The trip to the sea didn't take as long as Raditz had worried. The three of them did have to stop when a bear-faced bandit tried to steal the turtle for food, but Kakarot took care of it. Raditz could've beaten the beast himself, of course, but he felt Kakarot should take responsibility. This little detour was his idea after all.
Bulma nagged them all the way until they reached the sea, Raditz did his best to ignore her. She of course couldn't understand why he was so protective of Kakarot. He didn't plan on telling her either. Raditz just kept his eyes forward until the four of them reached the sea.
The sea was unlike anything Raditz had ever seen. A vast expanse of deep blue water, stretching out far beyond the horizon. The turtle hopped off of Kakarot's back and pushed himself closer to the water, before turning around with a big smile.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I must reward you somehow!" The turtle began to waddle into the ocean, shouting back at Kakarot, "Wait here, I'll bring you back a gift!"
"Hmph. Wonder what a turtle could give as a reward…" Raditz said, leaning against one of the many trees littering the shore.
Kakarot took off his shoes and rolled up his pant legs and started to play in the water. Bulma did the same, lifting her nightgown and dipping her feet into the water.
Kakarot dove under the water. There was a brief moment before he resurfaced and spewed water from his mouth. He coughed. "Hey, Raditz, you gonna come in too? The water feels good! Just don't drink it, it's really salty." He shouted.
"I'm good over here," Raditz said, still leaning against the tree.
Kakarot shrugged and continued playing in the water. After a little bit more waiting, they eventually saw the turtle returning. This time, joined by someone else. As the turtle grew closer, Raditz saw an old man standing on its shell. The old man was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and plain shorts and wore a colorful pair of sunglasses on his face. A puffy white mustache and beard covered his mouth, but there was no hair on the top of his head as it shone brightly under the sun. He carried a gnarled wooden cane in one hand, but his strangest accessory was the giant purple turtle shell strapped to his back. Once the two approached the shore, the man jumped off the turtle's back and onto the sandy beach. He looked towards the group and waved his hand.
"Howdy, youngins! I'm Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit." The three now all walked closer, getting a better look at the man, "So they help you get back to me, Turtle?"
"Aye, the lad did, sir." The turtle turned up to the old man.
"Well, boy, you certainly did us a favor. So as a reward…" Roshi turned around, and raised his staff above his head as he yelled, "Come to me, Flying Nimbus!"
At first, nothing happened. Raditz stood in silence, his arms still crossed as he quizzically looked at the geezer before him. Then, a small buzzing could be heard. The sound grew louder and louder, as a small yellow cloud zoomed down from the sky and halted just in front of the Turtle Hermit.
"Woah, looks tasty!" Kakarot said as he walked towards the cloud.
"It's not food! It's a ride," Roshi said, looking a little angry at Kakarot's remark, "You gotta be careful though, it'll only let you on if you're pure of heart. It's picky that way. Watch carefully."
The old man squatted down slightly, before jumping forwards above the small yellow cloud. Although his body fell straight through the cloud and landed hard on the ground below it.
Both Bulma and Raditz roared with laughter. Raditz clutched his stomach as he struggled to regain his composure. He felt Bulma grab his shoulder as she tried to stay upright while she laughed. Roshi stood up, rubbing his rear as he scowled at the two.
Kakarot didn't look discouraged, he leaped upwards and confidently landed on top of the little golden cloud. He gave a quick grin before immediately zooming off on top of the Flying Nimbus.
Raditz heard Kakarot laugh wildly as the cloud flew overtop of the beach, flying in loops and rolling upside down at points.
"Hey, Raditz! Look at me!" Kakarot called as he continued to fly in different maneuvers.
"I'm watching you," Raditz yelled back with a small grin. It was nice to see Kakarot enjoying himself. Raditz began to think this detour wasn't so bad after all. He turned away once he heard Bulma speak.
"Hey, old man! I helped too, got anything for me?" She excitedly asked.
"You said it was just the boy that helped you?" Roshi looked to the turtle.
"Yep, just the boy," the turtle responded.
Bulma looked offended at the Turtle's answer.
"Hey! I gave you saltwater, didn't I?"
"I suppose…" The old man slowly gained a smile, "I could be convinced to give you something… If you show me your panties!"
Raditz's eyes widened at the suggestion.
"You disgusting old lech!"
"He's right sir! That's most inappropriate!" The turtle looked just as disturbed by Roshi's behavior.
