Roon x Nero (kinda) (no cringy sex ahead)

ARC 0 (VI)

Daniel's discovery, which he shared with the american government three years after the beginning of his mandate, was an unexpected revolution in the KANSEN research: scientists in the US were enthusiastic and shocked at the same time, since they thought it was impossible to transform a normal human being into a KANSEN because of the numerous failed experiments conducted by the German Reich a few years before World War II broke out. However, Daniel figured out that the Germans' mistake wasn't using normal humans to create KANSENs, but forcing them to become one. In fact, the only test subjects used by the German scientists were women, who did not know what they were doing or what would happen to them. Not a single one of them wished to become a part of the navy, and for that reason the Wisdom Cubes would react negatively with the women's confusion and fear. The monstrous abominations which resulted from the experiments were the outcome of this negative reaction.

Daniel, since he had studied Wisdom Cubes thoroughly, suggested american scientists tested a "human to KANSEN conversion" on a person who was actually willing to become a part of the navy. Eventually, the first test subject turned out to be a teenager living an unfulfilling life.

The name of this teenager was Tristan. He was a 16 year old teen still attending high school; his high school life wasn't interesting at all, with his grades being below average, his social life being basically inexistent, and his family being very unstable: he lived with only his father. He was deeply unsatisfied and even though he kept carrying on, he was still tired of his monotonous life: everyday he did the exact same things, and this didn't give him any excitement.

But the day he had found out that a team of scientists was looking for volunteers for an experiment to turn a human into a KANSEN, he suddenly saw an opportunity. He knew that he would be part of the Azur Lane and that this alliance was very well known for including exclusively girls. He perfectly knew about the failed experiments of the German Reich just like everybody else, but unlike them, he didn't care because he had nothing to lose. If the experiment failed, he would simply die and put an end to his pathetic existence; if it succeeded, he would enter the Azur Lane, which would be heaven on Earth from his perspective. Since his father was always busy with work, Tristan volunteered for the experiment without even warning him.

Even though he was a minor, the scientists decided to accept his decision since no one was willing to risk their life; besides, they were very confident that the experiment would work, so they didn't worry very much. One day, almost right after school, Tristan was picked up by one of the scientists himself and taken to the research site by car, still unbeknownst to his father. After testing Tristan's will to become a KANSEN, the scientists transferred the data from a large cruiser blueprint to a Wisdom Cube.

The large cruiser in question had never seen the light of day: it was supposed to be a successor to the Alaska-class large cruisers, with slightly increased armor and improved main battery; if you wish, you could compare the concept of this large cruiser project to that of the  Montana-class battleship project compared to its predecessor, the Iowa-class. In short, it was very similar to the Alaska-class, but with a few upgrades here and there; this project was named Nero, an unusual namesake for an american ship, since it was named after a famous Roman emperor.

As the scientists expected, the experiment was a great success: Tristan's anatomy hadn't been altered in the slightest and his rigging was fully operational. The first converted KANSEN was born, and many others would follow in the future. The scientists enthusiastically communicated the results of the experiment to Daniel via phone, but he surprised them with an unexpected response: he asked them to not make the experiment public and to cancel every trace of the initiative. He told them that he had discussed about the matter with the american government and they had agreed that he wouldn't publish his discovery... on the condition that the government would make his mandate permanent.

That would basically make Daniel a dictator, and that was exactly what his defunct father wanted. However, it is important to not associate the word "dictator" with the word "tyrant": even though, overtime, the former has gained a mostly negative meaning, a dictator is NOT necessarily evil and selfish by definition. In fact, Daniel did not want to become a tyrant like his father: on the other hand, he wanted to make sure that the girls in the Azur Lane would never see a ruthless commander again, and the best way to ensure that was to prevent any other person from taking his place.
Be as it may, the american government accepted the condition since it didn't have much to lose, and having a secret method to create KANSENs was only an advantage.

Tristan had the occasion to start over, and was determined to reset as many things as he could, including his name: he decided his new name would be Nero from that moment on. Daniel required Nero to join the Azur Lane the very next day, and he couldn't wait to begin his new life....