Using shadows for cultivation was the very first idea that sprang into Rosinante's mind when he encountered Moria.
In Rosinante's view, this was the greatest value of the Shadow Shadow Fruit: rapidly accelerating one's training.
Back when he watched the anime in his previous life, seeing Luffy, who had never practiced swordsmanship, instantly turn into a sword master after having the shadow of a skilled swordsman stuffed into him left Rosinante completely stunned.
At the time, he felt that the Shadow Shadow Fruit was the biggest bug in this world.
But after thinking it over more carefully, he realized that although inserting a shadow could instantly turn someone into an expert of various disciplines, it did not mean that the person truly possessed all of the shadow owner's abilities.
In truth, it was somewhat like the so-called "ten-minute experience card" often seen in novels. Once the time was up and the shadow left your body, you were still yourself.
Even so, it was already astonishingly powerful.
Whether it was swordsmanship, body techniques, or fist techniques, breaking through to a higher realm was always unimaginably difficult.
Especially for someone like Rosinante, whose strength had already reached a certain level, even taking a small step forward required an enormous amount of time and effort.
But if he could experience a higher realm in advance, forget ten minutes, even just one minute would be of tremendous help to Rosinante.
Moreover, there were countless cultivation methods in this world. The Navy's Six Powers, Life Return, the Happo Navy's Eight Impact Fist, the secret technique of the Prodence Kingdom, the King's Punch, the ultimate techniques of various great swordsmen, and even insights into Haki.
All of these were secret arts that were never passed on lightly. Even if you forced someone to teach you, they would rather die than do so.
And even if they did teach you, they would never teach everything. Even if they taught everything, you would still need a long period of time to truly learn it.
But with shadows, you could master these secret techniques and moves extremely quickly. This was exactly what Rosinante desired.
Rosinante himself had been self-taught from the very beginning. His combat techniques were things he had slowly and painstakingly figured out on his own.
Although he could be considered "well-informed," having come from an ordinary background meant that everything he had trained was essentially wild, unorthodox methods.
Now, whether it was his Crashing Fist Burst or Extreme Crashing Fist, he had already squeezed every last drop from his limited foundation. As for the Tai Chi he practiced later, it was only good for manipulating force and bullying weaker opponents. Against enemies of equal strength, it was simply not presentable.
That was why he urgently needed to absorb knowledge and understanding related to combat, training, physical techniques, fist arts, and swordsmanship secrets.
Although the Great Library of Ohara recorded a great deal of knowledge in these areas, most of it was relatively superficial and basic, or simply interpretations from third parties.
Truly profound things would never appear in libraries, even if it was the Ohara Library, reputed to be the largest library in the world, because some secret techniques were not even recorded in written form.
Thus, those books merely broadened Rosinante's horizons. In terms of direct help with cultivation, they offered very little.
Moreover, these shadows would not be used by Rosinante alone. They could also be given as rewards to his subordinates, thereby enhancing their strength.
In this world, money might make some people risk their lives, but far more people longed for an increase in strength.
If the ability of the Shadow Shadow Fruit were used properly, it could greatly enhance the appeal and cohesion of the Gray Nation.
Some time ago, Rosinante's foundation in swordsmanship had not been solid enough. At that stage, he could not afford to be overly influenced by others, otherwise it would become someone else's swordsmanship rather than his own.
Now, his swordsmanship foundation was already firm. Coupled with his battle against Golden Lion, Rosinante's swordsmanship had reached the level of a mid-tier swordsman.
At this point, Rosinante urgently needed to absorb various styles of swordsmanship to elevate his own level.
This was also why many swordsmen loved to travel around challenging other sword experts.
They sought to absorb others' understanding of swordsmanship, allowing themselves to integrate and draw parallels, thereby improving themselves and even reaching the realm of a great swordsman.
After experiencing ten minutes of Daolang's advanced swordsman realm, Rosinante immediately made his decision.
This Shadow Hunt Plan was of immense importance to him. If it succeeded, the time needed for Rosinante to advance to the realm of a great swordsman would be drastically shortened. His combat style would become far richer, and the techniques he already possessed would be elevated to an entirely new level.
It might even allow his overall combat power to rise by another tier in a short period of time.
"Your first target is the king of the New World's Prodence Kingdom, Elizabello II," Rosinante said.