The seven colorful birds joyfully flew ahead, leading the way, while Taro followed closely on the ground.
Soon, they came across a clearing in the woods, where a group of indigenous people were gathered in tents.
"Is it in someone else's hands?"
Taro's mind stirred, and he finally understood why the birds hadn't directly brought the Dragon Balls back. It must be because the Dragon Balls were already in someone else's possession, and the birds couldn't steal them.
Chirp chirp... The birds flew around Taro, and one of them darted off toward the group of indigenous people near the tents. Sure enough, as soon as the bird appeared, one of the people impatiently grabbed a wooden stick and tried to hit it.
The bird was quite nimble, and the stick couldn't touch it. The indigenous person was infuriated, shouting loudly, while the bird continued to tease him, chirping happily as if mocking him.
Taro focused on the Dragon Ball hanging around the man's neck, tied with a grass rope.
It was indeed the three-star Dragon Ball.
The final Dragon Ball.
Right in front of him!
Taro tightened the coarse cloth bundle tied to his body, inside which were the six Dragon Balls he had collected so far. His expression remained calm as he stepped out of the woods, revealing himself to the group of indigenous people.
Upon seeing the unfamiliar Taro, the natives immediately became tense and serious. Their faces tightened with suspicion, and they ignored the annoying bird in the sky. Armed with wooden sticks, spears, and stone hammers, they quickly surrounded Taro.
There was a reason for their reaction.
The reason was… the six colorful birds perched on Taro's shoulders.
The bird that had been harassing the natives landed back on Taro's head, proudly raising its little head in front of the group of natives as if it were showing off.
The natives were furious, pointing at Taro, who was dressed in "strange clothes," especially pointing at the seven colorful birds on his body as if accusing him of something.
Most of the natives were dressed in only a simple leather skirt. Their angry faces twisted with fury as they waved their weapons around, their glistening muscles trembling in a clear "answer up or we'll beat you" manner.
However, Taro couldn't understand what they were saying. These forest natives had been isolated from the outside world for so long that even their language had become completely different. If the people under Korin Tower were considered indigenous, then these people could only be considered primitive.
But Taro didn't need to understand.
He pointed at the man being teased by the bird, then at the orange-yellow Dragon Ball hanging from his neck. He pointed to himself and mimicked the shape of the Dragon Ball tied with a grass rope around his neck.
Then he pointed to the Dragon Ball around the man's neck, then pointed back at himself.
Well, this made it clear... language wasn't necessary anymore.
Taro's intentions were obvious, and even the natives could easily understand: He wants to steal our things!
For these indigenous people who fought for their lives with other tribes over beasts in the vast forest, this was the greatest provocation and disrespect. The things of their tribe belonged to them, and if you wanted to take them? They'd beat you to death first!
Taro shook his head slightly, while the seven colorful birds on his shoulders hid their heads with their wings, seemingly unable to bear watching any longer.
The natives roared in anger, shouting… but where was the person who wanted to steal their things? Where did he go?
Bang—
A sound of a strike rang out.
If someone had particularly sharp hearing, like that of a Namekian, they would be able to distinguish that it wasn't just a single strike.
By listening closely, they would begin to hear... Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, a continuous series of sounds, like firecrackers popping, like a torrential downpour hitting the ground, like thunder from the heavens, each strike tightly connected together, and only then did it form the simple sound that reached the ears of the natives.
The native wearing the Dragon Ball necklace on a grass rope snarled, grabbing a thick wooden stick and swinging it toward Taro's head. Taro looked at him indifferently, lifting one finger—
"Tch." A barely audible sound. The thick wooden stick landed on Taro's finger as if gently placed there, unable to move even a little.
The seven colorful birds on Taro's body flew to the stick that Taro blocked with his finger, chirping and pecking away... They even flapped their wings at the native's twisted face, seemingly mocking him with playful arrogance.
At that moment, a "Bang, bang, bang, bang" rang out behind the native who was swinging the stick. It sounded like raindrops falling... That was the sound of other natives being knocked away, finally landing on the ground.
The native holding the stick, his face purple from the strain, suddenly froze. He turned his head in confusion, only to realize that his companions were nowhere to be seen. Looking further back, he finally noticed… they had all been sent flying far away, now lying on the ground groaning.
Some had even crashed into the tents, collapsing them.
He dumbly turned his head back to face Taro, the bird on the stick hopping onto Taro's body again and standing in line.
Taro's finger, which had been blocking the stick, flicked like an illusion!
Bang! The stick was sent back with force, smashing into the native's face. Nosebleed shot out, making it look like the native had smashed his own nose with the stick.
The native staggered back, wide-eyed, staring at Taro in shock.
Taro walked toward him, and the native's legs trembled.
A hand reached out toward him, and the native, scared, threw the stick on the ground and closed his eyes.
The next moment, he felt something tighten around his neck. The grass-rope necklace snapped. He opened his eyes in confusion, and Taro, along with his birds, had already walked back into the forest, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The native knelt on the ground, prostrating in worship, too afraid to rise for a long time.
Holding the final Dragon Ball in his hand, even with Taro's composed mindset after three lifetimes, he couldn't help but feel stirred.
This moment marked the turning point of his life. How could he escape the limitations of his ordinary physique? How could he, in the future, in the turbulent age that loomed ahead, possess at least the capital to not be treated like an ant, easily crushed by others? It all depended on whether that whimsical wish of his could come true!
"Chirp chirp…" The seven colorful birds on Taro's body seemed to sense their master's rare excitement. They flew around him, happily flapping their wings as if to celebrate with him.
"Ha ha—"
Taro laughed heartily, stepping down with his foot. Boom! His body shot into the sky, with the seven birds chasing closely behind.
Carrying the bundle containing six Dragon Balls, Taro held the final Dragon Ball in his hand, using his Sky Dance Technique as he raced through the air, competing with the seven birds. In the vast sky, Taro's heart felt a surge of exhilaration, filled with the lofty ambition of soaring freely like a bird or leaping like a fish in the boundless sea.
Nearly sixty years had passed, and finally, the seven Dragon Balls had been gathered. Finally, the wish would be made.
He glanced down at the forest below and halted, hovering in mid-air. Taking three deep breaths, Taro slowly calmed the excitement in his heart, returning to his usual, steady state as a martial arts master.
Finding a suitable spot, Taro descended gracefully to the ground.
The seven colorful birds followed closely, chattering noisily along the way.
Thud.
Taro's feet landed firmly on the ground. He untied the bundle, shaking it, and thud, thud, thud, six golden Dragon Balls rolled onto the muddy earth.
Buzz~
Buzz~
The six Dragon Balls on the ground shimmered in a fluctuating yellow light.
Taro looked at the final Dragon Ball in his hand, which emitted the same glow, and casually tossed it down. With a soft gurgle, the last Dragon Ball rolled and joined the other six.
Buzz~
Buzz~
The seven Dragon Balls glowed brightly, as though something was about to burst forth with eager anticipation.
The seven little birds perched on Taro's body, curiously watching the scene.
"Come forth, Shenron!"
Boom!
Crack!
The sky over the entire world suddenly darkened!
A golden lightning bolt shot up from the primitive forest in the southern part of the Earth!
This golden lightning was like the first light of heaven and earth, the first light of freedom. It was so brilliant, so majestic and holy, as if it gathered all the hopes, dreams, and faith of humanity, charging relentlessly toward the dark sky!
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