You slid over the hood of a car and grinned, all of the policemen were yelling in a frenzy at the destruction you left behind.

With most of them caught between chasing after you and aiding the casualties, you were able to make a decently easy get away.

Seeing that you were no longer being followed, you shoved your fists into your pockets and wandered down the run down streets of the New World district.

Passing trashy pubs, and shoddy drug stores, you continued to walk to that one place, to see them all admit it.

For them to finally acknowledge your victory.

Making it to the small shop, you watched the small, colourless TV screens shift to a news channel, you felt your body clamp down on itself as your blood began to buzz around in anticipation.

"We now move on to another incident caused by (L/N) 'The Trooper' (Y/N), today this misguided, desperate rookie destroyed yet another police station and raised her body count above the triple digits, many of the authorities are left astounded how such an amateur has made it so far" grinning mockingly at the camera, the news reporter turned to her companion- completely unaware of you watching this.

"While rookies such as the supernovas from the worst generation have already proved themselves as threats, this lone female rushes around like a-" not wanting to hear anymore, you stumbled away in frustration.

Again, they refused to acknowledge you again, again, and yes- again.

But- tightening your fists till the point they hurt more than your crippled pride, you bit down on your spiraling passion, and kicked down the crumbling building right by you.

You weren't going to stop, no matter what they all said- you knew what you were doing, you were well aware of the things bigger than you, and one day you were going to show them all.

It wasn't fair, you defeated so many people near the pinnacle of the hierarchy of crime yet they all wrote it off as luck, you pulled off such chaos with just your wits, but they deemed it coincidence.

You hated them all.

It was frustrating how easily everybody overlooked you- it killed you inside, many times you've been tempted to give in, nobody was on your side, and no matter how many people said otherwise- there isn't a single person existing on the planet who can do anything completely on their own.

But you weren't going to stop, you were going to make a name goddammit, you couldn't stop.

Not yet, you still had a little more fight in you... you hoped.

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Cracker yawned in the Games room, the way he basically used the pool table as a couch was probably going to get him in trouble- but he didn't give any shits at the moment, too busy watching Katakuri win another match of darts against his soulmate.

"You're cheating! You gotta be using your future sight cause this is bullshit" laughing aloud at the way she stomped her foot childishly, the woman whirled on him and pouted timidly, "meanie.." Katakuri pacified her with a soft rub to her shoulders.

"Observation haki isn't something one can learn overnight, it takes many days of grueling training, blood is spilled, nights invite demons, and many earthly desires are abandoned along the way" staring seriously into her soul, the other blinked awkwardly with her cheeks hollowed out, glancing side to side as if she was left speechless, "..but what if I like my earthly desires? Like you? And pocky?"

Cracker felt his face of aloofness contort into an expression of discomfort hearing Katakuri laugh gently, right before he pulled her into a silent one armed hug.

He still hasn't gotten used to his brother's new 'soft side' along with his blatant affection for his soulmate, it was sort of making him uncomfortable realizing he's never heard his brother laugh before she showed up, or how he was acting less stressed- and his usually concealed eye bags were gone too.

He loved his brother don't get him wrong, Katakuri was the true definition of everything every one of his siblings wanted to be- including himself, powerful, cool, collected, badass, perfect, the true shining example of everything Mama expected from them- but, maybe.

Maybe seeing how truly happy Katakuri was- and already being so perfect made him feel slightly jealous.

The redhead never expressed any joy whatsoever throughout his entire life as much as Cracker knew, Katakuri had two switches, he was either aloof and distant or straight down furious, and everyone has at least once heard the tragedy of his childhood- losing his other half.

All in all, everyone came to the silent conclusion that he was constantly detached from such emotions known as happiness.

Although, now seeing Katakuri constantly pull the girl around wherever he went, including her on everything he did and everything he experienced without her- Cracker has also overheard on many occasions of the fellow Sweet Commander actually going out of his way to find her trinkets and stories to entertain her with whenever he went away on a mission.

