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Dragon Ball Volume 1 cover art
Cover art © Shueisha / Akira Toriyama. Not an original work of Daddy Jim Headquarters. Displayed for editorial commentary and review purposes.

Sea Monkeys

Manga ChapterCh. 3

A lost sea turtle wanders into Goku's camp and begs for help getting home. The detour to the ocean introduces the Jan-Ken Fist, a monstrous bear bandit, and a mysterious old man in a shell who turns out to be much more than he looks.

Volume: 1
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A Turtle Out of Water

Goku, growing impatient with how long Bulma spends fixing her hair, heads outside to train by shattering rocks. He grabs what he thinks is another boulder and finds himself holding a sea turtle, briefly convinced that Bulma has somehow transformed. Once the confusion passes, the exhausted animal explains that he wandered off looking for mushrooms and has spent an entire year trying to find his way back to the ocean. Bulma estimates the coast is about 120 kilometers away, and though she resists the idea of a detour, she quickly changes her mind when she realizes Goku intends to take the turtle himself and that wandering alone through dinosaur country is a poor alternative.

The Bear Thief

On the trek to the seaside, the trio is ambushed by a towering bear bandit who plans to roast the turtle for dinner. Goku steps in and makes short work of him, unveiling his Jan-Ken Fist, a rock-paper-scissors striking technique taught to him by his grandfather. With the brute knocked flat, the group continues on their way unbothered.

A Gift From the Sea

When they finally reach the shoreline, the turtle thanks them warmly and promises to return with a proper reward. Goku and Bulma pass the time enjoying the beach. After a while they spot their friend paddling back toward the coast carrying someone on his shell, and to their considerable confusion the passenger turns out to be a wizened old man wearing a turtle shell of his own.

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This content is original writing by Daddy Jim Headquarters based on the Dragon Ball anime series, manga, and official materials. Episode and chapter references are cited where applicable.

Character and scene imagery on this site is original artwork by Daddy Jim Headquarters, not screenshots or licensed imagery. Official cover art is used on three types of pages for editorial commentary:

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  • Manga chapter pages: Jump Comics volume covers, credited to Shueisha and Akira Toriyama.

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