When the day passed and the sun rose again, Dante was sat, wide awake, eagerly awaiting the dawn of a new day. Why? Because he was filthy rich. He didn't need a reason why.
Doflamingo had called one of his men stationed in the bank of Sabaody Archipelago and begrudgingly told them to hand Dante a sum of 500 million Berries, which admittedly was a scam considering Dante took down a man with a Billion Berry bounty, but Dante was too elated to give a damn.
The funds were then wired directly to a newly established account in Dante's name registered with the bank. He had money now, more than he truly knew what to do with.
He was thankful that the World at least had a decent banking system, since now all he had to do was flash a piece of paper saying 'yes I am me' and any purchase would come straight out of that account.
It's extremely simple, and more than easily exploitable if one had a Devil Fruit that allowed them to manipulate paper or even change their face, but Dante didn't care. It was better than carrying his cash around in sacks.
With cash on hand and a spring in his step, Dante went about the first order of business. Getting himself a boat, something he had long been excited for. The Deadweight cometh.
Pulling out his Den Den Mushi and callig a long since unused contact, Dante prepared himself for a relatively boring conversation that would ultimately change the fate of his piracy career.
"Iceburg! Boy have I missed you, pal."
"Cease the pleasantries. Spit it out already, what do you want, Dante?"
Grinning from ear to ear like a man high out of his mind, Dante laid his plan forth towards the finest shipwright he knew.
"I got 400 million Berries to my name, and I want myself a boat. I ain't got a crew, and I don't plan on that changing either. What can you do for me?"
"You'll want it small, but still large enough that it can pose a threat. I suggest a Ketch, a man of your strength can handle two sails. I imagine you'll want it to be of much finer material than the standard order?"
"Iceburg I want you to make this the greatest Ketch man has ever laid eyes on. I want it to live up to the name Deadweight."
"Adam Tree Wood it is then. I can work with that. The infrastructure and utilities will be handled by Galley-La, however you will have to set the decorum and internal furnishing yourself."
"Don't you worry about that. I got plans for this boat. Now, about that payment."
The next works from Iceburg's mouth caused a grimace to form on Dante's handsome visage, a frown of unimaginable proportions.
"I quite literally owe my life to you, Dante. Had you asked, I would have done my best to abide by any request of yours."
"...Are you trying to tell me I could've had a boat for the last-"
He checks a watch that he had still kept after stealing it from Marineford, hands fumbling in barely held back fury.
"For the last 2 months!? And you didn't say a goddamned word!"
A slight chuckle can be heard from Iceburg on the line, as though he were enjoying Dante's distress more than he had any right to.
"Yes, indeed."
"Just call me when the damn boat is finished." His voice dry and unimpressed, Dante hung up immediately after, frustrated at his ineptitude and lack of foresight to ask about the boat months ago.
However, this brought with it a new revelation that brightened Dante's mood beyond anything he previously had experienced.
'This just means I got even more cash to spend! Haha, this is fantastic, I'm still rich!'
He didn't even know what he wanted to spend the money on, really. He just was happy to have it in general, to have reservoirs of Berries on his backpocket.
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With his new stacks of cash and resolve burning bright, Dante did what any smart man would do. He kicked back, feeling a new sense of accomplishment to himself that he never before had felt.
His week had been tumultuous, that much was for sure. From breaking and entering to slicing a man's throat open, it had been a long time since he enjoyed such relaxation.
Of course, half of the relaxation came from the soothing massage Dante was currently receiving, having spent his first Berries on a spa center visit. Why? Well, he simply wanted to try it out. He could enjoy the luxury of spending money on a whim now. As of now though, something wasn't quite right.
"Hey, lady, you gonna leave the job half finished? What's the hold-up?"
Turning his head to try and see what the masseuse was doing, Dante saw a glint of light and immediately dived off of the massage table, rolling to the side and taking stock of the situation.
His masseuse was apparently much less friendly than he had initially anticipated. The woman was now holding a small knife in her hand, clenched tightly in her fist as she gazed upon him with a crazed look, a mix of glee and frustration.
"This isn't exactly what I meant by a 'happy ending', miss."
"Just shut up and stand still! Dammit, why couldn't you just stay there and take it like a real man? That bounty should've been mine right then and there, but you fucked it up!"
'Ah, so that's what this is about' Dante thought to himself, finally understanding the plight of the modern day pirate. Most public services were essentially unavailable since everyone would happily consider killing you for your bounty no matter where you were.
"I'd imagine this goes against company policy. Can I file a complaint?" he snarked, dashing around the small room, bouncing off tables and cabinets as the woman's slashes became more frenzied as time passed, leaving her huffing and wheezing.
Slipping behind the crazed lady Dante placed both of his hands on her head, snapping her neck with a vicious crack and ending the charade early. He paid premium Berry for this massage, and so far he was feeling the buyer's remorse.
Putting his coat on and walking towards the exit, Dante wondered why exactly people wanted his bounty now of all times.
