Test the Waters (Cracker x Reader)

It's Not a Secret, but Don't Talk About it.

(A/n)
When will my Cracker obsession end? Never. Deal with it.

You sat at the water's edge, pushing and pulling it a bit faster than it's waves were with just the wave of a hand. You weren't supposed to be here, so close to the ocean but it was hard not to be. Playing with the water exercised your devil fruit abilities. With a bigger body of water it took more effort, especially with it being salt water. Rivers and lakes were much easier to work with. The water didn't fight you nearly as much.

But the ocean didn't like being controlled by someone who should technically fear it. As long as you didn't come into contact with it though, it was at your mercy, begrudgingly doing as you wanted it to.

Everyone on Faldurn Island knew about your devil fruit but talking about it or using it in front of others had become taboo. When you first got the power you didn't understand why. It was amazing what you could do with water and the longer you had it, the more you learned you could do. It started with parlor tricks, making shapes out of it in the air and turning your own body to water to try and get a laugh out of someone.

But then you learned you could do more with it. Condense the water down to bullets and send them flying, create liquid whips or shields. Really it was only limited by your imagination. But it was still something not to be talked about. When the charm of your tricks faded and people realized what your abilities could do, they began to fear for their safety. Not from you personally, but from those who also understood what your power meant.

You could do something no other devil fruit user could. You could use the ocean, bend it to your command, and incapacitate another user easily. Even the strongest users would find you dangerous.

And that was why your abilities weren't talked about. The fewer people that knew, the less danger there was of someone else finding out. Though you didn't like having to hide something that had become a part of who you were, you understood why you had to. You felt lucky having people who cared deeply enough to keep you safe but at the same time, it was almost suffocating. But that was why you'd sneak away sometimes to play with the water. It wasn't much and it was never for long, but it helped you tolerate hiding away your abilities.

"(Y/n)!" A man hissed behind you as he stomped closer. So much for using your devil fruit powers in secret.

You winced, releasing the waters to go back at their own pace. "Hiya Addi."

"You know better than to be out here playing around like that. Get off your ass and let's go back home. There's chores to be done."

You turned to face the man. He was tall, about six and a half feet with long brown hair tied back into a pony tail and chocolate brown eyes to match. His tanned skin and light scruff gave him a rugged look that most women would consider very handsome. You would too if he wasn't more like a father to you. He'd found you at a young age and took you in without question, having raised you ever since. His name was Atticus, but you called him Addi. It was a cute nickname that stuck despite his best efforts to keep you from using it.

"There's how many of us living there and there's still chores to do?" You frowned.

He had a habit of taking in strays so you weren't the only person living with him. There was a whole slew of you orphans and abandoned souls. Some of them, like you, were adults, staying to help the younger ones or pitch in money for food or supplies. Most of them were still children though, unable to take care of themselves properly yet.

"There's always work to be done in a full home (Y/n), c'mon the kids miss you anyway." He nodded back towards the direction of home.

You got up, brushing the sand off your jeans before falling in step beside him. "They just miss someone keeping them entertained." You huffed. They were cute and you loved them, but sometimes they were a handful.