Before Bulma could interfere and try to defuse the situation, something terrifying happened.
Garrot took out his gun and shot at Goku's head instantly within a fraction of second.
The smoky haze still lingered in the air where the mini shotgun had fired. The entire bar stood frozen. Time, it seemed, had stopped for a second. Goku's head lay face-down on the table, a trail of smoke wafting up from where the bullet had struck him point-blank.
Bulma stared in horror, her fingers twitching above the table. Oolong's jaw hung slack. Carmen gasped, hand over her mouth. The other crew members were already yelling in panic, standing up so fast they nearly knocked the table over.
"GOKU!!" Bulma's voice cracked with terror.
"H-He's dead!" one of the assistants shrieked.
"I knew this was a bad idea! We should've never come here!"
Even the bartender had backed up to the corner mumbling something.
Garrot had a satisfied sneer on his face. He lowered the mini shotgun and blowed the smoke off its barrel. His men laughed crudely, one of them clapping him on the back. "Nice one, boss!"
And then without warning—Goku twitched.
His hand moved. Then his shoulder. A low grumble left his throat as he slowly sat back up, head still ringing from the impact. His hair was spiky like usual. However, unlike his usual happy to go smile, his face was grim.
"Hey..." he muttered, placing one hand on the edge of the table to steady himself.
Every head turned.
"That…" Goku raised his head, revealing a reddened spot where the bullet had hit, but no blood. It was even hard to see from all that dense hair he had. His eyes now gleamed with frustration, quite rare for someone who rarely got angry.
"…wasn't nice at all."
The pirate crew's laughter died instantly.
Garrot's smug grin shattered like glass.
In a single blur of motion, Goku stood and spun, slamming his foot into Garrot's side with a crack! The pirate shot across the room like a missile, crashing through the wooden wall of the bar in a cloud of splinters and dust.
"AAUUUGH!!" Garrot's scream echoed as he disappeared from sight, the massive hole in the wall now showing bright daylight outside.
"Holy crap…" Oolong swore. The pig shrank back to his chair as he tried to move himself away from all that fighting.
Bulma didn't waste a second. Her blue hair shimmered, rising like snakes alive with energy, and within a second, multiple tendrils shot across the room.
"Hair Bind!" she yelled.
The stunned pirate crewmembers barely had time to react before Bulma's hair wrapped tightly around their waists, torsos, and legs.
"H-Hey! Let go!"
"Wha—What the hell is this woman?!"
"AAARGH!"
Bulma's eyes narrowed. "I don't have time for this." With a sharp flick of her head, she flung them one after the other—WHAM, WHAM, WHAM!—through the same broken wall their leader had exited from.
The entire bar went dead silent again.
Then… "BWAHHHHHH!!!" multiple pirates and customers bolted to the opposite corner of the bar, screaming and ducking behind tables.
"They're freaks!"
"That dude took a shotgun to the face!"
"That chick's hair just threw people!"
The bartender stared at the massive hole in the wall, mouth agape, a single glass of sake slipping from his fingers and shattering on the floor. His eyes slowly turned to Bulma, shaking.
Bulma rubbed the back of her head, sweatdropping. "Ehehe… Sorry about the wall."
She looked at her crew, who were still rooted to the floor in utter disbelief.
"Come on!" she shouted. "Let's go! This isn't over yet!"
She ran through the broken wall, her boots clacking across shattered wood. Her crew stumbled after her.
Outside, the sunlight stung their eyes as they emerged into the open street. The smell of salt and sand returned. A small crowd had already gathered, some gawking, others snickering.
There, just ahead, Goku stood calmly in front of the remaining pirate crewmembers who were now brandishing swords and clubs.
"Y-You monster!" one of them yelled, pointing at him.
"You're gonna pay for what you did to the captain!"
"I don't like people who shoot me in the face," Goku simply replied cracking his knuckles with a loud pop. "Especially when I'm eating."
The pirates charged instantly at him.
"GOKU!!" Bulma shouted to her oldest friend. She knew that teaching these people a lesson was necessary. "Don't hold back!"
"I wasn't planning to!" Goku grinned.
He blurred forward.
The first pirate tried to swing his blade but Goku ducked under it and jabbed him in the gut with enough force to launch him into the air. Another went down from a swift elbow to the neck. The third tried to sneak up from behind, but Goku grabbed his arm, spun him mid-air and SLAMMED him into the ground like a ragdoll.
Carmen and the others just stared, mouths open.
"He's insane…" one of the assistants whispered.
"No…" Carmen said slowly. "He's a fighter. A real one."
Meanwhile, Garrot lay crumpled against a pile of barrels, moaning, his ribs clearly broken. He tried to get up, coughing and sputtering, but froze as Goku walked over, shadow looming over him.
"Y-You… What are you…?" Garrot whimpered.
Goku crouched beside him, still frowning.
"You shouldn't have tried to sell my friends," he said seriously. "Bulma's scary when she's angry. I was trying to save you."
Garrot whimpered, clutching his side, face pale.
Bulma stepped forward. "You know, for a pirate boss, you sure fall pretty fast."
Her hair slithered again, wrapping gently around Garrot's neck and holding him in place.
"Now… you're gonna tell me how long the log pose takes to settle around here. And if you lie, well…" She gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "My hair really hates liars."
Garrot nodded quickly, whimpering.
The rest of the crew began to scurry off, dragging wounded men or limping away.
The onlookers stared at the group in a mix of awe and terror. The tales would start soon—of a strange crew that arrived and wrecked an infamous local boss in minutes. The woman with the living hair. The man who couldn't die.
Bulma crossed her arms and sighed, muttering to herself. "So much for a quiet lunch."
Goku tilted his head. "We still didn't finish eating…"
Bulma turned to glare at him.
"GOKU!"
Goku scratched his head and laughed sheepishly. "Oops?"