As everyone was conversing, they suddenly heard an unexpected voice.
It was telepathic communication. Although rather crude, it was more than enough to shock everyone except Talot and his two companions.
It was Kami, transmitting his voice from the Lookout through telepathy.
All in all, Talot truly hadn't expected him to step in so decisively.
If he had appeared this early in the original work, then surely everything that followed would have been altered.
This brief exchange could be considered Kami's request.
He asked everyone present to help Earth eradicate Great Demon King Piccolo, the root cause of the chaotic era. By doing so, they can prevent the widespread slaughter and devastation that plagued Earth centuries ago from ever happening again.
Towards this request, the newly formed Z-Warriors naturally felt duty-bound to accept.
But agreeing was one thing—at the moment they had no clear direction, no real plan. After all, they didn't even know where Great Demon King Piccolo was.
And they would obviously have to rely on Talot and his group.
However, from the very beginning, Talot had no intention of intervening in this part of the story; otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed on the sidelines without preparing in advance.
Of course, even if Talot's group did not act, Goku was a different matter.
With Goku's current strength, he easily sensed Great Demon King Piccolo's location. Through Kami's relayed message, the others also learned that Great Demon King Piccolo intended to gather the Dragon Balls to summon Shenron and wish to restore his youth.
Thus, with the aid of the Dragon Radar, they launched a dual pursuit and managed to intercept the Great Demon King Piccolo, who was searching for the final dragon ball, a step ahead of him.
The current power level of Piccolo Sr. was clearly far inferior to his prime.
Even at his peak power level of 260, he was already outdated by the standards of the current era.
Among the group, aside from Chiaotzu, anyone could have crushed Great Demon King Piccolo.
In the end, however, it was Master Roshi who personally acted, bringing closure to this centuries-old feud.
Back then, Mutaito had sacrificed himself to seal Great Demon King Piccolo.
Now, with a power level exceeding 400, Master Roshi made Great Demon King Piccolo appear like an ant, utterly powerless to resist.
For Great Demon King Piccolo, who had only just broken free of his seal, this was utterly shocking.
Ultimately, Great Demon King Piccolo perished under Master Roshi's Kamehameha.
His body was pierced through, just as it had been by Goku in the original work.
Unwilling to accept this fate, Great Demon King Piccolo entrusted everything to his reincarnation—Ma Junior!
The course of events diverged greatly from the original work, yet the outcome suggested that even if certain premises changed, some results remained inevitable.
For instance, Ma Junior would still come into being, and Kami would not die because of Great Demon King Piccolo's demise.
Unless Talot were to intervene directly, eliminating the possibility of such developments altogether.
But there was no need for that.
...
With the oppressive shadow of Great Demon King Piccolo gone, the gloom that had weighed upon everyone's hearts completely dissipated, and Kami's voice once again arrived to express his gratitude.
Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and Yamcha even began marveling at Master Roshi's strength, saying things like how he truly lived up to his name.
Master Roshi thoroughly enjoyed the praise, especially since he had accomplished something that even his own teacher had failed to do, which made him particularly confident and proud.
However, Goku chose an inopportune moment to remark: "Grandpa Master Roshi is indeed powerful, but the Great Demon King Piccolo was truly weak, far inferior to the opponent who will arrive on Earth in two days."
The group already knew that Goku was no longer the same as before, and they also understood how overwhelmingly strong Talot and his companions were. Now, upon learning that a new alien enemy would soon arrive on Earth, the gloom that had just lifted quickly returned.
After some discussion, they came to understand the situation more clearly. This made these outstanding martial artists of the current era realize that they were no more than ants. The strength they were intensely proud of wasn't even comparable to insects when set against truly formidable enemies from beyond Earth.
It was like an ordinary person who had always been busy just making ends meet, never realizing that the world he lived in was merely a remote little mountain village, and that beyond the mountains existed bustling, magnificent cities…
To them, Earth had always seemed vast, but compared to the scale of the universe, Earth was now revealed to be impossibly small.
"You're already among the top fighters on Earth, so I doubt any of you are content to stay where you are, stagnating. Since you all carry the will to grow stronger, then come with us. I'm sure you're curious about how we helped Kakarot become so powerful.
"Also, two days from now, come with us to witness what's coming. After all, sooner or later you'll come into contact with the higher realms of martial arts as well."
Talot had made a decision: he would give these warriors a hand up.
Even though, eventually, they would still be left behind, at least for now they were outstanding. Perhaps, under his guidance, they could become even stronger.
He saw it as providing help within his means and also making up for the regret he had in his previous life that these warriors' strength had never been able to keep up.
Since Talot personally extended the invitation for such a good opportunity, no one refused. In fact, they all revealed faces filled with excitement and anticipation.
Before Super Saiyan became commonplace, before they were overshadowed by the terrifying talents of Saiyans and transformation cheat, even Yamcha had always strived to grow stronger, let alone Krillin and Tien Shinhan.
Even Chiaotzu pressed forward br; his final recorded feat had been defeating Guldo of the Ginyu Force.
...
And so it went.
With Great Demon King Piccolo slain by Master Roshi, and under the guidance of Talot's group, Earth leapt across two eras, stepping into an entirely new age.
One matter worth noting is that because the story had changed, the future grudges and fated conflict between Ma Junior and Goku would no longer exist. For even if Ma Junior wished for revenge, his true target would be Master Roshi.
In fact, if Ma Junior couldn't keep up in terms of strength, he might soon be eliminated, reduced to an insignificant existence.
And perhaps, in the future, there would no longer be any bond between him and Son Gohan.
...
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