As soon as Goku flew away from the Red Ribbon Army HQ on his Flying Nimbus, he spotted Bulma's plane approaching, with Krillin and Chi-Chi inside.
"Bulma? You guys came here? What about your parents—they were kidnapped! Didn't you go to West City?"
Bulma flashed a relieved smile.
"Haha, looks like the heavens are on my side! I was on my way when, by pure luck, the Galactic Patrol dropped my sister off at home and ran into the kidnappers. That patrolman—Jaco—he's actually pretty strong! He took them all down!"
She pulled out a photo.
In the picture, Jaco stood proudly in a dramatic alien hero pose. On either side of him, Dr. Brief held up a peace sign, while his wife kept her trademark squinty-eyed smile. Off to the side, Colonel Violet was tied up in an extremely… questionable pose—her military uniform tight against her curves, her mouth gagged with cloth, and her face burning with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
The ropework was suspiciously artistic.
Very suspicious.
It didn't take much imagination to guess who tied her up—probably Bulma's father.
Regardless, the crisis was clearly over.
Krillin turned to Goku. "Wait a second, Goku… what about the Dragon Balls and the radar?"
Goku was silent.
Krillin's eyes widened. "Wait, you gave them the radar and the Dragon Balls?!"
Goku nodded. "They showed me a photo of Bulma's parents being held hostage… so I…"
Krillin's jaw dropped. "GOKU! Are you an idiot?! You can't just give them the Dragon Balls!"
Bulma stepped in before things escalated.
"He did it for my family's safety. Don't blame him. It's over now anyway—we've got them back. Let's just go get the Dragon Balls again, right?"
"Yeah, let's move!" Chi-Chi chimed in cheerfully. "If we don't, poor Snow's family won't get revived!"
Krillin's face flushed red. "I wasn't blaming him! I mean… I just…"
Moments later, the group arrived at the ruins of Red Ribbon HQ.
The once-mighty fortress had been reduced to smoldering rubble. Ashes floated through the air. The crimson buildings were cracked and blackened. The air reeked of smoke and scorched metal.
Krillin looked around, stunned.
"Goku… you did all this?"
Goku nodded.
Chi-Chi let out a whistle. "Incredible."
"You basically dismantled the whole army on your own," Bulma added.
Just then, a voice called out.
"You came."
They turned to see Black—the former deputy commander—standing alone amid the ruins.
Bulma narrowed her eyes. "You're in charge now?"
Black nodded. "Commander Red is dead. He squandered countless lives for his own ego. Now, I lead the Red Ribbon Army."
Bulma's expression hardened. "My family's safe. So why are you still here? You should be running."
Black looked over each of them slowly. "Bulma. Son Goku. Krillin. Chi-Chi… Yes, I know you all."
The group tensed.
Bulma wasn't surprised. "Of course you do. You're a military syndicate. Digging up identities is probably the first thing you did."
She lit a cigarette and exhaled slowly.
"But it's over. Your army's destroyed. You won't rebuild it."
Black smiled.
"That's why I'm here to make a proposal."
"A proposal?" Bulma raised an eyebrow.
Black opened a capsule and poured its contents into the palm of his hand—six Dragon Balls and a Dragon Radar.
"This is what I have. Just one more and the set is complete. How about it? Help me find the last one… and let's rule the world together."
Krillin stepped forward, livid.
"Rule the world? You're dreaming! Those Dragon Balls belong to us! We're using them to revive the people you killed!"
Black's eyes gleamed—but instead of lashing out, he pivoted smoothly.
"Fair enough. We use them to resurrect the innocents first. But then… we join forces. You have the power, I have the mind. Even without the Dragon Balls, we can still rule the world."
Bulma smirked.
"With you? Dream on."
"Turn yourself in to the police," she added, flicking ash from her cigarette. "Maybe you'll get a lighter sentence."
Black's smile twisted into a snarl.
"In that case… don't blame me for what happens next."
He retreated into a nearby reinforced hangar. Seconds later, a massive battle mech rose from the wreckage.
Bulma narrowed her eyes. "So that's your last card. A mech? Let me guess—another one of Dr. Gero's 'masterpieces'?"
Black's voice thundered from inside the cockpit.
"You won't laugh for long! This mech is unbeatable!"
He pointed at Goku and fired a laser beam.
Goku dodged effortlessly. The laser struck the ground, tearing it apart with a concussive blast.
Black cackled. "So you dodged once! Can you dodge again? And what about your friends?"
He turned the mech's cannon toward Bulma and the others.
But before he could fire, Goku vanished from sight.
In the blink of an eye, Goku was on the mech's face, shattering the cockpit's glass with a single punch. He reached in and yanked Black out like a radish from the dirt.
"W-Wait—!" Black gasped, struggling.
But Goku didn't wait. One clean blow sent him sprawling unconscious at their feet.
Bulma blinked. "I thought you were going to smash the robot…"
Goku shrugged. "Why waste the effort? Easier to pull the pilot out."
Chi-Chi chuckled.
Bulma looked down at Black's limp form. "So, what do we do with him?"
"Send him to jail," she said simply. "And then let's find the last Dragon Ball."
Chi-Chi activated the Dragon Radar and frowned.
"Weird… the last one isn't showing up."
Goku and Bulma exchanged glances.
They both suspected who had it.
"Maybe it's inside a living creature," Goku guessed. "That's why the radar isn't detecting it. We should ask Fortuneteller Baba."
Chi-Chi groaned. "Ugh, that old hag? You know how much she charges? She's Master Roshi's sister, but all she cares about is money."
Bulma waved her off. "No need. If I'm right, the last Dragon Ball's probably with Pilaf and his gang."
Goku blinked. "Pilaf? That actually makes sense."
"They're the only other ones who've been after the Dragon Balls for this long," Bulma said. "And knowing them, they've probably hidden it again."
Krillin frowned. "But that's just a guess. What if they don't have it?"
"Then we do go to Fortuneteller Baba," Bulma said. "But first, Goku should fly over to Pilaf's castle and check."
Goku hesitated. "But… they haven't done anything bad in a while. Should I really beat them up?"
Bulma smirked.
"They will do something dumb eventually. May as well stop them early."
Goku scratched his head. He didn't love the idea—but the faster they gathered the Dragon Balls, the sooner they could bring everyone back.
"…Alright. I'm off."
"Good," Bulma said. "We'll wait for you near Korin Tower. The smoke here stinks."
"Okay!"
With that, Goku soared away on the Flying Nimbus, headed for Pilaf's castle.