"Damn brat, I admit, I shouldn't have underestimated you."
The pirate captain got up from the ground, his face dark with anger.
"Now—"
"Go to hell!"
No longer holding any contempt, the pirate captain raised a hand and fired dozens of energy blasts toward Goku.
"I'm not going to die!"
Dodging swiftly, Goku avoided the energy blasts and charged forward to attack the pirate captain again.
"Don't think you'll succeed again!"
In a flash, the pirate captain dodged Goku's attack, but Goku immediately shifted her stance and pursued him.
"Yaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!"
"Hah hah hah hah!!!!"
The battle officially began. Both moved at high speed, flashing through the air as explosions of energy echoed around them.
"As expected of the captain!"
"I knew the captain couldn't be beaten by that brat. Earlier, it was just because he was careless."
"Captain, teach her a lesson! Show that brat how powerful you are!"
A group of space pirates shouted excitedly, imagining their captain making the Saiyan girl cry. However—
"Wh-why does it seem like the captain's struggling…"
One pirate muttered timidly, while others shot him cold looks.
Soon, though, the rest realized it too—their captain seemed to be struggling!
"Damn brat, stop dodging and fight me properly!"
"Your breathing is off, and you're making too many useless moves. You may be strong and sturdy, but I'm not afraid of you!"
Effortlessly dodging the captain's attacks, Goku unleashed dozens of punches onto him before pulling back to create distance.
"Argh…"
"Damn Saiyan!"
Furious, the pirate captain flared up his energy and chased after her again.
The space pirates were confused, and even the captain himself was puzzled. He had a battle power of 3,000, yet why couldn't he defeat this Saiyan girl? Instead, he was constantly getting hit!
Why?! Why is this happening?!
The scouter measured Goku's battle power at 1,500. She had unleashed all her energy with no more hidden reserves. But the scouter only measured energy—it didn't account for actual combat effectiveness!
Real combat involves many factors: strength, speed, reflexes, experience… Even seemingly minor details like breathing, movement techniques, and courage can determine victory.
True combat power isn't something a mere scouter can measure!
While the pirate captain had about twice Goku's strength, giving him a clear advantage, in terms of martial skill, technique, and power utilization, he was far inferior to Goku.
Each time he moved, Goku could predict his attacks and react swiftly. Out of ten attacks, she dodged eight easily, and the remaining two only grazed her, with her skill deflecting most of the force. They posed little threat.
On the other hand, Goku's strikes were sharp and relentless, almost impossible to defend against. The captain could dodge maybe one out of ten; for the other nine, he had to endure them with his body.
Luckily for him, he had twice Goku's energy and a durable body. If their power levels were equal, he would have already been beaten like a dog.
But even so, the current situation wasn't looking good either—
"Damn brat!"
"Aaah!!!"
"Stop dodging!"
"Aaah!!!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
"Aaah!!!"
"I…"
"Aaaaahhhh!!!"
"…"
Watching their captain get beaten and run around by a Saiyan girl, the space pirates were left stunned and bewildered.
They must be hallucinating. Yes, they must be hallucinating…
Boom!!!
An energy blast flew over, blowing a few dazed pirates to pieces. The remaining pirates finally snapped out of it.
To hell with hallucinations—this is reality!!!
"Haah!!!"
With a shout, Goku punched the pirate captain square in the head, sending him crashing to the ground.
As her energy flared up, Goku prepared to attack again when—
"Stop!"
The pirate captain suddenly shouted, causing Goku to pause her attack.
"What do you want?"
Interrupted mid-attack, Goku was visibly annoyed.
"Please, no more fighting. I've learned my lesson. Please don't hit me anymore."
The pirate captain, now bruised and battered, suddenly dropped to his knees, begging for mercy with snot and tears. It was a pitiful sight.
Both the Shamiru aliens and the space pirates were stunned, unable to believe their eyes.
It was bad enough he couldn't beat a girl, but to be so spineless?
"Hmph, since you're begging, I won't hit you anymore. Leave here at once, and never come back to capture my friends."
With a snort, Goku dispersed her energy and landed on the ground.
"Yes, yes, I'll never come back to capture them. Never again."
The pirate captain hastily promised, his huge frame making the groveling scene even more ridiculous. The space pirates felt ashamed, their faces burning with embarrassment.
Captain, oh captain, we were wrong about you!
With the captain now begging for mercy, Goku lost interest in him and turned to rescue her imprisoned friends.
But just then—
"Die, Saiyan!"
With a sinister grin, the pirate captain pointed his finger and shot a beam of energy that pierced through Goku's body from behind.
"Argh…"
"Hahahahaha!!!!"
Goku collapsed, clutching her bleeding chest in agony, while the pirate captain stood up and laughed maniacally.
Even though their captain had turned the tables, none of the pirates cheered for him.
"Goku! Goku!"
"You despicable villain, attacking Goku from behind!"
"Shut up!"
The imprisoned Shamiru aliens accused the pirate captain of his cowardly act, but he silenced them with a roar.
Ignoring the weak Shamiru aliens he could kill at any moment, the pirate captain, still battered, walked toward Goku with a cruel grin.
"I… I was careless…"
Goku's pale face showed her rage.
"Damn brat, weren't you so tough just now?"
"I've decided—I won't use you as a tool or sell you to anyone else. I'll kill you right now!"
The pirate captain, ruthless and cunning, wasn't as naive as his opponent. He wouldn't give her any chance to recover!
As his energy flared, the pirate captain threw a powerful punch at Goku…
To be continued…