"Kill Frieza!"
Vegeta's words stunned everyone present.
Nail stared at Vegeta in a daze, while Krillin and Gohan looked completely incredulous.
If it hadn't come straight from Vegeta's own mouth, they wouldn't have dared to believe it.
To be fair, over the past two days they had considered this possibility, and even thought about ways it might happen.
Undoubtedly, for them, it would be a good thing if Vegeta confronted Frieza. It would be even better if the two of them ended up seriously injured—or died together.
Although Vegeta had shown some goodwill toward the Namekians, the truth was obvious:
If there had been no benefit involved, if the Grand Elder hadn't unlocked his potential, would Vegeta really have helped them?
No one spoke.
Even the Namekians Vegeta had escorted earlier now showed clear estrangement toward him.
There were three reasons for this.
First, Vegeta had originally been one of Frieza's subordinates. Even though he had rebelled and hadn't harmed them, in their eyes, he was still not a good person.
Second, there was an instinctive fear—fear of the aura Vegeta emitted. It was too strong, too oppressive, making their bodies tremble involuntarily.
Third, Krillin and Gohan's stories had made everyone aware of what Vegeta had done during his invasion of Earth.
In truth, Vegeta hadn't done much on Earth. He hadn't even killed a single Earthling. Yet somehow, he had been painted as an unforgivable villain.
Of course, Vegeta didn't care about any of this.
He didn't care how others saw him.
This world had always been one where the strong preyed on the weak.
Even as someone who had transmigrated and was no longer the original Vegeta, he had no intention of lowering himself or trying to please anyone.
After a long silence, Krillin was the first to react.
He asked seriously, "You said you're going to kill Frieza. I don't know what you're scheming, but if you're going, then just go. Why come here and tell us? What do you want?"
Krillin's mind was sharp. After he spoke, everyone else quickly caught on.
Yes. If Vegeta was really going to fight Frieza, why bother announcing it here?
Feeling the wary gazes around him, even Vegeta—normally calm—lost his patience.
He really wanted to say that even when the original Vegeta invaded Earth with Nappa, he hadn't slaughtered civilians. And since transmigrating, he hadn't harmed a single Namekian.
He could understand Krillin and Gohan being wary of him.
But these Namekians acting hostile toward him?
That was just stupid.
Of course, Vegeta could guess the root of it—it was obviously related to Krillin and Gohan.
"You little bald idiot sure know how to talk," Vegeta said coldly, staring at Krillin.
"Looks like you've been filling these Namekians' heads with stories about how evil I am. Doesn't matter.
I've never claimed to be a good person. Even if I'm not who I used to be, if I want something, none of you can stop me."
That gaze felt like falling into an ice cellar.
Coupled with the cold pressure Vegeta released, Krillin's body trembled uncontrollably, his throat tightening as he swallowed reflexively.
"What are you trying to do?!" Gohan sensed something was wrong and immediately stepped in front of Krillin, his face full of anger.
"I thought you were a smart kid," Vegeta replied coldly, glancing at Gohan, then at Nail. "Did you catch the stupidity too? Is it contagious?"
Both of them stiffened under his words.
Then Vegeta suddenly laughed, his smile filled with mockery.
"Why am I even wasting my breath? In the end, you're all just afraid of my strength. Fine, I'll be clear—I do have a purpose. So what? Isn't it the same as you?
Dragon Balls, wishes… I was too polite before. I originally planned to give you the extra wishes. Now? I regret it."
He looked straight at Nail again. "Don't glare at me like that. If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead. Out of your entire race, only the Grand Elder truly sees the bigger picture and knows how to make the right choice."
"You—!" Nail clenched his teeth, but no words came out.
Without enough strength, you don't get to decide anything.
"You what?" Vegeta snorted. "You should be grateful you're dealing with me. If it were Frieza standing here, you'd already be corpses."
With that, Vegeta turned and walked straight into the house.
No one tried to stop him.
Because no one could.
…
Inside the house, Vegeta immediately spotted Bulma hiding near the doorway.
After staring at her trembling figure for a moment, he restrained his aura, calming his emotions.
He then took the fake Dragon Ball radar from his chest and handed it to her.
"Take it back. You should be glad you fooled me," Vegeta said coldly. "If it were anyone else, you'd already be dead."
Without another word, he walked into the inner room.
Bulma stood there holding the fake Dragon Ball radar, stunned, until Vegeta disappeared from view.
Only then did she finally relax.
He hadn't blamed her for giving him a fake radar. The biggest fear she'd been holding onto had finally passed.
For a moment, Bulma felt confused, her mind filled with Vegeta's actions, his expressions, and the way he'd changed just now.
Vegeta was fierce and domineering—but when he faced her, he seemed different from how he treated everyone else.
He was still serious, still intimidating, but compared to earlier, it was noticeably gentler.
"Could he really be interested in me? No, no way…" Bulma muttered to herself.
"I mean, he is kind of handsome—aside from being a bit short, everything else is pretty much perfect. And he's a prince, too. But… if he really did something to me, wouldn't I be…?"
Her thoughts began to spiral wildly.
…
Inner Room
Vegeta stood once more before the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder already knew what had happened outside, but there was nothing he could do to stop his people from becoming estranged from Vegeta.
"I am truly sorry," the Grand Elder said gently.
"It shouldn't have turned out this way. You have shown kindness to our people. In time, these children will understand."
It was all he could say.
The root of the problem was still the deep enmity between Vegeta and the Earthlings.
The Namekians' hatred of evil ran too deep, and with their race facing catastrophe, a few words from Krillin and Gohan were enough to sway their emotions.
In truth, Vegeta was not their enemy—not anymore. And more importantly, they all shared a common enemy.
Old and shrewd, the Grand Elder neither offended nor fully sided with anyone, choosing instead the path that maximized survival.
"Enough," Vegeta said impatiently. "I didn't come here to hear apologies. I came for two reasons."
"First, to tell you that I'm going to deal with Frieza."
"Second," he said, locking eyes with the Grand Elder, "I need a guarantee from you."
This was the true purpose of Vegeta's visit.
...
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