At this moment, Garou's expression couldn't have been more humiliated.
He had just overheard Zuke and Raditz's conversation and realized that, in the eyes of the Saiyans, he couldn't even compare to their children.
But it was true—Raditz had seen Saiyan children using Saibamen as training partners on multiple occasions during this time. Many Saiyan kids could hold their own against Saibamen in fights, while Garou couldn't even withstand a single move from one. The thought alone filled him with terror.
During his week on Planet Saiya, he had gradually lowered his challenge targets—from the strongest Saiyan warriors all the way down to the Saibamen used as training tools—only to find he couldn't defeat even those.
His former confidence had been completely shattered, replaced by an even deeper craving for strength—one that would drive him to do anything to grow stronger.
Seeing Garou's expression, Zuke was quite satisfied. He knew Garou's mind was now wholly consumed by the desire to become stronger. As long as it meant gaining power, Garou would accept anything.
In other words, if Zuke were to suggest that Garou seek out the "God" for power right now, Garou would likely agree without hesitation.
This was precisely Zuke's goal in having the Saiyans crush Garou's confidence—unless this guy was thoroughly humbled, he would never accept the power of "God."
However, just as Zuke was about to broach the subject of "God" with Garou, he suddenly saw the man drop to his knees with a heavy thud.
Garou's knees slammed into the ground with such force that cracks spiderwebbed through the concrete. Then, pressing his hands against the floor, he bowed his head in a desperate, pleading kowtow, his voice a ragged growl forced through clenched teeth:
"TELL ME HOW TO GET STRONGER!!!"
"...Huh?"
Zuke was stunned—he never expected Garou to straight-up kneel before him.
In the original story, Garou had his own pride, but he wasn't opposed to relying on external forces to grow stronger—just like how he accepted the power of "God." Though his transformation into "Cosmic Fear Garou" had been accidental, he had thanked "God" afterward.
But for Garou to actively seek guidance from Zuke? That was something Zuke hadn't anticipated at all.
"You're not trying to pull some 'disciple' nonsense, are you?"
In One Punch Man, the bizarre master-disciple dynamic between Saitama and Genos was one of the story's highlights. Garou's current behavior was eerily similar to when Genos had knelt before Saitama, begging to be taken as a student.
But Zuke had zero interest in taking on a disciple—especially since Garou was his mission target, someone he'd eventually have to kill anyway.
Besides, Zuke's method of gaining strength wasn't something Garou could replicate—unless he had Saiyan blood and a top-tier Stand like "Blackbird."
"I'm begging you!"
Garou didn't answer. He remained in his prostrate position, forehead pressed to the ground.
This past week had completely broken his confidence—the Saiyans' overwhelming strength made him realize just how small his worldview had been.
He didn't know this wasn't his original world. Right now, Garou still believed this was just another planet in his own universe.
Though this act of pleading made him feel like he was sacrificing his dignity, he didn't care. As long as it made him stronger—as long as he could return to Earth and continue his mission afterward—he was willing to do anything.
"I'm not interested in being your teacher."
Zuke crouched down, narrowing his eyes as he studied Garou. While Garou had grown somewhat stronger during this time, he was still far from the level he'd reached after monsterizing in the original story.
In the original, Garou had been chosen by "God" and became a "God-level threat," but "God" seemed to have standards for selection.
For instance, he had tried to recruit Tatsumaki, monsterized Garou, Saitama, Flashy Flash, and the Ninja Leader (who had already been successfully recruited years earlier)—all of them were powerhouses.
As for how Homeless Emperor got chosen… well, that was harder to explain.
Point was, Zuke worried that Garou, in his current state, might not be strong enough to catch "God's" eye. Giving him a slight power boost wouldn't hurt.
After all, Zuke wasn't worried that mere training would elevate Garou to a level where he could threaten him.
"But if all you want is to get stronger… follow me."
With that, Zuke turned and walked out of the room.
Garou's head snapped up at once, a flash of excitement crossing his face before he hurried after him.
From the other Saiyans, Garou had learned of Zuke's identity—the King of the Saiyans, a being with power enough to crush all of them.
If he could learn even a fraction of what Zuke knew, he'd be one step closer to his goal.
---
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"
A short while later, inside a research facility on Planet Saiya, Garou—now wearing a massive turtle shell—let out a furious roar as the weight crushed him to the point he could barely breathe.
After following Zuke here, the Saiyan King had exchanged a few words with another Saiyan before handing him the enormous shell to wear.
The moment he put it on, Zuke seemed to adjust some kind of device, and suddenly, the shell's weight became unbearable, pinning Garou in place.
"That's a gravity-adjusting turtle shell. For the next while, you'll be wearing it while doing odd jobs for the Saiyans around the planet."
Zuke grinned, watching Garou struggle under the shell.
"Once you've fully adapted to it, we'll move on to the next phase of training."
"WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS!? THIS IS JUST REGULAR WEIGHT TRAINING, RIGHT!?"
Garou's face twisted in outrage. Gnashing his teeth, he glared at Zuke, his voice a mix of confusion and fury.
"AND WHY THE HELL DOES IT HAVE TO LOOK LIKE A TURTLE SHELL!? IT'S SO EMBARRASSING!"
"Because this is the Turtle School's training method. Making it a turtle shell is tradition."
Zuke offered an explanation Garou couldn't comprehend—though, realistically, the shell didn't have to be turtle-shaped. But Zuke felt tradition mattered.
Originally, these shells were meant for Saiyan training—to teach the brute-force warriors, who couldn't even sense "ki," the techniques of the Turtle School.
Who'd have thought Garou would end up being the first to use one?
That said, Garou's complaint wasn't wrong—this was just basic weight training. Even B or C-Class heroes did this kind of thing.
"What you need to learn is how to control your movements under weight—and how to use 'ki.'"
Zuke crouched again, smirking at Garou, who could barely straighten his back.
"Listen up. I'll only explain the basics of 'ki' once. Whether you grasp it through the Turtle School's training is up to you."
Zuke was curious—could someone from another world learn to use "ki" from Dragon Ball?
Since Garou was so eager to volunteer as a test subject, Zuke saw no reason to hold back.
After all, he still had to visit the Fate/Stay Night world soon. He couldn't afford to waste too much time on Garou.
To be continued…