At the headquarters of the mighty Red Ribbon Army, Commander Red can be seen in a billiard room all by his lonesome in the dark, but not too dark to the point where nothing can be seen. The commander readies his staff, pulling and pushing a few times before he strikes the white ball, hurling it towards the other balls before it strikes, causing them to get knocked back, with some hurling towards the empty holes and landing while others just hit the pool, rolling around until they stop.
Commander Red goes to where the white ball is, readying his staff again until he hears knocking on the door, "Enter!" The commander orders, hoping that it better be important. If not, then the punishment of interrupting his private time will result in execution if need be.
The doors open, and the person who enters is Adviser Black, "Pardon my intrusion, Commander Red," Black says, "It's just as we thought, the boy appears to be heading west now," He gives his report.
"Towards Colonel Yellow?" Commander Red asks for confirmation, remembering that's the place where he sent the tiger man to retrieve the Dragon Ball.
"That's right," Adviser Black nods his head.
Commander Red scoffs at this. Once he cleans his staff, he readies the balls again, setting them together inside a metal triangle, "It's outrageous that Yellow is still having this much of a hard time to find the damn ball!"
"Yes," Adviser Black nods his head, "Perhaps he's having a harder time investigating it than we thought."
Commander Red scoffs yet again, "Everyone is so incompetent. I want this game to be over as quickly as possible."
"Come on, we both know you wouldn't want this to end in a bloodbath!" Colonel Yellow exclaims, holding a gun, and having a small army of men pointing shotguns at a Bora, "Yours, that is!"
"I have already repeated myself…" Bora calmly says, holding his spear, with his son hiding behind their tent as he stares down the Red Ribbon Army without flinching, "I have no interest in this ball, however, those who pose a threat to the sacred grounds must be rid of. Now begone!"
"Sacred grounds!?" The tiger man known as Colonel Yellow scoffs at this, "Don't make me laugh!"
"It is the truth," Bora firmly replies, before he turns his back on the enemies to face the Tower, "Long ago, a great God was born among these lands. Even now, he resides at the top of this tower," He bows his head in a tone of religious respect for his God. Unknown to him, while his back is turned, a Red Ribbon Soldier carefully sneaks around before he gets behind a tree, a bomb planted on his hand, which at the same time Bora turns back to face the evil army, "Now, this is your last warning! Turn back now!"
"Father! Behind you!" Oopa exclaims, as having stayed behind, the young boy could see the soldier planning a sneak attack from the back.
Bora turns around, and the soldier gulps, as he quickly lets go of the safety measure and prepares to throw the bomb at the large man. However, Bora is much faster, and, as swift as lightning, he throws his spear much faster than any bullet could, piercing through the soldier's chest, and through the tree as well, "Gaaagh!" The soldier, losing too much blood, lets go of the bomb he activated as it drops next to him. Not having much time, the bomb detonates, exploding the already dying soldier.
Unphased by such a grueling sight, Bora turns back to look at the Red Ribbon, who seem more angry than anything, "Damn it all!" Colonel Yellow yells in anger as he points his weapon at Bora, "Shoot him till he's full of holes!" He orders.
The soldiers do just that. They shoot with the most powerful weapons they have at their disposal that even just one of them alone would instantly kill a normal human limb from limb. They shoot and shoot, yelling as they do so. And yet, to everybody but Oopa's disbelief, Bora merely flexes his indestructible muscles as he stands still and takes the impact of the bullets head-on.
"Nnngh!" Bora can feel some pain residing from the bullets as he takes their impact, as decades of training his body to perfection can do that to a man in this world, but nevertheless he's able to withstand it without bleeding, that's the important thing. This lasts for about 10 seconds or more, as the soldiers stop shooting when noticing that Bora isn't a pile of blood lying on the grass.
The soldiers start to tremble in fear as they slowly realize that, for once in their crew, they are not the predators in the wilderness. Yet, they refuse to accept it, "Wha… Just what the hell is he!?" One of them shouts.
"Keep shooting!" Colonel Yellow orders, "It's gotta take an effect on him at some point!"
As if he'd give them a chance. Bora rushes in, ignoring the bullets as he goes through them like a tank, running with the speed of a cheetah despite his bulky mass. He gets to one of the soldiers, throwing a swift, but lethal punch to a soldier's
head, his head turning so far back that it snaps the neck. The other soldier besides him doesn't have the chance to shoot before Bora kicks him in the stomach, breaking his bones as it punctures his inner organs, sending him flying in the process.
One by one with inhuman swiftness, and with speed that the world has never seen, Bora rips apart the soldiers with his bare hands and feet, some of the unfortunate ones having holes ripped through them, but nevertheless they're finished off with deadly force. Before Bora can finish off the last one, he hears the jet engine sounds of an airplane turning on. The towering man turns around, holding the last enemy as though he's weightless, as he sees Colonel Yellow retreating.
'So he's running away,' Bora thinks as he watches Yellow live up to the expression, "Oopa, I will go bury these men. You stay put," He tells his son.
Oopa comes out of the tent, having a smile on his face, "Yes, father!" The young boy nods his head before seeing his father walk away, carrying several dead men in his large arms.
Colonel Yellow, driving through the air, hurryingly contacts the main headquarters in desperate search for help. His men were slaughtered, and he dares not to come back empty handed after spending all those grueling hours searching for the Dragon Ball, "Th — This is Colonel Yellow! Headquarters, please respond!"
At the main headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army, Adviser Black and the other communicators wait for distress calls or any report given by their men, and just in time as well as they receive contact from Colonel Yellow, "Adviser Black!" One of the animal men says, noting Black's attention, "We have just received contact from Colonel Yellow!"
Black nods his head, and walks over to pick up the red telephone, "Yes?" Adviser Black says, waiting on the end of the line as Yellow fills his report of what had just happened. By the end of it all, Black widens his eyes in shock, "What!? All your men were wiped out!? Except you!? What about the Dragon Ball?" He asks.
