Vegeta's Laughter, Freeza's Rage

Gohan's Discovery

Following the Dragon Radar's signal, Gohan arrives at the Namekian village Vegeta previously ravaged. The devastation is horrifying, but Gohan steels himself and tracks the reading to its source. The Dragon Ball is submerged underwater, right where Vegeta stashed it to keep Frieza from collecting the full set. Gohan retrieves it and prepares to head back, unaware that his find has just disrupted Vegeta's careful calculations.

The Heist

Outside Frieza's ship, Zarbon searches the surrounding area for the escaped Saiyan, growing increasingly anxious. Frieza contacts him with a cold ultimatum: find Vegeta or die. What neither of them realizes is that Vegeta never actually left the ship. He located the room storing Frieza's five Dragon Balls and quickly discovered a problem. The enormous orbs are too large and numerous to carry in a quiet escape. So Vegeta opts for boldness. He calls out, alerting Zarbon and Frieza to his general position inside the vessel, then fires an energy blast down the corridor to fill it with smoke and debris. In the confusion, he blows open a window and hurls all five balls outside before leaping after them.

Frieza's Fury

By the time Zarbon and Frieza reach the storage room, it is empty. Realizing Vegeta played them perfectly, Frieza sends Zarbon outside again with an iron deadline: one hour to capture Vegeta, or Zarbon forfeits his life. The tyrant's composure fractures as the scope of the theft sinks in.

Fortune Smiles on Vegeta

Vegeta slips away undetected by swimming through a nearby body of water, surfacing once he is safely out of range. He gathers the five balls he tossed from the ship and allows himself a moment of triumph. His elation doubles when he senses a familiar energy and looks up to see Krillin flying overhead, clutching the One-Star Dragon Ball. Vegeta believes this is the final piece he needs to complete the set of seven, unaware that Gohan has already stolen the ball he hid. The chapter closes with the Saiyan prince grinning at what he considers an extraordinary stroke of luck.