You're Too Slow

Goku looked at Mercenary Tao with a mocking smile, hands on his hips as he shouted, "This is the so-called World's Greatest Assassin? He doesn't seem all that scary!"

Goku's contempt thoroughly enraged Mercenary Tao. His face turned livid as he snorted coldly. "You little brat, how dare you look down on me! Today, I'll show you what real power is!" With that, his figure flashed as he lunged fiercely at Goku. His palms struck like lightning, his attacks incomparably fierce.

However, although Mercenary Tao's speed was astonishing, it seemed as slow as a turtle to Goku. With a slight sidestep, he easily avoided Mercenary Tao's chain of attacks and even had time to laugh. "You're too slow."

Mercenary Tao's attacks missed again and again, making him increasingly frantic. Seizing the moment, Goku launched a fierce kick, striking Mercenary Tao squarely in the abdomen. Before he could react, Mercenary Tao was kicked straight into the sky, his body tracing an arc through the air.

Goku did not stop. He leaped into the air, so fast that the surrounding air seemed to distort slightly. Catching up to the airborne Mercenary Tao, he drove a fist down at him, blasting him back to the ground like a meteor.

"Boom!" Mercenary Tao crashed heavily into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

Mercenary Tao stood where he was, his eyes full of disbelief. Gritting his teeth, he gave an unwilling, cold laugh. "Kid, I never expected you to have this kind of strength. But don't get cocky. You won't be able to block my next move!"

Before his words had faded, a sharp energy wave shot from his fingertip—his signature killing technique, the Dodon Ray. The beam was incredibly fast as it shot straight toward Goku.

Yet Goku remained calm. Smiling faintly, he raised one hand to meet the Dodon Ray and steadily caught the powerful energy. His palm and the Dodon Ray locked against each other, and the beam could not advance even an inch.

The Dodon Ray stopped before Goku's palm, its tremendous impact seemingly dissolved by an invisible force. He glanced at Mercenary Tao and said softly, "Your Dodon Ray is nothing special either."

Mercenary Tao's expression changed instantly. His fingertips trembled, and his heart filled with shock and fear. He never would have imagined that this ordinary little brat could so easily neutralize his ultimate technique.

Goku sneered, lowering the hand that had blocked the Dodon Ray. He crouched slightly as both hands began gathering energy. He shouted at Mercenary Tao, "Now it's your turn to try my special move!"

Mercenary Tao's face changed dramatically, and he immediately sensed that something was wrong. He twisted in midair, trying to flee the scene. But a blazing white glow had already gathered between Goku's palms. Goku shouted, "Kamehameha!"

The massive white torrent of energy shot fiercely from Goku's hands, chasing Mercenary Tao's retreating figure with astonishing speed and power. Mercenary Tao had barely flown into the air before the Kamehameha swiftly caught up and completely engulfed him.

A tremendous explosion rang out in the sky. Mercenary Tao was struck head-on by the Kamehameha, and the entire area around him was instantly blasted to pieces, reduced to countless tiny particles of dust. Goku watched the smoke dissipate in the sky, confirming that there was no trace of Mercenary Tao left.

Bora stared at the scene in stunned silence, his heart filled with shock. He knew Goku was strong, but he had never expected him to defeat Mercenary Tao, the World's Greatest Assassin, so easily.

After saying goodbye to Bora and Upa, Goku rode the Somersault Cloud straight toward Red Ribbon Army headquarters. There were two Dragon Balls there; if he could obtain them, he would be one step closer to gathering all the Dragon Balls. He sped up, clouds rushing past him.

Meanwhile, at Kame House, Bulma was worried about Goku's safety, especially after learning how dangerous the Red Ribbon Army was. She decided to wait no longer and immediately began developing a miniature supersonic camera equipped with a lens, hoping to locate Goku through its screen.

The camera flew out and soon locked onto Goku on the Somersault Cloud.

Master Roshi, Krillin, and the others gathered around Bulma, watching the display on the screen with curiosity and concern.

When Bulma calculated that Goku was heading toward Red Ribbon Army headquarters, everyone was immediately horrified. Master Roshi frowned. "The Red Ribbon Army isn't easy to deal with. It's far too dangerous for Goku to go alone!"

"We have to help him!" Krillin clenched his fists.

Bulma quickly pulled out the phone and contacted Yamcha. "Goku is heading for Red Ribbon Army headquarters. We need an aircraft! Can you come pick us up?"

Yamcha soon flew an aircraft to Kame Island.

Bulma, Master Roshi, Krillin, and Blonde Launch all boarded the aircraft and set off anxiously.

Commander Red sat leisurely in the control room, watching the Dragon Ball signal on the screen slowly approach headquarters. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. He thought to himself that since Mercenary Tao had already completed his mission and killed that troublesome brat, they should prepare to welcome his return. He had always held Mercenary Tao in awe, so to ensure there would be no misunderstanding, Commander Red decisively ordered the headquarters' air defenses shut down, allowing Mercenary Tao to enter the castle without obstruction.

Meanwhile, Goku rode the Somersault Cloud at high speed, passing unimpeded through the Red Ribbon Army's defensive zone. Seeing the castle gradually drawing closer in the distance, he excitedly accelerated. Goku chuckled to himself. This misunderstanding really helped a lot. It let me get into their territory without any trouble! He knew clearly that Commander Red had mistaken him for Mercenary Tao on the radar, allowing him to take this opportunity to reach the castle smoothly.

Commander Red arranged for a plane to welcome Mercenary Tao. The pilot watched expectantly, and when he spotted a figure flying over in the distance through the window, he put on a broad smile and prepared to greet him. However, when he saw clearly that it was the little brat who had caused the Red Ribbon Army tremendous losses, his smile instantly froze. His face went pale as he frantically reported to headquarters, "Commander! Commander! That brat... it's that brat!"

Before he could finish, Goku had already drawn close. He swung the Power Pole and struck the plane. The pilot's vision went black, and the entire aircraft exploded into flames as parts flew everywhere.

Commander Red heard the pilot's final cry through the communicator, and his heart sank. He hurriedly ordered his men to switch to the base surveillance feed. When the screen changed, Goku appeared on it. Riding the Somersault Cloud toward the castle, Goku's gaze was calm and his presence overwhelming. To the Red Ribbon Army soldiers, he looked like a demon that had emerged from hell.

Commander Red's face went deathly pale, his eyes full of terror. "Impossible! Mercenary Tao clearly killed him. How... how did he show up at our headquarters?" He slammed the desk hard, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

Commander Red's voice turned hysterical. "Quick! Mobilize everyone! Stop him!"