CHAPTER 5 - Puppet Master
"…is there anyone at the top of the ladder… Who's ruling the seas? Is it one of the Four Emperors or the Seven Warlords, or the brats from the Worst Generation, no… Maybe the Navy, the military force of justice. There are those strong members from the Revolutionary Army… The family of D. have been hiding in the shadow of history. When and where are they gonna show themselves?" chains resounded, "Who's gonna side with who? Who's gonna betray who? Tell the Celestial Dragons in the holy land of Mariejois that they'll be dragged down! Gold Roger died 25 years ago and explored the whole of Grand Line. Whitebeard didn't sit on the throne but took reigns in front of it. What about now? The pirate numbers are booming, and there's one seat that has been totally empty. You know what I mean, don't you? It will start! The biggest war in the history of piracy!"
The clouds turned dark as a storm drew onto the island. The morning followed with a chaos of heavy winds and dark omen. Scratchmen Apoo looked out to the sea and felt that the troubles had just begun. Before he could've left out for the waters, he had to defeat the female swordsman and wait out the nasty storm.
"What a mess! I hope Kaido will be proud of sending us against a near-impossible task. An Admiral and a former Fleet Admiral wasn't what we had expected upon that battle. Man, I need to return back." Apoo was getting hasty. He struck his hands on his head and torso, creating explosions against the incoming enemy.
Rain fell from the sky. The sun was out and showed no hope of clearing up for the next many hours.
Back in their hiding, Law and the others observed the battle between Kanae Kocho and Scratchmen Apoo. Despite Shinobu's urge to confront her sister once again, Law suppressed her to keep themselves unknown to the enemy. Looking at him, Tomioka was reminded that he himself had restrained Shinobu the same way when she was prepared to hunt down Tanjiro and his sister, Nezuko after the Spider-demon battle.
"Kocho-ya, I'm warning you to stop squirming. We can't let Scratchmen Apoo find out about us." Law growled.
"You'll get caught into their battle. Let's wait it out." Tomioka advised.
"She's going to die if the fight continues." Shinobu struggled.
"That's to be expected. He's a Pirate-Captain worth 350 million berries." Law said, "He's not to be joked about."
"Wasn't he there in Sabaody?" Zoro asked, "I'm surprised that he has a bounty more than me. Is he working for Kaido?"
"He had an alliance with Eustass Kid and Basil Hawkins. I don't know what happened after that. That guy's not to be trusted." Law warned.
Both Kanae and Apoo were worn out from the battle that had lasted for more than two hours. They finally settled down to catch a breather.
"You are slowing down." the latter mentioned, "I have no intention of fighting with you. You have wasted my time as it is."
"Well, you are in for luck. I'm being called back. Since you have come from the sea, I'll have to report about your landfall, Scratchmen Apoo." Kanae said.
"Don't tell me you are working for the Marines?" Apoo was surprised. It could've meant trouble if Kanae was affiliated with the Marines and had reported back to any of the nearby Marine bases.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Kanae disappeared from the shore.
Apoo was reluctant in pursuing after her. He knew that he had bigger fish to fry than fighting that woman.
"Your sister is good at running away." Zoro remarked as they observed Apoo leave on his own agendas.
"Alright, we follow the woman. It's good that the Sea-Roar is heading the other way." Law mentioned. The group followed the direction left by Kanae's departure. The rain intensified.
"Damn, it seems like the whole thing is a bad sign." Zoro said, "I'm getting excited."
Law and Tomioka didn't share the same enthusiasm. On the other hand, Shinobu was determined to find answers. The rain was the least of their troubles.
Zoro sensed danger ahead. They were out of the forest and ran along the coastline, finding themselves inside a canyon. There were a lot of them, he felt. Something big was going on. They arrived at the top of the cliff and found the biggest surprising scenario.
"I have arrived, Master." Kanae was found below, "I have a report of intruders from the sea, as well as some formidable humans on the island."
"I see. We'll need to deal with them before taking over this island." said the Master, "But we have more important business at hand."
Zoro couldn't believe his eyes. Two large armies stood at two fronts. But amongst all, he was recognised the Master.
"Wait, isn't that…?" Law seemed to make out.
"Yeah, that's him. The man who had given us crap in the past. One of the Seven Warlords of Sea… Gecko Moria."
The drums beat.
And there was Doctor Hogback who was behind preparing the Warlord's evil minions. Tomioka and Shinobu had their own share of shock. The demons had finally shown up, taking advantage of the dark weather. The demons were led by the Lower Demon Moon No. 3, which Law had recognised.
