Vegeta threw his head back and roared with laughter. "HAHAHAHA! I really have become so much stronger!
You can't beat me anymore, Zarbon!"
At that moment, Zarbon stood up again. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a feral look creeping across his face.
"This is surprising… Your growth is absurdly fast.
But because of that… you've awakened a power I've kept sealed for many years."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "What? You're saying I awakened your sealed power?"
Zarbon nodded with a smile. "That's right."
"Hahahahahaha…"
Vegeta laughed louder, then hooked a thumb at himself.
"What a hilarious joke. Too bad—I'm not interested. Die, Zarbon."
Zarbon sneered. "Before you die, let me tell you why I never use my ultimate power.
Because to unleash my true strength, I have to transform.
But my transformed appearance is… hideous. For someone as refined as me, it's unacceptable.
Still—rather than die, I'd rather use that ugly form.
As long as I kill you, no one will remember what my face looked like."
Not far away, Nappa heard that and broke into a cold sweat.
Zarbon… you're really saying that out loud.
If you beat Vegeta, are you going to silence me too…?
But no matter how grand Zarbon made it sound, Vegeta remained arrogant.
"Transform? I've never heard of you transforming like Saiyans do.
What, cornered and now you're spouting nonsense?"
Zarbon smiled. "I don't become a giant ape like you Saiyans… but my power increases overwhelmingly."
Vegeta crossed his arms. "Is that so? Then show me."
Right now, Vegeta had absolute confidence in his strength.
In the next instant, Zarbon roared—and his body swelled violently. Muscles ballooned, his skin turned a deep green and grew scale-like patterns.
His handsome face warped into something reptilian and monstrous—jaw protruding, fangs bared.
His entire presence shifted from elegant to savage, his body several times larger than before.
Most importantly—
his aura surged far beyond what it had been. Even Vegeta flinched at the sudden spike.
"Well?" Zarbon grinned hideously. "Did I scare you, Vegeta?"
Then he slammed a knee into Vegeta's stomach.
"Ugh—!"
The impact made Vegeta choke, nearly vomiting up everything he'd eaten.
Before Vegeta could recover, Zarbon grabbed him and hurled him into the sky, then rocketed upward and drove a punch toward him.
But the moment Vegeta was thrown into midair, he regained his bearings.
He swung a fist down from above.
Zarbon didn't dodge.
He threw the exact same punch back.
BAM! BAM!
Zarbon's fist smashed into Vegeta's face. Vegeta's fist landed on Zarbon's face too—
but the results weren't even close.
Vegeta's face instantly swelled and bled.
Zarbon's ugly transformed face, however, had absurd durability—he wasn't injured at all, as if Vegeta's punch had been nothing.
Vegeta was blown back, shock crashing through him like a tidal wave.
"How…? Zarbon can do this…?"
Seeing Vegeta's panic, Zarbon savored the moment and returned the mockery.
"Heh. Looks like you're surprised, Vegeta.
Too bad—you're going to pay for your miscalculation.
Oh, and here's another secret…"
Zarbon's grin widened.
"Lord Frieza can transform too."
Vegeta's eyes widened again.
"What?"
"His transformations increase his power far more than mine!
You can't even beat me, and you think you can challenge Lord Frieza?
What a ridiculous dream."
As he spoke, Zarbon stacked his hands and fired a massive energy wave at Vegeta.
This one was far stronger—and far faster.
Vegeta couldn't block it.
BOOOOM!
He was swallowed by a raging sea of energy.
When the blast finally faded, Vegeta fell into the water below.
Zarbon hovered in the air, waiting for Vegeta to surface.
But five minutes passed… and Vegeta still didn't come up.
"…That long without surfacing. Is he dead?"
Another five minutes passed.
Still nothing.
Zarbon glanced at the emerald water and shrugged. "Whatever. Even if he survived…
after seeing my true power, he won't dare rebel again."
Zarbon reverted to normal and muttered, "Alright. I should report Dodoria's death to Lord Frieza…"
Then he flew back toward Frieza's direction.
At that moment, Nappa realized Zarbon didn't even look at him before leaving. Nappa immediately turned toward the lake.
The water was calm—still no sign of Vegeta.
But Nappa wasn't happy.
Instead, he felt conflicted… and even a bitter sense of regret.
The moment he understood he was nothing but a disposable chess piece to Vegeta, he'd hated him.
But after hearing the truth from Dodoria—that Frieza was the one who exterminated the Saiyans—
Nappa's desire to serve Frieza died with it.
The hatred of genocide was far harder to swallow than Vegeta's contempt. Deep down, Nappa still leaned toward loyalty to his own people.
Even if he had no power to avenge them…
knowing the truth made it impossible for him to keep serving Frieza.
And if Vegeta died here…
then the Saiyans had no hope at all.
Nappa felt like a stray dog with nowhere left to go.
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
"Right… on Earth…
Kakarot gave Vegeta a bag of Senzu Beans. If Vegeta still has even a breath left…"
Nappa seemed to understand, at last, why Kakarot hadn't killed Vegeta.
Because Vegeta was a genius warrior.
And the one most likely—maybe the only one—capable of growing enough to kill Frieza and avenge their race…
was Vegeta.
Thinking of their planet, their people—wiped out by Frieza—Nappa plunged into the water.
A moment later, he dragged Vegeta out, carrying him on his back. Vegeta's face was covered in blood.
"Vegeta! Wake up!"
Nappa shook him hard, then hurriedly searched for the Senzu Beans.
Soon, he found the pouch inside Vegeta's clothes.
"Got it!"
He shook Vegeta again, trying to rouse him.
"Hey, Vegeta—wake up!
You're the Prince of Saiyans! There's no way you die this easily…"
Right then, Vegeta suddenly coughed violently, spitting up mouthfuls of water.
"Cough… cough… damn it…"
"How could I die here…?"
Nappa's eyes lit up with joy. "Vegeta! Quick—eat a Senzu Bean!"
At that moment, Vegeta also remembered the Senzu Bean. Hope flashed in his eyes.
He bit down on the bean Nappa fed him and swallowed.
Instantly, the feeling of bones grinding in agony vanished. Power burst from within, flooding outward—his vitality returning in a violent rush.
Nappa was ecstatic. "Thank god! Vegeta, you almost died!"
Vegeta stared at his hands in amazement. "I'd actually forgotten about this.
Senzu Beans… they're incredible.
I've gotten a lot stronger again…"
He looked into the pouch, then at Nappa.
"Nappa… I don't think I've fully tapped my potential yet.
At this level, I can handle Zarbon.
But against Frieza… I'm still far too weak."
Vegeta's eyes sharpened.
"I'm going to suppress my ki to the absolute minimum.
You're going to send me to the edge of death again—one more time."
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