Dragon Ball Human

The Fourteenth Monk was, as expected, an old monk.

After a brief conversation, Yamiru realized that this man was not just any monk but a martial artist.

A Orin monk, no less, and quite possibly a direct senior of the bald-headed Krillin, who was still nowhere to be found.

"This humble monk was out seeking alms, but instead of finding goodwill, I became a target. Turned into a carrot, no less," the Fourteenth Monk sighed, his lips twitching with a trace of reluctance. "The power of abilities like that is impossible to guard against. I underestimated the danger and almost met the Buddha."

"Monk, you've become too attached," Yamiru said casually.

In truth, he had no idea what being "attached" really meant. He simply wanted to use that iconic line often seen in dramas and novels.

The Fourteenth Monk blinked, momentarily stunned.

The military man nearby, a burly figure, cut in with a sneer. "That damned rabbit didn't just keep the carrots for cooking—it sold them as well! Look at these people..." He gestured to the rescued crowd. "Aren't they all strong and healthy? Or, if they're not, they're little kids. All prime stock for trade!" Turning back to the monk, he added, "Old monk, if you hadn't shown some skill when you encountered that rabbit, I reckon you'd have been stewed by now!"

The entire group shuddered at his words.

While mainstream opinion might consider anthropomorphic animals as part of humanity, that Rabbit Boss clearly didn't qualify—neither in body nor soul.

Turning living humans into carrots, selling the useful ones, and cooking the useless ones—such actions were beyond monstrous.

"Good riddance," someone muttered.

"Serves it right," another agreed.

Yamiru's attention was drawn to a tall man within the crowd, who had a young girl of about ten hiding by his side.

Curious, Yamiru approached them and asked a few questions.

Sure enough, they turned out to be the very relatives sought by the middle-aged man and his nephew whom Yamiru had met earlier in the forest.

"They've been looking for you!" Yamiru exclaimed. "Turns out you were turned into carrots and hidden here. No wonder they couldn't find you!"

The girl, who had been hiding behind her father, peeked out, her eyes red. "It's a good thing Uncle didn't find this place. Otherwise, the bad guys would've turned them into carrots too..."

The crowd fell silent at her words, each person reflecting on their ordeal.

The Fourteenth Monk clasped his hands together, murmuring a soft "Amitabha" as he declared, "Well said, young one. Truly well said."

Yamiru, for reasons even he couldn't understand, suddenly leaned closer to the Fourteenth Monk and asked, "Hey, how do you interpret the phrase '善哉'?"

(The term 善哉(Shan Zai) is a classical Chinese exclamation often found in Buddhist or literary contexts.

1\. Translation:

"Excellent!"

"Well done!"

"How wonderful!"

2\. Meaning:

It is an expression of praise, approval, or admiration, often used to commend virtuous deeds, profound teachings, or noble qualities.

In Buddhist texts, it is commonly used to affirm or appreciate insightful words or actions, roughly equivalent to saying "Amen" or "Bravo" in English.)

The old monk blinked in confusion.

Was this young man all right? It was just a monk's customary phrase. Did it even require interpretation? Moreover, how much clearer could '善哉' possibly be?

"And another thing, Monk, you can read, right?" Yamiru's mind jumped tracks to another question.

The Fourteenth Monk nodded.

"Then…" Yamiru used his toe to trace the character '龍' (Dragon) on the ground. "What's this character?"

"That's 'Dragon'!" It was the girl from earlier who answered first.

The monk and the soldier both nodded in agreement—oh, and the soldier had already introduced himself as Delat, a proper career soldier.

"And this one?" Yamiru erased the previous character and wrote the simplified version, '龙'.

The girl looked at him curiously, then glanced at her father. After he patted her head reassuringly, she said, "It's still 'Dragon.' You're so strange."

Even simplified characters? Yamiru found this exceedingly odd.

In his past life, he had seen plenty of Chinese characters appearing on character's Gi in anime and manga. Like Goku's 悟, Piccolo's '魔', Gohan's '飯', and the Crane School's '鹤'. These were symbols deeply ingrained in his memory.

