Looking at the still-unconscious captain of the King's Army on the camel, Matar hesitated for a moment before beginning to untie him.
"Better set him free..." the old man muttered softly as he worked on the knots, "Otherwise when he wakes up, we won't be able to explain ourselves clearly."
"What if! What if he suddenly wakes up later?" Batu immediately objected, his small face filled with distrust and worry. "What if he jumps up and attacks us?"
Giyu watched silently, also feeling something was amiss.
Although this man had already been knocked unconscious, there was indeed a possibility he might wake up prematurely during this bumpy journey. If he woke up and caused a commotion at the city gates, it would be very troublesome.
"My apologies."
Giyu said quietly, then formed his hand into a blade and delivered another strike to the side of the captain's neck. The captain's body trembled slightly again before going completely limp.
"This way, he can sleep a while longer."
Matar watched Giyu's swift movements, his eyelid twitching slightly, but he said nothing more. He glanced at Giyu's damaged but uniquely styled haori, then looked at the dust-covered clothes on Batu and himself, as if suddenly remembering something.
"That... Mr. Giyu, your clothes are too conspicuous. It wouldn't be good if the guards remember you when we enter the city." He turned and rummaged through a pack on the camel's back, eventually pulling out a neatly folded black coarse cloth robe.
The robe looked somewhat old, but was very clean.
Matar handed the robe to Giyu, his voice somewhat hoarse: "This... this was worn by my son before. He was about your size, so it should fit. You can wear this to cover up."
Giyu took the robe, the coarse cloth texture rubbing against his palm. He could feel that the clothing had been well preserved, but couldn't hide the traces left by time.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
The moment he took the robe, Batu turned away beside him, his small shoulders seeming to stiffen slightly.
Matar acted as if he didn't see his grandson's reaction, simply helping Giyu put on the garment. "Put it on, and rub some sand all over yourself."
He then turned to Batu and patted his head. "Batu, you too. Don't overthink it, just do as I say."
Batu said nothing, simply silently crouched down, grabbed a handful of dry sand, and vigorously rubbed it on his and his grandfather's pant legs.
After a moment, the three of them had completely transformed their appearance, looking like ordinary refugees who had struggled through countless hardships to emerge from the desert. Giyu carefully concealed his Nichirin Blade under the black robe, while his conspicuous missing arm was obscured by the wide robe sleeves.
Pulling the camel along and dragging the still-unconscious captain with them, they finally arrived before the towering gates of Alabasta, where two King's Army soldiers stood guard.
Matar immediately put on an honest, simple-minded smile, stepped forward, and pointed at the goods on the camel's back and the soldier, explaining:
"Sir soldiers, we found this lord in the desert."
"He was collapsed there, barely breathing, probably suffering from extreme thirst. When we saw he was from the King's Army, of course we had to save him, so we brought him all the way here."
Batu furrowed his brow, clearly reluctant to curry favor with the King's Army, but under his grandfather's meaningful glance, he pouted and chimed in, "Yeah! It took a lot of effort!"
Giyu nodded. "Mm."
One of the guards stepped forward to check the unconscious soldier, felt for his breathing, and his expression softened slightly. "Mm, you've worked hard. Thanks to you, he wasn't buried in that desert."
The other guard also nodded. "When he wakes up, we'll be sure to tell him you saved him."
"No need, no need!"
Matar quickly waved his hands, a strained smile plastered on his face. "We were just helping along the way—we can't expect anything in return... So... can we go now?"
"Go on, go on."
The guard waved them through and stepped aside.
After Giyu and the other two led their camels through the city gate and entered Alabasta, the guard who had inspected the captain's expression turned serious.
He crouched down, felt the fabric of the unconscious man's clothes again, and frowned deeply.
"What's wrong?"
"This texture feels off," he muttered, rubbing the corner of the garment between his fingers. "Look how rough this part is—it's nothing like ours."
The other guard crouched down to examine it closely, his face gradually growing grim. "This really isn't right... Let's report to Lord Chaka first!"
.................................
Inside Alabasta, the city felt like a different world compared to the desert outside, separated by the walls. There was far less of the annoying sand dust in the air here.
Matar led Giyu and Batu through narrow, winding alleys, eventually stopping in front of a simple, crude hut.
"We'll... stay here for now."
Matar pushed open the wooden door, somewhat embarrassed.
The interior was almost empty, save for some clutter piled in a corner and a few bags that looked like provisions. As soon as they entered, Matar began to seem restless, constantly rubbing his hands together, his gaze shifting between Giyu and the bags of goods.
[Manual of Interpersonal Relationships (Trial Version)]
[Subject: Matar]
[Status: Anxious, embarrassed, guilty]
[Likes: Batu, Alabasta]
[Suggestion: Let the elder attend to his own matters]
"Um..."
Matar finally spoke up, his tone quicker than before. "How about letting Batu show you around Alabasta? He's been here a few times and knows the place well."
"I... I need to hurry to the market to sell these goods, make some money, so... I won't be able to keep you company for now."
Hearing this, Batu immediately ran to Giyu's side, his face beaming with enthusiasm. "Yeah, yeah! Big brother, I'll take you around! I know lots of places!"
Giyu looked into the child's bright eyes, paused for a moment, and for the first time, gave his name:
"Mm, I'm Giyu Tomioka."
"Ooh!! Okay! Brother Giyu!!" Batu was so excited he nearly danced on the spot.
Seeing this, Matar seemed to relax slightly, yet as if burdened by something heavier.
He didn't dare look at Giyu or his grandson anymore, mumbling, "I'll be back as soon as possible," before stepping outside, hastily leading the camels, and disappearing once more into the maze of alleys.
Only Giyu and Batu remained in the hut.
"Let's go, Brother Giyu!" Batu tugged at the sleeve of Giyu's black robe and started pulling him outside.
"Alright."
The two stepped out of the small house and returned to the streets of Alabasta. Batu, acting like a tour guide, excitedly pointed at various spots: "Look over there, Brother Giyu! That's the largest market in the city! But things are so expensive..."
He chattered incessantly as he led Giyu through the capital's alleys.
Giyu simply listened and followed Batu's footsteps, his gaze scanning the surroundings. There were essentially only two ways to find Igaram: either locate where he was hidden himself, or...
Wait for the other party to come find them again.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "LegendaryTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!