After taking care of Dodoria, Loren found a cliff where the sunlight was perfect and the view stretched across half of Namek.
He stretched his arms, bones crackling satisfyingly, then lay down on the warm ground.
The planet's gravity was light, the wind refreshing, and the air carried a strange but pleasant scent of Namekian plants.
A perfect nap spot.
…
Vegeta tore across the jagged terrain of Namek, his face tense.
For days he had found nothing but destroyed villages and the corpses left behind by Frieza's thugs.
The scene of Loren obliterating Dodoria with a single Kamehameha replayed in Vegeta's mind again and again.
And every time, his jaw tightened.
He knew he couldn't survive that blast.
"Frieza… Loren…"
Vegeta's teeth gnashed.
He couldn't hesitate anymore.
If he wanted any hope of turning the tide, he needed the Dragon Balls—first.
Eventually, he found another village reduced to rubble.
His scouter showed zero life signs.
But Vegeta's instincts screamed that something was here.
He dove into the nearby lake.
Deep beneath the mud, a faint orange glow shimmered.
The Four-Star Dragon Ball.
Vegeta's eyes widened in excitement.
He burst out of the water, clutching the ball, and laughed wildly.
"Hahahahaha! With this, Frieza will never get his wish!"
"As long as I hide it, you'll never gather all seven!"
But before he could savor his victory—
Vegeta froze.
A tall, elegant figure hovered in front of him, somehow appearing without a single ripple of energy.
Green skin.
Smooth features.
Long blue hair.
Zarbon.
"Oh? Isn't this the Saiyan Prince?"
Zarbon's lips curled into a cold smirk.
"And here I thought someone dangerous was making all this noise. Turns out it's just you celebrating over a piece of trash."
"Isn't that the Dragon Ball Lord Frieza is looking for?"
Vegeta's expression hardened.
"Zarbon."
"Hand over the Dragon Ball. Kneel. Beg for your life. Maybe I'll consider leaving your corpse intact."
Vegeta let out a sharp laugh and threw the Dragon Ball toward the distant shore.
"You want it? Go get it!"
After nearly dying on Earth, Vegeta's power had risen from 18,000 to 24,000.
And he knew Zarbon's was 23,000.
A small difference—
But enough for the proud Saiyan Prince.
"A monkey who doesn't know his place…"
Zarbon's expression hardened, and he vanished.
A roar erupted as their battle began.
Just as Vegeta predicted, he forced Zarbon back with his brutal, relentless fighting style.
Each punch carried the wrath and humiliation he had endured for years.
Bang!
Another heavy punch landed squarely on Zarbon's abdomen, sending him flying.
Vegeta hovered above him, laughing wildly.
"Did you see that, Zarbon?!"
"This is the gap between a lowly servant like you and a Prince!"
Zarbon slowly rose, wiped the purple blood from his lip, and for the first time, his handsome face twisted with rage.
"Vegeta… you miserable monkey…"
"You've successfully… pissed me off!"
His aura exploded.
Muscles swelled.
Skin tore.
Scales emerged.
In seconds, the refined nobleman transformed into a grotesque monster dripping with killing intent.
His power level spiked—surpassing 30,000.
Vegeta's smirk vanished.
"This… This is—"
"Oh? Surprised, Your Highness?" Zarbon growled, voice now coarse and monstrous.
"I forgot to mention… this is my TRUE power."
He disappeared.
Vegeta felt a spear-like pain in his gut as Zarbon's blow sent him crashing into a mountainside.
From that moment, the fight turned into pure one-sided brutality.
Zarbon grabbed Vegeta by the hair and ripped him out of the shattered rock wall like a dead dog.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?"
Zarbon sneered cruelly.
He stomped down on Vegeta's knee.
Crack.
"AGH—!"
Vegeta's scream echoed across the lake.
"Where's that arrogance you had a minute ago?"
Bang!
A vicious punch smashed into Vegeta's cheek, throwing him face-first into the mud.
"Aren't you the Saiyan Prince?"
"Aren't you the mighty warrior race?"
Zarbon stepped closer, boots sinking into mud and shallow water.
He lifted Vegeta's chin with the tip of his boot.
"Look at yourself."
Zarbon dragged Vegeta to the lake and shoved his face underwater.
Then yanked him back up.
Cold lake water mixed with blood dripped from Vegeta's face as he gasped for breath.
In the water's reflection—
A mud-covered, battered, humiliated Saiyan stared back.
"Is this the dignity of the last Saiyan Prince?"
Zarbon mocked.
"Your planet was erased by Lord Frieza with one finger."
"Your father—King Vegeta—turned to cosmic dust without making a sound."
"And you, his proud heir, are being held down like a worm."
"Pathetic Saiyan Prince. Take your pride and rot in hell."
"Shut up!"
Vegeta roared with every bit of strength left in him.
"Scum! You're not worthy of insulting the Saiyans!"
"Noble?" Zarbon laughed wildly.
"You—being trampled into the ground—dare to talk about nobility?"
"What a joke."
"No—what a TRASH species!"
He threw his head back and howled with laughter.