Vegeta looked like he'd been punched in the soul. Seeing that made Raditz feel deeply satisfied.
"What's wrong, Vegeta?" he said casually.
"Can't handle the fact I've surpassed you?"
He grinned. "No need to panic—you're a genius, remember?"
"Kakarot's wife is impressive too, you know. From a young age, she created a training method that can unlock a person's full potential. Kakarot became this planet's strongest warrior because of her guidance."
"So don't get discouraged. Compared to Earthlings, we Saiyans have far more innate combat talent. And you—you're the Saiyan Prince. Your potential is even greater."
"If you train as hard as I did, it won't take long before you overtake me."
Raditz bent down, picking up a broken piece of debris.
"Tch, what a waste. This thing shattered too easily. I'll bring it back to Bulma—she might be able to repair it."
Vegeta finally snapped out of his daze, turning to Raditz in shock.
"Raditz… what's your current power level?"
Raditz thought for a moment. "Probably over fifty thousand. I haven't tested in a few days."
"What?! Over fifty thousand?!"
Vegeta's eyes widened.
"That means… you're stronger than Dodoria and Zarbon?"
Raditz chuckled. "Technically, yeah. Aside from Frieza and the Ginyu Force, I've already surpassed every commander under Frieza's command."
"Impossible…" Vegeta muttered, still stunned.
"You've only been here a year. How did you get this strong?"
Raditz smiled.
"What can I say? My talent wasn't that bad to begin with. Just a single year of serious training on Earth pushed me far ahead of those Earthlings. A few more years, and I'll be beyond most of them."
Vegeta frowned again, unconvinced.
"Are you joking? You went from a power level of 1,500 to 50,000 in a year, and you still need years to surpass Earthlings?"
Raditz sighed.
"It's not that simple. They've been training using advanced scientific methods for a long time. Even if they're less gifted, they're still way ahead of me."
"Anyway, forget that for now."
"Nobody knew you'd arrive today, or else they would've waited. Right now, everyone's away doing a long-overdue simulated group battle."
"This morning they went to King Kai's planet. Only just returned. Bulma spotted you with a detector and got worried you'd cause trouble with Nappa, so she asked me to come pick you up."
Vegeta blinked.
"King Kai's… simulated group battle? What the hell is that?"
Raditz explained,
"It's just sparring in a special environment. Simulated combat—free-for-all, really. Good for training."
"If they realize you're back, they'll be here in half an hour."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes.
"So… they're not on Earth right now?"
Raditz nodded. "That's right. Like I said, they'll rush back once they sense your energy. Either they're flying fast, or the place isn't too far."
Just as he turned to leave, Raditz suddenly paused.
He scanned the area and turned back to Vegeta.
"Wait a second… where's Nappa? Didn't you two land together?"
Vegeta's face darkened as he remembered. A vein pulsed at his temple.
"That bastard Nappa. The moment he found out I was planning to betray Frieza, he ran off and snitched to the Frieza Force."
"I found out—and killed him."
"What?!" Raditz swallowed hard.
"Nappa… betrayed us?" he muttered. "Unbelievable."
But then, Raditz reconsidered.
Back then, he had been the weakest of the trio. Life in the Frieza Force was actually pretty decent—they invaded planets and lived comfortably. And Frieza's power level was absurd—easily capable of destroying planets. Not to mention the Ginyu Force, Zarbon, Dodoria… all monsters they couldn't hope to defeat.
Raditz had never dared to think about rebellion.
But after arriving on Earth—after seeing Kakarot and those Earthlings with power levels in the millions—everything changed.
Knowing Kakarot had become the strongest filled him with a renewed pride in his Saiyan heritage.
The Saiyans were the ultimate warrior race.
Why should Frieza rule the universe? It should be the Saiyans.
Raditz sighed.
"He sold us out… what a shame."
"That's one less Saiyan."
"But whatever. He's dead now, and thanks to him, Frieza probably has his eyes on Earth too."
"Still, no big deal. You got here a month earlier than expected. Originally, we planned to go after Frieza in about a month."
"This actually works better. Gives you some time to power up. Then we head to Planet Namek."
