The Quiet Wrath of Son Goku

Counting the Dead

Gohan and Krillin are overjoyed to see Goku, while Vegeta dismisses his arrival with a sarcastic remark about coming to tell jokes. Goku ignores him and walks straight past Nappa to kneel beside Piccolo's body. Gohan explains quietly that Piccolo died protecting him. Goku then spots the fallen forms of Tien Shinhan and Yamcha. Nappa cheerfully mentions there was also a small one, and Goku realizes Chiaotzu is gone too. With Piccolo dead, Kami has also perished, meaning the Dragon Balls no longer exist.

Goku walks over to Gohan and Krillin, splitting his remaining Senzu Bean between them. Their wounds heal immediately. He praises Krillin for growing so strong and commends Gohan for his bravery, then tells them both to leave the battlefield. He will fight the Saiyans on his own. They object, but his expression makes it clear the decision is final.

Power Beyond Measure

Krillin grabs Gohan and retreats to a safe distance. Goku turns toward Nappa, rage simmering beneath a calm exterior. Nappa taunts him, and Goku replies with a quiet promise that he will not forgive what they have done. He begins to power up, and the ground shakes violently. Rocks lift into the air around him as his ki surges higher and higher.

Vegeta watches his scouter climb: 7,000, then 8,000. He rips the device from his face and crushes it, visibly unsettled. Nappa demands to know the reading. Vegeta tells him the number exceeds 8,000. Goku warns them not to worry about the figure, because he has not even activated the Kaio-ken yet. Vegeta wonders aloud what this Kaio-ken could be.

First Strike

Nappa loses his temper and charges. In a single blur of motion, Goku vanishes from view, appears behind Nappa, and drives a kick into the back of his head that slams the giant face-first into the dirt. Neither Krillin nor Gohan could even follow the movement. The gap in power is staggering, and for the first time, Nappa looks genuinely rattled.