**Dragon Ball World, Earth, July, Age 750.**
More than two months had passed since **Son Goku**, after taking second place in the 21st **World Martial Arts Tournament**, killing **Mercenary Tao**, and defeating the **Red Ribbon Army**, reunited with his deceased Grandpa Gohan and resumed his training.
During those two months, he had trained diligently and arduously.
In that time, he also defeated two scoundrels named **Kinkaku** and **Ginkaku**, fought the human martial artist **Tenlong**, learned the **Illusion Star Fist**, and ventured into the **Demon Realm** to rescue a princess.
"1121, 1122, 1123..."
On the sloping mountain path, the young **Son Goku**—his tail having regrown—carried a huge rock on his back and performed repeated frog jumps in the pouring rain, gritting his teeth.
This was one of the **Turtle School**'s methods for physical conditioning.
Suddenly, a streak of light descended from the sky and struck him directly between the eyebrows, making him roll his eyes back before he fainted.
When he woke up, he found himself in a vast, white space.
Countless glowing doors were scattered densely throughout, each imprinted with patterns and text.
Most of the patterns depicted people in different outfits, and though he didn't recognize the text at first, he strangely understood its meaning.
"**Marvel**, **Harry Potter**, **Demon Slayer**, **Attack on Titan**, **Inuyasha**, **Naruto**..."
He read the names on the doors one by one until his gaze stopped on the glowing door behind him.
"Isn't this... me?"
He was surprised to see that the pattern on it was indeed himself, with the text reading "**Dragon Ball**."
Curiously, he reached out and pushed open the door with his own picture. His mind immediately went blank.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the mountain slope where he'd been training, and it was still raining.
"What's going on?"
The young **Son Goku** blinked, clearly puzzled.
"Forget it. I won't think about it."
After pondering for less than five seconds, he shrugged off the mystery and resumed his frog-jump training with the huge rock on his back.
Ever since leaving **Mount Paozu** with **Bulma**, too many inexplicable things had happened.
But it didn't matter. If he didn't understand something, so be it. The most important thing was to train hard, grow stronger, and win the championship at the **World Martial Arts Tournament** three years from now.
That night, the rain stopped. The young **Son Goku**, still carrying the huge rock, had frog-jumped all the way to the mountaintop.
"I'm hungry!"
He set the rock down, rubbed his stomach, and muttered, "I'll catch a tiger to eat today."
With a few leaps, his figure vanished into the nearby forest.
Half an hour later, he emerged, dragging a saber-tooth tiger as large as a small car.
An hour after that, he sucked the last bone clean, rubbed his round belly, and closed his eyes contentedly.
In less than three seconds, he was sound asleep.
But exactly three seconds later, his figure vanished from the spot.
Eight hours later, the young **Son Goku** opened his eyes, stretched with a big yawn, and prepared to find breakfast.
Yet when he took in his surroundings, confusion returned.
"How did I end up here again?"
He was back in the white space filled with glowing doors.
He wandered around, then reached out and touched the door with his own picture again.
As expected, he returned to the mountaintop where he'd fallen asleep.
That's when he realized: touching the door with his picture in that white space sent him back to wherever he'd left from.
"Then how did I get in here?"
Another question popped into his mind.
But the young **Son Goku** didn't dwell on it. He got up, caught a wild wolf in the forest for breakfast, and resumed his grueling training.
Compared to the mystery of the white space, he cared far more about getting stronger.
That night, in his cave, the exhausted **Son Goku** fell asleep as usual after a full day of training.
Eight hours later, he awoke—sure enough—in the white space again.
"So I end up here whenever I sleep."
Though the young **Son Goku** wasn't knowledgeable about many everyday things and rarely cared about matters unrelated to training, he wasn't stupid.
After two or three experiences, he quickly figured out the pattern: falling asleep brought him to the white space, and touching his own door returned him.
"Then what are these?"
This time, instead of touching his own door, he reached for another glowing one nearby.
His mind blanked out again. When he came to, he stood in a strange alley.
"So it's like **Korin**'s jars."
The realization hit him.
Earlier, during his fight with **Mercenary Tao**, he'd climbed **Korin Tower** and trained under **Korin**, the **Cat Hermit** (also known as **Master Karin**).
**Korin** had several jars that could transport people to different places around the world.
These doors must work the same way, leading to different places in this world—or perhaps beyond.
"I'm hungry. Let's find something to eat!"
**Son Goku** rubbed his stomach and stepped out of the alley to search for breakfast before continuing his training.
Training was the same no matter the location.
Besides, he'd just woken up—he couldn't fall asleep again right away to return via the door. He'd have to wait until night.
"Gabriella, you can't escape!"
Just as he took a step, a sharp shout rang from the alley entrance.
A woman burst in, clutching a little girl, pursued by a group of burly men with guns.
The shout had come from their leader.
"Oh no—a dead end!"
Seeing the alley had no exit and a blank-faced boy standing inside, **Gabriella**'s face paled. She turned to confront the men.
The burly men looked delighted.
"Gabriella, the Commander said that if you bring **X-23** back to the Institute and reveal the locations of the other test subjects, he'll reward you with wealth beyond your dreams."
The lead captain ignored the oddly dressed, blank-faced boy and eyed the girl in **Gabriella**'s arms warily.
The girl was experimental subject **X-23**. **Gabriella** had named her **Laura**, and she was the most dangerous mutant child from the Institute.
"You devils—I won't hand **Laura** over to you."
