"Gohan! Gohan! Can you hear my voice?"
On Namek, inside the spaceship, Gohan suddenly jolted and looked up sharply.
"Uncle Piccolo? That's Uncle Piccolo's voice!" Gohan was certain it wasn't an illusion.
There was no way he could mistake that voice.
Because of Gohan's reaction, Krillin and Bulma both turned in surprise, while Dende blinked in confusion.
Just moments ago, they were terrified by Vegeta's overwhelming aura. But now everyone's attention shifted completely.
"Piccolo?"
"What's wrong, Gohan?"
"I just heard Uncle Piccolo speaking," Gohan said earnestly.
This shocked Krillin and Bulma even more, and they exchanged bewildered glances.
A moment later, Piccolo's voice reached their ears as well.
North Kai had established a communication bridge, allowing Krillin, Bulma, and Dende to hear Piccolo's message clearly.
"It's me, Gohan. It's good to know you're safe."
"Uncle Piccolo, it really is you! Where are you now? Wait—Uncle Piccolo, are you with North Kai? Is North Kai helping us communicate?" Gohan quickly pieced everything together.
"That's incredible… Goku, that blockhead, actually managed to have such a smart son like you. It must be his good karma. Yes, everything you guessed is correct. I'm the one establishing this connection," North Kai's voice rang out.
"Not just Piccolo. I, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu are also here. Gohan, Krillin, Bulma—we know how hard it must be traveling all the way to Namek to gather the Dragon Balls to revive us," Yamcha added, taking the opportunity to speak.
"Really? That's amazing! I never imagined we could communicate like this!" Tears welled up in Krillin's eyes.
Bulma was just as emotional, but when she heard Yamcha's voice, her conflicted temper immediately flared.
"Now you know how to say something nice?! Listen—you better not go back to your old ways after you're revived! If you do, we're DONE. You hear me? Hmph!"
The atmosphere instantly froze.
On North Kai's Planet, Yamcha visibly trembled, wanting to cry but unable to.
"Alright, alright—I promise. I won't flirt around anymore."
Perhaps death had turned Yamcha into the best version of Yamcha.
But anyone who truly knew him… would know his promises were about as reliable as a fart.
Bulma, for one, had heard this line at least ten times.
"I hope so. Because this is your last chance."
When Bulma made up her mind, nothing could change it—not persuasion, not logic, nothing.
Honestly, if Yamcha hadn't sacrificed himself for Earth, Bulma would've given up on him completely by now.
"Alright, stop with the relationship drama. You can settle all that after you're revived. Right now, we need to focus," Piccolo cut in bluntly.
Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma immediately straightened up.
As wonderful as it was to hear everyone's voices again, they were still separated by life and death.
And with Namek's situation growing more dangerous, gathering all seven Dragon Balls was nothing more than wishful thinking.
After discussing the situation, even though Piccolo and the others had already heard most of it, they were still shocked by the latest developments.
"We understand the situation. Remember—don't act unless absolutely necessary. Same warning as before: wait for Goku to arrive. If anything happens, Bulma should pilot the ship and leave Namek immediately," Piccolo said clearly.
Although Namek was his home planet, his greatest concern was Gohan's safety.
In truth, despite being a Namekian, Earth felt more like home to Piccolo than Namek ever did.
When the communication ended, everyone fell silent.
Dende, who had been quiet the entire time, simply greeted them when he was mentioned and then stayed silent.
"Let's keep going, Bulma. We need to reach the Grand Elder quickly."
"I know, I know! I've been moving this thing forward nonstop!"
North Kai's Planet
After finishing the communication, North Kai became curious and checked Vegeta's current location.
He shouldn't have looked.
The moment he did, North Kai's face went pale. Cold sweat poured down his back.
Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu all turned to look as well.
They immediately froze in horror.
It was unimaginable. Compared to when they last saw him on Earth, the difference in Vegeta's power was like heaven and Earth.
"Wh–What IS this?! A transformation?!" Yamcha gasped.
"This aura is so powerful it's suffocating… I feel like I'm being swallowed whole…" Tien Shinhan said shakily, his breath trembling.
The pressure was overwhelming. Chiaotzu looked like an actual ghost—pale, stiff, unable to speak at all.
"Damn it! With this kind of strength… if Vegeta really targets Gohan and the others, they won't even have time to run…" Piccolo clenched his teeth, wishing desperately that he was on Namek.
Even if he was weak, he could at least stall for a moment.
But Piccolo was overthinking.
Even if Piccolo were TEN times stronger right now, Vegeta could defeat him with a light tap.
"Could the legend be true…" North Kai murmured, hands clasped behind his back.
Everyone perked up instantly.
"The legendary Super Saiyan. Said to appear once every thousand years. The strongest warrior in the universe.
It's not surprising. As one of the few surviving Saiyans—and the prince of the Saiyan race—Vegeta has the finest bloodline. It makes sense he would be the one to awaken it.
This day marks a major turning point. A Super Saiyan and the Emperor of the Universe… no one knows what will happen next.
The biggest problem is you all. Because you were once Vegeta's enemies. The current Vegeta is beyond anything you can match.
Even if Goku masters one hundred times gravity, even if his strength increases dozens of times… he still might not be able to defeat Vegeta."
North Kai's words struck them like lightning.
Everyone froze.
Did this mean… everything they did was useless?
"Damn it! Why did someone so cruel and evil become a Super Saiyan?!"
"At this rate… it's beyond anything we can control. I can only hope Gohan, Krillin, and the others survive…" North Kai sighed.