Back to the battlefield.
Everyone was puzzled about the Saibamen that Vegeta and Nappa mentioned, unsure of what they were. Nappa dug several small holes in the ground, placed the Saibamen seeds in them, covered them with soil, and then dripped a green liquid from a bottle onto each seed.
"This planet's soil is quite good; I believe it will produce quality Saibamen," Nappa said, standing up.
Just ten seconds later, the ground beneath his feet began to stir.
Six bizarre-looking green-skinned Saibamen emerged from the soil, surrounding Nappa and awaiting instructions.
"Is this what Saibamen looks like? Incredible!" Tien frowned slightly, sensing the intensity of the Saibamen's energy and not daring to slack.
These were six artificially created beings with considerable power level.
"Using some seeds to sprout monsters to scare us off suddenly? What a joke! I'll wipe them all out!" Yamcha was somewhat angered.
Although he admitted he was no match for the Saiyan warriors Vegeta and Nappa, he was confident in defeating these minions.
"Braggart! Attack, kill all the Earthlings," Nappa commanded the Saibamen without hesitation.
"Gurgle gurgle~~!!" Saibaman No. 1 took the lead, charging at Piccolo.
Ironically, both were green-skinned, so it chose the strongest one besides Lin Chuan.
Once one Saibaman moved, the other five followed suit.
Their targets were Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu.
Lin Chuan, however, was completely ignored.
It was unclear why they overlooked him.
"Boring." Piccolo, unflustered, raised a hand and gathered energy in his palm, releasing an orange energy beam at Saibaman No. 1.
"AH!!!" A scream of agony.
With a loud 'BOOM!', Saibaman No. 1 was reduced to ash.
"What?!" Nappa was shocked by the one-hit kill.
Vegeta also appeared contemplative.
With Piccolo's display, the others were eager to test their strength.
"Bring it on!!" Krillin charged at Saibaman No. 2, quickly understanding the real power level after a few exchanges and pushing it back toward Vegeta.
As a fellow student of the Turtle School, although Yamcha was not as strong as Krillin or Tien, he had enough power to defeat a Saibaman. Still, he was too hasty and showy, which meant his Kamehameha wave, although hitting Saibaman No. 4, didn't finish it off.
And Tien?
His swift fight eliminated Saibaman No. 5 in just a few moves.
Chiaotzu also managed to take out Saibaman No. 6 easily.
"These creatures called Saibamen are quite formidable. How exactly do they grow?" Gohan was the only one not in a hurry to kill a Saibamen.
He was having fun, pondering, and interested in biology.
"Gohan, stop playing around, finish it!" Piccolo saw Gohan's playful attitude and reminded him.
Carelessness could be costly.
"I understand, Uncle Piccolo." Upon hearing Piccolo's words, Gohan knew he had been too carefree.
With a loud 'THUMP!', Saibaman No. 3 was struck by Gohan and sent flying towards Nappa and Vegeta.
The control of force in this strike was perfect; it incapacitated Saibaman No. 3 without taking its life.
The six Saibamen, appearing less than a minute ago, were defeated, leaving only three.
This was inconceivable to both Vegeta and Nappa.
"Impossible!!! Saibamen have a power level of over 1200 points each! Regarding power, they could match Raditz," Nappa voiced his inner thoughts.
"It seems their real power level has already surpassed Raditz, heh heh! Interesting, enough for us to enjoy properly," Vegeta commented casually, looking at the three surviving Saibamen.
"Since you've lost, you're of no value alive." Vegeta's cold words were followed by a flick of his finger, shooting energy beams that turned two surviving Saibamen to ash.
This brutal act gave the Z Fighters a new view of Vegeta.
A merciless devil!
"Why would you kill your men?!" Gohan, unable to contain his anger at Vegeta's cruelty, was reminded of Slug, a great devil who didn't spare even his minions.
"Why? Useless things are just trash. Kakarot's brat, you're naive," Vegeta said indifferently as if such actions were natural for him.
The last half-dead Saibaman knew its fate.
Being born as a Saibaman meant dying with the enemy.
"Gurgle!!!" The severely injured Saibaman No. 4 let out a piercing scream.
It launched itself at Yamcha.
"What's going on??!!" Yamcha tensed up, instinctively taking a defensive stance, but Saibaman No. 4 used its limbs to lock onto his body tightly.
At the same time, a faint white glow flickered around Saibaman No. 4—it was gathering energy for self-destruction!
"Not good!! Yamcha!! Break free quickly!! This guy is going to self-destruct!!" Krillin, realizing Saibaman No. 4's intentions, shouted at Yamcha.
"I can't, he's too strong! I can't break free!!" Yamcha struggled furiously, but his panic made it harder to gather his strength.
He was in complete panic.
He could feel how terrible the power within that glow was, and he might truly die once it exploded!
As the glow grew brighter, Yamcha felt the breath of death envelop him.
"Damn! Uncle Yamcha!!!" In a critical moment, Gohan acted decisively.
His slender body darted in front of Yamcha like lightning, enveloped in a white mist, and delivered a powerful kick to the waist of Saibaman No. 4.
'BOOM!!!' The impact was terrifying.
The self-destructing Saibaman No. 4 was forcibly interrupted, and due to Gohan's urgent rescue, the kick was so powerful that the Saibaman was split in two.
Without waiting for Yamcha to react, Gohan dragged him swiftly away.
'BOOM!!!' A massive explosion created a terrifying blast wave.
Yamcha had a narrow escape from death.
