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"Friends of the universe—lend me your energy!"
As Goku's voice echoed through space, everyone he'd met on his journey to find the Black Star Dragon Balls—and countless more across the cosmos—raised their hands to the sky.
From every corner of the universe, streams of energy shot toward him, merging into the Spirit Bomb swelling above his head.
"Thank you, King Kai!""Thank you, friends of the universe!"
But Syn Shenron wasn't about to sit still. Once again, he conjured a blood-red sphere of negative energy and hurled it at Goku.
The orb exploded on impact, drenching the sky in crimson light. But when the smoke cleared, Goku was still standing, completely unharmed.
Syn Shenron's eyes widened in horror. "You… what are you?!"
The Spirit Bomb continued to grow, brighter and brighter, its light blazing across the battlefield.
Bathed in that glow, Gohan and the others slowly stirred awake.
Goku fixed Syn Shenron with a serious gaze. "This is it. Take this!"
Sweat poured down Syn Shenron's forehead. His face twisted with pure fear."W-wait! No—!"
With a shout, Goku hurled the colossal Spirit Bomb down.
Syn Shenron had no time to escape. The overwhelming power swallowed him whole, erasing him into cosmic dust.
"Dad!""Goku!""Grandpa!""Kakarot!"
Everyone rushed toward Goku, who had collapsed after releasing the Spirit Bomb.
At that moment, the seven Dragon Balls reverted back to their original orange form. But before anyone could react, they began glowing with blinding light. The sky darkened, thunder rumbled, and a streak of gold split the heavens.
Shenron emerged, his massive green body coiling through the air.
Bulma's face paled. "How's that possible? We didn't even summon him!"
Goku had defeated the final enemy, Syn Shenron, with a Spirit Bomb fueled by the entire universe's energy. Yet Shenron had appeared without being called… and something about him seemed different.
The darkness faded. Daylight returned as if nothing had happened, puzzling everyone.
Then Shenron spoke, his voice deep and commanding."Rise, Son Goku."
His eyes glowed red, enveloping Goku in their light. Slowly, Goku stirred, opened his eyes, and stood.
Looking up, he said firmly, "It's over, Shenron. I defeated them all."
Shenron's voice rumbled again."Do you understand why the Shadow Dragons appeared? Why the dead returned to the living? It is because you relied too much on the power of the Dragon Balls. From this day forward, they will no longer be used by mankind. They will vanish from your world… as will I."
Goku nodded solemnly. "I understand, Shenron. But this time, the Dragon Balls caused it. Too many innocent people died. Please… restore the Earth one last time."
Shenron's eyes softened. "Very well. But this is the last time."
A mysterious red light shone from his eyes, sweeping across the planet. All those killed in the battles with the Shadow Dragons were brought back to life.
"Your wish has been granted. Now come with me, Son Goku."
Everyone stared in shock.
"The time's come, hasn't it?" Goku murmured.
Shenron lowered his great head. "Climb on, Goku."
Goku leapt onto Shenron's back, looking down at his friends. "Guess I'll be gone for a while."
"Wait!" Vegeta darted forward. "Kakarot, are you going off to train again? Don't tell me—"
Goku silenced him with a simple gesture. "Goodbye, Vegeta. Goodbye, everyone!"
Shenron rose into the sky, carrying Goku and the Dragon Balls away.
Pan stood frozen, staring at her grandfather vanishing into the horizon. The others quietly said their farewells and began to leave, but Pan remained, gazing upward.
A gust of wind blew something from the battlefield's crater—an old gi. Pan caught it in her hands.
"This… this is Grandpa's clothes! But he left with Shenron…"
Behind her, Vegeta appeared. His voice was gruff but gentle. "Keep it safe. Treasure it."
Then he flew away.
Pan's eyes widened with realization. "Grandpa…!"
…
The screen went black.
Super Saiyan 4 Goku's battle had ended.
Across countless dimensions, mighty warriors were left shaken, buzzing with excitement as they discussed this strange world called Dragon Ball.
Now everyone wondered if they too would make it onto the ranking of anime's greatest moments. Pride swelled across dimensions, warriors eager to see their own names on the list.
Only then did Max slowly pull himself back from the story of Dragon Ball.
The system's mechanical voice chimed in his mind:"Congratulations, Host. You've completed editing the Dragon Ball video. Its epic scale has earned you 130,000 awe points, which are converted into 130,000 credits. Keep up the good work and aim even higher. Your next video edit begins in one day."
Max broke into a grin. "I didn't expect Super Saiyan 4 Goku's fight to gain that much. What an incredible haul! Finally, a day to relax."
But even as he tried to rest, the breathtaking images of Goku's battle replayed endlessly in his mind.
One day later, Max dove back into the thrilling, high-pressure work of editing. After half a day of effort, a new video poster appeared—this time featuring a striking image of Luffy.
The multiverse erupted."Hey, isn't that the Straw Hat kid from the Whitebeard fight? He looks different—stronger!"
...
One Piece World
"Oi, Luffy, what form is that? We've never seen it before!" Usopp gawked, completely lost.
Even Luffy stared in shock at the screen. "So in the future… I get stronger after all! I really am gonna be Pirate King!"
...
Marine Headquarters
Sengoku slammed his fist on the desk. "Garp! Your grandson again! He's already mastered Haki—he'll be a huge threat to the Navy!"
Garp froze, stunned. "Luffy… it really is you. You've made it onto this list of greatest anime moments again? Was I wrong all along?"
Sengoku immediately called in orders for Luffy's capture.
Vice Admirals clenched their fists, eager for the chance to seize a pirate destined to be a thorn in the Navy's side.
Akainu's eyes burned with rage. "Straw Hat Luffy… you're the Navy's greatest threat. Next time, I'll finish this myself."
Kizaru muttered lazily, "So he's grown again, hm? If we let him keep rising, he'll reach Yonko level before long."
Smoker puffed on his cigar, scowling. "Shouldn't have let him slip away back then. If Dragon hadn't interfered, he'd already be rotting in prison. This time, I'll take him down myself."
He immediately gathered his troops, setting out to sea to capture Luffy.
…
Watching reactions pour in from every dimension, Max smiled in satisfaction."Since everyone loves my edits this much… let's keep going."
He pressed play. The new video began to roll.
"..."
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