How important do you guys think Drake will be this arc? I have a fear he'll be sidelined.
Well, Zoro, Luffy, Kidd and Law will definitely outshine him. Depends on what Oda plans to do with the rest of the SHS tbh, Sanji has a chance of outshining him too.
If Oda decides to go with the SN route, then I think the four above will definitely play a much bigger role, but after them Drake is the best bet.
If it's the SH route, then yeah, the four above, most likely Sanji and Jimbei too.
He might fight Apoo as his big fight then.