Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

Celestial Dragon Shirou's face twisted in conflict. This wasn't just an invitation to watch—it was a test of whether he'd share his belongings.

Still, though they were all Shirou, with memories and abilities fully shared, they could basically be considered the same person.

But when it came down to it, if they spent time apart without syncing memories, they might as well be two different people.

If they didn't share their wealth, he'd have to find another storage space—like feeding a pet the Castle-Castle Fruit.

Yet such a stingy thought would be exposed the moment he shook hands with another self.

And if he didn't share, the others would think the same way...

After a long pause, Celestial Dragon Shirou nodded slightly and said gravely:

"Fine. From now on, this space will serve as the treasure vault for all of us Shirou. Every Shirou must store their belongings here. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine."

Though he'd already known this decision was coming, Shirou's face still showed a flicker of surprise.

In that moment, he could already foresee the grand spectacle this place would become.

"Ohh... generous big shot. But your stash is a bit sparse—can you collect more Devil Fruits?"

"A person can only eat one Devil Fruit. What's the point of hoarding so many?"

Celestial Dragon Shirou had barely finished speaking when he suddenly caught on, his eyes widening in surprise:

"You're not thinking of eating a Devil Fruit too, are you?"

"That's right. You ate the Snow-Snow Fruit, but the Snow-Snow Fruit ability I have is the one you shared with me. Strictly speaking, I'm not a Devil Fruit user."

"Will that loophole work? There's Seastone over there—want to test it?"

"Yeah, let's try."

Young Shirou followed Celestial Dragon Shirou, taking five or six steps through the white mist. What came into view was a pile of gleaming gold.

Beside the gold sat several ornate wooden cabinets, inside which were Devil Fruits, Beli, Seastone, and other items.

As for Famous Swords, they were placed on a weapon rack nearby.

Shirou opened a cabinet and placed his hand on a pair of Seastone handcuffs. Instantly, his legs went weak, and he could barely stand. He quickly let go.

"So even abilities shared this way are restricted by Seastone? Does that mean I'm a landlubber now too?"

"Count your blessings." Celestial Dragon Shirou laughed in exasperation. "Without my Snow-Snow Fruit, when you go back, you definitely wouldn't dodge that slash from Ryunosuke Uryu."

"True."

Shirou let out a soft sigh.

But since he'd be restricted by Seastone too, there was no need to risk eating another Devil Fruit.

After all, more selves would surely show up in the future. There was no point in obsessing over flawed abilities like Devil Fruits.

"Why did you choose the Snow-Snow Fruit? I get your reasoning, but isn't the Rumble-Rumble Fruit stronger? The strongest Logia-type isn't a joke."

The Celestial Dragon smiled. Since they were the same person, he knew the other understood his thoughts—he was just making small talk.

"If you've seen the memories, you should remember, right? When I was a kid, before eating the Devil Fruit, I hesitated for a long time."

"But in the end, I chose the Snow-Snow Fruit because its potential for both vertical and horizontal development is strong."

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly rang out.

The next second, Coachman Shirou ran over from a distance, clutching a pair of boots.

"I knew you two would be here. Here, the Holy Relic you wanted."

Young Shirou stared at the riding boots in his arms for a moment, his face twisting with disgust as he reluctantly took them.

"This is the Holy Relic you found? A pair of worn riding boots. Couldn't you find something else?"

"I'd love to steal Nero's sword, but I never got the chance." Coachman Shirou paused, then shifted the topic. "What were you two talking about? I thought I heard something about Devil Fruits."

Chapter 4: So Many Chuunibyou These Days

Section 4: Chapter 4: So Many Chuunibyou These Days

"We were talking about Devil Fruits... Forget it, let's just shake hands."

Celestial Dragon Shirou stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing he didn't need to explain at all.

Three pairs of hands clasped together, and the three segments of memories since their separation flooded into each of their minds simultaneously.

After a long moment, Celestial Dragon Shirou released their hands and continued:

"You already know my thoughts on sharing wealth. More big shots will definitely show up in the future. As the first ones here, we need to set a good example for the other Shirou."

"Let's leave that aside. I don't know who the next Shirou will be or when they'll arrive. Until a big shot appears, the Snow-Snow Fruit is our greatest asset right now."

"I think the three of us should develop the Snow-Snow Fruit in different directions. That way, we'll improve faster."

The other two naturally understood his meaning.

In the three years since eating the Snow-Snow Fruit, Celestial Dragon Shirou had been developing it vertically, pushing toward lower temperatures in an attempt to unlock the ability to freeze time.

But the Snow-Snow Fruit was ultimately not the Ice-Ice Fruit. Snow could be turned into ice, but it couldn't create ice directly.

For now, Celestial Dragon Shirou had already developed the ability to freeze everything within a certain range.

But first, the temperature wasn't low enough—far from freezing time. It could only be called Freeze Thought, slowing the thoughts and movements of everyone in the area.

Second, transforming snow into ice had a ten-second interval, making it useless in combat.

With a ten-second gap, anyone else would have shaken off the snow and escaped easily.

"Understood!" Coachman Shirou said thoughtfully. "I've got nothing to do all day except feed the horses. I might as well use that free time to develop the Snow-Snow Fruit."

