Days passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Chiga had been at the training camp for two months, and during this time, the name Uchiha Chiga had spread throughout the camp.
No matter what kind of training it was, Chiga could complete it smoothly and had even broken many training camp records. Especially his first encounter with Zephyr made the name Uchiha Chiga resonate even more loudly in the training camp.
Not only the students of the same grade, but even the senior students knew about this remarkably talented junior.
This day, in the training camp cafeteria, a table of senior students was discussing Uchiha Chiga.
"Did you hear? That Uchiha Chiga broke another record. He learned Soru from the Six Powers in less than a day!"
"Nani? Heavens! I took a whole year to barely learn it!"
"Your news is outdated. It's said that he even improved Soru, making it faster and cover a greater distance!"
"Sigh, truly despair-inducing talent. Now, we seniors might not even be his match."
Upon hearing this, someone became displeased.
"That's you. How strong can a rookie who's been in the training camp for less than half a year be? You're so good at boasting that you even believe it yourself?"
After speaking, that person, ignoring the unpleasant expressions of others, looked at a white-haired youth with a fawning expression.
"And if we're talking about talent, who can compare to Smoker? He's the only Logia Devil Fruit user in the entire training camp!"
Smoker silently ate the food on his plate, his head bowed, not bothering to acknowledge the flatterer.
Seeing that Smoker ignored him, the person awkwardly fell silent, and the dining table quieted down.
"Look, that Uchiha Chiga is here!"
Someone else, eager to stir up trouble, exclaimed, and everyone at the table looked towards the entrance.
A group led by Chiga entered the cafeteria, followed by his three roommates, chatting and laughing, heading to get their food.
Chiga naturally didn't know that he had just become the focus of a certain table's argument. At this moment, he was listening to Bridge excitedly bragging about Chiga's amazing performance on the training ground earlier.
"I'm telling you guys, Boss Chiga's Soru was so fast just now! Even Teacher Zephyr praised it!"
"Boss Chiga, from now on, you're the person I, Bridge, admire the most! Just say the word, and I won't hesitate!"
Graves on the other side looked at Bridge's behavior with great disdain, mocking,
"That's because Chiga is amazing. Why do I feel like it was you who used Soru just now?"
"Of course I'm happy that Boss Chiga is amazing, he's the boss I, Bridge, acknowledge! I'm telling you, Boss Chiga's strength is already good enough to graduate".
"Staying here with an idiot like you is just a waste of time!"
"What did you say?!"
These words weren't spoken by Graves. Before he could speak, the person who had been bragging about Smoker couldn't sit still.
This person was named Barton, similar to Bridge, also an uninvited number one fan of Smoker.
"A mere freshman, so arrogant? I heard that Chiga guy is from the East Blue, right? People from small places really haven't seen the world, hahahaha!"
These words were a bit too much, and Smoker, who was eating nearby, couldn't help but frown.
"What did you say? Just because you've been a soldier for a year or two makes you great? How could a genius like Boss Chiga be like a good-for-nothing like you!"
Bridge naturally wouldn't show weakness and retorted.
"I think you're asking for a beating. Rookies should act like rookies. And that Uchiha Chiga, don't you know how to control your dog? Hurry up and apologize to your seniors!"
At this moment, in a corner of the cafeteria, at a table,
"Hey, Ain, isn't that Uchiha Chiga who helped you last time? He seems to be in trouble."
"Yeah, that senior is too arrogant. What's wrong with being a freshman? Didn't they start as freshmen too?"
"I know Uchiha Chiga. His talent is the strongest in our year, but he has a gentle personality, is easy to talk to, and is handsome. I think they're just jealous!"
"No matter what, Uchiha Chiga is in trouble this time. After all, those are seniors, and their strength is definitely stronger than us newly admitted students."
Ain's roommates chattered, some reminding Ain, others speaking up for Chiga.
Ain didn't join their discussion. She just looked at Chiga's side with worry, thinking that if a conflict broke out, she would definitely go up to help, even if she wasn't a match for the seniors, she would do her part.
Just… to repay Chiga for helping her up on the training ground and for those comforting words!
Barton became more and more arrogant, his nostrils flared, pointing at Chiga's side and shouting, attracting the attention of the entire cafeteria.