Could it be that Chinese characters were truly universal in the cosmos? Yamiru wondered mischievously.

By this point, the group had started moving forward, preparing to leave separately.

After all, none of them were really friends; at most, they could be called "fellow sufferers." Having survived such an ordeal, everyone's first priority was to return home and reunite with their loved ones.

When they passed the kitchen, the sight of carrots still strewn across the countertops and cutting boards made some of them retch.

The old monk chanted another soft "Amitabha."

Delat rummaged through the kitchen, found a lighter, and after searching further, unearthed a few bottles of liquor. He turned back and asked, "Anyone got gasoline?"

"I… I have some in my capsule," someone in the group offered, raising their hand.

"Good. Let's burn this place down."

Everyone there had once been turned into a carrot and bore an unrelenting hatred for the dead Rabbit Boss.

As they passed through the restaurant's main hall, the stench of blood hit them like a wall.

Aside from Yamiru, Delat, and the Fourteenth Monk, everyone's faces went pale. The girl's father, who had some experience hunting in the forest, merely frowned. Without hesitation, he covered his daughter's face with one hand and said gently, "Don't be scared. We'll be home soon."

Delat examined the bodies carefully.

"There are no marks on the floor. The footprints lead over there. Oh, so it was directly from…" Delat studied the corpse of the unlucky thug who had been shoved by Yamiru and impaled through the back of his head with a chair leg. He quickly reconstructed the scene, walking from the body to the doorway where Yamiru had stood earlier. "Shoved hard enough to land all the way over there. That's some strength. You did this?" His final question was directed at Yamiru.

"…" Yamiru initially wanted to joke, "Oh, nothing much, just your average guy who can take on somes weaklings," but seeing the corpse, he couldn't bring himself to say it. He simply nodded and replied with a quiet "Yeah."

Delat then moved on to inspect the Rabbit Boss's body.

"Whoa…" He picked up the floppy remains of the severed ears. "Clean cuts. Done in one swing?" Looking ahead, he noticed two legs and an arm nearby. Picking them up, he examined the cuts and found them just as precise as the ear stumps—clean and decisive. "That's a good blade," he complimented. "Mind letting me borrow it later for fun?"

At the same time, he silently thought to himself how lucky he was that Yamiru's blade hadn't grazed him earlier. Otherwise, he might not have come away unscathed.

Yamiru was confused. "Later? Later for what?"

With the conversation starting to wind down, the other survivors began saying their goodbyes. Some of them lived very far from this place, having been turned into carrots and transported here by the Rabbit Boss afterward. Delat, the Fourteenth Monk, and a few others were in this category. Upon learning that Slope City wasn't far from here, they hurriedly departed.

Yamiru watched as the group dispersed.

"You saved all these people, but not everyone expressed their gratitude to you," the Fourteenth Monk said, standing beside him. "Are you disappointed?"

"Disappointed? Not really," Yamiru replied. It sounded somewhat insincere, so he added, "I was just passing through. Killing that rabbit and forcing it to undo its ability to save you all was more for myself, really. Whether it was to vent my anger or satisfy my sense of justice, it wasn't something that hinged on whether these people thanked me later…" Feeling that he was rambling, Yamiru scratched his head awkwardly.

The old monk merely smiled, pressed his palms together, and once again intoned, "Amitabha."

Suddenly, the two of them noticed flickering light and intense heat behind them.

Turning around, they saw that Delat had cleared the area surrounding the restaurant, doused it in gasoline and liquor, and then tossed a lit lighter onto it. The building was now engulfed in roaring flames.

Yamiru watched the fire and thought to himself, "Well, I guess I've altered the story just a little, haven't I?"

"Right, almost forgot!"

Remembering something, Yamiru dug into his bag and pulled out a large map and a waterproof marker. After biting off the cap, he handed the pen to the Fourteenth Monk and asked, "Monk, do you know exactly where Mount Paozu is on this map?"

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