Carl, still thinking about stabbing Lily, gently landed with her on the ocean's surface, hand in hand.
At that moment, all that remained of Joy Boy was a small patch of skin where his eyes had once been. It floated eerily on the water, the eyeballs still turning slowly.
To most people, such a grotesque sight would have been enough to scare the soul out of them. But to Carl and Lily, it brought nothing but a sense of satisfaction.
Joy Boy's pupils trembled violently—his only way of expressing emotion now.
Seeing the state Joy Boy was in, Carl shook his head and clicked his tongue.
Lily raised her other hand, gathering power to destroy the last remaining scrap of Joy Boy's "face."
But just as she was about to act, Carl traced a light line across her palm with his pinky finger. The unexpected touch made Lily freeze. She turned sharply to look at him, eyes filled with a touch of annoyance, though she didn't lash out.
Carl ignored her glare and smiled.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Lily-sama. Watching an enemy who clung to life for eight centuries fade away piece by piece—isn't that a rare and satisfying experience? You only get this chance once."
Lily gave Carl a strange look.
"No wonder they say you have a… unique taste for killing."
"Hmm? Who said that? That's outright slander."
"I don't need anyone to tell me. I've read enough stories about you. Very detailed ones."
As she spoke, her eyes remained locked on the last bit of Joy Boy's face slowly dissolving into the sea. She had to admit—this feeling wasn't half bad.
Joy Boy's eyes were completely lifeless now. Carl and Lily's figures grew blurrier by the second in his vanishing vision.
He wanted to say something, anything—but he didn't even have a mouth left. Not a single sound could escape.
Moments later, Joy Boy's consciousness sank into eternal darkness. His body, his soul—everything about him—vanished from the world.
Having become one with the Nika Fruit long ago, his death also marked the complete disappearance of the Nika Fruit from this world.
...
Elsewhere on the battlefield, the body of a member of the D clan suddenly began to turn translucent. Borsalino had just launched a light-speed kick, but it landed in empty space. He spun on the spot, stabilized himself, rested his chin on his hand, and turned to look at the fading figure of the D clan member.
"Oh~ So the fight's over already?"
Similar scenes unfolded across the battlefield.
Ace, held in Roger's arms, was the first to dissipate—he didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to his father.
Roger's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at his now-empty palms. He didn't resist as Akainu's attack passed right through him.
Akainu raised an eyebrow, realizing that Carl had already settled his battle. Judging from the state of Roger and the other members of the D clan, the victor was clearly Carl.
With a cold snort, Akainu felt a tinge of regret that he didn't get to blow Roger up himself.
Garp and Rocks looked down at their fading bodies. Both men wore relaxed smiles.
Garp glanced at Akainu and the others, whose cloaks of justice fluttered in the sea breeze. He said softly,
"It's all over. Time for this old man to return to where he belongs. Shame I won't get to see Sengoku again... then again, maybe that's for the best."
Aokiji and the others approached the now-transparent Garp. Aokiji swallowed hard before speaking.
"Old man Garp, anything you want me to tell Zephyr-sensei?"
Garp burst out laughing.
"Nothing much. Just remind Sengoku—when he visits my grave, he'd better bring extra rice crackers. Otherwise, when we meet in the afterlife, I'm going to beat the crap out of him!"
As he spoke, his figure blurred completely. Just before vanishing, he left one final message:
"Tell Sengoku and the others not to rush after me. I don't want to see them too soon!!"
...
Rocks crossed his arms and watched Garp's form vanish. He smirked.
"Tch. Old soldier."
He glanced sideways at Roger, who was still frozen in a daze, and sneered.
"A pirate who doesn't act like one… what a joke."
Shfft!
Garling appeared in front of Rocks, expressionless.
Rocks blinked in surprise, then grinned.
"Oh, it's you. I remember you. What, come to see me off?"
Garling didn't respond. Rocks didn't mind. He continued on his own.
"… still the silent type, huh? By the way, what's your relation to that Carl guy?"
Garling finally spoke.
"He's my nephew."
"Interesting. So your nephew was once hunted like prey in the Valley of Gods… What was that, some kind of family trial? Bit too brutal, don't you think?"
Garling went quiet again. In his mind, he was already digging up Darian's corpse to whip it a few more times.
Rocks no longer looked at Garling. He raised his head to the bright blue sky and sighed.
"What a beautiful world. Shame I didn't become its ruler. But if it's him..."
He paused and glanced toward Carl's direction, grinning wickedly.
"Well, that's only right. The strongest deserves to have everything in this world. That's the eternal truth! Kyahahahaha!!"
With that, Rocks emptied his thoughts and dissolved into the air.
...
On the outskirts of the battlefield, the corpses of giants were piled high across the icy surface. On top of them, more bodies from the Mink Tribe were stacked.
The once-raging Pedro was no more. His limbs had been cleanly cut off—reduced to a brand new state: "human stick mode."
Not far away, Loki lay sprawled in a starfish position, eyes rolled back. Kuma sat cross-legged on Loki's head, staring toward the Red Line with a smile on his face.
"Carl won."
He stood slowly, then looked down at Loki.
Loki was clearly unconscious, though barely clinging to life.
Not that Kuma had shown mercy—he simply wanted to bring Loki, or more accurately, Loki's Apollo Fruit, back for Carl's collection.
With that thought, Kuma leapt from Loki's head and raised a paw. With a soft pop, Loki's body vanished.
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg