On the way, Ace changed direction, deciding to wait for Luffy here. He wanted to meet with Luffy and possibly settle things with Blackbeard. Rokujin did not stop him and instead headed alone towards Alubarna, the capital of Alabasta. Crocodile’s base was in Rainbase, not far from Alubarna. However, Rokujin first needed to obtain the Poneglyph in the royal palace’s basement to get the reward and to check if it was still there.
…
Meanwhile, in the underground hall of Rainbase, Crocodile’s base, a large table stood in the center of the room. There were many seats around it, but only a few were occupied. At the head of the table, Crocodile sat, with five empty seats around him — those belonging to Mr. 1, Mr. 3, and the others who had been defeated by Rokujin, making the room seem pretty empty.
“Miss All Sunday, which Navy officer managed to kill all those useless subordinates of mine?” Crocodile asked angrily, his voice tinged with accusation.
“There’s no information on that yet,” Miss All Sunday (Robin) replied calmly.
“Hmph! A single Navy officer dares to mess with us. Looks like I’ll have to deal with him!” Crocodile snorted, his eyes flashing with killing intent. However, he didn’t notice the hint of a smile in Robin’s otherwise indifferent eyes.
…
About ten days later, Rokujin arrived in Alubarna, found a place to rest, and waited for nightfall. A black-clad figure slipped unnoticed as darkness fell into the Alabasta royal palace. Neither the guards at the gate nor the Baroque Works members in the shadows saw Rokujin as he moved like a shadow.
In the king’s office, a middle-aged man with mid-length black hair and a black beard sat in a chair, looking worried and lost. He was Cobra, the king of Alabasta. Standing beside him were two men, one dressed in white and the other in black — Pell the Falcon and Chaka the Jackal, Alabasta’s strongest warriors and palace guards.
“Your Majesty, are you worried about the princess?” Pell asked softly, stepping forward.
“Yes, I am,” Cobra nodded, his face heavy with concern. Vivi had been away from the palace for a long time, and he was apprehensive about her. Baroque Works was not a simple organization.
“Rest assured, the princess will be fine. Besides, she has someone with her,” Pell reassured him, though he didn’t mention who that ‘someone’ was.
“Yes, we can only do our best now and hope it helps Vivi,” Cobra said, gritting his teeth in frustration.
“Yes,” Pell agreed.
A stranger’s voice suddenly came from the darkness as they finished speaking.
“What you can do is limited because your strength is too weak!”
“Who’s there?!”
“Show yourself!”
Pell and Chaka immediately drew their swords, pointing them towards the source of the voice. Even Cobra was startled, staring intently into the darkness.
A man in black emerged from the shadows, revealing himself to be Rokujin.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?” Pell and Chaka demanded, their expressions solemn.
“Relax, I’m not from Baroque Works. I’m with the Navy,” Rokujin said, removing his black robe to reveal his Navy rear admiral cloak.
“Rear admiral? Navy?!”
“It’s a Navy rear admiral!”
Cobra and the others were astonished, finding it hard to believe. But Rokujin understood their skepticism. The people of Alabasta had come to revere Baroque Works, seeing Crocodile as a hero.
“I am Monkey D. Rokujin, grandson of Vice Admiral Garp of the Navy Headquarters.”
“Garp! The Navy hero!”
“I’ve heard of him. They say his grandson is named Rokujin and resembles him. But isn’t he stationed in the East Blue?” Cobra asked, his face showing both recognition and doubt. Vice Admiral Garp was famous, known to all, but Cobra’s suspicion remained.
“Yes, I am stationed in the East Blue. I’m here in Alabasta for one reason: if you give me the Poneglyph in the palace basement, I’ll help you get rid of Crocodile,” Rokujin said bluntly. There was no need for pleasantries. Stating his purpose directly would build more trust. He had searched the palace but found no trace of the basement, suggesting only the king or his successor knew its location. Hence, he approached Cobra, also taking care of the Baroque Works spies outside the palace.
“You… you’re after the Poneglyph? An ancient weapon? Is it the Navy that wants it, or you?” Cobra asked, his face darkening.
“It’s for me,” Rokujin replied.
Cobra fell into deep thought, scrutinizing Rokujin. After a minute of silence, he finally spoke, “I’ll agree, but only if you help us get rid of Crocodile. Then I’ll hand over the Poneglyph.”
“Deal!” Rokujin smiled faintly.
But Pell and Chaka immediately objected, “Your Majesty! You mustn’t!”
“Yes, the Poneglyph shouldn’t be handed over to others so easily!”
Cobra took a deep breath, his expression resolute. “Don’t try to dissuade me. This is all for the people of Alabasta. What use is the Poneglyph if it can’t help us? It’s better not to have it!”
To him, the Poneglyph was just an inscrutable stone tablet. What good was it?
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty!”
Pell and Chaka frowned but knew they couldn’t change his mind. The king had made his decision.
“I hope you won’t regret this, or I won’t be polite, even disregarding my Navy identity,” Rokujin said, his eyes flashing with a hint of Conqueror’s Haki. The sudden pressure chilled the three men to their bones. When they looked again, Rokujin had vanished into the darkness.
“Pell, who exactly is he? Is he Vice Admiral Garp’s grandson?” Chaka asked, frowning.
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