I will be writing this special chapter how I initially wanted to start the series let's see if you liked it
(I just finished the writing and not going lie this made me get the love for writing this fanfic)
Tell me your opinion which one would you like better this one or the one I went with
My longest one yet 10K word count two times longer than my last I had to go crazy
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[Planet vegeta]
"Hey, Bardock."
"…Yo. Bardock. Wake up."
A low, irritated groan rumbled from Bardock's chest as his eyes slowly opened. Dim red lights flickered along the interior of the Frieza Force transport ship, casting harsh shadows across the metal walls. The ship vibrated softly as it cruised through space, the steady hum of its engines drilling into his skull.
He shifted slightly, muscles tense even at rest.
"What is it?" Bardock muttered, his voice rough with sleep and annoyance.
"We're almost there," the other Saiyan replied. He was shorter than Bardock, broad-shouldered, with a jagged scar running across his scalp—a souvenir from some forgotten battle.
He grinned as he peered out the viewport. "Planet Vegeta. Feels good to be heading home again, huh? Been a while."
Bardock snorted and turned his gaze away. "I couldn't care less," he said flatly.
The other Saiyan let out a quiet chuckle. "Still the same old Bardock." He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice. "But seriously… what do you think this is about? Frieza calling all of us back at once? Doesn't sit right with me. You think that bastard's got something planned?"
Bardock's eyes snapped toward him, sharp and alert.
"Watch your mouth," Bardock warned. "Your scouter's still on."
"Oh—right!" The Saiyan fumbled quickly, tapping the device on his ear until it powered down. He leaned forward again, squinting out the window. "…Huh. Looks like Frieza's already here."
Bardock followed his gaze.
Hovering ominously in orbit above Planet Vegeta was Frieza's massive mothership—an enormous, black-and-white behemoth blotting out the stars behind it. Smaller vessels swarmed around it like insects, moving with precise, mechanical purpose.
Bardock's jaw tightened.
"If Frieza just wanted to talk," Bardock said slowly, "he could've used the comms. If he wanted to show us new weapons, he wouldn't need to gather us all in one place." He folded his arms. "No matter how you slice it… I've got a bad feeling about this."
The ship began its descent, flames licking along the hull as it pierced Planet Vegeta's atmosphere. Outside, the familiar crimson skies stretched endlessly, broken by jagged mountains and the glow of distant cities.
"I get your concern," the other Saiyan admitted, more subdued now. "But think about it—we make up more than half of Frieza's force. He'd be insane to get rid of all of us at once." He shrugged. "Still… his army is bigger than it used to be. Maybe the force can still last without us."
Bardock glanced at him, expression dark.
"Maybe," he said. "But you don't know what the Cold family is capable of."
The ship finally touched down with a heavy thud in the low-class Saiyan district. Dust and debris billowed up around the landing zone as the engines powered down.
The familiar scent of scorched metal and dry earth filled the air. Bardock rose to his feet, fists clenched. "…Just once," he muttered under his breath, staring toward the horizon, "I hope I'm wrong."
Bardock stepped out of the ship and paused.
The air of Planet Vegeta hit him immediately—dry, heavy, familiar. It carried the scent of dust, scorched stone, and battle. His boots crunched against the ground as he took a slow step forward, eyes scanning the sky and the surrounding landing zone.
"H-Hey—wait," the other Saiyan said, lowering his voice. "You're not saying Frieza brought us all here to… exterminate us. Right?"
Bardock stopped.
He turned slowly, a crooked grin spreading across his face—sharp, humorless.
"Who knows?" he said. "Could be a possibility."
He turned away and started walking.
"Hey—don't joke like that!" the Saiyan called after him, unease creeping into his voice.
Bardock didn't slow down.
As he moved through the crowd of disembarking warriors, another voice rang out.
"Well, I'll be damned! Didn't expect you to crawl back alive, Bardock, you bastard!"
Bardock glanced over his shoulder at the Saiyan shouting at him—a familiar face from past missions. He scoffed.
"Oh, shut up," Bardock replied.
Then his expression hardened slightly. "You got any idea why Frieza called us back?"
The Saiyan shrugged. "Nope. Not a clue." He scratched the back of his head, then grinned. "Maybe there's some planet so tough they need every single Saiyan breathing to take it down."
Bardock turned away again, unimpressed, and started walking—
"Oh, yeah," the Saiyan added casually, almost as an afterthought. "One more thing. Frieza's soldiers have been going around asking about some Super Saiyan thing. No idea what that's about."
Bardock froze.
His foot stopped mid-step.
"…What?" he said quietly.
He turned slowly, eyes narrowing. "You're talking about the legend?"
"Yeah," the Saiyan replied. "That old fairy tale with insane power, all that nonsense."
But Bardock wasn't listening anymore.
The pieces snapped together in his mind—Frieza's sudden recall, the massive fleet, the questions about the Super Saiyan. His jaw clenched. A burning anger flared behind his eyes, sharp and undeniable.
So that's it.
His fists tightened at his sides.
"That's it…" Bardock muttered under his breath, teeth grinding. "That's the reason."
And for the first time, Bardock wasn't just uneasy—
He was certain.
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
[Frieza's ship couple hours later]
The vast observation chamber was silent.
Frieza reclined calmly in his hover chair, his chin resting lightly against his knuckles. Before him, an enormous viewing window framed Planet Vegeta in its entirety—its crimson skies swirling slowly, its surface alive with cities, mountains, and thousands of unsuspecting Saiyans going about their lives.
From this distance, the planet looked almost beautiful.
Behind him stood Zarbon and Dodoria.
Zarbon's posture was straight and composed, hands folded neatly behind his back, emerald eyes fixed on the planet below. Dodoria, massive and impatient, shifting his weight
Zarbon broke the silence.
"With all due respect, Lord Frieza," he said carefully, "I do not care much for the Saiyans myself… but without them, our fighting force will be drastically reduced. Nearly half of it."
Frieza's tail flicked lazily over the arm of his chair.
He didn't turn.
"My troops will adapt," Frieza replied smoothly. "The Saiyans are nothing more than barbarians who pretend to be civilized."
The hover chair rotated slightly, just enough for Frieza to glance back at them, one crimson eye glinting with quiet amusement.
"They are dangerous," he continued. "Creatures that bare their fangs the moment they believe themselves superior."
Dodoria scoffed. "Heh. Always knew those monkeys would be trouble."
Frieza smiled.
"They are a species composed entirely of warriors," Frieza said calmly. "Savage by nature. Loyal only when it benefits them."
The hover chair drifted forward, stopping directly before the massive window.