"U-Unfortunately… it seems to have fallen into the enemy hands," Yellow answers in nervousness.
"Colonel Yellow…" Adviser Black says in an unpleasant tone, "You must get that Dragon Ball at all cost. We know that you're as good as dead if you mess this up any further."
"How dare you call yourselves members of the almighty Red Ribbon Army!" Sweat gushes over on both Black and Yellow as they hear Commander Red's angry voice speaking through.
Adviser Black turns around to see his boss, who is right in front of him as his hands are behind his back, "Gimme that!" Commander Red exclaims as he forcefully takes the adviser's telephone from his hand and presses it against his ear, "Listen up, Yellow!"
"Y-Yes, Commander Red!" Colonel Yellow exclaims.
"I'll give you one more hour," Commander Red says, "Just one hour until you take back that Dragon Ball. If you don't, not only will you be executed, but I'll send Tao Pai Pai if I have to!"
"Tao Pai Pai!?" Colonel Yellow yells in utter fear.
"Tao Pai Pai, the assassin!?" Adviser Black can't believe what he's hearing. Sweat rolls over on the man's head at the mere mention of the man's name, "Sir, surely you don't think such drastic measures are necessary!?"
"Quiet!" Commander Red orders as he looks at his lieutenant, "You have any idea how much trouble that boy has caused us!? This way, I can get rid of him and collect the Dragon Balls in one fell swoop!" He then turns his attention on the lesser soldier, "By the way, Yellow, if I order Tao Pai Pai by the time you fail your mission, I'll make sure I send him after you too," He threatens.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Yellow nervously nods his head, his life now hanging by the balance, "Actually, I think I came up with a plan just now! The enemy has a child! I-I can use the brat to get him to surrender the Dragon Ball!"
Bora throws the last of the broken helicopters he destroyed down into the ground between him and the cliff, dusting his hands off from his finished work. Back at the tent, Oopa is cooking food as he puts one of the fish his father captured earlier close to the fire, "I can't wait till I become as strong as father!" Oopa says with excitement.
Unknown to them, the same man that retreated with his airplane returns, cutting off the engines that allow his vehicle to fly, and comes in low. It's something that neither one could expect, as the pilot swoops in and grabs Oopa from behind, taking him by surprise, "Ahhhh!" The young boy screams in terror as Yellow turns on the engines, allowing him to fly once more as he soars through the air. Being nowhere as strong or experienced as his father, there's nothing the child can do, "FATHER!"
"Hm!?" Bora turns around, hearing the terrified scream from his son. As he was getting ready to bury the men, his surprise turns into utmost horror as he sees Oopa taken by the same man he let go, "No! Oopa!" Bora screams his son's name.
"Now then… where did that musclebound oaf get to now?!" Colonel Yellow asks no-one as he holds the terrified child while tilting his head to find Bora. It doesn't take him very long to spot the large man, who's reaching with his arm.
"You! What are you doing to my son!?" Bora demands to know, cursing himself for having let his guard down. He thinks that he should have killed the enemy when he had the chance.
"Ah, there you are!" Colonel Yellow yells, raising his voice so he could be heard, "Alright, listen carefully, if you want to let your son live that is! Hand over the ball you have, now! Throw it all the way up here!"
"You dishonorable coward!" Bora yells in anger. Despite this, he's at a tremendous disadvantage, and has no choice but to give the mysterious ball. He presents it, "Come down from here! I'll give you the ball!"
"Yeah right!" Colonel Yellow yells back as he flies around Bora in circles, "What do you think I am, stupid!? You'll kill me the second I land here! We both know you're strong enough to throw the ball all the way up here!"
"Unlike you men, I am not a coward!" Bora exclaims as he makes one step closer, ready to pop a vein.
"Alright, it should be around here somewhere. I hate traveling so damn far," Ichigo grumbles as he's sitting on his magic carpet, following the Dragon Radar as to where the next ball is located, "Still can't believe that this is the closest one…"
"Father! Help me!"
"Huh?!" Ichigo stirs up, hearing the pleas for help with his trained, sharp ears. He acts on instinct, "Hey, carpet, go over where that cry is coming from!" He orders the carpet, and it does just that. It doesn't take long before he spots an airplane, the source of where the cry is coming from. As he gets closer, he sees a familiar marking, which makes him scowl as he recognizes what it is.
Bora sees the boy with the magical carpet, making him confused as to who or what it is, having never seen anything like it before in his life, "What is that…?" He asks.
'Gonna need to save the kid first,' Ichigo thinks as he approaches closer. He only hopes the man doesn't use the child as a hostage, but in the worst case scenario he pulls out his Power Pole, 'Gotta make this fast. If the kid falls, I should be able to catch up to him easily,' He puts the pole above his head, "Extend," He commands the pole, and it extends just enough to reach the distance between him and the plane.
Ichigo then swings the pole as hard as he can, and it results in splitting the airplane in half, completely shocking everyone around him, "Wh — What the—!?" Colonel Yellow yells in fear as he starts falling, having no control anymore, "What just happened?!"
Ichigo rushes his carpet as he sheathes his weapon back. Bora widens his eyes as he hears his son screaming in terror, up until they see Ichigo easily catching up to the fallen plane before he snags Oopa from Yellow's hand, "W-Wait… you're—!" Colonel Yellow widens his eyes when seeing Ichigo, recognizing the boy, "Damn youuuuu!" He pulls out a gun and blindly starts shooting at Ichigo, who doesn't want to risk hitting Oopa, so he catches all the bullets with one hand.
Ichigo watches as the Colonel screams in anger and frustration as his plane crashes on the ground. Seeing there's no danger anymore, Ichigo sets the carpet lower to the giant man who seems to be related to him, "Hey, it's okay," Ichigo reassures Oopa with a smile, "You're safe now. It's all over."
