A massive explosion rocked the central city of the intergalactic outpost. There were screams of panic and terror as people fled for their lives. Somewhere near the center of the city 6 of the Z-warriors touched down.

Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamaha and Chi Chi fanned out, carefully scanning left and right both with their eyes and their Ki.

"Spread out! Whoever did that must be nearby!" Piccolo barked. "Right!" The Z-warriors echoed in unison. However before they could take more than a few steps an ominous laughter cut through the air.

Gasping, the Warriors from Earth turned to find the Ginyu Force along with Zarbon and Dodoria floating down from the smoke filled sky.

"Hey boys, lookie at what we have here. They're all right where the captain said they'd be hahaha!" Laughed the hulking Recoome.

Beside him the blue alien, Burter, spoke next. "Indeed. Just as sure as I'm the fastest in the universe, the captain is certainly the smartest." He chuckled "He knew if we caused enough ruckus you wimps would come running to save the day.."

On Recoome's opposite end the red skin Jeice spoke in an accent that could have either been Brummie or Australian in nature, depending on how far away from the man you were. "Right that he is, except for the all mighty Lord Frieza of course, but what he meant is Cap's a real close second." The long, white haired man grinned, crossing his arms.

Last and also least was Guildo. The short, portly alien with green toad-like skin stood in front of the towering Burter and raised his arms. "They won't even know what hit them! Hahaha! The Ginyu force is the most fearsome gang in all the universe!" As he finished. The four warriors struck an awkward pose, with a red sun similar to a Japanese flag magically appearing in the background behind them.

Just a few meters behind them Zarbon and Dodoria turned green and shared a look of disgust. 'Idiots..' They thought in unison.

The Z-warriors grit their teeth and prepared for battle, each sliding into their respective battle stances.

With Vegeta and Nappa..

"Woah. Did you feel that, prince Vegeta?" Nappa asked, staring off into the distance. The prince for his part narrowed his eyes and huffed. "Obviously.. It feels like the Earthlings have gotten themselves into some kind of trouble. And based on the differences in power I'm sensing.. Well there's no doubt in my mind that's the Ginyu force they're fighting…"

"Hahaha! Impressive prince.. Your senses grow sharper and sharper by the day." A mischievous voice rang out above them. Startled, Vegeta and Nappa jumped before looking up into the air. "Turles.." Nappa growled. "What's the meaning of this?" The saiyan general asked.

The space pirate smirked before shrugging as he slowly levitated down to face the prince and Nappa. "The saiyan race has been long overdue for a change don't you think? The royal line of Vegeta was great once but it has since run itself and our people into the ground. I mean honestly just look at you.." He mocked, specifically targeting Vegeta as he spoke.

"Under your rule Frieza has wiped out our planet, our people are scattered and divided, oh and.. You're not even the strongest anymore. Seems to me this is just nature running its natural course.. I challenge you for the title of king." He said dangerously as he spread his arms out wide and narrowed his eyes in challenge.

Vegeta for his part shook his before he facepalmed and laughed out loud. "Ah yes, I see what happened now. Little Turles gets a little boost in power and suddenly he thinks he's the one to beat bahaha! Don't make me laugh." He mocked, causing Turles to bristle in anger.

The prince continued unabated. "If you were really so confident in your own strength I suspect you wouldn't have made a deal with Ginyu." He stated matter of factly.

To this both the eyes of his opponent and his general widened. "How did you..' The space pirate began but Vegeta scoffed, cutting him off. "Really Turles, do you think I'm fucking stupid? The Ginyu force shows up and attacks Kakarot's group right as you stage this pathetic little coup? Coincidence? I think not."

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Turles for his part growled before taking a deep breath and smirking once more. "I must give credit where credit is due. Even if I do hate your stinking guts, you truly are a cut above the rest, prince. It's a shame things had to turn out this way. If circumstances hadn't become so dire and we were still on planet Vegeta.."

He shook his head as he clenched his fists. "Your way won't work prince. Frieza can't be defeated through sheer numbers. Only the legendary super saiyan can beat Frieza and once I become the king, I will become the prophesized warrior that will lead our race to unparalleled prosperity. We will be the strongest and we shall rule this universe with an iron fist ahahaha!" He laughed.

Vegeta stared incredulously at the man. "Are you serious!? The legendary super saiyan? You? Ha! You're delusional, don't make me laugh. Oh don't get me wrong, the saiyan of legend certainly exists alright." He jerked his thumb at his chest and smirked as his demeanor became straight and confident. "He's standing right here before you." He glared.

Turles rolled his eyes and took a step forward. "And you say I'm the delusional one? You aren't even the strongest saiyan anymore. You're no more special than the rest of us. A spoiled brat whose head was filled with illusions of grandeur. You care about no one more than yourself, not even your own right hand man." He taunted.

