Don't Come Any Closer!

"For example, if I kept killing people, fighting, and drifting at sea, I'd probably grow up to look as rough as Acunologiya."

"But if I lived in luxury and studied etiquette and knowledge, I'd definitely grow into a handsome young nobleman."

"If I binged on food every day and never exercised, I'd probably grow into a fat man with a huge belly."

Hancock stared blankly at Shirou, unable to say a word.

After a long while, she murmured to herself:

"That's true. If I don't watch how I live, I'll definitely get fat in the future."

"Tell me, what did you need me for? To remove their brands?"

"We came to thank you. Thank you so much for helping us. I... I thought I would never see them again in this life."

As soon as Hancock finished speaking, her two younger sisters dropped to their knees with a thud and said humbly:

"Thank you for helping us!"

"Get up! Stop kneeling all the time. You're free now."

"Yes."

Shirou looked the two of them over and sighed inwardly.

As Hancock's sisters, they probably had not looked bad to begin with. But after eating Devil Fruits, they had become strangely misshapen.

Fortunately, there were plenty of bizarre creatures in this world, so the two of them did not stand out much.

If this had been his previous life, girls like them, who had essentially been turned into monsters by researchers, would have had no choice but death.

"Hancock, I'm setting sail tomorrow. Since you're going to work for me, stay here and serve as the vice president."

"Yes! May I ask who the president is...?"

"The president must have great strength and an excellent mind. Acunologiya will take the role."

"Mr. Acunologiya?"

Hancock looked at Shirou in confusion and thought:

Isn't that you? Why do you have to turn into that form and give yourself a fake name like Acunologiya?

"Why do you turn into that form?"

"You mean Acunologiya? Of course, it's because he looks more intimidating. When fighting or negotiating with people, opponents will definitely tremble in fear when they see that face. But if they face me, they might not even bother to make a move."

"Is Mr. Acunologiya your avatar?"

"That's right. Haven't you already seen it?"

Shirou chuckled and began forming hand seals with both hands.

"Like this, Water Clone Jutsu!"

In an instant!

Five eight-year-old Shirous suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the room.

"Mimicry—Acunologiya."

The next moment, all five avatar Shirous transformed into Black Dragon Shirou.

The original Acunologiya naturally did not look like this, and his height was completely different as well. As Shirou had said, this was what Shirou Kotomine looked like after growing up, with some resemblance to Celestial Dragon Shirou.

"While an avatar exists, I can't control his body or know what he's thinking. But once the avatar is dismissed, all his memories and emotions will return to my main body."

"So when you interact with him from now on, just treat him as another me."

"Water Clone Jutsu—Release!"

The five avatars vanished at once, leaving only Shirou and the three Hancock sisters in the room again.

"So that's how it is..."

Hancock looked thoughtful. She felt like she understood a little, yet also like she understood nothing at all.

"How long can your avatar, Mr. Acunologiya, exist?"

"A year or two won't be a problem."

"Whoa... That's amazing!"

He had just made five avatars. If each one possessed enough power to easily defeat Mr. Fisher Tiger, even the Four Emperors might not be their match.

At that moment, Hancock seemed to see a future where Adventurer's Guilds spread across the world, replaced the Marines and Pirates, and ushered in a glorious new era.

"How old are you this year?"

"Eight years and nine months. Almost nine."

"Mm..."

When she had been nine, she seemed to have still been playing all over Amazon Lily.

"Are you setting sail to establish more Adventurer's Guilds?"

"My avatars will handle that. On one hand, I'm setting sail to investigate the specialties, customs, and cultures of different places so I can prepare to establish a merchant association. On the other hand, I want to see this world with my own eyes."

Shirou paused and sighed.

"Ever since I was born, I've stayed at home and never once gone outside. The only world I knew was Mary Geoise, newspapers, and the stories told by others."

"I've heard that the weather at sea changes without warning, and that Sea Kings can often be encountered. I've heard that there are countless vicious pirates at sea who kill and burn at the slightest disagreement. I've heard that there are many magnificent sights and countless strange races at sea..."

"But I've never seen any of it with my own eyes. So I want to see everything this world has to offer."

Hancock stared blankly at him. Before this, she had never met anyone like him.

Celestial Dragons were stupid as pigs, cruel, and tyrannical. Pirates were crude and filthy, yet filled with lofty ambitions. Marines upheld justice, yet were greedy by nature...

But the person before her was arrogant, yet treated everyone the same. He was cold, yet could still laugh and chat with others.

He truly was special, a one-of-a-kind existence in the entire world.

Like a god who had fallen into the human world—aloof and lonely, yet touched by the childishness unique to someone his age.

"C-Can I come with you too? Travel across the sea?"

"No." Shirou smiled and shook his head. "You're too weak. If I take you to sea, I'll have to protect you."

"B-But the maids on the ship aren't even stronger than me."

"If they die, I'll be sad for an hour at most. But you're different."

