Standing atop the rooftop and scanning the streets below, Garp didn't spot Roger anywhere.
Still, he trusted his instincts and refused to give up.
He slowly closed his eyes, and an invisible wave of Observation Haki spread out from his body, rapidly expanding in all directions.
...
Several streets away, Roger and the others were heading toward the southern gate.
Just as they reached the camel caravan and were about to ride out of the city—
Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban all sensed something at the same time. The three of them suddenly turned back toward the city.
Valthior was a beat slower, following their gaze as he looked back uncertainly.
"Observation Haki?"
"That's Garp's presence… that guy really is like a bloodhound!" Roger couldn't help but complain.
"What do you think the dog head on his warship stands for?" Rayleigh laughed.
"Stop standing around—run!" Gaban lashed his camel first and shot off into the desert.
Roger and the others didn't hesitate, whipping their camels and bolting.
But just as they passed through the city gates, a familiar roar came from behind—
"ROGER!!!"
That booming voice seemed to shake the ancient city of Alubarna itself, startling countless people.
"Who was that?"
"That's Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Then the 'Roger' he shouted—"
"There's no mistake, it has to be that pirate!"
Whether it was Garp or Roger, both carried immense presence. When they appeared together, it almost always meant a terrifying battle could break out at any moment.
The entire southern district of Alubarna instantly fell into chaos.
Seeing this, Vice Admiral Tsuru cursed helplessly: "Why do you have to yell so loud!?"
Garp, dashing across rooftops without even turning back, replied:
"If I shout, they'll speed up and run farther out. Once they're deep in the desert, I can fight without holding back!"
"You're really planning to chase them? Their main force is all there, and we only have—" Tsuru tried to warn him.
"When has a Marine ever feared pirates?" Garp said without hesitation. "If the two of us work together and hold them down, once reinforcements arrive—"
Reinforcements my ass… Tsuru couldn't help but complain internally.
This was Alabasta—a massive island—and they were in inland Alubarna.
Not to mention whether there were any qualified Marine forces nearby, even if there were, it would take at least three days to cross the desert from the nearest port!
But then again—
That single line from Garp—"When has a Marine ever feared pirates?"—shut down everything Tsuru wanted to say.
Garp pressed forward regardless, rapidly approaching the city gate.
Meanwhile, Roger and the others urged their camels onward at full speed.
Gaban even jumped off and started running while carrying his camel.
It couldn't be helped—the camels were slower than them, but they couldn't abandon them either.
They still had to cross the vast desert to reach Nanohana. Without camels, that would be a nightmare!
So the only option—
Was to carry the camels while running!
"This won't work—we'll definitely get caught. Roger, you stay behind to hold them off!" Rayleigh said while whipping his camel.
Roger, who had just been about to copy Gaban and carry his camel, froze for a moment before snapping:
"You bastard! Are you even human, Rayleigh!? Since when does the captain stay behind as rearguard? Shouldn't that be you!?"
"What good would it do if I stayed?" Rayleigh replied calmly. "Garp's target is obviously you. He'll leave Tsuru to hold me off and keep chasing you.
"And once he catches up, he won't even need to do much—just kill our camels. Then we won't be able to cross the desert quickly.
"He can trail us while calling for reinforcements. If we get delayed too long and the Marine forces arrive, we're finished!"
It had to be said—Rayleigh's analysis was spot on.
At that moment, Garp hadn't thought that far ahead yet—but Tsuru had.
She immediately told Garp to stay calm—if they killed the camels, the situation would turn heavily in their favor.
"That makes sense. I'm with Rayleigh on this," Gaban added. "Roger, you stay behind. I can carry two camels by myself.
"Hold Garp and Tsuru here and buy us at least two days. Once we're closer to Nanohana Port, you can escape and follow us using the Vivre Card.
"Then we'll fight them head-on there—that gives us the best chance to get away!"
Roger felt a bit weird about the idea of the captain staying behind—even though he'd done it plenty of times before.
But those were his own choices!
Still, Rayleigh and Gaban were absolutely right.
Ahead wasn't the sea—it was the desert. Getting stalled here would be disastrous.
But if they could buy two days, getting closer to Nanohana would greatly increase their chances.
Just then, Valthior spoke up:
"How about you guys go first—I'll try holding them off?"
Roger immediately shook his head. "You're just a scholar—how are you supposed to stop Garp? I'll—"
Before he could finish, Rayleigh reacted first:
"Let Valthior try. We'll go ahead. If it doesn't work, you can stay behind later.
"They won't dare arrest him anyway—don't forget who he is!"
That instantly made Roger realize—
Right!
Valthior was a Celestial Dragon!
Not like use—a bunch of backwater pirates!
To be honest, if the ones chasing them were monsters like Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, or Shiki—
Valthior would've run without hesitation.
Why?
Because those lunatics would absolutely kill Celestial Dragons without a second thought.
Back at God Valley, they had crushed Celestial Dragons and the Holy Knights like speed bumps—no hesitation whatsoever!
But this was the Marine.
That was a completely different story.
Garp's superior, Kong—
Wouldn't dare act recklessly in front of Saint Jaygarcia Valthior!
Sure, Garp was a bit unhinged—when he went all out, he'd even punch a Five Elder (he had been the first to strike Saturn at God Valley).
But that was under special circumstances—he could claim he didn't know who it was, especially after the transformation.
Here?
If he attacked Valthior, that would be a completely different matter.
Even if Garp dared, Tsuru would absolutely stop him!
After all—
I, Saint Jaygarcia Valthior, haven't been stripped of my status. I'm the heir of a Five Elders family. You think you can just hit me?
According to World Government rules—
If you hit me, I'll call an Admiral to deal with you!
Let's see how you handle that, Garp!
This was basically exploiting a loophole to the max.
The group quickly accepted Valthior's proposal.
They sped off into the desert, while Valthior pulled on his camel's reins, coming to a stop. He turned to face Garp and Tsuru, who had just burst out of the city gate.
As they closed in—
Valthior took a deep breath and activated his ability.
In an instant, the scorching desert was invaded by biting cold. In the blink of an eye, a towering wall of ice rose behind him, cutting off Garp and Tsuru's line of sight.
"Insolence! Who are you? How dare you offend this Saint!?" Valthior's voice rang out with authority.
At this moment—
He exuded the full arrogance of a Celestial Dragon.
...
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin