Cobra was clearly shocked by the contents of the letter.
Because once again, it confirmed what Valthior had said earlier.
They were part of the "D" clan—and the glory of their ancestors had been tainted by darkness!
At the same time, a thought quietly formed in his heart—
Perhaps the people before him, the Roger Pirates… might truly be able to unravel these mysteries and raise the flag of dawn for the world?
If that was the case, then for the sake of their ancestors' honor, the Nefertari family should wholeheartedly support the Roger Pirates!
"Can I sail with you?" Cobra suddenly asked.
"No," Roger replied without hesitation.
He waved a hand dismissively, as though swatting away the very idea. "We've already got one brat on board—that's enough trouble as it is. If we add you too, what would we be? A babysitting crew?"
Valthior immediately interjected, raising a finger with mock dignity. "Let me clarify—I am not the 'brat' he's referring to. I am the esteemed scholar of this crew."
Of course, Roger hadn't meant him. Though they occasionally teased Valthior that way, the "brat" in question was Shanks—a two-and-a-half-year-old child who had remained behind at Nanohana Port with the rest of the crew, rather than accompanying them to Alubarna.
Before Cobra could respond, Valthior continued, his tone softening slightly.
"I understand what you're thinking. But like I said before, if you truly want to contribute to your ancestors' cause, you don't have to sail with us. Supporting us from the shadows is more than enough. If we ever need anything, we'll find a way to contact you—and when that time comes, I hope you'll come through for us."
"I definitely won't let you down!" Cobra said immediately.
His earlier suggestion of going to sea had been a moment of impulse—and he already felt a bit regretful after saying it.
After all, his father only had him as a son. If he went off to become a pirate, what would happen to the Kingdom of Alabasta?
Besides, Valthior was right. He didn't need to sail with them to help. Acting as a patron, quietly providing resources, might be the wiser path.
Once he gathered the full 50 billion Berries, he could still earn the title of "honorary crew member." Different paths, same destination—no problem.
At that moment, Balleka leaned closer to Cobra and whispered:
"Your Highness, the matter His Majesty asked you to mention…"
Only then did Cobra remember and say:
"Oh, right—there's something else. My father asked me to tell you that it would be best if you left Alubarna as soon as possible. It's not that you're unwelcome, but Vice Admiral Garp of the Marine is currently in the city. My father is worried that if you run into him, it could cause serious trouble for Alubarna…"
Roger had been slightly annoyed at first, but the moment he heard Garp was here, he froze.
"What? That bastard Garp is here too!?" Roger slammed the table. "Why didn't you say that back at the royal tomb!?"
If he had known earlier, they wouldn't have come to Alubarna at all!
Roger didn't fear Garp—but he absolutely didn't want to run into him for no reason. If they met, things would definitely spiral out of control.
"Time to go, time to go." Rayleigh stood up without hesitation. "We were planning to enjoy Alabasta's atmosphere for a couple of days, but forget it."
"What a shame…" Gaban sighed, recalling the bar girl who had just left. "I'm going to have to break my date tonight. The warrior of love bears this disgrace…"
"I don't want to run into Garp either. Let's move," Shakky agreed.
Valthior, on the other hand, didn't really mind Garp.
But seeing everyone else act like they'd run into a plague, he wasn't about to stir trouble. He folded the letter and put it away, then turned to Cobra.
"In that case, we won't stay any longer. Here's my Den Den Mushi frequency—keep it. If you discover anything in the future, you can contact me. And if we need anything, we'll reach out as well."
After exchanging Den Den Mushi frequencies with Cobra, Valthior and the others wasted no time lingering. They left the tavern swiftly, slipping back into the city.
Outside, the sky had dimmed into the soft gold of evening. The sun was no longer merciless, and as the heat relented, the air grew pleasantly cool. Alubarna—already a city of relentless vitality—seemed to awaken anew under the gentler light, its streets swelling with even greater energy and noise.
Taking advantage of the thickening crowds, the Roger Pirates moved quickly, blending into the flow of people as they headed toward the southern gate. There, a caravan of camels prepared by Cobra awaited them, ready to carry them back to Nanohana Port.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Garp was chatting with Vice Admiral Tsuru about Sengoku and the others being promoted to Admirals.
"I heard Sengoku got cozy with the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise? That's pretty shameless," Garp muttered, clearly displeased.
It wasn't contempt—just dissatisfaction.
"You think everyone's like you?" Tsuru glanced at him. "The Marine doesn't produce anything—it's a professional military. There are countless soldiers relying on it to survive. You might not care, but if everyone acted like you, how would the Marines sustain themselves?"
Garp's expression turned a bit complicated. He didn't argue, instead asking:
"Who did he align with?"
"The Warrior God of Defense," Tsuru replied calmly.
"Oh?" Garp raised an eyebrow. "So Kong helped make the connection?"
"I'm not sure. But the Warrior God of Science and Defense, oversees military affairs. It's only natural for Marine leadership to maintain close ties," Tsuru added.
"Fair enough…" Garp nodded, then said, "By the way, during the God Valley incident, didn't the heir of the Jaygarcia family run off with Roger's crew? When I heard that, I was stunned. Didn't expect there'd be such an interesting guy among the Celestial Dragons. What happened after that?"
"Nothing changed," Tsuru said calmly. "From what I know, Saint Saturn suppressed the matter. That Celestial Dragon wasn't removed from the Jaygarcia family. In fact, during the recent Reverie, I heard the family's steward still referring to him as the 'young master' while speaking with the king of the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue.
"So you understand now? It's nothing more than a Celestial Dragon playing pirate."
"Huh… wonder what Roger was thinking, letting him onboard…" Garp muttered.
But just as he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His brows furrowed, and his gaze began sweeping the surroundings.
"What's wrong?" Tsuru asked, puzzled.
"My Roger radar is ringing in my head!!" Garp said seriously.
Tsuru froze for a moment, inwardly complaining:
What the hell is a 'Roger radar'? Are you insane?
Seeing her look at him like he was crazy, Garp grew annoyed.
"I'm not joking! How do I put it… Roger and I seem to share a strange ability. Sometimes we can hear voices others can't. So when we're close to each other, I get this weird feeling!"
"Really?" Tsuru frowned. "You did say there were sightings of the Roger Pirates in nearby waters… so maybe…"
"This is the capital of Alabasta. We can't let Roger cause trouble here!" Garp said firmly.
With that, he stomped the ground and leapt up onto a nearby rooftop. Standing high above, he began scanning for targets.
"Hey, Garp! This is Alubarna—don't go starting fights here!" Tsuru called out.
Not to mention how many casualties a clash in such a bustling city would cause—
The Nefertari family's special status alone meant this wasn't a place to act recklessly.
After all, they were the ones who proposed abolishing the Heavenly Tribute in Mary Geoise—and suffered no consequences.
Do you even understand what it means to be descendants of the Twenty Kings?