Kami continued watching the match in the arena, his brows furrowed as he said, "I'm just very puzzled. That alien child who once gave me such a terrible and ominous feeling… now his ki is so balanced and calm, even carrying a faint aura of righteousness. This… this is truly unbelievable. What exactly did you do that day?"
That day?
Gohan exchanged a glance with Hathaway. They both knew exactly what Kami was referring to—that day was the day when Taro sealed away the wild side of Great Ape Goku's personality.
"I just casually helped the boy sweep the dust from his heart into the trash heap," Taro finally turned his head. He hadn't blocked Kami's psychic observation back then. Looking at the stooped, mustached middle-aged man behind him, he smiled and said, "But you, Kami… over the years, your progress has been quite impressive."
"Heh… don't mock me," Kami was thoughtful at first at the mention of "that day," then forced a bitter smile at the latter remark, shaking his head with a sigh. "After all these years, my meager improvements are nothing compared to you, Taro… and I still haven't had the chance to thank you—for sparing Piccolo."
With that, he actually bowed slightly to Taro and sincerely expressed his gratitude.
"There's no need for self-deprecation. You're just… incomplete, as far as Namekians go," Taro looked deeply at Kami. "As for Piccolo… if he dies, so will you. If you die, the Dragon Balls disappear. That's not an outcome I want to see."
Taro turned his attention back to the arena.
Kami gave a helpless smile and also looked toward the ring.
At that moment, the eight-year-old Goku was already dominating the match with an overwhelming advantage, beating his opponent so badly he was scrambling all over the ring, completely dazed and unsure of what to do. This was only because Goku had never fought another martial artist before—otherwise, his opponent wouldn't have lasted this long.
Not only was the guy fighting Goku in utter shock, but so was everyone watching—upcoming contestants, regular spectators, reporters, even the referee. None could find words for what they were witnessing.
Kami kept watching the scene but muttered under his breath, "A Namekian, huh…" He fell into a daze. Taro had already explained his origin to him years ago, and he had long suspected it himself.
He sighed and shook his head. "No, I chose this path myself when I split off. Unless Earth reaches the brink of destruction and I'm forced to fuse with Piccolo, I won't ever do it… but with you on Earth, would such a crisis even occur?" Kami said with a chuckle.
Taro didn't respond directly, his tone mysterious. "Maybe… who knows?"
Just those few words made Kami furrow his brow, lost in thought. Hathaway and Gohan glanced at each other, neither daring to interject. They had only ever heard about Earth's Kami through Taro and had never met him, so they didn't know what to say.
Gohan wasn't surprised at all to see his master speaking to Earth's Kami with such a transcendent demeanor. Even when he was very young, he had always seen Taro as the one true living god on Earth. Not even the stories about a god living in the sky had ever shaken that belief.
In short… the slight deference Kami showed when speaking to Taro made Gohan, as Taro's direct disciple, feel deeply gratified—like someone scratching an itch in just the right spot. He couldn't help but feel proud.
"The winner… contestant Son Goku!"
On the arena, the referee counted to ten as Goku's opponent lay motionless on the ground and announced the victor of the first match. Yet no one had snapped out of their shock. Why? How could a kid like this be so fast? Not just his movement speed—even his punches made many martial artists in the audience feel ashamed!
Why?
Where did this monster of a child come from?
Everyone here had martial training, so they knew—speed alone wouldn't allow someone this small to overwhelm an opponent so thoroughly. And judging from the match just now… this kid, who probably hadn't even reached ten years old, didn't just punch fast—his strikes carried power. Real, terrifying power!
Good heavens, what on earth is going on?
The audience couldn't help but feel a deep sense of shame—Have I been wasting all these years of training? What was I doing at this kid's age? Playing with mud? Couldn't even hold a horse stance for three minutes without collapsing?
Shame! Embarrassing!
After the referee declared him the winner, Goku gave a polite bow and pressed his palms together in thanks to his downed opponent.
So young, yet so strong. And on top of that: well-mannered, respectful, with excellent control (never used dirty tricks, fought fair and square), and showed no arrogance in victory… These qualities made all the potential opponents watching from below nod in approval.
"Contestant Son Goku, would you like to take a rest, or continue fighting?" Even the referee no longer dared to underestimate him, despite his age. After all, in the martial world, strength spoke for itself.
Goku looked toward the seats where Gohan and the others were.
Gohan smiled. "Goku, do you still want to fight?"
Goku's little face was flushed, the result of his blood flowing vigorously after warming up. He beamed with an innocent, radiant smile and nodded eagerly. "Yes!"
"Then go ahead."
Goku turned back to the referee, who hesitated for a moment, then spoke into his headset. "Alright… since contestant Son Goku chooses to defend the stage, will the next contestant please come up for the challenge? Who would like to take the stage?"
"I will!"
A tall, middle-aged man leapt onto the ring. With poise, he saluted Goku and said solemnly, "Kid, I respect your skill, so don't blame this old man for bullying someone younger!"
"Not at all! I'm really happy I get to fight with so many strong people!" Goku replied with pure, shining eyes, returning the martial salute. The tall man was momentarily stunned by that innocent gaze, then smiled wryly and asked, "Kid, who's your master? Judging by your name… are you perhaps a fan of the old master Son Gohan?"
Anyone capable of raising such a talented child must be an extraordinary martial artist.
That's what the tall man was thinking.
And it wasn't just him—everyone in the audience wanted to know: where did this mysterious and amazing little boy come from? Who exactly was his master? Had they heard of him? They all mentally flipped through long lists of famous martial artists known throughout the virtual Martial City, but none seemed capable of producing a prodigy like Son Goku.
But Goku blinked in confusion and asked, "Huh? You know my grandpa? My master is my grandpa!"