"We, uh… lost contact," Adviser Black says, expecting his commander to blow a fuse at the news as they heard every bit of sound coming from Colonel Yellow.
"Call Tao Pai Pai…" Commander Red growls, doing everything he can to keep his blood pressure from exploding.
Adviser Black puts the telephone down, sweating again at the mere mention of the name, but nevertheless he smiles at the massive advantage they'll get, "Even though the child may be our enemy… I feel sorry for what'll happen to him. I wonder what horrible death he will suffer?"
"Tao Pai Pai is the ultimate killing machine," Commander Red replies, not bothering to look at his adviser, "Countless people have died without so much as laying a hair on him. Bring me Tao Pai Pai right now!"
"Yes, sir…" Adviser Black nervously nods his head.
"I thank you for rescuing my son…" Bora tells Ichigo, now having Oopa sitting on his shoulder as he hugs him.
"It wasn't a problem," Ichigo replies, "Just glad that I could save someone in time from those Red Ribbon guys."
"Thank you, brother!" Oopa exclaims.
'Brother…?' Ichigo thinks in confusion, but overall doesn't question it, 'Must be something from their tribe,' It's then that he notices the 4-star Dragon Ball from the large man's hand, "Hey!" He points his index finger towards the magical ball, "That's a Dragon Ball you have there! Uh… I don't mean to sound greedy, but you mind giving it to me?*
"You… also desire this ball?" Bora and Oopa seem hesitant, knowing just what troubles this ball has caused them already. Bora does look carefully for any deceitful intentions that Ichigo may have. He doesn't find any, and he did save his son, so the large man supposes he could give the boy what he wants.
"Yeah, can you just… give it to me?" Ichigo asks as he puts his hands forward, "I know this is out of the ordinary, but I really need that ball. So if you could just give it to me, that'd be great…"
"Well…" Bora thinks for a moment, "I suppose so. You did save my son after all…" He then gives the ball to Ichigo, who looks at the number of stars.
'It's a 4-star ball…' Ichigo thinks, having a small smile, remembering his time as Karna, 'Grandpa Gohan's…'
"If you don't mind me asking…" It occurs that he doesn't know the boy's name, "What exactly is so extraordinary about that ball?"
"Well…" Ichigo starts, "It's a bit of a long story, so I'll cut to the chase…"
In the office of Commander Red, Adviser Black shares the same reaction as his boss as they stare at the man who claims to be Tao Pai Pai, dressing in unusual clothing reminiscent more of the Chinese style, as though it were casual clothing instead of something far more professional than they were expecting.
"I am the world's greatest assassin, Tao Pai Pai, at your service!" Tao Pai Pai exclaims.
"Thank you for coming, Tao Pai Pai," Commander Red says, letting the odd choice of clothing slip past his mind for now, "Forgive my sudden abruptness but—"
"I will mention this beforehand," Tao Pai Pai interrupts the commander, "But my fee is extraordinarily high."
Normally, Commander Red would punish those who dare to interrupt him, but this isn't the time nor the place for such things, "Tell you what," Commander Red smirks, "As long as you do your job successfully, I'll pay you however much you want."
"Very well then," Tao Pai Pai clears his throat, "I charge 100 million zeni for each person I put out of commission," He announces his fee.
"100 million zeni?!" Adviser Black can't believe what he's hearing of such an absurdly high price.
The assassin ignores him, "However, today is your lucky day. This year marks my 20th year as an assassin. So, as a result, I'm having a 50% off sale. I will mark down the price to 50 million zeni per victim," Tao Pai Pai says.
"Erm…" Commander Red is starting to reconsider his thoughts of hiring Tao Pai Pai and how expensive he really is. Though as long as he gets the Dragon Balls and kills the child then it'd be worth the price, "T-Thanks…"
"Now then, enough formalities," Tao Pai Pai says, getting down to business, "Tell me who my real target is. If you have targets, then that works better for me."
"Right, of course," Commander Red nods his head, and pulls out the picture of Ichigo in a fighting stance, "Here…"
Very rarely does Tao Pai Pai get surprised with all the work he's seen and done. So to see that he has to slay a child is surprising to him, considering the reputation he's heard of the Red Ribbon Army. Nevertheless, he's also displeased, feeling as though it's an insult to his skills.
"What? A little boy?" Tao Pai Pai asks, being skeptical of the child he has to kill.
"I do not mean to offend you, but that is no ordinary little boy you're seeing," Adviser Black answers, being careful of his wording, "His strength is extraordinary, and he seems to have professional training for that matter."
"Can't be older than 13…" Tao Pai Pai mutters as he puts the picture down, "Yet he looks younger than that," The world's greatest assassin shrugs his shoulders as he sighs, "Well, as long as I receive the money that's owed to me, I will gladly kill anyone you wish for."
"I'm pleased to hear that," Commander Red says with a smile.
"Those balls possess such power...?" Bora asks, surprised as he hears the end of Ichigo's tale about the Dragon Balls. Ichigo nods his head, "I see… so that's why those men wanted to steal it so badly."
"Yeah, those guys want to use it for… well, whatever it is they want, but I know it's something really bad," Ichigo tells the large man.
"And what about you?" Bora asks, curious to see his reaction, "Surely you must have a wish, don't you?"
"Yeah…" Ichigo nods his head, "I gotta get all these balls so that I can find out where my friends are…" He says, 'That, and see if it's possible to restore my Soul Reaper powers.'
"Your friends?" Bora asks, "Do you really need such a wish for that?"
"I have to," Ichigo looks at Bora, "There's a lot of questions that I have," He looks down on the ground, frowning, "I thought I lost all of them, even my family. But lately I've been seeing them again, but it's as though they don't even know who I am. I have to know what happened," He says, looking back at Bora.
