Final King's Ceremony,
the final rite to bid farewell to the World King, the man Austin respected, Rocks.
The World King could only die at the hands of the future World King.
That was the best possible funeral.
And this strike was also Austin's limit now.
It had consumed nearly all his strength.
His Observation Haki's Minute Observation operated at full capacity, identifying the best point of attack.
The strongest output of Conqueror's Haki.
A Space Distortion Black Hole compressed to the absolute limit.
After Roger and Garp had joined forces to expose a weakness, that strike was enough to heavily injure Rocks.
Strands of black substance seeped from Rocks's body. It seemed to be the power of Black Transformation Control, vanishing from within him.
Garp and Roger were somewhat exhausted, but unlike when they had originally defeated Rocks, they had not completely drained their Haki.
Now, as they witnessed the departure of Rocks, the overlord of this era, they too fell uncharacteristically silent.
They were not friends with Rocks, nor did they have any personal connection.
This was merely recognition between men, respect for a strong opponent.
Austin's clone slowly vanished, his body swaying slightly.
Having nearly exhausted all his strength, he had become weak to the extreme.
Yet he still stared straight at the man who had died standing.
"Rocks's era... is over."
Perhaps the words of the next era's overlord had some effect. The figure standing there with a blade in hand curled his lips upward by an almost imperceptible degree.
Under Austin's witness, he slowly turned into light and shadow, dispersing into the air.
That figure,
even in death, remained standing peacefully where he was.
Behind that figure, the last remaining mountain in God Valley had also turned to ash, annihilated into the void.
God Valley