~Croquant~
He stood im front of the assembled crew minus Franky.
"Everyone has their own path.
And this is, where ours part.
But we'll meet again!"
He turned around to punch back the cannonballs, that Garp threw at the ship with deadly precision, only to turn around again.
The whole crew, except for Luffy, who was laughing his ass off and Merry, who had stars in her eyes, was in various states of exasperation, since this strange kind of tennis started more than 10 minutes earlier and it was growing more ridiculous with every exchange.
"So let me wish you all a bon voyage!"
Nami's patience finally ran out, even though she used to be terrified by those colossi, who had enough power to decimate mountains.
"You started to monologue about paths and leaving and everything more than 10 minutes ago. Just leave!"
He nodded sagely.
"Indeed, but who will counter the cannonballs until Franky has his secret weapon up and running? They are imbued with Haki after all."
That shut her up.
"That's the reason for this ridiculous stunt?"
She muttered, only to receive a very much unwanted reply.
"Partly, but mostly, I just like messing with you guys, your reactions are a balm for my soul."
He gifted her with a foxlike grin, that oozed mischievousness.
"I'll punch you now..."
She stated with a serious air and expressionless eyes as she advanced in his direction.
Before she got further than three steps, she heard a loud 'Suuuuuuuuuper...' from somewhere below deck.
"That's my cue." Croquant announced with a cheeky smirk and a playful wink as he jumped overboard into the croissant shaped boat he arrived in.
Seconds later, the Coup de Burst activated, catapulting the screaming crew (some from fear, some from exhileration) far beyond the visible horizon.
He let out an impressed whistle.
'And that was made with cola based technology... Pretty crazy if you ask me.'
He shrugged off his thoughts and sat down on the designated seat of his croissant.
The boat was pretty special.
It was basically a pedal boat, though it was made from extremely sturdy materials, which allowed him to go all out while travelling at insane speeds.
With his input, his big sis Brûlée managed to create a small mirror dimension, linked to the boat after awakening her fruit. This was, of course, kept secret.
Having this mirror space allowed him to take supplies and other important things with him.
Even people, should it be necessary, could be hidden within because you could only open the dimension with the 'key', which was a little handmirror, that could also be used as a communication device.
'damn, the sheer amount of utility of this fruit always surprises me when I think about it...'
He mused while absentmindedly returning the cannonballs that flew his way as the vice admiral by choice sailed past him.
"Next time we'll meet as enemies!
I'll go easy on you if you bring some rice crackers, though!"
He called out to the annoyed Charlotte.
He sighed as he grabbed the mirror and pushed a bit of his haki into it to alert Brûlée-chan. He didn't have to wait for long.
Not even a minute later, her face appeared on the surface of the mirror.
"Croccy!" She exclaimed with delight as he cringed from the hated nickname.
'Why does everyone seem to decide on this nickname independently from each other?'
He even overheard Luffy talking with his gramps with both of them using it!
He sighed and gave his sis a gentle smile.
"I'm happy to see you too, big sis. Everything alright on your end?"
She nodded excitedly.
"The sweets you sent were a big hit with my guests and Mom talked about them quite a bit too!"
Her excitement waned a bit as she continued.
"She also said, that you won't be forgiven for your stunts as long as you don't deliver at least 12 tons of them to her..."
Croquant cringed again.
"Which part was it that she took badly?"
Brûlée stared at him in incredulously.
"How about everything?
Even her massive influence wouldn't be enough shield you against the repercussions of offing a CP unit while being recorded!
What went through that head of yours when you did that!
Did you even think at all?!"
She continued to scold him with a shrill voice and rampant concern for his wellbeing.
Even though her words got harsher and harsher, seriously doubting his sanity quite creatively for instance, a soft smile appeared on his face.
This woman, though seemingly arrogant and aloof, was actually one of the most caring people he knew.
She hid her insecurities behind scathing remarks and toxicity.
She wielded a fake personality like an armor, that protected her from ever having to care for anyone not part of her family.
She didn't even show how much she cared to most of the family, him and Big Bro Kata being the big exceptions.
Ever since she received her scars, she had started to craft this fake reflection and she pretty much perfected it.
