Alubarna.
The royal capital of Alabasta was prosperous beyond belief.
"This place feels even more impressive than Mary Geoise..." Vikengam walked down the street, unable to help sighing at the bustling crowds.
Mary Geoise's prosperity was built upon exploitation and slavery. Though it was equally splendid, it inevitably gave people a cold feeling.
This place was different. The streets teemed with people, commerce was thriving, and as the royal capital, the average income should have been quite good. It was not as though poverty did not exist, but along the way, they had indeed seen very few people who looked poor.
"It really is impressive. We've sailed the seas for so many years and visited countless places, but a city as prosperous and populous as Alubarna... hmm, there's simply nowhere else that can compare," Rayleigh said in admiration.
The Roger Pirates had wandered all over the world and visited countless places, yet even so, Rayleigh admitted that nowhere could rival Alubarna's prosperity.
As humanity's oldest nation, Alabasta possessed nearly a million professional soldiers and a population in the tens of millions. It truly was extraordinary.
Vikengam even gave it some thought. As far as he remembered, even from the lofty vantage point of the Holy Land Mary Geoise, fewer than ten countries in the entire world had populations on Alabasta's scale.
And as for places as prosperous as this, Vikengam had not encountered any yet.
"Hey, hold on. Isn't that the Marines?" Gaban seemed to spot something and pointed toward the palace in the distance.
At his words, everyone turned to look. Sure enough, a squad of Marines was stationed near the steps of the Nefertari Family's palace.
"Isn't this strange? Alubarna is Alabasta's royal capital, deep in the desert. Why would Marines be here?" Rayleigh asked in confusion.
Vikengam considered it for a moment, then said, "They're probably the Marines who escorted Wadiye back from Mary Geoise."
"I see." Roger nodded. "That makes sense. The Reverie was held not long ago, after all. Alabasta was one of the rotating host nations this time, and now that it's over, the Marines brought them back."
It was now Sea Circle Calendar 1486. The World Government had indeed convened the Reverie around the middle of the year.
Quite a few of the related proposals had even made the newspapers.
For example, Alabasta's proposal to abolish the Heavenly Tribute, which they had discussed before.
There was also the Land of Giants, Elbaf, hoping to join the World Government and become one of its affiliated nations. However, that proposal had failed to pass at the Reverie, leaving the King of Giants, Harald, deeply disappointed.
However, Marine Headquarters had officially approved a proposal to recruit some Giant Tribe warriors from Elbaf to fight for justice.
It was worth noting that this was not the first time the Marines had formed a giant unit.
Even earlier, Carmel, who appeared to be a nun but was actually a human trafficker, had sent some Giant Tribe members into the Marines.
This time, however, it was simply an agreement between the World Government and Elbaf.
To some extent, it also helped change Elbaf's international relations.
To put it bluntly, because of Elbaf's history and traditions, the nations of the seas were generally terrified of them. Harald could not change that impression in a short time, but having Elbaf's warriors join the Marines and fight for justice would indeed help reshape Elbaf's image.
Over the past two years, Harald had also done plenty of work for the Marines, clashing with many great pirates in the New World. His strength was truly formidable, on the same level as Rocks. At this stage, in a one-on-one fight, he was the strongest.
The one later known as the strongest in one-on-one combat, Kaido, was not even worth one of Harald's fists yet.
Speaking of Kaido, he was considered the "soft target" of the New World. After the Battle of God Valley ended, he had been the first to get captured.
He had indeed escaped from prison afterward, but his good fortune did not last long. Sengoku caught him again last year, and he had not shown his face since. Who knew how he was being dealt with?
"With Marines around, everyone keep a low profile. We'll rest for a day, then return to Nanohana tomorrow," Roger said after thinking for a moment.
Unless they ran straight into the Marines and had no way to avoid them, the Roger Pirates usually went out of their way to steer clear of the Marines.
It was not that they feared the Marines. In fact, with the Roger Pirates' current lineup, the Marines would have to gather a large number of top-tier fighters to stand any chance of taking them down.
They simply disliked trouble. Once the Marines latched onto them, it was like being targeted by hyenas. They would not get a moment's peace for a long time, which would undoubtedly delay their real business.
And that was not even the biggest problem. The most crucial thing was that one careless mistake might summon that bastard, Marine Hero Garp.
At that point, there was no way things would end without complete chaos.
So over time, the Roger Pirates had basically gotten into the habit of taking detours whenever they saw Marines.
Because the sun was so scorching, everyone in their group dressed very conservatively. They were practically wrapped from head to toe in thick veils, making them impossible to recognize without a close look.
With that disguise, and by staying away from the Marines, they soon found an inn and rested up.
After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, they gathered again and headed to a tavern to enjoy themselves.
"Boss, bring me a newspaper." As the intelligence officer, Spencer 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 newspaper.
Meanwhile, Gaban ordered a huge pile of liquor and barbecue, even wrapping an arm around a tawny-skinned barmaid with a strong Alabastan charm.
Was it any wonder he was called a warrior of love? What normal person would marry a giant and have children with one?
"Your true nature's showing, Senior Gaban," Vikengam teased with a grin as he watched Gaban hold the barmaid.
"I tried to change, but I realized that no matter what I did, I could never make Shakky look my way. Since that's the case, I might as well be myself! I'm going to be a warrior of love!" Gaban laughed heartily, raising his glass.
Shakky could not even be bothered to respond, while Rayleigh said with a chuckle, "Now you know who the second-in-command on this ship is, right?"
"You looking for a fight?" Gaban snapped.
When Vikengam had first joined the crew, Gaban had acted like a respectable man. But after realizing that Shakky and Rayleigh were truly devoted to each other, he stopped making trouble and began letting himself loose.
Whenever they arrived somewhere, he would definitely go experience the local customs, study love and culture, and give his emotions full expression.
Vikengam had only been on the ship for two and a half years, yet he had already seen Gaban suffer heartbreak forty-six times. It was ridiculous.
As they drank and chatted, Spencer walked over from the bar with the newspaper in hand. "This really is big news."
"What happened?" Roger asked curiously.
"Three days ago, the Marines' two old-timers retired. Marine Headquarters then promoted Vice Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr to Admirals. One is thirty-eight and the other forty-three. Black Arm Zephyr, especially, broke Marine Headquarters' record and became the youngest Marine Admiral in history!" Spencer said.
"Oh? Looks like the Marines are constantly adjusting themselves as well." Gaban smacked his lips.
"That shows the trouble in the New World has put them under quite a bit of pressure... An Admiral at thirty-eight. Zephyr really is impressive," Roger said with feeling.
Then, as if recalling something, he asked, "Since we're talking about the Marines, did the paper mention anything about Garp?"
Clearly, Garp was not the only one constantly keeping an eye out for Roger. Roger also paid attention to Garp's situation from time to time.
Though they stood on opposing sides, they both regarded the other as a friend worthy of entrusting their lives to, especially after fighting together at God Valley.
"No mention of him," Spencer said.
Before you continue