwave. Rocks and lava fragments were swept into the air, and the entire area trembled.

Zangya's energy whip was blasted aside before it could even touch him. The purplish-red lash shook violently, nearly slipping from her hand.

Zangya's face went pale, all color draining from her features in an instant.

This oppressive feeling—it was no weaker than Boss Bojack's. She instinctively took a step back.

Kogu launched a sneak attack from behind, pouring all his strength into a heavy punch aimed at the back of Son Gohan's head.

Without even turning around, Son Gohan casually swung his right hand backward, the back of his fist striking Kogu squarely in the face.

The sound of shattering teeth was crisp and piercing. Kogu flew backward as though he had been hit by a speeding truck, smashing into a rock wall with a boom. Rubble came crashing down and buried half his body.

Before Zangya could react, Son Gohan had already appeared in front of her.

A flying kick landed squarely in her abdomen, its force punching straight through her. Zangya let out a muffled groan and was sent flying in the same fashion, crashing down beside Kogu.

She braced herself against the ground, trying to get up, but her arms shook violently and she could not push herself up for a long while.

Looking down, she saw that her jacket over the abdomen had been torn apart by the force, leaving a dark red bruise on her skin.

By the time the two finally recovered enough to stand, Son Gohan had already gathered a golden energy wave in his right hand.

Light swirled in his palm, dazzlingly bright, making even the surrounding lava seem dim.

Fear flashed through Zangya's blue eyes. She raised a hand, her voice trembling as she tried to beg for mercy. "W-Wait—wait!"

Son Gohan ignored her.

The golden energy wave blasted from his palm and swallowed them both.

The terrifying explosion shook the entire area. Lava erupted from the cracks, and the firelight illuminated half the sky.

When the smoke dispersed, only a smoking crater remained on the ground. The two Galactic Bandits had been reduced to nothing.

Son Gohan withdrew his hand, brushed the dust from his sleeve, sensed their energy, and flew toward the Son Gohan of this timeline.

Elsewhere, in a lush green town filled with birdsong and flowers.

Trunks stood atop the arena, looking around for his opponent, when a purplish-red energy blast suddenly shot at him from the side.

He reacted quickly, tilting his head to avoid a fatal hit, but the energy blast grazed his shoulder and blasted a huge crater into the ground.

After landing, Trunks looked toward where the attack had come from. A vicious-looking Galactic Bandit stood there, grinning at him.

"It's just a match. You don't have to kill someone, do you? Hey!"

The other side paid him no heed. A second and third energy blast came firing at him in rapid succession.

Trunks was forced to dodge, gritting his teeth—this was not a match at all. They were trying to kill him.

At the same time, the Son Gohan of this timeline and Krillin had also fallen into a bitter battle.

The Galactic Bandit before them attacked ferociously, knocking Krillin back several steps with a single punch.

From the stands, Son Goku's voice echoed in Gohan's mind through King Kai's telepathy—after Cell's self-destruction blew up King Kai's Planet, the seal had broken. These Galactic Bandits had escaped while they had the chance; they were not ordinary contestants.

Son Gohan of this timeline narrowed his eyes, reset his stance, and began to get serious.

The martial arts tournament grounds had already descended into chaos.

The organizer's referee shouted into his walkie-talkie, "Who arranged this? How did these people get in?!" No one answered.

The spectators in the stands screamed as they scattered in all directions. Chairs were kicked askew, while drinks and popcorn spilled across the floor.

Mr. Satan had just poked half his head out of the restroom when he saw the explosions flaring on the arena stage. Without a word, he slowly pulled back inside and locked the door with a click.

In a small house in the distance.

Vegeta lay on the bed, staring boredly at the ceiling. The faint sounds of explosions from the martial arts tournament on TV did not make him move—he had long since lost interest in such things.

Until he heard Bulma on the television, holding little Trunks and shouting, "Trunks—!"

Vegeta shot upright and looked at the TV screen—his purple-haired son was fighting several vicious-looking opponents in the arena, their every attack aimed to kill.

His son dodged and blocked on the screen. Though his movements were not slow, his opponents showed no mercy, every strike lethal.

Vegeta's face darkened. His gaze swept toward the corner of the room, where a Z Sword stood propped against the wall.

After Son Gohan defeated Cell last time, the Z Sword had remained in his possession.

He picked it up and weighed it in his hand. The weight was still there. Gripping the divine sword, he walked to the door.

The moment he pushed it open, his aura exploded outward, and he shot toward the horizon in a streak of light.