Baby gasped for air as held his stomach in pain. After taking a vicious blow to the gut from Goku, the Tuffle had to take in multiple shallow breaths due to the pain he was suffering from. Never in his life had he been punched so hard in the gut.

The pain was almost unbearable. The only thing that still kept him moving was the undying rage and fury he had for the Saiyans.

The Tuffle—who was currently occupying Vegeta's body, glared at Goku and said, "T-This is nothing…!" he tried to brush off the pain, but he clearly couldn't as this was the strongest blow he had ever received so far.

Goku sighed as he did some stretches and said, "Look, I want you to get off Vegeta's body. Can you do that for me? Stop mind controlling him, and leave everyone out of this! You've enslaved all the people on Earth here!"

"You think I'll listen to a monkey?!" Baby spat out. He then put his right arm to his left side, before frustratingly swiping it all the way to his right in a dismissive manner. "The orders are for the monkey, and not the master!"

Goku finished his stretching and stared at Baby with a serious look on his face. "I'm surprised as to how you were able to take over Vegeta's body in the first place. He should have been strong enough to not let you control him. After all, he has his pride."

Baby cackled while still holding his stomach in pain. "I guess Saiyans are really not as strong as they make out to be, even if it's their tribal chief."

"Tribal Chief?"

"I'm talking about the prince of course. Vegeta. He's the tribal chief for all the monkeys. They do travel in troops, after all. Did I really hit you so hard in the head earlier that you became stupider than stupid?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about… As far as I know… this is the first time we're fighting…"

Baby had enough as he growled. "D-Damn you! You must be trying to make a fool of me. I wont stand it! I am the mightly tuffle, Baby!" he then clenched his fists near his sides, before snapping his face towards the sky, and began powering up while roaring. A golden aura surrounded him.

Goku simply smirked as he watched the display of power in front of him and shifted into his battle stance. "It looks like you're not able to utilize Vegeta's full power, huh?"

Baby narrowed his eyes at Goku as he finally let his hand down from his stomach, the pain subsiding a bit—but only slightly. Using his sheer willpower and disdain for the Saiyans alone, he endured the damage he had received earlier as best as he could and demanded, "What do you mean? You're claiming that I'm not utilizing Vegeta's full power? Nonsense! This is Vegeta at his peak."

Goku widened his eyes with a surprised look on his face at what Baby had just said. That was Vegeta's peak? That shouldn't be possible. As far as he knew, Vegeta could still use God transformations, such as Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue. However, the Tuffle was currently not using that powerup. Which most likely meant that he hadn't figured out how to use Vegeta's god Ki. However, even without God Ki, the Tuffle had somehow managed to be much stronger without divinity.

After all, based on what Goku could sense, Baby's power level seemed far stronger than Goku's super Saiyan 3. He had to resort to using Super Saiyan God in the process. He also had a transformation in-between Super Saiyan 3, and Super Saiyan God, but he had felt that it wasn't needed in this fight. The last time he had used that specific form was when he had fought against the tyrannical King Gomah back in the Demon Realm.

But even that power-up wouldn't be enough to defeat Gomah. Which was why he decided to use Super Saiyan God. And he was right on the money, as this transformation was strong enough to easily overcome Baby.

"So you can't transform into a Super Saiyan Blue? Or even God?" Goku asked curiously.

"SILENCE! THE AUDACITY TO CALL YOURSELF A GOD? A GOD OF WHAT? MONKEYS? APES? THAT'S MORE BELIEVABLE!" Baby shouted. He shot both his fists into the air, charging up once again with the same golden aura. A purple orb of energy began to materialize around his body. It was not long after oit began pulsing with energy, contracting in and out like it was a beating heart.

Goku raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to do?"

Baby cackled as the energy orb around him stopped contracting, and instead began to expand in size further and further. "Oh, I'm just getting the shovel ready. I GOT A RED MONKEY TO PUT IN THE GRAVEYARD!"

Goku blinked in confusion at first, but then quickly realized the 'red monkey' he was talking about was him.

"Is he… calling me a 'red monkey' because my hair is red?" Goku thought to himself. Considering that he was in his Super Saiyan God form currently, Goku did currently have red hair, and red irises with black pupils in them, along with a fiery red divine aura surrounding him.

