It was clear they were on different levels!
"Waaaah!"
Suddenly, a loud crying sound came.
Piccolo and Shano turned their heads to look, only to see Goku finding Gohan, who had been locked in Raditz's spherical spaceship.
The little guy wasn't absolutely terrified but had been worried that his dad would be killed. He clung to Goku as soon as he got out, crying loudly without stopping.
"Gohan!"
Goku checked Gohan tenderly to see if he was injured; seeing no obvious wounds, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Piccolo stepped up and said solemnly:
"Goku, now we're in some serious trouble. You heard what he said before he died, right? We have at most a year to prepare."
A year at most.
Then, two Saiyans far stronger than Raditz will descend upon Earth!
"Only a year?"
Goku scratched his head in distress, "Ugh, this is a hassle. Even if I train hard for a year, surpassing Raditz's level would still be tough..."
"Yeah."
Piccolo nodded, took a deep breath, and turned solemnly to Shano:
"Sir, though we don't know why a strong person like you would willingly live in obscurity, Earth is facing a huge crisis, and we really need your power!"
"That's right!"
Goku quickly added, "Mr. Shano, stop living in seclusion. Train with us!"
His eyes sparkled as he excitedly waved his fists, "If we join forces, we'll definitely get stronger. Then, we can defeat those invading Saiyans together!"
Shano didn't immediately respond, instead opening his right palm just as they were speaking. Black and red Supreme King Haki condensed into a sphere, completely sealing off the combat power detector inside.
"This is..."
Piccolo was stunned.
"This thing not only detects combat power but also serves as a communication tool among those Saiyans."
Shano stood up, chuckled, and explained:
"To prevent those two guys from eavesdropping, I've temporarily blocked it. Once we get back, we'll find someone to repair and modify it. Only then can we use it directly."
Oh, I see!
They both suddenly understood, and Goku laughed, punching his palm, "That's easy! My best friend Bulma is a great scientist and inventor!"
Modifying such a small thing should be a breeze for her, right?
Piccolo seemed to realize something, his gaze brightening, "Are we going back? Does Sir Shano mean he's willing to train with us?"
"Oh, of course."
Shano glanced at the sky and smiled slightly, "After all, I'm also an Earthling."
This time, the luck was rather good.
The timing of entering this world was just right for him.
Dragon Ball Z had just begun, and it hadn't yet touched upon Frieza or even the Artificial People and Majin Buu, these later bosses with overly godlike power, impossible to deal with.
And a year later, Vegeta would arrive.
If I remember correctly...
That guy Vegeta had a combat power of nearly twenty thousand when he first landed on Earth, right?
That's over ten times that of Raditz!
The pressure on my shoulders suddenly felt overwhelming, but still barely acceptable.
If I could defeat Vegeta one-on-one in this somewhat weakened Dragon Ball World,
when the one-year training period ends, I think I'll have enough capability to face Imu in his full form!
"Yay!!"
Goku cheered in celebration, his smile radiant like the sun, "That's great!"
Piccolo's eyebrows also raised as he smiled.
From what he saw, Goku's friends were not to be relied on, and against the impending Vegeta, just he and Goku were clearly not enough.
But Shano is different!
With this mysterious strong man joining, the future of Earth will hold a lot more hope.
Goku, noticing Piccolo's smile, pondered while holding his chin.
Strange...
He had felt that something was off before.
Why does it feel like something has changed about Piccolo after not seeing him for so long...
It seems he's not as evil as before?
Oh well, as long as it's a good thing.
"Hey, Goku, what's going on? Are you all alright?"
At this moment, an anxious young lady's voice came from the sky.
"Oh? It's Bulma! Bulma is driving to pick us up!"
Goku laughed and waved his hand, "Don't worry, we're all fine, Gohan is okay too. Everyone, come meet Brother Shano; thanks to him, that bad guy was taken care of!"
"Brother Shano?"
Another curious voice followed, "Goku, you're calling him brother? He looks younger than you, but indeed, you can feel a strong Qi from him."
Hmm, that voice sounds familiar...
Luffy?
Shano looked up in surprise, only to see Bulma and a small bald boy standing on tiptoe trying to see.
He couldn't help but laugh silently.
Oh, it was Kling.
......
Meanwhile, deep in the remote universe, on a planet with tropical rainforest scenery.
"Beep beep beep!"
An urgent alarm sounded.
"Huh?"
Vegeta, who was leaning against the trunk resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at the signal from the detector.
"Raditz is dead?"
Nappa, who was checking his own detector, raised an eyebrow in surprise, "There's someone strong enough on Earth to kill him?"
"Hmph, what a weakling."
Vegeta sneered, "But it makes sense. After all, the last data the detector transmitted showed that the person who killed him had a combat power over 3000."
"3000?!"
Nappa was shocked, "On mere Earth, there's a warrior of this caliber? Is it Kakarot?"
"Kakarot? A rejected lower-class warrior could never have that power."
Vegeta stood up and casually twisted his neck, "Look down there, and you'll understand. Besides Kakarot, there's someone else on Earth named Shano. It was that guy who killed Raditz."
"Shano?"
Nappa paused, scratching his bald head, "What a strange name. Vegeta, do you know this guy?"
He couldn't remember anyone with that name, and it didn't fit their Saiyan naming conventions at all.
"I have no idea either,"
Vegeta said coldly, "But it's not surprising. Even though our Saiyan race was long destroyed, there are inevitably a few lucky ones like us who slipped through the cracks. This guy seems to be some stray Saiyan bloodline. His combat power was still rising after reaching 3000 on the detector, so his real strength might rival yours, Nappa."
"What the heck are you saying? I don't like hearing that."
Nappa seemed displeased, "No matter how much more it rises, my combat power is a solid 4000. Beating him would be easy!"
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, once we get to Earth, this guy is all yours. Just remember to hold back a bit so you don't kill him outright."
"Huh?"
Nappa stared at Vegeta, who was heading towards the spaceship, bewildered, "What do you mean?"
"What do you think? Stop standing there like an idiot. Nappa, we're leaving now. Off to Earth!"
Vegeta entered the ship, a smirk on his face, "Raditz begged me to avenge him, huh, let that loser die. Who cares? But this Saiyan named Shano, he piques my interest. I'm planning to recruit him as a subordinate."
Nappa, that fool, doesn't understand.
The Saiyans are few now; calling himself a prince, he's practically all alone. From the images transmitted by Raditz, this Shano looked less than twenty.
At such an age, in a dump like Earth, training alone, and yet boasting a combat power over 3000!
What does that say?
Though his battle power might currently seem a bit below Nappa's, his talent and future potential far outweigh Nappa's!
His future combat power might even break 10,000!
A great man born into the world, how could he stay long beneath others, groveling in the Frieza Army, always cautious around members of the Ginyu Force, getting sick of it all!
If I can recruit Shano, I'll gain a powerful ally.
My ambition, my plans, might really come to fruition in the not-so-distant future!