"Oh... I see then," Bora replies, nodding in understanding, 'His face is strange…' This isn't to say it includes his physical appearance, but more so the look behind it, 'He looks like a boy, clearly older than Oopa, yet it's as though he experienced much, and acts older than he is… and yet… there seems to be much sadness within him,' He thinks, though he doesn't mention anything. It's not his business to meddle with the affairs of strangers, "I was worried for a minute, but it's true that you're just a lost soul looking for answers. You have no greed."
Oopa looks at his father in curiosity, being less frightened now over time, "Father… what's greed?" The boy asks, this being the first time he's asked about this.
Bora looks at his son, sometimes forgetting the boy is only 5 years old and has much to experience. The question itself is more complex than one thinks, so he'll keep it very simple in front of their guest, "It is a terrible thing that rots men's souls…"
Oopa looks at his large father with curiosity, wanting to know more. Looking over to change the subject, Ichigo looks at the tower, and the sight of it makes it feel familiar to him, "Say… what's that thing over there?" He asks, pointing his finger to the tower.
"Hm?" Bora turns his head to look at the tower, "Ah, you mean this. This is the sacred tower that soars into the heavens, known as the Korin Tower."
"Korin Tower…?" Ichigo murmurs before widening his eyes, 'Wait a minute! Isn't that where that white cat lives?!'
"It is said that a hermit lives at the very top," Bora continues, "If you can climb all the way at the top using only your strength, and then drink the holy water that the hermit gives you, it is said that your strength will increase several times."
"Really?" Ichigo is interested in hearing this, "Has anyone ever made it there?"
"No-one has ever made it to the top," Bora answers, "Not even I, when I was still young, could make it."
"But I heard that one person did so a really long time ago!" Oopa exclaims.
"That is but an old tale," Bora answers, "No-one knows if it is true or not."
"That makes me wonder… just what is it that you guys are doing here?" Ichigo asks.
"My people have protected this sacred tower for many generations," Bora answers, "We do not allow anyone to ravage this land, no matter who they might be."
"Sheesh…" Ichigo puts his hand over his head, looking at the tower, "There doesn't seem to be an end to it…"
At the main headquarters of the Red Ribbon Army, there outside the balcony stand Tao Pai Pai, Commander Red, and Adviser Black as they lead the world's greatest assassin, "Another thing we forgot to mention is that the boy has 4 Dragon Balls on him," Commander Red says, looking at his adviser to show it to Tao Pai Pai, "So if you can steal them and bring them back to me, that'd be great."
"They look like this," Adviser Black takes out a 6-star Dragon Ball in his suit, showing it to the assassin.
Tao Pai Pai looks at the magical ball with great detail before looking back at Adviser Black, "Fine, but just so you know, this will cost extra," He warns them.
"That's fine!" Commander Red replies, "I'll pay you however much you need! Also, if other people get in your way, feel free to kill them as well!"
"Understood," Tao Pai Pai replies, "Let's see, the location you told me is a place called Korin, which is located about 2300 kilometers Northeast, correct?"
"That's right, which is why we prepared a jet just for you," Adviser Black moves his arm in a manner of politeness as to where their jet is, "Please, come this way."
"That will not do," Tao Pai Pai shakes his head in disapproval, "Going with an airplane will take far too long," This greatly confuses Adviser Black. The assassin then walks towards one of the many pillars, looking at it up and down and tapping it lightly, "May I borrow one of these pillars?"
"Huh?!" Both Commander Red and Adviser Black are confused and surprised to hear this, "W-What for?!"
Instead of answering, Tao Pai Pai gently leaps in the air, tapping the high point of the pillar with his index finger, and once he lands on the ground, he lightly taps the lower end with his foot. Commander Red and Adviser Black stand confused for a moment, not understanding what the assassin did that for. It's then that Tao Pai Pai pulls the pillar out of its threshold, something that makes Red and Black slack jawed.
"The location is 2300 kilometers Northeast…" Tao Pai Pai estimates, calculating how long it'll take him to come back, "I shall be back, in say, 30 minutes," It's then he does something that is vastly superhuman. He throws the pillar high in the air, yelling in doing so before he jumps even farther than when he threw the pillar, landing on it before standing still with perfect balance.
In mere seconds he disappears from everyone's view, flying as quickly as a shooting star. Commander Red and Adviser Black are at a loss of what to say, "He truly is mind boggling!" Black exclaims in shock.
"Hahahahaha!" Commander Red laughs at this, "With him on our side, the Dragon Balls may as well be mine already!"
"You think it'd be possible for me to climb that?" Ichigo looks up to see just how high the tower is.
"I cannot say for sure…" Bora says, "Countless number of people have attempted to climb the tower, and none have made it. Even with those who tried using airplanes, they could never find the top. All gave up hope of ever reaching it."
"So using my carpet probably wouldn't make it either?" Ichigo asks.
"I suspect it's not as simple as that," Bora answers, making Ichigo a little confused, "I believe that the only, true way of ever reaching the tower is through your own strength and not the use of vehicles. However, all of this is but a myth. We do not know if this is true or not."
Before Ichigo can say anything, it's then he senses an abnormally large surge of power coming straight towards them. Ichigo breaks down in cold sweat as he takes a step back. This energy he feels is tremendously strong, even stronger than his. Bora notices this reaction, and seems confused, "What's wrong?" The large man asks.
"Something's coming…" Ichigo asks as he takes another step back, "Move out of the way! Now!" He commands, fearing for their safety.
"Huh?" Bora is completely confused.
"Father… what's that coming towards us?" Oopa asks, pointing his little finger at the unknown object heading towards them.
