Alubarna.
The royal capital of Alabasta—one could say it was unbelievably prosperous.
"Feels even more impressive than Mary Geoise…" Valthior couldn't help but remark as he walked through the streets, watching the bustling crowds.
The prosperity of Mary Geoise was built upon exploitation and slavery. Though it was equally dazzling on the surface, it inevitably carried a certain coldness.
But here, it was different.
The streets were lively, filled with noise and activity. Commerce was thriving, and as the capital, the average income seemed quite decent. While poverty wasn't entirely absent, it was rare—only a small number of people they passed appeared impoverished.
"Impressive indeed. We've sailed the seas for years and visited countless places, but a city as prosperous and densely populated as Alubarna… yeah, nothing compares," Rayleigh said with genuine admiration.
The Roger Pirates had wandered all over the world, visiting countless locations. Yet even so, Rayleigh admitted that none could rival Alubarna's prosperity.
The oldest human kingdom, with nearly a million professional soldiers and a population in the tens of millions—Alabasta was truly extraordinary.
Valthior even thought about it carefully. From his perspective, having seen the heights of Mary Geoise, there were probably fewer than ten countries in the entire world that matched Alabasta's population scale.
And as for prosperity like this? He hadn't encountered any so far.
"Hey, wait a second—that's the Marine, isn't it?" Gaban suddenly pointed toward the direction of the royal palace.
Everyone turned to look.
Sure enough, near the steps of the Nefertari royal palace, a Marine unit was stationed there.
"That's odd, isn't it? Alubarna is deep in the desert—the capital of Alabasta. Why would the Marine be here?" Rayleigh asked, puzzled.
Valthior thought for a moment before replying, "They're probably escorting Vadiye back from Mary Geoise."
"I see." Roger nodded. "Makes sense. The Reverie just concluded not long ago. This time it was Alabasta's turn to attend. Now that it's over, the Marine escorted them back."
It was now the year 1486 of the Sea Circle Calendar. Earlier that year, the World Government had indeed held the Reverie.
Several of its agenda items had even made the newspapers.
For example, Alabasta had once again proposed abolishing the Heavenly Tribute.
There was also the matter of the giant nation, Elbaf, seeking to join the World Government as an affiliated member—but the proposal was rejected at the Reverie, leaving the Giant King, Harald, deeply disappointed.
However, the Marine Headquarters had officially approved a proposal to recruit some Elbaf giant warriors to fight for justice.
It was worth noting that this wasn't the first time the Marine had formed a giant unit.
Long before this, Mother Carmel—who posed as a nun but was actually a human trafficker—had already supplied some giant members to the Marine.
This time, however, it was an official agreement between the World Government and Elbaf.
In a way, it marked a shift in Elbaf's international relations.
To put it bluntly, due to Elbaf's long-standing traditions, most nations feared them. Harald wouldn't be able to change that perception overnight. But having Elbaf warriors join the Marine to fight for justice would certainly help reshape their image.
Over the past two years, Harald had also done plenty of work for the Marine, clashing with many powerful pirates in the New World. His strength was undeniable—on par with Rocks himself. At this stage, in a one-on-one battle, he might well have been the strongest man alive.
Even Kaido—who would later earn the title of "World's Strongest Creature,"—was, at present, no match for him. Harald could have crushed him with a single hand.
And speaking of Kaido… in the New World, he was something of an easy target—a "soft persimmon," as some would say.
After all, in the aftermath of the God Valley incident, he had been the first to be captured.
Kaido had, in fact, managed to escape once after that, but his luck had been short-lived. Just last year, he had been captured again—this time by Sengoku—and since then, he had vanished from sight. No one knew what kind of torment he might be enduring now.
"With the Marine around, let's keep a low profile. Rest for today, and head back to Nanohana tomorrow," Roger said after some thought.
Unless they were caught head-on with no way to avoid it, the Roger Pirates usually steered clear of the Marine.
It wasn't that they feared them.
In fact, given the current strength of the Roger Pirates, unless the Marine concentrated a large number of top-tier forces, they wouldn't be able to take them down.
It was just that they didn't want the trouble.
Once the Marine got on their trail, it was like being targeted by a pack of hyenas—they wouldn't leave you alone for a long time. That would seriously interfere with their real objectives.
And worse—
One misstep might attract that bastard, Marine hero Garp.
At that point, things would definitely spiral into chaos.
Over time, the Roger Pirates developed a habit of avoiding the Marines whenever possible.
———
The scorching sun made them cover up completely. Their outfits were very "conservative," with thick cloth and veils wrapping their bodies. Without a careful look, they were almost impossible to recognize.
With that disguise, and by keeping their distance from the Marines, they quickly found an inn to rest.
After bathing and changing into clean clothes, the group gathered again and headed to a tavern to unwind.
"Boss, one newspaper," Spencer said. As the intelligence officer, he bought a paper whenever he saw one.
"Oh, sir, there's big news today—you won't want to miss it," the tavern owner said with a smile, handing him a copy.
Meanwhile, Gaban had already ordered a large amount of drinks and barbecue—and even had his arm around a tanned bar girl with a distinct Alabasta charm.
Truly living up to his title as the "Warrior of Love." After all, what kind of normal person ends up marrying and having children with a giant?
"Your true nature is showing, Senior Gaban," Valthior teased with a grin.
"Sigh, I tried to change," Gaban said with a laugh, raising his glass. "But no matter what I did, I couldn't get Shakky to look my way. So I might as well be myself—I'll be a warrior of love!"
Shakky couldn't be bothered to respond, while Rayleigh chuckled. "Now you understand who the second-in-command on this ship really is, right?"
"You wanna fight?" Gaban snapped.
When Valthior had first joined, Gaban had acted like a proper gentleman.
But after realizing that Shakky and Rayleigh were truly devoted to each other, he stopped pretending and fully embraced his true self.
Every time they arrived somewhere, he would "experience the local culture," exploring love and human connections to his heart's content.
In the two and a half years since Valthior joined, he had witnessed Gaban go through forty-six breakups.
Absolutely ridiculous.
While they drank and joked, Spencer returned from the bar with the newspaper.
"Looks like some major news broke," he said.
"What happened?" Roger asked curiously.
"Three days ago, those two old-timers from the Marine retired. Right after that, Marine Headquarters promoted Vice Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr to Admirals. One's thirty-eight, the other forty-three.
"Especially 'Black Arm' Zephyr—he broke the record and became the youngest Marine Admiral in history!" Spencer explained.
"Oh? Looks like the Marine is adjusting itself too," Gaban smacked his lips.
"Seems the chaos in the New World has put a lot of pressure on them… An Admiral at thirty-eight—Zephyr really is something," Roger said with a sigh.
Then, as if remembering something, he asked:
"Since we're talking about the Marine—does the paper mention anything about Garp?"
Clearly, it wasn't just Garp constantly chasing Roger.
Roger, at times, also kept an eye on Garp's situation.
Though they stood on opposite sides, they both regarded each other as someone they could entrust their lives to—especially after fighting together at God Valley.
"Nothing mentioned," Spencer replied.