He can regenerate?
And a thrill sparked in Cell's mind.
I have Piccolo's cells too… so I can regenerate as well!
So that's why Broly beat me for so long and I still didn't die.
Now it makes sense.
Piccolo flexed his new arm. "Your answers were useful."
"You pretended for me to talk…" Cell realised.
"Whether it's 18 or 21, I'm not letting you complete your body," Piccolo said, eyes hard. "You have my cells, but you didn't realise you could regenerate, did you?"
Cell's expression shifted.
"Even after losing an arm, I'm still stronger than you," Piccolo said, settling into a stance. "I'm not letting you walk away."
Cell glared. "You're sneaky—pretending you were crippled just to get me to talk." His voice turned venomous. "That kind of cleverness is pure evil."
"That trick belonged to the Kami I used to be," Piccolo said with a calm smile.
Cell blinked. "So… you merged with Kami?"
Piccolo nodded.
Cell quietly smiled to himself.
Perfect. That means the Dragon Balls won't exist anymore.
Once they die, they stay dead.
That's good for me.
"No wonder you're stronger than I expected," Cell said. "You still look like King Piccolo."
Just then, Cell glanced up and noticed Krillin and Gohan flying in.
"It really is Piccolo… and he merged with Kami," Krillin said, stunned.
"Piccolo-san!" Gohan called, dropping to the ground.
Krillin landed beside him, staring at Cell. "That thing… what is it?"
"Gohan, why are you here?" Piccolo frowned. "This is dangerous."
"It's fine," Gohan said, clenching his fists. "I'm stronger now."
"Why do I feel Goku's ki… and Frieza's… coming off him?" Krillin muttered, confused.
"I'll explain later," Piccolo said firmly. "For now, we kill him."
"Kill me?" Cell laughed. "You think you can?"
"He talks!" Krillin yelped.
"You can't win like this," Piccolo said.
"You're right," Cell said, nodding. "I should retreat."
"You're not getting away," Piccolo said with a small smile. "Your Kamehameha won't save you."
"Kamehameha? He can use it?" Krillin blurted, turning to Piccolo.
"Not just Kamehameha," Cell said smugly. "Krillin, I can even use your Kienzan."
"I can't believe he knows my name," Krillin said, staring.
"No time to chat," Cell said. "Vegeta's coming. You've got too many people here. For now, I'm not beating you." He scowled. "But I will get 17 and—te te te te te… eighty-eight…"
Krillin: "????"
Gohan: "????"
"Damn it… again," Cell snapped. "I'll say it properly." He forced the words out. "I will get Android 17 and Android 21. You won't stop me from completing my body. Once I absorb 17 and 21, I'll defeat all of you!"
He brought both hands to the sides of his face.
A cold feeling hit Piccolo.
"That… that is…" Krillin's eyes widened.
"Taiyoken!" Cell shouted.
A blinding flash erupted from his head.
Piccolo got caught off guard. His vision turned into a white void.
"Gohan—get close!" Piccolo snapped, terrified of an ambush. He squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed Gohan's arm.
Cell didn't attack.
He used the opening to escape.
When their sight finally returned, Cell was gone.
"He got away," Krillin said grimly.
"Piccolo-san, are you okay?" Gohan asked.
Piccolo nodded, then clenched his jaw. "That bastard… Taiyoken is Tien's move, isn't it?"
"It's not some rare technique," Krillin said. "Goku and I can use it too."
Piccolo: "…"
You didn't need to emphasise that.
"I'm not letting him run," Piccolo growled, shooting into the sky and scanning for Cell's ki.
There was nothing.
His ki vanished completely.
"He can even do that?" Piccolo hissed, furious.
Deep in the forest, Cell raced forward with his ki fully suppressed.
You'll never find me.
As long as I control my ki, those idiots can't track me.
Now I just keep absorbing humans, keep getting stronger.
Once my power surpasses Android 17 and… Android 21, I'll become complete.
Ken… just you wait.
I refuse to believe I can't absorb 18!
I can think "18" just fine. I just can't say it.
What did Ken do to my body?
Ken. I won't forget you.
You didn't kill me, and one day I'll grind you into the dirt.
Even if you're a god—so what?
"There should be people living nearby," Cell muttered to himself. "I'll enjoy some life essence here. If Piccolo finds me, I'll move somewhere else."
Just then, a powerful ki swept across the sky overhead.
Cell looked up and saw Vegeta.
"So it is Vegeta," Cell murmured. "He didn't die to 17 and the others?" His eyes narrowed. "Doesn't matter. I'll focus on getting stronger."
…
High above, Vegeta flew in as a Super Saiyan, teeth clenched.
"One of those two huge energies is gone, and one is still here," Vegeta snarled. "Not 17—they're androids, they don't have ki. Not Broly either—Broly is way stronger than that. So who was it? That Universe 6 girl… Kale?"
The thought made his stomach twist.
Have I already been left that far behind?
When Vegeta reached the area, his face changed sharply.
That's Piccolo?
Why is it him?
He dropped from the sky and landed near Piccolo and the others.
"Tell me what happened here," Vegeta demanded, face dark.
"Tien's on his way," Piccolo said. "Wait until he gets here."
"Before that, answer me," Vegeta said, voice low. "Are you really Piccolo? Why did your power jump this much?"
