CHAPTER 23: TURLES'S RISE

The cold air of night weighed heavily on Goku as he slowly regained consciousness. His body ached, each movement a battle as if his limbs were dragging through thick mud. His eyes flickered open to the dim, ethereal glow of the Eternal Tree. Its vast canopy stretched overhead, casting long, dark shadows that danced across the clearing. He tried to move but found himself pinned—roots of the ancient tree wrapped around his wrists and ankles, binding him like an offering. The Crusher Corps stood nearby, motionless, their faces grim. Avoca and Cumber watched from a distance, their expressions unreadable. And at the heart of it all stood Turles, his presence exuding quiet intensity as he prepared for something ominous.

Goku grunted, struggling against the roots that held him in place. “What’s going on? Why can’t I move?” His voice was weak, strained, but his defiance remained.

Turles turned to face him, his gaze cold and calculating. “You should have figured it out by now, Kakarot. I sealed your ki. You're completely powerless, just as I need you to be.”

Goku’s eyes narrowed. “Sealed my ki?”

Turles’ lips curled into a bitter smile. “A technique I learned from the very first Super Saiyan recorded in history. Your strength is no longer something I need to fight against. It’s something I can control.”

Goku, despite the throbbing pain, managed a glare. “What do you want from me, Turles? Why go this far?”

Turles took a step closer, his voice softening with a strange, mournful edge. “Long ago, I wanted to change the course of our race. To stop us from falling into decline, but instead of saving us, it led to war—a war that nearly wiped us out. My clan and I were left to die on Sadala, stranded on a dead world.”

He took a slow, deliberate step closer, his tone shifting, deepening. “But I did what you and Vegeta could never do. I brought the Saiyan race back from extinction. And when I did, I gave up everything for it. My own life, my humanity...all of it. I did it so we wouldn’t disappear.”

Goku clenched his teeth, his frustration mounting. “At the cost of others’ lives...How can you justify that?”

Turles’ smile faded, replaced by quiet bitterness. “The universe doesn’t give you a choice, Kakarot. You either fight for what you believe in, or you let it all slip away. The Saiyan race… we were born into a world of violence. That’s the only language the universe understands.”

Goku’s eyes flashed with disbelief. “But there’s more to life than fighting and taking from others! You can’t just kill and steal your way to victory and call it right.”

Turles met his gaze with cold clarity. "I know exactly what I've done. And I’m not ashamed of it. I sought powers beyond mortal limits, beyond legends. I did what I had to do to ensure the survival of my people, even if it meant sacrificing everything. I’m not interested in conquering the universe. I'm seeking something different—power. Power to change the hierarchy, to reshape the very foundations of our existence. What gives Vegeta’s bloodline the right to claim themselves royalty? Why them, when they’re no more capable of maintaining prosperity or ensuring the future of the Saiyan race than anyone else?"

Goku’s breath caught in his chest. He hadn’t expected Turles to have such a philosophical question. But Turles wasn’t done yet. 

Turles interrupted, his tone harsh, almost accusing. “You would have been a low-class Saiyan too, just like I was, if not for whatever made you different. But you, you achieved divine power—something unprecedented and only occurred once in our race’s history. You’ve unlocked a power no one thought possible.”

Goku’s brow furrowed. “You think you can just take my power and use it however you want?”

Turles shook his head, his face hard with conviction. “I don’t take anything. I forge my own path. I forged my own destiny. I broke free from the life I didn’t choose, and now I’m doing the same for our people. I will reshape the future of the Saiyan race. And the Tree...the Tree will be our salvation.”

He paused, his gaze sharp, as though reliving the struggle. “Before I found the Eternal Tree, I was just like everyone else. A Saiyan destined to live and die in obscurity. But I broke free from that life.” His fist clenched with resolve. “I won’t allow our people to remain shackled to old ideas, old bloodlines. And with this Tree... with your divine ki... I’ll lead the Saiyans to something greater.”

Goku’s face darkened. “You’re wrong, Turles. The way you’re going about it... it won’t bring prosperity. It’ll only bring destruction.”

Turles scoffed. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t understand what it means to make sacrifices for the greater good?” He turned away slightly, as if deep in thought. “I once asked myself why I didn’t just wish for divine power... but divine power isn’t something you can simply wish for. It’s something that must be earned, through blood and sacrifice. Even you, as pure-hearted as you are, can’t just wish for it. It’s not meant for mortals—until you proved it can be.”

Goku was quiet for a moment. His mind raced, trying to make sense of everything Turles had said. It was clear now that Turles’ desire for power was much more than a thirst for dominance. It was about rewriting the order of the universe itself. But at what cost?

“Why...why not just bring back the Saiyans without all this?” Goku asked, his voice strained. “Why go through all this?”

Turles looked back at Goku, his expression grim. “It’s hard to understand, isn’t it? But the truth is, Kakarot, I had no choice. We were stranded on a dead planet, with no hope left. Everything seemed lost—until a space pod crash-landed. Inside, there was a survivor, weak and drained of life. We drained what little was left of them, using their energy to keep going.”

He paused, his eyes flickering with cold determination. “And that’s when we realized something. The spacepod wasn’t just some wreck—it still functioned. We used it, and I tasked Avoca with going off-world to find the nearest habitable planet. She returned with not just any ship—one that had been decommissioned, a Cooler Force vessel.”

He glanced away for a moment, the memory still lingering. “That ship was our ticket. It gave us a way off Sadala and a chance to start over. I learned everything about what had happened during our absence—the extinction of our race and the legacy of what King Vegeta had made of us. But I also uncovered things that helped me understand the powers behind the Tree. The Namekian Dragon Balls...I sought them out, only to find that the planet had already been destroyed. But I didn’t give up. I eventually found New Namek, and there, I discovered the Dragon Balls still existed. Then, I spoke to the dragon.”

Goku’s expression shifted, his voice laced with concern. “What did you wish for?”

Turles met Goku’s gaze, sensing the apprehension in his tone. A flicker of understanding passed through him, and he gave a soft but firm shake of his head. “I wished to know the truth. The truth about the Tree of Might, about Zalama, and how I could bring our race back.”

Goku’s heart skipped a beat. “Zalama?”

Turles nodded, his expression serious. “Yes. Zalama, the creator of the Super Dragon Balls, had his hand in all of this. The Tree of Might—it was a gift, meant to empower the gods and the chosen divine races. But it was denied to us. I've come to understand that the Eternal Tree could be the start of our legacy, our rightful inheritance. The Tree's power… it's the power of the gods. And I intend to claim it.”

He leaned forward, voice darkening. “I made three wishes. First, to learn the truth about the Tree of Might. The second, to find a world where it could properly grow. And my final wish… to understand the divine power that could nurture its potential.” He paused, his gaze sharpening. “At first, I didn’t seek power for myself. I wanted to understand the gods—their power, their control over the universe. That's when I realized the Tree’s true purpose. The power of the gods isn’t something we should be denied.”

Goku’s eyes widened. “But why me? Why do you need my divine energy?”

Turles grinned, a twisted, knowing smile spreading across his face. “Because, Goku, only you can unlock the true potential of the Tree. You’re the perfect vessel. With your divine ki, we can awaken the Tree’s full power. Together, we can reshape the universe, lead the Saiyans into a future worthy of them.”

Goku struggled against his restraints, but there was no escaping now. The weight of Turles’ words, his ideology, pressed down on him like a vice.

“I can’t let you do this, Turles. I can’t let you take my power and twist it into something it’s not.”

Turles stepped back, his hands outstretched to the glowing branches of the Eternal Tree. “Then I guess you’re going to have to try to stop me.”

With a final, swift motion, Turles began the ritual, siphoning away Goku’s divine energy. The roots pulsed with life as they absorbed the power, feeding the Tree’s growing strength. Goku could feel his essence slipping away, each pulse draining him further, but a single thought burned brighter than all the others: He had to stop Turles. Before it was too late.

But as his energy waned, he knew the fight was far from over.

___________

Writer’s Note:

Now, we fully understand the truth behind Turles. I wanted to frame him as more than just ruthless—I wanted him to be ruthless with purpose. In the original iteration, his motivation stopped at a simple thirst for power. It was a classic villain trope: conquer the universe, rule with strength. But what I love to do with characters is give them a reason that, while not necessarily right, at least makes sense.

When Turles described the lone space pod crashing on Sadala, this was a direct callback to the epilogue of Cooler’s Wrath. That moment showed Salza crash-landing on Sadala, only to have his life energy drained by starving Saiyans—while Turles stood by and allowed it. At the time, that scene sparked some controversy; it didn’t feel like Dragon Ball to some. But instead of retconning or altering it, I chose to stand by it—while giving Turles the chance to acknowledge that those were darker times, ones he now hopes to leave behind.

As for his new abilities, such as life-draining ki and ki-sealing—don’t worry. You’ll soon learn exactly how he gained those powers.