"Has your brain finally short-circuited?!"
Watching Usopp suddenly strike a flashy pose, a flicker of vigilance flashed through Avalo Pizarro's eyes.
After all, this was a pirate worth 1.08 billion Beli on the Marines' bounty lists—no ordinary foe. He had no intention of underestimating Usopp.
Especially since, right from the very beginning, Usopp had already demonstrated terrifying power.
A bomb capable of effortlessly destroying an entire castle—and yet compact enough to carry with ease…
An attack method like that was more than worthy of a bounty exceeding one billion Beli.
What puzzled Avalo Pizarro, however, was this—
Aside from that first piece of ammunition, Usopp hadn't launched a single attack at him since.
Then again, that made sense. Ammunition of that caliber clearly wasn't something meant to be used as a basic attack.
With that thought, Avalo Pizarro no longer hesitated. He prepared to claim the head of this so-called "great pirate."
But at that very moment—
An itching sensation abruptly spread throughout his entire body.
Before he could react, Usopp—hovering high in the sky—grinned at him once more.
"It should be about time, right?"
"You didn't seriously think I was afraid of you—that all that hide-and-seek was me running scared, did you?!"
Click!
Usopp suddenly pressed a button on the Green Vine Grapple Device on his wrist. Instantly, a vivid green gemstone overflowing with vitality emerged, radiating a dense, luminous aura.
Leaf Stone!
This miraculous stone—brimming with Grass-type energy and capable of evolving certain Grass-type Pokémon—had, through Usopp's research, been fully converted into a pure energy source!
A glow identical in color to the Leaf Stone burst forth from Usopp's body, turning him completely verdant.
The very next second, sunlight from the sky seemed to answer some unseen call, converging toward Usopp's position.
Grass-type move — Solar Beam!
This was a Grass-type move Red had only recently discovered in Victory Road!
With a base power of 120, it was one of the rare high-offense Grass-type techniques.
Its defining trait was simple yet terrifying—first absorb vast amounts of sunlight, merge it with Grass-type energy, then unleash a beam of intense light and heat.
A dazzling white glow flared at the muzzle of the Green Vine Grapple Device. During his earlier evasive maneuvers, Usopp had already absorbed more than enough sunlight.
Now—
This attack was ready to be unleashed!!!
BOOM!!!
Without the slightest hesitation, under Avalo Pizarro's baffled gaze, a blinding beam erupted forth, slamming straight into the land and tearing forward at incredible speed.
In an instant, a charred, searing trench was carved across the surface of Avalo Pizarro's island-body.
"AAARGH—!!"
"It hurts like hell!!!"
Whoooosh!
Cracks howled through the air as a colossal mountain-like hand once again swatted toward Usopp.
Yet Usopp easily dodged the attack once more, then spread his arms wide with absolute confidence, as if welcoming an embrace.
"Red—was this what you wanted me to understand?!"
"Then… let my other power bloom to its fullest at this very moment!"
"Seven Deadly Sins · Greed · Blueblood Thornweed!!!"
Pupupupupu…
Bathed in the Solar Beam's sunlight, the expression on Avalo Pizarro's mountainous face changed instantly.
"W-What is this?!"
An incomprehensible roar burst from him, and a strange terror surfaced within his hollow, gigantic eyes.
The next second—
A vast blue tide suddenly erupted from his island-body and rapidly spread outward.
From high above, it looked as though alien-colored blood was pouring from a giant's wounds, quickly covering Avalo Pizarro's entire form.
Watching this spectacle, Usopp's face split into a wicked grin.
"Feel the pain, Avalo Pizarro!"
"This is a special plant that even made Red show a pained expression!"
"Under its greed—offer up your body!!!"
"Wahahahaha!!!"
Standing atop King Heracross, Usopp let out a villain-like, arrogant laugh.
Blueblood Thornweed was a special plant Usopp had accidentally cultivated during his botanical diversity research.
Its leaves were a striking pale blue, and its sharp thorns and serrated edges would draw blood at the slightest touch—hence its name.
Compared to the plants Usopp had used in combat before, Blueblood Thornweed wasn't particularly aggressive by nature.
