Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

"Well, I guess it works as a post-meal workout."

Shirou nodded lightly and said casually:

"You attack first."

"Okay, I'm coming!"

The moment she spoke, Kuina charged forward with her sword raised.

Shirou gently twisted the ice sword in his hand, parrying her blade. He wanted to push her back but worried about accidentally hurting her.

"Let's stop here. I did say yesterday that only by constantly challenging stronger foes can you grow, but if the gap's too wide, it's pointless."

Shirou lowered his ice sword, took half a step back, and turned his gaze to the CP0 members around them, asking:

"Any of you skilled in swordsmanship?"

The next moment, two CP0 agents stepped forward at once.

"Sir, I'm proficient in swordsmanship."

"Me too."

"Fewer than I expected." Shirou glanced between them, his eyes settling on the one on the left. "You, give Kuina some pointers. Be careful not to hurt her."

"Understood. In that case, it'd be better to use bamboo swords."

"Fine."

With a flick of his mind, two bamboo swords materialized in Shirou's hands.

Kuina sheathed her real blade, took the bamboo sword from Shirou, and handed the other to the CP0 agent, bowing slightly:

"Please guide me."

Inside the White Mist Space.

"Help! Help, does anyone know any advanced swordsmanship?"

After shaking hands, all the Shirous present understood at once.

"Afraid of leading her astray?" Mizukage Shirou asked with a smile.

"Of course! Since Kuina's sailing with me, I'm responsible for her—I need to pave her a path to becoming a Great Swordsman."

Celestial Dragon Shirou paused, then sighed:

"Those two CP0 on the ship are at the swordsman level, maybe not even as good as Koshiro. Having them teach Kuina is fine short-term, but over time, it's just leading her down the wrong path."

"Too bad none of us here are good at swordsmanship. Can't guide her."

"Sorry, the Holy Grail War's over. I can't help you." Tohsaka Shirou paused, then suddenly seemed to recall something, looking at Demon Lord Shirou. "Any luck? Found Fuyuki City?"

"No." Demon Lord Shirou shook his head slightly. "Looks like the timing was just a coincidence."

"So it's still A, huh? What a shame. If you were in the Fifth War, Sasaki Kojiro's Swallow Return would've been perfect for Kuina." Tohsaka Shirou let out a soft sigh.

Celestial Dragon Shirou nodded in deep agreement:

Indeed, compared to Artoria and Nero's sweeping battlefield swordsmanship, Sasaki Kojiro's technique-based style—meant for cutting swallows—was far better.

If the chance ever came, he might learn it and teach Kuina. But for now, that was out of the question.

"Anyone else? Got any good swordsmanship to recommend?"

The Shirous pondered for a few seconds, then spoke up one by one:

"Sorry, but as you know, the samurai in our Ninja World have long declined. Everyone uses jutsu that's basically magic—there's no advanced swordsmanship."

"Same here. In a world where Dragon-Slaying, God-Slaying, and Demon-Slaying magic runs rampant, swordsmanship just isn't popular."

"Don't look at me. The old man's swordsmanship is decent, but I don't think he's better than the Great Swordsmen of the Pirate World. At best, he's on par with a slightly above-average swordsman."

"Alright, you don't need to say more!" Tsukimi Shirou said with a grin. "Times like this, it's up to me. I'll go ask Sastin for some pointers on swordsmanship."

"Sastin?" Celestial Dragon Shirou's face showed a hint of disdain. "He's an alien, sure, but his swordsmanship always feels a bit unreliable."

"You're underestimating Sastin too much. He's the captain of the Deviluke royal family's guard, after all. He's got some real skill."

"Uh... fine, better than nothing."

Just then, Sakurai Shirou suddenly spoke up:

"I've got an idea!"

"What?" Celestial Dragon Shirou pressed immediately.

"Like you told Kuina, a true swordsman can only grow through killing."

"I never said that! Well, close enough. Go on."

Sakurai Shirou shot him a glare and continued:

"If you want Kuina to grow fast, I've got a surefire method: have her fight someone just a hair stronger than her every day."

"That way, she improves a little each day. Stick with it for a few years, and she'll be the world's best in no time."

In the end, the best motivation is actually an opponent.

And the so-called ideal opponent is one who's just slightly stronger than you.

"I thought of that method too, but finding an opponent just a hair stronger than Kuina—how easy do you think that is?" Celestial Dragon Shirou sighed.

"No, it's actually very easy. They're practically everywhere."

