Shirou's clones number 30 million

Although she is still very weak, the fact that she can say such things means she will definitely become an amazing person in the future.

"I accept your challenge, come on."

Kuina instantly drew her sword, lowered her body, and assumed an offensive stance.

The opponent is far stronger than us, so theoretically we have no hope of winning.

But he is an adult and I am a child. During the battle, he will inevitably let his guard down unconsciously.

And this is his only chance.

Additionally, the opponent is tall, so attacking the bottom lane can increase the chances of winning.

Clang!

With a clang of sharp weapons clashing, Shanks swung his sword to block the attack from below. He then turned the hilt and swung it lightly.

The next moment, the knife in Kuina's hand was knocked away, and she was sent flying backward.

Chapter Ninety-Four: The Possibility of Overtaking on a Curve

Section 95, Chapter Ninety-Four: The Possibility of Overtaking on a Curve

"I lost."

"Aren't you going to continue?"

"When a swordsman's sword is knocked from his hand, it means defeat."

"I see. Then, I win."

As soon as Shanks finished speaking, bursts of laughter erupted behind him.

"Why is the captain suddenly getting serious with a little kid?"

"Is it really worth being so happy to beat a little kid?"

Shanks shook his head slightly and said seriously:

"No, I didn't defeat a child, but the future world's greatest swordsman. My name is Shanks, what's yours?"

"My name is Kuina. Once I become stronger, I will definitely challenge you."

"Haha... Everyone says I'm no longer the world's greatest swordsman, so what's the point of challenging me?"

"No, every swordsman stronger than me is within my challenge range. Only by constantly challenging the strong can I become stronger."

"Kuina? I'll remember your name. In the future, I'll be waiting for you to challenge me."

"Ten years, at most ten years, and I will challenge you."

As they watched the Red-Haired Pirates leave, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind them.

"How did it go? Did you learn anything?"

Upon realizing that the speaker was Shirou, she relaxed a little.

"Yes. Although the exchange only lasted for a moment, I vaguely sensed a bit of his swordsmanship."

"Keep it up. By the way, let's call this end of the patrol and head home."

"Huh...? Are they leaving already?"

"Are you reluctant to leave? But this is just a stopover on the journey; we'll have to leave sooner or later."

Kuina paused for a few seconds, then nodded slightly:

“I understand, but before that, I need to go somewhere.”

"No need to rush, I'm leaving tomorrow morning," Shirou said with a smile. "If you still have things to do, I can wait for you for a few days."

"It's not a big deal."

Kuina hesitated for two seconds before explaining:

"I caught two kids eating without paying when I was patrolling the streets just now."

"The two of them are currently working at the restaurant to pay off the cost of the meal."

“At the time, I did not remove their handcuffs and let them work with them in handcuffs.”

"But now that I'm leaving, I naturally have to go and unlock their handcuffs."

"I see. I'll go with you then," Shirou said with a smile.

……

"Damn it! That monster woman, don't give me a chance, or I'll beat you to tears."

Looking at the shackles on his wrists, Ace's eyes were filled with rage.

"Ace, let's focus on washing the dishes. If we break any more, our sentences will be extended."

Sabo sighed softly. Unlike the furious Ace, he wasn't jumping around like that. He just quietly went about his work alone.

"what……?"

At that moment, he suddenly noticed that the monster woman was observing the two of them from outside the door.

Doubts arose in his mind, but before he could think about it, he found that the other person had disappeared, so he quickly chased after them.

When he ran outside, the monster woman had disappeared, and the restaurant owner was standing outside the kitchen.

At that moment, he was holding two small keys in his hand.

"Is this... the key to the handcuffs?"

The two exchanged a glance, then excitedly pounced on each other, trying to snatch the key.

"Wait a moment!"

The store manager held up the key, ignoring the two people's jumping and bouncing, but they still couldn't reach it.

"I can give you the key, but... you must agree to one condition."

"What conditions?"

“You must continue working here until you pay off your debts and you cannot run away. If you agree, I will give you the key.”

"Okay, we agree to your terms."

……

"Those two are the kids you mentioned who ate and dashed?"

"Okay, I'll give them the keys, and that'll be the end of my business."

Kuina paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, smiled and said:

"By the way, I just ran into a pirate who came back from the Grand Line. He was very strong."

"Red hair? I just saw it."

Shirou really didn't know what to say about this.

Encourage her? What if she makes challenging others a habit in the future, and frequently challenges those who are powerful? Who knows when she might encounter a ruthless person who would show no mercy to children?

After all, not everyone is like Shanks, who would go easy on children.

"Kuina, do you want a Devil Fruit? Like Borsalino's power?"

"A Devil Fruit?"

Kuina began to think seriously, and after a long while, she shook her head slightly:

"No, Devil Fruits may indeed allow me to become stronger at a faster pace, but... I want to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship through my own strength."

"You don't want the Natural type either?"

"No."

"It can enhance your physical fitness, improve your speed in all aspects, and make your physical fitness comparable to any man in the world."

"Well……"

This time, Guina's face showed obvious interest; after hesitating for a few seconds, she shook her head again.

"No, I want to explore my own potential. Eating a Devil Fruit would always leave me with a sense of defeat."

"I see."

What a proud fellow.

Whenever Shirou talks to Kuina, he feels like he's raising a daughter and can't help but worry about her future.

Although skills can be continuously improved, the physical differences between men and women remain an insurmountable obstacle.

People in the ninja world possess chakra, so the physical differences between men and women have little impact.

In the Fairy Tail world, people possess magical powers, and the influence of male and female physiques is minimized.

However, in the world of One Piece, whether it's swordsmanship, the three types of Haki, or pure physical skills, they are all clearly related to physical fitness.

In other words, in this world, the only way to become stronger, besides a gifted monster like Big Mom, is to eat a Devil Fruit to catch up.

"Guina, come with me, I'll teach you something special."

"Huh...? Yes."

Kuina looked slightly surprised, but quickly realized what was happening and hurriedly chased after her.

Following Shirou, the two arrived at a beach.

"Guina, you should feel the physical differences between men and women the most. If you continue like this, you might really become number one in terms of skill."

"However, it is simply impossible to become the strongest swordsman."

Thinking of how Zoro had chased her so quickly in the past, Kuina's expression darkened, and she unconsciously lowered her head.

"Therefore, in order to catch up, we must adopt some other methods."

"A Devil Fruit, or a physical technique similar to the Six Powers of the Navy, can help you catch up."

"But there are many Devil Fruit users, and the Six Powers of the Navy are commonplace. This can only make you no weaker than others, but it can't make you the strongest."

"Today, I'm going to teach you something unique, a power that only I possess, and that you won't find anywhere else in the world."