Vegeta reflexively looked back at his general who was looking at the geound, avoiding the prince's gaze.

Turles chuckled. "Now you learn that the universe does not revolve around you." The man said ominously as he slid into a battle stance and began to raise his power level…

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and slipped into his own fighting form. As Turles's power rose a heavy pressure began to fill the air.

The prince put on a confident front but.. as the space pirate's power continued to climb higher and higher, Vegeta knew he was at a severe disadvantage. His forehead glistened as he began to sweat.

Turles's aura was a transparent purple as it spiked up and flared like a candle flame. The short saiyan prince swallowed hard. 'Jesus H Christ.. This is going to be painful.' He thought warily.

Suddenly Nappa stepped up and clapped Vegeta on his shoulder guard before interposing himself between the two men. He smirked across at the confused Turles before he clenched his fists and bent his knees, adopting his own signature fighting pose. Vegeta for his part took a step back. He scrunched his face before he stomped and raised a clenched fist.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing, Nappa?" The prince demanded. The hulking giant in question merely glanced at him for a brief moment, looking at him out of the corner of his eyes and smirking. Vegeta's anger vanished and a stunned look overtook his features.

It was a look he'd only seen a few times throughout his life. The last time his right hand had looked at him like that, it was to tell him that his father was dead and he was now the king by all rights. Of course in honor of his father, Vegeta had chosen to keep the moniker of prince until after he had defeated Frieza and reunited his people..

But for all intents and purposes Vegeta was the ruler of his people.

A pit began to form in his gut and an unexplainable apprehension began to rise up within him. 'Nappa..'

The commander met the gaze of the glaring Turles and smirked. "You youngsters are all the same.. Always itching for a fight. Clearly you've forgotten your saiyan pride. I'm especially surprised by you, Vegeta." The large man said. The air seemed heavy and tense; the two other saiyans said nothing as the aged general spoke. ".. But I'm the oldest among us and I still remember our saiyan traditions quite well, I'll have you know hahaha!"

Turles at this point was beginning to grow restless. The erratic mix of saiyan hormones combined with drug-like withdrawal effects of the tree of might made it difficult for the man to focus or think rationally. All he really wanted was to fight and prove he was the strongest. Although the line about saiyan pride did peak his curiosity, his patience was running thin. He stomped his foot and growled, Ki flaring wildly.

"Get to the damn point old man!" He demanded. "This is between Vegeta and myself, what stake do you have in any of this?" The saiyan asked. Nappa for his part merely chuckled.

Though he trembled imperceptibly, his decades of experience honing his instincts meant he hid his trepidation well. "Ha! Exactly the kind of shit I'm talking about. Impatient and rash. Surely even you know that only the right hand has the authority to challenge for the throne?" He laughed mockingly.

Turles and Vegeta's eyes shot open. 'Son of a bitch..' Vegeta mumbled internally. 'He's absolutely right.. I did forget about that. Heh.. As much as I preach and ramble on about being a saiyan.. I've really been letting my people down because of my own egotistical self obsession with power and defeating Frieza..'

Across from him and his trusted general, Turles had similar thoughts as his Ki aura continued to billow and spike all around him.

Even though he was more of a pirate than a saying these days.. Even though most of his people were scattered to the stars, his saiyan pride still ran strongly through his veins and it dictated that he did things the proper way. Only then could he be the true, undisputed ruler of the saiyans..

Turles narrowed his eyes and frowned. ".. So I beat you.. and then the prince. No big deal." He muttered. Nappa laughed once more before he shook his head at his opponent's ignorance.

"Wrong again. After defeating the second you cannot be challenged, nor can you challenge the current king, for six full months. Unless you plan on usurping the throne through treason but of course.. No true saiyan will recognize you as king." He finished with a knowing smile.

At this Turles stomped his foot and cut his arm through the air yelling out, "Oh that sounds like a bulshhit plot device!" He grumbled as he contemplated whether or not the man was lying..

'Somehow I get the feeling.. If I cross reference thr saiyan records I'll find that he is telling the truth..' The man sighed internally. He clenched his fists and prepared for battle. One way or another… He was kicking Someone's ass today.

Several feet behind the large commander Vegeta crossed his arms. 'This is preposterous! I'm the prince of all saiyans.. I should be the one fighting and defending the honor of my title.' He stared at the massive back of his most trusted subject.

Since the time he could walk Nappa had always been there to nurture and support the saiyan prince.

Even when his own power level far surpassed that of his general at a young age, the man didn't get angry or jealous of the prince, as many would. He was genuinely proud of the boy, as one would expect a father to be.. He may have been a giant pain in the ass but.. none could question where the man's heart was. His loyalty and love were infallible.

The prince closed his eyes and swallowed hard. 'You better not die unless it's by my fucking hand, Nappa.'

End of chapter 28