"Hey, you young'uns don't know what it's like to be my age! I gotta take everything I can get!" The Turtle Hermit shouted back.
Raditz took a step forward, but Bulma reached her hand out to stop him. He turned to her, confused, but saw her gazing intently at Roshi. He looked forward and something caught his eye, an orange orb dangling from Master Roshi's neck. There was no mistaking it, the old man was in possession of a dragon ball. Raditz looked back to Bulma, and she gave a loud sigh.
"Alright, I'll show you in trade for your necklace."
"Deal!" Roshi excitedly responded.
Raditz took a few steps back, peering at Roshi from behind Bulma. He crossed his arms again, surely there was no way Bulma was gonna go through with this. She turned her head, looking at Raditz.
"You close your eyes. You're not trading anything."
"Tch, whatever," Raditz grumbled as he placed one hand over his eyes. "Guess being your bodyguard doesn't mean anything."
"Shut it!" Bulma snapped back.
Raditz intended on keeping his eyes shut, but his curiosity got the better of him. He heard Bulma give a little yell as she raised her nightgown and he parted two of his fingers just enough to see through. There wasn't much harm in looking at her underwear, he supposed.
Only, she wasn't wearing underwear.
Raditz felt his entire face turn red, he covered his eyes again and did his best to act natural. He waited a little longer before completely removing his hand from his face. He saw the old man laying on his back, completely dazed, and Bulma standing above him holding the Dragon Ball. The old man was just as blindsided as Raditz by Bulma's lack of underwear. Only, he had gotten a view from the front, the lucky old coot. Raditz shook his head and turned back to where Kakarot was flying over the sea.
"Kakarot! Come on, we're leaving."
"Ok!" Kakarot responded. He guided Nimbus back down to the shore, stopping just in front of Raditz. "Are you ok Raditz? You're bleeding."
Raditz gasped and looked down to see a small stream of blood falling from his nose.
"I-I'm fine!" He quickly wiped away the blood.
Kakarot turned to Bulma, seeing the ball in her hands.
"Hey, where'd ya find that?" He asked.
"The Turtle hermit had it, pretty lucky huh?" Bulma smiled
"Well, I guess it was a good thing we helped the turtle then, huh?" Kakarot gave a grin and looked up to Raditz.
"This was a fluke, don't make a habit of disobeying me," He responded. "I'm still in charge here, don't forget that."
Kakarot's head sunk a little, he let out a sigh as he plopped down on the cloud.
"Yes, Raditz…" He said glumly.
Raditz crossed his arms. Sure, this mission provided some unforeseen rewards. But he couldn't risk Kakarot running off like that.
Master Roshi quietly climbed back onto the turtle, and the two of them gave a wave before heading back out into the sea. After they left, Bulma returned to her bike and looked back at Raditz and Kakarot.
"You boys coming?"
The three made their way back to the capsule home, leaving the sea behind them. Once they returned. Bulma hopped off her bike and walked towards the capsule building.
"I'm gonna go get changed, then we're heading right back on the road." She said before walking inside.
Kakarot guided the Flying Nimbus down beside Raditz while he waited outside. He laid back on the cloud and held his hands behind his head.
"Only three more to go, right Raditz?"
"Yes. Then we're heading right back home." Raditz bluntly replied.
"Oh come on, aren't you having fun?"
Before Raditz could respond, he heard a loud shriek come from inside the house. Kakarot jumped to his feet, clearly hearing the sound as well. Raditz charged forward, busting the door off its hinges as he swiftly entered the building.
"Bulma!" He shouted.
Bulma was standing inside, holding a pair of underwear in her hands. She looked distraught, quietly mumbling to herself.
"No no no… how are they here… that means…" She said before letting out another scream.
"Oh yeah, I left them there." Kakarot chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"What?!" Bulma and Raditz yelled in unison.
"Well last night I woke up, so I decided to try to sleep in Bulma's bed. She's a lot softer of a pillow than you, Raditz." Kakarot chuckled. "But I noticed her underwear seemed pretty flat so I took it off to see what was underneath. That reminds me… Why don't girls have balls?"
Kakarot looked up to Raditz, seemingly expecting an answer. Raditz's mouth was agape, but he couldn't form any words. He just stared in horror at his younger brother for a few moments. He slowly turned to Bulma.
