For Frieza, the combat power Turles and his companions possessed met his requirements.
They hadn't wasted his time.
A fighter with a combat power approaching 10,000 was already exceptionally formidable in the universe.
High-quality fighters like Turles and his companions were excellent even by the standards of the Frieza Force.
Frieza couldn't help applauding.
"Mr. Turles!"
"You've given me quite a surprise!"
Frieza tilted his head, his smile as elegant as if he were admiring a decorative piece of porcelain.
"Even King Vegeta of the Saiyans back then fell far short of you, Mr. Turles!"
"Could you be the Legendary Super Saiyan, Mr. Turles?"
Turles paused at that.
For a moment, he couldn't follow Frieza's leap in logic.
But Frieza couldn't be blamed. He had never seen a real Super Saiyan.
It was only natural for him to think that way.
Turles shook his head.
"You're joking, Lord Frieza. The Super Saiyan is nothing but an elusive legend."
"The combat power I possess is really just the result of luck. In truth, I owe it to a treasure."
The tip of Frieza's tail paused on the armrest for a beat.
"Oh, my, my-luck, you say?"
He tilted his head.
"You're far too modest, Mr. Turles~"
"But speaking of treasures, Mr. Dodoria did mention that you'd brought something that might interest me."
"I wonder, Mr. Turles... would you be willing to let me have a look?"
Turles tipped his chin slightly toward the people behind him.
Cacao understood. An armor plate on his chest slid open silently, revealing a built-in storage compartment.
A mechanical arm reached inside with precision and retrieved an alloy container.
The container wasn't large.
It was the size of a fist, with a silver-gray casing and a tight seal.
Cacao stepped forward and placed the container in Turles's hands.
Turles accepted it with both hands.
He walked up to Frieza and presented it with both hands.
Frieza casually took it.
He showed little reaction.
In truth, Frieza had never paid much attention to this so-called treasure.
Something ordinary people regarded as a treasure might not be one to him.
He was already satisfied to have gained such a fine group of subordinates as Turles and his companions today.
"Lord Frieza!"
"What's inside is called the Tree of Might!"
"It can increase the combat power of whoever eats it!"
"The reason I have the combat power I do today..."
"Is all thanks to this fruit!"
"The Tree of Might..."
Frieza murmured softly.
"A fruit... that makes you stronger when you eat it?"
Dodoria and Zarbon exchanged a glance beside him.
Turles continued explaining the Tree of Might to Frieza.
Of course, he embellished the details slightly.
After listening, Frieza's expression grew even more indifferent.
It needed to absorb a planet's life force to grow, and the increase in combat power was so meager?
He held the Tree of Might in his hand.
Then he seemed ready to taste it himself, bringing it to his mouth.
He suddenly stopped.
He handed it back to Turles.
"According to you, Mr. Turles, it really is a miraculous fruit. I'd like to see its marvelous effects for myself."
"I wonder if you could satisfy my curiosity, Mr. Turles?"
Turles was momentarily taken aback.
Before this, he had considered many other possibilities.
As he had originally seen it, there were only two things Frieza might do after receiving the Tree of Might.
The first was to swallow it in one bite and experience the supposed increase in combat power himself.
But Turles had thought that unlikely.
After all, Frieza wasn't a complete fool who would immediately stuff something unknown into his mouth.
The more likely possibility was that Frieza would hand the Tree of Might over to the Frieza Force's research team.
That would have made sense.
But the situation before him had taken Turles by surprise.
What was this about?
In truth, Turles had underestimated Frieza's arrogance after all.
The reason he had handed the Tree of Might back to Turles...
Besides being wary of Turles and not intending to taste the fruit himself, he had never been very interested in it.
It was simple: Turles and his subordinates had eaten so many Trees of Might, yet their combat power was still so low that they were no stronger than ants in his eyes.
He simply couldn't take it seriously, especially when it needed to absorb a planet's life force each time it grew.
That made it even less worthwhile.
Although the Frieza Force had accumulated a more vicious reputation over the years than it had under King Cold,
The Frieza Force had always conducted legitimate business on the surface.
Back when the Frieza Force was expanding most rapidly, the Galactic Patrol could only strike hard at Planet Vegeta.
It had no way to hold the Frieza Force accountable.
Only later, because of the God of Destruction Beerus's instructions and because that Vegeta, who must have taken the wrong medicine, had actually dared to defy him, did Frieza finally make up his mind to wipe out those savage monkeys.
Now that he had lost the Saiyans, that powerful group of enforcers who did his dirty work,
He had no desire to provoke those bothersome Galactic Patrol officers for the time being.
He might as well see the actual effects of this so-called "divine fruit" for himself right here, then decide what to do.
Turles had no room to refuse at this point.
"Lord Frieza, I'd be happy to oblige!"
He took the Tree of Might.
Without hesitation, he took a bite.
After he swallowed the flesh in his mouth,
Power surged through his body!
Dodoria, understanding what to do, switched on his scouter.
[38,000!]
Turles's combat power had risen straight from 35,000 to 38,000!
Yet the result only reinforced Frieza's original opinion.
In his eyes, the Tree of Might wasn't even worth as much as a single life-bearing planet.
There was no doubt about it.
An ordinary planet capable of supporting life could fetch a substantial price after being prepared for sale.
Risk attracting the Galactic Patrol's attention just to grow these barely useful fruits?
What a joke.
Of course, he didn't voice these thoughts.
After all, gaining the service of Turles and his group of high-quality subordinates was his greatest gain today.
So Frieza put on a look of great surprise and applauded.
"Ho, ho, ho-"
"What an astonishing sight!"
"You've truly opened my eyes, Mr. Turles!"
Seeing this, Turles hurried to respond.
"Lord Frieza! I'm terribly sorry, but this is the only fruit I have left at the moment."
"If you wish, I can go to the West Galaxy and search for more of these 'divine fruits' for you!"
At that, Frieza half-covered his mouth with one hand, without losing his elegance.
"Ho, ho, ho~ That's very thoughtful of you, Mr. Turles."
"But I think we can discuss such a small matter later. You've traveled a long way, Mr. Turles, so why don't you come back to headquarters with me and rest first?"
"I'd also like to introduce you to some friends, Mr. Turles."
"I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised."