Royal Capital, Alubarna.
Though Alubarna was not as prosperous as the port city of Rainbase, it embodied Alabasta's cultural heritage of thousands of years and was like a pearl set amid the boundless desert.
Every corner of this ancient city bore the marks of time, while the royal palace, passed down for millennia, carried an imposing weight of history.
To the west of the palace stood a vast complex of magnificent, open ancient buildings: the tombs of Alabasta's past kings.
Robin looked at the ancient royal mausoleum with some emotion, then frowned slightly as she asked Garen beside her,
"Is the Poneglyph really hidden within the royal tombs?"
"Wouldn't a hiding place like this be a little too conventional?"
"There won't be any mistake."
Garen's expression remained unchanged as he confidently guaranteed it, continuing to play the role of a villainous mastermind.
"This is intelligence I wheedled out of Vivi. That foolish princess wasn't wary of me at all."
"But..."
The meticulous Robin was still somewhat doubtful.
"Why not wait until you marry the princess and become king, then search for the Poneglyph openly and legitimately?"
"Well..."
Garen paused slightly, feeling troubled.
He couldn't exactly say that he was worried about unforeseen complications and wanted to lure Crocodile out sooner so he could deal with him, could he?
Two days earlier, Garen had told Robin that he had news of the Poneglyph, then openly brought her all the way to Alubarna precisely to lure the snake from its hole.
Garen was certain that the ambitious Crocodile was lurking somewhere near the royal mausoleum right now, secretly watching Robin and him through some means.
"Marrying the princess will require careful consideration."
After pondering for a moment, Garen explained to Robin with a straight face,
"With Nami around, it's really not that