Inside the Ox-King's castle, Bulma held the radar in one hand while searching for the Dragon Ball.
She found it quickly and cradled it in her palm, grinning from ear to ear.
"Found it! It's right here—one, two, three… seven!
It's the Seven-Star Ball!"
But after cheering, she realized no one was beside her.
"Huh? Where's Goku?"
With the Dragon Ball in hand, Bulma stepped out of the treasure room.
A moment later, she spotted Goku—he seemed to be talking with the Ox-King.
Chi-Chi was standing off to the side too, face burning red, twisting away as if she couldn't even bring herself to look over.
Bulma walked up.
"Goku, I found the sixth Dragon Ball!"
The Ox-King, Goku, and Chi-Chi all turned toward her.
Goku nodded. "That was fast. That's great."
Bulma flashed a bright smile. "Hehe, I know! Everything's going so smoothly.
Just one more and we'll have all seven!"
Goku nodded. "Yeah. Then let's hurry up and go find the last one."
Bulma hesitated. "But… our vehicles are out of fuel again. It'd be nice if we could refill."
The Ox-King waved a hand. "That's easy. There's a big village nearby with a gas station.
Just tell them my name—fuel is free!"
The way he said it sounded like some kind of underworld boss, making Bulma shake her head quickly.
"That would be too much trouble for you! Don't worry, I brought enough money."
The Ox-King laughed. "Doesn't matter. We're basically family from now on anyway.
To celebrate putting out the fire, I'm setting up a feast tonight. Stay and eat with us!"
Noticing Bulma seemed uncomfortable here, Goku looked at her.
"Bulma, do you want to stay one night?"
Bulma couldn't shake the feeling the Ox-King was a bit too rough around the edges, and she didn't want to stay.
So she smiled politely. "No, no, that would waste time.
We still have to find the last Dragon Ball, so we won't trouble you any more."
The Ox-King nodded. "In such a hurry?
Alright then, I won't keep you. Safe travels!"
Bulma nodded. "Thank you!" Then she grabbed Goku's hand. "We'll be going now—bye!"
With that, the two of them started down the mountain.
"Wait!" the Ox-King suddenly called.
Bulma jumped, her heart clenching.
What now? Was he not letting them leave?
She turned around—only to see the Ox-King pointing in another direction.
"You've got the wrong way. The village with the gas station is down that side."
Bulma blinked, then quickly nodded.
"Oh! Thank you!"
They changed direction and left.
As their backs disappeared into the distance, Chi-Chi called out loudly,
"Goku! Don't forget to come see me!"
The Ox-King affectionately patted her head.
"Chi-Chi, Goku is outstanding. You have to work hard and learn how to be a good wife.
Otherwise, you might lose to that girl named Bulma."
Chi-Chi nodded with determination. "I know! I'll study hard, Dad!"
…
A few days passed.
Bulma was driving when the engine suddenly sputtered and died.
Goku tilted his head. "What's wrong, Bulma?"
Bulma scratched her head. "Ah… we're out of gas again…"
"Out of gas? Then let's walk," Goku said. "You've been driving these past few days—you're exhausted.
If you don't want to walk, I can carry you."
Bulma laughed. "No need. And it's not far anyway—according to the map, there's a town five kilometers ahead."
"That's good," Goku said.
Being able to store even a car inside a capsule really did change everything.
So Bulma packed the car away and walked with Goku toward the town.
Not long after, they arrived at a small town under the control of the Rabbit Gang.
They headed straight for the gas station.
Not only did they need to refill the tank—they needed to fill spare fuel cans too.
Otherwise, they wouldn't make it another few hundred kilometers.
Bulma handed Goku the money.
"Goku, watch the refueling. I'm going to buy some stuff."
Goku nodded. "Don't go too far.
This is a town, but that doesn't mean it's safe."
Bulma smiled. "Stop worrying so much. This is a town, not the mountains.
It's so lively—how could it be unsafe…"
With that, she went into a nearby shop by herself.
At the same time, two Rabbit Gang soldiers swaggered down the street, causing trouble like they owned the place.
A kid who got in their way was kicked aside.
A fruit stall was knocked over with a casual shove, apples scattering everywhere.
The vendors saw them coming and immediately backed off.
They let their stalls get overturned, let their goods get taken—anything, as long as they didn't get targeted.
Everyone on the street stayed far away from them.
Even a dog that wandered too close got kicked twice.
A little later, Bulma stepped out of a clothing store in a fresh outfit, two bottles of soda in hand.
New clothes on a beautiful girl—she instantly became the brightest sight on the street.
But she looked around, confused.
"Why does the street suddenly feel so quiet and tense…?"
Then she spotted the two soldiers with rabbit ornaments harassing people.
They kicked over a tea stall, ceramic cups shattering across the ground.
The owner didn't dare resist—she just curled up and trembled.
Bulma frowned.
"Those two are disgusting…"
The shopkeeper who'd sold her the cold drink hurriedly whispered, "Miss, get inside and hide. They're bad people."
Bulma froze. "Bad people? Even towns are this lawless?"
The shopkeeper looked terrified. "You don't know? They're Rabbit Gang. Don't provoke them!"
Just as he finished speaking, the two Rabbit Gang soldiers turned their heads in this direction.
The shopkeeper's face went pale, and he ducked back into his shop—still peeking nervously from inside.
The two soldiers exchanged grins.
"There's a pretty little thing up ahead."
"Heh heh… yeah. Not bad at all."
They walked right up to Bulma.
"Hey, miss. Come keep us company."
A dangerous glint flashed in Bulma's eyes.
"Who are you?"
The taller soldier chuckled. "Heh. An outsider, huh? No wonder you're not scared.
Let me tell you—in this town, nobody dares mess with the Rabbit Gang.
Even kids have to hide when they see us."
Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what do you want?"
The shorter one rubbed his hands together lewdly.
"Nothing much. Just want you to have a little fun with us… heh~"
Bulma let out a tired sigh.
"I don't have time for this.
If you don't want to get hurt, stay away from me. Understand?"
She turned and started walking back toward the gas station.
That was when the tall soldier pulled out a pistol and aimed it at her.
"Heh… you're a spicy one.
You got a death wish, little girl?"