Cafeteria Conflict

The days that followed passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Senga had already spent two months at the Training Camp, and Uchiha Senga's name had spread throughout the camp.

No matter what kind of training it was, Senga completed it with ease and even broke many of the camp's records. His first spar with Zephyr in particular made Uchiha Senga's name ring even louder throughout the Training Camp.

Not only did students in his own year know of him, even upperclassmen had heard of this extraordinarily talented junior.

That day, a table of upperclassmen in the Training Camp cafeteria was discussing Uchiha Senga.

"Did you hear? That Uchiha Senga broke another record. He learned Shave, one of the Six Powers, in less than a day!"

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

"Your news is already outdated. I heard he even improved Shave. He's faster now, and can cover a greater distance!"

"Sigh, what a despair-inducing talent. Even us upperclassmen might not be his match anymore."

Someone was displeased by that.

"That's you. How strong could a newcomer who's been at the Training Camp for less than half a year possibly be? You've bragged so much that you believe it yourself?"

After saying that, he ignored everyone else's ugly expressions and looked ingratiatingly at a white-haired young man.

"And when it comes to talent, who can compare to Smoker? He's the only Logia Devil Fruit Ability User in the entire Training Camp!"

Smoker kept his head lowered as he silently ate from his plate, ignoring the man flattering him.

Seeing that Smoker did not respond, the man awkwardly stopped talking, and the table fell silent.

"Look, that Uchiha Senga is here!"

Someone else, clearly eager for trouble, spoke up. Everyone at the table turned to look toward the entrance.

Senga led a group into the cafeteria, followed by his three roommates. They chatted and laughed as they prepared to get food.

Naturally, Senga had no idea he had just become the focus of an argument at one of the tables. At that moment, he was listening to Bridge excitedly boast about Senga's stunning performance at the training grounds earlier.

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

"Boss Senga, from now on, you're the person I, Bridge, admire most! Just say the word if you need anything—I won't hesitate!"

Graves, on the other side, looked down on Bridge's behavior and mocked him.

"Senga is the one who's impressive. Why do I get the feeling that you were the one using Shave just now?"

"Of course I'm happy that Boss Senga is amazing! He's the boss I, Bridge, acknowledge! I'm telling you, Boss Senga could have graduated long ago. Staying here with an idiot like you is just a waste of time!"

"What did you say?!"

It was not Graves who said that. Before he could open his mouth, the person who had been praising Smoker earlier could no longer sit still.

His name was Barton. Like Bridge, he was an uninvited number-one fan of Smoker's.

"A mere freshman, and you're this arrogant? I heard that Senga came from the East Blue, right? People from small places really haven't seen the world, hahaha!"

That was going a little too far. Smoker, who was eating nearby, could not help but frown.

"What did you say? You think you're so great just because you joined the Marines a year or two earlier? A genius like Boss Senga would never be like trash like you!"

Bridge naturally refused to back down and immediately fired back.

"I think you need a lesson. Freshmen should act like freshmen. And that Uchiha Senga—don't you know how to control your dog? Hurry up and apologize to your seniors!"

At a table in the corner of the cafeteria—

"Hey, Ain, isn't that Uchiha Senga, the one who helped you last time? He seems to be in trouble."

"Yeah, that upperclassman is way too arrogant. So what if they're freshmen? Didn't they start out as freshmen too?"

"I know Uchiha Senga. His talent is the greatest in our year, but he has a gentle personality, is easy to talk to, and he's handsome too. I think they're just jealous!"

"No matter what, Uchiha Senga is in trouble this time. They are upperclassmen, after all. Their strength should be greater than ours, who just entered the camp."

Ain's roommates discussed it all at once. Some reminded Ain, while others spoke up for Senga.

Ain did not join their discussion. She only looked worriedly in Senga's direction, thinking that if a conflict broke out, she had to go help him. Even if she was no match for the upperclassmen, she still had to contribute what she could.

Consider it repayment for Senga helping her up on the field... or for those words of comfort.

Barton became more and more arrogant, lifting his nose toward the sky as he pointed at Senga and shouted. The entire cafeteria's attention was drawn over.

