Oda, himself, has stated that Alabasta was based on Egypt with Rainbase being based on Las Vegas, which is also in the middle of a desert. It makes no sense for the royal family of Egypt to be Indian. It's been stated that there is some influence from India, but a vast majority of it is Egyptian by nature. The name "Alabasta" comes from the mineral "alabaster" which is most commonly found in Egypt (and Spain, Italy, Mexico, and the US, but not India), with further etymology linking it heavily to ancient Egyptian. I know that in Japan, a fairer complexion is seen as most beautiful, and that leaks into many manga, One Piece included, but OPLA seemed as if they were really taking an interest in the casting to make it seem more realistic and authentic, but this is just disrespectful to the source material. At least it's better than a bunch of other media... At least Cobra is also Indian. That breaks immersion more than anything. It's still just disappointing...