Devil May Cry Naval Base
Hatsuyuki: "…Hot."
Naka: "This… idol work?"
Suzuya: "Wanna hit the beach…"
Dante: "You're already at the sea, always are."
Suzuya: "Not what I meant!"
Dante and the shipgirls were at a small beach near the base, but as Naka questioned, this wasn't for fun.
Suzuya: "Too much trash!"
They were picking up litter. The Devil May Cry Naval Base was in the midst of an environmental cleanup. The beach was littered with plastic bags, bottles, wood… and a mannequin.
Satsuki: "Kisaragi, this won't… move, right?"
Kisaragi: "…Dunno."
Murakumo: "Just clean it up."
Fumizuki: "Eww, creepy!"
Some shipgirls were spooked by the mannequin, fearing a demon might possess it. Other unidentifiable objects washed ashore too.
Dante wandered the beach, not helping with the cleanup.
Dante: "What's this? A torpedo?"
His eyes caught a large object buried in trash. Clearing it revealed…
Dante: "Didn't know shipgirls washed up…"
Jintsū: "Big sister?!"
Naka: "Sendai-chan?!"
It was the light cruiser Sendai. Dante carried her to the infirmary.
Infirmary
Akashi: "She's badly injured and weak. No telling when she'll wake."
Dante: "Got it."
Jintsū: "Why is big sister…?"
Naka: "Sendai-chan…"
Akashi treated Sendai's injuries, and she rested. Jintsū and Naka stayed by her side. Then Aoba, Tenryū, and Tatsuta, who'd been away, rushed in.
Tenryū: "Admiral, big trouble! Kure's Sendai—"
Dante: "Quiet down, we've got a patient."
Tenryū: "…Sendai?"
Returning to report on Kure, they were confused to see Sendai in a bed. The report was moved to the office.
Days Earlier, Kure Naval Base
Aoba pushed to dig deeper, infiltrating Kure despite the danger. At the training grounds, Sendai was arguing with someone—likely Kure's admiral, out of sight.
Sendai: "This isn't what we agreed!"
Kure: "Don't yell. I'll keep my promise."
Sendai: "You said if I stole the stones, you'd return Jintsū and Naka!"
Kure: "You'll see them soon."
Sendai: "You—!"
Kure: "Back off."
Sendai, enraged, deployed her rigging, aiming at the admiral. He remained unfazed, despite the risk of serious injury.
Kure: "I was going to let you see them, but I don't like impatient types."
Sendai: "Ugh, aahhh!"
Sendai was blasted away, falling into the sea. Silence fell over Kure.
Kure: "…Hm?"
Tenryū: "He might've noticed us! Run!"
Suspecting detection, they fled Kure.
Present, Devil May Cry Naval Base, Office
Tenryū: "That's the deal."
Dante: "So, timing-wise, that's Kure's Sendai."
Aoba: "Also, Kure's shipgirls keep swapping out."
Dante: "…Meaning?"
Aoba: "It's weird…"
Mainstay shipgirls at Kure were visible during surveillance, but when new ones arrived, an equal number of non-mainstays vanished, never to be seen again.
Dante: "…Anything else suspicious?"
Aoba: "The admiral's always contacting someone, but we don't know who."
Tatsuta: "That's about it~"
Dante: "Good work."
Aoba, Tenryū, and Tatsuta left. Could a normal human blow a shipgirl like Sendai into the sea, causing such injuries? Clearly not normal.
Dante: "Wish this could be easier…"
With too much to handle, Dante decided to wait for Sendai to wake before acting on Kure.
Headquarters, Archives
Yamato couldn't shake where she'd seen the Doctor. Unable to recall, she'd been scouring headquarters' records for days, barely sleeping. She stopped at a restricted area holding top-secret files. As the Marshal's secretary ship, she had access.
She picked up a file on the navy's past abyssal research, including photos of involved researchers.
Yamato: "This…!"
She rushed to the Marshal's office.
Marshal's Office
Yamato: "Marshal!"
Marshal: "What?! Argh!"
Startled by Yamato bursting in, the Marshal knocked over his teacup, soaking documents.
Yamato: "You need to see this!"
Marshal: "Forget that, look at this mess!"
Yamato: "This is more important!"
Marshal: "That's… Yamato, taking classified files is forbidden."
Yamato: "I'll take the reprimand later. Just look."
The file detailed a missing researcher. Yamato explained.
Yamato: "This man was at the underground casino. Dante called him 'Doctor.'"
Marshal: "He's alive…"
Yamato: "That's not all. Something's off."
