Those who had received massages were then treated by Barnett inside the cabin, using his Devil Fruit ability to restore their stamina.
Yes, Barnett possessed the Paramecia-type Restore-Restore Fruit, which allowed him to replenish various deficiencies in others.
Of course, its effects depended on his mastery. Currently, he could only restore bodily fluids, basic nutrients, minor wound recovery, and stamina.
What it might develop into in the future remained unknown—but it was undoubtedly a support-class Devil Fruit.
This was the first time Victor had seen Barnett use his ability. He simply placed his hand on someone's body, and his palm emitted a shimmering light, obscuring it from view.
Victor pondered the fruit's potential. If developed further, it could become a god-tier support ability.
However, like many Paramecia fruits, it likely drained the user's stamina significantly—similar to his own Swift-Swift Fruit or Trafalgar Law's Ope-Ope Fruit.
Victor's own stamina was monstrous, so the strain was negligible. But Barnett, while above average among recruits, couldn't compare.
Victor didn't need Barnett's help. After hours of rowing, he still felt no exhaustion—he could keep going for ten days straight if needed.
Time passed. The rowing teams rotated, and now it was Victor's turn again.
He didn't exert full strength, matching the others' pace to conserve energy for emergencies.
But soon, a scream pierced the storm.
"Ah! Look! What's that It's coming this way!"
A flash of lightning revealed only a colossal shadow approaching the ship.
"A waterspout! It's headed right for us! It's huge!"
Another lightning strike confirmed it—a monstrous whirlpool, large enough to swallow the warship whole.
Panic spread across the deck. Victor's Observation Haki confirmed the threat the waterspout wasn't just massive—it was moving fast, its suction inevitable.
They couldn't outrun it.
Victor barked orders to row harder and rushed to the ship's side—the point of impact.
Gion was already there, grim-faced as the mountain-like vortex loomed closer.
"Vice Admiral Gion, got a plan?" Victor asked.
She shot him a glare. "As if I'm an Admiral! This is a natural disaster, you idiot!"
"I'll try cutting it," she said, drawing Konpira.
Her flying slashes struck the waterspout—but against its enormity, they were mere splashes.
Undeterred, she sheathed her sword, gathering energy for a decisive strike.
One-Sword Style: Moon Gaze!
A crescent of sword light, elegant yet devastating, sliced halfway through the whirlpool—briefly revealing the storm beyond.
But the waterspout reformed instantly.
Gion paled, her stamina drained.
Victor knew it was his turn.
Placing a hand on the ship, he activated his Speed-Speed Fruit, pushing the vessel to five times its normal velocity.
The sudden acceleration confused the crew—until they noticed Victor's strained expression.
Only Rebecca understood. She rushed over, seeing his whitened knuckles and realizing he was at his limit.
But it wasn't enough.
The waterspout kept closing in.
Victor withdrew his hand, abandoning the plan.
He could escape alone easily—but not while leaving everyone else to die.
Only one option left...
Victor slightly crouched, feet apart, adopting the stance of a draw-cut, silently gathering his strength.
"Is Victor finally getting serious?"
"Go, Victor!"
Gion could also tell that Victor was preparing to give it his all. She stood silently by the side, while Rebecca stood beside Victor, keeping him company.
The waterspout drew closer and closer, yet Victor's technique still hadn't fully manifested, making the two women increasingly nervous.
Victor's mind was now completely immersed in the blade in his hand—Chikara. His resolve to destroy the waterspout grew stronger, his expression turning ever more solemn.
As the warship was pulled sideways by the waterspout's force, the terrified cries of the cadets aboard grew louder.
Watching the ship drift ever closer to the waterspout was a sight that made it hard to remain calm. The cadets' screams pierced Victor's heart.
"One Sword Style: Dragon-Slaying Slash."
This was a name Victor instinctively called out—one meant to sever the waterspout itself.
A massive black sword aura, carrying Victor's unyielding conviction, split through the torrential rain, forming a vacuum in the shape of a blade.
It soared diagonally upward toward the waterspout, growing larger and more elongated the farther it flew, aiming to slash through the waterspout's upper reaches.
A metallic hum rang out—the sound of Chikara leaving its sheath. But by the time the sound spread, the sword aura had already traveled far ahead, making contact with the waterspout.
In an instant, the sword aura sliced through the waterspout and continued skyward, disrupting the winds around the vortex.
Under the flashes of lightning, everyone saw that the seemingly unaffected water column had begun to slowly separate after the sword aura passed through it.
A diagonal gash appeared, the gap between the upper and lower parts of the water column widening.
The wind force surrounding the column had been disrupted by the sword aura. The upper half of the severed waterspout was still being sucked upward, while the lower half, under gravity's pull, collapsed back into the sea.
A breath later, the entire column crashed into the ocean—the waterspout was gone. But in its wake, a massive tsunami surged toward the ship, a towering wave kicked up by the falling water.
Victor quickly placed his hand on the warship and activated his Devil Fruit ability to accelerate the vessel. This time, he didn't push it to the limit—only tripling the speed—but it was enough to outpace the oncoming wave.
Meanwhile, the others on the ship were still stunned by Victor's sword aura.
They had witnessed that colossal black slash—one powerful enough to cleave through a mountain. None of them had ever seen anything like it.
This was power on the level of a natural disaster. 'In a few more years, this man might even be able to cut through the Red Line with a single strike,' someone thought.
At this moment, Victor was breathing heavily. His mental energy was severely drained, and using his Devil Fruit ability to evade the tsunami had stripped away his usual composure.
Gion stared blankly at Victor's profile, her face frozen in shock—but inside, her mind was a storm of disbelief.
She was no novice when it came to swordsmanship. She knew exactly what Victor's technique represented. If he could wield such a move at will, then he was already at the level of an Admiral in terms of combat power.
Victor had stepped onto this path, and barring unforeseen circumstances, he would undoubtedly become one of the greatest swordsmen on the seas.
This was the very pinnacle Gion herself had been striving for—and today, she had finally seen it with her own eyes.
The farther the tsunami traveled from where the waterspout had collapsed, the weaker and slower it became.
The warship had already sailed far enough to escape its reach.
Victor gradually slowed the ship's speed—he couldn't afford to exhaust all his stamina. If something unexpected happened now, they'd be in serious trouble.