__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Aunt Gine, you actually know what kind of fruit this is?!" Harry asked in surprise.
From the flicker of excitement on Gine's face, it was obvious — this blood-red fruit was something valuable.
"Mhm. I don't know its exact name, but I'm certain it's the same kind Bardock and I ate once. Harry, looks like we've stumbled onto something incredible." Gine's voice carried a rare note of excitement.
The moment Harry heard that both Gine and Bardock had eaten it before, the last traces of his hesitation vanished.At least that meant it wasn't poisonous, wouldn't mess with their minds, and definitely wasn't some kind of parasitic, mind-controlling fruit. Otherwise, Gine wouldn't be so calm — or this pleased.
Harry stayed quiet, letting her reminisce, while Celari — bolder than ever — stepped forward."Aunt Gine and Uncle Bardock ate it too? Then it's safe to eat, right? Can I try one, Harry?"
"Let's hear Aunt Gine out first. Don't rush," Harry said, gently holding her back.
This girl could be way too daring sometimes.
"Fine…" Celari pouted and lowered her hand, though her body seemed to want the fruit. Something inside her was urging her to take a bite — as if she knew it would make her stronger.
"It's alright, Harry," Gine reassured him. "This kind of fruit is edible. Not only does it heal injuries, but it can also boost your combat power.
"Thinking back, it's been a long time… Bardock and I were on a mission on some distant planet when we discovered this fruit by chance. We were still young and reckless back then. Acting on instinct, we ate it — and the result shocked us. Our hunger vanished completely, and both our power levels rose dramatically.
"Unfortunately, that planet only had one such tree, with just a handful of fruit. We even tried to replant it on Planet Vegeta afterward, but it didn't work. The fruit didn't contain any seeds, and once the fruit was picked, the tree withered away soon after."
Gine told them everything she remembered, sighing softly at the end. "Never thought we'd find a fruit tree like that here on Planet Oyun."
That confirmed it for Harry — this "blood fruit" really was something akin to the Spirit Tree fruit.
"Nature's full of surprises," he mused. "I wonder if there are more of these trees on Oyun… or if this is the only one."
If there was one, there might be others — unless some alien traveler had passed by long ago, dropped a seed while resupplying, and unknowingly left this behind.
He didn't realize he was just one step away from the truth.
His thinking was still too limited to reach the real answer — because this tree wasn't some ordinary natural plant.Just like the Spirit Tree fruit, this was a food meant only for gods — a forbidden thing.
Such trees appeared on different planets purely by chance.This particular one? It had grown here centuries ago, after the God of Destruction, Beerus, casually tossed aside half a fruit while passing through this world.
The first-generation fruit had contained a seed — and that's what sprouted into this tree. The fruit growing now were its second or even third generation descendants.
The ones Gine and Bardock ate were later generations — fruit without seeds — which explained why they couldn't cultivate it.
"So… can we eat it now?" Celari asked eagerly, unable to hide the gleam in her eyes.
Now that Gine had finished explaining, the girl's greedy anticipation was plain as day — and honestly, kind of cute.
"Yeah, it's safe," Harry said. "But there's no need to go overboard. There must be at least twenty or thirty of these fruits here. We can't just stuff ourselves — that'd waste their effects."
They could eat them, sure, but the real challenge was transporting them.Each fruit was the size of two basketballs. Even if the three of them carried a few by hand, they'd barely get half.
And worse — the giant beasts were closing in.
Celari, stopped again, didn't protest this time. She listened — obedient as ever when Harry spoke.
Gine caught on to what Harry was thinking. "Why don't I head back and bring the ship here? That way we can load up all the fruit."
Harry's eyes lit up. He hadn't thought of that.
"Perfect. I'll stay here and guard the tree. Aunt Gine, take Celari with you," he said.
Gine nodded, taking the reluctant Celari by the arm, and the two quickly left.
The moment they were gone, Harry's eyes sharpened. The beasts were already near.
He didn't hesitate — his aura exploded outward as he unleashed his full power.His battle level of 1,300 flared to life, radiating pure, crushing force.
The shockwave of energy hit the forest like a storm.The creatures that had been creeping closer froze in place, trembling under the suffocating pressure. None dared move.
But the fruit's scent was too enticing.
The weaker beasts backed off — yet the strong ones only paused for a heartbeat before lunging forward recklessly, driven mad by hunger.
"RAAOOOOR!!"
From a hundred meters to his right, a hulking monster the size of a mountain came thundering toward him — like a living Godzilla tearing through the forest, crushing corpses and trees alike beneath its feet.
Even from a distance, its power was obvious. Harry's scouter beeped frantically — battle power, 600. One of the strong auras he'd sensed earlier.
For Gine and Celari, a beast like that would've meant certain death.For Harry, it was just… mildly troublesome.
"The strongest ones always wait till the end," he muttered. "Let the weak tear each other apart first, then swoop in for the spoils. Typical."
The ground quaked as the beast closed in, ignoring him completely. Its eyes were locked on the fruit — it planned to devour the entire tree in one bite.
"Over my dead body," Harry snarled.
Energy surged through him, flowing into his palm.He raised his hand — and unleashed a blazing golden energy wave.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the land. Flames and dust erupted skyward.
The monstrous beast that had come charging in so furiously… was gone — blown to pieces, nothing left but blood mist hanging in the air.
"..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________