Weeks had passed since Dante resolved the incident involving the lesser demon Sid, the great demon Abigail, and Nina Lowell, descendant of alchemist Alan Lowell, along with her daughter, Patty Lowell.
Dante napped in his office chair when Patty burst into Devil May Cry.
"Dante!" she called.
Patty had grown fond of Dante since he protected her, visiting his office regularly.
"What a mess…" she muttered, eyeing the trash-strewn room, unfit for guests.
Dante yawned. "Here to clean again?"
"Clean it yourself!" Patty snapped. "I just tidied two days ago! How does it get this bad?"
"Normal," Dante shrugged.
Patty sighed.
"I'm napping. Clean if you want," Dante said, closing his eyes.
"Wait! Don't sleep!" Patty protested.
Dante cracked an eye. "What?"
"I'm not here to clean!" she said, waving a flyer. "Take me to this movie! My favorite actress is in it!"
Dante glanced at the movie flyer. "Why me? Go with your mom."
"I can't bother her!" Patty said. She'd lived in an orphanage until reuniting with her mother after the Abigail incident.
"Still not my problem," Dante replied.
"Please~!" Patty begged.
Dante sighed, exasperated.
"You know I'm broke," he said.
"Again!?" Patty groaned, slumping onto his desk, staring at him.
"Ask your mom," Dante said.
"You just don't get it…" Patty mumbled, grumbling.
A man entered. "Yo, Dante."
"…Morrison," Dante greeted.
Morrison, Dante's job broker, grinned.
"Listen, Morrison!" Patty whined. "I want to see a movie, but Dante's broke again!"
Morrison chuckled. "Perfect timing, then."
"Huh?" Patty blinked.
"Got a job, Dante," Morrison said.
"Job?" Dante asked, standing and heading for the door. "Car, right? Talk on the way. Anywhere but here with Patty."
He left the office.
"Wait! I'm not done!" Patty shouted, chasing after him with Morrison.
Outside, Patty frowned. "Where's Dante?"
"Dante!" Morrison called.
No sign of him. No car. Dante had vanished.
Meanwhile, Dante plummeted from the sky.
SPLASH!
He hit the sea, sank, then surfaced.
"Okay, let's recap," Dante muttered. "Patty was nagging, Morrison brought a job, I stepped outside… and now I'm in the ocean?"
He scanned his surroundings. "That building… Naval Base, huh? Memories are coming back."
Dante swam toward the base.
"Swimming in clothes? Didn't see that coming," Dante grumbled, reaching the shore.
A hand extended toward him.
"Welcome back," Akagi said, smiling warmly.
Dante grabbed her hand.
"…Huh!?" Akagi yelped.
SPLASH!
Akagi was pulled into the sea.
Coughing, she glared. "What was that!?"
"Miss me?" Dante grinned.
"Until you dunked me," Akagi retorted.
"Akagi-san! Are you okay!?" Fubuki called, running up with Kaga.
Kaga stared. "No way… Admiral?"
"Hey, Kaga. Long time," Dante said.
Akagi reached out. "Kaga-san, help."
Kaga offered her hand.
"Wait—!?" Kaga gasped.
SPLASH!
Fubuki shrieked, "Kaga-san!?"
"What's that for, Akagi-san?" Kaga snapped, soaked.
"Pull properly next time," Akagi said.
Akagi had deliberately pulled Kaga in.
Kaga turned to Fubuki. "Your turn."
"Me too, please," Akagi added.
"Y-Yes!" Fubuki said, grabbing their hands.
"Huh!?" Fubuki yelped.
SPLASH!
"Ugh… why me too…?" Fubuki groaned.
Akagi smirked. "It's unfair if I'm the only one wet."
Her true feelings slipped out.
"It's your fault, Admiral—" Akagi stopped. Dante was already on shore.
(Called back again?) Dante thought.
"Admiral, pull us up!" Akagi called, plotting to dunk him.
Dante effortlessly hauled Akagi, Kaga, and Fubuki out with his strength.
Kaga sighed. "No spare clothes…"
"Quiet here," Dante said. "Where's everyone?"
Akagi's face fell. "The base was shut down."
"Shut down?" Dante asked.
Kaga explained, "No replacement Admiral was found after you vanished. Everyone was reassigned to other bases."
"That so?" Dante said, eyeing Fubuki. "New face, huh?"
Akagi smiled. "This is Fubuki, a destroyer."
"H-Hello! I'm Fubuki, lead ship of the Special Type destroyers!" Fubuki saluted, stumbling over her words.
Dante thought, (She fumbled that…)
Akagi thought, (Fumbled.)
Kaga thought, (Definitely fumbled.)
Fubuki blushed, mortified.
"Dante. Nice to meet ya," he said.
"Y-Yes! (This is Akagi-san's Admiral…!)" Fubuki thought, nervous.
Kaga said, "We should head back to Headquarters."
Akagi nodded. "We need to report to the Marshal."
Dante grinned. "Old man's still kicking?"
"He's alive," Akagi said.
"Don't kill him off," Kaga added.
Akagi gave a wry smile.
"What've you been up to?" Akagi asked.
"Let's talk while we walk," Dante said.
