Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

"You might as well just buy a spaceship at that point."

"No need. I want exactly the ship I said."

"Fine, I'll ask Sastin for you."

Seeing this, the other Shirous crowded around, each listing what they needed. Black Dragon Shirou wanted a gravity-adjusting bracelet, Slam Dunk Shirou wanted shoes that wouldn't sweat, Tohsaka Shirou wanted a device to speed up reading...

With so many requests, Tsukimi Shirou had to jot them down in his phone's notepad to avoid forgetting.

"I'll ask Sastin later. The galaxy's huge—surely they have these things, right?"

"If not, we'll get Lala to make them. We won't mind if there's a flaw or two."

"No way. We've only known her for a day, and I'm already asking her to craft a ton of stuff? I'd definitely be hated!"

Pirate World.

After returning from the White Mist Space, Shirou lay on the deck, staring fixedly at the stars.

He'd thought the newly joined Tsukimi Shirou was a fellow lone wolf like himself, but it turned out he'd also met his destined other half.

That left only one Shirou feeling solitary—himself.

Maybe, as the other selves had said, he was just lonely.

"Sigh..."

"The sea breeze is strong at night. Staying out here too long—mind you don't catch a cold."

The sudden voice made Shirou glance back, then shift his gaze to the night sky again.

"It's you, Mr. Borsalino."

"According to the route, we should reach Jaya Island in about an hour."

"Good. Finally, we're almost there."

That meant above the sky lay Skypiea.

Rumble-Rumble Fruit, here I come!

"There's a dangerous character on Jaya Island these past couple of days. If there's nothing important, please don't wander off after disembarking."

"Dangerous character? How dangerous?"

"The kind that makes little kids cry."

"Haha... really? Who?"

"A pirate known by the alias Heavenly Yaksha."

"So it's Doflamingo. A guy who dares to wear a pink coat and high heels—yeah, that's pretty terrifying."

Borsalino paused, then burst into laughter.

He'd thought the Celestial Dragon had come to meet Doflamingo, so he'd deliberately probed.

Seems it was just a coincidence.

But if he wasn't here to meet someone, was he here to find something?

As they spoke, the island came into view on the horizon.

"About time."

Shirou took a white pebble from his chest and tossed it toward the sky.

As a Celestial Dragon, he always had a swarm of CP0 agents tailing him whenever he went out, making everything inconvenient.

So, Shirou had split off several water clones in advance, turning them into pebbles and stashing them in his coat pocket.

Now was the time to use them.

The pebble shot straight into the sky, passing through the White Sea and the White White Sea at ten thousand meters.

When it reached Skypiea, the Transformation Technique instantly dissolved. The clone Shirou halted midair, steadied himself, and flew toward a populated area.

The ship below soon docked at the shore. Surrounded by a crowd of CP0 agents, Shirou slowly disembarked.

The Marine Rear Admiral Borsalino, serving as his escort, followed closely behind, while the rest of the crew mostly stayed on the ship.

But no sooner had they left the pier than a horde of pirates charged at them with a roar.

"Kill!"

"Take out the Celestial Dragon! Marine Headquarters is way too far—the Admiral won't make it in time!"

"Slaughter them all. Leave no witnesses, and no one will know who did it!"

The CP0 agents instantly formed a formation, flanking Shirou and shielding him inside.

Borsalino swept his gaze around, twisted his mouth into a grin, and chuckled:

"Oh my, oh my... so many pirates. How terrifying..."

Shirou glanced at him, thinking to himself:

The pirates are terrifying, but you, who can easily defeat them, are clearly even more so.

So, this is—blowing your own horn?

Borsalino stepped forward, his hands moving lightly as countless golden beams shot out like machine guns, continuously raining down on the pirates.

In just two seconds, the ferocious pirates all collapsed to the ground.

Shirou slowly walked toward a pirate clutching his stomach and groaning, but after only two steps, two CP0 members blocked his path.

"Your Excellency, these filthy pirates will dirty your clothes. Please don't approach them."

"In that case, interrogate them for me. How did they know I'd be coming to Mock Town tonight?"

"Understood!"

