Senga and Gion's flirtatious exchange across the entire field was clearly seen by Tokikake on the platform.
Seeing the emotions in his goddess's eyes practically turning syrupy, he hurriedly picked up the microphone and shouted,
"I hereby announce that the assessment begins!"
Interrupted by him, Senga withdrew his gaze. The next second, he appeared on the platform.
The sudden interruption left Gion somewhat unsatisfied. She licked her red lips and shot Tokikake a fierce glare. It was all this guy's fault for meddling.
Feeling Gion's needle-like stare from behind him, Chaton shuddered, but he did not dare turn around. He could only focus all his attention on Senga before him.
Seeing that the host still had not stepped down, Senga asked,
"May I ask where my opponent is?"
Tokikake sneered, grabbed his collar with one hand, and gave it a hard fling. A Justice Coat flew off him.
However, he used too much force, and the coat sailed into the audience, causing a commotion followed by a wave of curses.
"Damn it, what are you showing off for? What's so special about tossing around a lousy coat?!"
"Exactly! It almost hit me!"
"If you don't want the clothes, I suggest donating them to people in need. Just a suggestion, of course!"
"Say, what's wrong with that guy? Why did he suddenly take off his clothes?"
"Who knows? Maybe hyperthyroidism."
This time, Tokikake did not care about the audience's reaction. His tiny, seed-like eyes stared straight at Senga's Rinnegan as he said,
"I am the Vice Admiral sent by Headquarters to assess you, Uchiha Senga. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Tokikake."
The moment those words came out, neither the higher-ups nor the spectators could keep it together.
Anyone who knew Tokikake knew that although he usually seemed unreliable, his strength ranked among the very best of the Vice Admirals. Everyone recognized his power, especially Gion.
At that moment, she looked resentfully at her older sister, Tsuru. She felt that Tsuru was deliberately making things difficult for Senga by raising the challenge level. She had only just experienced the feeling of having her heart moved at this age—couldn't her path to love go a little more smoothly?
Tsuru felt utterly wronged. She also thought this arrangement was indeed a little too difficult. After all, were Hawk Eyes and Moria even on the same level among the Shichibukai? But the problem was, this arrangement had nothing to do with her!
Most of the higher-ups on the platform felt that the difficulty was excessive. Only Zephyr and Sengoku remained as steady as old dogs, arms crossed as they sat glued to their seats like meditating monks, showing no sign of responding to anyone.
It was already obvious who had arranged this.
Below the platform, when Senga heard that Tokikake before him was his opponent, he felt a long-lost spark of excitement.
Ever since arriving in the Pirate World, Senga had never fought at full strength. Even he himself did not know how far his power had progressed. So when the higher-ups approached him and asked whether he was willing to use a different assessment method, he agreed without hesitation.
Moreover, Senga did not think much of ordinary Marine Vice Admirals. Based on their performances in the anime, the only Vice Admirals worth taking seriously were Mole, Marigold, Onigumo, and the like. As for Garp, he could not be counted among the fighting strength of Vice Admirals.
He had originally thought that his opponent would at most be one of those people, but the Marine higher-ups had given him another surprise.
Who was Tokikake? He was a character who appeared later in One Piece. By then, he had already been named an Admiral candidate, with strength second only to an Admiral. Naturally, such strength was enough to excite him.
"Looks like this will be a very interesting battle."
Senga brushed aside the hair over his forehead, revealing his Rinnegan more fully. As fighting spirit rose in his heart, the ripples in his eyes actually began to move, like waves created by a stone dropped into water, spreading outward ring by ring.
Noticing the change in Senga's eyes, Tokikake's expression turned grave. As a Marine higher-up himself, he knew somewhat about the unusual nature of Senga's eyes.
Just hearing about those endless abilities was enough to make one's scalp tingle. He certainly would not underestimate Senga merely because he was still a Training Camp student.
Senga raised one hand, formed a hand seal, and asked,
"Can we begin?"
Tokikake nodded. The two remained silent for several seconds before the battle erupted.
Tokikake's entire right arm was instantly covered in pitch-black Armament Haki. At the same time, he used Shave and threw a punch at Senga's abdomen.
Senga immediately used Shinra Tensei as well. However, this Shinra Tensei did not instantly blast his opponent away as usual; it merely slowed Tokikake's movements.
For an elite Vice Admiral like Tokikake, Senga's current Pupil Power was not enough to use Shinra Tensei to send him flying instantly. Still, it was enough. The moment Tokikake slowed, Senga vanished from the spot.
Seeing his attack miss, Tokikake did not panic. He simply swung a backhand strike behind him.
Smack! The sound of fist meeting palm rang out. Senga, who had appeared behind Tokikake, blocked the strike with his palm.
A smile curved across Tokikake's lips. The fist held in Senga's hand trembled slightly, and Senga's expression changed. He quickly let go, activated his Deva Path ability, and shot into the sky.
Stopping in midair, Senga looked at the hand that had just gripped Tokikake's fist. His palm was already somewhat red and swollen, and even his entire arm ached faintly. Even with Hashirama Cells, he could not recover in such a short time.
Shaking his numb arm slightly, Senga looked down at Tokikake and asked,
"This effect isn't ordinary Armament Haki, is it?"
Tokikake grinned without answering. He stepped on the air with Geppo and rapidly closed in on Senga.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Terrifying shockwaves continuously erupted overhead. Before long, all the clouds above the assessment grounds had been blasted apart, leaving behind only a clear blue sky.
The spectators around the field were dumbfounded. At that moment, the same thought arose in all their minds:
Was this Uchiha Senga really just a student? Why did this look so completely different?
The clash in the sky continued for nearly ten minutes before ending with Senga's figure appearing on the ground.
Senga looked somewhat disheveled. Both sleeves had vanished, and his collar had been torn open, revealing a hint of his chest. However, the exposed skin showed that he was not seriously injured.
Tokikake appeared opposite Senga shortly afterward. Compared to Senga, he was in much better condition, with only slightly wrinkled clothing.
Judging from their appearances so far, Tokikake seemed to have held a slight advantage in the previous battle.
But Tokikake did not see it that way. He knew that Senga had not used his full strength. Of course, neither had he. Their previous battle had looked intense, but it had merely been a warm-up for them both.
The real battle had only just begun.
Before you continue