Bora widens his eyes, now realizing what Ichigo meant. They only have a few seconds to move out of the way, or else death comes for them all. Bora holds his son as he leaps out of the way, with Ichigo doing the same before the flying pillar hurles forward before it lands directly against the ground, with Tao Pai Pai lightly jumping from the pillar before it hits the ground, landing right next to it.
"Aloha," Tao Pai Pai mockingly greets his prey.
'Who or… what is this guy?' Ichigo thinks in confusion, 'I never saw this him in the series…'
"Who are you!?" Bora demands to know.
"I am the world's greatest assassin. You may call me Tao Pai Pai," The assassin replies nonchalantly.
"An assassin?" Bora is confused, "What does an assassin have anything to do with the sacred land of Korin!?" He demands to know.
"No need to burst your bubble, I have no business with this place whatsoever," Tao Pai Pai answers, "However, I do have business with that boy over there," He looks over at Ichigo.
"What!?" Bora is shocked to hear this.
Ichigo cracks his knuckles, thinking of any strategies he could come up with. Strength isn't gonna be a factor in his favor, at least for now. But maybe with his Saiyan biology of getting stronger in battle, he could overcome the gap. At least that's how he remembers it, "Bring it," Ichigo simply says.
"Halt!" Bora exclaims, wanting to put a stop to this, "I won't allow a child to fight such a battle!"
"Don't worry about me…" Ichigo says, "I'm pretty used to people trying to kill me," He prepares a fighting stance, "You mentioned you were an assassin, right? Who sent you to kill me?"
"Does the name Red Ribbon ring any bells?" Tao Pai Pai answers in amusement, "From what I've heard, you've been causing a lot of trouble… and I am here to also collect those balls you have with you as well."
"Of course they did," Ichigo rolls his eyes, "What, they couldn't send a white flag that says they give up?"
Oopa is scared for Ichigo, "Father! Please help him!" He begs.
Bora didn't need to be told that, as he raises his spear against the assassin, "This young boy saved my son's life. If you do not leave quietly now… you will have to face me!"
"Don't you dare!" Ichigo loudly yells, "Listen to me! This guy is way too strong for you!" Tao Pai Pai looks keenly at Ichigo, "You'll die if you fight him!"
"Have you already forgotten? It is the sacred duty to protect the land of Korin. To run and let a child fight is an insult to the protectors of this land," Bora says, as he walks forward, spear in hand as he points it towards the assassin, "Oopa, stand back," He tells his son.
"Yes, father!" Oopa nods his head before running to a safe distance, eager to see his fathers beating up yet another man.
Tao Pai Pai is greatly amused by this. He lets it be known as he makes a smug smile, "What an utter fool. To think you would willingly choose to go after death…"
"That's not going to happen…" Ichigo glares at the assassin, "Cause I'm your opponent," He points his thumb to himself.
"Well, feel free to attack however you wish," Tao Pai Pai says, "I'm not interested in who fights first. You can attack me both at once and it wouldn't change a thing," He arrogantly disputes.
'I can't let the kid's father die on my conscience just because I couldn't stop him,' Ichigo thinks, getting into a stance, 'So I have to make the first move!' With that said, Ichigo leaps into the air, lunging at full speed to take out the assassin as he throws both a punch and a kick at once.
Tao Pai Pai lightly jumps from Ichigo's attack, and counters by throwing a powerful kick that is too fast for Ichigo to block, sending him flying past the tower and going through trees. Bora is unphased by this, making a stance of his own as he holds his spear.
"You think you're well trained, don't you?" Tao Pai Pai says as he studies the many flaws behind Bora's stance, "Very well, I'll show you just how wrong you are," To prove his point, he disappears out of sight, and instantly reappears next to Bora, holding his spear with his hand.
"What!?" Bora is shocked, having not even registered Tao Pai Pai's movements in his mind until he heard his voice. He tries to move his staff so he could pierce the assassin, but even with all his might, he can't so much as move an inch.
"What's wrong?" Tao Pai Pai asks, as though he were confused, "It doesn't seem to be moving. Why is that?" He sees Bora trying his hardest to move his spear, as sweat coils on his head, with veins bulging out of his muscles. Oopa can't believe what he's seeing, his father, the strongest man in the world, helpless before this assassin, "Oh, I see. How about now?" Tao Pai Pai now only holds the spear with just two of fingers, making it gentle so the staff isn't broken.
Yet despite this, Tao Pai Pai's strength is still vastly superior unlike anything Bora has ever seen or heard of in all his life, as he still cannot make the spear move, "Do you need me to move it for you? If so, you could have just asked," Tao Pai Pai then puts his hand on the spear, moving it vertically, and in turn, lifting the large tower of a man as though he were lightweight.
Oopa gasps at the absurd strength difference between the assassin and his father. Tao Pai Pai chuckles as he moves the spear upwards, which in turn forces Bora to be sent flying through the air. It's then that Ichigo returns in time to see Bora being sent flying, "Here, you can have this back," Tao Pai Pai says, throwing the edge of the spear towards Bora.
Ichigo and Oopa gasp as everything proceeds to slow down. Ichigo runs as fast as he can, but the spear goes too fast. Bora doesn't have time to lament on his life before the spear perfectly pierces through his large body, severing the muscles and stabbing through his heart, which easily goes through his back as well. Large torrents of blood come out of Bora, spewing in the air as he coughs up blood.
The boys watch in horror as Bora's body descends down before he hits the ground with a hard thud, "No…" Ichigo walks slowly towards the now large, dead man, his body covered in a pool of blood.
"Father!" Oopa runs as fast as he can towards his father, not caring about anything else. Once he makes it, he sobs uncontrollably to the corpse, hugging him with his small arms as tightly as he can, "Father!"
Ichigo shudders, as guilt washes over him, voices continuing to say how he failed yet again to protect someone. No matter how much he tries, he can't protect anybody that comes in his way, as though those he meets are destined to die because he's poison to them. Yet seeing Oopa cry and shake over the corpse like this reminds him ofthe same thing he did to his mother when she died in his arms.
