Nappa wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glaring viciously at Goku as he gasped for breath.
He couldn't believe any of this. How could a low-class warrior stand against an elite fighter like himself, and even defeat him! It had to be a mistake! A mistake!
"Impossible! Kakarot, I will defeat you!" Nappa screamed frantically. Suddenly, his open mouth went silent, and a pale beam of light erupted from his throat!
The sudden energy blast moved at astonishing speed. The moment it fired, Goku was caught by surprise.
But he reacted quickly, countering almost instinctively. The Kamehameha Wave was released in that critical moment, its brilliant blue light instantly swallowing Nappa's white beam and engulfing his mountain-like body.
"Whew... that was dangerous. He can actually fire an energy beam from his mouth, just like Piccolo," Goku couldn't help but comment as he wiped sweat from his brow.
Piccolo twitched his ears and turned away. "Hmph, amateur."
As the light faded, Nappa was left wearing only his resilient undergarments. He hovered in the air, stunned and bruised, frozen in place. His mind had gone blank, completely at a loss.
Defeated. Utterly defeated. His pride as an elite Saiyan warrior had been crushed repeatedly, and though his anger had long been spent... it hadn't helped him at all.
He stared blankly at Goku, feeling the fear of death creeping over him.
"Nappa, you're not his match. Come back!"
At this critical moment, Vegeta gave his command. He could no longer stand to watch, so he had to recall Nappa—otherwise, given Goku's power, he might kill Nappa outright.
Just moments ago, Vegeta had seen Goku's power level jump directly from 5,000 to 10,000. No matter how much Nappa could power up in battle, his maximum would be around 6,000 at most, far below Goku's level. Nappa's death was inevitable if Goku decided to go all out. Vegeta would need to intervene personally to end this farce.
Nappa received Vegeta's instructions and immediately landed obediently, no longer pressing the fight. In truth, his will to battle had been broken—he no longer dared to face Goku.
But his gaze fell on Gohan and the others, and a devious thought formed in his mind. Can't beat the father? Maybe he could take out the son.
Nappa glanced secretly at Goku, noticing that he had let his guard down. With a sneer, Nappa rushed toward Gohan!
The punch he threw combined all his remaining strength and rage, slamming down suddenly.
BOOM!
It came fast, but his retreat was even faster. Nappa went flying and landed upside down at Vegeta's feet.
Looking closer, one could see that one of Nappa's arms was completely twisted, rendered useless. Saliva dribbled from his mouth, his face contorted in agony. In that brief moment, as he had been about to strike Gohan, the Namekian had intervened and crippled his arm!
Humiliated again.
Vegeta couldn't take any more. He grabbed Nappa's wrist, hoisted him up, and hurled him into the air. "You worthless trash!"
"No, Vegeta! Please, no!"
No matter how slow-witted Nappa might be, he knew exactly what Vegeta intended to do. He begged for mercy, screaming with his last bit of strength.
His hysterical pleas couldn't change Vegeta's decision. Vegeta still adhered to the brutal Saiyan code—eliminate those who were no longer useful. Today's Nappa had become nothing but a burden, and there was no point in keeping him alive.
A sphere of light formed around Vegeta's hand, glowing like a miniature sun. The surrounding rocks shattered into powder as they were consumed by the energy. The raw power made everyone present tense—no one could underestimate this.
Suddenly, the energy ball shot upward in a blinding flash, like a dragon ascending to the heavens.
"Such power!"
"This Saiyan is on a completely different level than the big guy!" Piccolo shielded his eyes from the blinding light, gritting his teeth.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure rushing toward the blazing energy, and the determined silhouette stunned him. It was Raditz!
"You don't just kill someone like that!"
Roaring in defiance, Raditz hurled an energy bomb he had already charged. The blue sphere spun through the air, striking Vegeta's energy wave head-on. It diverted the blast a few meters away, sending it harmlessly into the endless blue sky.
At the same time, Goku flew up, caught the falling Nappa, and carried him back toward his companions.
"Why?"
"Why save me, Kakarot?"
Nappa had already resigned himself to death, but he never expected that Raditz and Kakarot would rush to his rescue. His emotions were in turmoil, an indescribable feeling surging in his heart.
"We're all Saiyans," Goku replied simply, dragging him to a safe distance and setting him on the ground.
The others began to move away with unspoken understanding, making room for what would clearly be the decisive battle between Raditz and Vegeta.
Among them, Raditz was the strongest, though Nappa didn't realize this yet. He spoke to Goku: "Raditz is looking for death. You and the Namekian might stand a chance together. You have no idea how terrifying Vegeta truly is..."
"No, you have no idea how terrifying Raditz truly is," Piccolo interrupted before Nappa could finish.
Goku nodded in agreement. "My brother and I have fought many times, but I haven't won once. I believe he can defeat Vegeta."
"Haha, there was that time when he took all of us on by himself. It still frustrates me to think about it—a completely humiliating experience..." Krillin added.
Listening to what they said, Nappa grew increasingly shocked until he was completely dumbfounded.
"You... what on earth..."
The wind caught his words and carried them to where Vegeta and Raditz stood facing each other.
Unlike Nappa, Vegeta had recognized Raditz's extraordinary growth early on. Though he could hardly believe how much progress Raditz had made in just one year on Earth, Goku's performance had given Nappa a resounding reality check. Vegeta wouldn't make the same mistake of underestimating his opponent.
"Raditz, what have you done? Your power level should only be 1,500, and those Earthlings shouldn't have power levels over 1,000!"
"Your question is the key to defeating Frieza," Raditz deliberately kept his answer vague. "Want to hear more?"
"Hmph!" Vegeta snorted coldly and stopped pressing the issue.
"Whether you think about it or not is up to you. But I doubt you want to remain Frieza's subordinate for the rest of your life."
"I'll beat the answer out of you. Raditz, you've made me very angry." Vegeta approached Raditz step by step, the furious fire in his eyes flickering as if it might incinerate everything in sight. His aura rose sharply, making the earth tremble beneath them!
"I am the prince of all Saiyans. You may have forgotten this, so let me remind you today!"
Before he finished speaking, Vegeta's figure vanished, suddenly reappearing beside Raditz. A powerful punch sank into Raditz's stomach, shattering his battle armor as if it were made of paper.
Raditz's eyes widened in shock as his abdomen caved inward, severe pain spreading throughout his body.
Blood slowly trickled from his mouth...
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