After speaking, he suddenly noticed that the air around him was eerily quiet. His companions next to him were staring fixedly beside him.
Feeling something was wrong, he suddenly turned his head and saw Uchiha Chiga, who had just been standing at the entrance, now standing in front of him.
"When?" This thought flashed through both his mind and Smoker's, who was at the same table.
"You were very arrogant just now." After Chiga finished speaking, he raised his hand and slapped him.
Slap!
The sound of the palm meeting the face echoed for a long time in the spacious cafeteria.
"You… bastard! How dare you hit a senior!?" Covering his face, Barton screamed hysterically, looking at Chiga in disbelief.
His companions next to him also couldn't sit still. No matter what, the one who was hit was one of them. Chiga's action also made them feel very uncomfortable.
Seeing this situation, Chiga's roommates also rushed over, confronting them fearlessly.
Some classmates, including Ain and other girls, also gathered. They had witnessed what happened earlier: the seniors were arrogant and provoked Chiga.
Chiga had a high reputation among his peers and was easy to get along with. Many students had received his help during training, so seeing Chiga surrounded, they wouldn't stand by idly.
"Oh? What, are all seniors as disgusting as you? Disgusting things should be beaten."
Chiga raised his eyes and scanned the standing senior students, speaking calmly.
"Bastard! I'll kill you!!!"
Barton, who had been hit, became enraged. He suddenly stood up, pulled away, and unleashed a Rankyaku.
A pale blue air blade appeared, splitting countless tables and chairs as it assaulted Chiga. The faces of the people around changed dramatically.
"Oh no! It's Rankyaku!"
"Damn it, we're all students, isn't using that move too much?!"
"Something's going to happen. The lethality of Rankyaku, if you're hit, you'll either die or be crippled!"
Looking at the incoming Rankyaku, Chiga's face showed no change. He raised his left hand, protecting his chest.
Sizzle!
A teeth-grating sound rang out. The Rankyaku was pinched in Chiga's palm, unable to advance further.
It didn't last two seconds before the Rankyaku dissipated in Chiga's hand.
"How could this be?" Barton's eyes were about to pop out.
Before he could recover, Chiga also suddenly drew an arc with a single leg.
Whoosh!
A dark blue air blade, wider and longer than the previous one, was unleashed. It was Chiga's Rankyaku.
It's over. I definitely can't block a Rankyaku of this level. Barton closed his eyes in despair.
After a while, realizing that he seemed to be fine, he quickly opened his eyes and saw that Chiga's Rankyaku was blocked by a white-haired figure's back.
The white-haired figure was Smoker. Seeing that the situation was developing in an uncontrollable direction, he finally decided to intervene and stop this farce.
However, Smoker, who blocked the Rankyaku, was not at ease. Chiga's Rankyaku did not dissipate after two seconds like Barton's low-level Rankyaku earlier.
Thus, a strange sight appeared in the center of the large cafeteria: Smoker, with his white hair, was sweating profusely, pushing back a dark blue air blade with both hands, retreating little by little.
Smoker was starting to struggle. He quickly turned his head and shouted at Barton, who was still in a daze behind him,
"Get out of the way!"
Hearing this, Barton, who had recovered, quickly scrambled away from his spot.
Puff! Smoker's body was split in two. Chiga's attack passed through Smoker and flew towards the wall at the end of the cafeteria, finally disappearing after adding a new door to the cafeteria.
"This strength… it lives up to its reputation!" Smoker, whose body was split in two, felt deeply wary as he saw the destruction caused by the Rankyaku.
As a Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit user, he hadn't actually been dismembered. He had entered an elemental state to evade the Rankyaku's attack.
"Logia's elementalization? It's quite similar to Suigetsu Hozuki's Hydrification Jutsu." Chiga thought contemplatively, looking at Smoker's two bodies emitting white smoke.
The white smoke gradually merged, and Smoker returned to his complete state. He looked at Chiga and spoke,
"Let's stop here. He was in the wrong this time and has paid the price. We're all students, let's not make a bigger fuss!"
Chiga chuckled lightly at his words, looking at Smoker with a mocking expression,
"Are you perhaps overestimating yourself? If you really wanted to stop it, where were you just now? Now you come out to play the good guy? You don't deserve to?"
Smoker's expression darkened. He knew that this matter would be difficult to handle today.