Warnings for spoilers, language, violence, and a lot more dialect. The latter is coming so easily with Moire's character that I almost can't write her without it. The next two chapters will bring the Buggy arc to a close. And you get to see a glimpse of what Moire can do.

For some stupid reason, this chapter was a bear.

As Moire moved cautiously down the stairs, an ear-splitting roar pounded her senses and rattled the windows. So, it's not only big, but guaranteed to have sharp teeth. Bleeding fantastic. Outside, alarmed shouts quickly followed the roar and two blurred and screaming figures dashed past the nearest window. Rolling her eyes, she cracked the front door so as not to draw any unwanted attention, peeking the short distance up the street.

A great brute of a lion with red eyes and an oddly pale coat loomed over Luffy and Chouchou. Perched on its massive shoulders was a man covered in white fur. Bear ears were shaped into the hair on his head and he looked altogether as strange as the lion he rode in on. He seemed to be enraged at something Luffy said. The latter was staring up at the threat with not a care in the world despite being utterly helpless while still trapped in the cage.

There's nothin' fer it, is there? With a sigh, Moire opened the door fully and drew both pistols from her hips as she walked toward the scene. At first, she went unnoticed and she paused to listen to the man's bragging. Apparently he had some "skill" in taming beasts or some other nonsense. Having dismounted the lion with a flourish, he approached Chouchou on bear-paw shoes (complete with black claw-like appendages) and bent toward the dog, commanding him to shake. She snorted in amusement when Chouchou gave the so-called beast tamer the same treatment he had given Luffy; the man flailed desperately as the little dog latched onto his wrist and refused to let go.

The sound drew the lion's attention and once the beast tamer had hurled the dog away, he, too, turned to face her. He smirked; the woman was on the smaller side and couldn't pose much of a threat. He figured the way that she stood so casually, guns pointed downward, was a sign of her reluctance to use them. "Oh, it's the little girl Buggy was raving about," he sneered. "I, Mohji the Beast Tamer, will not kill you, or this petty thief here. But you will tell me where Roronoa Zoro is!"

"Like hell!" Luffy shouted.

"I dinnae think so," Moire affirmed, her eyes narrowing.

There was no warning, no breathless pause. The order for the lion, Richie, to attack came immediately. The giant animal pounced on Luffy's cage, crushing the steel and concrete, and flung the briefly rejoicing pirate down the block, demolishing a house. In the same moment, Moire raised her pistols and fired both into the lion's neck and shoulder. With an unexpected speed, Richie whipped around and charged her way, seemingly unaffected by bullets. She threw her pistols down, reaching to draw her sword, but was unable to get out of the way. A meaty paw caught her in the chest and sent her rocketing through the window of a nearby shop front. She crashed into a wall, nearly destroying it, and slumped to the ground as debris from her passing fell around her.

She could still see the street outside, could see Richie approaching Chouchou and the pet food store behind him, but she couldn't seem to convince her body to move. The wind had been knocked clean out of her, and her lungs just wouldn't expand. In the short time it took for her to recover, she was forced to watch as the valiant little dog was flung aside and the store that was so clearly important to him burned. With a snarl, she dragged herself from the mess made by her impact, gingerly brushing glass and splinters from her battered coat and mussed hair.

Picking her way through the ruined tea shop, she stepped over the low ledge that had once been the bottom frame of a large glass window. The lion and his master had been halted in their leaving by the appearance of a grinning Luffy who seemed none the worse for wear.

She chalked his resilience up to his Devil Fruit abilities and found herself a mite jealous. She would definitely be feeling it later, while he was completely unscathed.

"I thought I killed you already!" Mohji yelled in surprise at seeing Luffy standing in his way.

"It'll take more than that to kill me! I'm a rubber man!"

"Ye missed me, too, ye piece of shite," Moire called. She met Luffy's gaze briefly, trying to make him understand. He looked as though he was ready to take on the lion and his master, but she wasn't about to let that happen. This one was hers.

Mohji sneered. "You brats. I'll deal with you later, once I've gotten rid of this pesky strawhat," he tossed dismissively at her, turning back to Luffy. "Richie!"

Moire reached within, found that well of energy that was always just at the edge of conscious thought and wrestled the raging torrent of it into submission. To do what was necessary, she needed to be ready.

