"What about Galaxy #272, Star System #177, Planet #25, my Lord?"
"What's the average power level of the planet?" I asked casually, sitting in my hovering chair far above a grunt as he kneeled, making his report.
"5.94, my Lord." The Frieza Force grunt, who was a small, purple, and skinny creature with a very below-average power level but above-average intelligence, responded.
His above-average intelligence was very above-average compared to most of the aliens in my squad, as was evidenced by the fact that his head, and more specifically the top of his head, was massive. It bulged upward like a lightbulb, and I was sure the brain within it was pretty damn big.
"Send two squads there, and divide the planet between them. They will find any healthy and able life forms and train them," I ordered simply, "Threaten the trainees with the threat of death if they don't improve, but order them not to truly harm or kill any life forms unless necessary. I want that average to reach 10 by the end of the month. Have them transmit a report weekly to their Lieutenant, and recall them if they fail to meet that deadline."
"Yes, my Lord," The purple alien, who was named Arcuto, nodded in confirmation, "I won't let you down. Thank you for this chance!"
"Don't fail me. If the planets I've given you governance over meet the quota, I'll give you another one," I nodded simply, and Arcuto nodded gratefully as he stood up and turned around, leaving the massive white room that we were meeting in.
"...Is this all necessary, my Lord?" Zarbon asked a bit doubtfully, standing far below me, at the side of the massive stage-like throne that my hoverchair floated on, which even had a small staircase in front of it - something I didn't understand, since I could fly, but I didn't understand a lot about what past-Frieza did.
"Are you doubting me, Zarbon?" I raised a non-existent eyebrow at him curiously - well, I kind of had an eyebrow, but it was more like a thick slab-like portion of hard, white skin that sat above my eyes instead of an eyebrow - wondering if he needed to be reminded that while I was far more generous than before, I was still the tyrannical ruler of the universe.
"N-No, of course not, my Lord," Zarbon bowed instantly, bending at the waist, "I'm just concerned about you spending so much time on these lowly creatures, my Lord."
What he was referring to was my current game plan, and what I would be focusing on during the year I gave the Earthlings to train. Besides my own training, which I would be continuing once I got back to Planet Frieza in my much-faster-than-a-Saiyan-pod spaceship, my main goal was to slowly but surely raise the average power level in Universe 7.
Right now, most of the planets my empire had conquered were in one of three states: Empty and ready for sale, already sold, or simply conquered and occupied. The empty ones couldn't be helped, as the idiot who had originally owned this body just wanted to send most planets to extinction despite the fact that, unsurprisingly, there actually wasn't a huge market for planets. Prior-Frieza's strategy was pretty poor, as there were only so many races in the universe that wanted to buy a planet. Those who did were either facing overpopulation or were at war with another species on their planet and wanted to get away.
The universe was large - very large - but it wasn't so large that there was an abundance of planets that had intelligent species, resources I wanted, but didn't want that badly because I could just take it forcefully if I did, and who were looking for a new planet to live on. Seriously, by the time Super came around, which was only a few decades from now, there were stated to only be 28 'advanced civilization' planets in the whole Universe. I don't know why Frieza was conquering so many planets except to fuel his own ego, but I'd make use of the system he already had in place to my benefit.
Right now, I was using the few intelligent species within my intergalactic empire, who usually did more smart-based things like calibrating spaceships, developing new technology, and managing finances - did you know Frieza had an accountant? Imagine my surprise when a little blue alien came to tell me about how much my empire was bringing in from taxes! Taxes which were in various different forms of currency and resources, so I definitely didn't want to deal with all that shit.
Luckily, all these more intelligence-based creatures were actually being fucked over big time by Frieza - in the world of power that is Dragon Ball, the weak but smart creatures were being used as pretty much low-ranking slaves, and were desperate to get better living conditions. I offered them that in exchange for essentially doing the overseeing work on the planets in my empire that I wanted to strengthen.
I didn't need the weak species that inhabited them to suddenly become Goku-level or anything, even pre-Z Goku, but just good enough that they weren't weighing down the average power level. The talented ones could probably get into the thousands over the next decades of training, and the weaker ones could at least be in the hundreds, or at the very least in double digits.
And, along with strengthening the average creature in Universe 7, I would put in infrastructure on each planet. The rating Zeno used to judge how worthy a universe was of existing was technically not power-level, but instead 'Mortal Level.' What the hell did that mean? No one but Zeno knew, but since it was meant to judge how effective the Kai's and God of Destruction's were at their jobs, it was probably a combination of power levels, overall intelligence, technology, and advanced civilizations.
This was the first step towards the sooner goal of avoiding Universe 7's erasure, but also towards the much later goal of using both this overpowered body I inhabited and my massive empire to expand beyond Universe 7.
