Hymn From the High Seas (Azur Lane x Commander Male Reader)

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Yamato's trembling hand scrawls her full name on the treaty's dotted line. Essex keeps her F-35 circling miles above us as I stare down at the empress, who keeps her head low to the table, flinching when the jet engine's squall reaches us. I try to hide my shaking hands, the very presence of the aircraft both exhilarating and terrifying. It's damn loud, too.

I grin when Yamato finishes her signature, officially turning over her entire fleet to me, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Yamato only looks up at the sky, the jet passing between clouds and its afterburners leaving a blurry trail, "Get that thing away from Me!"

"Party's over, TB," I say, "Make sure Essex knows."

"Order relayed, Fleet Admiral," TB informs me.

Soon enough, the F-35's engine deafens, and we don't see it exit the cumulonimbus cloud over the ocean. Before my numb legs can fail me, I return to my wheelchair while Yamato remains standing. Vittorio Veneto watches me, her mouth slightly open as she waits for a chance to speak. Mikasa and Nagato can't bring themselves to look at anything except the deck. Yamato reaches for her sword.

Before my kansen draw their own weapons, Yamato pulls her katana out in its sheath and gently lays it on the table, "I... I yield..." she shows me a shallow bow.

Mikasa and Nagato step forward as well, both of them unfastening their katanas from their hips and laying them on the table one after the other. I watch them with a heavy heart, their faces pale as they step back and bow to me deeply.

"You aren't defeated," I nod at their weapons, "This was never meant to be surrender. You're only fighting for all of humanity now, not just your country," they hesitate in stepping forward, "We're not enemies anymore."

At this, Mikasa and Nagato bow and retrieve their swords. Yamato snatches hers from the table, glancing up at the sky again. I nod to Bismarck, and she moves to accommodate Yamato to the island.

"Come with me, Yamato," Bismarck beckons.

The empress stands firm, "Where? I will not remain here a second longer! The treaty is signed, what more do you what?"

"You can't go home," I declare, "Do you want to die?"

Yamato, taking it as a threat, scowls, "Little runt... I could have your head off your shoulders before your yujo could take Mine."

I lift my chin and bare my neck, "What will the Imperial Navy do to you when they've discovered you and your kansen deserted?"

She looks down at her sword.

"Every kansen from your country lives here," I continue, "You'll be homesick for a while, I know, but we've built this place up together – every corner of the world connects right here," having rested my legs, I stand up and hold out my hand to Yamato, "I don't expect you to take my orders. In fact, I'd expect you to be my advisor, like every faction leader here. You will never be anything less than that."

Yamato looks down at my hand, and turns away from me, "I am an Empress by divine-right, not some petty tactician."

She leaves the deck of Resonant Verity, walking past Bismarck and stomping down the gangway. The Allied kansen all look after her.

King George V questions, "Is it wise to let her walk so freely?"

Taking the signed treaty as we begin to leave, Yat Sen wheels me along with them all, and I answer, "If she throws a tantrum, she'll be alone in her uprising. The Sakuran kansen won't listen to her; I've been the one feeding them while Yamato was thousands of miles away basking in her eminence," I look at Nagato and Mikasa when we stand on the pier, "Or will their bushido spirit prove me wrong?"