Once Nami snapped back to her senses and took in her surroundings, she was instantly rooted to the spot in sheer bewilderment.
Directly in front of them sat a massive, iron-cast cauldron filled with bubbling, boiling water, the metal itself glowing a fiery red. Even Vale D. Drake blinked in brief surprise at the sight.
However, the ones most shocked were the inhabitants of the Mirro-World. They stared at the newly arrived Drake and Nami as if they had just laid eyes on a pair of ghosts.
"Y-You... How on earth did you get in here!?" Brûlée stammered, her eyes bulging and her mouth hanging wide in utter disbelief.
"Huh!? Nami!" Next to the cauldron, a furry, muscular creature's eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.
"Chopper!" Nami cried out, filled with excitement upon seeing him. But when she took a closer look at his current predicament, she froze. "Chopper, you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she noticed a figure dangling directly over the boiling cauldron. Wasn't that Carrot?
"Carrot!? What in the world are you guys doing..."
She couldn't help but be stunned. The scene was simply too... ludicrous. Are they trying to make a reindeer-and-rabbit stew?
"Waaah..." Dangling above the cauldron, Carrot had aggrieved tears welling up in her eyes.
"Eh!?"
Under Nami's bewildered gaze, the giant cauldron actually began to sing to a joyful beat.
"Zugu-zugu-zugu... Zugu-zugu-zugu..."
"Ba! Zugu-zugu-zugu..." Beside Chopper, a massive crocodile swayed from side to side, clutching a knife and fork in his hands. It was blatantly clear that he couldn't wait to dig into the upcoming delicacy. However, the moment he noticed Nami and Drake's appearance, his expression instantly turned hostile.
"Speak! How did you get in here!?" Brûlée demanded, her face twisted in a grimace. Without her power, it should have been absolutely impossible for ordinary people to enter this Mirro-World.
"Nami! Run!" Chopper frantically yelled. There were quite a few enemies gathered here; if Nami was alone, she wouldn't stand a chance.
As for the man standing next to her... Chopper didn't recognize him. Could he be an enemy!? At that thought, Chopper's eyes bugged out, and his voice faltered. "Nami... h-he... he is..."
However, seeing the surrounding enemies begin to close in on Nami, Chopper quickly shot a meaningful glance toward the ceiling. It looked like they had no choice but to launch their counter-strategy ahead of schedule.
Perched stealthily on the ceiling waiting for the right moment was the real Carrot. Their capture had actually been part of the plan; as long as they could buy enough time and seize the right opening, they could turn the tables. Although Chopper was currently bound by iron chains, he could instantly break free by using his transformation to shrink his body. He would catch the enemy completely off guard.
The tactic was mathematically flawless.
"Wihihihi... Since you've walked right into our trap, you might as well stay!" Brûlée cackled uncontrollably. Pointing a finger at Nami, she ordered, "Seize her!"
"Nami, run!" Chopper bellowed.
Yet, Nami didn't move an inch. She remained entirely unfazed, acting as though the surrounding danger had absolutely nothing to do with her. Instead, she looked at Chopper with a face full of concern. "Chopper, how did you guys manage to get captured?"
"Oh, we got caught because..." Just as he was about to explain, Chopper snapped out of it and roared, "Is this really the time for that!? Run!"
But the enemies were faster. In a heartbeat, they had completely surrounded Drake and Nami. Seeing this, Chopper dropped the act. Fine, I admit it! We got captured on purpose!
"Carrot, move!"
Following Chopper's shout, Carrot immediately dropped down from the ceiling. The Carrot dangling over the pot was actually a frog transformed by Brûlée's ability, but it would still be a pity if the poor thing got boiled. Thus, Carrot prioritized rescuing the little frog first, finally securing it safely after a bit of a scramble.
Meanwhile, Chopper shrank to break his bonds, popped a Rumble Ball into his mouth, and instantly expanded into his massive Monster Point. He whipped around, fully prepared to unleash his maximum power.
But in the next second, he froze mid-motion.
The once-formidable crowd of enemies was now sprawled helplessly across the floor, groaning in sheer agony. Even the giant crocodile lay flat, its long tongue lolling out of its mouth, looking more dead than alive. Chopper's raised fist hung awkwardly in the air, unsure whether to strike or pull back.
"Eh!?"
"What just happened!?"
Chopper and Carrot's jaws dropped. They pointed at the motionless bodies on the ground, completely speechless.
"Hehehe..." Nami walked over with a smug grin, gesturing toward the man beside her. "Everyone, this is another one of Luffy's older brothers."
"Haha, you can just call me Drake," Vale D. Drake said, waving a hand casually.
"WHAAAAT!?"
"Luffy's... brother!?"
Chopper and Carrot gasped in astonishment before promptly scurrying over to Drake, inspecting him from head to toe.
"Garchu~!" Carrot suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Drake's neck and playfully nibbling on his ear.
Drake: "..."
"Big Brother!" Teary-eyed with emotion, Chopper threw his arms around Drake's neck, refusing to let go.
One had to remember that Chopper was currently in his gargantuan Monster Point. He hoisted Drake up into the air as if he were a mere stuffed toy. To make matters worse, Chopper's face was a mask of pure, overwhelming gratitude... The sight was quite frankly too bizarre to look at directly.
"Mphf... urgh..." Covered in a cold sweat, Drake hadn't anticipated that Chopper and Carrot would be quite this enthusiastic. This... is a bit much to handle.
"Cough, cough... Alright, mmm, good... Put me down first..."
Once his feet touched the ground, Drake let out a sigh of relief. Looking at Chopper—who possessed an adorable soul trapped inside the body of a colossal titan—the visual contrast was nothing short of staggering. But more than anything, he felt a surge of joy. It was genuinely wonderful to meet the members of the Straw Hat crew.
"Big Brother, what happened to them?" Chopper asked, gesturing to the floor in confusion.
"I merely suppressed them." Drake casually raised a hand. Apart from Brûlée and the Noble Croc, every single soldier and homie instantly flew backward into the air.
Crash!
Against the straight trajectory of the spatial push, they had no way to resist. After shattering a massive wall of mirrors, the room fell dead silent.
Hiss... Chopper and Carrot sharply inhaled at the exact same time. They hadn't even processed how Drake had moved. With just a casual lift of his hand, the entire room had been cleared out. Judging by the impact, even if those guys weren't dead, they were certainly out for the count.
"I'm leaving these two since they might still be useful to you," Drake noted, pointing at the crocodile and Brûlée.
"Understood!" Chopper and Carrot readily agreed, turning their gazes toward the remaining pair with a calculating glem in their eyes.
"W-What are you planning to do..."
A short while later, a peculiar scene unfolded within the Mirro-World: a makeshift carriage raced across the terrain, carrying the group as they shouted orders. Brûlée and the crocodile were forced to pull the cart, weeping bitter tears of indignation as they worked.
What kind of sins did we commit in our past lives to fall into the hands of these demons? The light has completely left our lives...
While Chopper and the others continuously scanned the mirrors to locate Sanji, Brook, and Pedro, Drake's gaze searched the glass for a completely different target.
His objective was none other than the Yonko herself—Big Mom!
If Big Mom received word that her Army of Rage had been utterly decimated, she would undoubtedly fly into a cataclysmic rage and take to the field personally. Drake had no intention of letting her interfere with the impending reunion between Luffy and Sanji.
I'll be the one to block her path!
At this moment, Drake's battle spirit was surging. Since concluding his secluded training, he hadn't crossed paths with a truly formidable opponent.
An Emperor of the Sea... sounded like the perfect metric.