"What a strange village…"
The off-road jeep rolled into the village. Bulma and Krillin peered out of the windows on either side, taking in the street view of the small town. Bulma muttered in amazement. In the Dragon Ball world, due to various reasons, the gap between cities and rural areas in terms of economy and culture was often enormous. Some cities, like West City, were as advanced as something out of a sci-fi future, while certain countryside towns still looked like they were stuck in the 19th or even 18th century.
But this village was a bit too rundown and desolate, wasn't it? Krillin found it odd. They had been driving for a while without seeing a single villager. Most of the houses on either side of the road had their doors tightly shut. But there were traces of life, signs that proved people still lived here.
Dudududu, dudududu… Goku sat atop the Flying Nimbus, looking around. With his extraordinary eyesight, he suddenly caught sight of a door left slightly ajar on one house—it had just moved, letting out a faint creaking noise.
"There's someone there!" Goku pointed.
Bulma immediately stopped the jeep and got out with Krillin. Goku leapt down from the Flying Nimbus, and the three of them stood together. Bulma tapped the Dragon Radar—click—Goku and Krillin tiptoed to get a better look. Bulma lowered the device, and sure enough, the Dragon Ball signal had completely overlapped with the central red triangle. The scale was maxed out, so they still needed to search the village to pinpoint its exact location.
"Maybe it's inside the house where the door just moved?" Goku grinned, scratching the back of his head.
"As if it'd be that much of a coincidence!" Krillin muttered.
Bulma rolled her eyes, put away the radar, adjusted her cap, and said, "Well, there's only one way to find out. Let's go!"
With that, Goku took the lead toward the house whose door had moved.
Inside the street-facing houses on both sides, behind tightly shut doors, dozens of nervous eyes were secretly watching the trio's every move. As they walked toward the house Goku had pointed out, those eyes grew increasingly anxious.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Goku called out loudly and casually at the door, then pushed it open. Suddenly, from behind the doors, a powerful gust of wind slashed toward him! Goku barely caught a glimpse of a black blur—but his beast-like instincts kicked in just in time, and he dodged it!
Thud!
Black hair fluttered in the air. At the last split second, Goku had raised his shoulder and used the exposed end of his Power Pole to block the oncoming axe, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit to the neck.
"Incredible reflexes! That confident defense! What guts!"
Krillin, watching from behind, was wide-eyed and shaken. That was an axe! If it had hit Goku's neck, he would've been dead! And yet, even caught off guard, he managed to dodge, and even dared to bet his life that the Power Pole would block it!
But Goku frowned, visibly annoyed. "What's the big idea with the sneak attack?! That's just low!"
And since he was mad, Goku struck back—tightening his grip on the lower end of the Power Pole and twisting it. The top of the pole, which had caught the axe, flipped it around and sent it flying back into the house. A dull thud echoed, followed by a yelp from inside the dim room.
"So rude…" Bulma also frowned. She wasn't worried about Goku, though. As the grandson of Gohan and the prospective disciple of Master Taro, his strength was something she had full confidence in—only slightly less than she had in her own genius and beauty.
After retaliating, Goku pulled out the Power Pole completely and pushed open the half-closed door. Light streamed in, revealing a bald middle-aged man lying flat on his back, a village woman, and a little girl with pigtails wearing an apron.
---
After some explaining, the misunderstanding was finally cleared up. The village chief and his family realized Goku and the others meant no harm. Bulma took the chance to pull out one of her Dragon Balls and asked if they had seen a ball like it. The chief's wife went inside and came back with an identical yellow-orange ball… the Two-Star Ball!
"We're really sorry… We thought you were those thugs!" The village chief repeatedly apologized to Goku. His rashness had almost ended in disaster—he'd nearly killed the boy.
"Thugs?" Krillin asked, puzzled. "So the villagers all stay hidden because of some thugs? But…"
"Didn't the Martial Arts Association do anything about it?"
Bulma's eyes lit up as she picked up where Krillin left off. She was already thinking about how to convince the chief's wife to hand over the Dragon Ball, so she turned her gaze to the chief, waiting to hear more.
The chief's face turned somber. With a sigh, he said, "This is such a remote place… Those great martial artists from the Association have probably never even heard of us. Besides, the thugs that harass our village…"
His expression shifted into one of confusion and frustration. "It's the strangest thing. We've never had the same group of thugs twice. Every time they come, they're different! It's like a curse… Where are all these terrifying monsters even coming from? Some villagers once went to the big cities to ask for help from the Martial Arts Association, but they never managed to catch any of the thugs. Every time, they either ran off or just vanished… Then next time, it'd be a completely different group again… Sigh…"
"It must be that our village has angered the gods..." the village chief's wife lamented, frowning deeply as she pulled the little girl tightly into her arms. "Those damned thugs all share the same twisted obsession… they… they all like young girls! And now, now… our family is the only one in the village with a girl left! If those thugs come back, what are we supposed to do?!"
Tears began to stream down the old woman's face as the little girl clung to her mother.
Krillin looked puzzled. "This situation… it's really weird…" He exchanged a glance with Bulma, and it was obvious that she didn't have any clue either. But Bulma had a lot of confidence in Goku. She grinned slyly, pulled Goku down, and whispered something in his ear. Goku frowned and protested, "Isn't that a bit much? Can't I just fight them head-on?"
"Just do what I say! Didn't your grandpa tell you to listen to me?" Bulma assured him with a pat on her chest.
"Did he really say that?" Goku asked doubtfully, clearly unsure.
"Of course he did! Would I lie to you?" Bulma said with full confidence, not giving Goku a moment to think it over. He had no choice but to agree. Krillin watched the exchange with curiosity, unsure what they were scheming. Bulma then gave him a mischievous wink and a smirk before clearing her throat and revealing the plan to the village chief's family—Goku would dress as a girl.
"Th-this… is this really okay?" the village chief and his wife hesitated.
"Don't worry! Goku might not look like much, but he's super strong! Didn't you see how fast he moved earlier?" Bulma assured them, then revealed her real motive. "Just make sure that after it works, you give us that Dragon Ball…"
---
Oolong was mentally exhausted. The girls back at his secret base had practically drained not just his stamina but also his wallet… Still, thinking about his next move filled him with excitement again. There had to be some girls in the world who weren't obsessed with money! He had to keep the faith!
"Heh heh…" he let out a sleazy laugh as the small village appeared in the distance. He muttered to himself, "What should I turn into this time… hmm, let's go with a ferocious dragon beastman! Heh heh heh…"
BOOM!
The little fat pig transformed into a fearsome giant creature. He rubbed his chin in an exaggerated way and muttered in a buzzing, beastly voice, "Seriously, if it weren't for those damn Martial Arts Association people, I wouldn't have to be this careful…"
Feeling cheerful, the dragon-beastman in appearance—but still the pervy little pig on the inside—walked into the deserted town. He was used to the quiet, rundown atmosphere of this village and didn't think much of it. But suddenly, he saw up ahead… a delicate, pretty little girl standing alone!
"Heh heh heh…" He started drooling uncontrollably.