"I... I'm saved... Thank you, Gohan..." Yamcha was grateful to be alive and feeling fortunate.
Looking at Gohan now, he felt a sense of defeat.
It was bad enough not to match Goku, but now he couldn't even compare to Goku's son.
The others were also stunned by Gohan's sudden action.
It was truly unbelievable.
"Kakarot's kid, he has such immense power inside him?! Even a Saibaman's self-destruction can be neutralized by him, and he saved that useless Earthling," Nappa was shocked by the burst of power Gohan had shown.
That move required at least a few thousand points of power level to perform.
At such a young age...
Vegeta, on the other hand, watched Gohan intently.
According to the scouter, the power erupted instantly, reaching over 3000 points.
A fleeting moment, yet it could match Nappa!
"Kakarot's child has such potential! What's going on? Could it be that the hybrid offspring of a Saiyan and an Earthling are indeed more powerful?... Perhaps I should take him under my wing." Vegeta contemplated taking Gohan to train him.
On the one hand, Gohan's potential was shockingly high; on the other, he wanted this half-breed child to serve him, to do his bidding.
Nappa was getting old! And increasingly disobedient!!
He needed an obedient subordinate!!
"Nappa, it's your turn now. Leave Kakarot's kid and that Namekian. I'll handle Turles! Do whatever pleases you with the rest," Vegeta decided, giving his orders.
"Hehehe~~~!!! Finally, it's my turn to act, huh? Good!!"
With the permission to act, Nappa's face showed a cruel smile.
Although he was not fully satisfied with Vegeta's orders, he was finally allowed to wreak havoc.
...
Back with the Z Fighters.
Yamcha was still dazed on the ground, his back soaked with cold sweat.
This near-death experience was unforgettable likely to haunt him for the rest of his life.
At this moment, Tien, Krillin, and Chiaotzu were all in a daze.
"Such... such speed..." Tien's cheeks were wet with sweat, and he kept replaying the scene of Gohan's instant action in his mind.
With his skill and vision, he hadn't seen Gohan's movements clearly and was not even sure when he had acted.
Gohan possessed this level of strength at such a young age.
"Tien, did you see Gohan's actions?" Krillin asked, his face red with shame.
He, too, was startled by the speed Gohan had suddenly shown.
Just a moment ago, Yamcha was in a situation that seemed certain death, and they had found no way to save him, yet a five-year-old child had resolved it.
This made him feel ashamed.
"I didn't see anything clearly," Tien said in response.
"With your three eyes, you couldn't see it? It seems Gohan
This kid has grown powerful beyond our imagination this past year."
"Goku's decision back then must have been the right one..."
Krillin recalled the scene a year ago when Goku entrusted Gohan to Lin Chuan, murmuring to himself.
"Hey... Tien, that Saiyan is about to make a move!" At this moment, Chiaotzu noticed Nappa's actions and alerted everyone.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately tensed up, ready for battle.
…
On Earth, the real battle was about to erupt.
Meanwhile, Frieza's spaceship was rapidly heading towards Earth in the interstellar cosmos.
In the central control room, Frieza sat unchanged in his hover chair, swirling a glass of red wine. Enjoying the wine, he leisurely admired the cosmic vista outside the specially reinforced glass. The twinkling lights in the dark universe were all his possessions.
He was the emperor of the universe and a notorious planet broker.
As he admired the view, the door behind him opened.
Sorbet approached Frieza's side and bowed respectfully to report.
"Speak, what's the latest news?" Frieza asked nonchalantly, swirling his wine glass.
"Lord Frieza, it has been confirmed that Vegeta and Nappa have reached Earth and have clashed with the Earthlings and the Saiyans there," Sorbet reported.
This made Frieza frown, and the atmosphere suddenly grew colder.
"How long will it take us to reach Earth, dear Mr. Sorbet?" Frieza asked, downing his wine.
"Without any mishaps, it should take about seven days," Sorbet replied, sweating profusely as Frieza's killing intent enveloped him.
"But, my lord, I have also obtained useful intelligence. According to the data sent back by Vegeta's scouter, the Dragon Balls appear to be created by the Namekians, so..." Before he could finish, Frieza crushed the wine glass in his hand.
The crimson wine spilled all over the floor, turning everyone present ashen and trembling.
It was as if it wasn't a wine glass that had exploded but their heads.
"Seven days of travel, hm? We can't possibly make it to Earth before Vegeta uses the Dragon Balls to make his wish.
"Hmm hmm hmm... Little Vegeta, do you think fulfilling that trivial wish will enable you to contend against me? Naive."
"Tell me, is it true that the Namekians created the Dragon Balls?" Frieza's piercing gaze fixed on Sorbet.
The invisible pressure terrified Sorbet into sweating profusely.
"My lord, I overheard Vegeta himself say the Namekians created the Dragon Balls, and the Namekian on Earth also acknowledged it," Sorbet replied opportunistically.
Because Piccolo had not acknowledged it, they just all believed it so.
"Is that so? If the Namekian has also acknowledged it, it's almost certain that the Dragon Balls are a product from Namek."
"How long would it take to reroute to Namek at our current speed?"
Frieza changed his mind, planning to change direction and head to Planet Namek directly.
Since it was the source, the Dragon Balls there must be more powerful than those on Earth.
"We had already investigated this before. According to our current speed, it would take just under two months to reach Namek," Sorbet replied after a moment of thought.
"Is that so? Less than two months doesn't seem too long."
"Very well, issue my orders, change our course to Planet Namek!"