That was until she started to regularly interact with him.
His unconditional love for family that he showed early on endeared him to her.
Bit by bit, he got through to her and got her to see, that most of her insecurities were unfounded and that her selfimposed fake cruelty was starting to consume her.
After a particularly emotionally loaded conversation, she slowly started to change.
Nowadays, she showed a fair bit of care for everyone she was fond of, which included every single member of her family.
She still had a cruel streak for those she perceived as a traitor or enemies to the family.
Honestly, he had that too.
When her rant finally ran it's course as she heaved for a breath, tuckered out from scolding him this severely, he finally got a word in.
"I protected future family, sis."
Her eyes grew wide as her scowl flipped into an elated smile.
"So you finally confessed?!"
He rolled his eyes.
But then he answered with a mischievous smile.
"Yes, we even have a daughter together now."
"Say what?"
Her baffled expression sent him over the edge as he had a good laugh.
"Yeah. Pull me through, I don't want to talk about serious stuff out here in the middle of the ocean."
This was an ability, that they kept completely secret. Only Mom, the Sweet Commanders and their equivalents knew about it.
She was able to connect the dimensions she established and basically teleport the person on the other end to her personal Mirro-World.
She was also able to invert the medium while 'saving' it's earlier position.
This made sure, that his boat would be safe until he used it again.
If he needed it, he could decide, if he wanted to return to the position it had before inverting or if he wanted to start his travels from Tottoland.
As he felt the peculiar sensation of instantly travelling thousands of kilometres, he readied himself to receive the hug of his overly enthusiastic big sister.
Her appearance wasn't at all the same as in the original.
Turns out, her fruit took her subconscious image of herself and mirrored it into reality.
This caused the original, with exceptionally low self esteem, to look frankly hideous.
Of course this wouldn't change his view of the kindhearted woman.
She was his sister after all.
As long as she'd let him, he'd shower her in affection and take hers in return.
Not looking like an evil witch did wonders for her self image, though, which created a positive feedback loop that started with lots and lots of positive feedback from both, Katakuri and Croquant.
They constantly praised her efforts and spent time with her simply because they could, which weakened her selfmade emotional defenses enough for the changes to take hold.
Now, she looked like a three and a half metres tall middle-aged bombshell with a scar on her face, that didn't detract from her beauty at all.
Rather, it added a sort of wild charm, especially if she smiled that wolfish smile she adapted some years ago.
He was rather glad, that she found her partner in life when her looks were more ordinary than nowadays.
Otherwise the vetting process would have been more... Intense than it already was.
Already, it took Big Bro Kata, Cracks and Croquant two whole weeks to make sure, that the guy was serious about his relationship with their sister.
Impressively, he actually prevailed, and they were good friends now.
"Isn't it enough by now, big sis?"
He asked her as she kept her face buried in his stomach while he petted her soft hair.
"Sometimes I really doubt you are the older one of us." He commented idly.
She snorted as she slowly pulled back and let him stand up while she righted herself.
"You are definitely the younger one.
You are an impulsive idiot who rarely uses his impressive intellect.
You are an imbecile, who only ever thinks of the consequences of his deeds after they are done.
And most importantly, you are a youngster, who has zero experience in all things love and yet, you didn't listen to your big sister until it was nearly too late!"
He smiled wryly as he answered.
"I'm only impulsive and an imbecile if it includes family or very close friends...
It's hard to keep calm when the rage you feel about those late abortions hurting your loved ones threatens to burn a hole through you."
His words and the impassive expression, that took over his face, alerted her.
Brûlée, seeing, that she may have hit a nerve, especially so soon after someone tried to take his love from him, pulled him into a soothing embrace.
"I'm sorry for being insensitive, my dear little brother.
But such is life for those born to the strong.
There will always be idiots, who threatens our most precious things and people.
You have to learn to stay calm in your rage.
We all inherited some of Mom's inborn capacity for anger.
This makes learning control all the more important!
Remember, calculated fury is more dangerous than red hot rage.
The latter may be more impressive to watch, but it'll burn out quickly and may leave everything you've worked hard to achieve in shambles."
