"I doubt this is something you want to hear, but just listen" Armin says as he sits in the middle of a room made of stone, fire burning on torches all around him, "three years ago... back then, we might have still been able to change something".

--- three years ago ---

"Captain! The team that went ashore hasn't made contact for two hours!" a soldier from the Marleyan ship says as he runs over to the captain.

"Hmm. Prepare to sent teams two and three" the Captain says as he looks back at the soldier.

"Yes, sir!" the soldier says as he runs off again.

"This island of devils defeated the warrior unit" the Captain says as he looks out at the island nearby, "whatever the cost, Marley must learn what happened".

All of a sudden, the boat is lifted up as everyone hangs onto the railings as to not get thrown off. The Captain looks down and spots a titan holding the boat up.

"It's a devil!" the Captain yells as he looks down at Eren.

Eren walks to the boat over to the sand as he throws it down, all of the soldiers toppling over.

"Hello, friends of Marley! Welcome to Paradis Island!" Hange yells as they run up the cliff edge, waving their hand, "I'm Hange, here to greet our guests who have travelled oh so far across the sea! Now, step this way and join us for some tea! By the way, we're already friends with this guest that arrived before you!" Hange says as they gesture to a man with his hands bound behind his back by Levi who stands behind him, Hange wrapping their arms around him, "isn't that right, Niccolo?".

"Captain! Forget about me and shoot these devils! They have the legend of the Restorationists Evelyn here! Shoot and kill her! She's their biggest threat!" Niccolo yells desperately.

"What are you saying, Niccolo?" Evelyn asks as she walks over, "I'm no threat at all".

"Captain!" Niccolo yells.

"He's tired of your shitty skit" Levi says as he looks at Hange.

"Niccolo!" the Captain says quietly before he raises his voice, "understand this, you filthy devils! Marley doesn't mingle with filthy blood! Go and drink your pig piss with your filthy friends!".

"Aww, hey! Are you sure you want to be rude to us? After all, it's me, Evelyn, the legend of the Restorationists. And there's a big ass titan standing behind you!" Evelyn taunts as she looks at Eren.

He gasps as he turns around looking at Eren who towers over the boat, his eyes glowing bright green.

"We'll never wield you devils! Say hello to this!" the Captain yells as he points his gun at Evelyn, only to receive a bullet to the side of his head, much to everyone's surprise.

"Hands up, Yelena!" one of the other soldiers says as he points his gun at the woman who shot the Captain.

"Drop your weapons!" Yelena says as she and everyone else on the boat points their guns at the man.

"What are you doing?" the soldier asks as he looks at another man who stands closely behind him.

"Hange, I'd be happy to accept your invitation!" Yelena says as she looks over at Hange, "let's have tea. I've longed to meet you, Evelyn. You as well, Eren. After all, I am a devout follower of your older brother Zeke".

Everyone makes it onto the island as the other man is restrained and guarded, whilst everyone else settles down.

"That huge lady of theirs shot and killed their comrade" Conny says as he looks at Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean and Sasha, "I wonder what her goal is".

"Who knows? Whether friend or foe, she's not to be trusted" Jean says as he looks at Conny.

"No napping, Sasha" Mikasa says as she grabs Sasha's head and lifts it by her ponytail.

"But their willingness to share information is unbelievably lucky for us" Armin says with a small smile.

"Yeah, we've been really lucky" Eren says in agreement, "we stopped their landing by pure chance. If Marley comes in force, we'll be screwed. We've got to do something".

Inside the tents, Hange studies their gear as they hold a gun towards their eye.

"Ah, I see. So that's how it shoots a bunch" Hange says as they looks at all the bullets inside the gun.

"Hange, put it down before you kill someone" Evelyn says as she grabs Hange's hands and forces them down.

"That's standard issue in Marley" Yelena says as she drinks her tea, "the Marley army has 20,000 soldiers per division. With 50 divisions, that's 1,000,000 soldiers. There's also the navy with three fleets, each comprised of 21 battleships. They've made tremendous progress in new weapons and aerial warfare as well".

"Aerial?" Hange questions.