"And when dealing with beasts," Frieza added softly, "it is always best to put them to sleep before they awaken."
With a subtle gesture of his finger, a deep mechanical hum echoed through the chamber.
High above, a colossal hatch began to open.
Metal doors slid apart, revealing the endless black of space beyond. Stars glittered coldly, and Planet Vegeta hung directly ahead—large, helpless, and exposed.
Without standing, Frieza's hover chair rose smoothly from the floor.
Zarbon's eyes widened slightly.
"Lord Frieza—"
Frieza did not respond.
The chair glided upward through the open hatch, carrying him effortlessly out of the ship and into open space. Zarbon and Dodoria followed, hovering several meters behind him, their bodies tense as Frieza's immense ki pressed outward against the vacuum.
Frieza stopped.
Suspended in the void, seated comfortably upon his hover chair, he gazed down at Planet Vegeta as though it were a toy placed before him.
Slowly—almost ceremoniously—Frieza raised one slender finger.
At its tip, a tiny spark of energy appeared.
At first, it was no larger than a marble—deep crimson, unnaturally dense, pulsing with compressed destruction. Space around it subtly warped as the sphere began to grow.
And grow.
The energy swelled to the size of a fist… then a boulder… its surface roiling violently with darker veins of ki, crackling with restrained power. The red glow illuminated Frieza's face, casting long shadows across his calm, smiling expression.
Zarbon clenched his fists, feeling the pressure crush down on his senses.
"L-Lord Frieza…" he said under his breath. "That amount of power—"
Frieza laughed. Softly at first.Then louder.
"Oh my," Frieza said gleefully, watching the energy continue to expand. "How fragile they truly are."
The sphere grew massive—large enough to eclipse entire regions of the planet below. Its presence alone caused atmospheric disturbances across Planet Vegeta, though the Saiyans beneath had no idea why the sky felt so heavy.
Frieza remained completely relaxed.
"All that pride," he mused. "All that rebellion."
His smile widened, eyes shining with sadistic delight.
"How unfortunate."
Far Below, Planet vegeta atmosphere Corpses and countless Frieza Force troops floated weightlessly, suspended in the thinning air, their armor and bodies glinting in the dim light of the upper sky. At the center of this grim tableau hovered Bardock—alone, battered, and defiant—his broken armor and bloodied form illuminated by the faint glow of his own flaring ki, a solitary figure against a sea of motionless soldiers and drifting bodies.
His body hovered unsteadily, held aloft by sheer will alone.
His armor was shattered beyond recognition. Jagged fragments drifted away from him, spinning slowly into the void. One shoulder guard was completely gone, the other cracked and barely clinging to his frame. Blood drifted from multiple wounds, floating weightlessly around him in dark crimson droplets.
His breathing was heavy—ragged—each exhale visible in the thinning air.
He had fought everything Frieza threw at him.
Wave after wave.
Squad after squad. The broken bodies of Frieza Force soldiers drifted nearby, some frozen in death, others still smoldering from the last blasts Bardock had forced himself to unleash. The silence of space pressed in around him, broken only by the faint hum of his own ki struggling to keep him conscious.
Bardock huffed, clutching his side as pain ripped through his body.
"…Tch…" Blood escaped his lips as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His vision blurred—but he forced it clear. Then—
The pressure came. A presence so vast, so overwhelming, that even space itself seemed to bend beneath it.
Bardock's eyes widened as he slowly lifted his head.
Above him. Far above him. A colossal sphere of crimson energy loomed in space. It was still growing. Bigger. Denser.
Its deep red glow swallowed the stars behind it, casting Planet Vegeta below into a hellish shadow. The energy distorted reality around it, space rippling like water as lightning-like fractures danced across its surface. Bardock stared.
For a brief moment—
Shock.
"…No…" he whispered, his voice nearly stolen by the vacuum around him.
Then his teeth clenched.
Rage ignited.
"So that's it…" he growled, fists trembling as his ki flared weakly but fiercely around him. "That's how you end us, Frieza?"
He straightened in midair, forcing his battered body upright despite the agony screaming through every nerve. His aura flared violently—wild, unstable, burning like a dying star refusing to fade.
He pulled his arm back, energy spiraling violently into his clenched fist. The air around him fractured, the remaining atmosphere detonating outward as his power surged.
"YOU THINK THIS IS ENOUGH TO END US?!" Bardock roared, blood floating from his brow as his aura erupted brighter.
His ki ignited fully.
"REBELLION—"
The energy condensed, screaming around his arm.
"TRIGGER!!!"
Bardock launched himself forward, rocketing through the upper atmosphere and into open space like a living missile. His attack exploded outward in a blinding blue-white beam that tore straight into Frieza's descending sphere
And for one single moment—
It stopped. The clash lit the heavens.
Shockwaves rippled across space itself, tearing clouds apart below and sending violent tremors through Planet Vegeta's crust. Bardock screamed as every ounce of his strength poured into the attack.
For one second, he held back annihilation.
But then The crimson sphere surged.
It swallowed Bardock's blast whole.
"No—!" Bardock shouted as the overwhelming energy crashed into him, engulfing his body in blinding red light.
His armor disintegrated completely.
His flesh burned. Pain beyond comprehension tore through him as he was consumed by Frieza's power.
And then—
Silence.
Bardock's vision faded… replaced by something else. A child Small Spiky black hair Bright defiant eyes.
"…Kakarot…" Bardock whispered.
He saw his son standing tall—stronger than any Saiyan before him—golden power blazing as he faced Frieza without fear.
Bardock's eyes widened.
"…You'll do it," he murmured, a faint smile forming through blood and tears. "You'll finish this."
With the last breath of his existence, Bardock screamed—
"KAKAROT!!!"
And then—He was gone. The crimson sphere continued its descent. It tore through the atmosphere like a falling god, ripping the sky apart as it plunged into Planet Vegeta's core.
For a moment Nothing. Then
Planet Vegeta exploded. A blinding flash consumed everything as the planet shattered, continents vaporized instantly, oceans boiled away, and the Saiyan race—warriors, children, families—were erased in a single merciless heartbeat.
The planet collapsed in on itself, breaking apart into flaming debris that scattered across space.
High above, Frieza's fleet shook violently.
Scouters across every ship screamed.
BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—
Power levels plummeted.
One by one.
Until—
BEEP.
BEEP.
…
Silence.
Planet Vegeta was gone. Amid the drifting debris, Frieza reclined comfortably in his hover chair. And laughed.
"Ho ho ho ho ho…"
The chuckle started low, a vibrating purr in Frieza's throat. It grew, bubbling up into a sharp, staccato cackle. He then threw his head back, his slender frame shaking with a dark, hysterical glee.
