Up on the Lookout, Kami kept quietly watching what Cell was doing below.
"Enough already! Stop staring off on your own and tell me what's going on!" Piccolo snapped, impatient.
"I thought it was over… but I didn't expect that monster to come back to life," Kami said heavily.
"Didn't he run into Ken?" Piccolo frowned. "Ken didn't kill him?"
"No," Kami said, his expression growing darker. "Ken punished him—made him suffer—but he didn't finish him. I don't know why… That monster's vitality is insane, especially with that tail of his absorbing humans…"
"Ken had his reasons," Piccolo said with a huff. "Don't waste time guessing. Tell me what that monster is."
"There's no need to explain it all," Kami sighed, finally making his decision. "Once I merge with you, you'll see everything yourself."
"You finally decided," Piccolo said, surprised—and relieved. "So that thing really is dangerous."
"Hurry," Kami said grimly, tossing his staff aside. "We can't let more innocent people die."
"You're fine using my body as the base?" Piccolo asked.
"No problem," Kami nodded. "You're younger, and you're stronger. I'll provide you with energy and knowledge. Just place your hand on my chest."
Piccolo didn't hesitate. He pressed his palm to Kami's chest.
I've done this before.
"Kami…" Mr. Popo said softly, reluctant to let him go.
"Earth doesn't need a Kami right now. It needs a warrior," Kami said with a faint smile. "Until Goku returns, the only way to save Earth might be for this god to do it himself." His gaze softened. "And Piccolo has changed completely. The evil in his heart is almost gone. Thank you for everything, Mr. Popo."
Mr. Popo lowered his head, wordless.
"Hah!" Kami shouted.
A bright light burst from his body, surged through Piccolo's arm, and poured into him.
The merge was complete.
Mr. Popo couldn't speak.
Piccolo quietly felt the power filling him. The energy was overwhelming—yet his expression only grew calmer.
"Goodbye, Kami," Mr. Popo said, waving. "Take care."
"Just call me Piccolo," Piccolo replied evenly.
Mr. Popo fell silent.
So… Kami is really gone now.
"Alright. I'm going," Piccolo said, then jumped from the Lookout.
Not long after, he dropped out of the sky and landed on a small town street. He turned his head, eyes narrowing.
A green monster stood nearby.
The moment Piccolo saw it, his face tightened.
That ki… it's strong.
The monster was holding a fat, middle-aged man by the collar. The man kicked and thrashed, screaming in terror.
"Hey! I've got money—lots of money! Save me!" he shouted at Piccolo. "I'm the richest man in this town! Hurry up and save me!"
"Cell," Piccolo said coldly. "That's your name, right?"
Cell: "…"
Why does everyone know my name?
"How do you know that?" Cell demanded, scowling.
"I heard it," Piccolo said flatly.
"You heard me talking to that Ken guy?" Cell's eyes narrowed as he put it together.
Piccolo nodded. "That's right."
The rich man's face went pale with despair.
They know each other…
"Cell. Another android made by Dr. Gero," Piccolo said, voice heavy. "How many of these things did that man build?"
Cell snorted, refusing to dignify that question.
"I'll admit this—your survival is impressive," Piccolo said, staring him down. "Ken beat you to pieces, and you're still up and moving."
"Of course I'm alive," Cell sneered. "He and that Broly didn't kill me. They gave me time to recover." His smile turned cruel. "He'll regret it."
"Let him go," Piccolo ordered.
Cell paused, then casually tossed the man to the ground.
The man felt like he'd just won the lottery.
So they aren't on the same side—thank goodness!
I need to run.
He scrambled toward Piccolo on hands and knees.
Cell's tail flicked.
It jabbed straight into the man's backside.
"AAAGH!" The man shrieked like his soul had been ripped out.
Cell froze.
…Damn it. That was off.
I'm not about to absorb something I don't want to.
Doesn't matter.
The tail pulsed, and Cell began absorbing the man's life essence.
The man screamed and convulsed, face beet-red, and then—between the pain and panic—he threw up everything he'd eaten last night.
A few seconds later, his body collapsed into an empty husk, completely drained into Cell.
Piccolo: "…"
"You absorbed… all of that too?" Piccolo asked, looking like he might actually vomit.
Cell's face darkened. "You're next, King Piccolo!"
"Calling me that makes sense," Piccolo said evenly. "If you're an android, you'd have my data."
Cell's smirk returned. "Then take a good look at this!"
A violent surge of ki erupted from his body.
Piccolo's expression changed instantly.
That power…
"Well?" Cell chuckled. "King Piccolo, you're going to be my meal."
"Tch. Try it," Piccolo said, letting his own energy explode outward. Then he added calmly, "But you've got the wrong guy. I'm not King Piccolo."
Cell blinked. "What? You're saying I've got the wrong guy? You're not King Piccolo?"
"That's right," Piccolo said, nodding. "And you just wiped out this town's residents. Honestly? That's exactly what I wanted."