Bulma looked fuming, her face had turned into a dark red as she stared daggers at Raditz and his little brother. She quickly reached under her bed and pulled out a small weapon, similar to the blasters of planet Vegeta, and aimed at the brothers.
"Wait wait w-" Raditz tried to say before Bulma opened fire.
Raditz and Kakarot fled the house as Bulma littered them with tiny pellets from her blaster. The shots weren't lethal, but they sure stung. Once they had left the building, Bulma slammed the door behind the two of them.
Raditz waited outside for a while, staying a good distance just in case Bulma fired another barrage. Kakarot hid a few more feet away, staying behind a bush for cover. After a bit of suspenseful waiting, Bulma did return outside. She was now fully dressed, passing by Raditz without even a glance. She returned to her bike and started its engine.
"Um, Bulma, wouldn't you rather bring back the car?" Raditz cautiously asked.
"No, this is fine for me. Kakarot's got that cloud doesn't he?" She replied.
"Yes, but after what the Old Man said I get the feeling I won't be able to use it."
"Then walk for all I care!" She snapped back before driving off.
Raditz sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He turned back to Kakarot who had jumped onto the Flying Nimbus. Raditz walked over and put one hand above the cloud. He carefully pushed down, his hand passing straight through the cloud's body.
"Yeah, that makes sense…" He muttered, "Scoot over Kakarot, I'm gonna have to hang on to you."
"Raditz, why don't you just-" Kakarot began to ask.
"That'd draw too much attention to us. Not to mention, it takes a lot of energy out of me." Raditz quickly replied. "Now scooch, Kakarot."
Kakarot did as Raditz said, moving forwards on the cloud. Raditz carefully placed himself behind Kakarot and gripped his shoulders tightly.
"Alright, this should be good... Let's follow after her before she gets too far."
Kakarot excitedly pushed the cloud forwards, and Raditz was pulled into the air. His feet dangled beneath the cloud. The feeling was strange, but not totally unfamiliar. Kakarot flew the cloud directly behind Bulma, as she led them to the next dragon ball.
Three more days of travel passed until they reached the location of the next Dragon Ball. They approached a small town, Bulma stopping once she passed a few buildings.
"Well, the dragon ball is around here somewhere, but this place is deserted!" She said, beginning to dismount her bike.
"No… There are people here." Raditz said. Once Kakarot slowed the Flying Nimbus, he stepped off and looked around.
"You feel them too?" Kakarot asked.
"Yeah… You two stay here. People don't hide like this for pleasant reasons…" Raditz said.
He walked away, leaving Bulma and Kakarot at the edge of the town. Gohan had taught Raditz and Kakarot some techniques to help them protect themselves, one of which was how to sense energy. A normal person didn't give off much, but groups of people together were usually easy to sense. Raditz followed where the energy was strongest. He could sense multiple people in one building, not far from where they had entered the town. Raditz walked towards the building, and loudly slammed his fist against the door.
"Hey! Open on up, I know you are in there!" He shouted.
No response. Raditz let out a sigh, and with a swift kick, he blew the door open. The door rocked back and forth, hanging off of one of its hinges.
"Jeez, you sure aren't shy are ya?" Bulma called from her bike.
Raditz ignored her and took a step inside. The interior of the building was completely dark, with no lights or candles lit. As Raditz's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he was startled as a loud yell broke the silence, and a figure charged at him from the dark. The figure swung an ax, and the head slammed into Raditz's chest. The metal tore through Raditz's gi but shattered once it hit his skin. He had barely felt the hit and was still recovering from the scare before he examined the man who'd attacked him.
The man was short, his hunched form barely reaching Raditz's hip. He was balding with long strands of hair sticking from the sides of his head. He wore plain clothing, fitting that of a farmer and a small pair of glasses. Raditz's moment of fear had vanished, though it was immediately followed by a surge of anger. This old man had ruined his only clothing, as well as nearly giving him a heart attack with that scream. Raditz reached down and grabbed one of the old man's overalls, pulling him up to his face.
"The hell was that about? You could've killed a normal person with that." Raditz angrily said.
"Please forgive me lord Oolong! I'll give you anything, just spare my daughter!" The man raised his hands above his head and averted Raditz's gaze.
Raditz raised an eyebrow before dropping the man.
"I ain't no Oolong, so quit your blubbering."
"Heyoo, you've been making quite the racket, is everything ok in there?" Bulma asked, peeking her head through the door.
