-----
-----
Broly's strength had already gone way past the point where entering the World Martial Arts Tournament made any sense. It would've been straight-up bullying—and it wasn't like he'd get any stronger from it anyway.
So he skipped three consecutive tournaments. Piccolo honestly never expected someone like this to exist on Earth. But then a sudden memory surfaced—something left behind from King Piccolo—and he froze, only to get punched out of the sky by a Saibaman.
Piccolo didn't care about that hit. His mind was stuck on the scene he'd just remembered.
In that memory, there was a terrifyingly powerful man. A man with a tail wrapped around his waist, who swatted at King Piccolo with a casual wave… almost killing him without even looking his way.
Piccolo felt anger, felt humiliation… but he had to admit it: that man was unbelievably strong. If he had chosen to act, Earth might've been saved back then.And the pressure from just a blurry memory of him was heavier than what those three Saiyans were giving off now.Who was that guy?
"Wait—Piccolo, you know who he is?" Goku asked, surprised. "The only reason I'm this strong today is 'cause he helped me a ton."
"He really is crazy strong. Back when I trained under Korin and Kami, I heard from Kami that he'd been there years before I ever showed up. And even then, he was already way stronger than Kami. It's been so many years since… who knows how far he's gotten now?"
While the two were talking, Krillin and the others were running out of gas. Goku and Piccolo were stuck fighting the Saibamen and couldn't break away to help.
Just as the others were about to get killed, a beam—shaped like a twisting, spiraled version of the Special Beam Cannon—shot down and blew apart a Saibaman right before it landed a sneak attack.
A loud "boom" rang out as the creature exploded into scraps.
Footsteps followed.
When the smoke cleared, a tall, rugged man—close to two meters, sharp features, solid build—walked out. He glanced over the battlefield and smiled softly.
"Long time no see, Goku."
"Yeah, long time no see, Broly! I knew you'd show up!"Seeing Broly arrive, Goku finally stopped wasting energy. Sure, he loved fighting, but he wasn't dumb. It sucked to admit it, but he couldn't even beat those plant men Broly made on a whim—let alone the Saiyans who were each stronger than the last.
The remaining Saibamen, noticing the Dragon Team dropping left and right, all locked onto the one guy who hadn't moved at all: Broly.
"Watch out! They're really strong!" Krillin yelled when he saw Broly standing there without even dodging.
"Strong?"Right as the Saibamen lunged, Broly vanished. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the group.
Five cracks rang out like eggs being crushed. The five Saibamen froze mid-charge.Broly had passed through them at extreme speed, landing a single hidden-force punch on each of them—his own creation.
Their bodies looked intact on the outside, but inside everything was pulp. The residual force then tore straight out of their bodies, killing them instantly.
Everyone stared, stunned—even the three Saiyans. Killing five Saibamen in an instant wasn't that shocking; even Vegeta could pull that off.
But killing them in an instant without anyone—even Vegeta—seeing him move?That was terrifying.
The arrogance on Vegeta's face disappeared completely. His confidence wavered. There was something about Broly's calm, unreadable expression that made his stomach twist with unease.
"Nappa, Raditz—attack with me! We're killing him!"Vegeta had no more patience for toying with the Earthlings. He didn't know why this unease was hitting him so hard, but he wasn't going to ignore it.
Broly still didn't move. He didn't give off even a hint of ki. That lack of energy was exactly what made the Saiyans so tense.
The moment the three of them got close, Broly's aura suddenly erupted outward with no warning. The burst of ki blew all three Saiyans back like rag dolls.
"I know elite Saiyans can create artificial moons. Go ahead and transform. In your current state, none of you stand a chance. If you don't transform and end up dead, don't say I didn't give you a chance."
"You… bastard! I never lose!"Vegeta's whole body trembled with fury. With pride engraved into his very soul, Broly's words were basically a slap to his face.
He launched himself at Broly, only to be blasted away even faster than before, crashing into the ground hard enough to carve out a crater.
"Incredible… I didn't think Broly had gotten this strong."Goku stood with Piccolo and the others, watching the fight. "I couldn't even follow that Vegeta guy's movements, and Broly still swatted him like nothing. His power must be way beyond Vegeta's."
Goku felt a deep sting of regret.Such a powerful opponent… and he wasn't strong enough to fight him.
"Damn it! How dare you toy with me like this?!"Vegeta was losing his mind. Broly clearly had enough strength to kill him in one blow, yet he was only knocking him away. Humiliating him. Vegeta was furious… and powerless. He knew Broly's strength was far above his own.
Standing up, Vegeta didn't rush again. Instead, he gathered energy into a glowing sphere in his hand and hurled it into the sky.
It expanded into a small artificial moon. Under its light, all three Saiyans began transforming into Great Apes.
Broly didn't move. He just crossed his arms, letting the process happen. He had modified his body with genetic medicine long ago, fixing the transformation flaw; he could look at a full moon without turning into an ape.
But then—As the three Saiyans transformed, Broly suddenly felt his own blood boil. His heartbeat pounded violently in his chest.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"....."