If anything you said was actually true, she would have never plummeted in the ratings
Well.. that makes no sense. On the contrary, if people liked Carrot because they are furry, she should still keep the same place at all time just like Perona who is a character liked by people who like that goth style. Carrot is still the only prominent mink, a dive in the polls or a rise should not happen.
But that is not what happened. In reality, her story directs her popularity. When people saw the end of Wano, they also saw the end of her potential, therefore, she lost some places.
But I can tell you from interacting with her fans, that the fans who pushed her in the polls, are like me, people who are hard core theorist either about Carrot's potential or her place in the crew.
Basically, the reason Carrot is still up in 16th position, is 'cause people are still intrigued about the reasons why Oda put her in the story and about the remaining narrative threads surrounding her character.