At the same time.
Garp was in the kingdom of Alabasta, located in the first half of the Grand Line. The royal family was even one of the twenty kings who "created the world" eight hundred years ago. When those twenty kings and their descendants moved to Mary Geoise back then, the Nefertari family refused and stayed in this country.
They could have become Celestial Dragons, but in the end, they chose to build a harmonious nation with ordinary people.
Garp, now with only one arm, led a team of Marines through the desert. He wasn't here to meet the royal family this time, but to search for the location of an Ascension Altar.
According to Makima, there were many such altars in this world, and they all circled around the largest and true one. After careful investigation, they found some ancient ruins in certain places.
Some were on remote, uninhabited islands, others in hidden spots of vast nations. So far, they had discovered about five or six, but all were decayed after being worn down by countless years.
Those things might have been very powerful once, but now they were just piles of rubble. The most valuable part was the murals carved on them.
Today, Garp brought a team of Marines to a new island.
Alabasta was a nation with a long history. Compared to thousands or tens of thousands of years, it wasn't that old, but in the current world, it was already impressive.
After losing his arm, Garp was assigned by Fleet Admiral Kong to find the Ascension Altars. It was unavoidable. Before he got used to fighting with one hand, his strength would drop a lot.
The Marines' science team had been working on prosthetic limbs, but unfortunately, Vegapunk was taken to Pandora Island at a key moment to study Devil Fruits. That was also unavoidable, and Garp didn't feel down about it.
Searching for Ascension Altars in the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line could just be a way to relax.
"Why not just ask the king directly?"
Behind Garp, his son Monkey D. Dragon said under the blazing sun. "The Nefertari family has ruled this country for hundreds of years. They must know some special information."
Dragon came specifically to protect Garp, worried that with his current state, old enemies or accidents during the investigation might catch him off guard.
Garp had taken down too many pirates at sea before. His name was like a demon to some of them. Now that they knew he'd lost an arm, some might try to get revenge while he was weak.
"You idiot, this is a secret mission. Do you know what secret means?" Garp scratched his nose and said dismissively. "Anyway, if we really have no leads, we can ask later."
"What kind of secret mission is this?" Dragon complained. "The warship is parked right in the harbor in plain sight. Anyone can tell you're here!"
"Ah, who cares about that?" Garp looked up at the sky. The intense sun was making it uncomfortable.
He took a sip of water and kept walking.
Luckily, they were an official group with plenty of supplies.
This was the Marines' strength—their logistics far outmatched those day-to-day pirates.
They had been in Alabasta for a while now, currently in the desert on the west side of the country. To keep watch on their surroundings, they weren't riding the local camels.
The team Garp brought was all elite, so crossing a desert just meant getting a bit thirsty. Nothing serious would happen.
"The air is starting to feel more humid. There's probably an oasis ahead!"
Walking with Garp was also Tsuru from Marine Headquarters. Tsuru was a Vice Admiral, from the same era as Garp and Sengoku. At this time, she wasn't as old as when she later chased Doflamingo and his brother; she was still in her prime, full of energy.
She noticed a change in the air and said to Garp, "Let's head there to restock and ask around for any clues."
Garp nodded, and the group picked up the pace. Soon, they spotted a patch of green ahead.
Alabasta had lots of desert but also plenty of oases.
"Halt!"
Just as they were about to enter the oasis, a group of soldiers suddenly came out from inside. Leading them was a man with strange curly hair.
He was tall but not very old, dressed in military uniform, and looked a bit inexperienced.
"Who are you people?!"
They seemed to be Alabasta's army, but why were they stationed here?
Tsuru frowned. Garp, on the other hand, said openly, "Can't you tell? We're Marines. We need to go in for food and water."
"By the way, who are you?"
Facing Garp's question, the man stood tall and said proudly, "I'm Incleam of the Kingdom's Guard Team. Why are you Marines here?"
"Ah? Are you stupid?" Garp said, a bit speechless. "Didn't I just say? We're here to buy some water and food."
Behind Incleam were many soldiers, and he said warily to the Marines, "Why would Marines come to Alabasta? There are no pirates here."
"Do I have to answer that?" Garp said, getting annoyed.
Marine Headquarters was under the World Government, and while Alabasta was a member nation, it didn't represent the World Government and had no direct control over the Marines. So Garp had no reason to explain his purpose.
Strictly speaking, the Marines had to follow orders from the royal families of World Government member nations, but that relationship wasn't very solid. Garp barely cared about the World Government's orders, so why would he care about one of its member countries?
Dragon, standing with Garp, frowned and asked, "If there are no pirates here, why not let the Marines in?"
"This..." Incleam hesitated right away. Seeing his uncertainty, Tsuru added, "Your odd behavior—can I take that to mean you're hiding something from the Marines?"
Even if there were places Marines couldn't go, it would be important spots like the palace. Their actions here were indeed strange.
This didn't seem like an important place. Why would Alabasta station the Kingdom's Guard Team to watch it?
"Alright, Incleam. Let the Marines in."
Just as the two sides were facing off, a figure emerged from the oasis. Then a man walked out. He was young too, about the same age as Incleam.
When he appeared, all the guards saluted him.
Incleam even asked, "Your Highness Cobra, why are you here?"
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