3RD POV
"Hey, Ciel, what's with the upgrade?" Rimuru asked, circling the shimmering structure. "It looks... different."
[Notice: The individual 'Ramiris' constructed her gate using a World Tree branch. I found that insufficient. I have reconstructed the gateway using Genesis-grade God Metal and your own Magisteel reserves. It is 400% more stable.]
"Well, it definitely looks cooler," Rimuru admitted. "Good job, Ciel."
[Report: I accept your praise, Master. A pat on the head would be an acceptable form of compensation.]
Rimuru laughed, reaching out to pat the empty air where Ciel's presence felt strongest. "You're such a kid sometimes."
[TIMESKIP: BROUGHT TO YOU BY RIMURU PETTING CIEL UNTIL SHE RADIATED SMUG ENERGY]
Rimuru was just about to step through when Guy Crimson and Velzard appeared, looking bored as they played with their respective pets—a shadow panther and a frost phoenix.
"Oi, Rimuru! Messing with the time-flow again?" Guy asked, leaning against a pillar. "Heading somewhere fun?"
"Just checking out a new universe," Rimuru replied. "Veldora already blabbed, didn't he?"
"He was jumping around like a hyperactive monkey screaming about 'Kamehameha' waves," Velzard sighed. "If he destroys a planet, I'm holding you responsible."
"Don't worry, I've got it handled. Once I stabilize the coordinates, you guys can follow." Rimuru waved goodbye and stepped into the gate.
The transition was violent. An unimaginable surge of foreign energy—not magicules, but something raw and physical—collided with his form.
"Whoa, let's see if I can analyze this without your help for once, Ciel."
[Answer: You are being stubborn, Master. However, I have already used this energy to calculate a local 'shell' for you. If you wish to learn it manually, it will take approximately 30 years.]
"Thirty years?! Fine, fine. Just give me the body."
[Notice: Executing 'Local Adaptation.' Designing human-centric forms for Master and Subordinate 'Zegion.']
Zegion
Race: Human
Age: 4 years
Gender: male
Transformation: Sage series
Ability: limit breaker, [...black-box...]
Ep: infinite (because of rimuru cells)
Ev: 2000.
Rimuru: That will do. For now, transform Zegion and send him here to Ciel.
Ciel: master he is in your shadow.
Rimuru
Race: Human
Gender: male
age: 5 years.
Transformation: Sage series
Ablity: limit breaker, ciel, mana and ki.
Ep: infinite (because he can)
Ev: 2000.
Rimuru: wait I can use mana too.
RIMURU POV
I woke up in a lush, green forest. Ciel had even fabricated a wooden treehouse for us.
"Zegion, you can come out now," I called.
My strongest subordinate stepped out of my shadow. In this world, he looked like a young, stoic boy with sharp eyes. "I have full control, Lord Rimuru. My body feels... lighter here."
"Good. So no plobem in adaptation of the use of ki i supose, Let's find some food."
We didn't have to go far before we found a kid with a monkey tail sleeping near a giant dinosaur bone. He looked strong—way stronger than a human kid should be.
"Oi, kid," I poked him. "Why are you sleeping in the middle of a dinosaur graveyard?"
The kid jumped up, blinking. "Wha—? Did I fall asleep? Where's Mr. Piccolo? I'm so tired... wait, who are you?"
"I'm Rimuru. And this is Zegion. Who are you?"
"I'm Son Gohan! I'm training to fight the scary Saiyans with my teacher!"
I looked at the dinosaur tail he'd been eating. "Did you eat that yourself?"
"Hehe, yeah! It was delicious!"
"Nice. You've got good taste."
Gohan looked at me curiously. "What are you doing here? This place is dangerous for kids!"
I gave him the "Ciel-Approved" sob story. "Our village was raided by bandits. Our mom hid us in the forest to keep us safe, but she never came back. We've just been living here ever since."
As I spoke, I felt a sharp, cold presence drop from the sky. A tall, green man with a cape landed with a heavy thud.
Piccolo's POV
How? I stared at the two children. I hadn't sensed their ki until I was practically on top of them. They were like small animals—completely in tune with nature. The one with the silver hair... she—no, he—looked fragile, but moved with an instinctual grace that made my skin crawl. It was like looking at a predator disguised as a rabbit.
"Uncle Piccolo! Look! I made a friend! He's a human!" Gohan cheered.
"I can see that, Gohan," I grunted. "Your friend is... special."
I looked at the blue-haired brat. How is he so beautiful? Is he even human? And the other one, the stoic boy in the tree... he was hiding his presence even better.
"Since you're orphans, you might as well eat with us," I said, trying to sound meaner than I felt. "But if you can't keep up, I'm leaving you for the wolves."
2 WEEKS LATER
I was wrong. I wasn't leaving them for the wolves; I was worried they were going to eat the wolves.
These two were monsters. In just two weeks, they had mastered ki control that took humans a lifetime to learn. They copied my movements perfectly. It was like they had photographic memories for violence. Even Krillin wouldn't stand a chance against these "orphans."
"Alright," I said, crossing my arms. "Bulma's ship should be ready. We're heading to Namek. You two are coming with us. The forest is no place for kids with your kind of potential."
RIMURU POV
Piccolo is a great teacher, though he's a bit of a drill sergeant. Ciel had me 'play-act' a bit by having me jump back whenever he appeared, making him think I was some kind of instinct-driven wild child. It worked perfectly.
We arrived at Capsule Corp, which was... well, tiny compared to my palace in Tempest, but the tech was interesting.
Gohan explained the whole situation: The Saiyans, the Dragon Balls, and the trip to Namek.
"So," I said, leaning back. "We're going to space to find magic wish-granting balls and fight an alien tyrant?"
"Pretty much!" Gohan chirped.
"Sounds like a Tuesday to me," I muttered.
After Bulma accidentally blew up the first ship (Note: remind Ciel never to let Bulma near our Labyrinth tech), we boarded a sleek Namekian vessel provided by Mr. Popo.
As the ship broke through the atmosphere, I looked out the window at the stars.
"Ready, Zegion?"
"Always, Lord Rimuru."
[Notice: Setting course for Planet Namek. Estimated time of arrival: 34 days. Master, I suggest we use this time to analyze 'Super Saiyan' DNA signatures.]
"Oh, now we're talking."