Mid-lunge, Richie's head snapped to the side. The beast was brought up short as his feet tangled together with the sudden momentum shift and he nearly fell.

"I'm yer opponent, ye great feckwit." The air around her seemed to snap and spark, as if pulled impossibly tight and charged with electricity. Her dark, stormy eyes, fixed in a glare, took on a silvery sheen as she stared down the beast tamer and his feline servant. She had left her blades sheathed, deciding not to kill the lion if she didn't have to. If he was a threat after his master was dealt with, however, she wouldn't hesitate to put him down like a rabid dog.

Mohji snorted derisively as Richie regained his balance, looking down his nose at the petite young woman. "You think you can defeat me just because you took Richie off guard? Think again, little girl! Richie!"

Richie leapt forward, claws extended and teeth bared, but Moire was suddenly not there. The confusion made by her apparent absence did not last long; she reappeared with a powerful kick to Richie's jaw, sending both lion and beast tamer hurtling down the cobblestone street. As Luffy watched on with a giant grin on his face, his reluctant companion blurred out of existence again before following up with a knockout blow to the lion. She landed lightly on her feet in front of Mohji. The beast tamer was staring up at her from his knees, blood trickling from a cut on his scalp and staining his white hair.

"Ye shouldna meddle wi' the dreams of others," Moire snarled.

The fear on Mohji's face was apparent and his entire body seemed to tremble. "What are you?"

She grinned in response. The expression wasn't a friendly one; it was a wicked thing that bared teeth and sent chills down her opponent's spine. "Unless ye've been to the Grand Line, ye wouldna have heard of my folk. But once upon a time, we were called the Devils of Selkraig before my family let go of the sword. My generation has taken it back up, and tossers like you and yer captain should take note."

"I - I'm sorry, I promise, I won't stand in your way!" Mohji stammered, backing away with both hands in the air.

"Oh, ye shouldna apologize to me, ye ken? It's that wee doggie over there whose treasures ye pissed on."

Moire nearly jumped out of her skin (and ruined the moment entirely) when Luffy appeared at her shoulder, voicing his approval. "Yea, you tosser! It's because of you that dog doesn't have anything left of his master!"

She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, wondering vaguely if Luffy actually understood how ironic it was that he could pick up her insults but not her name. Rather than continue down that maddening road, she returned her focus to the so-called beast tamer who seemed ready to wet his pants.

"Now that ye understand the crime ye've committed, I think 'tis time for ye to pay the price." A few moments later, Mohji lay pummeled and unconscious on the flagstones. With one last glance at the scum, Moire spat in his face and moved away. Luffy passed her on his way to Chouchou's side. The little dog was staring sadly into the smoldering ruin of his master's pet food store.

"Oh, so you're alive, pirates," a familiar voice called. Moire turned her head to stare at the redhead. The thief flinched at the mildly threatening glance, a shiver creeping its way up the back of her neck at the odd silvery glint to those eyes. She seemed to steel herself, however, and kept up the tirade welling in her chest.

"I thought you two would be dead by now, and there would be two fewer pirates in the world! Maybe I should just kill you both right now before you can gather a crew and destroy everything else!" She charged haphazardly at a baffled Luffy before the mayor reappeared and intervened.

"You couldn't hurt me anyway," Luffy said, sticking his tongue out at the girl.

Moire shook her head as the redhead raged and watched as the young captain plopped a battered box of pet food in front of the mourning Chouchou. Her eyes softened and she smiled, just a little, at the sight.

"That's the only one I could save," Luffy explained to the dog. "The rest were all eaten or burned." He went on to tell the valiant little canine that he had fought well and done his best to protect his master's treasure.

Moved in a way that she could not recall ever having been, Moire joined the two in front of the burned out wreck, placing her hand between Chouchou's ears. "'Tis time to move on now, lad. Yer master wouldna want ye to waste away any longer. He wants ye to be happy; I'm sure of it."

With that, Chouchou took the pet food box between his teeth and began to walk up the street. Before he was too far away, he turned and gave a few happy barks their way. In his infinitely weird way of understanding, Luffy called in reply, "Thanks! Good luck to you, too!"

Moire sighed. The danger was over, and she released the tide of energy that had been pouring through her. She was exhausted just from that short fight, and slumped down to the ground beside Luffy. He turned to the young woman with a grin.