She'd seen him in the file before. The Doctor matched the researcher's photo perfectly. That researcher vanished when the Marshal was a young Yokosuka admiral, older than him. If the same person, he should look aged—but he didn't. A lookalike descendant, or someone who doesn't age?
Marshal: "Either way, he's the root of this. Knowing Musashi's with him is a start. We just need his location."
Yamato: "Yes."
Devil May Cry Naval Base, Infirmary
A week later, Sendai woke. Told where she was, she lashed out. Jintsū and Naka tried to calm her, but she wouldn't stop.
Jintsū: "Big sister, please listen!"
Naka: "Ow! Sendai-chan, not the face!"
Sendai: "Shut up! Don't touch me!"
Dante: "What's going on?"
Sendai: "You…!"
Called by Akashi, Dante entered. Sendai glared at him like an enemy, thrashing harder. Jintsū and Naka struggled to hold her. Dante stepped in.
Dante: "Keep that up, your wounds'll reopen."
Sendai: "Shut up! I'm leaving… Ow!"
Dante: "Told you. If you're going, eat first, Kure's Sendai… and take a bath."
Sendai: "How…?"
Dante: "Hm?"
Sendai: "Why go this far for me?"
Puzzled by his help, Sendai got a blunt reply: "No reason." On Dante's orders, Jintsū and Naka took her to the docks, leaving him and Akashi.
Akashi: "What now?"
Dante: "Wanna hear her story."
Akashi: "If she says nothing?"
Dante: "Let her do what she wants."
Mess Hall
After docking, Sendai was brought to the mess hall by Jintsū and Naka. She ate slowly, uneasy under the stares of other shipgirls, who watched her closely. Sendai had stolen and attacked Dante, so they were wary of what she might do next.
Dante arrived with a pizza box—delivery day. He sat near the Sendai-class and ate.
Dante: "Hōshō and Mamiya's food is good, right?"
Sendai: "…"
Dante: "…Alright."
Sendai ignored him, making things awkward for Jintsū and Naka. The other shipgirls were tense. Seeing no small talk, Dante got to the point.
Dante: "Do you know what those stones you stole are?"
Sendai: "…No."
Dante: "Then why steal them?"
Sendai: "The admiral told me to…"
Dante: "How'd he know they were here?"
Sendai: "…Don't know."
No dice—nothing useful. Dante switched gears.
Dante: "Was sinking Yokosuka's shipgirls your idea?"
Sendai: "No!"
She slammed the table, standing. Finally, some emotion. Maybe her true thoughts would come out.
Sendai: "The admiral ordered me…!"
Dante sighed. Shipgirls were duty-bound, but blind obedience was a problem.
Dante: "If you don't want to, don't do it. No rebellious phase?"
Sendai: "I had no choice… It was the only way to get Jintsū and Naka back…"
Dante: "What happened?"
Sendai: "…"
She clammed up again, refusing to talk further. Dante gave up and headed for the office, but Hōshō acted unexpectedly.
Hōshō: "Sendai, we need to talk."
Dante: "(Oh, this is her bad pattern…)"
Sendai: "I've got nothing to say."
Hōshō: "Come with me!"
Hōshō forcibly dragged Sendai away. Everyone froze.
Murakumo: "Not stopping her?"
Dante: "Don't. Mess with Hōshō, and you'll regret it…"
Training Grounds
Hōshō: "You're healed from docking, so you can move, right?"
Sendai: "What're you planning?"
Hōshō: "A one-on-one exercise. Win, and you can leave. Lose, and you tell the admiral everything."
Hōshō deployed her rigging and headed to sea. Sendai, thinking it an easy deal, followed suit.
Sendai: "I'm strong."
Hōshō: "Come on."
The battle began. Hōshō launched planes immediately. Sendai shot them down with gunfire while firing torpedoes. Hōshō dodged and sent more planes. Combat sounds echoed from the training grounds. Knowing the situation, no one approached.
Office
Sendai: "Waaah! I'm sorry!"
Post-exercise, Hōshō brought Sendai to the office, where she was crying and collapsed on the floor. Dante was taken aback.
Dante: "What'd you do?"
Hōshō: "A little education."
Sendai couldn't handle Hōshō's relentless bombing and torpedo attacks, breaking under the onslaught. Kure's Sendai was Kai Ni, but Hōshō's experience, honed by demon battles, made a light cruiser an easy opponent.
Hōshō: "Now, keep your promise. Talk."
Sendai: "Yes…"
Dante: "(What'd she do to make her cry like that…?)"
Sendai began, haltingly, about Kure. Shipgirls there cycled out frequently, with no bonds forming—matching Aoba's report. Some were sent elsewhere, never returning. Mainstays couldn't ignore it and demanded their sisters back, but Kure's admiral required absolute obedience. To retrieve their sisters, they followed even cruel orders, which became normal. Sendai was one whose sisters were taken.