"I'll focus on the conversion speed between snow and ice. Ten seconds is way too long for combat. If I can cut it down to one second, or even a tenth of a second, it'll be no different from Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit."

Celestial Dragon Shirou nodded slightly, speaking in a pleased tone:

"I'll stick to the same approach as before—focusing on temperature. I won't set sail until I've developed the ability to freeze time."

With three of them working together, the speed of developing Devil Fruit abilities would at least double.

That meant they could shorten the time before setting sail.

Noticing both of them staring at him, Young Shirou thought for a moment and said:

"Then I'll focus on Shape Molding. Snow can be shaped into snowmen, ice into ice sculptures. The more detailed, the tougher, and the harder to shape."

"In that regard, both snow and ice have huge potential."

"Alright, it's settled then." Celestial Dragon Shirou smiled. "It's getting late, and I should head back. Feel free to take whatever you want from here."

"I'll grab a piece of gold..."

Before he could finish, Coachman Shirou let out a long sigh and changed his mind:

"Forget it. Even a tiny piece of gold is a fortune to me. If I actually took it back, I'd have a hard time explaining. If someone mistakes me for a thief stealing from the master's house, I'm done for."

"I don't need anything either," Young Shirou said with a slight nod.

"Then... let's call it here."

With that, Celestial Dragon Shirou paused, then thrust out his right fist.

"Don't die, you two."

The two Shirous were caught off guard for a moment, then quickly grinned and bumped fists with him.

"Don't worry. We're all going to keep living."

Leaving the mist-shrouded space, time began to flow again.

The next moment, the watermelon knife in Ryunosuke Uryu's hand swung down fiercely.

Even though Shirou had braced himself, he still couldn't react in time.

Fortunately, elementalization was instinctive for Logia-type Devil Fruit users. Even without a conscious reaction, it triggered passively.

Without seawater, Seastone, or Armament Haki, it was impossible to touch intangible snow.

The sharp watermelon knife came down on his head, slicing Shirou in two.

The snow parted like tofu, offering no resistance at all.

The sensation of cutting through something so easily stunned Ryunosuke Uryu for a moment. Before he could react, a fist sent him flying backward.

'No wonder I spent three years training in the Pirate World. Even without learning a single move from the Six Powers, I'm still ridiculously strong.'

With this kind of physical ability, even trading blows with Kirei Kotomine wouldn't put him at a disadvantage.

The thought flashed through Shirou's mind.

Following the principle of pressing the advantage, Shirou lunged at Ryunosuke Uryu, who had been knocked back into the house. He pinned his neck with one hand and, with a thought, summoned a flurry of snowflakes that engulfed him entirely.

Buried in snow, Ryunosuke Uryu's consciousness began to fade.

He tried to resist, but Shirou's small hand clamped down on his neck like iron.

As time passed, Ryunosuke Uryu's awareness grew hazier, until the life drained from him entirely.

Ten seconds later, the snow vanished, leaving behind only a lifelike human-shaped ice sculpture.

"I won."

Shirou let out a long breath. His gaze shifted to the family of three tied up nearby. Just as he was about to speak, a sharp pain stung the back of his hand.

Looking down, he saw a strange pattern had appeared on his left hand.

"A Command Seal. Just as I expected!"

As an ordinary person, Ryunosuke Uryu had only been chosen for the Holy Grail War because they couldn't find anyone else to fill the slot.

Now that someone more suitable—like himself—had shown up, the Command Seal naturally came to him.

Next up was summoning a Servant.

Of course, this place wouldn't do.

Shirou stepped around the ice sculpture on the floor and hurried over to the family of three, untying their ropes one by one.

"Are you hurt? Looks like I got here just in time."

"You... who are you? How did you freeze someone into an ice pop?"

The husband and wife both looked terrified, not daring to meet Shirou's gaze at all.

In contrast, the young child, about the same age as Shirou, stared at him with eyes full of admiration.

"There's no other choice. Sorry."

Shirou extended his right index finger and activated Suggestion Magic.

The next moment, the family of three all wore dazed expressions.

A few seconds later, they gradually came to, staring blankly at the human-shaped ice sculpture, as if Shirou, standing right beside them, was completely a Translucent.

"I never thought a Masked Hero would come to save us..."

"That's great, honey. So there really are Masked Heroes in this world. Son, let's go thank the Masked Hero someday."

Until Shirou left, the three kept saying similar things.

In their minds, the one who saved them was a passing Masked Hero.

Stepping out of the living room, Shirou glanced back, shook his head with a smile, and muttered:

"What Masked Hero? I told them to come up with a reasonable explanation on their own, but who knew the whole family would coincidentally think of a Masked Hero."

"Too many chuunibyou cases these days."

Chapter 5: Borrowing a Magic Circle

Section 5: Chapter 5: Borrowing a Magic Circle

Now then, next up is summoning the Servant.

The crucial Command Seal is already in hand. As for the magic circle, that's easy—gem solution, mercury, or blood will all do.

"Tough spot, though. I'm flat broke right now. Even if I wanted to hit a gold shop to trade gold for cash, I'm just a seven-year-old kid—I'd definitely get chased off as some brat stealing from his family's stash."