It was time to usher Universe 7 into an unprecedented and unmatched era of growth. When the time for erasure came around, Universe 7 would not only no longer be at the bottom, but would be far ahead at the top.
"What I spend my time on is none of your business," I replied simply, glancing over at Zarbon with narrowed eyes, "You should focus more on your own mission. How goes the retrieval of the Namekian Dragon Balls?"
I left the Earth Dragon Balls untouched so the Earthlings could revive Goku, as I still wanted the Z-Fighters alive and training for various reasons, but that didn't mean there weren't other Dragon Balls I could use. The Super Dragon Balls were the most appealing ones, but Frieza shouldn't even know that they exist, and since they were technically between Universe 6 and Universe 7, I didn't want to draw the attention of any gods, angels, or anything of the sort by going for them - yet.
"I-It will be finished soon, my Lord," Zarbon stuttered slightly, his face twisting a bit in annoyance as he thought about the mission I'd put under his jurisdiction. "The Namekians are more competent than I expected, so subjugating the planet is taking longer than planned. My apologies."
"I told you it wouldn't be easy," I just smirked lightly, but didn't press the issue. While the Namekians weren't particularly powerful in the grand scheme of this world, with Nail being their strongest fighter at a roughly 42,000 power level, they weren't pushovers either.
Aside from myself, most of my minions weren't actually very strong. The Ginyu Force were decent, Zarbon and Dodoria were around 20,000 each, and Vegeta was only a bit behind them, but aside from that group? There were a couple of decent 'Elites' around, like Cui, but besides that, most didn't even reach the 10,000 mark. In comparison, while the Namekians weren't an overall powerful race, there were a few powerful warriors that sat around the 10,000 mark, and then obviously Nail himself was an issue.
I could understand why Frieza had gone to Namek personally despite his huge number of soldiers, as Nail was someone that only I, or the Ginyu Force, could personally take down. But, more specifically, in the world where I never appeared, Frieza and the Ginyu Force would've been the only ones who could have handled him. Here, things were different - because I was Frieza.
I wasn't the only one training, as my usually rather lazy forces - which were born from Frieza's own laziness - now had an actual training regime, and Zarbon was no exception. Over the past few months of being ordered to train with Dodoria, he had grown a fair bit and was closing in on 50,000 without transforming. In the same vein, my usual higher-ranking grunts who sat around 2,000-3,000 were now in the 5,000-7,000 range, which meant that by chucking pure numbers at Namek it could be conquered.
I didn't need to go personally, and my forces were already more than enough to take down Namek. My numbers exceeded even the entire population of the green planet, most of whom weren't fighters, and the only reason I didn't have the Namekian Dragon Balls already was because I had ordered Zarbon to leave the Namekians alive, as they had uses within my army and as a strong race that brought up the average power level a bit.
"Um… how long am I going to have to be here?" I was dragged out of my thoughts as I glanced over, looking at Bulma, who was looking a bit nervous as she sat casually on one of the steps leading up to my hoverchair.
As I looked at her, I was reminded of just how beautiful Bulma actually was. It'd been one thing to see her through a screen, but to see the woman in person? That was a whole different level. Her face was beautiful and thin, her blue hair was short but smooth and silky, and the show hadn't done her body justice.
I had assumed she would've been pretty thin, as she looked in the series, and while her waist was definitely thin, she was thick in all the right places otherwise. Her shirt, which was a tight blue shirt that was bare on her shoulders, did nothing to hide her large breasts, which pushed against the fabric, and it was a similar sight on the bottom. Her tight white shorts, which cut off partway down her thighs, showcased the shape of her large bottom, and the belt wrapped around the middle of her shorts only accentuated her thin waist.
"One year," I answered simply with a light grin, "I've given your friends one year to train. If they fail, then much longer."
Though I knew they wouldn't.
"A-A whole year?!" Bulma spat out at my words, her eyes wide, "No way! I'm already almost 29, and my boyfriend just cheated on me! Once I turn 30, do you know how hard it'll be to find another man?! It was hard enough to even find that dumbass!"
I just looked at her blandly. Seriously? She'd been kidnapped and was sitting next to the ruler of numerous galaxies, inside a spaceship full of aliens, and she was worried about getting too old to be appealing to Earth men? I guess by this point she had probably seen some pretty crazy shit while traveling with Goku, but she could at least try to act scared about being kidnapped!
"Don't complain so much. You could be dead, you know?" I replied dryly, though my words didn't seem to concern Bulma at all, "I'm treating you well and keeping you alive so that your friends will be properly motivated. Don't take my mercy for granted."
I was also keeping her alive because she was a genius who could help improve the technology of my empire. Earth's technology was overall less advanced than the level that my empire already had access to, but it was also more advanced in different ways. While they didn't have ridiculously fast spaceships like the one I was in right now, they did have the ability to fit entire houses into small capsules.