This form was nothing to belittle. While someone may think its appearance is simple, the power-up from the God transformation itself was enormous.

Back when Goku was in his Super Saiyan God state, he was able to fight on-par with Beerus. Of course, Goku later on found out that the God of Destruction was only holding back the entire time—and was only displaying enough power to motivate Goku to keep pushing forward.

In other words, Beerus would only keep his power level slightly above Goku's god form during their battle on Bulma's birthday.

Even then, the Super Saiyan God transformation was nothing to sneeze at. After all, Beerus started taking Goku seriously only when he had obtained divinity.

On top of that, Goku in his god transformation had enough power to destroy the entire universe.

And the opponent in front of him had no such power. Nonetheless, Goku was impressed with how much power Baby had in the first place even without divine Ki.

But that impression quickly went out the window when he remembered that Baby was merely using a stolen body—Vegeta's body to be exact. Which meant that the Tuffle was only using borrowed power—or stolen strength.

And his rival Vegeta had somehow fallen under the Tuffle's body possession technique. The only way to stop him would be to overcome him with his divine strength.

The size of the energy orb around Baby only continued to expand further and beyond as it inched closer to Goku.

Goku widened his eyes with a surprised look on his face and asked, "What are you… doing?"

Baby chuckled menacingly with an evil smirk and said, "Oh, this is a technique your rival used against Majin Buu many years ago."

"What…?"

Baby crossed his arms in front of his face—his smirk still maintained. "I'd say this technique is very… explosive!"

"What do you mean?" Goku was still baffled.

Baby scoffed. "Foolish Saiyan! The prince had knocked you out cold, so you weren't there to witness his death during that time."

"Goku!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Goku glanced behind his shoulder, and saw Piccolo ascending into the air while holding his stomach in pain. The Namekian gritted his teeth in anger and glared at the Tuffle. "You bastard…"

Goku smiled happily. "Hey Piccolo! I was worried earlier when you got punched in the gut and fell down!"

Piccolo scoffed as he slowly let his hand fall down near his side and said sarcastically, "Oh yeah, I'm sure you were worried about me when you didn't come to check up on whether I was even alive."

"Oh, come on. It ain't like that. This guy who is currently taking over Vegeta's body was attacking me!" Goku explained. He then turned around to face the Namekian with a smile on his face. "And plus, I could still sense your Ki, so I knew you were still alive."

"Right." Piccolo said dismissively. "But enough with the small chat. What the hell happened to this Planet? Earlier you were fighting Black, and the next thing we know, Earth has been enslaved by that buffoon over there?" he pointed over at Baby.

Baby folded his arms and chuckled menacingly. "Tough talk for a green man who just got beaten in one blow."

Piccolo smirked with disdain at Baby. "Green man you say?"

Baby titled his head to the side with an aura of mockery and sneered at the Namekian. "Or should I call you a green demon?"

"A demon sounds about right, considering that my origins are from the Demon Realm."

Baby raised an eyebrow, now intrigued. "Demon Realm? Are you saying there is a world I've not been made aware of?"

"None of your business." Piccolo retorted. He then turned his attention towards Goku and said, "And by the way, Goku. I have some news for you."

Goku raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What is it—" suddenly, he widened his eyes in shock when he noticed something incredible. Looking at Piccolo, he could feel a surging KI inside him! "Wait… Piccolo… your power level… how did your power level increase so much?!"

It was indeed true. Earlier, Piccolo's power level wasn't so strong. But now, suddenly, Piccolo was much stronger. How was that possible, and in such a short amount of time at that. Last time, Piccolo had gotten punched in the gut, and was sent falling down. But now that Piccolo was here, he had somehow gotten stronger! Clearly Namekians did not have a power level boost if they recovered from the brink of death. That was a thing more common for Saiyans.

So how did Piccolo get stronger all of the sudden?

Piccolo took a few deep breaths, before sighing with exasperation. He then looked at Goku and said, "Goku, it seems that we have been somehow transported to an alternate timeline."

Goku was silent for a moment as he stared at Piccolo, before he finally said, "What?"

The orb around Baby grew bigger and was now inches away from Goku. Leaping backwards, Goku landed around one hundred feet away from the expanding orb before shifting back to his battle stance. "Seriously?!"

