Look at that—the culprits exposed themselves!
Tch. Those two little shipgirls' testimony was about as convincing as saying "It wasn't Wang Er next door who stole it." They basically just sold out their big sister.
Still…
Hikaru glanced at Vittorio Veneto's pitiful figure.
As a main battleship shipgirl, she could easily pass for a Destroyer—even more so than Aviere. At least Aviere had a chest.
That reminded him of a painting he'd seen when the base first materialized—
"We're All Good Friends."
A bunch of little "destroyers" holding hands, with Veneto right in the center.
Not a trace of battleship dignity.
Veneto seemed to sense his internal sarcasm. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
The flat-chested white-haired girl narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Com~mander!"
"Ahem," Hikaru turned his head away. He still needed more solid evidence.
He looked left and right, hoping someone would stand up and speak out for justice.
Unfortunately, no one did.
It was too hard to expect little girls to betray their big sisters—especially when those big sisters were right there watching like hungry wolves.
But then, a chubby, tanned girl seemed eager to speak.
She looked adorably dim-witted, wore a flower crown, and was rounder than her peers—a definite airhead of the base. The girl in question was the US battleship: South Dakota.
When she noticed Hikaru looking her way, South Dakota lit up excitedly and said, "Commander! I'll tell you, it was actually Wash—"
WHACK!
Washington pulled out her axe and slammed the flat of it right into South Dakota's face.
The poor girl didn't even have time to squeak. Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped to the floor.
Her limbs twitched a few times before she sprawled out completely motionless.
"I saw a mosquito on her face," Washington said casually, hefting the axe with a cheerful smile. "Commander, you got a problem with that?"
Hikaru stared at South Dakota, unconscious on the floor, and swallowed hard.
Oh—right. He was in spirit form. He couldn't actually swallow.
Holy hell. These shipgirls were way too intense.
Thinking carefully… why the hell had he been so dumb as to try enforcing justice?
Justice can speak for itself!
Missouri was being bullied. Sigh… and she was a fully leveled shipgirl…
And yet she still got bullied. That alone proved that whoever was behind it was no minor character.
"Ahem ahem," Hikaru faked a cough. "No objections here. None whatsoever."
As for the investigation… obviously, it wasn't going anywhere.
Just then, Ping Hai came running in, panting heavily, hands on her knees as she caught her breath. "Commander! All the food's still there!"
She started counting on her fingers, ready to report the quantities of every ingredient one by one.
"No need, no need, that's more than enough," Hikaru quickly waved her off. "You and Ning Hai both get a verbal commendation. By the way, the base might be in trouble soon. Let me explain."
He shared the intel about the possible incoming Abyssal invasion. The shipgirls instantly erupted in righteous fury, itching to storm outside and slice the enemy flagships into ribbons on the spot.
Of course, if that meant staying close to the Commander, all the better.
But the moment Hikaru explained his and Bismarck's decision, a wave of protests broke out.
North Carolina crossed her arms. She was possibly even stronger than Missouri herself. "ChangChun? Look, it's nothing personal, but a battle this brutal should be left to us battleships."
North Carolina had a truly bizarre ability—she could switch between child, girl, and big-sister forms. Normally she looked like a child; when injured, she transformed into a girl; when heavily damaged, she raged into big-sister mode, with her combat power jumping at each stage.
She was one of the rare shipgirls whose combat effectiveness wasn't hampered by rigging damage—in fact, the more she got hurt, the stronger she became.
That power was undeniable. She essentially got stronger the more she fought.
It might even surpass Tirpitz's skill.
After all, area-of-effect abilities like Tirpitz's were often less useful in elite duels than high-quality personal skills.
And North Carolina wasn't alone.
Von Hutten, Rodney, Vittorio Veneto, Maryland—all front-line battleship elites—stepped forward and volunteered, expressing their wish to take Chang Chun's place.
They were the true pillars of the base's strength.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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