And, beyond that, Bulma was simply a genius. She'd be able to take the advanced technology I already had and improve on it multiple times over, taking it to a whole new level. Add in the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous? I'd have to be an idiot not to keep her alive.
"No way! I can't spend a whole year here with a bunch of aliens!" Bulma huffed, showcasing her fiery personality and stubbornness that had collared even Vegeta, "Take me back to Earth right now!"
"You useless earthling woman, don't speak to Lord Frieza in such a-" Zarbon started, but I raised my hand and stopped him.
"Be kind to our guest, Zarbon," I said simply, smirking lightly at Bulma, "We'll be spending a whole year together, after all. I'm not taking you back."
"Then, I'll find a way back on my own!" Bulma huffed, promptly standing up and starting to walk down the steps, "I need to get back on the market while I'm still young and desirable!"
She would still look rather young and desirable even decades from now, but I guess considering how she spent half of the original series looking for a boyfriend and then settling for one that cheated on her and left her in the hands of an alien invader, I couldn't blame her for wanting to find a rebound quickly.
"Good luck," I said simply, causing Zarbon to look at me doubtfully as Bulma went over to the door, pressed the button to the side, and then stepped out into the spaceship hallway.
"N-Not to doubt you, my Lord, but will she be alright?" He asked, definitely doubting me despite his preface, "There are emergency pods, and you said she was a genius, did you not? She might figure them out…"
"She won't get that far," I countered simply, not explaining further. True to my words, a very Bulma-sounding scream came from the hallway a second later.
"H-Hey! Watch where you're going! W-What are you… stop! Hey! Y-Your boss said I was his guest, y'know?! W-Wait, stop, ahh!"
Bulma promptly came rushing back through the door a moment later, out of breath as she stumbled through. Behind her, two tall and muscular bowling-ball-shaped aliens, each with nonhumanoid faces, as one looked more like a squid than a person, peeked through the door, saw me, and promptly closed the door again.
"You bumped into a soldier, insulted him, and then came running back when they were about to retaliate?" I assumed easily, and Bulma nodded shakily, glaring up at me.
"W-What the hell was that?! Didn't you teach your employees any manners?!" She huffed, and I just smirked lightly.
"They have manners in front of me, or a higher-ranking soldier. For a human woman with a power level less than 5?" I chuckled lightly, shaking my head, "They won't kill you because I told them not to, but if you go wandering around the ship alone, they won't be polite."
The Frieza Force worked on a very simple concept - the stronger you are, the higher your rank. Disputes were settled with fights, and whether someone was technically a higher rank or not, if they were stronger, you did what they said. With so many soldiers coming from so many different planets, and many being forced into my service in very undiplomatic ways - as in, my soldiers sent their entire planet to extinction, and they survived because they were decently strong - this concept was something that could transcend any cultural barriers.
And, when you throw a weak human into a ship full of them? Especially a woman in a very male-dominated and, frankly, sexist empire built on fighting and full of primitive aliens? She was only alive and unharmed because I ordered her to be. She wouldn't get any help from my soldiers in finding the emergency pods, accessing them, or even exploring the ship, as they'd intimidate her wherever she went.
"So barbaric," Bulma just huffed, crossing her arms as she still looked unhappy.
"Relax. You've been granted the privilege of being the guest of the most powerful man in the entire universe," I simply grinned, locking eyes with her, "Stick with me, and no one will ever harm you."
"I'd much rather be home," She shot back, not looking convinced.
"If your friends fail, then there will be no home for you to return to. They're faced with two opponents that could beat Raditz with just their pinky fingers, so it's not an unlikely outcome," I countered, and Bulma's eyes narrowed a bit at my words, "Though if you cooperate and prove yourself useful, maybe I could cut them some slack…"
I smirked a bit as Bulma's eyes widened again at my proposition.
"W-What do you mean by useful?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"For a genius like yourself, it'll be simple," I said vaguely, grinning wider.
I knew the Z-Fighters would defeat Vegeta and Nappa, but she didn't. In her eyes, they were faced with an impossible threat, and she was being offered a way to protect both her planet and her friends. All she had to do was help me improve my empire's technology, and-
"My bed gets a bit cold at night, you know," I said, still grinning.
"Y-You want me to…" Bulma trailed off, taking a step back as she blushed lightly at my words.
"Just keep it warm for me. Nothing more."
I just wanted a completely platonic relationship, that was all. She'd warm up my bed for me at night, I'd spare her planet from being destroyed, and everyone would be happy! I wouldn't force her into anything romantic or sexual, but if that platonic relationship evolved into something more? I wouldn't complain.
After all, it would be pretty boring to rule an entire universe without a woman by my side, right?
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out in a few days!
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