I Am Raditz

Gohan had escaped from the chokehold, but his neck still hurt and his face remained flushed. The feeling of being locked from behind was terrible—even though his strength wasn't inferior to Zarbon's, he found himself panting heavily from the ordeal.

Piccolo had already rushed forward to avenge his pupil.

"Vegeta, this one is mine!"

"Have at him! But if you don't kill him, I'll kill you!" Vegeta snorted coldly, displaying a cruel smile.

He had confidence in Piccolo's strength. Piccolo had defeated Nappa back on Earth, and after training in the gravity room for so long, he wouldn't need to exert much effort against someone like Zarbon with a power level in the low 30,000s.

Piccolo didn't even bother removing his weighted cape as he charged into battle.

Zarbon's breastplate had already been shattered by Gohan's kick. Before he could retaliate, he looked up to see Piccolo's green energy blast hurtling toward him. His face paled drastically. Though he couldn't sense energy, he could certainly perceive deadly intent and heat signatures!

The attack carried torrential power and lethal energy!

Zarbon immediately raised his arms, crossing them in front of his body while lifting one leg in a defensive stance. Just as he managed to brace himself, the green energy bomb struck him head-on. Scorching energy engulfed him as violent shockwaves burst outward. The surrounding air heated so intensely that the landscape appeared distorted from a distance.

Barely withstanding the bombardment, Zarbon's cape was torn away and his battle armor fell to pieces. His once-proud hair burned away in the blast, and countless burns marked his body. Even having blocked the attack, his arms trembled violently as if the force had nearly shattered his bones.

Such immense power!

With a power level over 30,000, he had barely survived a single attack from his opponent. Could the Namekian truly be that much stronger? Moreover, Zarbon instinctively felt that the attack hadn't even been at full strength!

As the light gradually dissipated, the corners of Zarbon's eyes twitched nervously before he could make out the figure before him—vaguely humanoid in shape. As his vision cleared, the blurred images coalesced.

Standing before him was the tall Namekian, Piccolo. The cold killing intent in his eyes made Zarbon's skin crawl.

"You're a Namekian!" Zarbon exclaimed. "Why do you ally yourself with Earthlings and Saiyans?"

Piccolo completely ignored the question. In real battle, action spoke louder than words—talk was meaningless! Before Zarbon could finish his inquiry, Piccolo had already launched himself forward, changing trajectory with incredible speed and approaching Zarbon in an unpredictable pattern.

His movements were so swift that only afterimages could be seen in the air. Zarbon desperately tried to track him visually, but couldn't locate Piccolo's actual position. Panic washed over him as cold sweat broke out instantly. His heart pounded violently, his mind buzzing before going completely blank.

The sudden attack brought with it a violent gust of wind that whipped Zarbon's remaining hair back forcefully.

What followed was an even more violent surge of energy! Piccolo's heavy punch carried tremendous power! Zarbon attempted to block, but his hands couldn't react quickly enough.

Piccolo's fist connected with Zarbon's face, the impact sending him flying over a hundred meters before crashing directly into the ground.

"AAAHH—" His scream lingered in the air, followed by a thunderous impact. "BOOM!" A crater exploded into the earth, surrounded by dense rubble, with cracks spreading outward like spider webs.

Zarbon lay sprawled on his back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His entire body was covered in dust, as if coated with a layer of gray powder. Deep in the crater, his limbs felt disconnected from his body—he couldn't even stand.

His face had been partially deformed, his nose crooked, and several teeth knocked out. Air whistled through the gaps when he opened his mouth.

"Damn you! How dare you strike my face!" Zarbon exploded with rage. He prided himself on his appearance above all else—being beaten like this was the ultimate insult.

But before his anger could fully manifest, Piccolo was already standing over him, arms stretching out to wrap around his neck.

"Like this, right? Hmm?" Piccolo tightened his grip.

"You... let... go..." Zarbon felt the same suffocating sensation he had inflicted on Gohan, his face flushing as he found himself unable to resist—his strength was completely depleted. The veins on his body bulged, his eyeballs protruding like marbles, and his fingers twitched at odd angles, clawing at the air.

Piccolo's eyes flashed, emitting beams of light that burned through Zarbon's knees, then the joints of both arms. He had used this technique against Goku during their first encounter. If he hadn't been forced to end with a desperate move, giving Goku the opportunity to counterattack with the Special Beam Cannon, Piccolo might have won that battle.

This time, he had learned his lesson. He kept his arms locked tightly around Zarbon's neck to prevent escape, then methodically tortured him.

Each time another part was pierced, Zarbon released an agonized scream. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as his body convulsed violently. The pain was so intense he could barely speak, his chest expanding and contracting sharply as his lungs filled with ragged breaths.

This was nothing short of torture!

Piccolo had intended punishment from the start, delivering blows so devastating that even Raditz winced at their brutality, practically shattering every bone in Zarbon's body.

Zarbon felt as if his heart had been crushed, and countless thoughts of "impossible" flashed through his mind. He had believed that even if he couldn't defeat them all together, escaping shouldn't have been a problem. Who would have thought that a Namekian would completely dominate him like this, while Vegeta hadn't even needed to intervene.

A terrifying realization suddenly struck him. Vegeta's power level had increased dramatically from what it once was, and perhaps even higher than what the scouter had indicated! What about Raditz? Surely 28,000 wasn't his limit either? The Saiyans—when had they become so frightening?

In his agony, Zarbon abandoned all dignity and begged for mercy with his last remnants of strength.

"I'm sorry... please... let me go! I... I only followed Frieza's orders! It's all his fault! Please... I can be useful to you..."

"Hahahaha, that trick might fool children! Piccolo, what are you waiting for?" Vegeta laughed, dismissing Zarbon's pathetic plea.

"Time to send you on your way, trash!" Piccolo lifted the immobilized Zarbon into the air, opened his mouth, gathered energy, and released a devastating energy wave.

In his weakened state, Zarbon had no power to resist. He disappeared into the energy blast, reduced to nothing but ash.

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