"Now then, on to the main event. That big oaf was just a bonus," Tao Pai Pai says with a cruel smirk.
Ichigo's hair shadows his eyes, "I'm going to make sure you suffer for this…" He says, his hair shaking a bit as in the briefest of seconds his eyes show a sparkle of yellow before they die down.
"Why wait then?" Tao Pai Pai asks in a smug tone.
Ichigo's speed increases as he lunges at Tao Pai Pai yet again, aiming a kick to the man's legs, "It seems you're blinded by anger," Tao Pai Pai says as he goes to raise his foot again to kick Ichigo in his chin, but to his surprise, Ichigo flips backwards in mid air as he avoids the blow. He rolls over the ground as Tao Pai Pai goes to stomp Ichigo, only for the Saiyan child to move out of the way.
Ichigo gets up and leaps towards the assassin and throws a jab to the back of the assassin's head, only for him to casually move out of the way. With an amused grin, he moves his braided hair to attack Ichigo, and the hair smacks him down on the ground, making him crash with a hard thud, "Ngh!" Ichigo grunts in anger as he makes a sweep kick, only for Tao Pai Pai to move backwards.
Ichigo noticed that throughout this man's movements, he hasn't used his arms once to hit him. Similar to when he first fought Yhwach, he's not letting his anger blind him, rather he uses it to fuel his fighting prowess. He knows that the assassin is underestimating him, and Ichigo uses every edge he can get. He uses his small size to attack Tao Pai Pai's legs by launching a multitude of attacks with his own legs, more specifically he's aiming at the assassin's feet to make him trip. One slip up, that's all he needs to kill him.
But that isn't nearly enough. No matter what opening Ichigo finds, Tao Pai Pai is literally tiptoeing backwards to avoid his blows. Seeing this isn't getting him anywhere, Ichigo makes a flip and starts attacking his upper body. Yet the world's greatest assassin still doesn't fight back, rather he continues to dodge, not wanting to waste his efforts.
It's then that Tao Pai Pai raises his knee, and it prompts Ichigo to back away as he backflips. However, this is only a ruse to scare him. That gives an opening as he disappears from Ichigo's view, and reappears again right in front of the boy. Ichigo tries backing away, but finds himself unable to. He looks down, and is surprised to see his foot stuck by Tao Pai Pai's foot. Ichigo tries to get away, but the grip is too strong for him.
"Why you…!" Ichigo feels his anger boiling, and throws a hook at Tao Pai Pai, only for the grown man to catch his punch with ease, "Take this! Meteor—" Ichigo tries throwing his Meteor Fist at the man, only to grab his other fist, nullifying his attack completely, "Wha—?!" The orange haired youth widens his eyes in shock.
Tao Pai Pai sets his other foot down on Ichigo's shoe, immobilizing him, "Now you can't move," Tao Pai Pai bluntly says, as just like Bora, Ichigo finds himself unable to move no matter how much might he put into getting out. The assassin cracks his neck, the bones creaking loudly before he headbutts Ichigo.
The Saiyan boy feels like his head got hit by a train, feeling as though he's on the brink of unconsciousness, "Ichigo!" Oopa yells in worry. Tao Pai Pai lets him go, and Ichigo hits the ground. The assassin picks his leg and starts spinning him around like an animal before tossing him against the Korin Tower, hitting his head hard before falling on the ground.
"They told me not to underestimate you, but now I see the reports about you were clearly exaggerated," Tao Pai Pai says, being unimpressed with Ichigo's performance, "You're nothing but a brat. Well, I'll be on my way," He sets his walk towards the pillar.
"Where… do you think you're going…?" A muffled voice comes from Ichigo.
"Hm?!" Tao Pai Pai widens his eyes as he turns around to see Ichigo getting up, despite his forehead bleeding immensely, "You're still alive?!" He says, being quite surprised to see this.
"I told you…" Ichigo growls with ferocity, "I'll make you pay for what you did to Oopa's father. Even if you kill me, I'm going to come back to haunt you until I make sure you're dead…" His hair starts flowing as Ichigo's anger suffices, "Now you'll pay!" A white burst of aura surrounds Ichigo's body.
Tao Pai Pai is shocked to see this, 'He can use Ki like that?!' Memories of a bald child and his brother resurface in his mind, 'Well… this is interesting, and his power seems to have doubled,' He calms down, making a smile, "You're an unusual child… but it's clear you're still no match for me."
Ichigo doesn't say anything, rather his anger boils even further with some trickles of yellow lines appearing in the white aura for the briefest of moments before it's gone, "Ka…" Ichigo cups his hands together, "Me…" He pulls them back as he lowers himself, "Ha... Me…" A blue bolt of energy surrounds the boy's hands, "HA!" He screams, using the maximum output of his power as he unleashes the blue beam of energy.
The power is magnified so greatly it has the output to evaporate an entire mountain, being even greater than Roshi's back at Fire Mountain. Tao Pai Pai widens his eyes at the speed of the attack before he puts his arms forward to shield himself, "Nngg!" Instantly, his clothes evaporate, shedding some shallow blood in doing so.
The attack ends in a blinding white light, and when it clears, Ichigo pants as he widens his eyes in shock, "No way…" As the smoke clears, he sees that despite the shallow damage and ruined clothes, Tao Pai Pai is unharmed, "What the hell are you?!"
"You little brat…" The nearly naked man is greatly annoyed by this, "How dare you ruin my clothes?!" He then points his index finger at Ichigo, "Dodon Ray!" He yells the name of his attack and fires the powerful energy beam at the Saiyan.
