Raditz turned the possibilities over and over in his mind. Winning Goku over now wasn't impossible, but convincing Piccolo would be challenging, and he had no compelling reason to lure Vegeta to Earth yet.
After weighing his options, Raditz made a split-second decision, a slight smirk forming at the corner of his mouth as he thought of an ingenious plan.
His greatest advantage was his foreknowledge. Only by leveraging this could he gain strength ahead of everyone else. If he wanted to defeat stronger opponents, training in the Pendulum Room at Kami's Lookout would be essential.
All this for the Ultra Divine Water and King Kai's techniques!
He deliberately activated his communicator, allowing Vegeta, somewhere across the universe, to hear everything that transpired.
"Hey, Kakarot, I see you've grown up. Why haven't you eliminated all the humans yet?" Raditz adopted a cold, harsh tone.
"What are you talking about?"
"Huh? How can you not understand what I'm saying?"
Complete confusion—perfect. Raditz unwrapped the tail from around his waist and waved it demonstratively. "Don't you recognize this?"
Everyone gasped when they saw the tail.
"A tail... a tail?" Goku glanced at Gohan, his expression uneasy. "What exactly are you...?"
Besides himself and his son, this was the first time he'd seen someone else with a tail. The stranger's unusual armor and overwhelming aura were enough to put him on edge.
Raditz spoke coldly: "You fool! You've clearly forgotten everything! Let me explain what you need to know—your origin and the legacy of our race."
The group fell silent, too shocked to interrupt.
"First, you're not from this planet. You're a Saiyan born on Planet Vegeta, just like me. We Saiyans are a noble and powerful warrior race, each born with tremendous fighting ability. Your real name is Kakarot, and I am your brother, Raditz!"
"What! Goku's brother?!"
"No way... this can't be..."
Everyone was stunned. This stranger who appeared out of nowhere was actually Goku's brother! And he claimed Goku wasn't from Earth, but part of some warrior race called the Saiyans... It was too much to process!
"Be quiet and listen. The mission of us Saiyans is to locate planets with suitable environments, eliminate the native population, and sell these worlds at premium prices to aliens who need them. Kakarot was sent to Earth for precisely this purpose. When we encounter planets with powerful inhabitants, we dispatch adult warriors, but Earth is relatively weak, so sending children is sufficient. Although a child's power is limited, when the full moon rises, a Saiyan's true power emerges—enough to cleanse an entire planet in short order."
"What..."
"So that explains..."
Master Roshi and the others exchanged horrified glances, recalling Goku's terrifying transformations into a giant ape. They swallowed nervously. Despite the warm sea breeze, they all felt a chill.
"No, I don't remember any of this! I grew up on Earth—I have nothing to do with these Saiyans! I would never destroy other planets!" Goku clenched his fists and shouted.
"That's because you suffered a head injury as a child and forgot your mission! Listen carefully: Planet Vegeta was struck by a meteorite and destroyed. Our parents and compatriots have all been reduced to cosmic dust. Only four Saiyans remain alive! As one of the last survivors, you're still important to us. Though you're pathetically weak, you remain a Saiyan with unlimited potential... That's why I've come to invite you to join us!"
At this point, Raditz discreetly deactivated his communicator and exhaled in relief.
That should keep Vegeta occupied for now. The next step would be luring them to Earth and bringing them to his side.
"I won't go with you! Leave now!" Goku roared.
His reaction was exactly as Raditz had anticipated. Raditz sighed, "Then I have no choice but to borrow your son. That tail is the unmistakable mark of a Saiyan—you can't deny your heritage."
"Stay back! Or I'll be forced to fight you!"
Goku shouted, his body tensing as he prepared to attack. Yet for the first time in years, he felt genuine fear. Even when facing the demon king Piccolo, he had never experienced this sensation of his mind going blank.
With a swift "whoosh," Raditz flew forward, appearing behind Goku in an instant. His movement was so fast that no one could track it.
Goku's eyes widened in shock, his body frozen in place!
As Raditz approached, Gohan cried out "Waaaah!" and waved his little arms as if trying to ward off the intimidating stranger.
Raditz had to admit—Son Gohan was genuinely adorable at this age.
But he needed to play the villain now. He snatched Gohan, spun around, and charged back toward Goku, delivering a flying knee strike. The attack moved faster than Goku could perceive, connecting solidly with his midsection. Goku's abdomen convulsed as strength instantly drained from his limbs.
After hanging suspended in midair for a moment, Goku crashed to the ground, clutching his stomach and groaning in agony. He immediately recognized the vast power gap between them, and cold sweat broke out across his body.
The others stood paralyzed with shock, having had no chance to intervene.
"Goku, you alone are no match for me. If you want your son back, find a strong ally with power equal to your own and come after me!" Raditz floated into the air, thinking his hint was obvious enough.
With that, he took Gohan and flew away.
Returning to his spaceship's landing site, Raditz set Gohan down and waited for Goku and Piccolo to arrive. He wasn't particularly rough with the boy—knowing how important Gohan would become, as an extremely powerful warrior in the future. Besides, the kid was his nephew after all.
"Waaah! Daddy...Waaah!!! Ahhh..."
Seeing that Raditz was ignoring him, Gohan burst into tears, pounding persistently on Raditz's thigh. His tiny fists carried little power, but the child's determination was impressive.
This kid... Raditz wanted to cry himself...
"Hey, stop crying! I'm your uncle, you know!"
"You're a bad guy! Waaah... I want my daddy! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Raditz felt helpless. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He picked up a nearby stick and began scratching something on the ground.
"Enough screaming! I could kill you right now and make your father collect your corpse! Come here! Aren't you studying to be a scholar? If you can solve this 'chickens and rabbits in the same cage' math problem, I'll let you go!" Raditz shouted sternly.
Whether it was the threat that worked or perhaps Gohan sensed the desperation in Raditz's tone, the boy sobbed a couple more times before his crying subsided.
"You... you promise?"
"Why would I lie? I could kill you anytime I wanted. If you want to live, sit quietly and solve this problem."
Gohan sniffled, eyeing Raditz suspiciously. Eventually, he chose to believe him, slowly approaching the spot where the problem was written in the dirt, and began concentrating intensely.
Raditz couldn't help but feel secretly amused—to handle a child with the potential to become a master fighter, he'd resorted to giving him math problems...
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