Cell frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"It means I can deal with you however I like," Piccolo said, raising a hand toward him.
Cell's eyes flickered.
Is he about to use that thing Broly did?
What was it called… condensing ki into a form?
That's annoying to fight.
Piccolo answered his fear with something far simpler.
A massive blast erupted from Piccolo's palm and swallowed Cell whole.
Cell screamed and crashed to the ground.
Piccolo shot forward.
Cell barely scrambled up in time and swung a slap at him.
Piccolo hopped aside and drove a kick into Cell's lower back.
Cell staggered, nearly falling, and tried to recover—
but Piccolo was faster. He blinked into Cell's face and launched a brutal front kick.
Cell spun through the air, flipping end over end, before he finally hit the ground.
Piccolo appeared again, unhurried, directly in front of him.
"That's it?" Piccolo sneered. "I expected more. Is it because you were still injured?"
"Heh," Cell said, wiping his mouth as he stood. "You're not bad. Even if my body still isn't complete."
"Not complete? Is that why you were absorbing… that?" Piccolo asked.
Cell: "…"
"Can we have a normal conversation?" Cell snapped.
"Go on," Piccolo said, amused.
"Life essence is my fuel," Cell said coldly.
"Then answer this," Piccolo demanded. "Who sent you here in a time machine? Do you have an accomplice?"
Cell opened his mouth—
and Piccolo cut in again.
"In your time, did you ever meet Goku?" Piccolo asked.
Cell: "…"
"Why are you asking that too?" Cell frowned. "Is Son Goku still alive?"
Piccolo didn't answer.
Cell's eyes widened. "So he is alive… That means history is different from what I know."
"Now answer me," Piccolo said.
Cell didn't want to.
I was about to talk, and you interrupted. Now you want me to restart?
After a moment's hesitation, he decided it wouldn't matter.
"I sent myself," Cell said. "The time machine was too small for my body, so I had to devolve into an egg." His tone sharpened. "And since you know about the time machine… how about this?"
Piccolo blinked as Cell suddenly assumed a familiar stance, hands cupped.
A question mark practically popped over Piccolo's head.
Why does he know Goku's—
"Kamehameha!"
Cell fired.
A roaring wave of energy surged toward Piccolo.
Piccolo stared, stunned.
He's actually doing it!
He shot straight upward.
The Kamehameha hit the ground where he'd been standing and exploded, smoke and debris flooding the street.
Piccolo hovered above the blast zone, staring down, struggling to keep up with what he'd just seen.
Then—
Cell appeared behind him and wrapped his arms and legs around Piccolo like a vice.
Piccolo thrashed, trying to break free.
Cell's tail whipped up and speared toward him.
Piccolo's face tightened. He couldn't dodge in time, so he twisted hard—
The tail pierced straight into his arm.
Piccolo roared in pain.
"Huh," Cell said with a grin. "Got your arm. That works. Now give me that powerful life essence… and hey, your arm doesn't have anything disgusting on it, does it?"
Piccolo felt the flesh being ripped away, absorbed into Cell. The pain was brutal.
He forced himself through it, dipped his head, then snapped it forward—
His skull slammed into Cell's face.
Cell yelped and reflexively loosened his grip.
Piccolo dropped like a stone and landed on the street. He looked up, breathing hard.
One of his arms had withered, shrivelled and useless.
Cell floated down and landed across from him, wearing a smug, playful smile.
"Heh. You survived," Cell said. "But your arm is ruined. You went from advantage to disadvantage."
Piccolo exhaled once and nodded. "Yeah. This isn't looking great. I can't beat you. I surrender."
Cell grinned. "Fast surrender. I like it. Absorbing you will complete me much faster."
"Before you do, answer a few things," Piccolo said. "Why do you have Goku's ki… and Frieza's? What did Dr. Gero do to you? And did it take you three years after hatching to reach this point?"
Cell fell silent.
Then he made a decision.
"If you want answers, you answer me first," Cell said. "Who are Ken and Broly? Why aren't they in my database?"
"You came from the future, right?" Piccolo replied evenly. "It's not strange. History changed. In your era, did Goku die from a heart virus?"
Cell gave a slow nod.
"In our timeline, Goku hasn't gotten the heart virus," Piccolo said, lying with a straight face.
Cell frowned. "Seriously? Then tell me—who are Ken and Broly?"
"They're the greatest gods in the universe," Piccolo said truthfully. "You'd be smart not to provoke them."
"Gods?" Cell blinked—then laughed. "Interesting."
"Your turn," Piccolo said. "Answer me."
"I'm Cell. A bio-android," Cell said. "Dr. Gero's computer created me."
Piccolo nodded.
"Long ago, Dr. Gero collected the cells of powerful fighters and started synthesising them to create the ultimate android," Cell explained. "It took too long, so he abandoned it—yet the computer never stopped. It kept working." His eyes gleamed. "It collected Goku's, your, and Vegeta's cells during the battle when Vegeta first arrived on Earth."
