After Goku's cheerful announcement that he was getting married in seven days, besides having Bulma withdraw fifty million in cash from the bank as a gift, Whitley also mulled over preparing a more special gift.
So, on the morning before the wedding, Bulma was drawn out by the clanging sounds of her husband dismantling something.
When she followed the sound to the roof of the estate, she saw Whitley single-handedly taking apart their large solar-powered water purifier.
"Hey, you fool, what are you doing dismantling that?!"
Bulma looked at her husband's baffling behavior with a look of utter surprise. "Goku's wedding is tomorrow. Are you... are you really planning to give this to Goku as a gift?!"
She simply couldn't understand who would give a used water purifier as a wedding gift.
And one that was being dismantled from their own roof right now!
Whitley finished disassembling the core components in a few moves, weighed them in his hand, and gave Bulma a mysterious smile. "Why not? This thing is a key 'prop'."
After speaking, without waiting for Bulma's further questions, he touched his fingers to his forehead and, with a "swoosh," disappeared with the dismantled water purifier, leaving Bulma staring at him as if he were an idiot.
"Honestly... what's he up to... so secretive."
Bulma shook her head helplessly and decided to go have breakfast first, ignoring her husband, who was prone to these intermittent fits of madness.
Whitley's figure flashed and appeared on a grassy plain.
After taking a deep breath of the slightly sweet air of Planet Namek, Whitley scanned his senses and quickly locked onto a relatively powerful ki.
Found him. It's Nail.
He used Instant Transmission again, and his figure vanished once more.
At this moment, Nail was undergoing extremely arduous training by a clear lake.
He repeated high-intensity physical exercises over and over, sweat constantly trickling down his green skin.
Ever since Planet Namek had been invaded by the Frieza Force, although they had successfully averted disaster with the help of Whitley, Goku, and Vegeta, the feeling of powerlessness and fear from nearly having their home destroyed and their people wiped out had deeply stimulated Namek's strongest warrior.
He couldn't imagine what fate would befall Namek if a similar disaster struck next time without the help of Whitley and the others.
He didn't know of any better way to protect this land and his people other than to train desperately and become stronger.
Just as he finished tens of thousands of single-arm push-ups and was preparing to rest for a moment—
With a soft "swoosh," a figure appeared before him without any warning.
"Yo! Long time no see, Nail. Training hard, I see!"
Whitley greeted him with a smile.
Nail was startled by the sudden voice.
When he saw clearly that it was Whitley, he immediately flipped up from the ground.
A look of reverence and pleasant surprise appeared on his face. He placed his right hand on his chest in a salute and said respectfully, "Nail welcomes you, Lord Whitley! I didn't expect you to visit so suddenly. Is there something you need me to do?"
Whitley waved his hand, signaling him not to be so formal. "Yeah, it's been a year or two since we've seen each other. I've come this time... to make a trade with your current Grand Elder. Let me ask in advance, does your current Grand Elder also have the ability to unlock the potential of others?"
Nail stood up and answered respectfully, "Yes, the Grand Elder has indeed developed that ability. However, if the subject is you, Lord Whitley..."
His meaning was clear. With Whitley's current level of power, the Grand Elder's potential unlocking would likely have a... negligible, or even no effect.
Whitley interrupted him with a smile. "Relax, it's not for me. Take me to see your Grand Elder first."
"Yes! Please follow me."
Nail didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately took to the air and led the way.
Whitley followed behind him at a leisurely pace.
Unlike the previous Grand Elder who liked to live in seclusion on a mountaintop, the new Grand Elder of Namek had chosen to live with his people in a rather large village.
When Whitley and Nail landed, they were met with a busy and harmonious scene.
The new Grand Elder of Namek looked quite robust. He wasn't standing aside giving orders but was personally leading his people in construction work.
"Kakuya! Take a team and open up a new river channel upstream to divert water here. The village's water storage is running low, we need to solve this as soon as possible!" the Grand Elder commanded.
The adult Namekian warrior named Kakuya immediately bowed and accepted the order. "Yes, Grand Elder!"
The warrior named Kakuya then gathered a few people and quickly shot into the sky, flying towards the distant river.
"Sink! Many new children have been born recently, and we're running out of housing. Take some people to the eastern stone forest to collect enough building materials. I'll handle the construction."
The Grand Elder continued to arrange tasks.
The Namekian named Sink also immediately accepted the order and left in a hurry with another group of people.
And the Grand Elder himself rolled up his sleeves and, together with the remaining people, began to tamp the foundation for the new houses, his movements skilled and powerful.
Just then, Nail landed in front of him with Whitley.
"Grand Elder! Lord Whitley is here!" Nail reported.
The Grand Elder heard this and immediately put down his tools, walking up to greet them with surprise and respect. "It is Lord Whitley! I never expected you to grace Planet Namek again! Do you need to use the Dragon Balls? I will have my people gather them and bring them to you immediately!"