Dante: "(The navy's a mess, huh?)"
Yokosuka, Maizuru, now Kure—why were shady people becoming admirals? Better vetting was needed.
Dante: "So, what's your plan?"
Sendai: "Go back to Kure and get Jintsū and Naka."
She stood to leave for Kure, but Hōshō blocked the door.
Sendai: "Move. I told you everything."
Hōshō: "Can you handle it alone?"
Sendai: "Even if I can't, I have to—for Jintsū and Naka."
Hōshō: "Ask for help, and our admiral will lend a hand."
Dante: "Hey, don't just—"
Hōshō: "What?"
Dante: "…Nothing."
Hōshō's glare silenced him. She turned to Sendai.
Hōshō: "Well?"
Sendai: "You don't owe me anything."
Hōshō: "We can't look away."
Sendai: "…Can you get Jintsū and Naka back?"
Dante: "No promises, but I'll help."
Sendai: "Then… please… help!"
Tears streamed as she pleaded. Then Ōyodo rushed in.
Ōyodo: "Admiral, emergency!"
A massive abyssal fleet—around 300, including princess and demon classes—was heading for the Devil May Cry Naval Base. Ōyodo had already requested support, and fleets from Yokosuka and Sasebo were deploying.
Ōyodo: "All shipgirls are on standby at the docks!"
Dante holstered Ebony & Ivory, shouldered Rebellion, and headed out with Hōshō.
Sendai: "Wait!"
Dante: "I'll help when we're back."
Sendai: "I'm coming too!"
Dante: "You don't need to—"
Sendai: "You're helping me, right? Then I'll help you."
Dante glanced at Hōshō, who nodded with a gentle smile. He approved Sendai's sortie, and they headed into battle.
Headquarters
Lady struggled to identify the navy's mole. She'd scoured headquarters, leaving only personal quarters unchecked. Confirming a room's owner was absent, she picked the lock and searched.
In one shipgirl's room, she found an array of communication equipment—too elaborate for personal use.
Lady: "What's this…?"
She traced the equipment's communications to Kure. Why was a shipgirl contacting Kure directly? Then an explosion rocked headquarters. Lady bolted toward the source.
Marshal's Office
Yamato: "Marshal, a massive abyssal fleet is approaching the Devil May Cry Naval Base! Yokosuka and Sasebo have deployed in response to their support request!"
Marshal: "Send our support! Yamato, go!"
Yamato: "Yes…!?"
An explosion shook the building, halting her. Someone entered the office.
Yamato: "You…!"
Doctor: "What an honor to meet the great Marshal."
The Doctor entered with a knight-like demon. Yamato deployed her rigging to protect the Marshal, but the demon swiftly grabbed her throat, lifting and throwing her through the office wall to the outside.
Marshal: "Yamato!"
Outside, destroyer Fubuki was deploying her rigging, destroying headquarters' facilities—the explosion's cause.
Doctor: "Allow me to introduce myself. Call me 'Doctor,' here to restore this world to its proper state."
He bowed deeply. The Marshal, a seasoned soldier, eyed him sharply.
Marshal: "I know you. Forty years ago, you researched abyssals and vanished."
Doctor: "As expected of the Marshal."
So, the Doctor was indeed the missing researcher.
Marshal: "How'd you get in?"
Doctor: "Easy. Fubuki guided us."
Marshal: "Your goal?"
Doctor: "Which one? I have many."
Marshal: "Don't play games!"
Doctor: "No need to shout; it's bad for your blood pressure. First goal: your death."
Marshal: "…"
Doctor: "You made Dante an admiral, disrupting my plans repeatedly. Now you're scheming with him behind my back. You're in the way."
The Marshal prepared for death. As a soldier, he was always ready. His aged body had no chance. He trusted Dante to handle things.
Marshal: "One thing I don't get."
Doctor: "What?"
Marshal: "Why don't you age? You're older than me."
Doctor: "That's all? Here."
His skin turned deathly pale, eyes blackening completely—an inhuman appearance.
Marshal: "A demon…!?"
Doctor: "One-third correct. Anything else?"
The Marshal nodded silently. The Doctor shot him, and he collapsed, blood pooling on the floor.
Demon: "What about Fubuki?"
Doctor: "Leave her; she's no longer needed. Destroy her communication equipment. Then return to your place."
The demon headed to Fubuki's room, and the Doctor vanished. Only the bloodied Marshal remained.
Dante was unaware of the chaos at headquarters.
To be continued…
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