"Look at it! Look at the magnificent glow!" Frieza gestured with a manicured claw toward the expanding cloud of stardust and molten rock. "The mighty Saiyan race... reduced to nothing more than cosmic rock! They were always so loud, so boisterous, so... stubborn. And now? They are finally, blissfully quiet."
After a while Frieza's laughter slowly subsided into a smirk of ultimate triumph. He turned his chair back to his ship, bored now that the fire had dimmed.
"Set a course," Frieza commanded, his voice cold and calm once more. "We have wasted enough time on monkeys."
But far beyond the reach of Frieza—past the edge of the system, where the light of the explosion faded into the velvet black of the deep cosmos—a lone object streaked through the void.
It was a spherical pod, its white hull scarred by atmospheric friction, its single red viewport glowing like a steady heartbeat. Inside, there was no sound. There was only the low, mechanical hum of life-support systems and the soft hiss of recycled oxygen.
Deep within the padded interior lay an infant.
His hair was black and messy, defiant even in sleep, standing in jagged spikes that brushed against the headrest. A brown, furry tail was curled tightly around his waist, twitching occasionally in response to the dreams of a child who did not yet know he was One of the few surviving members of his race
A soft, rhythmic pulse emanated from the console: a sedative hiss, keeping the child in a state of suspended animation. He was a tiny passenger on a long journey, drifting through the graveyard of the stars toward a distant, blue-green marble with 6 moons
[Wano - Kuri]
The winds of Kuri blew softer then, the air still carrying the sweet scent of the blooming cherry blossoms rather than the metallic tang of factory smoke. This was a Wano still lush and vibrant, though the shadow of the Kurozumi name was beginning to stretch across the Flower Capital. Grandpa Gohan adjusted the straw sandals on his feet, his pace steady as he followed the winding river. He had heard tales in the capital of Lord Oden's departure—how the wild daimyo had vanished onto a giant white ship to see the world beyond the fog.
"Sailing the world, are you, Oden-sama?" Gohan mused, looking up as the first stars began to pierce the twilight. "I hope you find what you're looking for. But do not stay away too long. The air in the capital is changing... it smells of secrets and snakes."
He stopped by a stone lantern to offer a quick prayer for the land's safety. Just as he closed his eyes, the sky didn't just brighten—it screamed.
A streak of white-hot fire tore through the clouds, passing so low over Kuri that the trees bent toward the earth. It wasn't a falling star; it was a screaming metal beast. Gohan shielded his eyes as the object slammed into a nearby bamboo grove, the impact sending a tremor through the ground that knocked the old man off his feet.
"Lord Oden, did you fall from the sky?" Gohan joked nervously, coughing through the dust as he scrambled toward the crash site.
He pushed through the splintered bamboo to find a deep, smoldering crater. In the center sat a perfectly round, white sphere. It looked like an egg made of iron, its surface hissing as it cooled against the moist earth. With a sharp clack, a circular door slid upward, revealing a dark, cramped interior.
Gohan leaned over the edge, his breath catching. There, lying on a bed of wires and strange technology, was a baby. The child was wearing a peculiar, dark-colored suit of flexible armor that looked like it could withstand a sword strike. But what stopped Gohan's heart was the brown, furry tail that flicked back and forth like a cat's.
"A... a Mink? Like one of lord Odens retainers" Ghan whispered, reaching out. "No, you look like a human boy, but that tail..."
As Gohan's large, calloused hands slid under the infant to lift him, the baby's eyes snapped open. They were pitch black and filled with a wild, untamed energy. Before Gohan could even offer a coo of comfort, the child's small leg lashed out with the speed of a whip.
CRACK.
The kick landed right on Gohan's temple. The old man spun halfway around, his head ringing like a temple bell. He sat in the dirt, blinking stars out of his vision, and then he began to chuckle. The chuckle grew into a hearty, booming laugh that startled the birds in the grove.
"My word! Such power in such a tiny body!" Gohan wiped a tear from his eye, looking at the infant who was now gritting his teeth and huffing like a miniature warrior. "You have the spirit of a Great Ape and the kick of a Samurai! Where are your parents, little one? Did they send you here to find a new life away from the sea?"
The baby stared at him, the fierce look slowly fading into a curious tilt of the head as he grabbed Gohan's long white beard. He let out a sudden, toothless giggle, his tail wrapping tightly around Gohan's forearm.
"No parents in sight... and a ship that comes from the stars themselves," Gohan said softly, pulling the boy close to his chest. "I cannot leave you here for the boars to find. Since you've come from the heavens, I shall give you a name that fits the sky. You will be Goku. Yes... Son Goku."
The baby laughed, kicking his legs against the Saiyan armor as Gohan stood up. The old man looked back at the smoking pod one last time before turning toward his small hut.
"Come now, Goku. Let's get you fed. You've got a long way to go if you're going to grow up in a land as wild as Wano."
As they walked away, the red light of the pod's console flickered one last time and died, leaving the two of them alone under the vast, starlit canopy of a country that had no idea its destiny had just changed forever.
[5 years later]
The cherry blossoms in the mountains of Kuri were in full bloom, drifting like pink snow over the small clearing where Goku and Gohan lived. The last five years had been a blur of growth and change. When Goku was just two, his natural Saiyan aggression had nearly been his undoing; he had tumbled down a steep ravine, striking his head against the jagged rocks of the mountain's base. Gohan had feared the worst, but when the boy finally woke, the fire of malice in his eyes had been replaced by a gentle, clear light. The wild beast had been tamed by wano itself
Now five years old, Goku sat cross-legged on a smooth stone, his tail twitching contentedly behind him. He wore a small, orange kimono Gohan had fashioned for him. He was practicing his breathing, just as Gohan had taught him, feeling the flow of "Ryou" or "Ki" as it hummed through his veins.
But his mind was troubled by the news Gohan had brought back from his recent trip to the Flower Capital.
"Grandpa," Goku said, opening one eye. "You always told me stories about Lord Oden. You said he was the strongest samurai in the land, a man who cut the mountain god in half. You said when he came back, the sun would shine brighter over Wano."
Gohan sat nearby, sipping a cup of bitter tea, his face lined with more wrinkles than it had been five years ago. The rise of Orochi as Shogun had brought a coldness to the air, a sense of creeping dread that even the secluded mountains couldn't hide.
"I did say that, little one," Gohan replied, his voice heavy.
