Vegeta tore across Namek's sky like a violet comet, boots leaving sonic cracks in the air.
Destination: the solitary stone spire where the Grand Elder waited.
He had locked onto the place the moment Nail's ki flared on his mental map, sharp, steady, and far above the scattered farmer-level signatures of the other Namekians. Forty-two thousand, give or take. Strong enough to matter, weak enough to break.
Five days of brutal ki-control drills in the pod had paid off. He still wasn't Goku-level yet, but he could read the planet like a battle chart now.
He flicked his eyes to the fake radar.
Nothing. Not a single blip near the Grand Elder's position.
A cold smile tugged at his lips.
"That blue-haired witch thinks she's clever."
He almost admired the ploy. Almost.
If he were the old Vegeta (arrogant, impatient, script-blind), he would have wasted days chasing ghosts across empty oceans before smashing the device in rage.
Instead, he pocketed the fake calmly. Evidence. Leverage. A future apology gift, maybe.
He stopped suppressing his ki.
A tidal wave of power rolled outward, thick, violent, and unmistakably Saiyan. Let Nail feel exactly what was coming. Let the old man feel it too.
Fear was an excellent negotiator.
Far ahead, the lone spire rose from the sea like a green needle.
At its peak, Nail's head snapped up.
The approaching energy hit him like a physical blow.
Cold. Cruel. Monstrous.
And heading straight for the Grand Elder.
"They found us already?" Nail's fists clenched so hard his knuckles went white. "How?!"
Village after village had already gone silent. Children slaughtered. Dragon Balls stolen. The screams still echoed in his mind.
He had stood here, useless, chained to this rock by duty while his people died.
No more.
Nail's aura detonated, green-white fire licking the sky.
A massive, ancient voice bloomed inside his head, heavy with grief.
[Nail… control yourself.]
"Grand Elder, they're coming here! They'll kill you too!"
[I know. But rage alone will not save us. Observe first. If there is even the smallest chance this one is different…]
"Different?!" Nail snarled, teeth bared. "They're all the same! Butchers! I'll tear him apart before he lays a hand on you!"
[Nail…] The Grand Elder's mental voice cracked with centuries of sorrow. [This is the greatest calamity our people have ever faced. I was naïve. I should have gathered everyone sooner… used the Dragon Balls to wish us all to a new world, far from this horror.]
A pause. A trembling psychic breath.
[I never thought they would slaughter us without even asking.]
Nail's shoulders shook, not from fear, but from pure, helpless fury.
The Saiyan's ki was almost on top of them now.
Massive.
Hungry.
Unstoppable.
Nail stepped forward, planting himself between the approaching storm and the frail old man behind him.
"Come on then," he whispered, voice raw. "I've been waiting to make one of you pay."
High above, Vegeta's eyes narrowed at the sudden spike of defiance.
He slowed, hovering just outside striking distance, arms folded, tail flicking once behind him.
"Nail," he called, voice carrying clearly across the wind. "I'm here to talk. Try not to do anything stupid."
Nail's answer was a roar and a blinding lunge.