"Boats that float in the air. We talked about this, Hange" Evelyn says as she looks at Hange.

"Don't freak out or they'll think we're weak" Levi says as he kicks Hange in the leg.

"I know!" Hange says as they look at Levi.

"In other words, vehicles allowing one to attack enemies from the air" the man says as he looks at Hange.

"Huh? From the sky?" Hange asks as they stand up.

"Hange!" Levi snaps.

"Boats in the sky with guns, Hange!" Evelyn says as she drags Hange back into their chair.

"If Marley had such capabilities this whole time, why haven't they attacked in over a year?" Hange asks as they look at the two of them".

"There are two main reasons" Yelena explains as she puts her cup of tea down, "one being the pure titans released here. Even with their latest weapons, they would hinder a land assault. They were used as a tool to confine Eldians within the walls, but in turn, they've protected Eldia from invasion".

"Yeah. Well ain't that funny?" Levi says as he looks at Yelena.

"Though dawn is coming soon, and that's when titans are active" Yelena says as she looks outside, "but if we're way out here, sipping our tea outside the walls, you must have killed all the titans roaming around. Is that true?".

"And what if it is? Are you going to report is back to Marley?" Levi asks, going on the defensive.

"No. It blows away my expectations" Yelena says in shock.

"And the second reason?" Evelyn questions.

"Currently, Marley is at war with multiple nations" Yelena explains as she looks at Evelyn, "they can't be bothered with Paradis. You defeated the warrior unit, the pride of Marley, and captured two of their main weapons, the Colossal and Female titans. Marley's many enemies took notice and were quick to unite and declare war".

"If you guys are secrets who infiltrated Marley, I'm guessing you came from conquered nations?" Hange says as they looks at the two of them, "oh, I'm right? If you're going up against Marley, I bet you've got big backers!".

"We're not secret agents or anything of the sort" Yelena says as she looks down, "we were powerless. Marley took our homes and forced us to be soldiers. We were close to losing hope at the chance of ever striking back. Until we met him. A titan that the people of the world feared, calling it a devil. But I saw something completely different... a God. One that gave hope to the powerless. Under Zeke Jaeger's commands, we shot our superiors. We're the anti-Marleyan volunteers. Our goal: to free the Eldian people".

--- a few days later ---

"That concludes Zeke Jaeger's requests" Hange reads from the report in their hands, "for the sake of all Eldians whose existence is threatened--".

"Absurd! I don't even want to hear it!" a member of the Garrison says as he looks up at Hange.

"He's the Beast titan!" a member of the Military Police says as he looks at Historia who sits at the front of the room, "he turned the people of Ragako into titans and incited a panic! This is the same person who nearly annihilated the Scouts!".

"His one and only goal is to retake the Founding titan!" Premier Zachery says from the front of the room, next to Historia, "since he can't do it by any force, he'll attempt it diplomatically".

"He should know we'll expect that. Let's hear what else he has to say" Commander Pixis says as he looks forward.

"According to Zeke, he has a secret plan to solve the Eldian issue" Hange says as they continue their report, "to carry it out, it requires the Founding titan and a titan with royal blood. With both, the world can be saved. However, he will only reveal the plan when his conditions are met".

"Bullshit! He must think we're idiots!" the Garrison member says as he looks up at the ceiling.

"Eren?" Mikasa questions as Eren stands up.

"He's telling the truth. I remember..." Eren says as he remembers, "the one time I was able to use the Founding titan's power properly was when I touched a titan with royal blood. The titan Evelyn pulled her biological Mother from. Zeke, Dina Fritz's son, and Evelyn's older twin brother, must have figured about a way to elude the vow renouncing war. The one single hope remaining for us Eldians: to wake the millions of titans sleeping in the walls and activate the rumbling".

"You. Why did you keep quiet about this for so long?" Levi asks as he looks up at Eren.

"Don't be mad at Eren. I told him to keep it quiet. There are some things that should stay hidden sometimes, Levi" Evelyn says as she looks at her desk, "I was concerned for Historia's safety, too. I couldn't let her be turned into a titan based on some hunch that Eren and I had come up with. Yeah, it was careless of me".

"We'll talk about it later" Levi says as he looks at her.

