"Drake, if Luffy isn't here, won't our trip have been in vain?" Kenshin asked, sounding rather puzzled.
"Hahahaha... of course not. Since this is the territory of a Yonko, there must be plenty of good things lying around. I don't plan on leaving empty-handed," Drake said, waving a hand dismissively.
He had come here with multiple goals. While helping Luffy was the priority, he figured he might as well "borrow" some treasure on the way back. As for how big of a taboo it was to offend an Emperor of the Sea, Drake only had one thing to say:
Does it look like I give a damn?
Setting everything else aside, looking at raw strength alone—could they even take him down? Psychologically, Big Mom wasn't exactly a saint, so "borrowing" her things didn't give Drake even a shred of a moral burden.
Hehe.
Kenshin: "!!??"
Wait, what? This isn't what we talked about when we left!
"Wait, that giant tree..." Kenshin suddenly pointed to the tree ahead of them.
Drake's body stiffened, and his mind raced.
Nami!
He definitely wasn't seeing things. Wasn't that the Straw Hat crew's "big sister," Nami, sitting on top of that balding giant tree?
What time was it now?
Although Drake didn't know every detail, he could confirm one thing for sure: the Straw Hats were still on Whole Cake Island!
"Drake? Drake?" Kenshin nudged the dazed Drake.
Internally, Kenshin was a bit surprised. Was this guy actually interested in women? He had to admit, Nami was a world-class beauty with an exquisite figure and a delicate, charming face...
Ahem!
Kenshin cleared his throat, specifically to snap Drake out of it. Is there really a need to keep staring at her like that? How embarrassing.
"Hahahaha!" Drake burst into laughter without warning, though Kenshin had no idea what he was thinking. "Looks like we haven't arrived too late after all."
He walked toward the tree and Nami with great enthusiasm.
"You're Nami, right!?"
"You are..." Nami heard him call her name. In her mind, the images from the reports about the four brothers began to overlap with the man in front of her. "You... you're Luffy's brother?"
"Hahahaha! It's me, Drake. Where's Luffy? Is he okay?"
Hearing this, Kenshin realized Nami belonged to the Straw Hat crew and quickly walked over.
"Sniff..." Nami's eyes grew moist, and she practically lunged toward Drake. "Big Brother... Luffy is in danger..."
???
Drake was stunned. What's the situation?
Kenshin was equally lost, though he could guess that Luffy's predicament wasn't great.
"Alright, alright..." Drake quickly tried to calm Nami down. He was about to ask for details when a flash of cunning appeared in Nami's eyes.
"King Baum, take us there quickly!"
Before he knew it, the giant tree had placed Drake, Kenshin, and Nami on his head and was sprinting toward the battlefield.
Drake, who was about to ask more questions, suddenly shut his mouth. He had already sensed the situation not far ahead.
"Kenshin, Luffy is in trouble. I'm heading over first!" Drake stood up abruptly and leaped from the tree.
"Eh?" Nami tried to stop him, but in the next second, she was speechless with shock.
Drake vanished instantly. A moment later, he appeared a thousand meters away, and then he was gone from sight entirely.
"He..." Nami pointed toward the blur that was Drake, wanting to say something to Kenshin but not knowing how to put it into words.
"It's fine. Leave it to him. Just tell me the current situation first," Kenshin said, his face turning serious. He had also sensed the massive army nearby. The situation was indeed grim.
"Okay." Nami didn't doubt them; she knew a bit about Drake's capabilities. She quickly explained their goal and the obstacles they were currently facing.
"Agh! Straw Hat, die!" A massive wave of cream surged toward Luffy.
The cream contained the searing power of fire.
"Gah..." Luffy's feet were trapped, and several enemies coated in Haki were closing in to strike.
"Elephant Gun!"
Luffy threw a desperate punch, but he was overwhelmed almost instantly due to his exhaustion.
"Ah..."
Just as Luffy's guard failed, a massive amount of cream landed on him. The intense heat hit him immediately, threatening to scorch him to a crisp. His arms, back, and thighs were covered in the burning substance.
"AAAAAGH!" As Luffy let out a gut-wrenching scream, a swarm of Chess Soldiers lunged forward.
BOOM!
The space collapsed. Drake descended from the sky and slammed a fist down.
The earth shattered instantly, sending debris flying as surrounding buildings collapsed. Drake held nothing back in this strike; seeing Luffy in such pain had stripped him of his reason.
Offending a Yonko isn't a wise move? Bullshit!
If he didn't intervene now, what was the point of having this power?
Big Mom?
Let her come!
If he didn't turn this place upside down today, he wouldn't consider the matter settled!
"Agh... what happened?" "Not good, the ground is collapsing!" "Who is it!?"
BOOM! The only answer to their frantic questions was another crushing blow! The once-mighty Army of Rage was instantly reduced to a scattered, panicked mess.
"Ugh..." Luffy swayed, dropping to one knee as he panted like a wounded animal.
Drake walked slowly toward him. "Luffy..."
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Luffy struggled to lift his head, his eyes so exhausted they looked ready to close at any moment. But when he saw Drake, his pupils shrank.
"D-Drake... why are you here?"
"Luffy, are you okay?" Drake took out a Senzu Bean. "Here, eat this."
"No!" Luffy jerked his head away, turning his face to the side.
Drake froze. "What's wrong?"
"I..." Luffy bit his lip, unable to explain.
Sanji...
Seeing this, Drake suddenly remembered Luffy's vow: he wouldn't eat anything unless it was made by Sanji. He understood everything instantly and put the Senzu Bean away.
"Hey! Who are you!?" Galette shouted, looking at Drake in horror.
"Luffy, rest here for a moment. I'll be right back," Drake told him, then turned and began walking slowly toward the Army of Rage.
"Big Mom Pirates? Good! It seems if I don't give you a taste of real pain, you won't learn your lesson."
"Luffy has three older brothers standing behind him! Remember that!"
With a flicker, Drake appeared in front of the Cream Minister, Opera. He slammed a palm against Opera's face and unleashed his vibration power!
Crack... BOOM!
Along with the shattering of space, a massive shockwave cleared everything in front of him. The Cream Minister was instantly covered in blood.
Thud!
His head slammed into the ground, his fate unknown.
Drake waved his hand again, his coat fluttering. Spatial pressure descended like a heavy curtain, ending the lives of countless soldiers.
Rumble...