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The smoke slowly cleared, and cheers erupted from the group.
Everyone rushed over to Goku, surrounding him with praise.
Gohan suddenly asked, "Wait, where did all the Dragon Balls go?"
Goku scratched his head, looking puzzled. "Now that you mention it… during the fight, I lost track of where they ended up."
Just then, Pan spotted one half-buried in the rubble. She bent down to pick it up—
—but the Dragon Ball suddenly bounced out of reach, leaping away on its own.
"What the?!" Goku exclaimed.
An arm shot up from the ground and snatched the Dragon Ball mid-air.
From beneath the broken earth, One-Star Dragon burst forth!
Goku's eyes widened. "One-Star Dragon! Don't tell me… you're still alive?!"
The shadow dragon stood tall on the mound of shattered stone. "You really are impressive, Son Goku. I was a fool for underestimating you—and that mistake made me furious. But I won't make it again."
Without hesitation, he tossed the Dragon Ball into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
The rest of the scattered Dragon Balls began glowing, then shot straight toward him, one by one. He devoured each in turn, like a predator feeding.
A terrible aura exploded out of his body.
"This," he declared proudly, "is the true power of the dragon who rules above all the others."
A mysterious glow spread from his chest. The Dragon Balls appeared there, embedded in his body like blazing jewels.
Gohan's jaw dropped. "No way… his power just spiked again—and it's massive!"
One-Star Dragon smirked arrogantly. "See it now? The power of the six other dragons I destroyed now flows through me. Their strength… is mine."
His laughter shook the air.
Raising his palm, he unleashed a sudden wave of destruction. The battlefield detonated in an instant, the shockwave scattering debris for miles.
A vicious storm ripped across the ground, flinging Gohan and the others into the air.
But Goku stood firm, unmoving, like an unshakable mountain.
"One-Star Dragon," he said calmly, "your real fight is with me."
"I know," the dragon replied with a cruel smile. "Which is why I'll make this battlefield your grave."
Moments later, the world fell eerily silent. Everything around them had been leveled to flat wasteland—buildings, rubble, all erased.
One-Star Dragon floated down to face Goku directly. "Even I can hardly believe it. My power's ten times what it was before… maybe more."
"I don't care how strong you get," Goku shot back, golden energy blazing around him. "I'm not losing to you."
With a burst of speed, he charged, his fist smashing into the dragon's gut. Combo after combo followed, his attacks raining down like a storm.
"Don't touch me!" One-Star Dragon roared, his body suddenly glowing crimson. Heat waves surged off him, searing the air. Goku flinched as his own hand burned on contact.
In a flash, One-Star Dragon's form shifted. His body pulsed with magma-like energy.
Goku gasped. "Four-Star Dragon's power?!"
"That's right," One-Star Dragon sneered as his form stabilized. "I can use all their tricks."
The three-star embedded in his chest flared, his eyes flashing with icy light. A freezing beam shot out, encasing Goku in solid ice.
"The cold ray of Three-Star Dragon," Goku thought in shock, his body locked in frost.
"And that's not all," the dragon gloated. He leapt high, forming a strange hand sign. "Vacuum Blade!"
A storm of razor-sharp winds slashed toward the frozen Goku.
"Cyclone Barrage!!"
The whirlwind lifted Goku and tossed him like a ragdoll.
"Evil Dragon Thunder!!"
Lightning tore down from the sky, striking him squarely as he reeled from the attacks.
The ground shook violently as Goku smashed into a dirt mound, swallowed in smoke and dust.
When it cleared, he staggered to his feet, bruised and battered. "Those moves… I remember them all. They won't work on me a second time."
But before he could catch his breath, One-Star Dragon vanished, reappearing with a devastating kick that launched Goku into a ruined skyscraper.
"Ha ha ha! What's the matter, Son Goku? Did that finish you off?"
From the rubble, Goku crawled out, coughing. "You'll need more than that to kill me."
Snarling, the dragon flashed forward, driving his fist deep into Goku's stomach. Blood sprayed from Goku's mouth as he crumpled.
"Get up," One-Star Dragon demanded. "We're not done."
Through the haze of pain, Goku caught his reflection in a shard of broken glass. His face was bruised, his body wrecked. "Is that really me… so beaten down already?"
Then his eyes sharpened. "Wait… I can see again."
The dragon frowned impatiently. "What are you mumbling about? I'm ready when you are."
Goku's aura flared. "You're terrifying, I'll give you that. But no matter what, I'm taking you down here and now."
The dragon thumped his chest. "Then come—hit me right here."
"Fine!" Goku roared. "Kame… hame… haaaaaa!!"
The blue-white beam slammed into the dragon's chest, shaking the ground.
"When did your eyesight return?!" One-Star Dragon snarled.
"Doesn't matter," Goku shouted, charging through the blast. "Take this—Dragon Fist!!!"
His body became a blazing golden dragon, roaring as it hurtled forward. His fist pierced into the dragon's stomach, energy erupting in all directions.
The golden dragon coiled around One-Star Dragon, constricting him in luminous chains before exploding in a burst of light.
The dragon's scream echoed as smoke poured from his body. He was flung back, detonating in midair with a thunderous blast.
Elsewhere—Other Worlds Watching
At Marineford, Garp stared in shock at the screen. "Sengoku, if that monster ever crossed into our world, he'd be worse than any of the Four Emperors!"
Sengoku rubbed his temples, grim. "The Celestial Dragons are already blowing up my den den mushi demanding to know how something so evil even exists. Let's just hope none of these monsters from the ranking ever show up in our seas."
—
In the Clover Kingdom, the Wizard King gathered the squad captains.
"Their powers are unpredictable, endlessly varied. And every single one of them rivals you captains in strength… some even surpass me."
Yami smirked from his seat. "Relax, boss. They're from another world. Doesn't concern us. We've still got the Eye of the Midnight Sun to deal with."
—
Back on the battlefield…
As the others celebrated, something unsettling fell from the sky—pink, fleshy sludge splattering onto the ground.
"What the heck was that?" Goku muttered, frowning.
Pan pointed nervously. "Grandpa, it's moving! It's like Five-Star Dragon's electrical system…"
The pieces began sparking and merging, pulling together.
A voice rumbled from within. "That's right—Five-Star Dragon's specialty."
Before their horrified eyes, the writhing pink mass reformed, reshaping itself into humanoid form.
"No way…" Goku whispered.
The pink light solidified, and standing there once again—was One-Star Dragon.
He smirked. "Your last move wasn't bad, Goku. But tricks like that only work on someone who lets them."
"..."
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