The three "pirates" rushed toward Bulma's cruise ship, jet packs on their backs belching flames as they propelled forward through the ocean air.
"Emperor Pilaf, we're almost there!"
"Good! Full speed ahead!"
The three sang out in unison, pulling their acceleration levers with fighting spirit burning in their hearts. They were the Pilaf Gang—the leader being a short, blue-skinned figure wearing a distinctive round cap. The cute girl following behind was Mai, dressed like a ninja. And the dog-like creature called Shu completed the trio. They'd been dreaming of ruling the world since Son Goku was just a child, working tirelessly toward that grand ambition.
However, as time passed, their goals had grown progressively smaller. Forget ruling the world now—they'd be happy just to make some decent money.
A few years ago, wanting to overcome the curse of aging, Pilaf and his gang had collected the Dragon Balls and made a wish to become younger. Who could have known that the wish would be granted a bit too thoroughly—turning them into actual children!
Though they looked like kids, their minds remained adult. After struggling for several years, they'd finally managed to scrape together some savings. Now they were using that money to buy equipment and prepare for one big score.
"Emperor Pilaf! My jet pack can't accelerate anymore! I'm falling!" Shu cried out anxiously as his flight speed decreased and he began dropping toward the ocean.
"Oops... I used his fuel to fry eggs yesterday..." Pilaf thought to himself, his face flushing with embarrassment.
He hurriedly grabbed Shu, and the two flew together—but their combined weight made the center of gravity unstable and the direction nearly impossible to control. They careened wildly and rammed straight into Mai!
"Don't!" Mai screamed, but it was too late to dodge. She collided with them head-on. The three hugged together like a chaotic snowball, plummeting down toward Bulma's cruise ship in an uncontrolled dive.
BANG!
All three crashed hard onto the deck, their jet packs crumpling and deforming on impact.
"Owww... that hurts..." Pilaf groaned, getting up after catching his breath. He covered his head, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
Shu and Mai also writhed in pain, crying out pitifully.
The guests—startled by the sudden appearance of three children crashing onto the deck—turned curious eyes toward them. Many present had actually encountered the Pilaf Gang before, but in their current diminished, child-sized forms, nobody recognized them.
"They seem to be staring at us," Shu whispered quietly, leaning close to Pilaf's ear.
"Hmph! They must be frightened by our dramatic entrance."
Drawing confidence from some unknown reserve of delusion, Pilaf pulled a pistol from his waist. He pointed it at someone in the middle of the gathered crowd and shouted arrogantly: "Nobody move! Hand over all your valuables, and—" His eyes fixed hungrily on the tables laden with delicacies. "And all that food!"
Shu and Mai nodded in support, standing behind Emperor Pilaf with the most serious expressions they could muster.
A sudden silence fell over the entire gathering. The atmosphere grew awkward.
Then everyone burst into uproarious laughter. Yamcha and Jeice laughed so hard tears streamed down their faces. They hammered on the table, doubled over, and their "hahahaha" spread throughout the entire cruise ship.
"Ya-Yamcha! Did you hire them as entertainment?! HAHAHA! I'm dying!" Krillin laughed while clutching his stomach.
"No... I don't know them!" Yamcha gasped between tears of laughter.
Who were these people on the ship? The strongest warriors on the entire Earth—no, in the entire galaxy, the entire universe—were gathered here. And three children had just crashed onto the boat with a pistol, saying they were going to rob everyone? It was quite possibly the funniest joke anyone had ever heard.
Amid such laughter, Raditz finally recognized who they were. Wasn't that the Pilaf Gang? They had a talent for comedy, and sometimes they were genuinely amusing.
"Emperor Pilaf... they don't seem afraid of you," Mai leaned forward and whispered nervously.
"These people don't seem easy to mess with," Shu added his own warning.
He saw the massive, intimidating Nappa, the cold and dangerous-looking Broly and Vegeta, and many other imposing, powerful-looking warriors. Just who was on this boat?!
"Don't be afraid! We have a gun! Huh? The gun?!"
Pilaf suddenly realized the pistol he'd been gripping tightly had vanished from his hand. Beads of sweat the size of beans formed on his forehead as he involuntarily took two steps backward.
He saw a young teenager standing in front of him, examining their gun with casual interest, turning it over and looking at it from different angles. When had his pistol ended up in someone else's hands?! This was impossible! Pilaf's expression changed drastically.
"You give that back—" Before he could finish speaking, young Trunks had already turned the gun around, aiming it at the three of them.
Pilaf didn't dare speak another word. Shu and Mai beside him trembled, and all three hugged each other in terror.
"Don't shoot! Please don't shoot!"
"Wow, this toy gun looks so realistic! Way better than the ones I have at home," Trunks called out excitedly. "Goten! Rukon! Come check this out!"
"Try shooting it!" Rukon encouraged, always eager to stir up trouble.
They all assumed it was a toy gun and didn't think anything of it. Seeing the children playing, the adults laughed and shook their heads, turning their attention elsewhere. They regarded it as a harmless farce—nobody took it seriously.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out. The bullet fired toward Pilaf, tearing through the air with a scorching ballistic trajectory.
The smell of gunpowder filled the air, shocking young Trunks. This was a real gun! Fortunately, he hadn't hit anyone—he'd fired upward into the sky in Pilaf's general direction at the last second. Otherwise, it could have been dangerous.
The three members of the Pilaf Gang's legs went weak when the gun fired. They collapsed to the ground, faces completely pale with terror.
"It's not good for children your age to be playing with real guns!" Bulma approached with a stern expression, frowning as she educated the young troublemakers. She confiscated the pistol immediately.
Raditz chuckled silently to himself. Didn't you carry a pistol on adventures when you were a teenager? You even shot Son Goku with it.
"Alright, I don't know who you three are, but since you're already here, you might as well stay and eat," Bulma said hospitably, treating them like children on an adventure. She'd been around that age herself when she'd set out to make her own way in the world. In this world, it wasn't unusual for teenagers to own jet packs and go on journeys.
Food? They'd been eyeing all those delicious dishes hungrily for a while now!
"Thank you, ma'am!" they chorused gratefully.
The more the Pilaf Gang looked at Bulma, the more familiar she seemed. There was always an impression nagging at their memories, but they couldn't quite place it. Scanning the crowd again, the three of them suddenly froze in horror.
Son Goku! Someone they would never, ever forget! And wait—that person with Son Goku was... and there were Yamcha and Puar too! This was a gathering of those people! No wonder they weren't afraid of guns—everyone here was a monster in human form!
The Pilaf Gang was terrified beyond measure. Fortunately, Son Goku and Bulma didn't seem to recognize them in their child forms—they could at least hide their identities. But now they couldn't run away even if they wanted to. They had no choice but to bite the bullet and pretend to be ordinary children.
At that moment, Rukon, young Trunks, and Goten had already run over, surrounding the Pilaf Gang with curious interest. Children were always happy to make new friends. They were particularly interested in Mai—the only girl their age—and the ninja dog Shu. Young Trunks even offered to take them to try the desserts. With that, Pilaf found himself completely trapped in enemy territory with no way out.
Since they couldn't leave anyway... might as well eat! They'd never encountered such a magnificent feast before. They immediately dove into the delicious food alongside Rukon and the other children.
A minor episode, like a harmless joke. Everyone laughed it off and moved on.