Halted in surprise, Cell realized where he landed…straight to the processing station, the office of Enma Daio himself. Immediately realizing where he was, Cell took advantage of his arrival going unnoticed and pressed against the desk to remain unnoticed. It did not take much for Cell to remember how to sneak about, he had not snuck around since he killed Trunks to steal his time machine. This time, he was in his perfect form, normally Cell would be far to proud to reduce himself to such lowly tactics. His pride was obviously flexible, if he could escape Freezer's bantering, he would be willing to dance.
In the office, he was dwarfed completely by the immense size of the gigantic Enma Daio and his cluttered desk overflowing with papers, ringing phones, pens in coffee cups, charts, graphs, calculators, calendars, name lists, paperclips, and ink bottles. Cell felt assured of his hiding place. A press of newcomers was jostling in line and harried ogres were rushing about, as was the usual in Daio's office; Cell remembered the general chaos when he arrived. This scene was almost identical. Daio was focused on a loud conversation with a grumpy tiny old woman dressed in black and sitting on a floating crystal ball.
"…Treat me like a mindless slave, HA! I have a life, too. You are just taking advantage of an old woman."
"But Baba, who else can help deliver the recently deceased student of Master Kitaro? You've known him for over three hundred years; you are the perfect person to run back and forth between the two realms to bring him. You know that," Enma insisted, towering over the tiny woman from his desk.
"Flattery will get you no where, Enma Daio. I don't even know Kitaro very well. No one does. No one's even heard of him..." Baba replied, with her little hands folded in front of her.
Cross realms? This odd little toad woman has portal capability between here and the land of the living? Access to the living? Cell latched onto that thought in an instant, and his face contorted in a devilishly evil smile as one name came across his mind.
Gohan.
"But Baba, I know Kitaro is a drunk, but his student is a fine young man."
"Was Enma, was a fine young man."
"You know what I mean. You know that whenever an exceptional person dies, you personally deliver them."
"Well, why should I do it?"
"Baba, you're just cranky. I'll tell you what, I'll be taking a break in about fifteen minutes. What do you say we have a nice cup of tea? That should calm your nerves, trust me."
"What can I say, Enma, your servants make the best tea I've tasted in all the astral plane." The old woman pondered a bit. "Fine. You have the tea, and I'll bring…what was his name?"
Enma Daio rustled through some papers and came across a coffee stained scrap of paper, it had a name scribbled on it with pencil. "Masamune."
"Fine, I'll bring young Masamune to you only if you have a nice cup of green tea ready."
"Can you go now?"
"Well, I'll see what I can do." The old lady said with a little smirk on her face. Cell knew what he had to do, and focused his eyes on the old Baba. "But if I go now, that'll cost you an extra cup of tea, and some biscuits." In an instant, Cell disappeared in a spurge of lines and reappeared behind the witch. Immediately, Cell put the old woman in a headlock and made his other hand almost like a blade to her throat.
"You might want to postpone that little appointment, Oh Great Daio." His grip was like a vice as the old woman kicked at the air with futility to struggle out of the android's clutches.
Enma rose to his feet with a roar of outrage. "Cell? What are you doing here? Release her at once!" Ogres trembled and cowered under their master's fury.
"Heh, you would think that after my term in Hell, that I would be bitter against you." Cell took a step back and smiled.
"Cell, LET BABA GO!" Enma thundered.
Cell's smile widened.
He chuckled, "In fact, I not bitter."
"CELL!"
"I am angry."
"Cell, if you hurt Baba…"
"What can you possibly do to me while I have her?" He squeezed his elbow; the old woman screamed out in pain, kicking her legs even more furiously. She felt as though her head would be torn off. "Hmm? Well?" He tightened his elbow slightly more.
"What do you want?"
"I am not selfish, all I ask is that my life be restored to me."
"Never."
"This must be a difficult decision for the Great Enma Daio, a life for a life, a situation great kings have faced before, and continue to face. Grant freedom to a criminal to spare the life of an innocent, what to do, what to do, what to do, will you grant me life, oh wise ruler? Or have this ugly old hag join you here in the afterlife?"
"What do you think you will accomplish, Cell? If you kill Baba, you know I can bring her to life."
"Oh, of course I do, Daio, I also know you are a stern and strong ruler, but can you possibly stand to watch this defenseless old woman suffer? The pain on her face as her neck is snapped right in front of you? Can you watch that? Are you that cold? Are you that stern a ruler? Do you want her to suffer that great cost, such immense pain, over your fool pride?"
The pressure mounted on Daio, his breath had a feel of both fear and rage in it; a bead of sweat came down the side of his face. He didn't even feel it. His eyes were locked on Cell's; who in turn held a look of joy. Cell knew how much pain Baba was in, that fact made him savor this moment; he had also always wanted to hurt Daio somehow, in someway.
Enma pounded the top of his desk; he could do nothing to Cell out of fear of harming her. But it went against all he stood for to bargain with such scum.
Enma brought his fists down on his desk, cracking it. "DAMN IT." He breathed violently trying to control his temper. He sat there for a few moments contemplating the situation.
Baba felt a squeeze; she felt her vertebrae in her neck start to separate, she felt it under her flesh, under her muscle. She screamed in pain in the clutches of the smirking Cell.
Finally, Enma opened his eyes, and stared at Cell with an anger that could have burnt him where he stood. Cell stared back, with a menacingly evil grin on his face. Finally, the Great Enma Daio broke down.
"Damn you, Cell."
Cell laughed, "Why, my dear Enma…I already am!!!" The halo over Cell's head slowly dissolved. Cell, one of the Earth's cruelest criminals—was now alive.
"You have what you wanted, Cell, now LET BABA GO!!!!"
"Please Daio, only a fool would release a hostage. I can easily leave here on my own, I have the ability to instantly teleport, but since I hold a conjurer, I can instantly appear on the Earth with a portal. Why waste my ki, my life force, when it is completely unnecessary?"
"CELL, THAT WASN'T PART OF THE DEAL!!!!"
An evil smile came across Cell's pale face, "Why my dear Enma…I never made a deal, I never agreed to let her go, I just made my demands. And you, out of your vast generosity, gave them to me." Cell laughed.
"DAMN YOU CELL!!!"
"Thank you so much, Enma Daio, now if you'll excuse me, I have to leave now. I have some important appointments to attend to with a certain Saiya-jin." That was a cue to open a portal, which opened behind him.
In a futile attempt to talk Cell out of escaping, Daio said, "Goku? Goku! Goku and the others, they've stopped you before, Cell, they've stopped you before, they can do it again."
"Honestly, do you believe I will make the same mistakes as before? I think not. I guarantee, Daio, you stupid pathetic worm, that the next entourage you see here before you will be those very Saiya-jin." With that, Cell gave an arrogant grunt, and jumped through the portal with the little witch in his grip.