The battle began with the demon commander ordering one of his units to kill Moria's troops. But then, they found a lone man walking ahead to face the enemy all by himself. Law and Zoro couldn't recognise the guy. He was short and seemed a cadaver, showing his skeletal structure amidst the decaying skin. He was a swordsman who wore a yellow-brown kimono.
"Breath of Thunder, First Form… Thunderclap and Flash." the swordsman drove through the incoming enemy, taking down every last one of their heads from their bodies.
"I can't believe it." Shinobu was shocked.
"Do you know that man?" Zoro asked her, shocked and impressed with his sword technique.
"That man was the former pillar, the master of Thunder, Jigoro Kuwajima." Tomioka mentioned. He kept his cool but couldn't believe the sight, "The prowess on the battlefield is enough to prove that it's him. I heard he had committed seppuku and died, years back."
"Oh my." Shinobu felt sorrow, "That man was Zenitsu Agatsuma's former master. The boy has told me that Master Kuwajima had saved his life. How will I explain this to him?"
"You don't." Tomioka replied, "Don't tell him anything. Do you believe that he's alive?"
"He is not." Zoro replied, "I guess you can understand the way of things. Do you see that big-fat guy with the horns? I can assure you that's the one pulling the strings. He has the power to bring back the dead from their corpses. But that doesn't mean they are the same people, who they used to be."
"Wait, that means…" Tomioka looked upon Zoro and Law, "Don't tell me…"
Shinobu remained silent.
"Yeah, Shinobu's sister hasn't come back to life." Zoro declared.
"I had a feeling something was wrong with her. She looked paler than an average person, but then again, that Gecko Moria is no different." Law mentioned.
"I saw no stitches on her and her presence gave that of a living warrior. She must've been an incredible person in her previous life." Zoro said. He looked upon Shinobu who continued to watch the battle. She had apathetic eyes.
"I'm sorry that it had turned out this way." Zoro apologised. He felt the guilt of not discovering Kanae's truth, despite him being the only one who had faced Moria and his crew back in Thriller Bark.
"It's not your fault." Shinobu replied, "Despite the way I wanted, I had a feeling this could've been the truth. She wasn't my sister when we had clashed blades. She possessed her Breathing Techniques, and yet not her soul. And now I know the truth that she's being manipulated by someone whom I had never met in my life. How humiliating…"
The rage grew inside of her.
"That goes for Master Kuwajima as well." Tomioka was furious.
Zoro agreed, "That Moria has mocked the dead once again." He got hold of his Shusui and looked at its sheath, "This sword reminds me of that day when I had fought its original owner." He looked ahead, "They are going to pay."
Law was more concerned about the names that were gathering on that unknown island. It seemed like a convention with all sorts of villains and monsters. He knew he couldn't escape that moment with a peaceful notion. There was no way Shinobu or Tomioka would've backed away. And then, Zoro had declared his objective.
"Very well. We need to get this done in one fell swoop." Law declared.
"Let's get them." Zoro stood up, and rushed ahead. It reminded Law of Luffy, and the similar reason Zoro was considered a threat by the government. They both were reckless. Shinobu followed him without hesitation.
"Unlike Shinobu, I'm aware of the fact that we might be facing death." Tomioka told Law, "I won't show any mercy, but I want to ask you a favour if things go wrong."
Law listened.
"If I die, protect Shinobu in my stead. With the adversity we are facing, I must request you the more."
"I don't understand myself how this will turn out, but let's do our best." Law replied.
Both of them followed their predecessors down the cliff and into an all-out frenzy battle. Zoro drew out all his three swords, going full-scale and letting no mistakes slip from their hands again. Kuwajima had backed away and dead marine soldiers took place at the vanguard. On the other side, more demons followed their falling comrades eager to defeat their enemies.
"I'll go on ahead." Zoro told Shinobu who was following his lead. He rushed in and arrived near the battle.
"Tora-o mentioned we needed to get this done as soon as possible. There are a lot of them ahead. I'll have to employ brute force. Three Sword Style…" Zoro said aiming his blade, "One Thousand and Eighty Pound Phoenix!"
The result was the grand destruction of enemies from both factions.
"Wha…" Dr. Hogback was taken aback.
"What's going on? Who's that?" Moria observed.
"Should we go in, Master?" asked Kanae.
Moria waited it out. The dust cleared off, and a sole man stood at the centre of the battle. A man with a black bandana, who held the lines between the Thriller Bark Pirates and the demons. Little did the man know that both sides were closer in existence, despite their enmity.
"Master, wasn't he the swordsman with that annoying Straw Hat?" asked Dr. Hogback.
"Roronoa Zoro! It's time for payback!" Moria bellowed.
"Bring it on." Zoro aimed his Shusui at his prime target.
TO BE CONTINUED…