Then including the fact that Katakuri has been kicking twice the amount of ass as before, becoming an even farther goal to reach- was that even logically possible? Taking a deep breath seeing the two press foreheads, Cracker couldn't stomach the sight anymore- huffing with bright red cheeks.

Yes, he was very jealous of his brother.

"I see a green eyed monster.." jerking his head back to give a dark glare at the small woman who dared grin at him amusedly, he clicked his tongue before swiping at the TV remote.

"Am not.." she smiled brightly, "you are! Do you really want a soulmate that badly Cracker?" Instead of answering her he flicked on the screen, not particularly caring what channel was on as he lost himself to deep thought.

His older siblings would tell him all the time as a kid how incredible soulmates were, they turned you into extraordinarily powerful fighters, they always made you feel on cloud nine- god it was every sibling's dream to find their soulmate, sometime ago it even turned into a contest for whoever had the best soulmate.

At first while he was a kid, he sought out his soulmate with the intention of using them to grow stronger, a tool to help him reach his goals- but then, after carefully noticing how his siblings with soulmates were much happier than the others..

Seeing how happy all his siblings with soulmates were growing up, yeah, slowly he realized he really wanted one for himself too- not just for strength anymore, but just for the sake of having somebody to hold.

A form of contentment, you could say.

"We now move on to another incident caused by (L/N) 'The Trooper' (Y/N)" Cracker was then brought out of his musings seeing a short live stream that looked cut out of an action film, bodies were scattered, the police were in a frenzy, and destruction was themed all over the place, "today this misguided, desperate rookie destroyed yet another police station and raised her body count above the triple digits, many of the authorities are left astounded how such an amateur has made it so far" seeing the reporter grin cockily despite not even being at the scene, she continued to downgrade the individual responsible.

At first from the way the reporter described this person, they sounded pretty pathetic- until they showed her mugshot, then Cracker couldn't even hear what the phony ass bitch was saying.

It was a youthful female, hard jawline, soft cheeks, deep eyes, pursed lips, thick lashes, if looks could kill then whoever took the photo during the time would have been nothing but dust, her zooming (E/C) orbs were raging with fury and- and something else that made Cracker feel strangely uncomfortable.

She definitely didn't look like any clueless newb like the news were implying- she looked damn ready for world domination, with the plans all mapped out in her head ready to go.

"Oh, that's a shame, isn't it Katakuri?" Having forgotten about the other two completely, the purple haired Charlotte blinked dumbly seeing Katakuri shake his head in slight pity whilst his soulmate puffed her cheeks sadly.

"They've been picking on that girl relentlessly in the news lately, hounding her like wolves, they're pathetic, ganging up on such a talented rookie- fucking vultures" abruptly the Sweet Commander felt something defensive rise in his chest, "I think she's tough"

The two blinked back at him with raised eyebrows, the girl throwing a dart without looking- and it hit the bullseye.

Feeling sheepish for some reason, he bit the inside of his cheek and turned away, "what?! She's obviously not as clueless as they say if she got away with that much damage! Not to mention she's still doing this shit even though everybody is downgrading her! That takes guts!"

The room was momentarily silent- "ah Cracker, I've been looking for you pero"

Turning to his older brother, Cracker was quick to sit up properly in his presence and grin, "what's up?" The long tongued male waved off his bold face and shrugged his shoulders, "Mama insists you, me, and Daifuku go take another search around the territory for soulmates"

Subconsciously glancing at the mugshot on the television screen once more, the Sweet Commander grabbed ahold of Pretzel and slung the blade over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm coming"

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"No!" Angrily tossing another wad of paper into the angel statue, you kicked into the wall of the abandoned church and growled, you wouldn't admit it aloud but you were beginning to run dry of ideas, stuff was getting complicated.

Pigeon drones? That was too expensive.

Pipe bombs? Too easy, you needed to show people you were a pro not an everyday terrorist.

Flash mob? Hmm, that one would go in the 'maybe' zone?

Thinking back to a few minutes ago, you rubbed your fresh bruise- the one given to you by a hoodlum, once again you were rejected by another gang, of course you weren't really interested in becoming part of them as you were wanting to use them as stepping stones.

