Dragon Ball Roshi

When the three soldiers realized that the severed arms belonged to their own bodies, the searing pain finally registered in their brains. They howled in agony.

"Kid! Who the hell are you?!"

The towering soldier struggled frantically, his wrist still trapped in Taro's iron grip. No matter how much force he used, he couldn't move an inch.

Taro squinted slightly, his right hand preparing to crush the wrist completely—when suddenly, a sharp sound of rushing air came from his side.

The strike team's lieutenant had sprung into action. Known for letting his actions speak louder than words, he wasted no time. His long leg—proportionally massive compared to his short stature—lashed out like lightning, aiming for Taro's temple.

This young, seemingly ordinary stranger had approached them so swiftly and silently that even the lieutenant hadn't noticed. That realization sent a chill down his spine. He decided to go all out, unleashing a decisive, thunderous strike.

Taro's left temple tingled faintly, a warning of the incoming danger. Casually, he raised his left arm to intercept.

Bang!

The lieutenant's leg struck Taro's forearm with a dull thud. It felt as though he had kicked a steel pillar—no, something far denser than steel. Though he could break steel beams with ease, his leg failed to budge Taro's arm in the slightest. Instead, the impact nearly shattered his own bones.

"Damn it!"

The lieutenant's face twisted in fury and disbelief as he withdrew his now-numb leg. He retreated cautiously, glaring at Taro.

"Who the hell are you?"

Frowning, he adjusted the circular combat scanner affixed to his head. As the device locked onto Taro's outline, a series of characters flickered across the dark lens.

"Combat level... 5000?" he muttered, his voice low.

"5000!?"

The three soldiers, still clutching their severed arms, stared in shock. Even the towering soldier, whose wrist was still trapped, looked incredulous.

How could someone with a mere combat level of 5000 silently approach them, sever their arms, and restrain one of their strongest fighters with ease?

Taro, meanwhile, examined the devices on their heads with interest. Unlike the single-lens scouters he had seen in the original manga, these were designed as a circular band wrapping around the head.

The lieutenant sneered. "It must be one of those special humans who can temporarily spike their power during combat. The captain warned us about them—never rely on the scouter against such foes."

Taro nodded, smiling slightly. "You're not wrong."

"You bastard!"

The lieutenant felt mocked. With a grim laugh, he spat: "Even if you can spike your power, how much can you reach? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand? Maybe a hundred thousand? I can reach 130.000!"

That thought steeled his resolve. Without waiting for a reply, he roared and ignited his full power. A blinding white aura erupted around him, crackling like a living inferno. Channeling every ounce of energy into his iron fists, he launched himself at Taro.

"Die!"

The seven colorful birds perched on Taro's shoulders scattered in fear, taking to the skies and circling nearby.

But Taro remained calm. He raised a single hand to meet the attack.

The lieutenant's fists flew like a storm, delivering an unrelenting barrage of strikes. Each punch seemed to tear through the air, generating shockwaves that rattled the surrounding atmosphere. His attacks came with the speed and ferocity of a torrential downpour, a violent hurricane of blows capable of obliterating anything in their path.

Yet Taro stood firm. Using just one hand, he intercepted each strike effortlessly, meeting the lieutenant's chaotic flurry with unshakable precision.

The sound of fists colliding echoed relentlessly: Bam! Bam! Bam! The sheer speed of their exchange created a cacophony of impacts, so rapid it became indistinguishable. The air between them grew scorching hot from the intensity of their clash.

In just a few breaths, they had exchanged hundreds of blows. Neither showed any sign of backing down.

Too weak. And far too slow.

Taro shook his head internally. Holding the towering soldier's wrist in one hand while effortlessly fending off the lieutenant's relentless attacks with the other, he appeared utterly unbothered. To the lieutenant, it was as if Taro were humoring an amateur disciple during training.

"Damn you!"

The towering soldier was equally enraged. Though alarmed and perplexed, desperation overtook him. Ignoring the crushing pain in his wrist, he seized the opportunity while Taro was engaged with the lieutenant. Clenching his free fist, he swung it toward Taro's face with all his might, his white aura flaring wildly.

The massive, boulder-like fist barreled toward Taro's calm expression, carrying a ferocity that could pulverize stone.

But—

A black shadow arced upward.

Taro's foot struck from below, connecting with the soldier's jaw just as the punch neared him. The force sent the soldier reeling upward. Releasing the nearly mangled wrist, Taro raised his other leg high and brought it down like an axe.

Bam! Whoosh!

The towering soldier hurtled toward the ground at blinding speed.

Meanwhile, amidst the lieutenant's barrage of punches, Taro's hand shot out.

Smack!

He caught one of the lieutenant's fists mid-swing. The other fist, inches from Taro's face, was intercepted by two of his fingers with an almost lazy motion.