"One thing's for sure: we can't let the battlefield be Earth."
With that, Raditz smirked and gestured.
"Come on, Vegeta. Let me show you Earth's gravity chamber. That's how I trained for a year and got this strong."
He turned toward the resort estate.
But Vegeta held back.
"Wait… you said everyone's off-world, right?"
Raditz looked confused.
"Yeah. What about it?"
Vegeta's eyes sharpened.
"Then explain this—when I landed, my scouter picked up multiple strong energy signatures."
"Don't tell me Earth has other fighters on their level?"
Raditz blinked. "Huh? That can't be right. Most Earthlings don't train. Their power levels are barely five."
Vegeta snarled, "There's no way I misread it."
Just then, a thick black cloud spread overhead, casting the sky in shadow.
Raditz glanced up.
"Huh… is it about to rain?"
Vegeta frowned.
"Earth's weather is this bad? It was clear a moment ago…"
"No wonder nobody wants to invade this planet."
Raditz shook his head.
"No… Earth's weather is usually fine. What's going on?"
Suddenly, something appeared in the sky—twisting like a giant dead branch.
Vegeta squinted.
"Hey, Raditz, what's that?"
Raditz rubbed his eyes and looked closely.
"Looks like… a tree? But it's enormous. And growing way too fast."
"Sure, Earth's gravity is lower, and their trees grow faster than the ones on Planet Vegeta, but still… they take years to mature. I've been here a year and haven't seen anything grow like this."
Vegeta narrowed his eyes.
"That's no normal tree. It's the Tree of Might."
Raditz blinked. "Tree of what now?"
Vegeta glanced at the branches and vines spiraling through the sky.
As royalty, he had seen records of strange things across the universe.
He smirked.
"I've heard of the Tree of Might. It drains the planet's energy to bear fruit."
"Once it's rooted, the planet withers away quickly."
"Looks like I arrived just in time—someone's invading Earth."
Raditz furrowed his brow.
"Invading Earth? Come on, who would even dare?"
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait… no way. Don't tell me Frieza came?!"
"Damn it—of all the times!"
Vegeta was about to clarify, to say it couldn't be Frieza—he wouldn't use such low-class tactics.
But then he stopped himself.
Why bother explaining anything to someone weaker?
Sure, Raditz was stronger than him right now, but Vegeta knew—given the same training, he would become hundreds of times stronger.
He had full confidence in his talent.
Vegeta said coldly, "Let's go see who it is."
Without waiting, he flew toward the massive tree.
Raditz hesitated, then followed.
Moments later, they arrived at the tree's base.
Its trunk towered like a mountain, branches thick as buildings. The canopy blocked out the sky, plunging the earth into eerie twilight.
The trunk was still growing, expanding visibly.
Raditz narrowed his eyes.
"Just a tree, huh? I'll smash it to bits!"
He raised his palm, Ki crackling around it, and blasted the trunk with a massive energy wave.
The explosion echoed through the air, raising a storm of smoke and debris.
Vegeta watched with a sharp intake of breath.
This was the first time he'd seen someone with a power level of 50,000 attack.
But when the smoke cleared… the tree remained untouched.
Raditz gaped.
"No way. I couldn't even scratch it?!"
Vegeta's gaze sharpened.
"The legends were true. The Tree of Might is tougher than normal trees."
"Supposedly, if you eat its fruit, you get stronger."
Raditz blinked.
"How strong?"
Vegeta smirked.
"Who knows?"
Just then, a familiar figure appeared before them.
Vegeta's eyes narrowed.
"Kakarot?"
Raditz blinked.
"Wait—Kakarot? You already got back from King Kai's place?"
He gestured between them.
"Vegeta, this is our former prince."
The man looked at the two Saiyans and smiled.
"Vegeta, huh? Hahaha… I didn't expect to run into fellow Saiyans while invading some backwater planet. Perfect timing—I could use some help."
"Join me, Vegeta."
Raditz's expression darkened.
"Wait… you're not Kakarot!"
The man smirked.
"Kakarot? Ah, another Saiyan name."
"So there are more of us on this planet? Fantastic."
"Let me introduce myself. I am Turles!"