"Then why?" Goku asked, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "You said he finally came back from the sea... but you also said he's dancing like a fool in the capital. Every week, in his underwear, making a scene while the people laugh and throw things at him. If he's so great, why is he doing that? The kids in the village near the base of the mountain say he's a disgrace."
Gohan looked out over the valley. From this height, they could see the faint plumes of smoke beginning to rise from the first of Kaido's weapon factories. The Wano Goku was growing up in was becoming a place of iron and tears, far different from the golden land of Gohan's youth.
"It is true," Gohan sighed, setting his tea down with a trembling hand. "The people have lost their faith. They look at Oden and they see a broken promise. They see a man who abandoned them to sail the world and returned only to become a jester for Orochi and that monster, Kaido."
Gohan turned to Goku, his eyes softening. "But I cannot believe it, Goku. I have lived many years, and I have seen many men. A man like Kozuki Oden does not simply 'break.' To the world, he is a fool. But to me... I think he is carrying a burden we cannot see. There has to be a reason. A man does not endure such shame unless it is to protect something even greater than his own pride."
Goku stood up, hopping off the rock with a grace that defied his age. He looked toward the distant horizon where the Flower Capital lay hidden behind the clouds.
"A reason..." Goku whispered, clenching his small fists. "Like when you tell me to hold a heavy boulder over my head for hours? It hurts and I look silly, but it makes me stronger?"
"In a way," Gohan smiled sadly. "But Oden is holding up the weight of an entire country. And I fear the weight is becoming too much for even him to bear alone."
Goku looked at his own hands, then at the mountain peaks. Even though he had forgotten his origins, the innate desire to protect those he loved burned brightly in his chest.
"If Lord Oden is tired," Goku said with a sudden, determined spark in his eyes, "then I'll just have to get even stronger. That way, when he can't hold the weight anymore, I can help him!"
Gohan let out a soft, surprised laugh, reaching over to ruffle Goku's spiky hair. "You have a big heart, Son Goku. Just remember, in Wano, the strongest weapon isn't a sword—it's the will to never let your spirit be broken."
[3 year later]
The mountain air was unusually still, as if the very wind of Wano had died in mourning.
Eight-year-old Goku was in the midst of his daily routine, suspended upside down from a thick pine branch by only his tail. His muscles, lean and toughened by years of Gohan's rigorous training, flexed as he performed thousands of vertical crunches. Sweat dripped from his brow, pattering onto the mossy earth below. He was faster now, his movements a blur, his spirit humming with a vibrant, innocent power.
He heard the familiar sound of Gohan's footsteps on the trail. But they weren't the steady, rhythmic steps he knew. They were heavy, dragging, and uneven.
Goku flipped through the air, landing silently on his feet. "Grandpa! You're back! Did you get the—"
The words died in his throat.
Gohan wasn't carrying the usual supplies. His straw hat hung low, shadowing his face, but his shoulders were heaving. As he reached the center of the clearing, the old man collapsed onto a wooden bench, his face buried in his calloused hands. A low, broken sound escaped him—a sob that tore through the silence of the woods.
"Grandpa?" Goku stepped forward, his eyes wide with confusion and fear. He had seen Gohan face mountain boars and fierce storms without flinching, but he had never seen him cry. "What's wrong? Did the Shogun's men hurt you? Is it the factories?"
Gohan shook his head, his voice coming out in a ragged whisper. "He's gone, Goku. Lord Oden... he's gone."
Goku froze. "The dancing man? But... everyone said he was a coward. They said he was crazy."
"We were the fools!" Gohan suddenly roared, his voice cracking as he looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, streaming with tears of pure grief and shame. "We all looked at him and saw a clown, but he was the only one truly fighting for us! The truth came out at the execution, Goku. The reason he danced... the reason he endured five years of mockery..."
Gohan grabbed Goku's small shoulders, his hands trembling.
"Every dance, every hour of humiliation in the capital... it was a bargain. For every hour he danced, Orochi promised to spare one hundred lives that had been taken as hostages. He traded his pride, his reputation, and his very soul to save thousands of people who didn't even have the heart to thank him. He was a hero in the skin of a fool."
Goku felt a cold weight settle in his chest. "If he did that... why is he dead?"
"The Hour of Legends," Gohan choked out. "Kaido promised that if Oden could survive being boiled in a giant pot of oil for sixty minutes, he would let him and his retainers go. And he did it, Goku! He held a massive wooden plank over his head, carrying all his samurai in the boiling oil so they wouldn't burn. He stood there for an hour while his flesh was seared from his bones, smiling through the agony because he believed in the future of Wano."
Gohan's grip tightened. "But they lied. They never intended to let him live. When the hour was up, Kaido... he put a pistol to Oden's head and ended it. The greatest man this land has ever known was murdered in the mud while the people finally realized what they had lost."
The forest went silent. Goku stood perfectly still. He didn't cry yet, but a strange, terrifying pressure began to radiate from his body. The grass at his feet flattened as if pushed by an invisible wind. His black eyes, usually so soft and kind, sharpened into the cold, piercing gaze of the warrior race he had long forgotten.
"He saved those people," Goku whispered, his voice dangerously low. "He suffered for years to keep them safe... and they just killed him?"
"He died" Gohan wept, his head bowing again. "He died hoping that someone would one day finish what he started. That someone would open the borders of this country."
Goku looked down at his trembling hands. The memory of Oden's "foolish" dancing now felt like a punch to the gut. He felt a surge of heat in his blood—a primal, Saiyan rage mixed with the pure justice of a child raised by a good man.
"Grandpa," Goku said, his voice no longer that of a boy, but of a protector. "I'm going to train harder. I'm going to get so strong that no one like Kaido or Orochi can ever hurt a good man again. I'll do it for Lord Oden."
Gohan looked up through his tears, seeing the silhouette of the boy against the setting sun. For a second, he didn't see a child; he saw a flickering golden light, a shadow of a power that could shake the heavens.
[2 months later]
The moon hung low and bloated over the Kuri mountains, a malevolent eye peering through the thinning clouds. Inside the small hut, Gohan finished sweeping the floor, the evening air feeling unusually heavy. He realized the silence was too deep—Goku hadn't come in for dinner.
"Goku!" Gohan called out, stepping into the clearing. "Goku, the sun is down! Come inside before the cold sets in!"
He found the boy standing at the edge of the cliff. Goku didn't move. He didn't blink. His small frame was rigid, his neck craned upward as he stared directly into the blinding white light of the full moon.
"Goku? What is it, boy?" Gohan asked, reaching out a hand.