The lieutenant's face turned bright red, veins bulging as his teeth ground together in frustration. His iron fist pressed against Taro's fingers with every ounce of his strength, his muscles straining and trembling. Yet, it refused to move even a fraction further.

"Had enough?" Taro asked calmly, his tone void of emotion.

Panic flickered across the lieutenant's face. Taro's two fingers opened into a full hand, seizing the man's trapped fist. With a twist and a shove—

Crack! Crack!

Both of the lieutenant's arms broke audibly.

Before he could scream, Taro delivered a brutal kick to his chest. The lieutenant flew backward like a meteor, blood spurting from his mouth.

"You... you..."

The three remaining soldiers, already maimed and trembling, were frozen in disbelief.

The lieutenant was a warrior with a combat power of 130,000, a near-unstoppable force. Even the towering soldier, Daruku, had a power level of 90,000. How could they have been dismantled so quickly by this man?

Their shock deepened when Taro had barely moved from his spot.

"This can't be real."

Suddenly, two blazing beams of energy—one from below and the other from the side—streaked toward Taro.

The first came from Daruku, who had recovered enough to retaliate after being slammed into the ground. The second was the lieutenant, launching a ferocious counterattack while still midair.

Both energy waves roared with the power of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of combat strength. They tore through the air, howling like enraged dragons seeking revenge.

Taro, still cradling the seven colorful birds, calmly shifted his body at the last possible second, narrowly dodging both blasts.

Boom!

The lieutenant's energy beam struck one of the three maimed soldiers below. His body was instantly charred and lifeless, plummeting to the ground.

The remaining two soldiers stared in terror, paralyzed by fear.

"No one can defeat me except the King and the Captain!" the lieutenant bellowed, his once-composed demeanor shattered.

His fury erupted as he unleashed wave after wave of destructive energy blasts. The air was filled with deafening roars as the relentless barrage surged toward Taro.

Taro, however, remained where he was.

"Let the storm rage. Let the downpour come."

For the first time, he didn't dodge. Instead, he extended one arm, and a glowing white energy shield formed around him and the birds he sheltered.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The lieutenant's energy strikes hammered against the barrier. Though it trembled under the onslaught, it steadily expanded, absorbing the attacks.

When the assault ceased, Taro's shield shimmered once before vanishing. Slowly, he moved his extended arm, aiming it toward the two remaining soldiers below.

Boom!

A massive energy wave, seemingly concentrating all the power from earlier attacks, roared forth from Taro's Ki barrier. In an instant, it engulfed the two one-armed soldiers below. Their confused expressions were the last they bore before being reduced to ashes.

"Hah... hah..."

The lieutenant floated not far away, gasping for breath. Sweat glistened on his brow as disbelief etched itself into his face.

How could this person be so strong?

Why was he so powerful?

How could this planet even harbor someone like him?

Taro hovered calmly, then, with a casual motion, drew a line downward. The gesture mirrored what Daruku had done to the city's inhabitants earlier. A ribbon-like wave of Ki swept down toward Daruku, who was struggling midair.

"No way..."

Staring at the descending white "ribbon," Daruku muttered in disbelief. The overwhelming force approached at terrifying speed, leaving him no time to react. Moments later, the light consumed him. The energy wave disintegrated him completely, scattering remnants into the wind.

The lieutenant's mind was in chaos. The situation had spiraled into the inexplicable!

At that moment, Taro appeared before him, raising his palm directly to the lieutenant's face.

Confronted by the outstretched hand, the once-cold lieutenant's face contorted into a pleading smile. His voice trembled as he stammered: "P-please... spare me?"

Sweat dripped profusely from his brow. To him, Taro's palm was as menacing as the claw of death itself.

"Where are your commanders?" Taro suddenly asked.

The lieutenant hesitated briefly, then answered: "I... I don't know\..."

Noticing Taro's hand twitch, he quickly added: "It's the truth! Both of our commanders have combat power exceeding one million! Ordinary planets can't even withstand their presence, so Lord Frieza rarely deploys them. They often take extended leaves, and no one knows their whereabouts or activities!"

He rambled frantically, terrified that any dissatisfaction might lead to his death.

"One million?" Taro repeated the figure, as if weighing it.

"Y-yes..."

Before the lieutenant could finish his next sentence, his eyes reflected a blinding white light. A moment later, Taro's hand released a massive burst of Ki, obliterating the lieutenant's head.

Taro watched the headless corpse plummet to the ground, his expression emotionless. His mind, however, churned with thoughts:

Frieza's base form was supposedly just over 500,000. Yet his subordinates have warriors surpassing one million in combat power? Could it be that, at this point in time, Frieza usually maintains his first transformation? Or perhaps his second form?

Or... could it be that he constantly remains in his perfected third form?