CP0 strode forward, grabbed the pirate by the collar, and dragged him all the way into a side alley.

Soon, screams echoed from within.

After about a minute, CP0 slowly walked back out.

"Your Excellency, the information has been obtained. News of your arrival here has been spreading throughout the town for the past three days."

Chapter 44: That Look Really Suits Your Clothes

"Oh...? I see."

Shirou looked thoughtful. It seemed this matter was related to Doflamingo.

He had no evidence, nor any sixth sense—just the fact that Doflamingo happened to be here.

Aside from hotheads like Luffy, only two kinds of people would dare lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon.

One kind is the ignorant and fearless, who don't know what a Celestial Dragon is and thus feel no fear. The other kind has confidence in their own strength, like the Emperors, who figure killing a Celestial Dragon is no big deal and strike without hesitation.

These people were most likely the first kind.

From that reasoning, there was a high probability they had been instigated by Doflamingo.

Of course, whether Doflamingo did it or not, since he was here, he was the mastermind.

With that thought, Shirou took out another pebble and tossed it into the side alley.

"What's that?" Borsalino asked in surprise.

"Nothing, just a stone I picked up on the road."

"A Celestial Dragon bends down to pick up roadside stones?"

"Celestial Dragons are human too."

"Haha... You're the only one I've ever met who thinks that way, little brother."

"Well... same here."

The pebble flew into the deep alley, automatically deactivated its transformation, and reverted to its original form.

"Mimicry—Acunologiya."

Instantly! His body swelled, his skin darkened.

"My strength hasn't changed, but with this height, it really feels perfect for fighting."

The clone Shirou muttered, then activated his Observation Haki at full power, sweeping across the entire island in an instant.

"Over there?"

In his Black Dragon King form, Shirou sped through the night streets. With his dark skin and all-black clothes, most passersby only saw a black shadow flash by.

Bang!

"Doflamingo, found you!"

"Fufufu... The Adventurer's Guild president, Acunologiya, you're fast."

Shirou swatted away the Parasite String extending from Doflamingo's hand and lunged at him.

Relying on his sharp Observation Haki, Doflamingo dodged to the right, trying to evade the attack.

But compared to what Shirou perceived, he saw far too little.

This dodge, seemingly evasive, actually played right into Shirou's hands. A punch sent him flying, crashing into a distant wall, his cheek instantly swelling.

"Calmed down yet? How about we grab a drink together?"

Despite his disheveled state, Doflamingo's tone was utterly relaxed, as if he hadn't just been hit.

"Looks like you expected me to come find you here?"

"Fufufu... Based on my estimates, you shouldn't have tracked me down this quickly. I have to say, aside from your strength, your intelligence is equally remarkable."

"Oh...? So that attack earlier wasn't just to test me, but also to say hello?"

Doflamingo stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and tested the waters:

"With your abilities, I imagine you have an equal partnership with the Celestial Dragons. In that case, why not add me to the mix?"

So that was it.

Shirou pondered. He hadn't uncovered that Acunologiya was his own clone.

Back at the Mary Geoise docks, he'd used Clone Technique and Transformation Technique in front of tens of thousands of slaves, never intending to hide it.

But this man hadn't found that out—he only knew Acunologiya as the Adventurer's Guild's master, closely tied to the Celestial Dragons.

It seemed his intelligence network wasn't all that impressive.

"Are you trying to poach me?"

"Fufufu... I just want to give you more options. That's not a bad thing, is it?"

"True."

Shirou nodded slightly, speaking slowly:

"It's not a bad thing. Your information is convenient, and your preparations are thorough. However, I refuse!"

"I see... What a shame. It seems you won't live to see tomorrow's sunrise."

Doflamingo shook his head with a grin, unleashing a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki.

"Oh...? You're going to kill me?" Shirou asked.

"No, how could I? If you vanished from this world, I'd have no way to answer to the Celestial Dragons."

Doflamingo paused, his voice suddenly sharpening:

"Acunologiya will always exist, as my subordinate, joining me to welcome the new era."

"And you will die tonight, as a nameless nobody."

Shirou's mind stirred. The Pirate World had no Transformation Technique—only something like the Imitation Fruit could pull that off.