The underground ruins beneath Alubarna breathed like a buried lung.
Warm air exhaled through cracked stone corridors, carrying the scent of dust, age, and something older—history pressed flat by centuries of sand and secrecy. Alpha moved through the darkness with measured steps, each footfall deliberate, controlled, his presence barely disturbing the stillness.
His injuries had not vanished.
They lingered as dull reminders—fractured ribs knitting slowly, muscles protesting each shift of weight. Yet his posture remained straight, spear balanced across his back, Haki flowing not outward but inward, reinforcing structure rather than flaunting power.
Beta hovered close, its optics dimmed, propulsion muted to near silence.
"Environmental scan ongoing," it reported softly. "Multiple hidden chambers. Structural instability high. Human presence detected above—dense, organized."
Alpha nodded. "Royal Guard."
He paused near a collapsed archway, pressing his palm to the stone. His Observation Haki spread gently, brushing against patterns of movement above—footsteps, heartbeats, disciplined formations.
"They're on edge," Alpha murmured. "The palace knows it's under siege even if the people don't."
He moved again.
Above ground, tension coiled like a drawn bowstring.
In the palace council chamber, King Cobra stood rigid beside a long table carved with Alabasta's history. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, illuminating dust motes—and the unmistakable white coats of Marines.
Captain Smoker leaned forward, hands braced on the table, smoke curling lazily from his shoulders.
"Let's stop pretending," Smoker said bluntly. "You know him."
The room stilled.
Tashigi stood beside him, posture respectful but eyes sharp, taking in every reaction.
Cobra's expression tightened. "I know of him. Nothing more."
Smoker's gaze was unyielding. "A spear-wielding combatant with no Devil Fruit, advanced Haki control, and ties to multiple Baroque Works engagements doesn't just wander into Alabasta by coincidence."
A royal guard shifted uneasily.
Tashigi spoke more gently. "Your Majesty, we're not accusing. We're trying to understand. This individual—Alpha—has interfered with criminal operations, yes, but he's also destabilizing an already volatile situation."
Cobra exhaled slowly. "If you're asking whether he's my ally, the answer is no."
Smoker raised an eyebrow. "But you're not asking him to leave."
Cobra met his stare. "Because he hasn't harmed my people."
That answer lingered.
Smoker straightened. "Then understand this: if he becomes a threat to Alabasta—or the balance of the seas—I will act. King or not."
Cobra nodded grimly. "As is your duty."
Outside, the desert wind rose.
Below the palace, Alpha reached the heart of the ruins.
A vast chamber opened before him, its ceiling lost in shadow, pillars half-buried in sand, ancient mechanisms etched with symbols long eroded by time. This place predated Crocodile. Predated the World Government's interest.
Here, Alpha knelt.
He placed the spear horizontally across his knees and closed his eyes.
Armament Haki flowed—not explosively, not aggressively—but deliberately, compressing layer by layer, sinking inward until it felt less like armor and more like an extension of bone.
His breathing slowed.
And with it, his thoughts.
Not tactics.
Not threat models.
Faces surfaced instead.
Vivi's quiet determination.
Cobra's tired dignity.
Luffy's reckless grin.
Zoro's measured respect.
Cognitive Seal — Further Degradation Detected
Emotional Depth: Increasing
Memory Integration: Stabilizing
Alpha's brow furrowed.
"So this was locked too," he whispered. "Not just power… but perspective."
Beta drifted closer. "Emotional variance increases inefficiency."
Alpha opened his eyes. "It also gives weight to decisions."
He stood.
Haki surged—not outward, but through the spear.
He moved.
A step forward, body low—Alpha's Force rippled across the chamber, sand dragging as if reluctant to obey gravity. Invisible pressure marked the environment, not enemies—yet.
He pivoted, spear rotating tight to his center—Rotary Impact, controlled, precise, striking an ancient pillar.
The pillar didn't shatter.
It folded inward.
Beta fired instantly, true-damage execution threading through the marked resonance point.
The stone collapsed silently.
Alpha exhaled.
"Again," he said.
Elsewhere in the city, the Straw Hats moved.
They had not been idle.
Luffy leaned against a wall near the marketplace, arms crossed, gaze fixed toward the palace.
"He's down there," he said suddenly.
Nami blinked. "What?"
Zoro snorted. "You just feel that?"
Luffy nodded. "Yeah. That spear guy. He's not fighting right now… but he's getting stronger."
Robin watched quietly, eyes thoughtful. "That kind of growth usually comes at a cost."
Sanji lit a cigarette. "Tch. Figures. Everyone interesting shows up right when things go to hell."
Luffy grinned. "I like him."
Zoro smirked. "Of course you do."
Alpha's meditation broke.
Not from danger.
From intent.
Crocodile's presence brushed against the ruins like a hand testing glass.
Beta's lights flared. "High-threat entity aware of your location. No direct engagement initiated."
Alpha's grip tightened.
"He's waiting," Alpha said. "Measuring."
He turned, spear resting on his shoulder.
"Good."
Above, Marines redeployed.
Smoker stepped onto a balcony, smoke billowing as he stared toward the palace depths.
"No Devil Fruit," he muttered. "No fear of seastone. No allegiance. Just growth."
Tashigi joined him. "Captain… what is he?"
Smoker's jaw clenched.
"Trouble," he said. "The kind that doesn't fit in a report."
Deep underground, Alpha walked forward.
Not toward Crocodile.
Not yet.
Toward understanding.
The lancer's path was no longer just about survival.
It was about choice.
And when he finally rose from beneath the palace, spear in hand, eyes clearer than ever—
Alabasta would feel it.
Not as a savior.
Not as a conqueror.
But as a variable the world could no longer ignore.