"He merged with Kami," Krillin explained.
Vegeta: "…"
Right. Like on Namek.
He merged twice back then, and his strength skyrocketed.
Now he merged with his other half…
So he's passed me?
I'm a Super Saiyan.
And a Namekian beat me.
Vegeta didn't like how that felt.
"Tien's here," Krillin said, pointing upward.
Tien landed beside them.
Piccolo explained everything about Cell from start to finish. He left out the part about Ken and Broly crushing Cell—there was no point.
Vegeta and the others fell silent.
The street felt unnaturally quiet.
"To stop Cell from becoming complete, we have to find him and kill him," Piccolo said grimly. "Or kill Android 17 and Android 21." His gaze sharpened. "With our current strength, Cell is the only one we can realistically take down."
"So we have to find Cell," Krillin said.
"Not easy," Gohan said, shaking his head. "He can hide his ki."
"Either way, we can't let Cell absorb 17 and 21," Tien said, nodding. "If he pulls it off, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"Not just for Earth," Piccolo said in a low voice. "The whole universe could be in danger. He should be able to survive in space, too—he has Frieza's blood."
"And mine," Vegeta snapped. "Stop wasting time on plans. Let him absorb whoever he wants. Fewer enemies makes things easier." His eyes burned. "I don't care what he turns into. I'll erase him."
"Don't underestimate him, Vegeta," Piccolo warned. "Cell's potential is far higher than 17 and the others."
Vegeta bristled. "Don't talk down to me like that. You want to die to an android so badly?" He turned away, furious. "Once I surpass Super Saiyan, I'll show you all a new realm. Do what you want."
In a flash of golden light, Vegeta vanished.
"He said he'll surpass Super Saiyan," Tien said, curious. "Is he aiming for Super Saiyan God?"
"Can Vegeta-san become Super Saiyan God too?" Gohan asked, scratching his head.
"Isn't Super Saiyan God something you need Ultra Instinct for?" Krillin asked.
"I don't know," Piccolo said, shaking his head.
"But we should go to Dr. Gero's lab," Krillin said. "We need to destroy the Cell in this era."
"Gohan, you go with Krillin," Piccolo ordered. "Tien and I will search nearby for Cell."
"Yes, Piccolo-san," Gohan said, nodding.
"If we can't find him, meet at Master Roshi's place," Krillin added. "We can use the news to track him."
Piccolo acknowledged it with a nod.
Krillin and Gohan flew off toward Dr. Gero's lab.
…
At Capsule Corporation headquarters—Bulma's home—Ken and Broly had returned.
Bulma and Ai had gotten back first.
When Bulma saw Ken again, her cheeks turned pink, and she looked oddly shy.
Ken blinked, completely lost.
You're in your thirties. Why are you acting like a teenager?
He was about to ask—when a familiar ki brushed his senses.
"It's… Buu," Broly said, looking up toward the distant stars. Through the passageway between Universe 6 and Earth in Universe 7, he quickly pinpointed it.
Ken felt it too.
Majin Buu was in Universe 7, far from Earth, somewhere out in deep space—doing who knew what.
Ken raised his staff and peered through the crystal ball.
A moment later, Buu's chubby face filled the image.
Except something was off.
A strange bit and bridle were strapped around Buu's face, reins trailing behind—and Buu had transformed into a small pony, galloping happily across a blue planet.
On Buu's back, Zeno-sama grinned from ear to ear, clapping excitedly as he rode.
Two guards flew behind them, keeping close.
Ken: "…"
Broly immediately looked to Ken, wanting to know what was happening.
Ken projected the image for him.
"Th-that's… Zeno-sama!" Broly's expression shifted with shock.
"Poor Buu," Ken murmured. "Looks like he'll be Zeno-sama's toy for a while."
Broly nodded hard, lowering his voice. "We can't afford to mess with Zeno-sama."
Ken didn't respond.
Even if he could, he didn't plan on picking a fight.
Unless Zeno-sama started it.
Honestly, letting Zeno-sama "train" Buu might not be a bad thing. Buu was unreliable on the best days. Sticking with Zeno-sama could straighten him out.
But as Ken thought that, the scene shifted.
Two figures appeared near Zeno-sama.
Ken's eyes narrowed as he focused.
They were Universe 7's Supreme Kai, Shin—and his attendant, Kibito.
A bad feeling settled in Ken's gut.
What is Shin doing over there?
Is he trying to die?
Ken could guess the reason easily: Shin had sensed Buu's ki.
For Universe 7's Supreme Kai, "watching Buu" was basically a full-time job.
For years, Shin and Kibito had lived in bliss.
Majin Buu had vanished without a trace.
They'd practically celebrated hand-in-hand.
But today, Shin suddenly sensed Buu's presence again, out in nearby space.
His face had gone pale, and he'd immediately called Kibito to confirm it with him.
That was when they saw it—Zeno-sama riding Buu like a pony.
Shin and Kibito were stunned.
Who is that?
Who's brave enough to ride Majin Buu for fun?
They could barely process it.
And Buu had even transformed into a pony, happily letting that person ride.
After a hurried discussion, Shin and Kibito decided they had to see it for themselves.
Using Kai Kai, they jumped from the Supreme Kai's World to the blue planet in an instant.
The moment Shin appeared, he shouted at the rider.
"Stop right there!"
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]