Piccolo sighed as he observed the display of power from Baby. "He's using Vegeta's move…"

"Really? It sure doesn't look like a galick gun or a final flash…" Goku chuckled nervously.

Piccolo shook his head. "No, more like a final explosion."

"A final what now?"

"It's the same move he used against Majin Buu, before his sacrifice ended up being in vain…"

"Wait… you mean…"

Goku began to remember how during his fight with Majin Vegeta years ago, he had lost the battle when he had let his guard down—thinking that Vegeta wanted to team up with him to fight Majin Buu. This led to the prince delivering a blow behind Goku, knocking him unconscious. It was then after that that Vegeta had used his Ki to fly towards the area where Majin Buu was, and fought him alone without Goku's help.

In the end, Vegeta tried to do a sacrificial move—specifically a move where he would explode himself in an attempt to kill Majin Buu. This was what he had heard from Piccolo many years ago after he had regained consciousness and went to Kami's lookout.

Was Baby trying to use the same move on them now?!

Baby let out a wicked cackle. "Let's enjoy some fireworks, shall we?!"

Goku's expression tensed as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Fireworks? Uh… I think that's gonna be more than just fireworks…" He turned to Piccolo, his brows furrowing. "By the way, Piccolo, what did you mean when you said we're in an alternate timeline?"

Piccolo stood firm, arms folded across his chest. "During your fight with Black, the portal he came through must have pulled all of us into another timeline. A timeline where… another version of you exists."

For a moment, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence, save for the hum of Baby's growing energy orb and the wind stirring through the air.

Goku blinked, his face twisting in confusion, as if Piccolo's face was covered with Mayonnaise. "Wait… you mean we're in Trunks' timeline?"

Piccolo hesitated, briefly caught off guard by the question. Then, clearing his throat, he replied, "Goku… The you from Trunks' timeline perished a long time ago. You should already be knowing about that."

Goku blinked, processing the information for a moment. Then, as realization dawned on him, his face lit up with an exaggerated "Ohhh!" expression.

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed. Chuckling sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his head. "I almost forgot about that."

Baby folded his arms, a sinister chuckle escaping his lips as his Ki orb continued to swell, crackling with raw energy. "I wonder," he mused, his voice laced with mockery, "what could the monkey and the demon be whispering about? Are you trying to decide who gets to die first?" His smirk widened as his eyes gleamed with malice. "Well, let me spare you the trouble. This attack I'm about to unleash… will wipe you both out at once!"

Even though Goku clearly heard Baby's threat, he paid him no mind, his attention still fixed on Piccolo. "So, how did you figure out that we're in an alternate timeline?" he asked, his curiosity outweighing any immediate concern for Baby's growing attack.

Piccolo tilted his head to the side, a sharp crack sounding from his neck as he relieved some tension. Then, crossing his arms once more, he replied, "Because I ran into the other me. After meeting him, it didn't take long for us to put two and two together."

"Wait… you met your alternate self here?" Goku's eyes widened in surprise.

Piccolo smirked. "Yeah. And he's currently inside me."

Goku blinked. "What—"

"As in, we merged into one," Piccolo clarified, his tone calm but firm.

Baby's eye twitched in disbelief. He was the most powerful Tuffle in existence, having seized control of Vegeta's body—yet the Saiyan and the Namekian weren't even acknowledging him.

They spoke to each other as if he weren't even there, as if he didn't matter.

As if he didn't exist.

The sheer audacity of it made his blood boil. Were they truly ignoring him? Did they honestly believe he was so weak that he wasn't even worth their attention?

Baby clenched his fists, his aura flaring wildly. "You dare ignore me?!" he growled, his rage reaching its breaking point.

"Wait… you mean…" Goku trailed off, his eyes still locked onto Piccolo, completely unfazed by Baby's growing fury.

Piccolo exhaled and tilted his head to the other side, producing another sharp crack that loosened the tension in his neck. "If you really want to know what happened…" he began, his voice calm and composed.

Meanwhile, Baby's aura flared violently, his patience wearing thin. Yet, despite his overwhelming presence and the massive Ki orb still expanding around him, the Saiyan and the Namekian continued to ignore him—almost as if he were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

Piccolo disappeared suddenly, before reappearing behind Goku with folded arms. With his back facing Goku's back, he then said, "Honestly, I was surprised when I saw myself…"

FLASHBACK BEGINS

Piccolo's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry as he found himself facedown on the rough, rocky ground. Instinctively, he tried to push himself up, but the sharp pain in his stomach made him wince, forcing him to pause. His body ached all over, a harsh reminder of the battle he had just endured.