Suddenly, Goku's heart began to beat like a war drum—thump-thump, thump-thump—so loud it could be heard across the clearing. The boy began to shake. A guttural, primal growl tore from his throat. Before Gohan's horrified eyes, the child expanded. His skin rippled and darkened, thick brown fur erupting from his pores. His jaw elongated into a snout filled with jagged, ivory teeth.
In seconds, the gentle boy was gone. In his place stood a towering titan of fur and muscle—the Great Ape Oozaru. Its eyes were twin pools of burning crimson, mindless and hungry for destruction.
With a deafening roar that shattered the nearby bamboo, the beast swung a massive fist. Gohan dove to the side just as his home—the place they had shared for eight years—was reduced to splinters and dust.
"Goku! Stop! It's me, your grandfather!" Gohan pleaded, his voice lost in the beast's second roar.
The Ape didn't hear him. It saw only a target. It lunged again, its movements surprisingly fast for its size. Gohan realized then that if he didn't fight back, the beast would descend the mountain and slaughter the innocent villagers below.
Gohan's aura shifted. He planted his feet, his face hardening with a warrior's resolve. He pulled his right arm back, and a shimmering, obsidian sheen coated his skin. Armament Haki flowed like a river, but he didn't stop there. He pushed the energy outward, the invisible "Ryou" swirling around his fist in a violent, flickering flame.
The Oozaru slammed its fist down, but Gohan didn't dodge. He punched upward.
CRACK.
The shockwave of the collision cleared the clouds for miles. The Great Ape stumbled back, the force of Gohan's internal destruction Ryou rattling its massive bones. Gohan didn't let up. He became a blur of motion, leaping off the Ape's chest, dodging a swinging tail, and spinning through the air until he was level with the monster's glowing red eyes.
He cupped his hands at his side. A blue light began to spark between his palms—a technique he had spent a lifetime perfecting.
"KA... ME... HA... ME..."
The energy reached a deafening hum. The Oozaru roared, baring its teeth. Gohan looked deep into those crimson eyes, and for a split second, the madness flickered. He saw a glimmer of the sweet, innocent boy who loved to eat peaches and sleep in the sun.
"Goku..." Gohan whispered, his heart wavering.
His concentration broke. The blue light flickered and died.
In that moment of hesitation, the Oozaru struck. Its massive hand swept through the air like a falling mountain, catching Gohan mid-air. The old man was slammed into the earth with such force that a massive crater opened beneath him. His ribs shattered; his breath left him in a spray of crimson.
Gohan looked up, his vision blurring, his body broken and unable to move. The Great Ape loomed over him, a shadow of absolute doom. It lifted its massive foot high, blocking out the moon.
I'm sorry, Goku... Gohan thought, closing his eyes as the foot descended.
BOOM.
The mountain trembled. A shockwave rippled through the valley, silencing the night. The Oozaru stood atop the crushed crater, throwing its head back and letting out a scream that echoed all the way to the Flower Capital.
The beast turned its head slightly. Far in the distance, it saw the twinkling lights of the Shogun's city—a sea of tiny, flickering flames. To the mindless Oozaru, it looked like a forest waiting to be burned.
The night air above Kuri was shredded by the sound of sirens and the frantic buzzing of SMILE fruit users. A patrol of the Beast Pirates, led by a group of high-ranking "Givers," had been heading toward the mountains to investigate the seismic shockwaves when they saw it—a mountain of fur and muscle silhouetted against the pale moon.
It was a massacre before it even began.
The Great Ape roared, a sound that felt like a physical weight pressing against the scouts' chests. As the pirates flew in on their Reptile mounts and bird-like SMILE forms, the Oozaru's hand snatched them out of the sky like bothersome flies. With a sickening crunch, he crushed them in his palms, dropping their broken forms into the dark woods below.
"What is this thing?!" a scout screamed, firing an explosive arrow that bounced harmlessly off the Ape's chest. The Oozaru didn't even flinch. He brought a massive foot down, flattening a squad of armored soldiers into the dirt, the earth groaning under his immense weight. He was a force of nature, a mindless engine of destruction moving with a singular, terrifying instinct toward the brightest lights on the horizon: The Flower Capital.
In the chaos, a terrified Lead Performer fumbled with a Den Den Mushi. His hands were slick with sweat as the snail mimicked the ringing tone.
Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru...
Deep within Onigashima, a massive hand reached out and gripped the receiver.
"What?" the voice boomed—deep, gravelly, and dripping with the boredom of a man who found the world too small.
"Lord Kaido! Captain!" the scout shrieked, ducking as a massive tree trunk, uprooted and thrown by the beast, whistled over his head. "There's a monster! A massive, black-furred ape! It's... it's as big as a ancient giant! It's tearing through the Kuri patrols like they're nothing! It's heading straight for the Capital, my lord! We can't stop it—nothing works! We need backup! We need—"
The scout's voice was cut short by a wet thud as the Oozaru's foot swept through the line of pirates, sending the Den Den Mushi flying.
On the other end, Kaido sat in his throne, his eyes narrowing. The boredom was gone, replaced by a flickering spark of interest. He stood up, his massive cloak billowing behind him as he grabbed his iron mace, Hassaikai.
"A massive ape, you say?" Kaido muttered, a dark, jagged grin spreading across his face.
King and Queen stood flanking Kaido's throne, their eyes fixed on the frantic Den Den Mushi before it went silent.
"A giant ape?" Queen huffed, his cybernetic arm twitching. "Sounds like an escaped experiment. I'll go turn that overgrown rug into a rug for my laboratory!"
King stepped forward, his black wings unfurling slightly, flames licking the back of his head. "Stay back, you incompetent fat-bag. Your 'experiments' would just get stepped on. I'll incinerate it before it reaches the gates."
The two began to bicker, their egos clashing as loudly as the swords in the armory, until a low, vibrating rumble silenced them both.
"Enough," Kaido growled. his massive frame casting a shadow that swallowed his commanders. He gripped his mace, Hassaikai, so hard it began to crackle with lightning. "This isn't for you. I can feel the pressure from here... that thing isn't just a beast."
Kaido stepped out into the night, his body twisting and expanding into the heavens. His skin hardened into azure scales, and his form stretched until he was a colossal blue dragon, coiling through the storm clouds. With a single beat of his flame clouds, he surged toward the Flower Capital.
Halfway between the mountains and the city, the Oozaru was a mountain of rage. He had just finished crushing a line of beast pirates when a massive shadow blotted out the moon.
Kaido hovered in the air, his dragon eyes narrowing at the fur-covered titan below. "Hey, beast!" Kaido's voice boomed like thunder, echoing off the cliffs. "Who are you? I've never seen a creature with a spirit as foul and violent as yours in these lands!"
