After finishing their meal, Alvin and Goku sat together to rest.
Nearby, Yajirobe lay sprawled on the ground with his stomach bulging.
He licked his lips contentedly, wearing the satisfied expression of someone who had just enjoyed the greatest feast of his life.
Then—
Alvin and Goku stood up at exactly the same moment.
Both looked toward the sky.
“Goku.”
“You feel it too?”
Alvin asked quietly.
Goku nodded.
“Yeah.”
“A really powerful evil Ki is coming.”
“It feels similar…”
“…to the demon I just destroyed with the Kamehameha.”
At the same time, the Dragon Radar in Goku’s hand began beeping rapidly.
One of the Dragon Balls was approaching at incredible speed.
Yajirobe sat up.
“Huh?”
“Another delivery?”
He rubbed his round stomach with a helpless grin.
“No way…”
“I seriously can’t eat another bite.”
As he spoke…
An aircraft slowly appeared on the horizon.
It flew directly above the group before coming to a complete stop, hovering silently in the sky.
A loud female voice echoed from the aircraft.
“Lord Demon King Piccolo.”
“We have arrived at the designated location.”
A second announcement immediately followed.
The moment he heard the name…
Yajirobe froze.
“Huh…?”
“Demon King Piccolo?”
His face stiffened.
“I’ve…”
“I’ve heard that name somewhere before…”
Cold sweat immediately formed on his forehead.
A deep sense of unease gripped his heart.
Goku looked upward.
“So…”
“He’s the leader of those monsters.”
“The one who stole my Four-Star Dragon Ball…”
“And the one responsible for Krillin’s death.”
Alvin nodded.
“Demon King Piccolo…”
“…is the evil tyrant who ruled the world centuries ago.”
“He slaughtered countless innocent people.”
“For him…”
“Killing wasn’t a necessity.”
“It was entertainment.”
As Alvin spoke, he couldn’t help smiling.
Watching Yajirobe’s face grow paler by the second was strangely amusing.
Yajirobe abruptly jumped to his feet.
“Ah!”
“I just remembered!”
“I’ve got…
something really important to do!”
“You guys keep the Dragon Ball!”
“You don’t even have to return it!”
He turned and waved frantically.
“Bye!”
Before either Alvin or Goku could respond…
Yajirobe disappeared into the forest at full speed.
Only after reaching a distant patch of trees did he cautiously stop to watch from cover.
Above them…
The aircraft’s hatch opened.
Demon King Piccolo descended from the sky.
Just before reaching the ground, he slowed effortlessly, landing with complete control half a meter above the earth before his feet touched down.
His eyes swept calmly across the two young fighters.
“So…”
“You possess one of the Dragon Balls.”
His tone was casual.
Almost indifferent.
The aged Demon King wore a crimson cape draped over his shoulders.
His clothing bore the enormous kanji for “Demon” across the chest.
With both hands clasped behind his back…
Goku unconsciously tensed.
“What an incredible opponent…”
He stared at Piccolo without blinking.
“He’s just standing there…”
“…but the pressure never stops.”
“It keeps getting heavier.”
Goku could now sense Ki.
Unlike in the original story, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could casually defeat Demon King Piccolo after feeling the overwhelming pressure emanating from him.
Piccolo had arrived far sooner than Alvin expected.
Originally, Alvin had planned to spar with Goku or even Yajirobe first, steadily increasing his strength before facing the Demon King.
But thanks to Goku’s uncanny ability to attract trouble…
Piccolo had appeared less than an hour after Tambourine’s death.
Stepping forward, Alvin fixed the Demon King with a burning glare.
“Demon King Piccolo…”
“I stand here on behalf of the tens of thousands of people you slaughtered in Radish Town.”
“I’m here…”
“…to avenge them.”
Normally calm and composed, Alvin found it impossible to restrain the hatred surging through his heart.
Piccolo tilted his head slightly.
“Radish Town…”
“The little town I destroyed after breaking my seal?”
A cruel smile spread across his face.
“What magnificent fireworks those explosions made.”
He laughed heartily, paying the two young warriors no more attention than passing insects.
“Die!”
Alvin exploded forward.
His speed was so great that afterimages trailed behind him.
His fist shot toward Piccolo’s chest.
Piccolo calmly caught the punch with both hands.
“Fast.”
He nodded approvingly.
“And powerful.”
“So…”
“This is your strength.”
“It seems you’re quite an accomplished martial artist.”
His smile widened.
“Much stronger than the martial artists I slaughtered centuries ago.”