Kaga smirked. "We'll talk in the car."
"You got a car?" Dante asked.
Akagi beamed. "I got my license!"
Kaga had one too.
Inside the Car
The four reached the car and headed to Headquarters, with Akagi driving.
"Beat that clown Jester, ended up back in my world. Started my business, then fell into the sea," Dante said.
Akagi blinked. "That's… too short."
"Clear and simple," Dante replied.
Kaga frowned. "We were devastated, thinking we left you to die."
"Underestimating me, huh?" Dante said.
"We were worried," Akagi said.
"Touching," Dante said, glancing at the speedometer. (Slow…)
"Akagi, speed up. We'll be here till night," he said.
"Safe driving!" Akagi insisted, sticking to the speed limit.
Dante groaned. "Let me drive."
"No!" Kaga snapped. "I'll drive!"
Fubuki looked confused.
Headquarters, Main Gate
A car barreled toward the gate at breakneck speed, slipping past the military police before they could react. It skidded to a stop with a 90-degree slide.
"We're here," Dante said.
Akagi groaned, "Ugh…"
Kaga muttered, "Told you I didn't want him driving…"
Fubuki's eyes spun.
Akagi and Kaga looked pale, Fubuki dizzy.
Marshal's Office
"Excuse us!" Akagi, Kaga, and Fubuki entered.
The Marshal and Yamato were inside.
"Back already?" the Marshal said. "You could've stayed longer."
Kaga said, "We have something to report."
"Bad news?" the Marshal asked.
Akagi smiled. "Depends on your definition of bad. It's surprising. Come in."
"Yo, old man," Dante said, stepping in.
"What!?" the Marshal gasped.
"Dante-san!?" Yamato exclaimed.
The Marshal clutched his chest, staggering.
"Heart attack…" he muttered.
"Marshal!?" Yamato said, helping him to a chair.
"Easy there," Dante said.
"Surprises are deadly for the elderly," the Marshal grumbled.
"Glad you're thrilled," Dante quipped.
The Marshal moved to a sofa, gesturing for Dante to sit opposite.
"Tell me what happened after you disappeared," the Marshal said.
"Can I nap first?" Dante asked.
Silence.
"Patty woke me, then I got tossed here. Good enough?" Dante said.
The Marshal sighed. "I'll wake you at a reasonable time."
Dante was already snoring.
Fubuki whispered, "He's asleep already?"
The room groaned.
Night
"Admiral, wake up," Akagi said.
Dante snapped awake.
"Admiral, long time!" Akashi said.
"Admiral," Mamiya greeted.
"We meet again," Houshou said.
Dante grinned. "Familiar faces."
"You've matured," Houshou said.
"You haven't," Dante replied.
"We're shipgirls," Akashi said.
After dinner, they resumed talking.
"What happened there? Where were you?" the Marshal asked.
"Beat the troublemaker, woke up in my world. Hunted demons, bored otherwise," Dante said.
"Your world…" the Marshal mused.
"Didn't expect to come back," Dante said. "Forgot this place."
"Forgot us?" Akagi asked.
"How cold," Kaga said.
"Couldn't help it," Dante said. "Zuikaku said returning would wipe my memories—"
"Zuikaku?" Kaga cut in. "How do you know her?"
Dante sighed, reluctantly explaining.
"So, Zuikaku…" Kaga said.
"She worried about you, even in death. So did the others," Dante said.
Akagi smiled. "That's a relief…"
They'd thought their lost comrades resented them for failing to save them.
"What about demons here?" Dante asked.
"No sightings since then," the Marshal said.
(Then why am I here?) Dante thought.
The intercom rang.
"Yes, Marshal's office," Yamato answered. "What!?"
"What is it?" the Marshal asked.
"Demons at the main gate!" Yamato said.
"Figures," Dante said, bolting out.
Main Gate
Military police fired at demons, but several had fallen. Suddenly, demons were torn apart. The police turned to see Dante.
"They're my prey," Dante said. "Stand back."
The police, familiar with his reputation, obeyed. Dante's eyes gleamed.
"No entry beyond this point!" he declared.
With Rebellion and Ebony & Ivory, he danced through the demons, cutting them down.
"Lame," Dante said. "Expected better."
The demons were gone in minutes.
"Good work," he told the stunned police, returning to the office.
Marshal's Office
"Disappointing," Dante said.
"Already done!?" Akashi gasped.
"Yup," Dante replied.
He'd faced formidable foes in his world, some saying he'd surpassed his father, Sparda.
"Now I know why I'm here," Dante said.
The Marshal raised an eyebrow. "Demons appeared because you came, or you came because they appeared?"
"Doesn't matter," Dante said. "Job's the same."
"What's your plan?" the Marshal asked.
"What do you want?" Dante countered.
"My answer's obvious," the Marshal said.
"Be Admiral again?" Dante asked.
"Exactly."
"You're kidding."
"Where will you live? How will you—"
"Fine, I'll do it," Dante cut in.
The Marshal grinned, satisfied.
"I'll reassign your old fleet to your base," he said.
"Look forward to working together," Houshou said, smiling with the others.
"No naps for me," Dante muttered.
Thus, Dante was reinstated as Admiral of the Naval Base.