Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Vale D. Drake controlled six spatial walls as if he were a deity, striking wherever he pointed. Every blow flattened a massive swathe of enemies.
"Agh! Gah! Aaaaaagh—!" Screams echoed relentlessly across the battlefield.
"You bastard! I'll take you down!" A burly man, his arms wreathed in Armament Haki, roared and threw a punch toward Drake.
Drake didn't have the slightest bit of interest in the man. He made a casual clenching motion in the air; space itself shattered, and the man collapsed instantly, blood leaking from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Thud!
At that moment, countless more soldiers swarmed forward. Among them were quite a few who could use Armament Haki.
"Push back!" Drake thrust his hands out. Four spatial walls launched forward from his position, sweeping across the field.
"Agh...!"
Those caught in the path were sent flying in a single strike, coughing up blood.
Meanwhile, at the Whole Cake Chateau.
"Huh?" Big Mom looked at the situational report that had just been presented to her with utter astonishment.
"Someone actually dares to make a move on my treasure vault at a time like this!?"
"Mama... mamamama!"
Boom! Big Mom took a step forward, the earth trembling under her weight.
"Yes, Smoothie-sama and Baron Tamago are currently on guard there!" a guard on the floor reported hurriedly.
Boom!
"I'll go and see for myself!"
By now, the Straw Hat Pirates had already put their original plan into motion. Brook and Pedro were heading to the treasure vault to make rubbings of the Poneglyph, while Chopper and Carrot were fighting enemies within the Mirro-World to find Sanji.
A short while later, Nami and Kenshin arrived at the scene and were left speechless.
The area was a total wreck. The once-imposing Army of Rage lay in shambles, with every executive officer lying unconscious on the ground. The foot soldiers were being toyed with by Drake; they couldn't even manage to retreat.
"This is... incredible..." Nami covered her mouth in shock, her pupils shrinking.
Kenshin walked over to Luffy. "Luffy, how are you?"
"You... how did you guys get here? And Drake..." Luffy asked in confusion.
"Hahahaha, the moment Drake heard news about you, he dropped everything and rushed here." Kenshin shook his head with a laugh, then inspected Luffy's condition. "It looks like we didn't arrive too late."
"It's really been a long time, Luffy!"
"Hahahaha... yeah, two years." Luffy smiled. "Both you and Drake have gotten so much stronger over these two years."
Luffy looked at Drake, who was still effortlessly handling the massive army alone, and a wide smile spread across his face.
"You're the same." Kenshin studied Luffy closely. Though Luffy appeared incredibly weak right now, Kenshin could still sense the immense power dormant within his body—a power that was certainly not inferior to his own.
"By the way, Luffy, tell me what the situation is." Kenshin looked at the field where enemies were still falling one by one. He knew this battle was nearing its end. Although he had a general idea of why they were here, Kenshin felt Luffy should clarify the current state of affairs.
Soon, Drake finished off the last of the enemies and walked toward them.
"You... you finished them all?" Nami asked, her face full of disbelief. One could tell just by looking at them that those officers weren't ordinary, yet Drake had neutralized them all by himself in such a short time!
Just how strong is he?
The realization that all of Luffy's brothers were monsters of this caliber gave her a deep sense of surrealism. What kind of four brothers are these?
"Luffy, what do you plan to do next?" Drake asked. He knew the whole story, but the choice had to be Luffy's.
Kenshin and Nami both turned to look at Luffy. Kenshin remained silent after hearing about the conflict between Luffy and Sanji. Matters between men like this could only be settled by the captain himself. This was the weight of leadership.
Nami still felt some resentment toward Sanji, but it was built on a foundation of deep affection. If they could wait for Sanji to return, she was a hundred percent in favor of it. Previously, she had been worried about Luffy's health, as standing in one spot indefinitely wasn't a sustainable plan. But with the massive support of Drake and Kenshin, she finally felt a sense of security.
"I'm going to wait for him here!" Luffy said with absolute determination. He believed Sanji would come.
The other three all wore "I knew it" expressions. Drake burst out laughing.
"Alright then. Luffy, Kenshin will stay here and wait with you. I have some important business to take care of."
"Okay!" Luffy didn't overthink it and nodded with a smile.
"Nami, you come with me."
"Me?" Nami asked, confused.
"That's right. It's too dangerous here. Let's go." Drake smiled warmly. He knew they had caused quite a stir. Once Big Mom got word of this, there was no guarantee she wouldn't come personally. That would mean a direct confrontation. Drake didn't fear it, but now wasn't the right time.
Taking Nami with him, Drake used his spatial movement to vanish.
After Drake left, in a corner of the battlefield, Mond'Or struggled to crawl toward the Whole Cake Chateau. With every movement, he left a trail of crimson blood on the ground.
"Damn it... I have to report to Mama immediately! Such a powerful figure has appeared... something big is about to happen."
Upon reaching the residential town, Mond'Or summoned several books to lift him up, flying slowly toward the Chateau.
None of this escaped Drake's notice, but he didn't care. The news had likely already spread; such a massive commotion couldn't go unnoticed.
"Why didn't you stop him?" Nami asked as they stood in a quiet residential house. She was puzzled.
"There's no need." Drake shook his head. He led Nami to a quiet room, sat down in front of a mirror, and slowly closed his eyes.
There was something he wanted to confirm. It was no secret that this world contained more than one dimension. Since his ability was Space, did that mean he could freely traverse all spaces in this world? If so, he should be able to succeed.
Drake concentrated his spirit, focusing his perception entirely on the mirror in front of him. He knew the Mirro-World was another existing space. If he could break through the barrier between these two dimensions, he would truly be able to travel through different spaces at will.
Nami watched on in bewilderment, having no idea what Drake was doing. But seeing his solemn expression, she knew she shouldn't disturb him.
A moment later, Drake's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint within them. His lips curled into an uncontrollable smile. "Found it."
"Found it? Found what?" Nami looked around but saw nothing.
Drake stood up and took Nami by the hand.
"Let's go." With a wave of his hand, ripples of spatial energy emanated, causing the surface of the mirror to shimmer like water.
In the next second, they stepped into the Mirro-World.
"Aaah—!" Nami shrieked at the sudden change. Internally, she couldn't help but complain. As expected of brothers—their level of impulsive behavior is carved from the same mold. Would it kill him to give me a heads-up?