Chapter 16: The Great Dragon Ball Heist

The sun was setting as Goku, Bulma, and Oolong cruised down the dusty road, heading toward the location of the final Dragon Ball. The air was filled with excitement. Bulma was leaning forward, eagerly watching the radar beep closer to their goal, while Oolong sat in the back, nervously fidgeting as usual.

"We're almost there!" Bulma announced, her eyes glowing with anticipation. "Soon, we'll have all seven Dragon Balls!"

Goku, who had been munching on a snack, grinned. "Cool! I can't wait to see the dragon!"

Oolong, on the other hand, wasn't so enthusiastic. "Yeah, yeah, but what if something bad happens? I've got a bad feeling about this."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "You always have a bad feeling, Oolong. Relax! What could possibly go wrong?"

Just as those fateful words left Bulma's lips, the sound of whirring machinery filled the air. The ground trembled beneath their car as something massive approached from behind. Goku turned his head, squinting into the distance.

"What's that noise?" he asked, his mouth still half-full of food.

Before anyone could react, a massive BOOM erupted behind them. A rocket shot through the air, heading straight for their car.

"Rocket incoming!" Oolong screamed, diving for cover.

Bulma slammed on the brakes, her heart pounding. "What the—?!"

Goku, completely unfazed, leaped out of the car and stood in front of the incoming missile. He grinned confidently as he charged up his ki, his hands glowing with energy.

With a quick flick of his wrist, he blasted the rocket, sending it spiraling off course. The missile exploded harmlessly in the distance, but the force of the blast shook the entire car, knocking Oolong flat on his face.

"Ow! Why is it always me?!" Oolong groaned, rubbing his sore nose.

"That was close!" Bulma gasped, her eyes wide.

From behind a nearby hill, a familiar figure emerged. Shu, Pilaf's loyal dog-ninja, appeared in his battle robot, his mechanical arms clanking as he approached. The robot's eyes gleamed with menace as it aimed its remaining weapons at Goku and the others.

"Hand over your Dragon Balls, or else!" Shu barked through the robot's speakers, his voice crackling with static.

Goku tilted his head, confused. "Why do people always want our Dragon Balls? Can't they just ask nicely?"

Bulma sighed. "Goku, it's not about asking. They want to use them to take over the world!"

"Ohhh," Goku said, finally understanding. "Well, that's not good."

Shu fired another missile from his robot, but Goku was too quick. He dodged the attack effortlessly, flipping through the air and landing on top of the robot with a smirk. With one powerful punch, he smashed the robot's missile launcher, sending sparks flying in all directions.

"Hey! That's expensive equipment!" Shu yelled, frantically pressing buttons inside the cockpit.

But Goku wasn't done. He jumped down and delivered a series of lightning-fast punches, completely dismantling the robot in a matter of seconds. The machine collapsed in a heap of twisted metal, smoke rising from the wreckage.

"Phew! That was easy!" Goku said, wiping his hands.

Bulma and Oolong cheered from the sidelines. "Nice work, Goku!"

However, before anyone could celebrate further, Shu popped out of the wreckage, clutching Bulma's suitcase tightly in his arms.

"Hey, give that back!" Bulma yelled, her face turning red with anger.

But Shu wasn't sticking around. He bolted away with surprising speed, darting down the road and disappearing into the distance, leaving behind a trail of dust.

Bulma's jaw dropped. "My suitcase! My Dragon Balls! My Dyno-Caps!"

Oolong stared in disbelief. "Well, that went south fast."

Goku, ever the optimist, jumped onto his Flying Nimbus. "Don't worry! I'll get it back!"

Bulma and Oolong climbed onto the cloud with Goku, holding on tight as they took off in hot pursuit of Shu. The trio soared through the air, silently following the trail Shu left behind. Below them, the landscape zipped by, but Goku kept his focus on the small figure in the distance.

"We can't let him get away!" Bulma shouted, her eyes narrowing.

"I still have the Four-Star Ball," Goku said, patting his pocket. "So they can't make their wish yet."

"Yeah, but my suitcase has all the other Dragon Balls—and my Dyno-Caps!" Bulma groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Do you know how much stuff I've got in there? I can't lose that!"

Oolong, who was clinging to Nimbus for dear life, added, "I'm more worried about the fact that we don't have a ride if we don't get those Dyno-Caps back! I'm not walking all the way back."

The chase continued, with Shu running as fast as his legs could carry him. Despite his determination, Goku and the others were gaining ground. With a burst of speed, Nimbus shot forward, and within seconds, Goku landed in front of Shu, blocking his path.

"Give back the suitcase!" Goku said, holding out his hand.

Shu skidded to a stop, panting and clutching the suitcase tightly. His eyes darted around, looking for an escape. "You'll never catch me! Lord Pilaf will be victorious!"

Goku sighed, scratching his head. "Why is everyone always so dramatic?"

Before Shu could bolt again, Bulma hopped off Nimbus, her temper flaring. "Alright, you little thief! Hand it over, or I'll… I'll—"

"Turn you into a carrot!" Oolong finished helpfully.

Shu blinked, confused. "Wait, what?"

Bulma pointed a finger at him. "Yeah, you heard me! I'll turn you into a carrot like Monster Carrot! You wouldn't want to spend the rest of your life as rabbit food, would you?"

Shu, thoroughly unnerved, slowly extended the suitcase toward Bulma. "Okay, okay! Just don't turn me into a vegetable!"

Bulma snatched the suitcase from his hands, glaring. "That's what I thought."

Goku scratched his head. "But Bulma, you can't actually—"

Bulma quickly covered Goku's mouth with her hand, smiling sweetly. "Shhh! Let's not ruin the moment, okay?"

Oolong shook his head, still amazed at how quickly things could go from disaster to victory with this group. "This is insane."

Once they had the suitcase back, the trio hopped back onto Nimbus, leaving a defeated Shu behind. As they flew off, Bulma breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her precious suitcase tightly.

"Well, that was close," she muttered. "But at least we've still got the Four-Star Ball."

Goku grinned. "Yeah! And now we just need the last one!"

Oolong, however, couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. "I can't believe you bluffed your way out of that. I almost thought you'd really turn him into a carrot!"

Bulma smirked, adjusting her sunglasses. "Hey, sometimes you've got to get creative."

As they soared off into the sunset, the final Dragon Ball adventure awaited them. But with Goku's strength, Bulma's wits, and Oolong's… well, Oolong was just there for the ride—they were ready for whatever came next.

And this time, they weren't going to let anyone get away with stealing their Dragon Balls.