She paused to pull back and look into his eyes.
"This time, our spies in the information control sector of the marines came through for you.
In the chaos around the incident they managed to destroy any and all recordings, that showed you.
You were lucky, that the one working at the receiver that day was one of ours.
We also managed to lay false trails that made it seem as if the CP unit, that you obliterated, defected.
They won't believe such a thing, but it'll give them more avenues to investigate."
'So family had my back again. I'm truly blessed.'
He thought to himself, only to doubt his own thoughts when he laid eyes on the near-manic gleam in his sister's gaze.
"Now: Details!"
It was very much an order and he complied.
As he told his story, with interruptions caused by squealing, hugs and 'I knew it!'s, he felt a little lighter.
Sharing something light yet important like this with his dear sister improved his mood immeasurably.
Especially since he finally had someone in front of him, who was just as enthusiastic about his collage, photo series, carvings and 'Proudest Moments' recordings as him.
"Big Sis, Big Sis, Big Bro Cro's Croissant appeared in his spot!"
They suddenly heard from the entrance of her château.
The little girl ran through the entrance of the living room, only to stop with wide eyes and a surprised expression on her face when she saw Croquant.
He knelt down, opening his arms for a hug.
She happily took the invitation as she squealed happily, only to descend into delighted giggles as he started tickling her.
Finally, he pulled her close with a gentle smile as he stated softly.
"I'm back, lil' An."
She pulled back with puffed out cheeks.
"I told you to stop calling me that!
If you don't, I... I..."
She struggled for a moment, but then her face lit up and she told him with a confident air.
"I'll start calling you Croccy!"
He visibly cringed when hearing that.
"Please don't. I'll try to stop, no promises, that I'll always remember, though."
She pouted a bit, but then started excitedly nattering at him about all the new things she experienced while he was away.
He stopped her after a while with some healthy snacks, that still tasted mildly sweet, which was very much to her liking if her swinging legs and happy smile while eating them was any indicator.
"I'm happy you like them."
He told her.
"I was experimenting with some fruits I've found on an undocumented island.
I found them a bit lacking by themselves, but their gentle taste was a fantastic catalyst for some of my dishes, that needed that little special taste."
She didn't really understand what he said, but the snacks tasted great, so she just nodded with a smile as if she did.
Brûlée understood, though, and she really appreciated his dedication to his hobby, as she really liked to eat good food.
She told him as much and he just laughed.
"I enjoy the process of creation as much as watching you all munch on my craft."
With a content sigh, he let himself fall back onto the way too big couch and smiled upwards.
'I'll miss Robin and Merry, but they have com-mirrors, they can contact me at any time and vice versa.
It's nice to be with my family again, though.
I missed the crazy bunch.
I'll have to visit some of them tomorrow, to surprise them...
On second thought, Brûlée has most likely already sent out an alert, that I'm home.
Those com-mirrors work kinda like mobilephones with voice activation, running on a secure network with Brûlée as the relay and main hub at once.'
It was the reason why only the most trusted even knew about them, and only a very small amount of outsiders possessed one.
For the first time in weeks, he felt completely safe, which led to him dozing off on the couch of his Big Sis with a little smile on his face, not noticing, that his sisters were suspiciously quiet.
~Brûlée~
She hushed Anana when she noticed Croquant dozing off.
He always looked so cute while sleeping.
Most people wouldn't call her little brother cute of all things, but most people weren't 3,5 metres in height.
She looked at her brother's sleeping form and smiled mischievously while grabbing a Foto-Mirror.
Those did the same thing a camera did, but she could send the pictures to any mirror, that was connected to her network.
Some quick snapshots of his drooling face later, she lifted the still eating Anana from the beanbag she placed her on and left the room with a casual swing of her hand, that transported the snacktable into a mirror dimension, that was linked to her own handmirror.
Her little brother really had a marvellous brain if he decided to use it.
Half of the abilities she developed in the last one and a half decades were theorised by him.
A good deal of the other half were at least inspired by something he said.
She looked down at the now snuggled up and sleeping Anana and sighed.
'I guess I'll be a pillow again tonight.'
She didn't dislike it, though.