Chapter 2: The Awakening of the Mind (Part 2)
"Luo Han, why haven't you eaten it yet? It's pretty tasty… huh? Luo Han, is that your fish scale fruit?" chubby little Cole asked with a curious tone.
Luo Han replied, "Yes, though it's a bit strange… hmm! The taste might be… unbelievably awful! I guess…"
After speaking, Luo Han picked it up. If it really was a Devil Fruit, it should taste horrible.
Weird! Why was he both excited and afraid? Luo Han wondered.
Judging by its shape, it didn't resemble the banana form typical of Zoan-types, nor the pineapple form of Logia-types—so it had to be a Paramecia.
Luo Han took a bite, and the taste was indescribable. One look at his ashen face said it all.
But Luo Han was still excited—this meant that the unusual fish scale fruit was indeed a Devil Fruit!
The very next second, he wasn't excited anymore.
"Little Luo Han, don't waste it! Hurry and eat the rest," Uncle Kate's booming voice made Luo Han's face go even paler.
What else could he do? Even with tears in his eyes, he had to finish it. Luo Han ate the rest of the Devil Fruit with his eyes closed, tears streaming down his face—completely drenched in sorrow.
"How is it, Little Luo Han? Feeling anything? Judging from your expression, it must be effective! Hahaha!" Uncle Kate asked, trembling with laughter.
Uncle Kate! Which eye of yours saw that? Was it my pale face? Or the tears flooding down my cheeks?! Damn, Devil Fruits really are disgusting… Luo Han suffered silently.
Luo Han replied, "Not bad, I guess! What do you think, Uncle Kate?"
Uncle Kate chuckled, "Haha! As long as it works!"
After that, Uncle Kate gathered all the adults on the island.
"Everyone, listen up! You all know what to do next!" he called out.
The crowd responded, "We know…"
Uncle Kate continued, "Our quadrennial Fish Scale Fruit Festival is also known as the Harvest Festival. So, everyone grab your spears and follow me into the water to collect the fish!"
"Alright, Captain, let's get started! We can't wait!" everyone replied joyfully, making their way down to the lake one after another, leaving only the elderly behind in the plaza.
And of course, those who had just eaten the fish scale fruit, including Luo Han.
"Alright everyone, sit down and carefully sense how the fish scale fruit is transforming your body. This will help your training in the future," said the elder, Ryan.
"Chubby and Xiao Han, you two sit down as well. You're both ten years old—you'll get to eat the fruit again in four years. The more you focus now, the more you'll improve next time."
Ryan lowered his head to speak to Luo Han and Cole.
"Got it."
"Right away!"
Luo Han and the chubby one responded in turn.
Hearing that this would help future training, even the ever-rowdy chubby Cole quickly sat down. After all, he still had to stop his parents from fighting…
But Luo Han didn't sit down—after all, what he ate was a Devil Fruit. Instead, he walked to the edge of the plaza and peered down through the gaps in the divine tree's roots.
The scene he had seen once before appeared again before his eyes.
The lake surrounding the island was full of fish floating powerlessly—some large, some small, even a few small Sea Kings over a hundred meters long.
Every time the fish scale fruit ripened, the divine tree would release a special scent into the water. This scent lasted until sunset.
Until then, it attracted all kinds of sea creatures through the underwater tunnels connected to the ocean.
But because of the tree's desalination ability, the closer the water was to the lake's surface, the fresher it became.
Sea creatures used to saltwater, upon approaching the fresh water near the surface, would pass out due to the lack of oxygen caused by the concentration of sea life.
Thus, the islanders' harvest came naturally.
This created a kind of mutual understanding—a symbiotic relationship between the divine tree and the islanders. The tree's fruits gave the islanders strength, and the islanders helped clean up its mess. (Meaning, the sea creatures it attracted.)
"Xiao Han, then you stay here and cultivate. Grandma will go boil water and wait for you to come home," Granny Mo said with a smile.
"Mhm, Grandma, go rest. I'll come home after I get the fish tonight!" Luo Han replied, speaking to the elderly woman who had been watching him closely.
Granny Mo said, "Alright, alright. Xiao Han, take care then. I'll head back now." She turned around and slowly walked away, leaning on her cane.
"I will! Hehe!" Luo Han smiled at her slightly hunched figure. Sigh… his relationship with Granny Mo wasn't ordinary.
Luo Han's parents had died of illness not long after he was born. No one knew what illness—it was just the way things were in this era. Either your body survived it, or you waited to die.
After his parents passed, Luo Han was raised by Granny Mo. Though they weren't related by blood, she had always treated him well. Luo Han was deeply grateful. After all, he had come from another world and had known from a young age how hard she worked.
After thinking this, he glanced at chubby Cole, who was already fully immersed in the sensation.
Luo Han finally sat down as well, closing his eyes to focus on sensing the power brought by the Devil Fruit he had eaten.
After several quiet minutes, he opened his eyes with a sudden understanding—it was a power related to the mind.
As for how it manifested, it all depended on one's imagination. In the beginning, there wouldn't be any obvious effects—it would all come down to development later on.
Luo Han thought, this might be why the previous user of this Devil Fruit had died.
After all, spiritual cultivation required imagination.
And with the wild imagination of Earthlings, the mind could be pushed to its limits.
Like "Kotoamatsukami," the most powerful genjutsu in the Naruto world—it could permanently alter a person's thoughts and will. Like turning your father's killer into your most beloved father, and truly believing it from the bottom of your heart.
Or the "Kyōka Suigetsu" ability from Bleach, which could control all five senses—plus the sixth. Just imagining that was terrifying. Not to mention how similar it was to Observation Haki.
Thinking of this, Luo Han felt a force within his mind surging to break free.
Boom! It felt like time both stood still and flew by in an instant. Luo Han closed his eyes and sensed the world anew. In the darkness, unfamiliar lights appeared—along with countless breaths.
Those lights must be the island's people and the sea creatures.
"This one's huge, someone help!"
"This Sea King's good enough to nourish those kids, haha!"
Voices echoed one after another. There was no doubt—he had awakened Observation Haki. And with a range that could nearly cover the entire Ring Tree Island!
As expected, this Mind Fruit required conceptual imagination. Not just empty fantasy, but an idea with form. Like "divine sense"—those who read xianxia novels on Earth would already have a basic idea of it. Divine sense was an extension of one's spiritual power to perceive the environment—like using your hand to feel and form a radar-like image.
Once you had such a concept, the Mind Fruit's power would activate, forming a controllable ability: Observation Haki.
After carefully familiarizing himself with the Observation Haki, Luo Han continued to explore what other changes the Mind Fruit might bring.
Time passed as he studied the Devil Fruit's powers.
Before he knew it, night had fallen. The sun slipped quietly beneath the horizon. Islanders who had gone to harvest fish began returning. The first plaza layer below was now piled with fish.
Aside from the fish everyone would take home that night, the rest would be salted by the hunting team and stored in a stone cave on the island.
That cave was quite special—it could preserve salted fish for three to four years.
(END CHAPTER)
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