Chapter 14: Meeting Master Roshi

After waiting for about an hour, a small black dot appeared on the distant sea.

Son Goku, with the best eyesight, shouted, "John, Bulma, look! There's an old man over there!"

"Where? Where?" Bulma stood up and scanned the sea, curious to see who had arrived.

When she realized she could only see a tiny dot, she said to Son Goku, "How can you see that far? Your eyes are incredible!"

Indeed, Son Goku was right. Soon, a sea turtle carrying an old man with a turtle shell on his back appeared on the water's surface. The old man was bald, had white hair, and was thin and bony.

The sea turtle quickly swam to the shore, and Master Roshi jumped off onto the beach. Seeing the three people before him, he asked his sea turtle, "Who saved you?"

Although Bulma had repeatedly suggested leaving the sea turtle and giving it to the bear-man, the sea turtle knew that it was because Bulma was an ordinary person. So, he didn't deny that Bulma was his savior.

The sea turtle extended his fin and pointed at John Doe, saying, "Mr. John promised to take me back to the sea."

Then, he pointed at Bulma, "Miss Bulma gave me a bucket of saltwater, saving me from dying of thirst."

Finally, he pointed at Son Goku, "Mr. Son defeated a bear-man, preventing me from being eaten."

"Oh, so many people saved you. I'll have to think of a good gift for all of you," Master Roshi muttered to himself.

At this moment, Bulma noticed the Dragon Ball hanging around Master Roshi's neck. It was glowing as it reacted to the three Dragon Balls in their possession.

Bulma tugged at John Doe's sleeve and said, "Hey, John, look at the Dragon Ball around that Master Roshi's neck."

John Doe, of course, had already noticed the Dragon Ball around Master Roshi's neck. He whispered to Bulma, "Wait, let's see what gift Master Roshi has for us. Then we'll consider whether we can exchange it for that Dragon Ball."

At this moment, Master Roshi finally decided on a gift for them. He raised his cane and shouted, "Come, Phoenix!"

Unfortunately, it was a bit awkward. After several seconds, there was no sign of the phoenix, except for a few seabirds in the distance. One of them even dropped a blob of bird poop on Master Roshi's forehead.

Master Roshi was furious and wanted to roast and eat the bird that had insulted him, but the sea turtle stopped him, reminding him that they were still waiting.

Master Roshi took out his handkerchief to wipe the bird poop off his forehead, but he ended up smearing it all over his face. Angrily, he threw away the handkerchief and washed his face with seawater.

After cleaning himself up, Master Roshi said, "I thought that bird would live forever after I named it Phoenix, but it seems I was wrong. Life is unpredictable, and we never know what the future holds."

"In that case, I'll give you an even better gift," he said, assuming the same pose and shouting, "Flying Nimbus!"

Again, there was no movement in the air for several seconds. Cold sweat appeared on Master Roshi's forehead, and just when he thought it had failed again, a pale yellow cloud flew in from the distant horizon and landed in front of him.

Bulma and Son Goku were amazed by the Flying Nimbus, wondering what it could do.

Master Roshi proudly explained, "This was a gift from Master Cat years ago. It has been with me for hundreds of years, and now I'm giving it to you."

Son Goku looked at the yellow cloud and asked, "But how do I eat this?"

Master Roshi quickly clarified, "You don't eat it. It's for riding. It can take you anywhere in the sky, but only those with pure hearts and no evil thoughts can ride it."

"Never mind, let me show you how it works," Master Roshi said, feeling that words alone couldn't convey the power of the Flying Nimbus. He walked up to the cloud, jumped onto it, and to everyone's surprise, he fell right through it.

The sea turtle quickly went to help his master stand up and asked with concern, "Master Roshi, are you okay?"

"How strange. Why can't I ride it?" Master Roshi was puzzled by the unexpected outcome.

At this point, Son Goku was eager to try it out. "Let me give it a shot," he said and jumped onto the Flying Nimbus. Unlike Master Roshi, he didn't fall through it.

"He, he, he's on it, Master Roshi!" the sea turtle exclaimed in surprise.

Master Roshi was shocked. He hadn't expected the child to be able to ride the Flying Nimbus, but it seemed he had a connection with it.

Master Roshi stood up and said, "It seems this gift is meant for you. You truly have a connection with the Flying Nimbus."

"Why don't you try riding it?" Master Roshi suggested to Son Goku.

So, Son Goku rode the Flying Nimbus, soaring through the sky and above the ocean. Bulma watched with envy.

Bulma asked Master Roshi, "Can I have a Flying Nimbus like this too?"

Master Roshi shook his head, "I only have one. Miss Bulma, you'll have to choose another gift."

Bulma looked longingly at the Flying Nimbus carrying Son Goku through the sky and said, "Alright, what other gift do you have for me?"

Master Roshi hesitated. To be honest, he didn't have many valuable items, and the Flying Nimbus was already a prestigious gift he could offer.

At this moment, John Doe nudged Bulma and pointed at the Dragon Ball hanging around Master Roshi's neck. Bulma understood and said, "Since you can't think of a gift for me, how about giving me the Dragon Ball around your neck?"