The Final Assessment Begins

Senga and Gion's "eye-flirting" across the entire venue was all seen by Tokikake on the stage.

Seeing the emotions flowing from his goddess's eyes were practically palpable, he quickly grabbed the microphone and shouted, "I now declare, the assessment begins!"

Interrupted by him, Senga withdrew his gaze. The next second, his figure appeared on the stage.

The sudden interruption left Gion feeling unsatisfied. She licked her red lips and glared fiercely at Tokikake, blaming him for ruining the moment.

Sensing Gion's needle-like gaze from behind, Chaton shivered but didn't dare to look back. He could only focus all his attention on Senga in front of him.

Senga saw that the host was still lingering on stage and asked, "Where is my opponent for this match?"

Tokikake sneered, then grabbed his collar with one hand and flicked it away, tossing a Justice Coat.

However, he used too much force, and the coat flew towards the audience, causing a commotion among them, followed by various curses.

"Damn it, why are you showing off? What's so great about a damn coat!"

"Exactly! It almost hit me!"

"If you don't want the clothes, I suggest donating them to those in need. Of course, I'm just suggesting!"

"What's with that guy suddenly acting weird, taking off his clothes?"

"Who knows, maybe he has hyperthyroidism."

Tokikake didn't care about the audience's reaction this time. His melon seed-sized eyes stared directly at Senga's Rinnegan and said, "I am the Vice Admiral sent by Headquarters to assess you, Uchiha Senga. Let me introduce myself again, my name is Tokikake."

As soon as he said this, both the higher-ups and the onlookers couldn't help but react.

Anyone who knew Tokikake knew that although he usually seemed unreliable, his strength was among the best of the Vice Admirals. Everyone acknowledged his power, especially Gion.

At this moment, she looked at her sister Tsuru with a resentful expression, feeling that Tsuru was deliberately making things difficult for Senga and increasing the difficulty. She had only just found feelings for someone at her age, couldn't she be allowed a smoother path in love?

Tsuru felt very innocent. She also thought the arrangement was indeed too difficult. For example, were Hawk Eyes and Moria on the same level among the Shichibukai? But the problem was, this arrangement had nothing to do with her!

The higher-ups on the elevated platform all felt the difficulty was somewhat excessive. Only Zephyr and Sengoku remained as steady as old dogs, with their arms crossed, sitting like monks in meditation, showing no intention of responding to anyone.

Who arranged this was already obvious.

Below the platform, Senga felt a rare surge of excitement upon hearing that his opponent was Tokikake.

Since coming to the Pirate World, Senga hadn't gone all out. He didn't even know the extent of his current strength. So, when the higher-ups approached him and asked if he was willing to try a different assessment method, he agreed without hesitation.

Moreover, Senga didn't think much of ordinary Marine Vice Admirals. Based on their performance in the anime, the Vice Admirals worth his attention were only Momonga, Marigold, Onigumo, and the like. As for Garp, he couldn't be counted among the Vice Admiral's combat strength.

He originally thought his opponent would be at most one of the aforementioned individuals, but the Marine higher-ups gave him another surprise.

Who was Tokikake? He was a character who appeared after the One Piece era, by which time he had already been appointed an Admiral candidate, with strength second only to an Admiral. Such strength was certainly worth getting excited about.

"It seems this will be a very interesting battle."

Senga brushed a strand of hair from his forehead, his Rinnegan becoming more fully revealed. As Senga's fighting spirit rose, the ripples in his eyes actually began to move, like ripples generated by a pebble dropped into water, spreading outwards in circles.

Noticing the unusual movement in Senga's eyes, Tokikake's expression became serious. As a fellow high-ranking Marine, he knew a little about the peculiarity of Senga's eyes.

The endless abilities he heard about alone made his scalp tingle, so he wouldn't underestimate Senga just because he was currently only a trainee.

Senga raised one hand, forming a hand seal, and asked, "Can we begin?"

Tokikake nodded. A few seconds of silence passed between them, and then the battle erupted.

Tokikake's entire right arm was instantly covered in a jet-black Armament Haki. At the same time, he used Soru and threw a punch at Senga's abdomen.

Senga directly used Almighty Push. However, this time, Almighty Push didn't push the opponent away instantly as usual; it only slowed Tokikake's movement.

It could be said that for an elite Vice Admiral like Tokikake, Senga's current Pupil Power wasn't enough to push him away instantly, but it was sufficient. Taking advantage of Tokikake's slowed movement, Senga's figure also disappeared from his original position.

Seeing his attack miss, Tokikake wasn't flustered and directly counterattacked behind him.

Crack! The sound of fists and palms colliding rang out. Senga, who had appeared behind Tokikake, blocked the attack with his palm.

A smile flickered across Tokikake's lips. The fist held by Senga trembled slightly. Senga's expression changed, and he quickly let go. The Deva Path ability activated, and he shot upwards.

Stopping in mid-air, Senga looked at the hand that had just held Tokikake's fist and found his palm already slightly swollen and red. Even his entire arm ached faintly. Even with Hashirama Cells, he couldn't recover in such a short time.

He slightly shook his numb arm and looked at Tokikake below, asking, "This effect, it's not ordinary Armament Haki, is it?"

Tokikake chuckled and didn't answer. He stepped on Geppo and rapidly approached Senga.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Terrifying sound waves continuously emanated from above. Soon, the clouds above the entire assessment arena were dispersed, leaving only a clear blue sky.

The surrounding audience was stunned. At this moment, a single thought appeared in their minds:

Is this Uchiha Senga really just a trainee? Why does this feel so different?

The aerial bombardment lasted for nearly ten minutes, ending when Senga's figure appeared on the ground.

Senga's appearance was somewhat disheveled at the moment. Both his sleeves were gone, his collar was torn open, and his chest was slightly exposed. However, judging by the skin visible, he was unharmed.

Tokikake followed closely, appearing opposite Senga. Compared to Senga, his condition seemed much better, with only his clothes slightly rumpled.

Judging by the current comparison of their appearances, it seemed Tokikake had the slight edge in the battle just now.

However, Tokikake didn't see it that way. He knew this guy Senga wasn't going all out, and of course, he wasn't either. The battle they just had, while seemingly intense, was merely a warm-up for both of them.

The real fight was just beginning.