Kami's Lookout.
Son Gohan carefully laid the seven Dragon Balls on the central platform of the grand hall.
Bzzz… bzzz… bzzz!
The orbs began to glow brilliantly.
"Gohan, you plan to use Shenron's power to take Piccolo back to my homeworld?" Kami instantly grasped Gohan's intention.
"That's right. The Namekians are a kind and peaceful race, but they're also quite reserved and insular. Namek is inhabited solely by their own people. If I bring Piccolo along, it will prevent a lot of unnecessary conflict," Gohan explained.
"Piccolo was born from my evil half. With his temper, he might just cause trouble there. Why not take me instead?" Kami suggested after a moment's thought.
"If I remember correctly, you don't have much time left, do you? The long journey would exhaust you, and I have no desire to be the one responsible for turning the Dragon Balls into stone."
"…You have a point. Then let him go. If the Namekians accept him, when he returns, I'll be ready to let this frail body go back to where it belongs. With you and Goku here, I can rest easy."
"You mean… fuse with him? That's a good option. Good and evil aren't always so clear-cut. Piccolo isn't the same Demon King he once was. You've probably noticed that too. Aside from his obsession with defeating my father, he hasn't shown any real intention to do evil," Gohan agreed.
"But if I fuse with him, Shenron will die with me. When I was in my complete form, I created a set of Dragon Balls. But because of the influence of my evil half, they became unstable. Every time a wish was granted, Earth would be thrown into a cataclysm. That's why I sealed the Black Star Dragon Balls away and never let them see the light of day. I fear that if Piccolo revives Shenron after our fusion, the same instability could happen again," Kami said with concern.
In the original history, Kami had merged into Piccolo, and Piccolo retained the ability to create a Dragon. The reason he never revived Shenron himself was precisely because of this risk.
"You don't have to worry about that. I'm certain there are other Namekians besides you who can create Dragon Balls," Gohan replied, already having a plan in mind thanks to his future knowledge.
"By the way, could that set of Dragon Balls be used to make a wish on another planet?" Gohan suddenly asked.
"You mean… make a wish on a lifeless planet?" Kami quickly guessed his train of thought.
"Exactly. If we don't make the wish on Earth, then Earth wouldn't be destroyed, right?"
Kami shook his head. "I've never tried it, but I suspect that even if it didn't destroy Earth outright, it would still bring disasters. After all, the materials used to create the Black Star Dragon Balls came from Earth."
"In that case, you'd better keep them sealed. That's a ticking time bomb," Gohan said, frowning.
"Don't worry. Mr. Popo sealed them himself and hid them away. Even I don't know where they are."
"If Popo handled it personally, I can rest easy," Gohan said in relief.
He still couldn't guess where Popo came from, but in his mind, Popo's terrifying presence was no less than that of the Gods of Destruction, or perhaps even greater. Why such a powerful being chose to remain hidden on Earth was anyone's guess.
Whoosh!
"Old man, you'd better be telling the truth… or I'll tear this place apart!"
Piccolo's voice boomed like a thunderclap as he stepped forward, already threatening to destroy the Lookout.
"Relax. You and I are one and the same. You'll know if I'm lying," Kami replied calmly.
"And who's this brat?" Piccolo asked, his eyes narrowing as he turned to Gohan. For a moment, suspicion flickered in his gaze. He felt a trace of familiarity in the boy's ki.
The hair… the face…
"You're that guy Son Goku's kid, aren't you?" Piccolo's voice turned venomous.
"What, got a problem with that?" Gohan looked at him with complete indifference.
"Hah! You're a cockier brat than your simple-minded father. If I kill you here, I can settle my blood feud once and for all!" Piccolo's aura flared, his white cape billowing in the wind.
"You? Kill me? You think you're worthy?" Gohan released just one percent of his power.
One percent of a battle power of three million… thirty thousand. Not much by his standards, but for Piccolo at this stage, it was like staring into the abyss.
"It… it's you…! That surge of power at Korin Tower not long ago… it was you!!" Cold sweat streamed down Piccolo's face as the crushing weight of Gohan's ki forced him to his knees. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't stand.
The idea that such terrifying energy could come from a boy not yet three years old sent a shiver down his spine. For a moment, a flicker of death crossed his mind.
But just when Piccolo thought the end had come, Gohan withdrew his ki entirely.
Piccolo shot to his feet, backing away and raising his guard.
"If I wanted you dead, no matter how far you ran, I wouldn't even have to lift a finger."
Boom!
With a single thought, Gohan sent out a wave of invisible force. The blast hurled Piccolo into the railing of the Lookout, shattering the stonework.
"You dare humiliate me like this?! Damn you!!" Piccolo roared, his rage igniting into a blazing battle aura.
"Special Beam Cannon!!"
A thick, golden beam of energy lanced toward Gohan. In his fury, Piccolo's power briefly spiked past his limits, reaching 1,100.
"Hmph." Gohan exhaled lightly, and the beam bent away harmlessly into the sky.
"No… impossible…" Piccolo staggered back, disbelief etched on his face.
Gohan, Kami, and Popo simply stood there, silent, unshaken.
Piccolo's rage had been fully expected.
Thanks to Gohan's interference, history had already changed. In the original timeline, it was Raditz's arrival that forced Piccolo to ally with Goku, and Gohan's presence during training had gradually thawed his cold heart.
But now, Gohan himself had disrupted the flow of time.
After a few minutes, Piccolo finally calmed down, his sharp mind returning.
"All right… what do you want from me? At my current strength, I'm useless to you," he said flatly.
"Cooled off already? Not jumping around anymore?" Gohan smirked.
"Hmph! Cut the crap. You called me here for a reason. I may not be as strong as you, but I'm no fool," Piccolo replied, crossing his arms.
"In that case, I'll get straight to the point…"
Gohan began to explain his plan, and the true reason he had summoned Piccolo.