"W-Whoa...!" Hancock was startled, and a faint blush appeared on her face.

"If you die, I'll be sad for a day or two."

"That's too much! At least make it a few more days."

"Hahaha... Then work hard and become stronger! My avatar is staying here. If you want to improve your two forms of Haki or train in the Six Powers, just go to him."

"Yes! I'll definitely do everything I can to catch up!"

Don't Come Any Closer

Chapter 40: Don't Come Any Closer

Voyaging at sea was even more tedious than imagined. Before they knew it, a week had already passed.

They had encountered quite a few pirates, but most of them were rookies who had only just set out.

Every time pirates eagerly leaped onto the deck in an attempt to board the ship, they were casually taken out by CP0 members and Vice Admiral Borsalino before they could even make a move.

On another night, several Shirous gathered in the White Mist Space.

"Still no news about the Imitation Fruit?"

"How could it be that fast? I've already told the CP Organization to search as hard as they can. I call several times every day to urge them on. You're the one who's been slacking off on your reading lately, Tohsaka."

"Haha... Just like you said, there's plenty of time."

As they spoke, the white mist around them suddenly grew thicker, and visibility plummeted.

In the blink of an eye, only the spot where they stood remained free of mist.

"What's going on?" Celestial Dragon Shirou muttered.

"Maybe some newcomers have arrived."

Slime Shirou chuckled.

As soon as he finished speaking, shouting came from the distance.

"Who's over there? Is anyone there? Help!!"

"Where is this? Is anyone here?"

As the dense fog gradually dispersed, two newcomers appeared before them.

The boy on the left looked around sixteen or seventeen. He wore a T-shirt and shorts, making it obvious that he came from modern society.

He was around 1.9 meters tall, with neat short hair. He resembled Shirou Kotomine by about fifty percent and was practically an enlarged Shirou.

The boy on the right was a little over 1.7 meters tall. He was more handsome than Shirou Kotomine, like Shirou with a beauty filter permanently turned on.

He wore beige pajamas and slippers, and held a phone that was currently running a game. He also appeared to be from the modern world.

"Welcome, newcomers! Come on, shake hands."

"Ah... Okay, sure."

Pajama Shirou extended his right hand and shook hands with Coachman Shirou.

Meanwhile, T-Shirt Shirou frowned and took a step back, avoiding the right hand Slime Shirou had extended toward him.

"Ohhh...! My cheat has finally arrived! I never thought that I..."

Before Pajama Shirou could finish, he tripped on flat ground and threw himself onto Slime Shirou, pressing tightly against him.

"What are you doing?" Slime Shirou instantly changed from the Demon Lord form back into a Slime and dodged his attack. "You've already shared all of our strength, so why are you still falling down? Don't tell me you did that on purpose?"

"How could I? I'm not a pervert!"

Pajama Shirou got to his feet and sighed.

"It can't be helped. Ever since I was little, I've always had terrible luck. I keep suddenly falling over everywhere. I didn't expect that even after gaining all of your power, that still wouldn't change."

Coachman Shirou, who had just shaken hands with him and sorted through his new memories, said irritably:

"You're clearly getting the best of both worlds, aren't you? You get to take advantage of all kinds of beautiful girls every day. Pervert!"

"That's completely beyond my control! Besides, that isn't taking advantage of anyone. It's just bad luck. How about you try getting slapped every day?"

Pajama Shirou's surname was Tsukimi, while his given name was still Shirou. He lived in an extremely ordinary world and led the life of a light novel protagonist.

More specifically, he often tripped around girls, and every time he fell, uncontrollable circumstances caused his hand or face to press against some part of their bodies.

The Slime bounced around on the ground a few times before asking in surprise:

"What about me? I'm clearly genderless, so why did you still fall next to me?"

"Obviously, his passive skill, Divine Fall, sees you as female." Celestial Dragon Shirou chuckled, but then suddenly realized something. "Wait! A lousy skill like that won't be shared too, will it?"

As soon as he said that, the Shirous all took a step back and stared at Tsukimi Shirou of Divine Fall with strange expressions.

"Why not test it? I'll transform into the Demon Lord's form, and Slime, you transform into a male Shirou and walk around me once." Celestial Dragon Shirou suggested.

"Alright, here I come!"

The two transformed at the same time and walked circles around each other several times.

When they discovered that Slime Shirou, in male Shirou form, had not fallen, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like, just like the Demon Lord's Great Sage, this isn't a skill that can be shared."

"That's good, that's good. I don't want to be known as some perverted Divine Fall guy."

"This skill is far too awful! No matter how kind someone is, they won't have a good reputation if they possess a skill like this."

At that, Celestial Dragon Shirou paused and turned toward the other newcomer, T-Shirt Shirou.

"What about you? What's your situation? After listening for so long, you probably understand what's going on, right? As long as you shake hands, you'll immediately share all memories and strength."

This time, T-Shirt Shirou retreated several steps in a row, frantically avoiding Celestial Dragon Shirou's large hand.