Cafeteria Conflict

The following days passed quickly, and before he knew it, Senga had been at the training camp for two months. During this time, Uchiha Senga's name had spread throughout the camp.

No matter the training, Senga completed it with ease, breaking many camp records along the way. His first clash with Zephyr, in particular, made Uchiha Senga's name ring ever louder in the camp.

It wasn't just his fellow recruits—even the senior students had heard of this dazzlingly talented junior.

One day, in the camp cafeteria, a table of senior students was discussing Uchiha Senga.

"Did you hear? That Uchiha Senga broke another record—he mastered Shave from the Six Powers in less than a day!"

"What? Good heavens, it took me a whole year just to barely learn it!"

"Your info's outdated. Word is he even improved Shave—faster speed, longer range!"

"Sigh, what a despair-inducing talent. At this rate, even us seniors might not be a match for him anymore."

Hearing this, someone took offense.

"That's just you. A rookie who's been here less than half a year—how strong could he really be? You've bought into your own hype?"

With that, ignoring the sour looks around him, the speaker turned to a white-haired youth with a fawning expression.

"And if we're talking talent, who can compare to Smoker? He's the only Logia Devil Fruit user in the entire camp!"

Smoker kept his head down, silently eating from his plate, paying no attention to the flatterer.

Seeing Smoker ignore him, the man chuckled awkwardly and fell silent. The table quieted down.

"Look, that Uchiha Senga's here!"

Someone else, eager to stir trouble, called out. Everyone at the table turned toward the entrance.

A group led by Senga walked into the cafeteria, his three roommates behind him, chatting and laughing as they headed to get food.

Senga, of course, had no idea he'd just been the center of a heated debate at one table. Right now, he was listening to Bridge beside him, who was gleefully boasting about Senga's stunning performance on the training ground earlier.

"I'm telling you, Senga's Shave just now was so fast! Even Instructor Zephyr couldn't stop praising it!"

"Senga, from now on, you're the person I admire most! Whatever you need, just say the word—I won't hesitate!"

On the other side, Graves looked down on Bridge's behavior and sneered.

"That's all Senga's skill. What, did it feel like you were the one using Shave just now?"

"Of course I'm happy Senga's amazing—he's the boss I, Bridge, acknowledge! Let me tell you, Senga's strength is already good enough to graduate. Sticking around here with idiots like you is just a waste of time!"

"What did you say?!"

That wasn't Graves speaking. Before he could respond, the guy who'd been hyping up Smoker couldn't hold back anymore.

This man was named Barton. Much like Bridge, he was a self-appointed number-one fan of Smoker.

"A mere rookie, acting so cocky? I heard this so-called Senga is from the East Blue, right? Small-town folks just don't know any better, hahahaha!"

That was going too far. Smoker, eating nearby, couldn't help but frown.

"What did you say? Just because you've been a soldier a year or two, you think you're something special? A genius like Senga wouldn't waste time on a loser like you!"

Bridge wasn't about to back down and shot back.

"Looks like you need a lesson. Rookies should know their place! And you, Uchiha Senga—can't you control your dog? Apologize to your seniors right now!"

At a table in the corner of the cafeteria, "Hey, Ain, isn't that Uchiha Senga who helped you last time? Looks like he's in trouble."

"Yeah, that senior is way too arrogant. What's wrong with being a rookie? Didn't they start as rookies too?"

"I know Uchiha Senga. He's the most talented in my year, but he's gentle, easy to talk to, and good-looking. I think they're just jealous!"

"Either way, Senga's in trouble this time. Those are seniors—no matter what, they're stronger than us newbies."

Ain's roommates chattered away, some warning Ain, others defending Senga.

Ain didn't join their discussion. She just watched Senga's side with concern, thinking that if a fight broke out, she'd have to step in. Even if she couldn't beat the seniors, she'd do her part.

As repayment for Senga reaching out to help her on the training ground, or for those few words of comfort.

Barton grew bolder, nostrils flared, pointing at Senga's group and shouting, drawing the attention of the entire cafeteria.

