Once Yamiru had finished telling the entire story, Bardock and Gine, now in soul form, finally understood why they had suddenly appeared in the present world.
Their frail and beloved youngest son, Kakarot, was safe and sound, living healthily on a remote planet called Earth. Gine was truly happy.
Bardock, who had suffered in hell alongside Gine for many years, also felt a sense of quiet relief in his soul.
"The power of the Dragon Balls will take a year to restore," Yamiru told them. "So for the next year, the power of the Dragon Balls will keep your souls near me, preventing them from weakening or dissipating due to time. After a year, once the Dragon Balls are restored, I'll immediately go gather them and ask Shenron to truly resurrect you both, so you can reunite with Goku."
"That's wonderful," Gine, more straightforward, immediately radiated a wave of joy.
Saiyans generally don't have strong emotional attachments, but this custom had been influenced by their social traditions. Gine and Bardock, however, were atypical Saiyans, not fitting in with the usual ways. Additionally, Gine had always felt indebted to Kakarot because of his frailty at birth, which made her constantly worry about his future.
To see Kakarot again, to carefully protect him and care for him... Gine was really looking forward to it.
"..."
Bardock's soul fell silent for a moment before sending a wave of energy toward Yamiru. "Are you truly sure? If the Dragon Balls can grant any wish, then Kakarot could have used a wish to resurrect us half an hour ago, couldn't he? I believe you're genuinely worried. After all, both Gine and I are Saiyans—fully grown ones, right? I can tell that you and your so-called sage beside you are not strong. Your power wouldn't even be enough to make you a qualified soldier on Planet Vegeta."
Korin: "..."
Yamiru replied, "I won't deny that I have these concerns, which I mentioned earlier. But on the other hand, if I had directly wished for your resurrection, there's a high chance you would have revived on the faraway Planet Vegeta. And there's probably only a vacuum and asteroid debris left there now. Even if you were resurrected, you'd quickly die again. Moving your souls to Earth first is the necessary approach."
"I see," Bardock's soul gave a subtle nod.
Yamiru suddenly smiled and pulled Korin close. "Also, this is our Earth's sage. Whether your natures are good or bad, I'm sure they can tell at a glance."
"Hey, Yamiru, let go!" Korin struggled free, displeased. "You have no manners!"
"Good or bad?" Bardock's soul seemed to give a bitter laugh. "We were sent to hell as bad people. Saiyans are just bloodthirsty butchers. Whether they are directly fighting or handling logistics, all the souls of the Saiyans who died when Planet Vegeta was destroyed by that bastard Frieza were judged by King Yama and sent to hell to suffer."
"A bad person who does good deeds still goes to hell," Korin said lightly. "Whether you go to heaven or hell is determined by what you actually did in life. A vicious villain who does things for others' benefit can still go to heaven. You were sent to hell by King Yama, which only shows that the people you directly or indirectly harmed in your lives were too many. However, since you've suffered in hell and now have a chance to return, it shows you have an opportunity to start anew. And from what I can tell, you're not inherently bad. In fact, this Saiyan woman is especially pure."
Yamiru smiled. "I think Goku's innocence must have come from Aunt Gine—can I call you Aunt?"
"Aunt?" Gine's soul responded with confusion. "Is that... Oh, I think I've heard that some people from other planets use a similar term."
Yamiru broke into a slight sweat, realizing that the Saiyan culture had no real concept of family. He had never heard of Vegeta having a queen or anything like that. The relationship between Bardock and Gine was... strictly speaking, quite similar to the one between Vegeta and Bulma in the comics. There was no formal marriage contract, but they were obviously partners.
"What you call them isn't important..." Bardock's soul said.
---
There was so much information to process, and both parties needed time to digest it.
Gine and Bardock's souls, invisible to the mortal eye, floated in Korin Tower, communicating through waves that ordinary humans couldn't sense.
Korin was deeply moved. People from outside Earth were incredibly strong. It wiped its cold sweat, realizing that it could see a lot of information from Bardock and Gine's souls. This was a natural advantage of gods over souls, even considered a form of authority. Higher-level gods could even create physical bodies for souls in the afterlife, based on their self-awareness.
"I didn't expect Yamiru to casually resurrect two people, one of whom is a top-tier warrior from the Saiyan planet..." Korin muttered. "If we actually bring them back to life next year, only the kami in heaven—no, maybe even that kami can't defeat this extraterrestrial warrior. We'll just have to trust in their pure and kind natures. Plus, Yamiru should be hoping to use this year to let these two souls experience Earth life, hoping they'll feel connected and come to love it here..."
As for Yamiru, after Bardock and Gine's souls had appeared, he had already mentally prepared himself to discard the so-called Dragon Ball plot.
Because it was entirely foreseeable that as long as Bardock was on our side, whether it was Old Piccolo, Young Piccolo, or New Piccolo, they'd all be irrelevant. Raditz, if you dare come, you'll be on your knees . Vegeta, try being arrogant, and this lower-class warrior will beat you, this fallen prince, into the ground...
"I'm not here to follow the so-called plot," Yamiru silently thought to himself. "I'm here for myself. Even if everything disappears, I won't give up on the path I've already started. I want to surpass myself, not lose to myself—that's my thinking. As for the plot, let it go. Worst case, I'll just play the Dragon Ball manga in my mind a couple of times. The only thing I need to make sure of is that Goku can become a Super Saiyan... but that's fine. Now that we have Bardock to ensure it. According to Bulma's research, as long as Bardock lives on Earth and accepts its peaceful way of life, his Super Cells will multiply, giving him the potential to transform into a Super Saiyan... If that doesn't work, we can always have more Saiyans. A few plus one of them can become the low-tier version of the Super Saiyan God to handle emergencies."