How did he get here?

No… that question didn't need answering. The memories quickly pieced themselves together—he had been knocked out by Baby earlier.

Piccolo didn't know exactly who or what Baby was, but he did know one thing: Vegeta was no longer in control of his own body. Some kind of entity had taken over, twisting the proud Saiyan warrior into a vessel for its own power. That much, the Namekian could deduce.

But how had Earth fallen into enslavement so quickly? Within mere moments, the planet had succumbed to this mysterious force. How had it all happened so fast?

His mind raced with possibilities. Was Black behind this? Had he somehow seized control of Vegeta's body? Or was this an entirely new enemy—one they had yet to understand?

Gritting his teeth, Piccolo was about to push himself up when a voice—one that sounded exactly like his own—interrupted him.

"Need a hand?"

His eyes widened in surprise. Ignoring the pain, he dropped to one knee and looked up at the source of the voice. And there, standing before him, was something he never expected to see.

An exact replica of himself.

Piccolo tensed, his instincts screaming at him to be on guard. "Who… are you?" he growled, his teeth clenched.

The other Piccolo—GT Piccolo, placed a hand on his stomach. Piccolo's gaze followed the motion, and what he saw made his eyes widen in shock.

A deep, gaping wound marred his alternate self's abdomen, blood seeping from the massive gash.

"What the…?" Piccolo muttered.

GT Piccolo coughed weakly, his body trembling slightly. "It was… Baby," he managed to say.

Piccolo's brow furrowed. Baby? That name meant nothing to him. "What? Who?" he questioned, his voice sharp with confusion.

GT Piccolo coughed again, a trickle of blood escaping his lips. With what little strength he had, he explained, "Baby… is a Tuffle who seeks revenge against the Saiyans. A long time ago, the Saiyans invaded his home planet and wiped out his people. But Goku and the others… they aren't like the Saiyans of the past, of course." He took a ragged breath before continuing, his voice weaker now. "But Baby doesn't care. He wants vengeance, no matter what. And to get it, he's taken over the minds of innocent Earthlings… enslaving them under his control."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes, studying the battered figure before him. For a moment, silence lingered between them, thick with tension. Then, with a quiet sigh, he rose to his feet, squaring up with his alternate self.

"Then who are you?" he asked, his tone sharp, wary. "One of Black's creations?"

The question wasn't unfounded. After all, Goku Black had been a twisted imitation of the real Goku—an impostor with a familiar face. The resemblance here was uncanny, and the possibility that this Piccolo was another puppet of that same dark force gnawed at his thoughts.

The other Piccolo—GT Piccolo—winced, gritting his teeth as he pressed a trembling hand against the deep wound in his abdomen. Blood seeped through his fingers, running in slow rivulets from his stomach. "Black...?" he echoed, his voice strained but laced with genuine confusion. "Who the hell is that?"

Piccolo stood in tense silence, eyeing his battered counterpart. After a moment, he exhaled through his nose, arms crossed. "Let me guess… Future Trunks' timeline?" he muttered, then paused, brow furrowing. "No, that can't be right. In that future, everyone was wiped out by the Androids—except Trunks. I heard I was the first to fall…"

Despite the pain etched across his face due to the wound on his stomach, GT Piccolo managed a faint chuckle. "Judging by your reaction, I'd say you're me… just from another timeline."

Piccolo's eyes widened, the realization hitting him like a punch to the gut. "Wait… this is an alternate timeline?"

GT Piccolo nodded weakly, a flicker of dry humor in his tired eyes. "That would be the only logical explanation… considering it feels like I'm staring into a mirror."

Piccolo smirked, arms still crossed. "Touché. The feeling's mutual."

His expression shifted as his gaze dropped to the gaping wound in GT Piccolo's abdomen. The sight stirred something—a mix of concern and curiosity. "That… That was from Black, or Baby?"

"Baby." GT Piccolo responded. "I don't know who this Black is, but it sounds like a pain you've been dealing with in your timeline."

Piccolo sighed. "It was mostly Goku, hogging in all the fun."