Ichigo gets over his shock as he reacts, "Ha!" He fires his Kamehameha back at the Dodon Ray, and the two beams clash, but it quickly occurs to Ichigo he's being overpowered with relative ease, and his attack power isn't as great as it was moments ago. Even if it were, it wouldn't have mattered much, 'I can't dodge it in time!' Ichigo thinks as his beam becomes quashed, and hits him directly in the chest, dissipating his white aura.
Oopa gasps as he sees the older boy fall on the ground in the same way his father did. The clothes on Ichigo have been burnt, as smoke is shown, with the beam having pierced his flesh and presumably his heart.
"Damn brat, can't believe I had to resort to Dodon Ray…" Tao Pai Pai mutters as he walks over to Ichigo's corpse, holding him till he grabs his backpack. He opens it and sees 4 Dragon Balls from within, "These must be the so-called Dragon Balls they talked about… however," The assassin frowns, "The world's greatest assassin cannot return looking like this," He walks towards the pillar he came with, "I will have to remake my clothes…" He picks up the pillar with ease.
Oopa, having just stood by, becomes enraged at the way this man apathetically murdered both his father and Ichigo. He sees a rock nearby, and goes to pick it up, "How dare you kill father and Ichigo!" He yells, throwing the rock at Tao Pai Pai.
"Hm?" Tao Pai Pai, having barely registered Oopa's presence the entire time, notices the rock being thrown at him. Once he gets close, he does the unexpected, "Phew," He blows a breath of air with such magnifying, yet simple force that he throws the rock back at Oopa, hitting him in the process.
Oopa begins to start crying, as any fragile child would. Tao Pai Pai merely laughs at the act, "Please, what are you crying about? You should be happy that you're alive!" With that said, Tao Pai Pai throws the pillar, hurling it through the air before he casually leaps towards it, landing on it perfectly.
"Just what I'd expect from Tao Pai Pai!" Commander Red exclaims, being greatly pleased to see the signals of the 4 Dragon Balls being retrieved as they're in the communication center room, "It looks like everything went well!"
However, Adviser Black isn't as jovial as his boss, his sharp eyes noticing something is off, "Wait… don't you think something is strange?" He asks.
"Hm?" Commander Red doesn't understand what his adviser is saying, "What do you mean?"
"Observe," Adviser Black says, looking towards the signals, "The Dragon Balls are moving, but not to our location."
Commander Red is not pleased to hear this, but he doesn't make a fuss, "What does Tao Pai Pai think he's doing?" He asks.
"Do you understand, tailor?" Tao Pai Pai says in a calm tone, having traveled to the nearest town he could find to remake his clothes. The day outside is hot, at least to most as though it's summer. He points to the drawing he made that the tailor is holding, "I want it made to be exactly like in that picture. I want no mistakes."
"U-Understood," The man nods nervously.
"When will it be done?" Tao Pai Pai asks.
"Well, I should be able to be done in about a week or—"
"You have 3 days," Tao Pai Pai rudely interrupts. The tailor widens his eyes in shock from hearing this, "Until then, I shall wear this out-of-fashion clothing," He says, going to the nearest thick shirt as he puts it above his head.
"3 days?!" The tailor is in disbelief, "But, sir, you can't possibly expect me to—"
"You have heard of Tao Pai Pai — me — have you not?" The assassin rhetorically asks.
"N-Never mind! I know all about you!" The tailor puts his hands in front, waving them nervously, "But I understand, I-I'll somehow finish it in 3 days…"
"Where is your phone?" Tao Pai Pai asks.
"R-Right this way, sir!" The tailor leads the world's deadliest assassin to where his telephone is.
Tao Pai Pai has no more use for the tailor besides waiting. He pulls the telephone out of the wall and dials the number.
The assassin hears the phone ringing a few times before he hears it being accepted, "Tao Pai Pai!" He hears Commander Red's voice, "What in the world is going on?! Why have you differed from your destination?!"
"The truth is, due to certain circumstances, I will be returning in 3 days," Tao Pai Pai informs his employer, "I can also confirm I eliminated the boy as well."
"Really?!" Commander Red is pleased to hear this.
"Well then, I'll wait till you hold up your end of the bargain by preparing the money while you wait for my return," Tao Pai Pai replies.
"That won't be a problem. Take as much time as you need," Commander Red says, "With that brat dead, there won't be any more obstacles left for us."
"I'll see you in 3 days then," Tao Pai Pai then disconnects the line.
Back in the Korin Sanctuary, Oopa digs up the ground one last time before throwing it over to his father's grave, where he buried him. He has been doing this for more than an hour, and it wasn't easy, with him still suffering from grief, and his small body having to carry all the weight to bury his enormous father.
"Farewell, father…" Oopa says with his head bowing down, "If only I was stronger... I could have protected you," The young boy then turns to Ichigo, "Oh, right, I better start burying Ichigo as well…" The boy then shoves the shovel through the ground, picking up the dirt and throwing it to Ichigo's much smaller and feeble body.
It's then that young Oopa sees Ichigo's hand twitching. For a moment, he thinks that he's seeing things. As he goes to dig up the ground to throw it to the Saiyan boy, he sees movements on Ichigo's mouth, and the sounds groaning. Oopa stops for a minute, not believing what he's seeing, "No way…" Oopa drops the shovel, his mouth agape, "Ichigo! You're alive!?"
"Owwww…" Ichigo slowly gets up, before seething in pain as he holds his chest to where his heart is, "Aghhhhh!" He yells as he rolls over the ground.
"Are you alright!?" Oopa runs over to him.
"Fuck, it hurts…" Ichigo groans in agony as he tries to get up, "What did that bastard hit me with?" When letting go of his hand, it's revealed that a chunk of his flesh is missing, having been vaporized as there's heat scorches that make it agonizing to touch. He then looks over at Oopa, "Oopa…? What happened?" He widens his eyes, remembering Tao Pai Pai, "Wait! Where did that assassin — aghhh!"