The Oozaru didn't answer with words. It looked up at the dragon, its red eyes glowing with a predatory hate. It beat its chest with fists the size of houses, the sound booming across the Kuri plains, and let out a scream that shook the very clouds Kaido stood upon.
"Worororo!" Kaido's laugh rumbled through the sky. "No words? Only hunger? Fine then! Let's see if you're as tough as you are loud!"
Kaido unhinged his jaw, heat swirling deep in his throat as a miniature sun began to form.
"Bolo Breath!"
At the same instant, the Oozaru threw its head back, white-hot energy condensing into a sphere in its maw. The air around the ape's mouth began to crackle and ionize.
The two beams erupted simultaneously.
The column of dragon fire slammed into the concentrated blue-white beam of the Oozaru mid-air. The collision was blinding. For a moment, the night turned into day as the two titanic energies struggled for dominance. The heat was so intense the ground beneath them turned to glass, and the resulting explosion sent a shockwave that shattered windows in the Flower Capital miles away.
As the smoke cleared, the Oozaru was still standing, its fur singed but its rage doubling. It roared again, a defiant, ear-piercing challenge.
Kaido, floating amidst the swirling embers of the explosion, felt a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. His dragon lips curled into a jagged, bloodthirsty smile.
"Not bad, monster... not bad at all!"
Kaido's massive dragon form began to shrink and condense, the air hissing as he descended from the clouds. He hit the ground with the weight of a falling mountain, shifting into his Hybrid Form. His muscular frame was now covered in blue scales, his horns sharpened, and his tail lashed behind him like a whip. He stood as a towering half-man, half-dragon, gripping his mace as the Oozaru loomed over him.
"You're too fast and too strong to be a common animal," Kaido growled, his eyes scanning the beast's primitive, raging face. "Who the hell are you? Some Zoan user from the outside world? A Devil Fruit I haven't heard of?"
The Oozaru didn't give him the luxury of an answer. With a roar that smelled of ozone and blood, the ape launched itself forward. It moved with a terrifying, explosive speed that caught even Kaido off guard.
The beast swung a massive right hook, its fist the size of a galley ship. Kaido raised his arm to block, but the sheer, raw physical power of the strike was unlike anything he had felt.
CRACK.
The punch connected squarely with Kaido's jaw. The King of the Beasts was sent tumbling backward, his heels carving two deep trenches into the earth as he skidded hundreds of feet.
Kaido wiped a smear of blood from his lip, his neck snapping back into place with a sickening pop. He didn't look angry; he looked delighted. A dark, jagged smile spread across his face.
"Worororo! That actually stung!" Kaido shouted. He lunged back, swinging Hassaikai with a burst of black lightning. The mace slammed into the Oozaru's chest with the force of a tectonic plate shifting.
The Great Ape gasped, its massive ribs groaning under the impact as it was sent stumbling back toward the mountainside. Rocks tumbled down as the beast crashed into the cliffs, but it immediately surged back out of the dust, swinging its massive arms in a frenzied, berserker rage.
The two titans clashed in the center of the wasteland, the shockwaves of their blows flattening every tree and stone for miles. Kaido danced around the ape's slower, more ponderous strikes, his Haki-infused mace leaving glowing red welts across the beast's fur.
"Listen to me, monster!" Kaido roared, parrying a massive fist that shattered the ground beneath them. "A beast with your strength is a waste of meat if you're just wandering the woods! Wano is changing. I'm building a world of violence, and I can use a weapon like you! How about it? Join the Beast Pirates, and I'll make you a monster of this world!"
The Oozaru threw its head back, its red eyes glowing with a mindless, celestial fury. It didn't want a place in an army; it wanted to consume everything in its path.
Kaido's smile vanished, replaced by the cold, iron look of a conqueror. He gripped his mace, the Conqueror's Haki beginning to leak from his body in thick, black sparks.
"So, talking isn't working, is it? Fine." Kaido stepped into the beast's shadow, his aura crushing the very air. "If you won't listen to reason, I'll do what I do best. I'll beat you into submission until your spirit breaks and you crawl at my feet!"
The atmosphere around the battlefield turned heavy, the very oxygen vibrating under the weight of Kaido's killing intent. The King of the Beasts grew tired of the games; his eyes turned cold and slit-like, glowing with a predatory light that made the air turn frigid.
"You've had your fun, monster," Kaido growled, his voice dropping an octave into a low, terrifying rumble.
Suddenly, Kaido moved. He was no longer a brawling giant; he was a blur of blue scales and raw power. He surged forward, burying the head of his mace, Hassaikai, into the Oozaru's gut with a thrust that lifted the massive beast clean off its feet. Before the Ape could recover, Kaido rained down a relentless barrage of strikes with his iron club. Each swing of the mace whistled through the air like a falling comet, slamming into the Oozaru's ribs and limbs with the force of cannon fire, the iron studs of the weapon cracking the beast's thick hide and drawing dark blood.
The Great Ape tried to swing back, but Kaido was everywhere at once. The beast was too slow, too mindless, and for the first time that night, it felt a flicker of something it didn't understand: fear.
"Do you know who I am, beast?!" Kaido roared, his voice echoing from the mountains to the capital. "I am Kaido! King of the Beasts! I am the strongest force in this world, and you are nothing but a wild dog barking at the sun!"
Kaido planted his feet, the earth shattering beneath his weight. He gripped Hassaikai with both hands, pulling it back over his shoulder. Violent, jagged streaks of black lightning began to erupt from the iron club, arching into the sky and turning the clouds into a swirling vortex. The pressure was so immense that the rocks around them began to float, suspended by the sheer force of his Conqueror's Haki.
"It's time for you to learn your place!"
Kaido's eyes flashed.
"RAIMEI... HAKKE!!!" (THUNDER BAGUA!)
He moved at the speed of a lightning bolt. In a fraction of a second, he had crossed the distance. The Haki-infused mace slammed into the Oozaru's temple with the weight of a falling star. The impact didn't just make a sound; it sent a shockwave that flattened the forest for miles and split the very ground they stood on.
The Oozaru's eyes rolled back. Its massive jaw went slack. The colossal body was launched backward, tumbling through the air like a discarded toy before crashing into the base of a mountain. The mountain groaned and collapsed partly over the beast, burying it in a tomb of stone and dust.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Kaido stood in the center of the devastation, his breath coming in steady, hot plumes of steam. He slung his mace over his shoulder, the black lightning still crackling faintly around the iron studs. He walked slowly toward the crater, his heavy footsteps thudding against the glassed earth.
He peered into the dust, a dark, satisfied smile crossing his face.
