Deep and dark. The endless night of the depths of the ocean, containing many things.

Death and life.

Success and failure.

Living and non-living.

Yes, these depths are the graveyard of many Sirens, the floor of the ocean can sometimes be littered with these metals, which decay surprisingly quick, another mystery of the Sirens.

Yet...

The depths have more surprises in store.

The ocean beneath the ocean, the brine pools that accumulate at the bottom, these pools house countless dead creatures, where only few can survive for even but a moment in such acidic material.

And here lays one unfortunate victim...
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?:I told you, I did it to save them!

Q.E: They nearly died! You have no excuse to attack them you bitch!

Enterprise: You were one of our best, but now...I don't know what happened

?: The sirens had them on a leash! I had to do it!

Enterprise:...Elizabeth...

Q.E: I declare that the traitor of Azur lane, Iowa, for the attempted murder of Norfolk, Duke of York, Gneisenau, and Choukai, be put to death!
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9 years have passed since that day. 9 years since she was cuffed with those damned cuffs that cut off your wisdom cubes.

9
Damn
Years

Since she was thrown into the ocean.

The Brine coated her figure, slowly corroding away at her flesh.

Iowa, being a shipgirl, could only truly die if her wisdom cube lost all power or shattered.

Drowning, does not do this.

...

She was trapped in the acidic brine for 9 years, her clothes have long been eaten away, her flesh was next.

Slowly, her legs started to turn green, before falling off and revealing the muscle, then the inner tissue, then bone.

Her arms go through a similar process, she lost her pinkies to hagfish that though they looked delicious, her elbows crunched and with each movement of the arm, a screech of bones can be heard.

Her body, once thought to be amongst the most beautiful in the base, is now a rotting corpse with a heart that beats.

Her torso has become a nest for those damn Hagfish, swimming through her chest cavity, as well as abdominal region.

This process was excruciating for the first year.

Afterwards, she never felt pain again.

The annoying pests, as much as she hated them, were her only friends where no other creature can be.

Year 5 was when the cuffs and chain were rusted away, she was free, but far to injured to escape.

She was a prisoner to the end of time.

...

Her sanity was something she always questioned.

What will become of me?

What is going on above?

Why am I to be tortured this way?

Why?
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In Pearl Harbor, the 4 factions are celebrating their victory over the Orochi, as well as the defeat of the sirens.

This celebration was one they had hoped would come, and so have been preparing for a long time, especially Sandy.

However, in these events, they still decided to do one more thing.

First, was to create a remote submersible that can travel the depths of the ocean.

Second, was to add clamps and a box.

Third, was a scanner.

Their goal?

Bring back the wrongly accused Iowa for a proper burial, at least, whatever was left of her.

In the great hall, where the girls celebrated, they all gathered later in the afternoon to watch the event.

Some were just silent, some others were sad at what they were going to see. Yet the 4 Iowa saved that day were softly crying the deeper the  sub went.

An hour in, and the sub no longer has light from the sun. As there is no sun on the surface either.

Another hour, and they reach the bottom.

Using the scanner, they detected several pulses from sirens ships, which are soon to disappear.

Yet one signal was more akin to a shipgirl.

Cruising in that direction, they ultimately stumble across a brine pool, which was surrounded by several more.

They detected the signal deep in it, so they guided the sub into the brine.

As it travelled, they can across Hagfish that seam by, sometimes sliming the sub a bit, earning sounds of disgust from the girls.

Enterprise: The signal seems to only be a few dozen meters away, turn on the lights

Cleveland, who was piloting with the special remote, pushed a button, and the lights slowly turned on. Starting low, they noticed a figure slowly appear in the darkness, many of the girls started to cheer that they were able to find her.

However, Vestal knew otherwise.

Vestal: Everyone! Calm down...I don't think she's alright

Enterprise: Her cube responded to the pulse, so she is alive... but how?

The lights slowly reveal her legs, the farther up they go, the more horrified the girls got. Her legs were green, and were corroded,  the bone visible across quite a bit of her legs.

Vestal: Oh god! Cut the feed now!

Cleveland: Uhh...here!

The button she pressed however, wasn't to cut the feed.

It was to the lights.

The lights instantly out to full strength, allowing the ships to see the horrid state that Iowa was in, holes everywhere, her flesh rotted and devoured, Hagfish swimming in and out of her body through the many holes present on her.

Many of the girls cried out in terror, the younger destroyers fainted at the sight. Some of the ships hurled out their dinner at the disgusting sight. Yet everyone was horrified of what had become of her.

Even worse...she was looking right at the camera.

Her cheek was torn open, a Hagfish swam out from it, her teeth inside were none existent.

Her eyes...

Her eyes...

The once purple orbs that welcomed anyone to be her friend, are now crimson red, and devoid of emotion. Her left eye wasn't even there,  and was instead laying on the floor near her.

Cleveland managed to cut the feed, and everyone stood in silence.

What the hell have they done?!