Bulma entered the room, Kakarot following behind her. As they walked in, a little girl came from behind some furniture and tended to the old man who'd attacked Raditz.
"You really aren't with Oolong?" The man asked.
"What's a Oolong?" Kakarot asked.
At this point, more townspeople left their homes to see what had happened. A small group formed around as the old man explained the situation.
"Oolong is a demon that has been harassing our town. He can take whatever form he chooses, usually a giant monster… He has been stealing girls he likes and threatens to kill and eat all of us if we try to stop him. On his last visit, his eyes fell on my daughter." The man looked to the little girl at his side and placed his hand on her head.
There was a bit of silence as everyone processed this information.
"Say, mister?" Bulma asked, reaching into her bag. She pulled out one of her dragon balls. "You ever seen one of these?"
The old man shook his head.
"Wait!" a voice from the crowd yelled, "I've got one of those!"
An older woman walked forward, holding another dragon ball in her hands. Bulma, Kakarot, and Raditz gathered around to look at the ball. The orange sphere glowed softly like the rest, but this one contained six crimson stars at its center.
"Great!" Bulma smiled, "Tell ya what, we'll take care of this Oolong if you give us that ball."
Raditz scoffed
"Like hell we will." He reached over and plucked the dragon ball from the woman's grasp. "Let's just take the ball and go."
There were gasps and murmurs among the crowd, as some looked at Raditz in fear.
"Raditz! That's not very nice." Kakarot looked up at Raditz, frowning.
"Yeah Raditz, what's the matter with you?" Bulma took a few steps forward, getting in Raditz's face, "You're strong, don't you feel a responsibility to help these people?"
"I've got one responsibility, and it sure doesn't concern them. If I fought every demon, bandit, or dinosaur that threatened to hurt people, I would never rest." Raditz crossed his arms, "Do you want the stinkin' ball or not?"
Bulma glared at Raditz, taking a moment to think.
"You may not owe them anything, but you certainly owe me." She finally said.
"What on Earth do I owe you for?" Raditz asked, confused.
"I know you peeked." She poked Raditz's chest with her finger. "Back with the Turtle Hermit."
Raditz began to blush, remembering the event.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Raditz said back, trying not to make eye contact.
"You're a terrible liar, big guy. That old pervert gave me a dragon ball in exchange, but you didn't give anything." Bulma leaned in further. "I'm cashing in the favor now, help these people and we'll get the dragon ball fairly."
Silence hung in the air, not even the crowd of townsfolk made a sound. The only one to break the silence was Kakarot.
"What'd you peek at Raditz?" He asked.
"Nothing!" Raditz turned to Kakarot, laughing nervously. He looked back to Bulma and frowned. Raditz realized he'd been beaten. "Fine. I'll kill this Oolong thing for you guys…"
There was another round of gasps from the crowd.
"You will? Are you sure you can beat him?" The old man asked.
"Yeah yeah, he won't be an issue."
"Raditz, be sure not to kill him immediately. If he's taken some girls, we have to find his lair and rescue them." Bulma said.
"Whatever…" Raditz turned away from her. "Shouldn't you be hiding or something?"
"Y-Yes, that's a good idea!" The old man said, "Oolong should be showing up at any minute!"
The crowd scattered, each of the townsfolk returning to their homes. Raditz and Kakarot left the old man's house and Bulma tried to hide behind what was left of the door. Raditz walked into the middle of the street and waited, crossing his arms. Kakarot stood beside him, leaning against his power poll.
"You think you can beat this guy Raditz? The old man made him sound pretty scary." Kakarot asked.
"He won't be an issue." Raditz said, "If he was actually as big and bad as these people think, he wouldn't have just threatened to kill them. Real monsters don't waste time with threats."
Raditz and Kakarot waited for a little bit, waiting in the center of town. Soon, Raditz heard the loud booming footsteps of a large creature approaching them. He readied himself as the footsteps grew closer and closer. He soon saw the monster that had been terrorizing the townspeople. It was tall, nearly twice Raditz's height, and just as wide. It had two pointed horns, and an upturned pig-like snout, Raditz had never seen anything quite like this beast before. The creature looked downwards, snarling as it eyed Raditz.
"You… You aren't my bride? What are you doing here?" It said in a booming voice.
"You must be Oolong. Listen, I'm not a patient person so I'm only going to say this once: Take me to your lair and release the girls you've kidnapped." Raditz responded.