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Two weeks. It had taken Iceburg only two weeks to commission, design and produce the Deadweight, a Ketch produced with the finest Adam Wood he held in his reserves and given the most pleasing red mahogany finish a man could only seek to dream of.
Standing once more upon the main island docks of Water 7, Dante felt as though he was finally beginning his journey as a pirate, a marauder of the seven seas.
He watched as the Deadweight was slowly dropped down into the water, the familiar crest of his dual Ebony and Ivory alongside the headpiece of Rebellion adorning the sails.
The final piece of the puzzle, one which he planned to add many sections to over time, was a large engraving atop the doorway to the Captain's Quarter, with gold trimming filling the gaps leftover to ensure any could read the words upon seeing them.
'Devil May Cry'.
That it took so long for a new Devil May Cry branch to be established in this new World was simply an insult to our protagonists pride, and now he could finally get business rolling. With no Demons in this world that he knew of, Dante would have to settle for being an everyman, taking odd jobs here and there under the Devil May Cry name. From political assassination to babysitting, there were no limits.
"I have to say Iceburg... You've outdone yourself. This might just be the finest boat I ever laid eyes on."
"Yes, she is indeed. Though I question the choice in name, I will respect your wishes and hope you enjoy the adventures to come, Dante. With this, my debt to you is repaid."
Smiling at Iceburg and waving goodbye, Dante began to walk up the ramp and onto his new boat, his pride and joy, and kicked down the ladders on either side, cut the rope tying it to the docks and raised the anchor.
"Goodbye, Iceburg! Tell your workers they have my respect!"
With that final shout, Dante officially began to sail the seven seas.
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What may come as a surprise to many came as a shock to Dante. It turns out that sailing a boat was not so simple as he gave it credit for. That much was evident, as he had been soaring through the ocean for around 10 minutes now, and was entirely lost.
Sure, the sailing part is easy. Watch the masts, shift the sails, catch the wind. Navigation though? Absolutely not. Dante had never had to bother with a Log Pose, not once. He simply flew to his destinations, uncaring for such tools. Now, though? He was... learning. Slowly but surely. His original compass he planned to use was utterly worthless, something he found out very quickly in his journey.
Iceburg had fitted a Log Pose to the wooden railing behind aside wheel, so he could definitely follow it. He was thankful, too, because he at least knew how to do that much, steer the wheel towards where the pointy bit goes.
Now though he had set the boat moving forward towards the needle, and now has more than enough time to relax before he reached the next island. He didn't need to worry about catching onto Thriller Bark either, he could pass through the Florian Triangle without worrying since it no longer existed.
'Come to think of it... I probably should've asked for a map.' Dante thought, slightly embarrassed with his lack of navigational skills on the boat.
With that same spring in his step he held before, Dante walked through the doors into his Captain's Quarter and took a seat on the large leather chair, leaning back and resting his feet on the desk.
Already reminds him of home. Just a slight bit more wet. And without the pizza.
God, he missed the pizza.
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Something was most definitely wrong. Something was absolutely wrong. He had fallen asleep while sailing, an admittedly rookie mistake however it was such a boring trip that he couldn't help but take a nap.
Right now though... it was silent. There was no sound, no crashing waves nor any chirping birds. The water was dead calm, no movement whatsoever. He looked over the bow of the Ketch and saw that, indeed, he was moving. Just excruciatingly slowly.
Dante could have sworn he heard Rayleigh mention something about this, about a patch of water where nothing can pass, due to the stillness and the density of sea monsters.
The very second he had that thought, it was as though an alarm had been set, because one after another several gargantuan creatures of the ocean began to rise from the calm water, hungrily watching Dante's ship.
The first one, a terrifying amalgamation of Leviathan and Sheep tried to rush forward and engulf the boat entirely within it's maw, only the be stopped midway as Dante summoned Balrog over his arms.
"Oh no you don't!"
Before the Sheeviathan could chew down on his prized boat, Dante Tricked in front of the open jaw, allowing himself to be momentarily held within the creatures mouth. From there, he Tricked upwards towards the roof of the mouth, slamming his fist into it, with the force of his blow shifting outward across the Sheeviathan's head, shattering the skull and spilling chunks of brain out of the hole as a result of the sheer speed and power behind the punch.
Dropping down into the lower jaw, kicking downwards to force the mouth open and jumping out of the maw, Dante stood atop the bow of his ship once more.
"Anyone else wanna be turned to sushi!?"
As if controlled by a collective consciousness, the Sea Kings slowly began to return back to the depths, unwilling to attack Dante anymore. Thankfully for them, they held a semblance of intelligence.
Dismissing Balrog, Dante began to shift the boat over towards the corpse of the Sheeviathan, to hopefully harvest some food for the journey ahead, only to notice an island in the distance that he hadn't noticed before.
Instantly, he made his mind up and set sail for it, eager to meet the locals and enjoy the culture. Dante would soon find himself unsure as to whether he enjoyed the local pleasantries, as despite the reception he would receive, an island full of women seemed like a dream come true.
However, as of now, he was just enjoying embarking on a new journey, grilling the Sea Kings remains as he hummed himself a song.