East City.
Two spherical spaceships crashed down with a roar.
The ground trembled violently, and at the impact's epicenter, two towering buildings instantly turned to dust, the shockwave leveling everything around them.
In the center of the massive crater, two spherical spaceships lay silently, their hatches opening slowly with a "click."
The first to emerge from the hatch was a bald, burly man.
It was Nappa.
"Hey, Vegeta, the air here isn't bad at all."
Another figure followed closely behind.
He was relatively shorter, but the oppressive aura he exuded far surpassed Nappa's.
Saiyan Prince Vegeta.
Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, his eyes cold and arrogant.
"Hmph, a bunch of trash with single-digit power levels, even their breathing disgusts me."
Vegeta's scouter emitted a "beep-beep" sound, locking onto several distant but clear energy signatures on its screen.
"Found them, Kakarot's friends. The strongest one only has a power level of just over two thousand."
Nappa grinned, revealing his stark white teeth, and let out a low chuckle.
"What pathetic insects."
"Vegeta, before we go see Kakarot, why don't we say hello to the residents of this planet?"
A cruel arc formed at the corner of Vegeta's mouth.
Nappa slowly raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, pointing towards the distant city skyline that had not yet been touched by the war.
"Consider it a greeting gift for you all."
At his fingertips, a destructive energy orb rapidly condensed.
The next second, the orb shot out of his hand.
The distant city instantly evaporated without a sound.
A massive, smooth, deep pit replaced the once-bustling city.
Nappa looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction, laughing triumphantly.
"Cleanup complete."
...
"Bastards!"
Krillin clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably from anger and fear.
"They... they actually..."
"That was a city!"
"They're here."
Piccolo warned.
Two massive, malevolent auras were rapidly approaching their location at an alarming speed.
Soon.
Vegeta and Nappa descended from the sky, landing in front of the Z Fighters.
"Which one of you is Kakarot?"
Vegeta's gaze swept over everyone present, finally resting on Gohan.
"Hmm? This brat, his tail is still there. Is he a Saiyan?"
"He is Son Goku's son."
Piccolo said in a deep voice, shielding Gohan behind him.
"Oh?"
Nappa sneered.
"Perfect. We'll start with him and see if that trash Kakarot comes crying back."
"Not so fast, Nappa."
Vegeta stopped him.
"We don't need to get our hands dirty dealing with these nobodies."
Vegeta took out a few seeds from a small box at his waist and casually scattered them on the ground.
The earth writhed, and several pale green, hideous monsters emerged from the soil.
Saibamen.
"Each one has a power level similar to that trash Raditz."
Vegeta's voice was full of mockery.
"Have some fun with them."
The hearts of the Z Fighters instantly sank to rock bottom.
Each one as strong as Raditz?
This meant they had to face six Raditzes at once!
The battle erupted instantly.
Tien Shinhan made the first move, easily dispatching a Saibaman with a fierce attack, which slightly eased everyone's tension.
It seemed these green guys could be beaten after all.
Seeing this, Yamcha also regained his confidence.
"Looks like these guys aren't so tough after all!"
Yamcha charged out, using a beautiful Wolf Fang Fist to knock a Saibaman to the ground.
"Did you see that? This is the result of my training!"
Yamcha turned around proudly, striking what he considered a cool pose.
However, the moment Yamcha let down his guard, the fallen Saibaman suddenly leaped up and held him in a death grip.
"Oh no!"
Krillin exclaimed.
The smile on Yamcha's face instantly froze.
He tried to break free, but the Saibaman held him tightly.
Boom!
A loud explosion, and smoke billowed.
When the smoke cleared, only a charred crater remained on the ground, along with Yamcha's body lying in a pool of blood.
He was no longer breathing.
"Yamcha!!!"
Krillin screamed, but it was too late.
Luo Feng, observing all this from afar, merely shook his head slightly.
"Seriously, how could there be casualties so quickly!"
"This guy named Yamcha, a typical case of looking cool for less than three seconds, had to go and throw himself into danger."
"Couldn't he have finished them off before trying to look cool?"
Luo Feng couldn't help but feel like complaining.
The situation on the battlefield took a sharp turn for the worse.
The remaining Saibamen were quickly dealt with by an enraged Krillin and Piccolo.
But the true despair had only just begun.
Nappa moved.
His massive body, as if teleporting, appeared in front of Tien Shinhan.
Tien Shinhan didn't even have time to react, feeling only an irresistible force strike him.
Crack!
His left arm was brutally torn off by Nappa.
"Ah--!"
The intense pain made Tien Shinhan cry out.
"Tien Shinhan!"
Chiaotzu's eyes were bloodshot when he saw this.
The small figure rushed towards Nappa without hesitation, clinging tightly to his broad back.
"Goodbye, Tien Shinhan!"
"Chiaotzu! No!"
Boom!!!
An explosion dozens of times more powerful than the Saibaman's self-destruct swept across the entire battlefield.
However, when the smoke cleared.
Nappa still stood in place, only his battle suit on his back slightly damaged.
He irritably brushed the dust off himself.
"Damn little insect, you dirtied my battle suit."
Chiaotzu's sacrifice became meaningless.
This completely shattered Tien Shinhan's last mental defense.
Tien Shinhan gathered all his life force into one point, aimed at Nappa, and let out his final roar.
"Tri-Beam!!!"
A massive energy wave completely engulfed Nappa.
Tien Shinhan collapsed from exhaustion, losing his life force.
But from the center of that energy, Nappa's figure emerged, completely unharmed.
"Nice fireworks."
Nappa looked down at the fallen Tien Shinhan, without a trace of pity in his eyes.
"Now, it's your turn."
Nappa's gaze locked onto the remaining Krillin, Piccolo, and a trembling Gohan.
Just as he was about to make his move, Vegeta pressed the scouter on his ear, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Hmm?"
A rapidly soaring power level was approaching at an astonishing speed.
"It's Kakarot."
Vegeta curled a playful smile at the startled Krillin and the others.
"Nappa, stop for now!"
"Listen up, you nobodies."
"I'm very interested in this Kakarot. I want to personally pin that inferior low-class warrior to the ground in front of his companions."
"I'll be merciful and wait for Kakarot for three hours!"
"Enjoy these last moments of your lives."
With that, Vegeta found a tall rock, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.
Although Nappa was reluctant, he dared not disobey orders, so he could only glare fiercely at Krillin and Gohan, and also found a place to sit down.
Time passed, minute by minute.
The sun slowly slid from the center of the sky towards the western ridge.
Three hours.
It passed quickly.
Vegeta opened his eyes and glanced at the setting sun.
"Time's up."
"It seems your Son Goku isn't coming."
"Nappa."
Vegeta's voice was cold.
"Stop playing, finish them off."
Nappa stood up with a sneer, twisting his thick neck, making cracking sounds.
"I've been waiting impatiently!"
His massive figure instantly vanished, and the next second, he appeared in front of Gohan, his huge palm striking down without warning.
"Brat, die!"
"Gohan!"
Krillin's eyes were bloodshot, but he had no time to rescue him.
At the last moment.
A green figure blocked in front of Gohan.
It was Piccolo.