Chapter 84: The Treasure is Fake, but the News is Real
In the ancient lore of Dragon Ball, when two martial artists of equal strength fought, the Dodon Ray was considered stronger than the Kamehameha.
Although that setting was forgotten in later arcs.
"Take them away."
Before the grunts could cheer, Yamcha gave the order.
Although the robot was taken down by Yamcha in a single blow, its power wasn't bad at all. More importantly, it could shoot fire and lasers. Compared to the bulky manned robots made by headquarters, its performance was much better. If mass-produced, it could be a valuable addition to their combat strength.
After instructing his subordinates to continue raiding the pirate base, Yamcha proceeded alone through a maze of tunnels until he arrived at a well. Without hesitation, he dove in.
The well water connected to an underwater cavern that spread out like a natural labyrinth. After defeating a giant octopus, Yamcha reached the deepest part of the cave, where several massive treasure chests sat on the shore.
This was Yamcha's true objective.
The treasure in the base aboveground was only a fraction of the pirates' wealth—these chests held the real hoard they'd amassed over a lifetime.
A fist-sized natural diamond was actually the least valuable item among them. Unfortunately, there was no Dragon Ball with three stars among the treasure.
Which made sense—by the time the three-star Dragon Ball appeared in the pirate base in the original story, it was already the second round of wishes.
Yamcha packed all the treasure into a capsule and swam back the way he came.
He led the Red Ribbon Army's grunts to completely take over the pirate base.
"Over here, over here—put those devices right here."
"Be careful, damn it! Major Brown paid a fortune for that! If you break it, I'll have your hide!"
Lieutenant Leopard led the grunts to move all the equipment into the coastal base. In just a week, the entire base had been completely renovated, now flying the Red Ribbon Army's RR banner.
As long as they weren't in battle, these grunts were actually somewhat useful.
The news of Yamcha wiping out the pirates and seizing their base spread quickly throughout the Red Ribbon Army.
In the early Dragon Ball world, Earth was in a chaotic era of warlord rule. Countless warlords and organizations vied for power. Although officially ruled by the Dog King, in reality, the royal army had no control over the world.
Take the Red Ribbon Army as an example. As the largest arms dealer and military faction on Earth, they openly challenged the royal army and even boldly deployed forces to occupy towns under royal jurisdiction.
Groups like the Rabbit Mob, the Ox-King of Fire Mountain, the Giran Clan (the dragon-man Yamcha fought in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament), and even Dark Street (Pilaf's gang) were just a few of the many factions, some even non-human or self-proclaimed demon clans. The royal army couldn't do anything about them.
The pirates Yamcha defeated were just one of these factions—and a fairly strong one at that. So his victory caused quite a stir, even drawing the attention of Commander Black himself, who wanted to meet Yamcha in person.
It wasn't just Yamcha's sudden rise that impressed him—it was also the treasure he'd handed over.
Yamcha kept none of the treasure for himself, turning in everything.
That fist-sized diamond alone was worth billions, not to mention the other priceless items.
But money didn't matter to Yamcha anymore. With his ability to travel between worlds, he could easily acquire limitless wealth whenever he wanted.
What he truly wanted was more influence within the Red Ribbon Army—more power, more territory, and more talent.
The Red Ribbon Army's headquarters, built from countless cannons, was said to be the most heavily fortified fortress in history.
"You're exactly the kind of talent the Red Ribbon Army needs." Commander Black, the head of the army, stood on a chair to pat Yamcha on the shoulder, a huge smile on his face and a gleam of excitement in his single eye.
Yamcha had just delivered billions in treasure. How could he not be happy?
And with the pirates defeated, the Red Ribbon Army's reputation soared—though most outsiders saw them as even more terrifying now.
Aside from wanting to grow taller, money and power were the commander's two favorite things.
"From today on, you are Colonel Brown."
"Commander…"
Standing beside the commander, his adjutant Black was shocked and quickly tried to intervene.
Though Yamcha had destroyed the pirate army and handed over a fortune, it still wasn't enough to justify a promotion to colonel. The Black Ribbon Army didn't have many officers of that rank, and each one had conquered vast territories before earning the title. Colonel was just one step below general—it was a meteoric rise.
"What? Adjutant Black, do you have a problem with my decision?"
Commander Black clenched his pipe, glaring sideways at Black. The young man turned pale and quickly said he didn't dare object.
The commander's temper was the inverse of his stature. As the head of an evil organization, he wouldn't hesitate to feed someone to the sharks if he was slightly displeased. That's what happened to the last adjutant.
Technically, Black was just the commander's assistant—easily replaceable.
Unless he had ambitions of rebellion and the strength to back it up, there was no way he could take the commander's place—and he knew it.
"At least for now," Adjutant Black thought, "I'm in no position to challenge him."
"Go now, Colonel Brown. Build your army. If you need people or weapons, take them. If you need land, I'll give you some."
Commander Black's generosity left Black stunned. If Yamcha didn't look so different, he'd have thought he was the commander's illegitimate son.
Since when was the stingy Commander Black this generous?
"Commander, I already have a target in mind," Yamcha replied with a polite smile. He had expected this treatment.
Because aside from delivering victory and treasure, he also gave Commander Black an ancient text—one containing a secret.
A secret from legend, the real reason for the commander's generosity.
If the seven Dragon Balls are gathered, any wish can be granted.
Of course, Yamcha hadn't really found a text recording the Dragon Ball legend.
The book was fake. He had casually tossed a random book into another world and retrieved it a hundred years later to make it look ancient. Its contents were completely made-up by Yamcha.
But the secret itself was real. This world truly had Dragon Balls.
That was why Commander Black believed him—because he had heard the legend before.
And that's why he awarded Yamcha the rank of colonel.
(End of Chapter)