"Chiaotzu!"
"Relax, I didn't kill him." Crane Hermit shot Tien Shinhan a glare full of killing intent. "But you... that's another story."
"I know exactly what kind of person Chiaotzu is. He's weak-willed — he never makes decisions on his own, and there's no way he'd betray me. He doesn't have the courage for that. Yet, he did betray me. That means someone else must have influenced him."
"And the only one capable of influencing Chiaotzu… is you, Tien Shinhan."
Crane Hermit looked Tien up and down. "It's true, these past three years have made you and those Turtle School trash much stronger. But even now, you're still no match for me."
As he said that, an overwhelming surge of ki burst from his body.
"Just wait. I'll make sure to give you all a proper welcome."
With arrogant laughter echoing behind him, Crane Hermit strode away.
"That old Crane's ki… how did it suddenly get so strong?" Master Roshi's eyes hardened behind his sunglasses. "It's only been three years… just what has he gone through in that time?"
The power Crane Hermit was showing now had far exceeded Roshi's expectations.
And if anyone in this world knew Crane Hermit best, it was Master Roshi.
They had once been fellow disciples, training under Master Mutaito together. They had once been comrades, fighting side by side against the Demon King who sought to destroy the world. And for hundreds of years, they'd been rivals locked in endless conflict.
After centuries of knowing each other—who could know Crane Hermit better than Roshi?
"Winner: the Devil Man!"
While the others were talking, the Devil Man had already won his match — easily defeating his opponent, a man named Tiger Tetsu.
Their power levels weren't even in the same league.
Now, only two contestants remained in the round of sixteen.
"The final match of the first round: Mr. Shen vs. the Assassin. Will both fighters please come to the stage."
The "assassin" was the man who had arrived with Crane Hermit, still shrouded in his cloak. With a light leap, he landed at the center of the ring.
"What a pity you're not one of the Turtle School." A cold, emotionless middle-aged voice came from beneath the cloak — yet it carried a deadly killing aura.
"Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen, are you here?" The announcer began to call out, as the other fighter had yet to appear.
"Oh dear, oh dear! My apologies!"
Just as the announcer was about to declare a forfeit, a flustered middle-aged man came jogging over, one hand clutching his trousers, the other waving frantically.
"Sorry everyone, my stomach was acting up, and… well, I was in there a little longer than expected. Thanks for waiting!"
The man's anxious, silly demeanor drew laughter from the audience.
"Hmph."
His opponent only snorted in contempt, not even bothering to respond.
"Mr. Shen, please proceed to the ring," said the announcer.
"Right away!" Shen nodded hurriedly and ran toward the stage — only to trip over his own feet and fall flat on his face, provoking even more laughter from the crowd.
"How long do you plan to keep up this clown act?"
The assassin's cold, emotionless voice made Shen pause.
Lowering his head, Shen glanced up at him — a glimmer of sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"Oh? So you noticed?"
"I didn't expect anyone in this world to see through me." Shen straightened up, the silliness gone, replaced by a faint yet commanding air. "Mind telling me where I slipped up? I thought my performance was pretty convincing."
"Heh." The assassin chuckled, the corners of his lips curling beneath the cloak.
"Your movements look clumsy, but in truth, every motion is tightly controlled.
Your steps seem unsteady, but your footing is firm."
"You appear full of openings — yet you have none."
"You think my eyes are for decoration?"
"You think the world's number one assassin is just a title?"
"'The world's number one assassin,' huh…" Shen nodded thoughtfully. "I'd say the title suits you."
With that, the assassin threw back his cloak, revealing his true face.
"That's Tao Pai Pai?!" Goku shouted in shock.
The sharp, triangular eyes full of malice, the cold, dead gaze that looked down on all life, the small braid down his back, and the trademark mustache —
There was no mistaking it. It was none other than the former world's greatest assassin, Tao Pai Pai.
Notably, his cheekbones were sharper than before, his temples more angular — giving him an even more sinister look.
"Mas–Master… Uncle…" Tien muttered, stunned. He couldn't help but speak.
Tao Pai Pai had once been his idol — the goal he aspired toward.
The title of "world's number one assassin" had been what he chased after.
"Hm?"
Seeing Tao Pai Pai in a completely human form, Naruto, watching from the sidelines, showed his first hint of surprise.
"He's not the cyborg Tao Pai Pai?"
In the original timeline, Crane Hermit had rebuilt the heavily injured Tao Pai Pai — who had been blown up by his own grenade when he failed to assassinate Goku — turning him into a cyborg by spending all the money he'd earned over his years as an assassin.
According to the original setting, Cyborg Tao Pai Pai's power level was around 200.
But the Tao Pai Pai standing here clearly surpassed that.
It seemed that due to Crane Hermit's changed fate, Tao Pai Pai's destiny had shifted as well.
"You may still call me Tao Pai Pai," he said coldly, his ki flaring up around him. "But I prefer my other name."
"Android No. 11."
Android No. 11?
With that, Tao Pai Pai faced off against Shen in earnest.
"'The world's number one assassin'…" Shen's face turned grim as he stared at Tao Pai Pai, whose evil ki now filled the arena.
"This is the first time I've ever sensed such a dark aura from a human."
Was Tao Pai Pai evil? Despite his ridiculous entrance, he was indeed a ruthless killer.
In just a few brief appearances, he had murdered several people.
He'd first killed General Blue of the Red Ribbon Army by piercing his head with his tongue. Then, after seizing a spear from Bora, the guardian of Korin's Tower, he killed him as well. If not for the Four-Star Dragon Ball, young Goku would've been next.
