Strange Reflections

Smoothie had complex feelings about Cherry's miraculous massage technique, especially if what she claimed about it was actually true.

Smoothie was loyal to the family, of course, but it would be a lie to say her loyalty to Big Mom specifically wasn't mostly inspired by fear.

If Big Mom were to go on living for another century or even longer? That was frankly something that Smoothie didn't want to see.

She would much prefer it if things went the way she expected them to. For Big Mom to live another 50 years at the most and for Katakuri or even herself to take over the family if no one in the younger generations rose up to the occasion.

It would be a gross understatement to say Big Mom was a very hardy woman, but her complete disregard for her own health would have eventually caught up with her.

Now, though? Cherry just put a 92 year old man back in his prime. For an unkillable beast like Big Mom, Smoothie wouldn't doubt it if Cherry claimed she could keep her mother alive and strong indefinitely. A century ought to be easy.

Although Smoothie would never betray Big Mom, even if the perfect opportunity to be rid of her presented itself, that didn't mean she wasn't patiently waiting for the time when she no longer lived beneath her mother's thumb.

'Perhaps Cherry should encounter an accident…' Smoothie thought, but that thought was discarded as soon as it appeared.

What manner of accident could get rid of a slippery woman like Cherry? Certainly none that wouldn't arouse Big Mom suspicions.

Big Mom and Streusen were of an opposite mind to Smoothie. While neither had a great fear of death, they were both individuals who would grasp the chance to live longer. Especially if their extended lives would be comfortable and not riddled with the aches and pains of old age.

It was even better for Streusen, since Big mom was his life long patron. So long as Big Mom was still strong enough to contend with the rest of the world, he could live in relative safety and luxury.

"Go on back to the kitchens, Streusen," Big Mom dismissed the old chef. She looked at Cherry with undisguised greed. "As for you, I'm busy right now, but I can take you to see my poneglyphs later so you can translate them for me. In the meantime, go ahead and have a look around the chateau. When my business is taken care of, my homies will retrieve you. You stay here, Smoothie."

Her tone brokered no argument. Not that Cherry would bother to argue when she can just do what she wants to without asking for permission.

Cherry gave a little salute and followed Streusen out of the room when he excused himself.

"I must thank you for that. I had forgotten what it was like to feel like this." Streusen said as they stepped out.

"I'm my grandmother's favorite grandchild." Cherry said.

Streusen blinked at her. After meeting Cherry last night, he actually looked into her a bit more deeply than he usually would for a guest, so he knew that she was her grandmother's only grandchild.

"I believe it," Streusen said, unwilling to make a fuss about something so petty.

"Well, have fun with that!" Cherry skipped away.

"..." Streusen nodded and silently went back to his duties.

…

Cherry happened to be walking past a mirror when she heard the strangest thing. A tapping on glass as if the mirror were a window.

And behind the glass of the mirror was Carrot and Chopper, slapping the glass and shouting for her attention.

Cherry strolled on over to the mirror at a casual pace, which seemed to frustrate the two of them somewhat.

"Cherry! You gotta help us! We're trapped!" Chopper cried.

"Yeah, yeah! This really tall lady attacked us in the woods and we got pulled into a mirror!" Carrot added.

"Hmmmmmm…" Cherry rubbed her chin and squinted her eyes. "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

""Eh?!"" Chopper and Carrot were caught off guard by the question. Moreover, Brulee had made replicas of them before, so the possibility wasn't even that unlikely.

"But how would we even prove it's really us?!" Carrot was panicking.

"I know!" Cherry raised a finger as if an idea popped into her head. "Chopper, what is Robin's favorite part of you?"

"Eh? Er… um… that is…" Chopper hesitated and glanced embarrassedly at Carrot.

"I guess this must be a trick after all. The real Chopper would know." Cherry began to turn away.

"WAIT!" Chopper shouted. "I do know, I do know!"

Cherry looked at him critically. "Really? Do tell, then."

Cherry could swear that Chopper's blush shone red even through his thick, brown fur.

"It's my… Robin likes my nose…" Chopper covered his eyes with his hooves so he didn't have to look at Cherry.

"Are you sure? That's not what she told me; her choice of words was very particular." Cherry relished in his shame.

"She loves to boop my little blue button nose, damn it!" Chopper cried out.

Although Chopper had largely done away with his fear of being seen as a monster after building genuine friendships, his blue nose was still a sensitive point. The fact that Robin seemed to like it so much only made his feelings about it more complex. It was that blue nose that got him shunned by his herd before they rejected him completely, after all; obtaining his devil fruit was only the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Mm, yes, only the real Chopper should know that. Unfortunately, I don't know Carrot well enough to tell if she's a fake or not." Cherry said.

"Nooooo, I'm real! I promise!" Carrot whined.

"Okay, I believe you," Cherry accepted immediately.

"Eh?! Just like that?!" Chopper felt aggrieved. He had to embarrass himself, but Cherry just took Carrot at her word?

"Us fellow food names have to stick together." Cherry nodded sagely.

"...I'm telling Robin." Chopper said.

"Please don't…" Cherry begged.

"Then get us out of here!" Chopper shouted angrily.

"Sorry, no can do. Only Brulee can get you out of there, so you have to go find her." Cherry shook her head. "Well, I might think of a way to pass through the mirrors on my own, but I'm still mulling that over. Dimensional barriers aren't something you can just casually breach. Even then, the mirror I use would have to be actively connected to Brulee's Mirro-world like this one."

Cherry accentuated her point by tapping the mirror.

"But how do we find her? This place is like a maze…" Chopper said.

"Use that little blue button nose of yours~" Cherry suggested.

"S-shut up!" Chopper bristled, but Cherry could tell there wasn't any real anger in it.

"Of course! We can follow our noses!" Carrot optimistically chirped.

She didn't fear a confrontation, of course. Minks were a warrior culture and Carrot herself was among their strongest fighters. Brulee might have gotten the better of her once, but now she knew to be wary of her tricks!

"Hehehe, good luck you two. Oh, and don't hurt Brulee too much. She's going to be my sister-in-law after all." Cherry said, before walking away.

""Ehhhhhhhh?!"" Carrot and Chopper were shocked silly.