Ace and Shiki were looking right into the eyes of Elsie Crimson, Space Pirate Queen… only she really didn't look like herself.
"You aren't really a human, are you? More like…a skull human." Shiki said.
"Shiki…inheritor of the Demon King's power. And boy, who he sees as equal to him." Elsie spoke.
"Ace Neptune, prince of Devaloka." Ace said.
"Show me your coveted power." Elsie said.
"Should I…" Shiki said before he and Ace dodged an incoming tentacle from her.
(Cue- Strength- Shin Megami Tensei V)
"Something's not right here. You're not really her are you?" Ace asked before narrowly dodging another tentacle. "Sunflare!" he called, casting a symbol above 'Elsie' as it cast a ring of light rays that focused on her.
Elsie's eye glowed as she grabbed both Shiki and Ace and started beating them both back.
"Tell me who you two are." 'Elsie' said.
"First, who are you?" Shiki asked.
"I've told you. I am Elsie Crimson, the one who has surpassed the Demon King. Now tell me who you are." Elsie said.
"Fine. I…am an adventurer!" Shiki said.
"And I am a prince and adventurer as well." Ace added.
"And what are your objectives?" Elsie asked.
"I'm gonna go find Mother. And be the first one to do it!" Shiki said.
"The Universe beyond the Sakura Cosmos is a place beyond imagination." 'Elsie' said. "I know plenty of people who have gone to find Mother, and died trying."
"Even so, we always have a way of making the impossible possible through all the adventures we've experienced." Ace said.
"Besides…not like we're gonna stop trying!" Shiki said.
"Not now, not ever." Ace said.
"Even the Demon King Ziggy, who used to be the ruler of the Sakura Cosmos, gave up on trying to find Mother." Elsie said.
"Grandpa tried to find her?" Shiki said in surprise.
"Everyone has delusional dreams of meeting that legendary goddess. No one has ever found her and no one ever will." Elsie said, attacking the two as they dodged.
"No one's found her cause we haven't tried. Not one of us Hero Alliance guys!" Shiki said.
"But even so we won't give up, we will help Shiki find her. Wait…you said us…" Ace said.
"You really think I'll want to miss out on all that crazy stuff you told me about? Like heck I will." Shiki said.
"In a way, you already felt like a part of this group the moment we met." Ace said.
"Yeah…and I'll fight…to protect you guys…and protect grandpa's dream!" Shiki said as his Ether Gear coated his whole body as he grabbed Elsie and smashed her through the floor. "Magimech Attack: Gravity Comet!"
The damage was automatically undone as the two looked down at the unconscious Elsie.
"So…did we…" Ace said as the Elsie they fought soon melted into a pile of goo before showing a small parasitic alien before it scuttled away. "Guess I was right."
"Hahahahaha! That was a parasite capable of mimicking the human body: Kawpicatt S4." a voice said as they saw the real Elsie on screen as the others regrouped with them. "I was using that ship as a storage unit and some bugs made themselves at home there."
"Bugs?!" Shiki said in panic.
"Guess they take DNA from the human body to assume their forms. But…guess they were way too weak to make a perfect copy of me." Elsie said. "You have my thanks for purging them."
"So she tricked us?" Shiki asked.
"More like she was intending to give this ship to us from the start." Hope said.
"That's right. It's all yours now." Elsie said. "They defeated the copy so it's fair. Besides, I was going to give it to them anyway. But, it would have been boring to give it up so soon. And I wanted to see your powers for myself."
"So that part about taking us to Guilst was a ruse then." Ace said.
"Yes. See this ship was Ziggy's. While he didn't find Mother, he did come back with Shiki." Elsie said.
"So I wasn't born on Granbell?" Shiki asked.
"Yeah…it did seem strange you were the only human on a planet of machines." Eijiro said.
"So he raised you when he knew he was dying." Azura said.
"Master." Pino said, saddened.
"Yes, he told me to give Shiki this ship. I had to repay my debt to him. Besides, I was only half-joking when I said I'd sell you all." Elsie said.
"Half-joking?" Shuichi asked.
"But…this is your ship. We couldn't…" Ace said before they saw the outside.
"One little ship is nothing lost from my fleet." Elsie said as they saw the huge fleet of ships.
"Holy jeez!" Entrapta said.
"Now that is a fleet." Leia said.
"Fleet nothing. This is a whole armada!" Mayumi said.
"Yet the IUA have yet to catch them." Jet said.
"IUA?" Glimmer asked.
"Interstellar Union Army. The peacekeepers of the Future Universe. They have six of the strongest peacekeepers…the Oracion Seis Interstellar." Jet said. "Uh…matter of fact…" he said, seeing another fleet. "I think that's them about to try and arrest Elsie."
"Oh…we should get going." Usopp said. "This feels like one of those naval battles."
"Technically, it's space battle, Usopp." Mayumi said. "But yeah, see what you mean."
"Either way, we need to go now." Pearl said.
"I'll hold them here, that will give you all time to escape." Elsie said. "We will meet again someday. Now go!"
"Thanks, Elsie, for everything." Hope said. "Alright, let's see about warping outta here before the IUA fleet targets us!"
"And just one last thing, those who meet Mother…will be born again." Elsie said.
"Pull the lever." Mari said.
"Yeah, but which one? It's gotta be one of these." Weisz said as he pulled one at random, which coincidentally activated the Skull Fairy's hyperdrive as they warped away.
"Hold on to something!" Al said.
"Wait! The Galaxy King!" Kaibara said.
"We're still boarded to it! We rocket, it'll be abandoned." Jexi said before all but Spirit Force ran to it as they all rocketed off.
"*groan* That was some wild ride. Is everyone okay?" Ace asked.
"We're fine on our end. But…your ship…looks a whole lot different." Jexi said.
"You're right! All the Parasite Gunk has disappeared on the inside." Kampan said.
"That's awesome!" Shiki said.
"Detecting active intelligence onboard the ship." Pod 153 said. "Proposal: members of Spirit Force as well as Shiki and company go to the command center."
After Shiki, Rebecca, Happy-2, and Weisz changed into some new clothes, they along with Spirit Force headed to the command center. As soon as they entered, a female humanoid figure appeared before them. She was dressed in a black gown and had long green hair in a braid along with a visor that had E4 etched on it, she also had no shoes on.
"Welcome, Spirit Force. And welcome back, Demon King Shiki." The figure said.
"She's an android." 9S said.
"Correct. Allow me to introduce myself. I am one of the Four Shining Stars. I am Witch Regret. Though Witch is just fine." she said. "And I am in charge of maintaining this ship."
"You've certainly taken your time resuming your job." Dhar said.
"Apologies. I was placed in Suspended Animation for a very long time. But now, my duties can resume in service to those who command this ship. As of now, all authority over myself has now been transferred to Shiki and Ace Neptune, Prince of Devaloka."
"How did you…" Ace asked in slight surprise.
"I think it's her job to know who's commanding this ship, kid." Baozhai said.
"Plus you did make the proclamation while fighting the parasite." Witch said.
"True." Ace said. "Still though, what is this ship christened as now?"
"The jet black wings that soar across the cosmos and universes beyond. Ether Drive Eternal Navigation Ship. The interstellar warship, the Edens Zero." Witch said.