The reason was simple—
Its growth was not fully under Usopp's control.
If mishandled, it could even backfire on its user.
Yet it earned its place among Usopp's [Seven Deadly Sins] series because it possessed a terrifying trait no other plant had.
In Usopp's own evaluation, Blueblood Thornweed was like a perfectly disguised lunatic.
Under normal conditions, its seeds grew slowly, just like any ordinary plant.
But once exposed to intense light or nourished by Grass-type energy, it was as if some hidden switch had been flipped—
It would enter a state of near-limitless reproduction and resource absorption!
Minerals or metals…Energy or flesh…
Anything touched by its root network—over thirty times larger than its visible body—would be instantly absorbed and converted into nutrients for further growth.
Seeing the doubt on Avalo Pizarro's face, Usopp proudly gave a thumbs-up, rubbed his nose, and explained with domineering confidence:
"You think I was forced to run around because I had no other options?!"
"Idiot!"
"That was all just to fool you!"
"While you were chasing me, I planted massive amounts of Blueblood Thornweed seeds everywhere I passed!"
"And under the effects of your Devil Fruit, those seeds were evenly distributed across the island as you moved…"
"In other words—your body has long since been completely infested by Blueblood Thornweed!"
"When an Island-Island Fruit user transforms into an island, any damage the island takes is reflected on their own body, right?!"
"Hehehe…"
"I can already see it—your body being drained into a dried-up mummy by Blueblood Thornweed!"
Usopp burst into laughter, once again raising his Green Vine Grapple Device.
Sunlight gathered upon him once more, erupting into a powerful beam that he fired into another open area of the island.
In an instant—
Another vast expanse of blood-like Blueblood Thornweed spread across the land.
Usopp couldn't help recalling the first time he had cultivated this plant.
Back then, unaware of its true nature, he had even let Red use a tilling move to accelerate its growth.
That day—
He had watched helplessly as an entire small island inside the abdominal world was consumed, leaving behind a bizarre blue island.
If Aisa hadn't discovered the anomaly in time and reported it… even Laboon might have fallen victim to this plant.
Rumble—rumble—rumble…
"Damn you, you filthy insect! You think tricks like this can actually hurt me?!"
Despite feeling something vital constantly being drained from his body, Avalo Pizarro stubbornly roared in defiance.
Another familiar mountain-like hand rose and slammed down toward Usopp's head.
But before it could get close, blue thornweed spread across it, rapidly covering its surface.
Cracks instantly appeared throughout the massive hand.
In the blink of an eye, deprived of structural support, it crumbled into countless fragments of stone and collapsed.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
Avalo Pizarro finally let out a scream of agony.
In that moment, the island—once seemingly alive—lost all vitality.
The enormous face on the mountain ridge slowly faded away.
Clearly—
Unable to endure the greedy torment of Blueblood Thornweed, Avalo Pizarro chose to abandon his Devil Fruit power and revert to his human form.
From this moment on, his greatest strength had been completely sealed by Usopp.
At the same time—
Behind a massive boulder on the mountain ridge.
Hiding in the shadows, Avalo Pizarro stared at the ever-spreading thornweed below, fear uncontrollably flashing through his eyes.
"So this is the man worth 1.08 billion Beli…"
After decades of imprisonment, Avalo Pizarro finally felt the undeniable shift of an era.
His trembling heart screamed a single warning—
Do not fight that young man again.
Or else… there would be no good end.
Yet even if Avalo Pizarro wanted to retreat, Usopp had no intention of letting him escape.
Just as he tried to slip away under the cover of abandoning his island form—
Usopp suddenly turned his gaze toward him from the sky, raising his massive slingshot with a grin.
"You think my lock-on techniques are just for show?!"
"Moron!!!"
A sharp glint of resolve flashed through Usopp's eyes.
"Special Move · Exploding Pinecone!!!"
BOOOOM!!!
Amid the island still bleeding blue, a pillar of fire shot skyward like a brilliant firework.
And Avalo Pizarro's nightmare—
Had only just begun…
(End of Chapter)