With his newfound power level of 5.5 million, Karnel turned his attention to another crucial task, collecting the seven legendary Dragon Balls.
"Another Dragon Ball has been located," Karnel murmured to himself, checking the small circular radar in his hand. "Only the four-star ball remains, and it should be in the possession of Son Gohan."
He carefully placed the six-star ball he'd just recovered from beneath a small hill into his collection. The radar showed six small white dots clustered in the center, while a single dot flashed in the lower left corner.
Karnel now possessed six of the seven mystical orbs: the three-star ball from the turtle hermit; another found in the depths of the ocean; the five-star ball from a dinosaur nest in the southern jungle (which had required dispatching the surprisingly aggressive dinosaur family); the two-star ball from the frigid northern ice fields; and the seven-star ball he'd convinced a stubborn collector to "donate" after a brief but persuasive demonstration of Saiyan combat techniques. The six-star ball had just been added to his collection.
"Less than a day's work to gather six Dragon Balls," Karnel remarked with satisfaction. "Thank goodness for this radar. If I had to search for these manually, it might have taken years."
Following the radar's guidance, Karnel soon found himself outside a quaint dwelling situated on flat ground near a bamboo forest, facing the sea, Mount Paozu, home of the legendary martial artist Son Gohan.
As Karnel approached the modest house, he spotted an elderly man and a small boy of perhaps two years, busy grilling a wild boar over an open fire.
"Grandpa, is it ready to eat yet?" The small boy, clearly Son Goku as a child, stared at the roasting meat with undisguised hunger, wiping away a trail of drool.
"Yes, you can eat now," the old man replied with a gentle smile. "A visitor has arrived at our home. I'll go greet him while you start your meal." The elderly Son Gohan removed the boar from the fire and placed it on a small table just as Karnel approached.
Son Gohan's eyes widened in surprise when he noticed the tail swaying gently behind Karnel. "You... are you related to little Goku?" His tone shifted from casual to concerned as he made the connection between their shared feature. "My grandson has a tail just like yours."
"Greetings, elder," Karnel said with a respectful bow. "I am Karnel, a Saiyan warrior from the stars. I come from the same race as little Kakarot there." He gestured toward the child who was already demolishing the roasted boar with impressive speed.
"Kakarot? Is that Goku's real name?" Gohan glanced back at the boy he'd found and raised these past two years, his expression tinged with worry. "Have you come to take him away?"
"No, you misunderstand," Karnel quickly clarified. "I have no intention of taking Kakarot from you. In truth, our home planet Vegeta was recently destroyed. Apart from a handful of survivors, our race has been virtually eliminated." Karnel spoke matter-of-factly, his tone betraying little emotion about the genocide of his people.
"I see..." Gohan's shoulders relaxed visibly.
"My primary purpose here is to borrow the four-star Dragon Ball in your possession, and perhaps check on young Kakarot while I'm here," Karnel explained, watching as the small Saiyan child continued his assault on the roasted meat.
"The four-star ball?" Gohan scratched his head in thought. "Ah, that orange sphere with stars! I found it during my travels some years ago. It doesn't seem particularly special, but I've kept it as a keepsake. If you need it, I'd be happy to lend it to you. Give me a moment." The old master walked into his home to retrieve the artifact.
Karnel watched the young Goku thoughtfully. 'So this is how it was before he hit his head and lost his Saiyan memory. Without that accident, would he have retained the characteristic Saiyan ruthlessness? Instead, he grew up innocent and kind-hearted...'
Having devoured nearly the entire boar, young Goku approached Karnel with a leg of meat clutched in both hands. "Why do you have a tail like me? Grandpa doesn't have one. Do you want some food?" The child offered the partially eaten meat with innocent generosity.
"No thank you, I'm not hungry," Karnel declined with a wave. "And we both have tails because we're aliens, we come from another world."
"What's an alien?" Goku asked between bites. "Is it tasty?"
Karnel chuckled despite himself, tapping his forehead in amusement. "Very tasty indeed. In fact, you could cut off your tail and grill it for a special treat."
"Really?" Goku's eyes widened with excitement. "I'm going to ask Grandpa to cut it off and cook it for me!" He discarded the bone from his meal and was about to run inside when Son Gohan returned, a gleaming orange orb with four stars visible inside clutched in his hand.
"Goku! Don't listen to such nonsense," Gohan scolded gently. "You can't eat your own tail. Go inside and wait for me, I'll cook another boar for you later." The old master shooed the boy toward the house, shaking his head in mild exasperation.
Once Goku was inside, Gohan turned to Karnel with a disapproving look and reluctantly handed over the four-star Dragon Ball.
Karnel accepted the ball and offered an apologetic smile. "I wasn't entirely deceiving the boy. Removing his tail would actually benefit him. We Saiyans undergo a dangerous transformation when we gaze upon a full moon. Our eyes absorb what we call Blutz waves, about 17 million zeno units emitted by the full moon. This triggers our transformation into Great Apes, enormous beasts ten times our normal size with no rationality, driven only by destructive instincts."
Gohan's expression grew serious as he considered the implications for his adoptive grandson.
"You should consider removing Goku's tail," Karnel continued. "It will grow back after a few years, so there's no permanent harm done, but it would prevent any potential disasters in the meantime."
Hearing that the tail would regenerate naturally, Gohan nodded with relief. "I understand. Since you and Goku share the same heritage, I'll trust your advice on this matter."
"I won't take any more of your time," Karnel said, pocketing the Dragon Ball. "I'll return this once I've fulfilled my purpose." And perhaps saved your life in the process, Son Gohan, he added silently, knowing that in the original timeline, Goku's Great Ape transformation had led to the old master's death.
With that, Karnel took to the air, leaving Mount Paozu behind.
Another task completed!
Ten minutes later, Karnel found a small, uninhabited island, the perfect location for what came next.
Landing on the sandy shore, he withdrew the other six Dragon Balls from his universal capsule and arranged them in a circle with the four-star ball.
Heart pounding with anticipation, Karnel raised his hands toward the seven glowing orbs and called out in a voice that trembled slightly with excitement:
"Come forth, Shenron!"
The seven Dragon Balls began to pulse with golden light. The pulsations accelerated, growing more intense with each passing second. Suddenly, the sky darkened as storm clouds materialized from nowhere, swirling together into an ominous mass that blotted out the sun. Lightning arced through the turbulent clouds, accompanied by thunderous rumbles that shook the very air.
In an instant, the seven orbs blazed with blinding golden radiance. A tremendous roar echoed across the island as a massive bolt of lightning erupted from the Dragon Balls, stretching upward into the rolling clouds. The lightning coalesced, taking the form of an enormous serpentine dragon with scales of emerald green, its sinuous body extending for what seemed like miles into the heavens.
The dragon's glowing red eyes fixed upon Karnel with ancient, unfathomable intelligence.
"I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON," its voice boomed across the island. "SPEAK YOUR WISH, AND I SHALL GRANT IT... ANY ONE DESIRE WITHIN MY POWER."