Krillin's entrance had been stylish too—but compared to Puff-Puff, he was far shorter.
Standing next to that towering, muscular showman, Krillin looked almost a head shorter, and the difference in presence was obvious.
While Puff-Puff had entered to thunderous cheers and screams, Krillin's arrival felt far more subdued. His expression darkened slightly—but he wasn't shaken.
No matter how small he looked, his confidence in his strength never wavered.
The announcer declared,
"Both fighters seem extremely confident in their abilities.
Now, let us witness a true clash of strength!"
"Match… begin!"
Puff-Puff looked down at Krillin and laughed.
"Hehehe… so you're last year's champion?
You're so short—are you here to be a joke?"
Krillin smirked.
"Kid, don't get cocky. It won't help you."
Puff-Puff pointed at himself.
"Hah! How ridiculous—this little runt thinks he can threaten me?
I'll show you my true power so I don't accidentally kill you in one punch!"
He launched into a dazzling set of punches, each blow slicing through the air with fierce force.
All that could be seen were afterimages of his fists.
The crowd erupted.
"Puff-Puff!"
"I love you!"
As he finished, Puff-Puff struck a dramatic pose and smashed a nearby wall with his elbow, sending rubble flying.
The cheers became even louder.
"Amazing!"
"As expected of Puff-Puff!"
Jackie Chun quickly moved behind the collapsed wall.
"Nice… thanks to him, I've got a much better view."
In the stands, Bulma frowned.
To her, Puff-Puff's technique looked laughably weak.
"That guy's punches are so sloppy… why is everyone cheering?
Are they blind?"
Violet looked at her seriously.
"Bulma, are you serious? I actually think he looks kind of cool.
Maybe because you're strong, you can tell he's weak—so it just looks flashy to you."
"Really?" Bulma scratched her head.
Launch nodded.
"Yeah. To you, maybe he's nothing—but he can smash walls. That's already impressive to most people."
Bulma blinked.
Right—outside of Goku and herself, breaking a wall was extraordinary.
"Oh… I guess I've just been watching Goku train too much."
Violet and Launch nodded.
Launch added,
"How can you even compare him to Goku? They're not on the same level at all."
Back on the ring, Puff-Puff pointed at the broken wall.
"Now you see my strength, right?"
Krillin chuckled.
"You really love showing off."
"Thirty seconds," Puff-Puff declared.
"I'll beat you in thirty seconds!"
He charged.
Krillin leaned back slightly, dodging the punch with ease.
At the same time, he grabbed Puff-Puff's wrist.
In one smooth motion, Krillin flipped him over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground.
BAM!
The tiles cracked like spiderwebs. Puff-Puff's eyes rolled back, and he passed out without even a scream.
Krillin blinked.
"Uh… was he that weak?"
The entire arena went silent.
Even Tien looked stunned.
The referee rushed over, checked Puff-Puff's breathing, and shouted,
"He's unconscious! Puff-Puff is out! Krillin wins!"
The crowd exploded.
"So shocking!"
"As expected of last year's champion!"
"Puff-Puff couldn't even last one move!"
"The World Tournament really is on another level!"
Cheers, screams, and applause filled the stadium.
Krillin felt his heart surge with pride.
Tien exhaled slowly.
"So that little guy is stronger than Yamcha… no wonder he was the champion."
Jackie Chun stared at Krillin and Goku.
"Not just Goku… even Krillin has grown far beyond what I imagined."
He glanced at the unconscious Puff-Puff.
"Compared to them… ordinary fighters don't stand a chance."
The referee announced,
"Next match—Tien versus Jackie Chun!"
Tien and Jackie Chun stepped onto the ring.
The announcer declared,
"Jackie Chun once used the Kamehameha to push away the moon!
Tien has displayed overwhelming power since entering this tournament!
Which one will prevail? Let us find out!"
Tien folded his arms arrogantly.
"I've seen your fights. You're not bad.
Let me test you."
Jackie Chun assumed his stance.
"Begin!"
The two clashed.
Punches, kicks, blocks, and dodges—both moved with blinding speed, exchanging blows like streaks of light.
The air filled with the sound of impacts, and the audience was electrified.
Soon, both fighters stripped off their shirts, their battle growing even fiercer.
Watching Jackie Chun bare-chested, Master Shen's eyes widened.
"That man… could it be Turtle Hermit?"
He scanned the stands—but couldn't find Roshi.
Suspicion crept deeper into his mind.
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