"You have to take it easy!" Oopa leans over to Ichigo, putting his small hands on his shoulder, "I don't know how you're alive, but you really will die if you push yourself too hard!"
"So what else is new?" Ichigo sarcastically asks, as he slowly, but surely, manages to get up, "Still… that assassin… where did he go?"
"I don't know… I tried to stop him, but…" Oopa doesn't end the sentence, not wanting to embarrass himself, "But he did go that way," The boy points his finger to the air, "I don't know where it leads to though… but still, how are you alive?"
"I'm not sure…" Ichigo mutters as he checks his hand, "I thought I was a goner…" He remembers back when Tao Pai Pai used his Dodon Ray on him. It's then he remembers the white aura he had around his body, "The aura…"
"Huh?" Oopa is confused by this, "You mean that weird glowy thing around you?"
"Yeah…" Ichigo nods his head, "Maybe it reduced most of the damage that could have been done to me. Oh well, doesn't matter—" He widens his eyes yet again as he gets past shrugging off death yet again, noticing the large pile of dirt that he vaguely remembers is where Bora died on the spot, "Is that… your dad's grave?"
"It is…" Oopa looks down in sadness, "I wish he were still here…"
Ichigo checks his backpack, only to now notice how light it feels. Confused, he checks it as he opens the backpack, only to find none of the Dragon Balls are there. Ichigo clenches his teeth as he shakes his backpack, "That son of a bitch must have taken the Dragon Balls when I was down for the count…" He says before making a sigh. The Saiyan boy goes to comfort Oopa as he puts a hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to cry for long, Oopa, I swear I'll bring your dad back…"
"H-Huh?" Oopa looks at the older boy, "How?"
"I'll bring all the Dragon Balls together so I can wish your father back to life," Ichigo reassures Oopa.
"Really?!" Oopa can't believe what he's hearing, "They have that kind of power?!"
"Yeah, I can assure you that," Ichigo smiles, remembering clearly that the Dragon Balls brought people back to life in the show. Being here in this world, it's convenient how good that rule is.
"But wait! That man took all the balls when you were out of commission!" Oopa points out, "And he's long gone by now! So how are you gonna find him?!"
Ichigo thinks about it for a minute, "Maybe I don't have to…" He says, getting an idea, "If I can raise my energy levels high enough, I could get him to come here instead of the other way around…"
"But then what?" Oopa asks, "You couldn't beat him before, how will you be able to this time?"
"I didn't say I was going to do that right now."
"Huh?"
"I know I'm not strong enough to take that bastard on, at least not right now," Ichigo points his finger to the tower, "That's why I'm going there instead."
"Ah, the Korin Tower!" Oopa exclaims, having hope that this might work, "That might just work! If you manage to climb all the way to the top, you'll receive the holy water that'll make you many times stronger!"
"Yeah," Ichigo nods his head, "Only problem is, I can't really have any help, so I'll have to speed things up," He then gives his backpack to Oopa, "Take care of this until I get back," He says, getting ready to climb the tower.
"Wait!" Oopa says, making Ichigo looks at him in confusion, "Why exactly are you doing this…? You're looking for your own friends and family, aren't you?" He asks, "Wouldn't it be better if you would… you know…?"
"After what you just went through? No way," Ichigo looks back at the tower, "Let me tell you something, Oopa… I lost my mother when I was just slightly older than you are."
Oopa widens his eyes in shock, "I... I didn't know!"
"It caused me and the rest of my family a lot of grief for years. For the longest time, I kept blaming myself for it, and in a way, I still do. It wasn't until later I found out who were really responsible for my mother's death," Memories of Grand Fisher and Yhwach come to him, "But that's not the point... ever since that day, I didn't want anyone to go through the same kind of torment we went through. So, believe me when I say I will bring your dad back to life."
With that said Ichigo leaps as high as he can, hiding the pain he feels on the flesh of his torso being gone. He leaps from the tower yet again, despite his serious wound he's as energetic as a bouncing ball. In mere moments, he already surpasses the heavens as he goes through the first cloud that is in his way.
Before long, he disappears from Oopa's view, "Wow… he's already out of sight! He's amazing!" He exclaims.
Welp, sorry it took so long to finish this. I know it's been months since the last update, and I do apologize greatly. I got my motivation back, so I should hopefully be able to push out more content in the near future.
So yeah, now we got to the better and more exciting part of the Red Ribbon Saga, that being the introduction of Tao Pai Pai. I'll be calling him that instead of what the Dub called him as Mercenary Tao, since it seems more fitting. The hardest part of writing this chapter was how to get Ichigo to survive the Dodon Ray from Tao. Since in canon the reason Goku survived is that he put the 4-star Dragon Ball under his shirt due to having such fondness of his grandpa and… well not really having anywhere else to put it. Though if we go with the Dragon Ball Super Manga from what the Granolah arc said, he's basically "blessed" as having been protected from stuff like this as a child.
Now with Ichigo this was a different case, since he's less naive than Goku and more prepared, he wouldn't be able to just put it under his shirt for no reason, and I'm not sure if I'll adapt the Granolah thing, though it's unlikely I will as of now, there had to be a different reason for him to survive this. So the aura was the best I could come up with like how we constantly saw in DBZ when characters power up, so I thought, "Hey, why not make it be a shield as well?" since it has done that a few times.
Also for the little teaser that was given to Ichigo when he got angry against Tao Pai Pai, I originally meant to give it more or a hint to Super Saiyan, but my Co-Author convinced me it wasn't the right time for that yet. So I gave something akin to something else, if you get the yellow eyes, then you'll get what form it is. Hint: It's not Hollowfication.
Well hopefully you guys enjoyed this. Until then, I'll see you all next time. Also, RIP to Akira Toriyama.