Naked shorting is a known problem and it applies to $ALPP just like any other stock. If you want to worry about manipulation, worry about that. It’s been keeping ALPP down for a long time.
Because someone slapped the ask at the end of the day doesn’t mean anything more than someone wanted in. Everyone knows this stock is going north. And there’s always higher volume right at the beginning and end of the trading session for every stock, and ALPP is no exception.