As he finished, he suddenly noticed the air around him had gone eerily quiet. His companions stared fixedly beside him.

Sensing something wrong, he whipped his head around and saw Uchiha Senga, who had been standing at the entrance moments ago, now right in front of him.

"When did he—?" Both he and Smoker, sitting at the same table, had the same thought flash through their minds.

"You were really loud just now." Senga finished speaking, raised his hand, and delivered a slap.

The sound of palm meeting face echoed through the spacious cafeteria.

"You... bastard! How dare you hit a senior!?" Clutching his cheek, staring at Senga in disbelief, Barton screamed hysterically.

His companions couldn't sit still either. No matter what, the one hit was one of their own, and Senga's action made them deeply uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Senga's roommates rushed over, standing their ground without an ounce of fear.

Some of his fellow recruits, including Ain and other girls, also gathered around. They'd all seen what happened—the seniors had been arrogant and provoked Senga.

Senga had a high reputation among his peers and was easy to get along with. Many recruits had received his help during training, one way or another. Seeing him surrounded now, none of them were about to stand by and do nothing.

"Oh? What, are all upperclassmen as disgusting as you? Disgusting things deserve a beating."

Senga swept his gaze over the upperclassmen who had risen to their feet, speaking flatly.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!!!"

The beaten Barton, humiliated into rage, shot up, put distance between them, and lashed out with a Rankyaku.

A pale blue air blade appeared, splitting countless desks and chairs as it hurtled toward Senga. The faces around them twisted in alarm.

"Shit! That's Rankyaku!"

"Damn it, we're all trainees—using that move is over the line!"

"This is going south. Rankyaku's lethality means hit equals death or crippling!"

Watching the incoming Rankyaku, Senga's expression didn't flicker. He raised his left hand, shielding his chest.

A grating sound rang out. The Rankyaku was caught in Senga's palm, unable to advance an inch.

After barely two seconds, the Rankyaku dissipated in Senga's hand.

"How?" Barton's eyes nearly bulged out.

Before he could recover, Senga swept his leg in a sharp arc.

A deeper blue air blade, wider and longer than the last, shot forth—Senga's own Rankyaku.

It's over. A Rankyaku of that caliber—I definitely can't block it. Barton closed his eyes in despair.

After a moment, finding himself unharmed, he quickly opened them to see Senga's Rankyaku blocked by a back topped with white hair.

The white-haired figure was Smoker. Seeing the situation spiraling beyond control, he had finally decided to step in and end this farce.

But Smoker, having blocked the Rankyaku, was far from at ease. Unlike Barton's low-grade version, Senga's Rankyaku didn't fizzle out after two seconds.

Thus, in the center of the vast cafeteria, a peculiar sight unfolded: Smoker, with his white hair, sweating profusely, pressed both hands against a deep blue air blade, slowly being pushed backward.

Smoker was struggling. He twisted his head and shouted at the still-dazed Barton behind him.

"Get the hell out of here!"

Snapped back to reality, Barton scrambled away in a panic.

Pfft! Smoker's body was split in two. Senga's attack passed through him and flew toward the cafeteria's far wall, carving a new door before finally vanishing.

"Strength like that... lives up to the name!" Smoker, his body bisected, eyed the destruction from the Rankyaku with deep wariness.

As a Logia user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, he hadn't actually been cut in half. He had entered his elemental state to evade the Rankyaku's strike.

"Logia elementalization? Pretty similar to that Hozuki Suigetsu's Water Transformation Technique." Senga watched Smoker's body, both halves billowing white smoke, and mused to himself.

The white smoke gradually merged, and Smoker reformed his complete state. He looked at Senga and spoke.

"That's enough. He was in the wrong this time, and he's paid for it. We're all trainees—no more trouble!"

Senga let out a few light laughs, a sneer on his face as he looked at Smoker.

"Are you overestimating yourself? If you really wanted to stop it, where were you just now? Now you come out playing the good guy? You think you're worthy?"

Smoker's face darkened. He knew this was going to be a tough one to handle today.