They made it ashore amidst all the Marine chaos that had shaken up the waters since Dressrosa. Bartolomew and the crew were finally overwhelmed upon a patch of unknown waters, just like the Florian Triangle except that the whole thing was on the next level amidst the New World. An extremely precarious situation with no sight of land, the ship of the Barto Club was nowhere in sight.
"Hmm… where's the ship?" Zoro gaped with hands above his eyes.
"You got us lost again, Zoro-ya. This is the third time we've landed back on the same shore." Law was furious.
"Hey! Don't blame me for this mess! Where are Luffy and the others?" Zoro demanded.
"We would've found them if you hadn't messed around with your directions."
"You are really pissing me off."
"I doubt they'll be here at a place like this. We need to get back as soon as possible. My crew's waiting at Zou, and we need to prepare things ahead."
"Now that I think of it, we really did piss Kaido off, didn't we? I doubt things will calm down. As a matter of fact, he'll be soon upon us, the Emperor."
"As I had mentioned in Punk Hazard, there's a high probability that we might die against him." Law reminded, "We had a hard time against Doflamingo and his crew. I don't believe things would go the same against Kaido."
"So what the hell are we waiting for? Let's get back to the ship." Zoro paced ahead.
"Wait!" Law retorted, "We've wasted enough time as it is. Don't go running around in circles. I'll lead."
Zoro stopped on his tracks.
"There's someone close. And it doesn't feel human." he reported.
Law knew that the Beast Pirates were a bunch of Devil Fruit users. There would be trouble if they were found out.
"Room!" Law released his Devil Fruit powers, sensing a presence inside the 'Room'.
"Shambles." He flipped his fingers and dropped out a creature.
"What the hell is this?" Zoro drew his Shusui, "It doesn't seem a human."
"Who the hell sent you here?" Law demanded upon the newfound.
The creature made grumbles with no significant reply.
"I doubt he's one of Kaido's men." Law declared. The creature leaped against their expectations, itself unaware that Zoro had slashed it before it had known itself. The creature was cut in half through the torso. But that didn't stop the beast. Its red eyes demanded blood whilst the sharp teeth sent off a malevolent vibe with an unsettling grind. To their surprise, it began to move, recovering from the damage.
"I knew that thing was giving off a weird sense. It doesn't seem like a Logia user." Zoro analysed.
"It's not a Devil Fruit user. It's bleeding the hell out." Law observed.
"Alright." Zoro knew that the creature was a threat no matter its affiliation, and took no time in hacking off into multiple pieces. It wailed as it dissipated into the air.
"I doubt that's the last one of them." Law speculated. Both of them agreed to keep an eye out.
They arrived ashore on an unknown island that afternoon, but their attempts had been in vain to uncover their situation. It was the dead of the night. Law led the way, as it was decided upon Zoro's incompetency with directions. Except that Law had no idea of the topography, despite Zoro's troubles.
"There's something nearby." Zoro felt a presence. It was similar to the creature that they had encountered. Both of them found themselves upon an opening from the forest. It seemed like a village, empty and abandoned. A scream resounded through the lonely night. Zoro and Law stood guard and proceeded towards the sound.
"A village huh?" Zoro drew out his Shusui, "I can't sense any humans nearby."
"Weird." Law said. He knew that the village had its own mystery. As a fact, he didn't believe that it was a village anymore.
"I'll head ahead." Zoro said, heading towards the source of the scream.
There were a girl and her wounded mother. They were inside one of the houses cornered by a similar beast found back in the forest. Zoro cut down the monster without a second thought. The girl had lost hope, terrified.
"M… monster." she said looking at the swordsman, as the beast dissipated into nothing.
"It's alright, kid." Zoro said in consolation. The girl's mother died from the wounds, and none of his words could've made any difference. The girl grabbed hold of her mother and wept in despair.
Zoro felt a sudden sense of danger. He ran outside and found Law surrounded by more of the familiar beasts.
"What the hell are these things?" Zoro bellowed.
Law managed to dodge the enemy attacks, dealing lethal blows with his sword. He hadn't felt the need to use his Devil Fruit powers until someone landed from the sky. It seemed like a larger version of the previous monsters. It seemed agile enough to prove formidable.
"What a pain!" Law remarked.
Zoro thought to handle the new enemy. Before he could've made a move, the monster was cut stabbed from behind. Law had no hand, observing in surprise.
A human woman was discovered next to the monster. A sensation of countless butterflies surrounding the area. Zoro paced ahead to end the monster before it could do damage. To his surprise, the big beast got messed up, being torn down off its flesh and ravaged inside-out.
"Poison." Law realised, "Strong stuff."
He looked at the woman who had her sword drawn, observing a katana of a modified shape. The beast crushed onto the ground and self-destructed itself with intense pain and agony. The rest withered into the air. Zoro was taken back from the experience. He observed the woman.
"Friend or foe?" he asked.
The woman struck him with her blade. Zoro predicted her hostility, blocking the attack.
"Oh my. Are you getting in my way along with the demons?" the woman asked.
The woman had a petite figure, shorter of height and purple eyes, and reminiscence of bugs.
"Demons?" Zoro wondered. He realised that she must've mentioned of the creatures that they had fought.
"You don't look like a demon. Are you working for a demon? I'm sorry, you must've been forced to do their work."
"Hey! Don't jump into conclusions!" Zoro retorted. The woman felt a malevolent vibe and forced ahead with her sword. Zoro continued to block her volley of slashes. He hacked ahead in retort. The woman jumped back to avoid his move.
"Alright, you are ticking me off." Zoro said, withdrawing his Shusui.
"Oh my. You are ferocious, aren't you? Just like a demon." the woman mocked.
Law watched from the distance. Zoro was somehow worked up with the fight.
"One Sword Style - Iai…"
The woman took a defensive stance to block the attack.
"Lion's Song!" Zoro unleashed his attack. The woman realised that it was a much stronger slash than she had anticipated. But to her surprise, Zoro missed his target. Instead, he diced off one of the remaining concealed monsters, planning to attack the woman from behind. The force of the Lion's Song was ravaging, making the beast cringe, tearing itself apart. The shock itself led to its demise, disintegrating into the air. The woman was surprised that her opponent had saved her from fatality.
"Okay." Zoro turned around and faced her, "I don't know what these things are, and I wouldn't care much. But you are getting in my way. You saw what I did. I won't show mercy if you are insistent."
The woman looked at him with caution and took a while before deciding to call it quits. She realised that he wasn't her enemy, nor a worker under any demon that she had believed. She withdrew her modified katana.
Zoro withdrew his hostility.
"No enemy would've protected me from that demon." the woman said, "And I apologise for the misunderstanding."
"Then explain this whole mess. Those things, this place, and who you are?" Law showed up and got to the point.
"Do I know you?" the woman asked.
"I hope not." Law replied dryly.
"I thought so." the woman smiled, "My name is Shinobu Kocho, and I'm a Demon Slayer."
"Demon Slayer?" Zoro wondered.
"Those things were demons and they feed off from human flesh. I came to this island after I had heard of a nasty report. But little did I assume to meet someone like you." she looked at Zoro, "You are a skilled swordsman."
"I know." Zoro replied.
"But that doesn't explain the reason you had attacked him." Law asked.
"Demons take various ways to torture and kill their prey. Sometimes they'd use humans through fear to attack their fellow humans. I had to suspect."
"Well, I can go along with that." Zoro agreed, "You can simply be glad that our fight did not drag longer."
Law nodded.
"Quite confident in your skills, aren't you?" Shinobu asked with a sly smile.
"I know my ways with swords." Zoro replied.
He introduced Law and himself, mentioning their dilemma of them being stuck in an unknown place.
"Oh my. You have some bad luck to have landed here, of all the places." Shinobu said with a chuckle.
"Why?" Zoro demanded.
"If you are referring to those demons, they weren't much of any point." Law said.
"Agreed." Zoro nodded.
"I heard there might a presence of one of the Twelve Demon Moons present on this island. And I can assure you, it means trouble." Shinobu explained.
"It sounds like some leader amongst these demons." Law assumed.
"They are the strongest ones. I don't know if I can beat them alone."
"And you are here all by yourself despite that risk? Pretty daring for a woman." Zoro admitted.
"Actually, there was another who came along with me."
Zoro and Law decided to agree upon a common decision.
"It seems like you have an idea regarding the place. We don't know where we are, so it would interest on both sides to lend you a hand." Law said, "We'll need all the possibilities to get back. This place is a mess as you have mentioned, making more a reason to get done here."
"I'm eager to meet this Twelve Moon or whatever. It might prove good training." Zoro grinned with excitement.
"You don't understand the danger, do you? I feel sorry for your ignorance." Shinobu pitied.
"It doesn't matter. We gave you the idea. It's your call to decide." Law said.
"You are capable." Shinobu admitted, "Slicing off that demon with a single strike wasn't just any luck. I'll accept your company."
"And what about that girl? She's the only one left alive out here." Zoro mentioned.
They went inside and found the deplorable sight. Shinobu mentioned that a group of Demon Slayer assistants named the Kakushis were stationed at the eastern side of the island. She took the girl and delivered her to safety. Zoro and Law stayed back upon the village burying the dead. They were done by dawn when Shinobu had returned back to continue her investigation.
"I had to send a report regarding what happened here. We cannot let this continue." she said.
Law and Zoro agreed. And so, the uncanny alliance of the Insect Pillar, the Surgeon of Death, and the Pirate Hunter led way ahead into unknown dangers