"So it's from that era," Piccolo muttered. "That explains why your Kamehameha isn't that impressive."
"Later, Frieza and his father came to Earth," Cell continued. "I got their cells too. And Trunks' cells—Saiyan cells. I had everything I needed."
Piccolo froze for a moment.
Everything? Not even close.
Ken and Broly were Saiyans too. And that Universe 6 girl—Kale—was a Saiyan as well.
Piccolo also caught something else: Cell knew Trunks existed, yet he'd never met Goku.
Another parallel time stream?
And from the way Cell described it, Trunks still killed Frieza and King Cold in his world—just like here.
Piccolo's thoughts tangled up fast.
"How did you collect cells without anyone noticing?" Piccolo asked.
"Ask Dr. Gero," Cell said with a chuckle. "He sent spy robots. Tiny, about the size of a bee. They'd gather samples when nobody was paying attention." He tilted his head. "Look. One's coming right now. It'll transmit what's happening here to the computer—maybe it wants your cells too."
Piccolo turned—and saw a bee-sized robot drifting toward them.
"Die," Piccolo said, blasting it into scrap.
"Too late," Cell said lightly. "The essential cells were already collected and the research was already underway. I was born twenty-four years later in the future."
"We investigated Dr. Gero's lab," Piccolo said, voice low. "We saw every android he activated. We never saw anything like you."
"The computer was developing me underground," Cell explained.
"So that's it," Piccolo said, then pressed on. "Second question—did it take you three years after hatching to reach this point?"
"That time was necessary," Cell said. "Now I've answered enough. Let me absorb you."
"One last question!" Piccolo shouted. "Why did you come here from the future in the first place?"
"Absorbing human life essence won't complete my body," Cell said, smiling. "I need two special lifeforms. The computer told me they're Android 17 and—te… te… te… te te te te te…"
Piccolo: "????"
Piccolo stared, baffled.
What are you trying to say?
"Android 17 and te… te te te te te…" Cell's entire body shook.
He wanted to say "Android 18," but the number wouldn't come out.
Two seconds later, two shaky sounds fell out of his mouth.
"Eighty-eight…"
Piccolo: "…"
What is happening?
What's wrong with me?
Why can't I say "18"?!
That's impossible!
Is someone controlling me?
I'm thinking "18" in my head—so why can't I say it?
"Te… te… te… te te te te te…" Cell tried again.
Piccolo just watched, speechless.
"What are you trying to say?" Piccolo asked.
"Damn it!" Cell snarled.
"You mean Android 18, don't you?" Piccolo said.
Cell suddenly looked like Piccolo was the sweetest person in the universe and nodded furiously.
Yes! Exactly!
But then Cell's face twisted.
"No… that's not it!" he blurted, shaking his head.
Piccolo blinked.
What do you mean, that's not it?
"Android 17 and 21," Cell forced out through clenched teeth.
Piccolo stared.
"So which is it—18 or 21?" Piccolo asked.
"21!" Cell spat, furious.
What the hell?
I'm thinking 18—why am I saying 21?
And… does an Android 21 even exist?
Piccolo quietly filed it away.
Either way, it had to be one of them.
And 17 was definitely part of it.
"I was activated, and I knew nothing about my future," Cell said, trying to change topics like that would fix it. "But 17 and 21 disappeared. Did Trunks destroy them?"
He immediately sank into doubt.
Why does saying "21" feel so natural now?
"Luckily, Trunks had a time machine," Cell rushed on. "I killed Trunks, came to this era, and now I'm looking for 17 and 21."
The moment he said it, he realised the tragedy.
He'd meant 18 again—yet it came out as 21.
Cell felt his soul leave his body.
What is causing this?
…Wait.
Ken altered my body.
Did it start then? Am I rejecting 18 now?
Do I have to absorb 21 to become complete?
Fine. I'll deal with it later. First I find them.
"Why did you choose this era?" Piccolo asked.
"Trunks already set the time machine to this era," Cell replied. "I just pressed the button."
Piccolo fell silent.
"My turn," Cell said sharply. "Do you know Android 21?"
Piccolo nodded.
Cell's eyes lit up. "So Android 21 exists in this era?"
Then the hope faded immediately.
He still didn't know if absorbing 21 would actually complete him.
"Te… te… te… te te te te—" Cell tried again, failing to say 18.
"You're trying to say 18, aren't you?" Piccolo asked.
Cell nodded hard.
"You really get me," his expression seemed to say.
"Did her number get changed to 21?" Cell asked.
"I don't know," Piccolo said, refusing to help him any further.
"Piccolo, that's cold," Cell said through gritted teeth.
"I understand everything now," Piccolo said with a faint smile. "Sorry—I let you solve all your mysteries."
Then Piccolo tore off his withered arm.
He screamed as the severed limb dropped—and a brand-new arm grew back in its place.
Cell's eyes bulged.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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