But still, you were beginning to wear a bit too thin.

It hurt, you tried so hard- harder than anyone else had the right to, more than anyone else could.

It hurt, you broke your own back to do what you did, and a few arms, and almost your pelvis.

It hurt, you went at your goal relentlessly- nearly to the point your health would collapse twice a week.

It hurt, you did everything on your own without any support, you planned everything solo, you paid for it, you fought it through, it was all you alone.

It hurt, knowing while everybody with twice as more recognition than you, laid back and laughed at you knowing they hadn't had to work half as hard as you've been.

It hurt, knowing that deep down no matter how hard you tried, if nobody else was willing to support you, then there was no way you could make it to your goal.

It hurt, it hurt, it hurt.

It hurt so goddamn much.

Fighting back your tears, you hastily grabbed your things and moved out of the forgotten church, mindfully moving over the snapped piece of ply-board in the doorway as you went.

You didn't know where you were going anymore, you didn't know what you were doing anymore, at this rate you were just delaying the inevitable- jerking to a stop, you felt something warm engulf you- even though it was well below room temperature outside, it felt- it felt like something was warming your soul.

You breathed in shakily, feeling- feeling the ever so rare sensation of comfort, it was- nice.

You've never felt so warm before, it felt relieving.

Wanting to find the source of this comfort, you blindly began to wander in a totally random direction, letting instincts take the wheel, at first you trekked through rubble slowly, but as the feeling grew in intensity you began to stumble on faster with more haste, becoming more and more desperate to reach the source.

This feeling it was- it was stability.

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Cracker impatiently tapped Pretzel on his shoulder repeatedly as the three of them continued on their dull walk.

He felt as if he was missing something and it was pissing him off, "Cracker? You seem to be fidgeting quite a bit, are you alright? Pero" blinking at Perospero with a frown, the purple haired Charlotte just groaned, clearly stating his interest in their current activities.

"Ugh, we never find anything, why-" nearly loosing his grip on Pretzel, Cracker's attention was suddenly stolen by something slightly further beyond Totto land's borders.

It felt- it felt like something he needed.

"Crack-" "shh!" Hastily shutting Daifuku up as to not distract their younger brother, the eldest son observed the other carefully with knowing eyes.

Leaning over and using his cane to keep the other from hearing, Perospero whispered carefully into Daifuku's ear, "call Mama, tell her we have a soulmate just beyond the borders, we may need to lure them here.." just as he finished speaking, Cracker began to urgently march away from the border between Totto land and the open, free-for-all ruins of the New World district.

Careful to follow him from a small distance, the two made sure to keep their eyes out for his soulmate.

Cracker could barely register the fact that his brothers were still there, he couldn't even remember that he was going past Mama's borders without his cracker armor.

There was something that was his, they needed him, they felt distressed- and by god if Cracker didn't get to them and stabilize them this instant he was going to lose his shit.

Suddenly seeing a smaller, more lithe figure dart into the street and freeze on the spot- only to dart back and hide behind an alley wall, Cracker felt his heart crumble.

It was the same tough woman from the news, just as fiery, just as determined- and hurt.

That other thing in her eyes was hurt.

Obviously now seeing her peek out at him face to face, he could see the pain much easier, all the mocks, all the rejections, all the overlooking- it was finally taking it's toll on her powerful spirit.

And that was fucking unforgivable.

She was now wearing down to nothing but a shell on the break of collapsing, just this close to giving up from the starvation of support.

That just pissed him off, knowing he was right there, ready and able to support her completely, knowing his family would absolutely approve of such a spirit.

He was going to show her all the recognition she deserved- drag her kicking and flailing all the way back to Totto land if he had to.

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You looked to three men with wide eyes- now tearing up catching sight of the youngest one in the front.

They were part of Big Mom's gang, all three were her sons- and your soulmate was right there among them, and you really wanted to die on the spot, the Big Mom gang was ruthless, everyone knew affection wasn't something that came naturally to them, which meant no matter how hard your heart sang for comfort and affection- you simply couldn't get it from this man.

