Nappa gazed at the battlefield, where smoke curled into the sky.
This was a colonial planet on the fringes of Freeza's army's territory. Due to a native faction's rebellion, the last two remaining Saiyans—he and Vegeta—had been sent here by Freeza to suppress the uprising.
Unleashing destruction at will—it was exhilarating.
"Vegeta, do you think that brat Raditz is really dead?"
Nappa couldn't help but recall their fellow Saiyan, Raditz, who had mysteriously disappeared a few years ago.
Come to think of it, Raditz's disappearance had been downright bizarre. The three of them had set out on a mission together, departing in their spherical pods, but when they landed, only two emerged.
Inside Raditz's pod, all that remained was the battle armor he should have been wearing… The scene back then had been nothing short of eerie.
Vegeta crossed his arms and replied indifferently, "What does it matter to me if that weakling is dead or not?"
"Don't say that, Vegeta." Nappa chuckled. "If Raditz were still around, at least things would be a little easier for us."
Vegeta's expression remained unreadable, but suddenly, the scouter over his left eye emitted a series of beeps.
Pressing the device to check the data, Vegeta lifted his gaze toward the sky.
"Something's passing near this planet… Wait! A power level of 5000?!"
Beside him, Nappa craned his neck, his scouter displaying the same set of numbers. His surprise was evident.
A power level of 5000—was that high? Not particularly. Nappa, proud of his Saiyan warrior heritage, boasted a power level of over 8000. That was nearly double.
Yet, even in Freeza's army, a power level of 5000 was nothing to scoff at.
If the Ginyu Force were the army's elite, and Freeza's top enforcers—Zarbon, Dodoria, and Cui—were a tier below, then Nappa and Vegeta, despite their current status, were still among the upper ranks. They could be considered part of the army's backbone.
A power level of 5000 wasn't far off from Nappa's own. Such an individual could at least be considered a formidable mid-tier fighter, one who would stand out in most forces across the galaxy.
Vegeta continued observing the sky with his scouter. In mere moments, that power signature had already sped away, vanishing into the depths of space.
"A highly advanced spacecraft… Its speed is on par with the spherical pods we use. But that power level doesn't match anyone from Freeza's army…"
"Maybe a Galactic Patrol officer? Whatever."
Since it was just passing by, Nappa quickly lost interest. A power level of 5000? He could crush someone like that underfoot with ease.
Vegeta withdrew his gaze from the sky, his expression as cold as ever.
However, what they failed to notice was that another spacecraft had appeared near the planet, following the trajectory of that 5000-power-level signal.
A sleek, white, insect-like spaceship glided through space, illuminated by the cosmic glow.
Inside, two figures stood tall, their shadows stretching across the ship's metallic floor. Between them, through the reflection of their earrings, one could see a stasis pod positioned at the ship's center.
Bubbles rose within the pod's liquid. Suddenly, the figure inside opened his eyes—two crimson irises gleaming menacingly.
"Didn't expect an extra bonus."
As the liquid level receded, the man stepped out of the pod, completely bare. "Guess we'll have to tweak our plans a little."
One of the two figures asked, "Not following him anymore?"
"We'll cross paths again."
The man rubbed his temples, then turned to glance at the planet they had just passed. He licked his lips.
"Saiyans are always… special."
Then, he uttered a strange, alien phrase into the air.
Before long, the spacecraft, which had been hurtling through space, slowed down—then abruptly turned back.
---
Inside the massive spherical spaceship co-engineered by Dr. Brief and Bulma.
The central control console displayed that a 100-times gravity environment was currently active.
On the empty floor of the main cabin, a golden-haired man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed—it was Bardock.
Back when he had yet to transform into a Super Saiyan, Bardock had already graduated from training under 400-times Earth's gravity. And now, at a level where he had subtly mastered the full-power state of a Super Saiyan, a mere 100-times gravity environment was nothing more than a light massage as long as he bothered to regulate his ki properly.
Bardock was in training.
After adapting to Earth's martial arts system—especially after unlocking the Super Saiyan transformation and feeling the immense energy surging within him—he had come to truly appreciate the profoundness of Earth's martial arts philosophy.
"Change through stillness." That was Bardock's summary of Earth's martial arts.
Before training on Earth, he had never even considered the concept of "training" in the first place. Fighters across the universe, including himself, were accustomed to using their power crudely. In a world where strength determined survival—where failing to surpass others often meant death or subjugation—few ever stopped to ask: What exactly is my power? Where does it come from? And… how can I elevate it?
It was Earth's relatively isolated environment—and the inherent weakness of its inhabitants—that allowed them to focus inward, to carefully refine themselves.
And from that, they sought change.
They sought transcendence.
And in Bardock's eyes, what they discovered was ki.
By nature, Earthlings were pitifully weak—perhaps even weaker than the average wild beast on Planet Vegeta. Many would never be able to fly or fire energy blasts in their entire lifetimes. Yet for Saiyans, these were skills as instinctive as breathing—things that came as naturally as any other biological development in adolescence.
But Earthlings, in their weakness, sought change through stillness. Through relentless training, they pushed their limits and attained a dimension of strength that should have been beyond their reach—eventually awakening their ki.
On the other hand, a warrior as powerful as Bardock, when seeking change through stillness, tempered his immense battle power to the absolute limit. And in the end, through a single burst of overwhelming rage, he too shattered the constraints of his power and transformed into the legendary Super Saiyan of myth.
Now, throughout this long journey across the cosmos, he had remained in his Super Saiyan form, gradually coming to appreciate the deeper wisdom within Earth's martial arts philosophy.
He believed that there was a level beyond the Super Saiyan.
Was it what Shenron had once called the "Super Saiyan God"?
As Bardock pondered this in silent meditation under 100-times gravity, the spaceship's central system suddenly chimed in through the speakers:
"Estimated time until arrival at target planet: 10 minutes… Estimated time until arrival at target planet: 10 minutes…"
Bardock opened his emerald-green eyes.
---
A pair of crimson pupils reflected Nappa's expression—one of utter disbelief. His large frame was in a wretched state, blood spilling from his mouth.
The man withdrew his hand from Nappa's chest. With a dull thud, he casually tossed the burly, bald Saiyan to the ground. Nappa's body convulsed, his mouth continuously spitting out blood. His trembling hand reached toward Vegeta in the distance, but all that escaped his throat were hoarse, unintelligible sounds. Within moments, his pupils lost focus, and his body fell still.
"Well? Are you ready to answer my questions properly now, Prince?" The red-eyed man smiled faintly.
Vegeta's expression was grim as he faced the three figures before him. His left eye, covered by a scouter, displayed a single reading—200.
200? What kind of sick joke was that?
He tore off his scouter and crushed it in his hand.