"But if that's really true, Zeke's secret plan holds up" Hange says as they look at Evelyn.

"Are you nuts? You trust them?!" the Military Police member says as he looks at Commander Pixis.

"Yeah! We can't have those soldiers on the island!" the Garrison member says as he looks at Evelyn.

"We ought to hang them all!" another Military Police member says as he slams his fists down on his desk.

"No, we cant do that" Hange says as they glare at everyone arguing, "to protect the island from Marley's scout ships, we need the volunteers. Without their 'wireless radio'...".

--- that night ---

"This is... fir... scout fleet. Request... aid" Yelena says as she uses a radio frequency which makes it sound choppy, "this is first... scout fleet".

"Second fleet. Go ahead" a man aboard the new incoming Marley boat says as he switches the frequency.

"What a relief! Our ship ran aground! We've been waiting for you help" Yelena says as she speaks through a radio on their ship.

"We're on our way! In the cove, right?" the man asks, "how many ships? Don't worry! Two are headed your way!".

Yelena and Onyankopon climb onto the railing of their ship as they wave to one of the rescue boats.

"Hey! Are you okay? We're coming to get you!" one of the soldiers yells as he looks at the two of them.

There is an explosion from behind them, right in between their two ships as they turn and see the Colossal titan.

Everyone jumps off of their boats as they swim to the island. The soldier who noticed Yelena and Onyankopon earlier climbs onto the rocks where Evelyn is.

"Welcome to the island of filthy devils. You're going to love it. Well, as long as you like pig piss. My name is Evelyn and I'll be your tour guide for this evening" Evelyn says as she holds a gun up to the soldier's forehead, "now you can leave if you want, but not on a ship. Are you any good at swimming?".

--- present day ---

"It was fun back then. Certainly, we Eldians are feared and hated by the world" Armin says as he holds the seashell from the sea in his hands, "by people across the sea whose faces we don't know. But not everyone from across the sea was our enemy. And we found out the world itself was complex and full of unknowns".

--- three years ago ---

"By the way, why do you have dark skin, Onyankopon?" Sasha asks as she looks at Onyankopon.

"My apologies, Onyankopon. Sasha here has no off filter. I have explained to her the concept of different races but she's yet to full understand it" Evelyn says as she looks at Onyankopon.

"That quite alright, Evelyn. After all, we all need to learn in order to accept each other" Onyankopon says as he looks at Sasha, "well Sasha, our creator thought 'it's more interesting with a mix of people'. You Subjects of Ymir are the same. We exist because we're wanted".

"Who created us?" Armin asks as he looks at Onyankopon.

"The one who gave the Founder Ymir power, God" Onyankopon says as he looks at Armin, "that's what some people believe. Aren't we free to think what we want?".

--- the next day ---

The Scouts gather as Niccolo, one of the first people they captured when Marley tried to invade Paradis, makes some food for them.

"What the hell is this food?" Conny asks as he looks at the display of food in front of him.

"Is it even edible?" Jean wonders as he looks at the choices.

"Smells fishy" Sasha says as she studies it closely.

"Have you never had seafood before? Niccolo's a master of Marleyan cooking" Yelena explains as she comes over.

"Jerks. If you don't like it, don't eat it" Niccolo says as he works on making more food, "Eldians like you".

Sasha picks up one of the lobsters on the plate as she bites down on it. She screams as she rips it open with her teeth.

"So good!" Sasha yells as she eats as much as she can get her hands on.

"Hey!" Conny yells.

"No fair, Sasha!" Jean shouts as Sasha looks at him.

"Niccolo. You're a food genius!" Sasha yells as she starts to cry.

"Stop eating like a pig!" Niccolo says as he starts to blush.

"I've never eaten anything like this before" Sasha says as she continues to cry whilst eating.

"There's plenty, so take your time" Niccolo says as he stirs the soup he's making.

--- later on in the evening ---

Eren is doing some target practice with his rifle as Armin and Mikasa watch.

"The port will be finished soon!" Armin says excitedly, "thanks to the Marleyan engineers, building it's been quick".

"They've sure been cooperative" Mikasa says as she looks at Armin.