Oolong tilted his head back and released a burst of roaring laughter. He leaned over, getting uncomfortably close to Raditz's face.
"Oh really? So you've come to play hero then, huh? You think a puny human like yourself can do anything to the great Oolong?" Oolong's stinking, heavy breaths blew back Raditz's hair.
"Well, that's just the thing oh 'Great Oolong'" Raditz smirked, "I'm no human."
With a swift punch forward, Raditz stuck his fist straight into the giant pig's gut. Oolong let out a pained roar, his eyes bulging out of his head. He stumbled backward, clutching his gut as he vomited white slime. Oolong took a few more steps before falling face down into the street.
"Hmph. Figures." Raditz said, crossing his arms.
"Woah, Raditz! You really beat him with one punch!" Kakarot said in astonishment.
Bulma burst out from behind the door, running over to Raditz.
"You oaf! You weren't supposed to kill him!" She shouted.
"He's not dead... I think." Raditz said. He walked forward to inspect the creature's body.
Oolong was still writhing on the ground, curled into the fetal position. He looked up at Raditz, his eyes full of fear. Just before Raditz reached him, Oolong's body suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke. Once the smoke cleared the monstrous form was gone, in its place was now a small bat, who flapped its wings and took off into the sky.
"He's running! Get him Kakarot!"
"Go, Nimbus!" Kakarot excitedly shouted, shooting forwards on his cloud.
The bat looked back, Kakarot gaining speed rapidly. He reached behind his head, grabbing the power pole.
"Take this!" Kakarot shouted as he slammed the staff down onto the bat, swatting it to the ground.
The bat fell from the sky, landing onto the stone road below. Once it hit the ground, another puff of smoke surrounded it. Raditz ran forward, trying to stop Oolong before he transformed into something else. He was surprised to see at the center of the road laid a short pig boy, currently curled into a little ball.
"Please I'll do whatever you want, just stop hitting me!" He cried from the ground.
Raditz scoffed and leaned forward, grasping the boy's ankle and lifting him up. He raised him to be at eye level.
"So, this is the 'Great' Oolong, huh?" Raditz couldn't help but smile as he dangled the upside down pig boy in front of himself. "I'll stop hittin' you, piglet. But first, you gotta take us to your lair."
Oolong did so without a fight. He led them all to his home, a surprisingly nice building. He opened the front door and showed them the girls he had kidnapped.
"Honestly, take 'em off my hands. You'd be doing me a favor at this point."
Raditz could see what he meant. The girls all seemed to be spoiled rotten. All wearing the finest clothes and jewelry. In fact, the girls barely paid any attention to their parents as they swarmed into the room. There was a cacophony of cries and shouts of joy as the parents hugged their children, all thankful to be reunited.
Raditz felt a shiver up his spine, and then a sadness came over him as he watched the scene. He crossed his arms and turned to Bulma.
"Bulma… This was a good idea, thanks for convincing me." He quietly said.
Bulma turned, smiling at first but pausing once she saw his face.
"Uh.. Yeah, no problem Raditz…" There was another long pause, "Are you ok?"
"Yes. I'm just-"
"Oh no you don't!" Kakarot shouted, breaking the moment. Raditz turned to see him tackling Oolong as he tried to sneak away. Kakarot huffed and picked him up, almost presenting him to Bulma and Raditz. "What're we gonna do with this guy?" He asked.
"I think we should bring him along, actually." Bulma said, "That shapeshifting power could come in handy."
Oolong began to squirm in Kakarot's arms, "No! I refuse! I'm not gonna spend another second with you super-powered freaks!"
"Oh well…" Bulma sighed. "It's probably for the best… with four people it'd be hard to fit us all in the capsule house… I'd probably have to share a bed…"
Oolong immediately stopped struggling and looked up at Bulma. "Wait wait wait! You said you could use my shapeshifting powers? Well, it'd be rude not to offer up my services to a lady!" He giggled.
Raditz groaned and rolled his eyes. A pig in more ways than one, it seemed.
Once the girls had all been safely returned to their homes the villagers happily parted with their dragon ball. They even gave Raditz a new change of clothes, as an apology for ruining his gi. A plaid shirt and a large pair of overalls, they weren't exactly Raditz's style but he accepted them over his torn gi. Once he was changed, the gang set off in search of the next dragonball, now toting along a new member in the form of an annoying pig boy.