Planet Frieza 79 — far, far away.
The planet had just undergone a full "purification."
The indigenous inhabitants were slaughtered, and now five figures stood atop the highest mountain, striking their usual strange, exaggerated poses.
"Ginyu Force, mission accomplished!"
A muscular, purple-skinned man with two horns twisted his body into a flamboyant S-curve pose as he announced it loudly.
"Beautiful! As expected of the Captain!" Jeice said with a thumbs-up.
They were just about to perform their eighteenth new celebratory pose when a communication request beeped.
Captain Ginyu instantly dropped the theatrics and connected the call.
Frieza's face appeared on the projection screen.
"Lord Frieza!"
Ginyu immediately dropped to one knee, with the rest of the Force quickly straightening up, their playful attitudes disappearing.
"Ginyu," Frieza said calmly.
"I need you to come to Namek immediately."
"Yes, Lord Frieza!"
"Dodoria and Zarbon have both been killed."
The Ginyu Force collectively stiffened.
They knew Dodoria and Zarbon's strength well.
They weren't on the Ginyu Force's level, but they were far from weak. Anyone who could kill both had to be a real threat.
"Oh ho ho! Do we finally have worthy opponents?!" Jeice's eyes lit up.
"I'll use my strongest power to blast him to pieces!" Likoom boasted, thumping his chest.
"Lord Frieza, please rest assured," Captain Ginyu said confidently.
"We, the Ginyu Force, will clear all obstacles for you!"
"Oh ho ho ho… I look forward to it," Frieza chuckled before ending the transmission.
Ginyu rose with a serious face.
"Men! Let's go!"
"Destination — Namek!"
"Ginyu Force, move out!"
Five streaks of colored light shot into the sky as their spaceship powered up and launched toward Namek.
In a Hidden Cave
Vegeta leaned weakly against a rock wall, panting heavily. His body was covered in wounds.
The four-star Dragon Ball, taken from Zarbon, lay by his feet.
Behind him, another Dragon Ball — stolen from a destroyed Namekian village — was hidden.
Just five more…
No. If he simply hid one of them, Frieza's wish would never be realized.
Victory would be impossible for that lizard.
He still had a chance.
Even though that mysterious man named Loren was unbelievably strong, he didn't seem interested in the Dragon Balls.
This was Vegeta's opening — his only opening.
But then—
Five powerful ki signatures suddenly descended from the sky, rapidly approaching Namek.
Vegeta's expression darkened instantly.
These five ki…
"Gi… Ginyu Force…"
Impossible.
Frieza actually called them here!
It was over.
Everything was over.
Vegeta knew better than anyone how terrifying the Ginyu Force was.
They were Frieza's strongest elite squad — the elite among elites.
He couldn't run. He couldn't fight them.
No.
He, Vegeta, could not die here.
Not before killing Frieza with his own hands.
A wild, humiliating thought entered his mind.
Those two Earthlings…
Asking for help from low-level warriors?
For Vegeta, this was harder than dying.
But survival instinct crushed his pride.
Vegeta grabbed the two Dragon Balls and burst out of the cave.
In a Nearby Valley
Krillin and Gohan were hiding behind a massive boulder, their nerves stretched tight.
"Krillin… who are those people? Their ki is terrifying…" Gohan whispered, pale-faced and trembling as he clutched Krillin's pants.
Cold sweat dripped down Krillin's forehead.
Each of those five ki signatures was so overwhelming he could barely breathe.
"I don't know… but they're definitely not good news."
A battered, injured figure suddenly crashed onto the ground in front of them.
Vegeta.
"Ve–Vegeta?!"
Krillin nearly jumped out of his skin. He quickly stepped in front of Gohan defensively.
"Relax, Earthling."
Vegeta tossed two Dragon Balls to the ground.
"These are… Dragon Balls?" Krillin gasped.
"Frieza's trump card, the Ginyu Force, has arrived," Vegeta said, his voice grim.
"Listen. We now have a common enemy. If you don't want to be wiped out like trash, then cooperate with me — temporarily."
"Cooperate?!" Krillin could hardly believe it.
"That's right," Vegeta said, still arrogantly, as if cooperation was a favor he was granting them.
Krillin's mind raced.
Vegeta was weakened. But the five approaching ki signatures… those were monstrous. Vegeta wasn't lying.
If they got caught by those people, they were dead.
Working with Vegeta might be their only chance.
"Alright…" Krillin gritted his teeth.
"We'll cooperate."
Beneath Namek's Waterfall
Loren sat cross-legged on a smooth boulder, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
The icy water crashed down from above, pounding his body like a natural massage.
[Daily Mission: Meditate under Namek's waterfall.]
[Mission completed. Reward: Battle Power +300.]
"Ah… that feels good…"
Loren stretched lazily as every pore in his body relaxed.
BOOM!
The ground quaked violently.
Five spherical spaceships slammed into the plains of Namek, sending massive shockwaves across the region.
The blast even made the waterfall above Loren momentarily pause its flow.
"That entrance…"
"Must be the Ginyu Force."
"Looks like things are about to get interesting."
In Front of Frieza's Spaceship
The hatch opened with a hiss.
Five figures appeared dramatically through clouds of smoke, striking exaggerated poses.
"Red Magma — Jeice!"
"Blue Hurricane — Burter!"
"Purple Comet — Ginyu!"
"Green Terror — Guldo!"
"White Beast — Likoom!"
"The five of us, united heart and mind!"
"GI—NYU—FORCE!!"
A random explosion even went off behind them to enhance the theatrics.
Frieza's eye twitched. Even after all these years, he still felt physically ill watching their ridiculous entrances.
"Alright, enough. Put away your disgusting poses," Frieza snapped.
"Yes, Lord Frieza!"
They instantly straightened up.
Frieza briefed them on Vegeta's betrayal, the stolen Dragon Balls, and the deaths of Dodoria and Zarbon.
"Please leave it to us," Ginyu said confidently.
"You just wait. We'll return shortly with the remaining Dragon Balls — and Vegeta's head."
"Go," Frieza ordered, "And kill whoever defeated Zarbon."
"Of course!" Likoom pounded his chest.
Ginyu pulled out the newest scouter model and scanned.
"Found them — Vegeta and two Earthlings. They're together."
Ginyu grinned.
"Good. Time to decide who gets to have some fun."
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
After a heated match, Likoom, Jeice, and Guldo won the right to attack.
"Move out!"
Three streaks of light tore into the sky, filled with killing intent.
Back at the Waterfall
Loren had just begun to relax again when three powerful ki signatures moved rapidly across Namek.
The air itself vibrated.
Loren sighed.
"Seriously… they're noisy the moment they arrive."
"These newcomers really have too much energy."