Sakurai Shirou's lips curled into a faint smile as he said:

"With our level of control, wounding someone so they're only a hair stronger than Kuina—isn't that a very simple thing to do?"

Chapter 67: Disposable Sparring Partners

Section 68, Chapter 67: Disposable Sparring Partners

Celestial Dragon Shirou was momentarily stunned, then looked at him speechlessly:

"You... only someone like you could come up with such an unscrupulous method."

"It's the fastest and most suitable method, isn't it?" Sakurai Shirou countered.

Celestial Dragon Shirou had no rebuttal and could only fall silent.

In theory, it truly was the most suitable approach.

But it was a bit too unscrupulous.

"Using this method, I personally have no objections, but I'm not sure Kuina will agree."

"What a boring principle." Sakurai Shirou scoffed. "In a chaotic world where the strong prey on the weak, getting stronger by any means is the right path."

"Enough! Just because your own moral standards are low, don't assume everyone else is like you. Besides, Kuina is just a child."

"Heh... precisely because she's a child, she should be trained from a young age, so she doesn't grow up into a fool spouting justice."

"What's wrong with being a fool? What's wrong with justice?"

"Do you even need to ask? Fools are easily manipulated, and justice is an obvious weakness. If some justice-spouting fool showed up in front of me, I'd definitely swindle him until he's bankrupt, drowning in debt, and still treating me like his greatest benefactor."

This guy!

Celestial Dragon Shirou took a deep breath and said no more.

He could understand his feelings and personality, but they truly had nothing in common to discuss.

"When I encounter pirates, I'll try your method."

"Oh...? I thought you'd completely ignore this method."

"I'll try it first, see the effect, and then see Kuina's reaction."

"Unnecessary worry. She's a real child, but you're not. There should be plenty of ways to get her to agree willingly, right?"

"I don't want to play mind games with a friend."

"Then just tell her the truth. Sometimes sincerity moves people more."

"Yeah, I'll give it a try."

When he snapped back to reality, Celestial Dragon Shirou noticed the other Shirous sitting on chairs around him, cracking sunflower seeds.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Do you need to ask? Isn't it obvious? We're eating melon seeds." Slime Shirou teased.

"Where did you get the chairs and seeds?"

"I prepared them, of course! Don't forget, I'm a Slime, you know."

"Was the show entertaining?"

"Not really! You're too weak, completely no match for Sakurai. He convinced you in no time."

"Can't help it. He's lived longer than me."

Celestial Dragon Shirou smiled helplessly. Though they were the same person with identical memories, differences in life environments still led to disparities in eloquence, cunning, and the like.

Pirate World.

"Sir, there are pirates!"

"Good. Capture them all. Don't kill a single one."

"Yes!"

Before the pirate ship could even approach the luxurious vessel Shirou was riding, a swarm of CP0 rushed over.

In just a few minutes, the pirates on the ship were all tied up.

"Kuina, do you want to quickly improve your swordsmanship? Here's your chance." Shirou said with a smile.

Kuina turned to look at Shirou and asked:

"What do I need to do?"

"Bet on your own potential, defeat the enemy before you, and welcome a stronger version of yourself."

"I understand, but didn't you say this morning that if the gap in strength is too wide, there's no improvement? These pirates are either too strong or too weak—there's no one just a little stronger than me."

"There will be soon."

Shirou stepped forward slowly, sweeping his Observation Haki over all the bound pirates and ranking their strength roughly in his mind.

The man who looked like the captain was a burly, bald brute wielding a large cleaver. Even with one leg missing, Kuina would struggle to beat him.

The lackeys groaning on the deck were all weaker than Kuina. Fighting them would be a complete waste of time.

"You, stand up."

"Me...?"

A pirate with a hat, hands tied behind his back, stood up trembling and cast a fearful glance at the CP0 agents around him.

"What weapon do you use? What's your position on the ship?"

"Sir, I usually fight with twin blades and serve as the first mate. Sir, we were blind..."

"I didn't ask for anything else."

Shirou stepped back a little and said to the CP0 agent beside him:

"Break one of his arms, then give him back his weapons."

"Yes, sir!"

The CP0 agent stepped forward, broke the hat-wearing pirate's left arm, picked up a pair of twin blades from the pile of weapons on the ground, and tossed them in front of him.

"Kuina, right now he's a bit stronger than you, but your combat experience is worlds apart. If you actually fight, you'll most likely lose."

Shirou paused, then said in a low voice:

"So before you fight him, you'd better simulate the battle in your head. Also, even if you die by his hand, I won't save you."

"Mm."