Test the Waters (Cracker x Reader)

Tell Me Why

It was heartbreaking watching Atticus throw himself at the men in an attempt to get to you.

"Should we kill him?" The scarred man asked, obviously itching to do so as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Don't you dare!" You snapped at him, fighting the waves of nausea that weakened you.

"Maybe I should do it just to piss you off." He sneered, still angry from the cut you gave him.

"I may not be a good fighter but I like to think I'm quite creative. You seem to want me alive and I'd have no problem figuring out a way to kill myself. Don't. Touch. Him." You spoke low and steady, keeping eye contact the entire time.

"Leave him Cracker." Katakuri said. "I'm not interested in risking angering Mama. We'll take her and leave."

"Fine." Cracker snarled in your face. "Can we go then? I want to get this salt water off of me."

"She has quite the bleeding heart doesn't she?" The slim man asked Atticus. "Don't let it go to waste."

With that Atticus fell to his knees wordlessly, knowing he'd lost. The slim man pushed a hand between your shoulder blades, nudging you towards their destination. You cast one last look over your shoulder, watching a single tear fall down your adoptive father's cheek before continuing on your way.

----

"Stay in here, don't cause any problems." Cracker shoved you into a small room on the ship, slamming the door shut behind him as he left.

You rubbed your sore wrists as you turned to observe your new surroundings. They'd been nice enough to change out the cuffs for something more like a locked seastone bracelet. You still felt sick and worn out touching the material, but at least you could use your hands.

The room didn't have much. There was a small bed in one corner and a desk with a lamp on it in another. There was a second door leading to a tiny bathroom and that was it. The room was further in the ship, below deck so there were no windows. You couldn't tell where you were going or how long it'd take to get there. Let alone what they wanted with you.

You let loose a shaky breath and sat on the edge of the bed. You'd never hated your devil fruit abilities before, but now, you kinda did. This wouldn't have happened if you didn't have them. You'd been stolen away, the mansion ended up damaged, and Atticus had to be feeling like the worst caretaker in existence. And you felt like it was all your fault.

Emotionally, things were going to take a bit to sink in. Right now, you felt empty, drained of emotion and energy. Even the throbbing of your ribs felt dull. You didn't want to sleep though, not on this ship with those men nearby. It didn't take fighting all of them to realize they were powerful. The fight you had with the one called Cracker wasn't even a real one. You could tell he was hardly trying, he was only toying with you because he found it amusing.

You zoned out instead. Staying in the same spot for hours and listened to the sounds of footsteps overhead and around the room along with the occasional muffled conversation. There wasn't anything else to do and you refused to panic about a situation you couldn't change. Not yet anyway.

The ship quieted down, you assumed it was getting late at night and the crew was settling in when a knock came at the door and it swung open.

"Still awake are we?" The slim man stepped in with a tray of food. He placed it on the desk before taking a seat in the empty chair beside it.

"What do you want?" You didn't move, but watched him through tired, half lidded eyes.

"I thought you might be hungry." He motioned to the tray.