Call For Restoration

Gohan finds himself in the worst possible position: forced to fight his beloved mentor Piccolo, who appears to be completely under Garlic Jr.'s control. Every blow Piccolo lands is devastatingly real, and Gohan struggles to bring himself to fight back with full force against someone he considers family. Meanwhile, Krillin attempts to sneak toward the bottles containing the miniaturized Kami and Mr. Popo, but before he can free them, the Black Water Mist seemingly claims him too.

With Gohan as the only uninfected fighter remaining, the situation looks genuinely hopeless. Garlic Jr. lounges on his self-made throne, savoring every moment of the boy's suffering. The Spice Boys look on with amusement as Piccolo pummels Gohan across the Lookout. Down on Korin Tower, Maron is blissfully unaware of the battle above, winning poker hands against Yajirobe and Korin. Among her winnings is the Cat Bell, the same artifact Goku once used to access the Lookout, along with Korin wagering the Power Pole itself.

Then comes the twist. Just as Garlic Jr. drops his guard to deliver a finishing blow to Gohan, Piccolo seizes the bottles containing Kami and Mr. Popo. He reveals the truth: the Black Water Mist had zero effect on him. His Namekian physiology rendered him completely immune. Both he and Krillin have been pretending this entire time, enduring the ruse to get close enough to free Earth's Guardian. The bottles are secured, Kami and Mr. Popo are released, and the real fight can finally begin.

The reveal that Piccolo was faking is the arc's best narrative beat. It recontextualizes every brutal hit Gohan absorbed, transforming what seemed like tragedy into strategy. Piccolo chose to let Gohan suffer rather than tip his hand prematurely, knowing that freeing Kami was the only path to saving the entire planet. It is a cold, pragmatic decision that perfectly captures who Piccolo is: a warrior who thinks in terms of victory conditions, not sentiment.

Krillin's role in the deception is equally clever. The episode never actually shows the moment Piccolo whispers the plan to him, preserving the surprise for the audience. It is a well-constructed twist that rewards careful viewing.

Interestingly, the series never fully explains why Piccolo is immune to the Black Water Mist. His Namekian heritage is cited as the reason, but the specific mechanism remains vague. Given that the mist is designed to awaken demonic impulses and Piccolo literally descends from the Demon King, one might expect him to be more susceptible, not less. This is one of those filler-era plot holes that the writers chose not to examine too closely. The Power Pole appearing on Korin Tower is a lovely callback to the original Dragon Ball, though the English dub oddly refers to it as a "mystical magic wand" rather than by its proper name.