GT Piccolo was surprised at first for a moment, but he then broke into a chuckle. "Goku—no matter which timeline—is always the same, huh?"

Piccolo smirked with amusement. "I guess you could say that." he then looked back at his alternate self's wound and said, "You got any senzu beans?"

GT Piccolo gritted his teeth in frustration—frustration that was directed at himself. It almost looked as if he was blaming himself. "The Tuffle has Dende under mind-control as well… I wasn't strong enough to stop him. On top of that, he even took over Gohan's body."

Piccolo clenched his fist in anger. "I see… So Gohan too… I'll take it from here."

"Then you'll need my help."

Piccolo looked slightly concerned. "With your injuries, you wont have enough strength to fight alongside me."

GT Piccolo smirked like a menacing demon and said, "I think you misunderstand."

Piccolo raised his nonexistent eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'll fuse with you."

"What…?"

GT Piccolo grinned like a demon. "Yes. Just like what Nail did with you years ago."

"Namekian Fusion…"

"That's right…" GT Piccolo held his hand out. "With our combined power, I have a strong feeling we can surpass Baby. We dont have to always rely on Goku to have all the fun."

Piccolo stared at his alternate's self extended hand for a moment, before he smirked with confidence. He then extended his hand out, and shook it. "Are you sure about this?"

GT Piccolo coughed out a bit of blood due to his stomach wound, but mustered the strength to say, "I don't have much time… With no senzu beans, I will perish." his voice was hoarse.

Piccolo chuckled menacingly. "Very well. But remember, I'll be the one in control."

And with that, an orange aura began to surround the both of them. Just before GT Piccolo merged with Piccolo, the former said, "Let's show Gohan how strong a demon really is."

And with that, an orange light filled the surroundings. It was so bright that if anyone else was present there, they would have to shield their eyes from the blinding lights.

A moment passed by, and the orange light faded away. Now, GT Piccolo was missing, and all stood there was Piccolo. The fusion was a success. And Piccolo's power level suddenly increased. Placing his clenched fists near his hips, he roared as an orange aura surrounded him.

FLASHBACK ENDS

Goku's eyes widened in shock, his voice almost stumbling over itself.
"W-Wait… so we're in an alternate timeline… and… you fused with your alternate self?!"

Piccolo let the words hang in the air for a moment, then calmly raised one hand and cracked his knuckles with the other. The sharp crack echoed through the space, followed by a satisfying release of tension in his joints. He exhaled slowly, a confident edge creeping into his tone. "Yeah," he said simply. "Two minds, one Namekian body." He glanced at Goku with a faint smirk. "Feels like I've never thought clearer in my life."

Goku smiled happily and said, "No wonder I felt that you had a much higher power level! After this battle is all done and over, we should have a sparring match!"

Baby stared at Goku and Piccolo, utterly dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. The Saiyan and the Namekian were still ignoring him—completely, unapologetically—as if he didn't even exist. The sheer indifference made his blood boil with rage. "Y-You…! Curse you both!"

At last, Piccolo turned his gaze toward Baby, his expression cold and resolute. He brought his clenched fists to his sides, muscles tensing with purpose. "I'm going to pummel you until there's nothing left but your retreat from Vegeta's body," he growled.

Then, with a thunderous roar—"HAAAAAA!"—his energy surged. A brilliant white aura exploded around him, crackling with raw power as his Ki flared to life, shaking the ground beneath his feet.

"W-What?!" Baby said in shock.

The white aura continued to flare up, before it turned orange. After a moment of flaring up Ki, Piccolo transformed.

The Namekian became taller and bulkier. His pupils were red, and he had black pigments around his eyes. His skin becomes orange (a dark orange on his arms). His antennae point sharply upward, his nails become noticeably shorter and he had lack of lines on his arms. His cheekbones were now more pronounced, and his jawline chiseled. His chin was broader with a cleft. Overall, he had a somewhat brutish appearance. On the back part of his Gi, the symbol of Namekian pride appeared in a light orange glow. At first, it glowed orange, but then it got branded onto the back in white color. Piccolo's eruption of orange Ki resembled a massive fiery geyser.

Goku stared at Piccolo in shock. "W-What is that?!"

Piccolo looked at Baby with a serious look on his face, but still answered Goku by saying, "A new transformation. I'll just call this Orange Piccolo."

To be continued…