Huh!? Brook cried out silently in his mind.
Though it felt a bit degrading, there was absolutely nothing he could do given the circumstances. He had to admit, being squeezed tightly in the grasp of an Emperor was anything but pleasant.
Luffy's older brother, Ace, had actually become a new Yonko, succeeding Whitebeard's legacy!
Held in Big Mom's grip, Brook maintained a completely indifferent facade, but his gaze remained locked onto that situational report. Blackbeard—the man who had expanded his influence at a terrifying pace over the last two years and stood at the absolute forefront of the pirate world—was dead! And he had been executed by Ace's own hands.
This was a massive, era-defining headline.
As a torrent of information raced through his mind, Brook froze. It looked like Big Mom was heading straight for Luffy. No, no, no! I can't let her find Luffy. I have to think of something! A plan, a strategy, anything... Yet, no matter how much he racked his mind, he couldn't come up with a viable solution. Aaaah... I can barely save myself right now, so helping Luffy is completely out of the question.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion echoed through the corridor, and Brook felt Big Mom suddenly grind to a halt. He quickly scanned the area. Dust and debris swirled through the air, and through the haze, a lone figure could be seen walking calmly toward them.
"Huh?" Big Mom's eyes went wide, her glare locking onto the intruder. Behind her, Smoothie's expression flickered with uncertainty, her eyes riveted on the newcomer.
Who is this guy? Brook swallowed hard, staring unblinkingly at the approaching silhouette.
"Yonko, BIG MOM!" Facing them, Drake stared at the colossal Emperor, his eyes burning with intense battle spirit.
"Who are you?" Big Mom muttered, a look of confusion crossing her face.
Smoothie, however, recognized him instantly. She knew that the older brother of the Straw Hat kid who had infiltrated the island was none other than this man. "You're Vale D. Drake!?"
"That's right, it's me," Drake said with a calm grin.
Just moments ago, when Big Mom passed a mirror lining the corridor, Drake had locked onto her signature and stepped right out of the mirror dimension.
"You're on your way to Luffy, aren't you? If that's the case, I'm afraid I can't let you pass." Drake strolled forward as if taking a casual walk in a courtyard, showing no signs of panic whatsoever.
Meanwhile, inside the Mirro-World.
"What!? How did Luffy's brother get out?" Chopper and Carrot shrieked in unison.
"Im... Impossible! Without my power, how could he possibly exit!?" Brûlée's eyes looked ready to pop out of her head as she frantically shook her head in denial. Within her Mirro-World, how could anyone come and go as they pleased? Even her own mother couldn't achieve such a feat. What is wrong with this guy? Who on earth is he?
"Luffy's brother is facing..." Chopper's eyes welled with tears, his finger trembling violently as he pointed through the glass toward Big Mom. "BIG MOM!!??"
The souls of Nami, Chopper, and Carrot practically left their bodies, their faces twisting in sheer panic.
"Mama...!" Seeing her mother through the glass, Brûlée felt as if she had found her savior and opened her mouth to scream. "Mama! It's me, Brûlée! Mama! Mama!"
"Ah!?" Paler than ghosts, Chopper and the others lunged at Brûlée.
Thud, bam, crash...
Following a flurry of frantic movements, Brûlée and the Noble Croc were bound tighter than mummies, their mouths stuffed so securely they couldn't utter a single syllable.
"Mphf, mmphf, urgh..." Brûlée glared murderously at the trio, her muffled sounds clearly conveying her thoughts.
You bastards, Mama will never let you get away with this! And that man out there—he's going to die a horrific death... That was the general sentiment. However, Chopper and the others completely ignored her, their attention entirely glued to the confrontation between Drake and Big Mom.
"So you're the Straw Hat kid's brother?" Big Mom said, her eyes boring into Drake as she spoke. Her lips slowly curled into a vicious smirk. "Are you implying that you intend to stop me all by yourself?"
"Mamamama... Mamamama! I am truly being underestimated!"
"Mama, leave him to me!" Smoothie drew the longsword from her back, her exceptionally long legs covering the distance in a single stride as she brought her blade down toward Drake.
"Wait!" Big Mom called out.
But it was already too too late. The moment Smoothie initiated her strike, Drake moved. He materialized at her flank, effortlessly evading the downward slash, and placed a single palm against her midsection.
"Vibrate."
As the word left his lips, the space surrounding his palm shattered into jagged fractures, unleashing a devastating impact square into Smoothie's abdomen.
BOOM!
The massive shockwave generated by the vibration blasted Smoothie backward. She tore through the castle walls in a straight line, vanishing from sight entirely into the distance. However, during the instant of impact, everyone saw a torrent of blood spray from her mouth.
That was a Sweet Commander—one of their highest executives! And she had been severely wounded in a single exchange!
The foot soldiers of the Big Mom Pirates stood paralyzed with horror, not a single soul daring to take a step forward.
Inside the Mirro-World, the expressions of the trio completely froze. Who was that guy? That was a Sweet Commander! Sent flying just like that?
Looking at the destruction caused by Drake's single strike, the Whole Cake Chateau had literally been bored clean through.
"Drake-san..." Chopper stared blankly at the calm Drake, stars virtually exploding in his large eyes. "He's so powerful."
"Smoothie! Impossible! How could Smoothie be defeated in a single blow!?" Brûlée thought, her face filled with absolute disbelief.
"Lady Smoothie!" the crocodile whined internally.
Amidst the collective shock, Nami was the first to regain her composure. Though she was stunned by Drake's terrifying strength, she had been somewhat mentally prepared for the insanity of the four brothers. "Chopper, we need to hurry and find the others so we can regroup."
"Right."
W-What are you planning to do? Brûlée's pupils dilated, though her gag prevented her from expressing her terror.
"Hehehehe..."
Following a round of mischievous snickers, the group reassembled their transport formation. The crocodile looked more dead than alive.
"Alright, let's move—" Nami was cut off by a sudden gasp.
"Huh!!?"
"Chopper, what's wrong?" Nami turned around in confusion, only to find Chopper completely frozen in place. "Chopper? Chopper?"
"N-Nami, look over there..."
Following the direction of Chopper's trembling finger, the confusion on Nami and Carrot's faces instantly shattered into pure shock.
"Brook!!"
"Why is he out there??"
The trio exchanged frantic glances, swallowing hard as a wave of helplessness washed over them.
"What do we do?"
"This is..."
"Quick, let's tell Captain Drake and see if he can rescue Brook," Chopper suggested.
"Right, let's do that. We'll continue our search for Sanji and Pedro first. By the time we find them, maybe Drake-san will have already gotten Brook out," Nami decided decisively.
"Mmm."
"Drake-san, the person in Big Mom's hand is our comrade!" Chopper shouted through the surface of the mirror. "Please, if you can, save him!"
Understood. Drake offered a casual hand signal toward the mirror.
BOOM!
At that exact moment, Big Mom slammed her foot into the ground and lunged directly toward Drake.