After he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that the air around him had become terrifyingly quiet. His companions beside him were staring fixedly at someone next to him.

Sensing something was wrong, he abruptly turned his head and saw that Uchiha Senga, who had just been standing at the entrance, was already standing before him.

When did he get here? That thought flashed through the minds of both Barton and Smoker at the same time.

"You were really arrogant just now." As soon as Senga finished speaking, he raised his hand and slapped him.

The sound of palm striking cheek echoed through the spacious cafeteria for a long time.

"You... bastard! You actually dared to hit an upperclassman?!" Barton clutched his face and stared at Senga in disbelief as he screamed hysterically.

The companions beside him could no longer sit still either. No matter what, the person who had been struck was one of their own, and Senga's actions made them deeply uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Senga's roommates rushed over as well, facing them without the slightest fear.

Some students from the same year, including Ain and the other girls, gathered around too. They had all seen what happened just now. It was the upperclassmen who had been arrogant and provoked Senga.

Senga enjoyed great prestige among his peers and was easy to get along with. Many students had received more or less help from him during training. Seeing Senga surrounded now, they could not simply stand by.

"Oh? What, are all upperclassmen as disgusting as you? Disgusting things deserve to be beaten."

Senga swept his gaze across the upperclassmen who had risen to their feet and spoke calmly.

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

Humiliated and enraged after being slapped, Barton abruptly stood up, pulled back, and launched a Rankyaku.

A pale blue blade of air appeared, slicing through countless tables and chairs as it shot toward Senga. The expressions of everyone nearby changed drastically.

"Not good! It's Rankyaku!"

"Damn it, we're all students. Isn't using that move going too far?"

"This is bad. Rankyaku is incredibly lethal. If it hits someone, they'll either die or be crippled!"

Senga's expression did not change in the slightest as he watched the incoming Rankyaku. He raised his left hand in front of his chest.

A teeth-grating sound rang out as Senga caught the Rankyaku in his palm, preventing it from advancing even an inch.

Before two seconds had passed, the Rankyaku dissipated in Senga's hand.

"How is that possible?" Barton's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Before he could recover, Senga swung one leg in a fierce arc.

A dark blue blade of air, wider and longer than the previous one, shot forth. It was Senga's Rankyaku.

It's over. There's no way I can block a Rankyaku of that level. Barton closed his eyes in despair.

After a while, he realized that he seemed to be unharmed. He hurriedly opened his eyes and saw that Senga's Rankyaku had been blocked by the back of a white-haired figure.

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

However, Smoker was not having an easy time blocking the Rankyaku. Senga's Rankyaku did not dissipate after less than two seconds like Barton's inferior version had.

Thus, an unusual sight appeared in the center of the enormous cafeteria: white-haired Smoker, drenched in sweat, braced both hands against a dark blue blade of air as he was pushed backward inch by inch.

Smoker was starting to lose his footing. He hurriedly turned around and shouted at Barton, who was still standing behind him in a daze.

"Why aren't you getting the hell out of here?!"

Snapping back to his senses, Barton hurriedly scrambled away.

Pff! Smoker's body was split in two. Senga's attack passed through Smoker and flew toward the wall at the far end of the cafeteria. After adding another doorway to the cafeteria, it finally vanished.

That kind of strength... the rumors were true! Smoker looked at the destruction caused by the Rankyaku, his divided body filled with apprehension.

As the user of the Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit, he had not actually been cut in half. He had entered his elemental state to evade the Rankyaku just now.

Logia elementalization? It's rather similar to Hozuki Suigetsu's Water Transformation Technique. Senga looked thoughtfully at Smoker's two halves, which were emitting white smoke.

The white smoke gradually fused together, and Smoker returned to normal. He looked at Senga and said,

"Let's stop here. He was in the wrong this time, and he has paid the price. We're all students, so don't make this any bigger!"

Senga gave a few soft laughs and looked at Smoker mockingly.

"Do you think too highly of yourself? If you really wanted to stop it, where were you just now? Now you come running out to play the good guy? You think you're worthy?"

Smoker's expression darkened. He knew that today's matter would not be easy to resolve.