Slug bowed to Gaino and pledged his allegiance. All the members of the Demon Clan knelt before Gaino in a grand show of respect, saying, "We are willing to submit to Lord Gaino."
"Good. Everyone, get up!"
"You've made the right choice. From today on, your lives as members of the Demon Clan are over. Now, everyone, board your own spaceships and wait in space."
Slug asked Gaino, "Lord Gaino, you want us to board our ships and wait in space. Are you planning to destroy Planet Slug?"
Gaino took out the Spirit Fruit Seed. When Slug saw it, he blurted out, "The Spirit Fruit Seed!"
"Oh, so you know about the Spirit Fruit Seed? Then you must know how it's used," Gaino said.
"Yes. If the Spirit Fruit Seed is planted on a planet, it quickly sprouts and absorbs all the energy on the planet. Then it grows at an incredible speed, becoming a Spirit Tree. After absorbing energy for forty-nine days, the Spirit Tree bears Spirit Fruits."
"You certainly know a lot about it. Your subordinate was trying to steal a Spirit Fruit Seed. I imagine he wanted to take it and offer it to you, but I beat him to it. You must be furious, aren't you?"
"I wouldn't dare, Lord Gaino," Slug said.
"Good. I think Planet Slug is quite suitable for growing a Spirit Fruit Seed." As he spoke, Gaino tossed the seed into the soil.
As soon as the Spirit Fruit Seed touched the soil, it quickly burrowed underground. Then it began frantically absorbing energy from Planet Slug. Gaino could clearly feel the planet's energy rapidly draining away. Watching the energy drain, Laiya said to him, "Big Brother Gaino, the energy is disappearing so quickly. We can clearly sense the energy on Planet Slug draining away."
"Yes, it's very noticeable," Gaino said.
After absorbing enough energy, the Spirit Fruit Seed broke through the soil and sprouted. Then it began to grow.
Gaino immediately turned to the Demon Clan soldiers who were whispering among themselves and said, "What are you waiting for?"
"Get on your ships and wait in space!" The soldiers snapped out of it at once, scattered in every direction, boarded their ships, and sped off into space.
Gaino, Laiya, Broly, Bardock, and Slug rose into the air to watch the Spirit Fruit Seed grow. Its growth speed left them all astonished.
The Spirit Fruit Seed grew rapidly. Its trunk had already risen, and then it branched out. Next, green leaves appeared, and buds formed on the smaller branches. It looked as though it was about to bear fruit.
Slug said, "Lord Gaino, all we need to do now is wait forty-nine days, and we'll see the Spirit Fruits on the Spirit Tree."
"Then let's wait forty-nine days."
"We can spend these forty-nine days on any planet near Planet Slug."
"Slug, as the ruler of the South Galaxy, you know better than I do which nearby planets are habitable. Pick one for us, and we'll go there to rest."
Actually, throughout the entire Milky Way, there were four major galaxies: the East, South, West, and North Galaxies. Each had its own ruler.
They were Frieza of the North Galaxy, King Cold of the East Galaxy, Cooler of the West Galaxy, and Slug of the South Galaxy.
They were all boasting, though. There were countless galaxies like these throughout the universe, and Slug's South Galaxy was merely a tiny corner of the greater Milky Way.
Slug, Frieza, King Cold, and Cooler could only be called relatively powerful warriors. They were nowhere near deserving the title of emperor of the universe. They were simply arrogant and ignorant.
"Lord Gaino, there's a planet near Planet Slug where we can rest. It's Planet Peida, not far from here."
"Good. Lead the way. We'll rest on Planet Peida and wait for the Spirit Fruit to ripen."
"Yes, Lord Gaino. Please follow me." Slug walked toward his spaceship, expecting Gaino to board it as well.
Gaino said, "I have my own ship. Just lead the way."
Hearing this, Slug said to Gaino, "Then please follow my ship, Lord Gaino."
"Mm." Gaino nodded.
Laiya said, "Big Brother Gaino, aren't you worried Slug will escape aboard his spaceship?"
Gaino replied, "If he's smart, he won't run. To escape, he'd need the strength to do so. Without it, he can only obey me."
"Big Brother Gaino is right. If Slug tries to escape, I'll kill him immediately."
"Don't worry. He won't run. Let's board our ship." Gaino and the others boarded, and Laika hurried over to him. "Your Majesty, you're back."
"Mm, Laika. Follow the ship ahead of us. We're going to Planet Peida to rest. We'll stay there for a little over a month, then come back."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'll pilot the ship and follow the one ahead."
Slug's ship led the way, with Gaino's following behind. With Slug's ship in front, their journey went smoothly.
The Space Pirates in the area steered clear as soon as they saw Slug's ship. Seeing this, Gaino said to Laiya and the others, "Looks like Slug has some influence in the South Galaxy. Just look at the Space Pirates around us."
"They were going to rob us, but as soon as they saw Slug's spaceship, they backed off. They didn't want to provoke him."
"Big Brother Laiya, I don't think that's influence. It's intimidation!"
"Whether it's influence or intimidation, as long as you're strong, you can do whatever you want in the universe."
"That's right. Strength is what matters most. As long as you're strong enough, you can do whatever you want," Bardock said.
"So keep working hard at your training!"
A little over a month passed quickly, and Gaino and the others returned to Planet Slug. When they arrived, Gaino saw golden fruits gleaming on the Spirit Tree.
"Are these the Spirit Fruits?"
"Yes, Lord Gaino. These are the Spirit Fruits. Eating one can rapidly increase your battle power, and it can also keep you young forever."
"Oh, it can keep you young forever? The Spirit Fruit has that effect too. I see. Your main reason for stealing the Spirit Fruit Seed was to keep yourself young forever!"
Slug already looked frail and ancient. No wonder he'd been so eager to obtain the Spirit Fruit.
"Yes, Lord Gaino. My goal was to stay young forever. My body has already grown old. If Namekians didn't have such tenacious life force, I would have died long ago."
"Don't worry. Now that you've joined me, I'll take care of that problem for you."
Hearing this, Slug immediately knelt and bowed in gratitude. "Then I thank you, Lord Gaino."