But god, he was handsome, long purple hair that looked luscious and wavy- especially with the way it was tied in a ponytail, hard muscles blanketed by pale skin that let the bright colour of his pink eyes pop out beautifully, a large comforting chest to hug and lean on- you felt a sob choke through your throat.

Your soulmate was a cruel, callous Charlotte.

God, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, nobody acknowledged you no matter how hard you tried- and they never will, and now you had to discover that your soulmate was a heartless sadist who would use you only for a power boost.

Not being able to take it anymore, your (E/C) orbs glazed over with waiting tears as they impatiently rushed down your cheeks, finally breaking down and releasing a brisk sob, through your misery you saw him dart for you and ran away.

You were done, you didn't bother to say anything hearing him call out to you desperately.

You were done.

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Cracker immediately felt the full effects of his world falling apart, seeing the final embers of the fire in your orbs die out right before him- being choked out by the tears overflowing in your eyes.

No.

Immediately rushing forwards to pull you back together- while ignoring the shouts of protests from his older siblings, he felt something panicked rise in his chest seeing you rush away from him, "(Y/N)!" You didn't falter as you escaped from his sight, triggering an urgent instinct from him.

His soulmate was hurt, his goddamn soulmate was hurt.

Grabbing ahold of Pretzel without even giving it much thought, the Sweet Commander plowed through the buildings in his way, revealing you again.

Comfort, he had to comfort you, you needed comfort.

Letting his instincts run wild, Cracker rushed after you.

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Even though your vision was blurred with tears of despair, you continued to clumsily stumble on, rushing through your heartbreak, narrowly evading cages of crackers and walls of candy that would form from out of nowhere to ensnare you.

That was until you turned the next corner, you stumbled to a hault seeing a line of chess grunts that have created a barricade, with a brightly coloured man standing high above them all, not unlike the king of the chessboard.

Lifting a hand forward, he stared you down, "detain the soulmate!" Blinking back your tears as the tiny foot soldiers rushed for you, stepping back you were prepared to plow through them all- until you were abruptly restrained from behind.

Immediately panicking seeing two familiar arms wrap around your torso, you gripped onto them with the remaining strength you had and couldn't decide whether you wanted to pull them closer or force them away.

You ultimately chose the former as a tall and imposing figure approached to assess you, not liking this, you allowed Cracker to engulf you deeper in his chest, whispering quiet nothings into your hair, suddenly you were relishing in the warmth you found.

He felt so- comforting.

Cracker wanted to punch Oven in the face seeing his features scrunch up in disapproval as he watched you shiver in his brother's arms.

"She doesn't seem to be around our level.." the Sweet Commander could barely keep himself from swinging out Pretzel in that moment, "you're right, she's more" his voice was laced with venom.

Both of them taking a moment to size each other up, staring each other down as challenge, they were suddenly pulled out of it by you.

"Please stop giving Cracker that look" both of the men turning to you at that, Cracker for one was instantly relieved to see the small embers in your eyes slowly lifting back up, while Oven blinked at your cool tone.

Not exactly knowing how to react, the other unconsciously stepped off, much to the younger Charlotte's amazement.

Grinning stunned at the reaction, watching Oven head back for Totto land in a steaming huff, the smile soon became giddy feeling how good it was to have you in his arms.

"Hahaha! That was amazing!" Looking down at you, feeling ecstatic from the sudden praise, you beamed up at him, flames fully revitalized from that simple admiration, "you're amazing!" Blushing hard at that, you hid your face in his arm.

So, this is what support felt like.

"Pero, pero, it looks like you two will be getting along just fine" glancing up at a skinnier, older man with a walking candy cane-stick, you blinked as he nodded to you.

"Don't mind Oven, he's probably upset that he lost the bet, pero" not exactly knowing what that was, you decided not to ask, "congratulations Cracker, you're the lucky one today"

You softly smiled seeing the purple haired Charlotte practically glow, "yes, yes I am" and you were too.