"Prince, are you really okay?"
On the Saiyan training grounds, a young Raditz looked at Vegeta, who was training beside him, with a hint of concern.
The news of King Vegeta's death at Zuke's hands had quickly spread across Planet Vegeta. Even children like them had already heard about it.
Although some Saiyans hadn't witnessed the event firsthand at the square, the fact that Zuke possessed the power to defeat the Ginyu Force and was leading them to break free from Frieza's control had convinced almost all Saiyans to follow him.
They had eliminated the remnants of the Frieza Force on Planet Vegeta and began taking over their roles, signaling a clear intent to declare independence.
Amidst all this, Vegeta, the son of King Vegeta and still a child, continued to train on the training grounds as if the discussions around him didn't affect him at all.
This worried Raditz, who couldn't help but ask Vegeta about his thoughts.
Raditz was Bardock's son, and from what he had heard from others, he knew that Bardock had been one of the leaders in the rebellion against King Vegeta.
So, he was concerned that Vegeta might seek revenge against Zuke and his father, Bardock.
Although Vegeta, despite his young age, already possessed strength comparable to King Vegeta and was likely to surpass him in the future, he was still far from matching Zuke.
"What's the problem? My father died because he wasn't strong enough. He has no one to blame but himself."
Vegeta's expression was cold, showing no concern for his father's death and no intention of seeking revenge against Zuke.
This was in line with the Saiyan way of upbringing—family bonds were unnecessary. All that mattered was improving one's strength and upholding the pride of the Saiyan race through battle.
Of course, this also meant that Vegeta's status as a prince was now meaningless, but he didn't care.
He had never intended to rely on his royal status to become the king of the Saiyans—in his view, if he were to become king, it would be through sheer strength.
Just like Zuke.
So, Vegeta's goal was to grow stronger and eventually take the throne of the Saiyans from Zuke—not out of revenge, but purely out of his own pride.
In the original series, Vegeta had been able to serve under Frieza and even accept being overshadowed by Beerus.
This showed that while Vegeta had pride as a Saiyan, he was also pragmatic and adaptable.
Moreover, now that Zuke was also a Saiyan, being led by a fellow Saiyan was far better than being under Frieza or Beerus. Vegeta had no problem with it.
"Is... is that so?"
Raditz scratched his head. As a child, he had been raised by Bardock and Gine, so he hadn't yet developed the cold, detached nature of a typical Saiyan. Instead, he valued family bonds.
It wasn't until after Bardock and Gine's deaths, when he lost the relatively gentle upbringing of his family, that he became more like a traditional Saiyan, indifferent to familial ties.
So, he couldn't quite understand why Vegeta remained so cold and focused on his training even after hearing about his father's death.
"Even though that guy is strong, strong enough to defeat the Ginyu Force... with my potential, I will definitely surpass him!"
Vegeta thought to himself, his punches during training seeming to carry even more power.
At this point, he was still full of confidence in his future. After all, he possessed immense potential, far surpassing that of his father, King Vegeta.
In his eyes, if Zuke could achieve such feats, so could he in the future.
However, just then, a group of Saiyans passing by began discussing the latest news they had heard:
"Did you hear? Zuke's combat power exceeds 30 million! Even the specialized large-scale detector exploded because it couldn't handle his power."
"That strong? I remember hearing from the Frieza Force that Frieza's combat power was only in the hundreds of thousands."
"Lord Zuke must be the legendary Super Saiyan. There's no other explanation for why he's become so powerful!"
"This is the potential of the Saiyans!"
The news of Zuke's combat power exceeding the detector's limits had spread, and many Saiyans now regarded him as the legendary Super Saiyan.
At this point, the Saiyans hadn't seen a true Super Saiyan in a long time, so their understanding of one was simply "a Saiyan who is strong enough."
Just like in the original series, whenever Goku's power increased significantly, Vegeta would suspect that he had become a Super Saiyan—other Saiyans thought the same way.
A combat power of over 30 million already made Zuke the strongest in the universe in their eyes. Frieza, with his measly power, would likely be crushed by Zuke with a single hand.
"So he's the Super Saiyan..."
Hearing the excited discussions of the passing Saiyans, Raditz was stunned.
He hadn't understood why his father, Bardock, had placed so much trust in Zuke, but if Zuke was the legendary Super Saiyan... then it all made sense.
The Saiyans had always held onto the legend, hoping that a Super Saiyan would appear to lead them to glory.
And now, Zuke's emergence perfectly fulfilled their hopes.
Boom!
Meanwhile, Vegeta's expression darkened, and he punched the power-measuring device.
The Saiyan power-measuring device was far superior to the garbage used in Earth's World Martial Arts Tournament. When Vegeta punched it, the device didn't break but instead displayed a number.
12,000.
This was an approximate assessment of the attacker's combat power based on their strength—not as precise as a combat power detector, but still a useful reference.
Vegeta's combat power was indeed in this range, already comparable to King Vegeta's and on the verge of surpassing it.
But when he thought about Zuke's combat power exceeding 30 million, Vegeta felt that his own power was utterly insignificant.
"Damn it, how can he be so strong... the Super Saiyan..."
Without a doubt, Vegeta also believed that Zuke was the Super Saiyan.
Strong, aloof, and unfathomable—in Vegeta's mind, this was what a Super Saiyan should be like.
That's why, in the original series, when he saw Goku showing compassion, Vegeta mocked him, saying he wasn't a true Super Saiyan.
Looking at the estimated number displayed on the power-measuring device, Vegeta fell into deep thought and quietly made a decision.
He would learn from Zuke. He would find out how Zuke had become so powerful!
To be continued…
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