Earth
Watching Krillin's transformation, Gohan couldn't help quoting something he'd once seen in a sci fi cultivation story.
Flesh is weak. Machinery ascends.
Right now Krillin had pretty much broken through the ceiling of human genetics.
That instantly made Gohan think of one of the other twelve universes. In that universe, aside from the Supreme Kai, everyone else had turned into machines. Even the God of Destruction hid inside a mechanical battle suit.
Not long after, Son Goku, Piccolo, and Tien Shinhan all rushed over to Capsule Corp.
Vegeta scoffed and didn't bother coming. Raditz and Nappa were still training.
"Whoa, Krillin, how did you suddenly get so strong?" Goku was genuinely startled by Krillin's ki.
"Yeah, Krillin, are you like me? Some kind of alien? Did you unlock a bloodline seal?" Tien also looked confused.
"Hehe, I'm not telling you. Fight me first," Krillin said, battle intent boiling.
"All right, I'll go first." The moment Goku heard there was going to be a fight, he got excited.
"Wait. Are you trying to blow up my house? Take it somewhere else." Bulma's young lady temper exploded.
"Bulma's right. Dad, you guys come with me. I know a place where we can go all out. I want in too." When Gohan saw Tien, he suddenly remembered he still didn't know how strong Tien had gotten after returning from the Triclops Planet.
"You guys go. I won't." Piccolo suddenly spoke.
"What's wrong, Piccolo?" Goku asked, confused.
"Hmph. You want me to go get beaten up? I'm leaving." Piccolo shot into the sky.
Gohan saw a few drops of faint purple blood fall through the air.
Piccolo was upset. Really, deeply upset.
How long had it even been since he fused with Kami?
And he was already getting left behind?
Saiyans being stronger than him, he could accept. Tien being stronger than him, he could barely accept too, since Tien was the young master of the Triclops race and had been sealed. His potential was huge.
But Krillin? That bald Earthling? That was hard to swallow.
Piccolo had sensed it clearly. Krillin's ki was about ten times his.
Actually it wasn't a full ten times, but it was close enough. Piccolo was around 2.5 billion. Krillin, after the modification, was sitting at 20 billion.
And Piccolo wasn't underestimating Krillin. Compared to Vegeta, Raditz, Nappa and the others, Piccolo actually knew Krillin better.
Goku and Krillin were both disciples of Master Roshi.
After fusing with Kami, he'd inherited Kami's memories. He knew very well that Master Roshi was probably the purest martial artist on Earth. His talent was just limited.
If their power levels were equal, Piccolo wasn't sure he could beat that old man.
And there was the Evil Containment Wave. A move he would never forget.
"Damn it. Why. Why?" Piccolo was both indignant and lonely.
Back with Gohan and the others.
"Gohan? What's wrong with him?" Goku still didn't get it.
"He got hit in the pride. You guys go spar at the Lookout. There's a failed prototype of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber up there. The space inside is huge. Do whatever you want. I'll go talk to Piccolo." Gohan decided to give up sparring for now.
He took off after Piccolo.
Goku, Tien, and Krillin flew toward the Lookout.
By the waterfall
Piccolo stood under the roaring water, eyes closed, letting the force of the falls crash down over him.
As Gohan landed, Piccolo opened his eyes. "Gohan. You came to pity me?"
"I came to help you. Don't get so prickly. You know me," Gohan said helplessly.
Whoosh.
Piccolo leaped out of the waterfall. His familiar white cape and turban appeared.
"You have a way to make me stronger?" Piccolo was visibly tempted.
"Yeah. I realized what Mr. Popo told you before is too high level for where you are right now. It's not that his method is wrong. It's that neither of us can fully use the deeper meaning yet. But I've got two other ways." Gohan held up two fingers.
"You have two?" Piccolo instantly knew what that gesture meant. "Say it. What are they?"
"First, fusion. If you merge with other Namekians, your strength will increase geometrically."
"That won't work. Namekians are my people. I can't just fuse with my own people to get stronger." Just like Gohan expected, Piccolo rejected it.
His pride wouldn't allow him to do that. He remembered the gentle Grand Elder, all the kind Namekians.
He couldn't do it.
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that. But I also know there's a Namekian not on Namek. He's very strong. Stronger than Frieza when Frieza was alive. But he's also very evil. If I have you fuse with him, you won't have any psychological burden, right?" Gohan thought of the wanted list at the Galactic Patrol. On it was the Namekian warlord, Slug.
Slug. A Namekian who had been sent away to Planet Slug before the Namekian cataclysm. Born with high battle power and an extremely twisted, evil heart.
He was a once in a hundred years Namekian warrior. He'd even had a movie.
On Planet Slug, as a young man, he'd ran roughshod over the planet with his immense power, called himself King, and gathered many subordinates. He was cruel and ruthless. Subordinates who displeased him were killed on the spot.
As he got older, both his strength and his evil grew.
King Kai had even said once that if Slug regained his youth, his battle power would far surpass a Super Saiyan and Frieza. In the end, it was only because Gohan whistled and triggered his weakness, and Goku borrowed Piccolo's ki to go Kaioken x100 for a few seconds to punch through that giant body.
But even then Slug didn't die. Goku had to fly up, gather energy from the sun, and form a Spirit Bomb to finish him.
Judging from the timeline, Slug should be about as old as King Piccolo's original body.
But he didn't have Piccolo's talent. He couldn't make Dragon Balls.
So by now he should be very, very old.
When Gohan saw his wanted poster at the Galactic Patrol, he'd actually wondered why Slug hadn't shown up on Earth.
After all, Cooler had shown up.
"More evil than me?" Piccolo hesitated for a moment.
"You? You're nothing. He was born with that evil heart. Not because you got tainted by a demon portal. At his peak he was conquering planets across the universe. Even King Cold stayed out of his way. Only when Frieza was born, and Slug got old, did the Frost Demons take the top spot again."
"So you're saying I should defeat him and fuse with him?" Piccolo frowned.
"Yup. But it's your choice. He's an evil Namekian. If you fuse with him, I'm worried you might go dark again. If that happens, I'll have to stop you even if I don't want to." Gohan tossed the choice back to him.
"Let's do it. I don't believe that I, Piccolo Daimao, would lose to him spiritually. Namekian fusion follows the stronger party anyway. I'm stronger than he is right now." Piccolo still chose to do it.
"Good. I'll take you to Planet Slug. He doesn't wander much now. He's old. He just stays there," Gohan said, grabbing Piccolo, ready to teleport.
"Wait, Gohan. Even if you help me, I won't thank you," Piccolo said, still stubborn.
"I don't need you to thank me. But you have to promise me one thing. If you promise, I'll tell you the second way to get stronger. Hehe." Gohan suddenly smiled in a very suspicious way.
"Yeah, that smile does not look good," Piccolo said, suddenly uneasy.
"Just tell me. Do you promise or not?" Gohan pressed. He knew exactly how to handle Piccolo.
"Fine. I promise. What is it?" Piccolo ground his teeth.
"I'll tell you when it's time. Hehe."
"You messing with me?" Piccolo was furious.
"Nope. When the time comes you'll know."
"Hmph. Then tell me what the second method is."
"What's the rush? Finish the first one, then I'll tell you the second."
"Gohan, saying half your sentence is bad karma you know." Piccolo was about to explode.
He realized every time he talked to Gohan, his temper just flared up on its own.
"Enough talking. Let's go. Planet Slug." Gohan couldn't be bothered to listen to him complain. He grabbed Piccolo and vanished.
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