Test the Waters (Cracker x Reader)

Look in the Mirror

(A/n)
Tbh, I'm running out of fan art of our biscuit bae. I'll scrounge around for some more but there's not a ton for him unfortunately.

It shouldn't have been so easy to take down an entire Marine base. It was terrifying to think that about half a year ago you could hardly move enough water for someone to swim in and now you were using catastrophic amounts to destroy what was practically a fortress. They didn't know what hit them.

The ship was hidden in a nearby cove while you sat in a tree a short distance from the base with Cracker leaning against the trunk, watching the destruction. You were close enough that it didn't strain you too much but far enough that no one could see you. You created blades of water and cut the buildings down to a more manageable size before making huge waves rise from the ocean and drag the rubble and unfortunate Marines into it's depths.

You still weren't a fan of the killing and preferred to make it as quick and painless as possible for those involved. It was the best you could do for them without going against your orders. Cracker knew you still hated it and probably always will. He spent a lot of time with you after missions like this to make sure you were in a good state before returning things to normal. It was something you really appreciated.

After throwing a few more waves at the base, you cleared out the vast majority of the men. Then came Cracker's part. He'd go in to finish off any stragglers in his suit of armor, to hide his real identity of course, and when that was done you'd both head over to the castle on the island. He planned on keeping his cracker suit on the entire time to avoid any recognition. It was a strange habit of his. He was very keen on making sure few people knew what he really looked like.

"Alright, it's all yours. There shouldn't be a whole lot left." You looked upon the destruction, devoid of emotion. It was easier to deal with it in the moment if you didn't think about it. All you had to do was tell yourself you were taking down an abandoned building, cleaning up the leftover debris.

"I'll be back in an hour or less. Stay put." He headed out towards the base remains gleefully, taking on the armor as he went. That was one thing you'd never understand, his lust for fighting.

You did as he told you to, waiting in the tree for his return. They spent all this time teaching you how to fight but didn't let you put anything you'd learned to use. Cracker had told you it was more for emergencies, for times a fight couldn't be avoided. You were better used at a distance after all.

The time dragged on slowly as you kicked your feet back and forth and checked out the surrounding area from your high vantage point. The branch you were on was probably around 25 feet up off the ground, you weren't quite sure. But you could see a lot of the land laid out in front of you. Your perch was located on a hill with the land sloping down as it went inward. Not too far off was the king's castle with a large city sprawling out from it's base. You could make out the orchards the island was known for. The island had nice warm, balmy weather, good for growing a variety of different fruits.

Big Mom was interested in them for adding to her sweets. Everything from cakes to pies and anything else she could think of. The family's obsession with anything containing sugar would never cease to amaze you. It literally drove them to take over islands and force marriages so they could get to what they wanted. While Cracker shared the obsession, he didn't seem as crazy as some of the others.

Peros always had some kind of hard candy with him, probably because his own devil fruit made it easy to eat sweets like that. Katakuri seemed to like doughnuts but you never saw him actually eat any. Raisin loved fruit pies. And Cracker, he never settled to any one particular kind of sweet thing, choosing instead to bounce around and enjoy whatever was given to him. You weren't too different in that aspect. On the rare occasion you wanted something sugary you'd take whatever was handy. But after doing what you just did, killing countless Marines, you wouldn't be touching anything sweet for a while. It made your stomach churn just thinking about it.