"I don't know what you did, but that was awesome! You have to join my crew!"

Moire huffed, laying all the way back on the street, her eyes closed. She cracked one open to look back at the boy, trying her best to glare and failing miserably. "Nae, boy, I think not."

He opened his mouth to whine and plead at her, but Nami interrupted. For once, someone had good timing. "I didn't mean to yell at you earlier. I'm sorry. I didn't understand."

"No need to apologize," Luffy replied without missing a beat. "I know someone you loved was killed by pirates." He stood, dusting off his shorts and wondering if he should help the prone girl beside him to her feet.

Said girl had no intention of moving for a while. She huffed a deep breath and waved Luffy away without ever opening her eyes, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. There really was no immediate threat, despite the tirade that was beginning to spill over from the mayor.

"I can't take it anymore!" Boodle exploded. "I can't stand any more of their cruelty! With the way Chouchou and this girl fought back so bravely, what kind of mayor am I to sit back and watch my town be destroyed?"

Moire's eyes snapped open to stare upside down at the impassioned old man. Luffy, too, watched him, while Nami was trying in vain to get him to calm down.

"Sometimes, a man has to fight even if he's in danger of dying! Ain't that right kids?" Moire supposed that last was directed at she and Luffy, but couldn't muster up an appropriate response. Thankfully, Luffy answered for her.

"That's right! You got it, old man!"

"Don't encourage him!" Nami screamed.

Moire's heart twisted a little as Boodle went on to describe how the settlers had found their home forty years before, carving out the beautiful town she was surrounded by. She wondered vaguely if, somewhere along the line, they were distant relatives of hers, wandering the seas and searching for a peaceful life like her family had for generations. Her entire body tensed at the distant boom that sounded in tandem with Boodle's declaration of his fighting spirit.

Seconds later a Buggy Ball tore through the buildings adjacent to them. All four were thrown through the air, landing in various states of disarray amongst the rubble. Moire sat up and took a look around at the devastation. Her stomach turned as the realization hit she and Luffy at the same time.

"Dammit! They destroyed my house!" Boodle cursed.

"Hey! Zoro was sleeping in there!"

"Shite! Zoro!"

It took too long for the smoke to clear, long, drawn out seconds with their hearts in their throats. "Zoro, are you alive?" Luffy called into the cloud.

A stray breeze revealed the groaning swordsman surrounded by ruin, holding his head in one hand. "Damn, that was one hell of an alarm clock," was all he had to say.

Moire took a deep breath, not having fully realized that she was holding it. She was relieved beyond explanation that the swordsman hadn't been slaughtered in the explosion. Perhaps she could find herself rejoining the human race, after all.

"I've had enough!" the mayor shouted suddenly, thumping a hand to his armor with a clang. "I won't lose a second town to those goddamn pirates! They think they can plunder and pillage and destroy whatever they want, but I won't let them ruin forty years of hard work! Not again! I'm the mayor, and I won't take this sitting down!"

The older man launched up the street, back the way the other four had originally come.

Nami lunged, narrowly snagging the tail of his shirt and holding on with a death grip. Moire sat up to keep an eye on the slowly simmering state of affairs.

"It's time to fight, let go of me!"

"Mayor, please wait. Getting yourself killed won't accomplish anything! You're being reckless!"

His head whipped around to look Nami dead in the eye. Tears glistened behind his glasses, but his gaze was fierce, expression resolute. "I know I'm being reckless!"

So taken aback by Boodle's manner was Nami that she let go of the older man. As soon as he felt the tension release from his shirt, he began running again, shouting a warning to Buggy. "Prepare to meet your match!" he cried.

The mismatched group of four watched him go with varying expressions. "The mayor…he was crying," Nami murmured, almost to herself.

"It didn't look that way to me!" Luffy replied, eyeing the girl sideways.

Zoro chimed in, still seated on the ground. "Things are about to get interesting."

An enormous grin on his face, Luffy agreed, much to Nami's consternation. "This is no laughing matter!"

"Don't worry, I like that old man. I won't let him get killed."

Moire stood slowly, brushing herself off. "Nae, we couldna have that, now could we?"