Whitley quickly stepped forward, stopped the Grand Elder who was about to bow, and said with a smile, "No need to trouble yourself, Grand Elder. I'm not here for the Dragon Balls this time. I've come to make a trade with you."
"A trade?" The Grand Elder was a little puzzled.
"Yes," Whitley nodded. "I would like to ask you to unlock the potential of two Earthlings."
That's right, the special wedding gift Whitley had thought of was this.
To have the Grand Elder of Namek unlock the potential of the bride, Chi-Chi! This would give her some ability to protect herself and allow her to live a better life with Goku in the future.
As for the other Earthling... that was, of course, Bulma.
But Bulma was just an extra. After all... since he was already here!
And if Bulma had some ability to protect herself, he could also be more at ease when he occasionally went out.
The Grand Elder agreed without hesitation. "So it's this matter. Lord Whitley, you have saved our Planet Namek. There's no need for a trade for such a small matter..."
But halfway through his sentence, he seemed to remember something, and a look of embarrassment and difficulty appeared on his face. "However... Lord Whitley, it's not that I'm refusing, but... your power level, and Mr. Goku's, and Mr. Vegeta's, are just too high. I'm afraid... I can't be of much help. My ability might be... "
His meaning was the same as Nail's; he was worried his ability would be ineffective on Whitley.
Nail at his side quickly explained, "Grand Elder, you've misunderstood. The people Lord Whitley is asking you to unlock the potential of are others, not Lord Whitley himself, nor Mr. Goku and the others."
Whitley also nodded with a smile to confirm. "Don't worry, they are just two very ordinary Earthling women. Their battle power is probably around ten at most. One of them is named Bulma. She also came to Namek during the Frieza incident. Nail should have some impression of her."
Nail thought back carefully and nodded affirmatively. "Yes, Grand Elder, I do have some impression. A very intelligent blue-haired Earthling woman with no personal strength."
Only then did the Grand Elder feel completely relieved. The look of difficulty on his face was swept away, and his tone became relaxed. "So that's how it is! Then there's absolutely no problem! Leave this matter to me! As for the trade, let's not mention it again. It is my honor to be of service to you, Lord Whitley!"
But Whitley shook his head and insisted, "That won't do. A trade is a trade."
As he spoke, he placed the disassembled core components of the water purifier he had been carrying on the ground.
"I know that Namekians mainly subsist on fresh water and have high requirements for water quality. This," he said, pointing at the pile of parts, "is a device called a 'water purifier.' It can filter contaminated water to make it clean and even directly drinkable. It can also further purify already clean water to make it extremely pure. I think... this should be of some use to you. Please consider this my payment."
The Grand Elder and Nail were immediately interested.
The two of them gathered around the strange-looking metal parts and examined them curiously.
"It can turn dirty water clean? And it can purify clean water?" The Grand Elder's face showed a look of amazement. "This... this is a truly magical creation! The items Lord Whitley brings are indeed incredible!"
To verify its effect, Nail immediately brought over a large bucket of water he had just drawn from the lake, which contained some sediment.
Following Whitley's simple instructions, he poured the water into the purifier's inlet.
A short while later, the water that slowly flowed out of the outlet had indeed become crystal clear, without any impurities, and even had a faint hint of sweetness!
Nail carefully took a sip, and his eyes widened. "Grand Elder! It's true! It's very clean!!!"
The Grand Elder also tasted it himself, and his face was instantly filled with immense surprise!
He looked at Whitley excitedly, his eyes becoming incredibly fervent. "Lord Whitley! This... this kind of device is too useful for us Namekians! C-could you provide us with more of these devices? We can agree to any conditions you have! Unlocking potential is absolutely no problem! Any number of people will do!!!"
He looked at Whitley as if he were looking at a savior.
For the Namekians, who were extremely dependent on fresh water for survival, a device that could stably provide pure water was of immeasurable value!
Especially in some remote areas or areas that had been destroyed by the Frieza Force!
Whitley looked at the Grand Elder's "I'll do anything for a water purifier" excitement and smiled helplessly. "It's not that serious... How about this? You can use this one for now. I'll purchase a dozen more sets when I get back, enough for your main villages. This kind of thing isn't valuable to us. Just consider it a gift between friends."
The Grand Elder and the surrounding Namekians were so grateful they were choked with emotion!
The Grand Elder even led all the people present in a deep bow to Whitley, his voice choked with tears. "Thank you! Lord Whitley!!! You have helped our Planet Namek once again! We will never forget this kindness!"
Nail also stood to the side, looking at Whitley with immense gratitude and respect.
'Ah... this... was it really that effective?' Whitley thought helplessly.
Soon, the Grand Elder quickly arranged the various tasks in the village for after his departure and then indicated to Whitley that he was ready.
Whitley waved to Nail, said "goodbye," and placed his hand directly on the Grand Elder's shoulder.
