Three suns hung in Namek's emerald sky. Wisps of thin cloud drifted lazily overhead, reflected in a vast lake below.
The planet had once been peaceful and tranquil, but not long ago it had suffered a devastating attack, leaving many dead and wounded.
"Dende, have you gathered all the Dragon Balls?"
Nail flew over from a distance, carrying a basketball-sized Dragon Ball in both hands.
Dende was a five-year-old Namekian boy. Pointing to the Dragon Balls on the ground one by one, he said, "Including the one you're holding, we're still one short."
"The Seven-Star Ball? It's with one of the elders who has already died. I'll go get it." Nail looked over the Dragon Balls on the ground and confirmed.
The Dragon Balls of Namek had been made by the Grand Elder and entrusted to seven elders for safekeeping. To obtain a Dragon Ball, one had to surpass its guardian in wisdom, strength, and other qualities.
Only those who earned the elders' approval and were given the title of warrior could summon Shenron and have their wish granted.
But this time, the Grand Elder had personally ordered them to use the Dragon Balls to revive the Namekians killed by Vegeta.
The Grand Elder had entrusted the mission to Nail and Dende.
"Those accursed Saiyans! Next time, I'll kill him with my own hands!" Seeing his kinsmen's corpses, Nail was consumed by rage.
"Thank goodness we have the Dragon Balls."
Dende was relieved. He had revived several badly injured Namekians, but there was nothing he could do for those who had already died.
At least thirty or forty Namekians had been killed this time, and Porunga could revive only one person per wish.
In other words, one summoning could revive three people, after which the Dragon Balls would need a year to recharge before they could be used again.
It would take at least ten years to revive all the Namekians who had been killed this time, though that was only because there were so few Namekians.
However, one Namekian year was equivalent to only 130 Earth days.
Just as Nail went to find the last Dragon Ball, seven spaceships, trailing long plumes of flame, tore through Namek's atmosphere.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The seven spaceships slammed into the ground, sending out a tremendous shock wave as if a minor earthquake had struck.
With a hiss, the hatches sprang open, and seven people slowly stepped out. They were Dodoria, Zarbon, and the Ginyu Force.
"We're finally here! I thought I was going to suffocate!"
Burter, with his blue skin, stretched out his body. He was reputed to be the fastest in the universe.
"I heard there's a powerful Namekian here. Don't any of you try to take him from me. I'm going to enjoy a good workout!" Recoome, with his pineapple-shaped hair, grew excited.
"Why should we let you have him? We'll settle it the usual way—with rock-paper-scissors," Jeice, whose skin was red, retorted.
"Why did King Frieza send all of us here for such a simple mission?" Guldo, who looked like a toad, complained.
"Let's take care of business first. See if you can find where the surviving Namekians have gathered."
Captain Ginyu had two black horns growing from his head. The Scouter on his face scanned Namek.
Ginyu was powerful and possessed a special Body Change technique. No one knew what he had really looked like.
After all, even his current body had been obtained through Body Change.
Dodoria and Zarbon exchanged bitter smiles. They were far below the five members of the Ginyu Force in both strength and status.
Frieza had sent them along to assist the Ginyu Force.
"Found them. A large number of Namekians have gathered in that direction, and the powerful Namekian is flying toward the same place."
Ginyu pointed in one direction and shot into the sky. The other six followed close behind.
The seven reached the village where Dende was in no time, and immediately spotted the six Dragon Balls on the ground.
"Those glowing spheres must be the Dragon Balls, right?" Dodoria lumbered forward with his fat body.
"Only one left. That saves us a lot of trouble," Zarbon said with a smile on his handsome face.
"Who are you?!"
The Namekians in the village sensed danger and stepped in front of the Dragon Balls.
"We're here to take over these Dragon Balls," Dodoria said mockingly.
"Big Brother Nail will be back soon! He's a warrior-type Namekian. You'll definitely be defeated!"
Dende trembled all over with fear, but he still summoned the courage to confront the villains.
"He must mean the powerful Namekian. There's one Dragon Ball left, so perhaps he has it."
From the scene before him, Ginyu deduced that the Namekians were collecting the Dragon Balls. They had arrived at just the right time.
"Then we'll wait for him. We still need these Namekians to teach us how to make a wish with the Dragon Balls."
At Ginyu's words, Dodoria and Zarbon stopped moving.
"Captain Ginyu, what exactly is King Frieza's wish?" Burter asked curiously.
Before they had departed, Frieza had summoned Ginyu alone and given him some instructions.
"Of course he wants eternal life. That way, he can rule the universe forever," Ginyu replied.
"As expected of King Frieza, the universe's greatest ambitious tyrant!" Recoome and the others cheered.
As Ginyu watched them cheer, he recalled Frieza's instructions, and an unnatural flush spread across his face.
In fact, Frieza had another wish: he wanted to grow five centimeters taller. He had always been sensitive about his height.
But Ginyu would never dare tell anyone. Frieza had specifically ordered him to clear everyone away before making the wish.
As they were talking, they suddenly looked up and saw three spaceships, like three burning meteors, crashing down onto Namek.
"Hm? Why do these three spaceships look so much like the ones we came in?" Jeice frowned.
"Did King Frieza send someone else here?" Guldo turned to look at Ginyu.
"I haven't received any orders," Ginyu said, shaking his head slightly. He was just as puzzled.
If Frieza had planned to send more troops, he would surely have told Ginyu, their captain.
Besides, who among Frieza's forces was stronger than the Ginyu Force?
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
As the seven looked in that direction, the Scouters on their faces suddenly blared out piercing alarms.
The numbers on the screens kept rising, changing almost by leaps and bounds.
"Bang! Bang!"
The Scouters on Dodoria and Zarbon's faces exploded in an instant because the power readings had exceeded their limits.
The two of them were using old, basic models.
"Over 160,000 in battle power?!"
The five members of the Ginyu Force were stunned. Their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and a chill shot straight through them.
The numbers on the screens seemed to press the air from their lungs.
"160,000!!"
Hearing that number, Dodoria and Zarbon began to tremble uncontrollably. With a thud, they fell straight to their knees.
"Impossible! There can't be anyone in the universe stronger than us, except for King Frieza's family!" Guldo screamed in anguish.
"I know who they are!" Ginyu's face darkened, as if he had remembered something unpleasant.
"How could those three have arrived on Namek ahead of us?"
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