As a veteran pirate who had plundered his way across the cosmos, Simoreka wasn't about to take Pasda's word at face value. The mention of Namek was enough; he would judge its worth for himself.
Several days later, guided by Pasda's coordinates, their ship arrived in the star system that housed the green planet.
"Boss, I've heard the Namekians are very strong. We should be careful," Pasda ventured as the planet grew in their viewports. He knew the rumors: many pirates had ventured to Namek before. Some were never heard from again. It was said powerful warriors dwelled there, punishing those who came with ill intent. Some of those lost had been stronger than he was.
"Oh? Stronger than you have fallen here?" Simoreka gave a mocking smile, looking Pasda up and down. The man was barely recovered. "If a planet can handle beings stronger than you, then it must hold extraordinary value."
In Simoreka's eyes, Pasda's peak power of less than 150,000 was pathetic. He estimated any previous invaders were likely under 500,000. While beating such opponents was respectable, it was nothing he and his crew couldn't handle.
Yunba alone, for all his gluttony and unreliability, boasted a battle power nearing a million—far exceeding his own 600,000. Add in his crew of thousands to tens of thousands, plus the new cannon fodder like Pasda, failure seemed impossible. What could go wrong on some backwater planet he'd barely heard of?
Thus, with arrogant confidence, Simoreka ordered the ship to breach Namek's atmosphere without a second thought.
At the Grand Elder's dwelling, the ancient Namekian paused his conversation with Earth's Kami. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before it settled into serene calm.
"Nail," he said, turning to his guardian. "Evil beings have come to Namek. Inform our people to take shelter."
Nail's expression shifted from confusion to grim understanding as he, too, sensed the approaching malevolent ki. "Yes, Grand Elder." He vanished to carry out the order.
Earth Kami had sensed it as well. The sheer scale and darkness of the energies made his own green skin pale further. "Grand Elder... who are they?"
"Universe Pirates, or some manner of interstellar marauders," the Elder replied, his voice steady. Namek had faced such threats before and endured.
"But... their power..." Kami stammered, the gulf in strength terrifyingly clear even to his senses. The Grand Elder was mighty, but this... Rhode and Ayla were strong, but not on this level. He saw no hope.
"Do not worry," the Grand Elder said, his ancient eyes holding a deep, unshakable certainty. "We have weathered many storms. This will be no different." There was a reason the Namekians had survived their cataclysm. They had reserves of power, and the ultimate, desperate card of assimilation, should the need arise. The peace of his home would not be so easily broken.
When faced with a true life-or-death crisis, the assimilation of Namekian warriors with combat talent could give birth to a being of immense power, enough to confront any calamity. This was the Grand Elder's unspoken assurance.
As the Elder made his quiet preparations, Simoreka's ship, having landed on Namek, immediately locked onto the planet's strongest energy signatures and sped toward the Grand Elder's dwelling.
"They're here!" Kami whispered, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow as he felt the malevolent energies converging. He looked desperately at the still-composed Elder. "Grand Elder, shouldn't you... avoid them?"
"You should go and take cover. Their target is me; they will not trouble themselves with you," the Elder replied, his voice a model of tranquility, urging the weaker Kami to safety.
Kami stood frozen, his heart numb with a surreal dread. He had just found his homeland, his people. How had it come to this so quickly?
The roar of engines now filled the air. The evil ki was upon them.
Hm? Suddenly, Kami's eyes widened. In his perception, two familiar energies—Rhode's and Aira's—had abruptly reappeared!
Outside, as Simoreka and his motley crew descended their ship's ramp onto the soft Namekian grass, their triumphant advance was interrupted. A shimmering, rectangular portal of light materialized out of thin air before them.
From this gateway stepped Rhode and Aira. Their battle armor was clean but showed clear signs of wear and age. Their demeanors had shifted subtly; a new layer of sharp, honed control overlay their presence. Aira's arrogance was still there, but it was tempered, more focused.
The pirates stared, momentarily stunned by the bizarre entrance.
Hm?
The moment their feet touched Namekian soil, Rhode and Aira sensed it—the dense, cloying blanket of malignant ki. Rhode's eyes narrowed.
Whoosh!
His gaze locked onto Simoreka's group, pausing for a fraction of a second on the three familiar faces among them. Then, he vanished.
BOOM!
Before Simoreka's crew could even process what was happening, their own spaceship erupted in a cataclysmic fireball behind them.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The ship's destruction was just the opening act. In the same blurred instant, every piece of technology on the pirates—every scouter, every communicator, every energy gauge—exploded into useless sparks and fragments on their persons.
Whoosh!
Rhode reappeared exactly where he had been standing, as if he had never moved. He looked at the now-disarmed, shocked, and suddenly vulnerable pirates, a predatory smile spreading across his face.
"Now," he said, his voice cool and clear in the sudden silence broken only by the crackle of dying flames, "there won't be any… interruptions."