"Orororo... nothing stays wild forever," Kaido muttered, looking down at the defeated titan. "Now, let's see how much it takes to see you break."
The moon began to slip behind the horizon, its pale influence fading from the sky. As the light died, the massive form of the Great Ape began to shudder violently. Kaido stood over the crater, his eyes narrowed in deep curiosity as he watched the thick brown fur recede into the skin. The colossal limbs atrophied, the bones popping and snapping as they shrank at an impossible rate.
"Mhm..." Kaido grunted, a plume of steam escaping his snout. "It seems your Zoan form has reached its limit. Let's see what kind of man hides behind such a mindless rage."
The dust settled, revealing a sight that made even the King of the Beasts freeze in genuine shock.
The mountain of fur was gone. In the center of the shattered earth lay a mere brat—a small boy, no older than eight, looking nearly the same age as his own daughter, Yamato. The child lay completely naked, his small chest heaving with exhausted breaths, his skin bruised from the battle but otherwise human—save for the brown, furry tail that lay limp in the dirt behind him.
Kaido bent down, his massive shadow swallowing the unconscious child. He reached out a clawed hand, turning the boy over to look at his face. The fierce, red-eyed monster that had just traded blows with one of the strongest pirates in the world was now just a peaceful, sleeping child.
"That monster... was nothing more than a boy?" Kaido whispered, the words heavy with disbelief.
He stared at the kid's spiky black hair and the tail that marked him as something other than a normal human. A slow, dark smile began to spread across Kaido's face—not a smile of mockery, but one of twisted realization. He had been looking for a masterpiece of destruction, and he had found it in the most unexpected form.
"Worororo! To have that much power at such an age... you truly are a creature of omen, brat."
Kaido didn't hesitate. He reached down and scooped the limp, naked form of Son Goku into one massive hand as if he were picking up a pebble. With a thunderous burst of flame clouds, Kaido surged into the sky, his body expanding and twisting until he was once again a colossal blue dragon.
He clutched the boy tightly against his scales, shielding him from the freezing winds of the upper atmosphere. Below them, the fires of the battle still smoldered in Kuri, but Kaido was already looking toward the peaks of Onigashima.
"You're coming with me," Kaido roared into the wind, his dragon eyes gleaming with a new purpose. "By the time you wake up, your old life will be a ghost. I'll turn you into the greatest weapon this world has ever seen!"
The dragon's silhouette cut across the rising sun, carrying the last son of the Saiyans toward a future forged in iron and blood.
The massive silhouette of the blue dragon descended upon the skull of Onigashima, the wind from his form scattering the guards below like autumn leaves. As Kaido touched down and shifted back into his towering base form King and Queen were already waiting for him at the entrance of the great hall.
"So, the beast is dead?" King asked, his eyes glancing at the devastation that was visible even from the island.
"Dead?" Kaido let out a deep, rumbling laugh that echoed through the stone corridors. "Better than that. That beast was nothing but a mere brat!"
He opened his massive hand to reveal the unconscious, small boy. Queen's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his cigar falling from his lips. "A brat?! You're telling me a toddler did all that damage to our patrols?!"
"Don't just stand there with your mouth open, Queen," Kaido growled. "Give me some clothes for the boy. I'm not parading a warrior around like a plucked chicken."
Queen grumbled, rummaging through a nearby storage crate filled with spare uniforms and gear for the lower-ranking scouts. He pulled out a small set of dark, durable fabrics—tiny trousers and a simple vest—that were conveniently tucked away. Kaido took them and, with surprising efficiency for a man of his size, dressed the unconscious Goku.
With the boy tucked in his hands , Kaido marched down into the lightless depths of the fortress. They descended past the armories and the mead halls until they reached the heavy, seastone-reinforced doors of the deep cellars.
Kaido kicked the heavy iron door open. Inside, sitting in the damp shadows of her latest punishment, was his daughter, Yamato. She looked up, her eyes defiant even behind her tangled hair, her wrists bound by the explosive shackles.
Without a word of greeting, Kaido tossed the limp body of Goku onto the straw mat across from her. The boy tumbled slightly, his tail twitching in his sleep.
Kaido looked at his daughter, his expression cold and demanding. "That brat has a power that might rival even yours one day. Watch him. Tell me the moment he wakes up. I'll be back in a bit to see if he's ready to break."
Kaido turned on his heel, his heavy cloak swishing against the stone floor as he disappeared back into the hallway, the heavy door slamming shut with a final, echoing thud.
Silence returned to the cell, broken only by the steady drip of water from the ceiling.
Yamato sat frozen, her gaze fixed on the strange boy. She had expected another lecture or another beating, not a cellmate. She crawled forward as far as her chains would allow, peering at Goku's face—then her eyes widened as she saw the furry brown tail.
"A tail...?" she whispered, her curiosity momentarily overcoming her sorrow. She reached out a trembling hand toward him. "Who are you? Did he take everything from you, too?"
After a while Goku's eyes snapped open, but the ceiling he saw wasn't the thatched roof of the mountain hut. It was cold, damp stone. He sat up with a jolt, his head spinning with a dull, throbbing ache—the lingering ghost of Kaido's Thunder Bagua.
"Huh...? Where am I?" he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked down at the strange new clothes he was wearing, then around the dark, cramped cell. "Grandpa? Grandpa Gohan!"
"He's not here," a soft voice whispered from the shadows.
Goku jumped, his tail puffing up like a startled cat's. He spun around to see a girl sitting against the opposite wall. She had white hair that faded into a beautiful teal, and even in the dim light, her eyes looked fierce.
"Who are you? What happened?" Goku asked, his voice rising in panic. "The last thing I remember... I was looking at the moon... and everything got loud and hot."
The girl shifted, her chains clinking against the floor. "My name is Kozuki Oden!" she declared with a sudden, strange spark of pride. Then her shoulders slumped slightly. "At least... that's who I want to be. My father, Kaido, calls me Yamato. He says I'm his daughter, but I've chosen the name of the greatest samurai to ever live."
Goku's jaw dropped. "Wait, what?! You're Kaido's child? But how? I was just at home with my grandpa!"
Yamato shook her head sadly. "I don't know how you got here. My father just tossed you in here like a bag of rice and told me to watch you. He said you have some kind of 'monster' power inside you."
Goku looked at his hands, his brow furrowing as fragments of the night returned to him—the feeling of growing tall, the roar of energy, and the crushing weight of Kaido's mace. He looked at Yamato, sensing the sadness behind her defiant words. He realized they were in the same boat—captives of the man who was strangling Wano.
