Piccolo's Unexpected Gain

Silence fell over the room. Everyone stared at the Grand Elder in disbelief; didn't assimilation require the consent of both parties?

Forced assimilation—that was far too overbearing!

Piccolo was not as excited as everyone had imagined; instead, he hesitated.

Son Gohan did not understand why he was wavering, so he urged, "Uncle Piccolo, Slug is likely the last Super Namekian of the warrior type in the universe."

"With your current strength, once you successfully assimilate with him, your combat power will inevitably undergo a qualitative leap. At the very least, you won't be weaker than a Super Saiyan."

"That's right, this is the kind of power others would kill for," Krillin urged.

Piccolo recalled Slug's aura, which was filled with evil, and said worriedly, "Slug is a Namekian who possesses a heart that is one hundred percent evil."

"The evil energy within him far exceeds that of the former King Piccolo; the two cannot even be mentioned in the same breath."

"If I assimilate with him, my own personality will surely be affected, and I might even become a second Slug."

This was what Piccolo worried about. If the price of obtaining immense power was turning into someone he despised, then what was the point of such power?

He was no longer the cold-blooded demon king he once was. If it were the old him, he would have accepted this power without a second thought.

"Do not worry, I can purify all of Slug's evil energy."

The Grand Elder nodded to himself, thinking that this child was quite good and had not been blinded by the allure of power.

He held no affection for Slug, who was also a Namekian yet slaughtered his own kin.

"Really!?" Piccolo stared straight at the Grand Elder, his face turning a shade of green.

For a warrior, there was no one who did not want to become stronger.

"Yes, child. My ability only works on Namekians." The Grand Elder's voice grew even weaker.

Son Gohan recalled some of the Grand Elder's special abilities, such as memory reading, telepathy, and potential unlocking.

Purifying evil energy was likely one of those abilities, and though it only worked on Namekians, that was enough.

If it could even purify Frieza's evil energy, that would simply be heaven-defying.

Upon hearing this, Son Gohan pulled the stopper from the bottle. A thick, dark green aura of evil slowly coalesced, and Slug's massive body suddenly appeared in the wooden hut.

He tried to escape immediately, but he was pinned to the ground by Son Gohan's powerful aura, unable to move a muscle.

"Spare me, I will never come here again..." Slug begged incessantly, but no one paid him any mind.

The Grand Elder's aged hand touched Slug's body, and a rich, white aura enveloped him, as if unlocking his potential.

Before long, the Grand Elder's palm became transparent. Slug's seven orifices began to leak massive amounts of black energy, and the entire room turned eerie and cold.

He wailed in agony on the floor until the very last wisp of black energy drifted out of him, leaving him completely motionless.

"Child, take his hand!" The Grand Elder's voice was urgent.

Piccolo's focus was intense. As soon as he heard the command, he stepped forward and grasped Slug's hand.

His right hand acted like a vortex, suddenly exerting a massive gravitational pull. Slug transformed into a blinding white light and, with a whoosh, merged into Piccolo's body.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo!"

After the assimilation was complete, Piccolo's chest heaved violently, his throat rasping as he drew heavy breaths. It was as if he had been reborn.

He felt the power surging within him in disbelief, feeling as though he could kill Frieza with a single punch now.

Son Gohan was overjoyed; this was the result he had envisioned.

"It really worked!" Krillin jumped up in excitement.

"This is a true leap to the heavens." Tien Shinhan's three eyes were filled with envy.

Chiaotzu rested on Tien Shinhan's shoulder, his face unable to hide his joy.

"I suddenly want to be a Namekian," Yamcha said with a grin, mocking himself slightly.

"Grand Elder!"

Piccolo looked at the Grand Elder with gratitude, swearing in his heart that no matter what happened in the future, he would use this power to protect Namek well.

"Cough, cough, cough!" The Grand Elder coughed violently; his physical condition had reached its limit.

"Child, thanks to Slug, after merging with him, you haven't just gained some power."

"Your body has also acquired a portion of the traits of an immortal, and your lifespan will increase significantly."

Son Gohan was dumbstruck, saying in shock, "In other words, the three wishes Slug made to Porunga ended up benefiting Uncle Piccolo instead?"

The Grand Elder lay on his chair, kind and gentle, and slowly spat out one word: "Yes."

"This..."

Piccolo felt dizzy; he felt as if he had been knocked senseless by this sudden stroke of good fortune.

"There's a saying back home: when the wind picks up, even a pig... no, I mean, when luck arrives, you can't stop it." Realizing he had misspoken, Son Gohan quickly corrected himself.

Son Goku rubbed his nose and chuckled, "I actually got surpassed by Piccolo."

"A bunch of bastards!"

Vegeta felt like he had been constantly provoked ever since he met this group, and his desire for strength reached its peak.

The group bowed deeply to bid the Grand Elder farewell and left the small hut.

"Why didn't they use the Dragon Balls to restore the Grand Elder's youth?" Krillin felt this old man was worthy of respect and couldn't help but ask.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are part of the natural order. Clearly, this is the Grand Elder's own choice," Son Gohan revealed the truth.

As the creator of the Dragon Balls, the Grand Elder understood deeply that one could not rely on Shenron, otherwise he would not have entrusted the Dragon Balls to the seven elders for safekeeping.

Afterward, the group left the coordinates of Earth to the surviving Namekians and told them that their slaughtered kin would be resurrected within a year.

Piccolo called Dende over and instructed him privately, "Dende, if anything ever happens to Namek in the future, you can come find me. I will definitely arrive as quickly as I can."

Dende watched Piccolo's departing back, as if he were seeing his beloved brother, Nail.

Son Gohan and the others piloted the two spaceships, ending their journey on Namek.

"Phew, finally heading back to Earth. Everyone out here is too strong; only Earth gives me a sense of security," Krillin said, lying on his chair with his legs crossed, speaking in a relaxed manner.

"I've been out for so long, Bulma must have missed me to death," Yamcha said, looking at his reflection in a mirror, narcissistically.

"I just want to go back to Earth and have a huge meal. The food Bulma prepared is all gone; Namek really doesn't have anything good to eat."

Son Goku stretched, already imagining himself stuffing his face.

"Who said we were heading back to Earth?" Son Gohan smiled sheepishly and announced this cruel news over the intercom.

"If we aren't going back to Earth, where are we going?" The moods of Krillin and the others plummeted.

"To planet Yardrat. The people on this planet have a divine technique called Instant Transmission."

Son Gohan explained to everyone, "While I was training on King Kai's Planet, I asked King Kai about the coordinates for planet Yardrat."

"Once we learn this skill, we can reach anywhere in a second, and we won't have to ride these slow, sluggish spaceships anymore."