With a "swoosh," the two of them vanished from Planet Namek in an instant.
The next moment, Whitley and the Grand Elder's figures appeared in the front yard of the Briefs' estate.
Bulma happened to be in the front yard at that time, directing several robots to install a new water purifier.
When she turned her head, she saw Whitley returning with a green-skinned Namekian.
Bulma was stunned for a moment, and then, as if a very absurd thought had occurred to her, her eyes widened, and she pointed at the Grand Elder and exclaimed to Whitley in a tone of disbelief, "Th-this... is this the 'special gift' you prepared for Goku and the others?! Whitley! I'm telling you! Human trafficking is illegal! Even if it's an alien!!! How could you do this?!"
Whitley was so dumbfounded by his wife's strange train of thought that he almost couldn't breathe. "You foolish woman! What kind of crazy things are you thinking about all day?! How could I possibly do something like that, you idiot!!!"
He held his forehead in frustration, not understanding what on earth was going on in this foolish woman's head every day.
When Bulma heard Whitley call her a "foolish woman" again, her eyebrows shot up!
She put her hands on her hips and glared at Whitley. "Foolish husband! Who are you calling a fool?!"
Whitley could only appease her helplessly. "I am! Okay? The Grand Elder is someone I specially invited back to unlock your and Chi-Chi's potential."
Only then did Bulma let out a light "hmph," temporarily letting him off the hook.
She curiously sized up the kind-looking Namekian Grand Elder and asked, "Unlock potential? What's that?"
"It's a method to stimulate the hidden power in your body, to make you a little stronger, at least to have some ability to protect yourself," Whitley explained simply, then gestured to the Grand Elder. "Grand Elder, you can begin. Let's start with her."
He then said to the still-pouting Bulma, "Alright, you can be angry later. For now, just relax your body and don't resist. It'll be over soon."
Although Bulma was still a little sulky, she obediently relaxed and watched curiously as the Grand Elder placed his large palm gently on top of her head.
"Hmm..." The Grand Elder's palm emitted a soft and pure white light. He closed his eyes slightly to sense for a moment and then mused, "Miss Bulma's potential... is not bad. But you have never undergone any training before, and your foundation is very weak, so the part I can guide and develop is limited. I can probably raise your power level to... hmm, about the level of those ordinary Frieza Force soldiers, with a battle power of five hundred. This is the limit of what I can do at the moment."
As his voice fell, the white light slowly dispersed and fell onto Bulma's body.
The next moment, Bulma felt a warm current instantly flow through her limbs! An unprecedented sense of power surged from the depths of her body!
She could even clearly feel that her muscles, bones, and even every cell seemed to have been awakened. Her whole body was filled with vitality!
"Oh! So this is... the feeling of getting stronger?"
Bulma looked at her hands in surprise and subconsciously clenched her fists.
She felt like she could punch through a steel plate right now! "I feel so strong right now!"
After the ceremony ended and the Grand Elder removed his hand, Bulma immediately and impatiently began to try it out.
She first threw a few punches and kicks into the air.
Then she got even more excited and subconsciously jumped up with all her might!
Swoosh—!
Bulma's entire body shot up like a rocket, and she jumped several thousand meters high in an instant! She turned into a small black dot in the blue sky!
"Waaaaahhhh!!! Hubby—!!!"
Only when her upward momentum was exhausted and she began to feel the pull of gravity did Bulma snap out of her excitement.
Looking at the city below, which had become like a model, she was instantly terrified, screamed in horror, and flailed her arms and legs as she plummeted towards the ground!
"This fool..."
Whitley, standing on the ground, saw this, shook his head with a mixture of amusement and helplessness, and subconsciously muttered.
Before his words faded, his figure vanished from its spot.
The next second, he appeared beside the rapidly falling Bulma, easily wrapped an arm around her waist to slow her descent, and then slowly floated down to the ground.
After they landed safely, Bulma patted her chest, still shaken, and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
But then, as if she suddenly remembered something, her eyes turned cold, and her sharp gaze shot towards Whitley like a knife.
She extended two fingers, accurately found the soft spot at Whitley's waist, and then viciously pinched and twisted!
Of course, it didn't hurt, but the move caught Whitley off guard. He looked at the suddenly "attacking" Bulma with a bewildered expression. "Hey! What are you... doing?"
A smile that didn't reach her eyes appeared on Bulma's face, and she said, word by word, "You. Called. Me. A. Fool. Again. Hmm?!"
Whitley: "!!!"
Oh crap! I forgot this granny has gotten stronger now. She actually heard what I said!
The word "fool" was what Bulma disliked the most, and he had tested his fate on this thin ice twice today!
Looking at Bulma's "amiable" smile, a cold sweat broke out on Whitley's forehead.
He could feel that a terrible "domestic crisis" was brewing right before his eyes...
Whitley, in danger!!!
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