“Over those long centuries…”
“I developed a new habit.”
He stared directly into Alvin’s eyes.
“Whenever I see a martial artist…”
“I simply can’t resist killing them.”
An ocean of murderous intent poured from Piccolo.
It wasn’t merely killing intent.
It was pure, undiluted evil.
“Goku!”
Alvin shouted.
“He’s too strong!”
“We attack together!”
Unlike the older Goku who often sought one-on-one battles, the younger Goku had no such pride.
The moment he realized Alvin couldn’t handle Piccolo alone…
He charged in without hesitation.
“He’s fast!”
Even Piccolo looked surprised.
Working together, Alvin and Goku launched an unrelenting barrage of attacks.
Their seamless coordination left even Piccolo struggling to respond.
Punch after punch landed against the Demon King’s body.
Finally—
Both of them struck simultaneously.
The combined blow blasted Piccolo backward several meters.
He crashed onto the ground.
Pilaf screamed in terror.
“Run!”
“The little monster actually knocked down Demon King Piccolo!”
The Pilaf Gang broke into a cold sweat and scrambled toward their aircraft.
They were ready to flee immediately.
“Calm yourselves.”
Piccolo’s bird-headed subordinate remained perfectly composed.
“Just watch.”
“You haven’t yet seen Lord Piccolo’s true power.”
His confidence steadied the panicking trio.
Far away, hidden among the trees, Yajirobe watched silently.
“If the legends are true…”
“…there’s no way Demon King Piccolo would be defeated that easily.”
Piccolo slowly rose to his feet.
A cold laugh escaped him.
“…since anyone managed to knock me onto my back.”
He dusted himself off.
“With strength and speed like yours…”
“It’s no wonder you killed Tambourine and Cymbal.”
He slowly removed his outer robe and crimson cape.
They drifted to the ground behind him.
“For opponents as dangerous as you two…”
“There is only one fate.”
He smiled.
“Death.”
“I’ll show you…”
“…what true terror looks like.”
The instant he moved—
He vanished.
Almost as though he had teleported.
In the next moment, he appeared beside Goku.
A single kick launched Goku flying.
Alvin sensed the sudden surge of Piccolo’s Ki and immediately attacked.
Piccolo effortlessly neutralized the strike before driving two crushing punches into Alvin, sending him hurtling backward as well.
The Demon King’s Ki erupted like an immense mountain pressing down upon everyone present.
Yajirobe’s face turned pale.
Cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
“What terrifying Ki…”
Piccolo’s aura roared around him like a raging cyclone.
Wrapped within that overwhelming pressure…
Even Goku struggled just to move.
Alvin’s strength slightly surpassed Goku’s, allowing him to keep advancing despite the crushing force.
But alone…
He was no match for Piccolo fighting at full power.
“Haaah!”
With a roar, Piccolo kicked Alvin away once more before launching another relentless assault.
His body blurred across the battlefield like a phantom.
Every time he appeared…
One of the two young fighters was struck by another devastating blow.
Finally, Piccolo’s eyes settled on Goku.
“I’ll deal with the little runt first.”
One kick sent Goku soaring higher than Pilaf’s aircraft.
Piccolo leaped after him.
His fist crashed downward.
Boom!
Goku slammed into the earth, creating a massive crater.
“This isn’t good.”
Alvin rushed over first, pulling Goku from the pit before retreating at full speed.
“Goku!”
“Can you still fight?”
Goku’s Ki had already fallen to nearly half its original level.
The brutal battle had consumed enormous amounts of stamina.
The final attack in particular…
Had nearly killed him.
If he hadn’t instinctively protected himself with Ki at the last moment…
He would already be dead.
Alvin clenched his jaw.
“Sorry, Goku.”
Before Goku could respond—
Alvin struck the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious.
Then he hurled him toward the distant forest.
“Yajirobe!”
“Take Goku to Korin Tower!”
“Find Master Korin!”
Yajirobe barely managed to catch the unconscious Goku.
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted away.
“You idiot!”
He shouted over his shoulder.
“Dragging me into this…”
“Are you trying to get me killed?”
When he noticed Piccolo’s murderous gaze shifting toward him…
His face instantly turned green.
At that moment, he desperately wished he’d been born with two extra legs.
“Trying to run?”
Piccolo shot forward.
Before he could reach Yajirobe—
Alvin intercepted him.
For some reason…
Piccolo sensed something unusual about this young man.
And that instinct made him wary.
Send those stones my way—the more, the merrier.