Mepple's disappearance was noticed immediately. It wasn't surprising, really, that the Planet Trade Organization was a well-oiled machine in terms of efficiency. Earth might be a small, insignificant planet compared to the rest of the other planets in the universe, but in alternate timelines, Earth was the center of the universe. A fact that Turles was not careless enough to dismiss despite defeating the Z-fighters.
In fact, after leaving Mepple in charge of Earth, he specifically left her a couple of instructions. Some involved having the Earthlings focus on developing culinary arts worldwide, keeping an eye out for talented recruits, and under no circumstance was she allowed to destroy or ruin Earth. Perhaps it was an act borne from the feelings he once had or still held for what this planet represented in his last life. Even Turles didn't know for sure.
However, at this point in time, Turles was occupied with waiting for the birth of a Fruit of Might produced by the energy of a star. So, once Appule heard that one of the Captain's specially watched planets went dark, he decided to go to the planet himself. At least, that was the plan, until he realized he couldn't sense or get in contact with Mepple at all! After their fight with Lord Frieza, Appule doubted there could be anyone strong enough to threaten Mepple on a planet like Earth.
Appule wasn't as careless as Mepple. So, he decided to send a scouting fleet to Earth to bring him back information on what was happening. In the meantime, he would teleport to Hell and check around to see if Mepple managed to get herself killed somehow.
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This scouting fleet wouldn't arrive on Earth for some time. Which left Piccolo more than enough time to train his offspring, create new offspring, and train himself. As Piccolo exited the time chamber with Melody and Tune tiredly following behind him, his other children rushed to greet him with frantic faces. He sensed an unfamiliar presence on Earth, along with a multitude of others. At the same time, he felt the dropping of life forces of people. People were dying!
"Come!" Piccolo shouted, flying off of the lookout.
Multiple little green figures followed behind him when they heard the seriousness in his voice. In no time, the Namekians arrived above a well-populated city, seeing multiple soldiers wreaking destruction upon it. Anger and frustration appeared on the faces of the little Namekians. They might not have been born that long ago, but that didn't mean they were okay with invaders ruining their planet. Earth was their home!
"Go." Piccolo identified the highest battle power and leisurely flew down to meet them.
Behind him, several of his offspring went off to dispense justice toward the assaulting invaders. When Piccolo landed on the ground, he stared face to face with a hooded figure. Noticing a strange familiarity as he got a closer look. Both of their eyes widened when they recognized each other. "A fellow Namek? But how do you possess so much power…?" He questioned, almost in disbelief.
"Earth is mine! Call off your goons before I make you." Piccolo shook his head, focusing on what mattered.
Whether this person was a fellow Namekian or not, his energy was pure evil! It was nothing compared to the likes of Turles or Mepple, but it was still pretty sinister. "Wait! We don't have to fight! As brothers from the same race, there is no need for us to fight." The hooded Namekian raised his hands in peace. "Order the men to stand down. This planet is no longer suitable for our goal."
"Yes, Lord Slug!" The soldiers shouted.
Piccolo crossed his arms, keeping his eyes on Lord Slug. "Take your soldiers and leave." Lord Slug chuckled with a labored breath, his advanced age making itself known. "I'm afraid that's not a possibility, my Namekian friend." He took off his hood.
As Lord Slug revealed his face, the wrinkles etched across his features became more pronounced, evidence of the passage of time and the toll of countless battles. His tall and commanding figure loomed over the battleground, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding around them. The hooded cloak that draped over his shoulders added an aura of authority to his presence.
Despite the wear and tear of age, Lord Slug's black eyes gleamed with a certain cunning intelligence. Two antennae gracefully extended from his forehead, giving a nod to his Namekian heritage, yet the air around him carried an unmistakable air of malevolence. Lord Slug's attire was a black hooded cloak and a distinctive orange scarf.
"And why is that?" Piccolo questioned.
"Can't you hear that sound?" Lord Slug tapped his ears.
"What? What nonsense are you trying to pull?!" Piccolo focused on his hearing and certainly did hear something strange.
Trying to focus on that singular unfamiliar sound instead of all the sounds in the city was indeed a challenge but not impossible. Piccolo, in shock, turned his head to the sky. "You led them here?!" He shouted. "I was chased here. They pursued me." Lord Slug corrected the younger Namekian. "Same thing! Damn it! Brats, get here and be ready for the fight of your lives!" Piccolo yelled.
"You bring your men over here, too!" Piccolo reminded Lord Slug.
"There's no need for all this yelling. I can hear you just fine…" Slug grumbled in annoyance. He glanced at the men next to him, and they carried out his orders.
In no time, Piccolo's army and Lord Slug's army stood side by side, which made quite a strange mix. A bunch of children alongside armored soldiers. Surprisingly enough, the kids weren't outclassed in battle power thanks to Piccolo's rigorous training lessons. "So, you want to join forces, right? I can tell you have a burning hatred inside you for Turles's forces." Lord Slug asked.
"We'll talk later. For now, focus on the enemy in front of us," Piccolo told him.
Just as the spaceship came landing down next to Lord Slug's spaceship. Multiple dozens of soldiers came marching out of the landing pad. An assortment of several different races but showed perfect discipline and training as they lined up in formation. Parting their impressive formation, was a small figure. Around the size of Piccolo's youngest children, a small alien with pink skin, a gumdrop-shaped head, and standard PTO equipment- scouter, battle armor, and three drones hovering around them.
"Which one is the wanted criminal?" The apparent leader questioned.
"Both, sir." He answered promptly.
"I guess we got pretty lucky. The pay on the younger one is a lot higher than the older one." The leader giggled.
"Should we begin, Vice Commander Jiba?" The soldier asked.
"Hmm." Jiba checked the power levels of the criminals with his scouter. "The younger one is hiding his true battle power. They're Namekians as well, which means they can heal from most injuries. Utilize the Power series and capture them. If capture proves too difficult, you are allowed to kill them. We have methods of questioning the dead." He ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers swapped out their weapons with a capsule.
These new weapons all had some type of red coloration decorated on the vast number of weapons. Some soldiers pulled out melee weapons, ranged weapons, or even equipped themselves in a special type of robotic armor. All in all, they were ready for a planetary war.
Piccolo, though faced with the unexpected arrival of a powerful adversary, maintained his composure. His offspring, trained rigorously over the past three years, stood alongside Lord Slug's ragtag army, forming an unconventional alliance against the common enemy. The Piccolo Clan has been preparing for this day ever since Piccolo sealed away Mepple and hid the container in a place that no one could ever reach without his knowledge.
They could search the ends of the Earth and never find her. That was how well he hid her container. Now that the moment of truth has finally arrived, Piccolo felt quite silly for preparing so crazily. He has long sensed the power levels of Turles's army and could not find a single one that was stronger than him. Even that shorty didn't hold a candle to Mepple's power. Piccolo wasn't worried in the slightest.
It would maybe be a different story if one of the Commanders on par with Mepple's power came, but a Vice Commander? Piccolo grinned. This was going to be a piece of cake.
"Remember your training, and you should be fine. Don't hesitate to make the final blow, and stay aware of your surroundings! I can't watch over all of you. Don't let me down." Piccolo told his offspring.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction based on the Dragon Ball Z series, which is the property of Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation. I do not claim any ownership of the original characters, settings, or storylines. This work is not intended for commercial use and is solely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended, and I am not affiliated with the creators or publishers of Dragon Ball Z in any way.
Shout-out to special Patreon members: Tuan Nguyen