**Gabriella** refused without hesitation.
She had been a nurse in Mexico City at the **Genetic Modification Institute**, which outwardly researched medicine but secretly paid local women to act as surrogates, breeding mutant children.
They then trained these children into killing machines.
Recently, the Institute had made a breakthrough, creating even more powerful subjects, so they decided to eliminate any uncooperative mutant children.
When **Gabriella** learned the truth, she risked everything to escape with all the children.
They got separated during the flight, and she now hurried **Laura** toward the agreed meeting point to reunite with the others.
"In that case, don't blame us for being impolite!"
The captain signaled his men, who immediately aimed their guns at the girl **Gabriella** had set down.
**Gabriella** was just an ordinary nurse and no threat; the real danger was **X-23**.
"The Commander said we can bring back your corpses if you refuse."
At that moment, two **adamantium** claws slowly extended from the little girl's hands, her eyes blazing with murderous intent.
Just as a fierce battle was about to erupt, the boy behind them leaped forward, landing between **Gabriella** and **Laura**.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
The young **Son Goku** questioned the burly men.
They gave him the same bad feeling as the **Red Ribbon Army** he'd wiped out for their evil deeds.
"Little friend, it's dangerous—move aside quickly!"
Seeing the boy shield them, **Gabriella** looked anxious.
These Institute armed personnel were cold-blooded killers who wouldn't hesitate, even against a child.
"Get lost, brat!"
As expected, the captain raised his gun without hesitation and fired at **Son Goku**'s head.
**Bang!**
The bullet streaked toward his forehead.
But in the next instant, everyone's faces filled with disbelief.
"What?!"
"It seems you're all bad people!"
**Son Goku** tossed the caught bullet to the ground and assumed the **Turtle School** fighting stance.
He had snatched the bullet out of the air with his bare hand.
Back when he first left **Mount Paozu**, he couldn't have done that—he could only tank bullets with his body, and they still stung a bit.
But after his adventures, training with **Master Roshi** (the **Turtle Hermit**), the **World Martial Arts Tournament**, and battling **Mercenary Tao**, his strength had grown tremendously.
"Captain, look—behind him! Isn't that a tail?"
After recovering from shock, one team member pointed at **Son Goku**'s upright tail.
"So that's it!"
Realization dawned on the captain's face.
"I didn't expect a wild mutant. Kill him too."
If he saw a boy with a tail on the street, he'd assume it was a costume.
After years of effort, the Institute believed no wild mutants remained.
None of the escaped test subjects had tails either.
But this boy had caught a bullet bare-handed—he had to be a mutant.
What else could explain it?
Still, the captain wasn't overly worried. Catching one bullet was nothing; many mutants could.
He'd hunted mutants with the Commander before—what kind hadn't he seen or killed?
Could this kid catch one, two, three—or a hundred?
Not everyone was a freak like **Magneto**.
Normal mutants, without numbers or combat experience, were no match for armed teams.
As long as they were carbon-based life forms, modern weapons could take them down—even mutants.
But as soon as he finished speaking, the boy vanished.
"Where is he?"
The next second, an unbearable blow struck the captain's abdomen. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
The rest of the team saw the boy appear before their captain like he'd teleported.
A single light punch dropped their battle-hardened leader.
Before they could swing their guns around, they all followed suit.
Their eyes couldn't even track his movements.
"As weak as those **Red Ribbon Army** guys."
**Son Goku** clapped his hands, turned to the stunned **Gabriella**, and smiled.
"Auntie, are you two okay?"
"N-no... we're fine."
The shock in **Gabriella**'s eyes matched that of the fallen men.
She hadn't expected to meet a wild mutant child here—and such a powerful one.
"Quick, let's get out of here first!"
Snapping back, she scooped up the little girl, grabbed **Son Goku**'s hand, and ran from the alley.
That squad must have already radioed the Institute's Commander.
If they lingered, a larger team of heavily armed mutant-hunting mercenaries would arrive—equipped with submachine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and more.
No matter how strong the boy was, it wouldn't help against that.
Once out of the alley, **Gabriella** found her small car, put **Son Goku** and **Laura** in the back seat, and floored the accelerator toward her home in the west of the city.
"Where are we going?"
**Son Goku** sat in the back, tilting his head to ask **Gabriella**.
He felt no malice from her, so he hadn't resisted when she pulled him along.
"We're heading west of the city. Little friend, what's your name, and where do you live? I'll take you home first."
**Gabriella** only relaxed once they'd escaped the immediate area.
**Son Goku** replied, "My name is **Son Goku**, and I live on **Mount Paozu**. You don't need to take me home—I'm out training."
"**Mount Paozu**? Training?"
**Gabriella** looked confused.
She'd never heard of **Mount Paozu**, and what did an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy need to train for?
"Then where are your parents? Do you have their phone number?"
The boy had just saved them. Even in their dire situation, she planned to get him home safely.
And warn his parents to leave the city quickly—before the Institute found them and experimented on or killed them.
"I don't have parents. Grandpa found me and raised me."
**Son Goku** answered honestly.
**Gabriella** glanced back at him, her eyes full of pity.
This child must have been abandoned by his parents because of the tail he was born with.
"Then where is your grandpa now? Do you have his number?"
"Grandpa passed away. He's living in the **Other World** now."
**Son Goku** remembered seeing Grandpa at **Fortuneteller Baba**'s place. Grandpa had said he was happy in the **Other World** and didn't want to be revived with the **Dragon Balls**.
"I'm so hungry..."
At that moment, his stomach growled loudly—he hadn't eaten breakfast yet...
(End of Chapter 1)