While Luffy and Nami continued the conversation, Moire moved to retrieve her pistols from the mess. Fortunately, they weren't buried beneath a house or a store front. Holstering one, she used the tail of her shirt to wipe dust off the other, considering the strangeness of them. She supposed she should get rid of them; they were a direct link to her days working in the shadowy underbelly of the government.

The pair of pistols had been custom made for her hands and were examples of the latest in the government's rapidly advancing weapons technology. Fortunately, these had taken a year to hand make and were prototypes. Mass production would take years to finalize. Unlike the usual single shot pistols, with their gunpowder and steel or iron ball rounds, and external hammers, these pistols could fire up to six shots in rapid succession. They were odd looking, certainly, with cylindrical chambers to carry the extra ammunition, but had to be reloaded much less often. With a sigh, she holstered the second one; they had been too good to her for her to get rid of at that moment, but she would soon have to find the equipment to make her own bullets. She had only been able to take so many from the base.

Moire tuned back in to the others just in time to hear Nami scolding Zoro about his decision to join the fight against Buggy while still pretty well banged up. He simply shrugged her off, donning the black bandana that had been tied around his upper arm. Sidling up to her two temporary crewmates, Moire adjusted the sheath at her back; she had a feeling she'd be needing it.

"And what about you?" Nami snapped in her direction. "You just fought and looked like you were about ready to pass out!"

Zoro turned a curious glance in her direction, but Moire waved them both off. "I'll be right as rain by the time we get there," she replied nonchalantly.

With an almost manic grin, Luffy cracked his knuckles in preparation. "I can't wait."

"You three are insane," Nami groaned, but followed them anyway.

The return journey to Buggy's position seemed much shorter. Of course, Zoro wasn't bleeding out all over the flagstones and hauling Luffy around in a cage, either. It was also silent. There was no arguing about which direction to take, no whining from Luffy about his captivity. A quiet resolve had settled upon them. The young captain led the way unerringly, much to Moire's surprise, while she followed a few steps behind almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Zoro. Nami trailed them, looking increasingly anxious as they neared the Drinker's Pub.

As Luffy rounded the last corner, he suddenly darted out of sight and the other three were forced to run after him. They found the pirate crew lined up along the railing of the widow's walk, staring down on Luffy. The boy gripped the wrist of Buggy's disembodied hand, standing between it and a battered mayor.

"Told ya I'd be back to kick your ass," Luffy shot at the clown.

With a meaty thwack, Buggy recalled his left hand. With a glare and gritted teeth, he sneered, "I can't believe it! You three must enjoy pain. This time, you won't escape me!"

"Have fun fighting, guys. I'm just here for the map and treasure," Nami called airily as she made to disappear. The mayor's coughing brought her up short.

From his position on the ground, Boodle decided to try one more time to make certain that he was the only one fighting for his town. "You kids are outsiders; this isn't your fight. It's my battle, my town, and I'll be the one protecting it! So don't interfere!" He had risen, old spear in hand, but before he could make it two steps closer to the pub, Luffy punched him right in the back of the head.

"Whose side are you on? Why'd you do that to the mayor?" Nami screamed, her face going red.

"He was in the way," Luffy replied, as if that was the most acceptable answer in the world. Moire nodded agreement.

"He would have gotten himself killed," Zoro explained. "He'll be safer unconscious."

"You're insane!"

Ignoring Nami's protests, Luffy turned his attention to the enemy, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Hey, big nose!"

Moire grinned gleefully as he received the desired reaction. Buggy was in a fury. Her gut clenched a little, however, when a cannon loaded with one of his special cannonballs was turned their way. Perhaps a little less infuriating would have worked just as nicely, she considered in retrospect. But as the cannon was fired, and Zoro was shouting at Luffy to get out of the way, Moire stood at his other shoulder. The boy was a bit dense, and his self-preservation instincts might have been lacking, but she knew he wouldn't deliberately lose. There was a plan going on in that crazy head of his, most likely involving his Devil Fruit abilities.

Seconds later, the strawhat captain inflated himself like a giant, human balloon, bouncing the cannon ball straight back toward the pirates waiting helplessly on top of the pub.

Holding his forehead in one hand, Zoro growled, "You could have at least told us what you were planning. Made me worry for nothing."

In the background, Nami was demanding to know just what Luffy was, while the boy in question simply stated, "That should make things fair. Let's get 'em!"