Ch. 21: Piccolo's Legacy

"Right, didn't Raditz tell you? Our scouters also work as communicators." Vegeta explained. Then, Nappa realized something.

"Huh? The green one's from Namek, isn't he?" Nappa asked Vegeta. 

"Yes. He's from Namek all right. No wonder Raditz had such a hard time against him and Kakarot."

The revelation shocked Piccolo to his core. None of the memories that he'd inherited from King Piccolo had anything to do with where he was born. He'd believed that he was just some sort of mutant or demon, but if he was an alien instead, it all made sense now. He was from Namek.

"I'm From Namek." He said aloud, shocked. He'd never expected to find out about his origins from someone who'd never been to Earth before.

"Eh? Piccolo, I didn't know you were from outer space! Of course, it makes sense..." Krillin thought aloud.

"Is-is that true, Piccolo?" Gohan asked.

"You didn't know? Well, what a surprise! Surely you must have suspected something before now! The green skin and pointy ears are a dead giveaway, don't you think?" Vegeta told him, surprised.

Piccolo could barely believe the revelation, but he could feel it in his blood. It was a truth that he couldn't deny. He was from another world. Meanwhile, Vegeta continued.

"It was you who told Raditz about the Dragon Balls! Now tell us! Where are they?" Vegeta demanded.

Krillin looked at him, confused, "But no one knows where they are! Not for a full year!"

I laughed. This was good.

"What are you laughing at?!" Nappa roared angrily at me, still mad from my previous sarcasm.

"A couple of idiots who told us when they'd be coming. You honestly think that the Dragon balls don't have limits? It's one wish per year, idiots. We wished my dad, the one that you call Kakarot, back yesterday. The Dragon Balls are going to be useless rocks for the next year, only trackable once they recharge." I happily explained. Gohan didn't know much about the Dragon Balls beyond what Dad had told him, which wasn't too much, but Krillin looked at me like I'd grown a third head.

"Why'd you have to tell them that! There is such a thing as too much information, you know!" Krillin yelled at me. Piccolo probably would've been on his side too if he wasn't still reeling from the whole 'namekian' thing.

Meanwhile, Vegeta and Nappa were both red as tomatoes. "So... You're telling us that we wasted an entire year on this stupid trip? For nothing?!" Nappa roared. Ever the optimist, Vegeta looked on the bright side.

"What a waste of a wish... But, at least we know that they exist. Calm down, Nappa. Once we wish for immortality, we'll have all the time in the universe. What's one lousy year?" Vegeta reminded his 'advisor'. That seemed to calm Nappa down.

"I guess there's no point in keeping any of you around, then, if you don't know where the are." Nappa realized.

"Shut up, Nappa. Stop bothering to think, the steam coming out of your ears is rather distracting. We need to keep the Namek around. He'll be happy to locate the balls for us after a year of torture." Vegeta decided.

Piccolo smirked. "Heh. I want to thank you. Because of you, I now know that I come from the planet Namek. But, this is my planet now, and no one is going to tell me what to do with it! So, back off! We're not here to bow down to your demands! We're here to fight! So go ahead and do whatever it is that you came here to do." He got into a fighting stance. The three of us followed suit.

...

On Kami's lookout, Kami's expression was worrying Mr. Popo.

"Are you okay?" He asked his friend.

"Yes... I'm fine, Mr. Popo. For the first time in my life, I have heard about my origin. Now I know the reason why I have always had special powers. You see... they just said that I'm from space. A place called Namek."

Kami paused before continuing, "It all makes sense. When I created the Dragon balls, I fulfilled a deep yearning. The blueprints for the Dragon balls existed in my heart long before I was able to give them form. When I finally succeeded, I felt as if I had made it home... Or rather, as if a piece of home had found its way to me." He remembered his childhood. Alone in a wasteland for years, waiting for parents that never would come. When the Dragon balls had been formed into existence, it felt as if his family had finally made its way to him in some form.

...

"I guess there's no point in any more talking, now that the Dragon Balls are currently useless." Vegeta told Nappa. Nappa smiled, but before he was able to say anything else, the news caught up to them, a helicopter flying overhead. Irritated, Nappa fired a ki blast at the copter, destroying it with ease. Gohan was horrified by the senseless violence, but the other three didn't even flinch.

"Does that mean that I get to destroy them, Vegeta?" He asked, checking their power levels.

"The kid's at 1200, the Namek's at 1800, the girl's at 2000, and the little bald one's at 1100." He read out, laughing. Even the highest power level was nothing compared to his. "You fools. You really think you can beat us with such puny power levels?" He asked. Vegeta wasn't fooled.

"Hey, Nappa." He glanced at his 'advisor,' pulling his scouter off of his face, "Take your scouter off."

"What" Nappa asked, confused.

"It seems that they know how to concentrate energy and raise their fighting powers. These figures are most unreliable."

Nappa's mind flashed back to what they'd heard of Raditz's death, "hey, right. Now I remember, that pathetic loser Raditz let himself be fooled by all of their power readings."  He pulled his scouter off, throwing it to the ground.

"Uh! Get ready, you three!" Piccolo warned. Krillin cocked his head, remembering that Goku'd be here any minute now. All they had to do was hold on for a few minutes. He wasn't sure that they'd be able to, but it wasn't something that he'd discount.

"Oh well, guys... Let's just do this."

"Nappa, I believe it's time that we had a little fun with them. Better yet, get those Saibamen out. There should be six of them left... They'll do." Vegeta decided.

"You're too much! You really know how to have fun!" Nappa agreed, confusing all of the earthlings.

"Saibamen?"

"I don't see any men."

"I bet we will, soon." I bet, knowing what Saibamen actually were.