Later, when his clothes were damaged by a Kamehameha, he went to a tailor's shop for a custom outfit. Unwilling to pay, he offered to kill someone for free as "payment." The tailor, having no enemies, declined — so Tao Pai Pai killed him instead.
To him, if there was no solution to a problem, he'd simply eliminate the person who caused it.
Even compared to the later villains who could destroy planets or entire universes, none matched Tao Pai Pai's sheer cruelty in the details of his killings.
Capricious. Ruthless. Murderous on a whim.
"Evil or not — what difference does it make?" Tao Pai Pai sneered. "If you don't want to die, then leave. You're not my target, and I don't waste energy on meaningless kills."
"My only goal is to kill Son Goku — and every last member of the Turtle School."
His cold eyes turned toward Goku, filled with murderous intent.
"You are the only stain on my career as an assassin. And a stain… must be erased."
This borrowed body might not be enough to beat him, Shen thought, glancing first at Piccolo on the rooftop, then back at Tao Pai Pai. Still, I have to do something.
Shen charged forward, striking Tao Pai Pai with his knife-hand and fists with all his might — yet Tao Pai Pai didn't even flinch.
He stood there, hands behind his back, like an immovable pillar.
"Is that all you've got?" Tao Pai Pai looked sideways at the hand chopping his neck.
"Pathetic. Feels like a mosquito bite."
Without warning, he threw a punch — and Shen, caught off guard, took the blow straight to the face. Blood poured from his nose instantly.
Shen was shocked. He hadn't expected Tao Pai Pai to possess such monstrous strength.
This borrowed body is already injured, he realized grimly.
He was clearly outmatched.
"That guy's power level… it's 1,000!" Bulma shouted, pointing at Tao Pai Pai.
Among everyone present — aside from Naruto, Goku, and Piccolo — that was the highest power level yet.
No wonder he dared to speak of killing Goku.
"The taste of blood…" Tao Pai Pai glanced at the crimson on his knuckles, licking it — only to immediately spit it out in disgust.
"Ugh. The foul taste of inferior blood."
Looking down at Shen with contempt, he said, "Get lost. There's no point in you being here."
"Consider yourself lucky. I don't kill before meeting Son Goku."
Shen's power level barely reached 220 — utterly hopeless against Tao Pai Pai.
He was supposed to be the God of Earth, yet he was weaker than a human assassin.
In a way, Earth's god had already been left behind by the times — obsolete, outdated, unable to keep up with the world's evolution.
"Do you see now?" Crane Hermit laughed gleefully, stroking his beard as Tao Pai Pai displayed his might. "That's my younger brother's power!"
"Pray, all of you — pray you don't face us next."
"My brother and I will wipe every one of you out!"
"What interesting humans…" Piccolo mused, watching the Crane School brothers. "If they can be sanctified — or rather, corrupted — into demons, they might make decent subordinates."
"At least their strength is impressive."
Do I have to use that technique? Shen, sensitive to ki, knew perfectly well he was no match. He clenched his fists… then slowly released them, coming to a decision.
No. That move can't be revealed here. It's meant for him alone.
So, Shen raised his right hand and shouted to the referee,
"I forfeit!"
"A wise choice," Tao Pai Pai said with a cruel smile.
With Tao Pai Pai's victory, the final eight of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament were decided.
And since there was still daylight left, the first match of the quarterfinals began immediately.
"The first match of the quarterfinals: Son Goku versus the Demon Man!"
"Contestants, please take the stage."
"The name 'Son Goku'… it's far too familiar." The Devil Man flapped his wings as he landed on the ring, his gaze fixed on Goku.
"Of all my possible opponents, the one I least wanted to face… is him."
Beyond his raw power, the Devil Man possessed one hidden trump card — a terrifying, near–bug-level ability: the Devil Beam.
It amplified the evil within one's heart, expanding it infinitely until the victim destroyed themselves.
In the manga, the Devil Beam had failed against Goku, making it seem unimpressive — but that was only because Goku was immune.
Against anyone else, it was fatal.
In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, the Devil Man even appeared as a character — where, in an alternate storyline, he defeated Frieza after both Trunks and Goku failed to arrive on Earth.
In that version, his Devil Beam was practically unstoppable — "none can stand before it but Goku himself."
"I remember you now," Goku said, staring at him. "You worked for… uh, Fortuneteller Baba."
"Not Baba Nami!" the Devil Man corrected, flustered. "It's Baba Nattō! Wait—"
"Ah, whatever. Doesn't matter. Let's just fight again," he said, eyes gleaming. "This time, I'll settle the score!"
"Son! Goku!"
The Devil Man lunged first.
"Perfect. Let's see how strong you've become — the man who defeated my father," Piccolo said, intrigued.
He knew exactly how strong the Devil Man was — he'd been his sparring partner for the past two years.
By watching this fight, Piccolo could gauge how far Goku had truly come.
"Ha!"
Papapapapapa—!
In an instant, the two exchanged a flurry of blows too fast for the eye to follow. The Devil Man's style, honed through training with Piccolo, was laced with demonic techniques —
while Goku's movements were pure Turtle School, enhanced by the divine training he'd undergone in the Lookout.
After dozens of rapid exchanges, they broke apart.
In that first clash, neither had gained the upper hand.
"As I thought… you've grown much stronger," the Devil Man admitted. Once, Goku had beaten him with ease — but now, he realized the gap between them hadn't shrunk at all.
"Guess I'll have to use that move."