"I don't care if he's your dad," Goku said, his voice suddenly steadying. He stood up, his small fists clenching at his sides. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm going to grow up and I'm going to defeat Kaido. I'm going to do it for Lord Oden, for my grandpa, and for everyone in Wano!"
Yamato stared at him for a long beat. Most people trembled at the mention of her father's name, but this boy with the tail spoke as if his victory was already written in the stars. A slow, genuine smile broke across her face—the first smile she had shared with anyone in a long time.
"You want to defeat him for Oden?" she whispered. She leaned forward, her eyes shining. "Me too! I'm going to open the borders of this country, just like Oden-sama wanted!"
Despite the cold stone and the iron bars, the air in the cell suddenly felt lighter. Two eight-year-olds, born of different worlds but fueled by the same fire, sat together in the dark.
"I'm Goku," he said, offering a grin. "Son Goku."
"I'm Yamato," she replied, choosing her true name for this new friend. "Let's get strong together, Goku."
The heavy iron door groaned on its hinges as it swung open, the torchlight from the hallway spilling into the cell like a jagged blade. Kaido's massive frame filled the doorway, his shadow stretching across the floor until it climbed the back wall, looming over both children.
"Mhm. So you're finally awake, brat," Kaido rumbled, his voice vibrating in the small space.
Goku scrambled to his feet, his tail lashing behind him like a whip. He glared up at the giant. "Kaido! What happened? Where's my Grandpa Gohan? Why am I here?"
Kaido let out a short, mocking laugh that sounded like stones grinding together. "Grandpa?" He stepped into the cell, the ground trembling under his weight. "Not too long ago, you weren't a boy. You were a rampaging beast, a mountain of fur and teeth. You slaughtered my men, and in that mindless rage of yours, you leveled everything in sight. You likely crushed whatever 'Grandpa' you had under your own feet."
Goku's heart stopped. The memory of the moon, the heat in his blood, and the terrifying strength he couldn't control flashed through his mind. His eyes widened, filling with a sudden, agonizing grief. "No... Grandpa... I didn't..."
"Tighten up, brat!" Kaido barked, his voice cutting through Goku's despair. "The past is ash. I'm giving you a new purpose—a new way. You have the seeds of a monster in you. Join my crew, and I'll forge you into the strongest warrior this world has ever seen. You'll have everything—power, status, and a place at the top of the food chain."
Goku stood trembling, his head bowed. But then, slowly, he looked up. The tears were there, but behind them was a spark of pure, unyielding iron. "Kaido..." he whispered, his voice gaining strength. "I'm going to get stronger. I'll train every day, and when the day comes... I'm going to free Wano. And I'm going to beat you!"
Kaido's expression darkened. The air in the cell became heavy with a suffocating pressure. Without a word, he moved with a speed that defied his size. His foot lashed out, catching Goku in the chest and launching him across the room. Goku's small body bounced off the stone wall with a sickening thud before he slumped to the floor, coughing for air.
Kaido turned his cold gaze toward Yamato, who was gritting her teeth in silence. "Did you fill his head with this crap, Yamato? Have you already poisoned him with your 'Oden' delusions?"
He looked back at the struggling Goku, who was already trying to push himself back up. "Fine. If you want to act like a hero, I'll make your life a living hell. You're useful enough that I won't kill you yet, but I'll break you. You and Yamato both. By the end, you'll be crawling at my feet, begging for the chance to serve me."
Kaido turned on his heel, his heavy cloak billowing. "Enjoy the dark. It's the only friend you'll have for a long time."
The heavy door slammed shut, the iron bolt sliding into place with a deafening clack. The cell returned to its cold, suffocating silence.
Goku stayed on the floor for a moment, gasping, but his eyes never lost that light. He looked over at Yamato, who crawled toward him to help him up.
"He's wrong," Goku gasped, a drop of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "He won't break us."
After a while Yamato made sure the heavy footsteps of the guards had faded completely before she reached into a hidden crevice behind a loose stone in the wall. With trembling, reverent hands, she pulled out a worn, leather-bound book.
On the cover, written in bold, sweeping strokes, were the words: Oden's Travel Record.
"This is it, Goku," Yamato whispered, her eyes glowing with an almost religious fervor. "This is the journal Lord Oden wrote himself. He recorded every island, every battle, and every secret he found on the great sea. Do you want to see?"
Goku's eyes went wide, his tail twitching with excitement. "Heck yeah! Show me!"
For the next several hours, the cold stone of the prison seemed to vanish. Yamato read aloud, her voice hushed but full of wonder, describing the floating city water 7, the sky islands floating above the clouds, and the legendary clash between Whitebeard and Gold Roger. She read about the "Laugh Tale" and the incredible freedom of the open ocean.
Goku listened, completely mesmerized. He could almost feel the salt spray on his face and the heat of the desert sun Oden described. By the time Yamato closed the book, Goku was vibrating with a new kind of energy.
"That was so awesome!" Goku shouted, quickly covering his mouth so the guards wouldn't hear. "I had no idea! There are so many strong people and cool places out there! It's way bigger than just Wano!"
Yamato hugged the book to her chest, her smile fading into a look of quiet longing. She looked down at the explosive shackles on her wrists. "I know, right? It's so amazing... but I'll never see it. As long as these are on me, and as long as my father rules this island, I'm stuck in this cage."
Goku looked at her, then at the iron bars, his mind racing. He reached out and put a hand on Yamato's shoulder. "Mhm... well, I've got an idea! When we get strong—I mean really strong—we're gonna break these chains. We'll sail out and leave this place forever!"
Yamato looked up, startled. "Leave?"
"Yep!" Goku grinned, his spirit undeterred by their grim surroundings. "How about we form a crew? We'll become pirates just like Oden, Roger, and Whitebeard! I'll be the captain—The Goku Pirates! And you'll be my number two, the Vice-Captain!"
Yamato stared at him, her heart thumping against her ribs. No one had ever offered her a future before—only a sentence. The thought of standing on the deck of a ship with Goku, watching the horizon of a free world, was the most beautiful thing she had ever imagined.
She wiped a stray tear from her eye and gave him a bright, determined smile. "Yeah... that sounds amazing! We'll both get strong, we'll become pirates, and we'll beat Kaido together!"
In the dark heart of Onigashima, a pact was sealed. Kaido thought he was breaking two children, but in the silence of the cellar, he had accidentally created his own end: a Captain and a Vice-Captain with nothing to lose and a whole world to gain
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This is my chapter special 10,000 word count hope you like it and a little funny thing is when I was going to write this I saw a unfished chapter special from 2024 on November