"It went bad at first since neither side trusted each other" Armin says as he covers his ears whilst Eren shoots the gun, "but given enough time, if we set aside our labels and see each other as people, we can understand each other".

"Armin, have you seen Bertolt's memories?" Eren asks as he glances at Armin momentarily.

"Huh? Yeah, but there's nothing that seems helpful" Armin says as he looks at Eren.

"There's not much time. Zeke has less than three years left" Eren says as he looks in front of him.

"Yeah. About that... do you really want to go along with Yelena's plan?" Armin asks.

"What's the problem?" Mikasa asks as she looks at Armin.

"Is using the rumbling to threaten the world the only way to save the Eldians? Then we will be the devils who terrorise the world" Armin says as he looks down, "before it comes to that, can't we talk? If we can fix Marley and the world's misconception...".

"Misconception? What misconception?" Eren asks as Armin looks at him.

"You know, like how we're scary" Armin says as Eren reloads his gun.

"The world sees us as monsters who can turn into titans. They're not wrong" Eren says as he looks through the scope.

"There are Marleyans that like us, too" Mikasa says as she looks down slightly.

"How many?" Eren asks with a slight chuckle, "most of the Marleyans are sitting in prison cells. To buy us enough time, we've got to keep them at bay".

--- present day ---

"I wonder, did we make the right choice?" Armin asks as he looks down, "I can't help but think: could there have been some other path? I thought I understood Eren better than anyone. Even Mikasa. But I don't know anymore".

Mikasa sits down in the graveyard as the rain pours down on her.

"Hey! Aren't you a Marleyan? What the hell are you doing here?" someone yells as she hears someone getting punched, "this graveyard is full of people your kind killed!".

"Wait! Let us take care of this guy!" Jean yells as he and Conny run over to the man, "sorry. Please".

"Marleyans can piss off!" the guy yells as he adjusts his tie before walking off.

"Hey, Niccolo!" Jean says as he looks down at Niccolo.

"Are you okay?" Conny asks as he looks at Niccolo who is covering his head, hunched over on the ground.

"Damn it. Why?" Niccolo asks as he shakes with grief and anger, "Sasha's really dead? Why? What the hell were you guys doing?".

Mikasa comes over as the three of them explain to Niccolo how Sasha was killed.

"By a kid who snuck onto the airship?" Niccolo asks in disbelief, "it's too ridiculous to be true".

"It was no ordinary girl. She had been trained" Mikasa says as she looks at Niccolo.

"A warrior candidate?" Niccolo wonders as he looks at Mikasa's grave.

"I let my guard down. Sorry" Jean says as he looks down.

"Why apologise to me? All I did was cook her food" Niccolo says as he tears up.

"Thanks for letting her eat so much tasty food, Niccolo" Conny says as he puts his hand on Niccolo's shoulder.

"What do you think about this, Conny?" Niccolo asks as he doesn't bother to look at Conny.

"Sasha and I were like twins" Conny says as he looks at Niccolo, "it feels like half of me is gone".

There are footsteps nearby as a man, a woman and a young girl come over.

"You are..." Jean says as he looks at the three of them.

"Y'all knew my daughter, did ya?" the man asks as he looks at them all.

The four of them stand back as they allow them to pay their respects. The young girl falls to her knees as she starts to bawl, the woman consoling her.

"Um, I'm just a captive Marleyan, but I'm allowed to work as a chef" Niccolo says as Sasha's Father turns to look at him, "your daughter loved eating my food more than anyone else. So... if you ever want to... please come and eat my food".

"On the house, right?" Sasha's Father says as he holds his hand out to Niccolo.

"Of course" Niccolo says as he shakes his hand.

Levi and Evelyn set off with Zeke in a carriage as they get ready to go to their new camp for the time being.

"You guys are calling it a victory. Isn't ignorance a scary thing?" Zeke says as he looks out of the window.

"If I send your dead body to Marley and reveal your little plot, your gramps and granny are done for" Levi says as he glares at Zeke, "but if this secret plan of yours is real, I can't wait to chop you up. Either way works for me".

"I appreciate your graciousness, but don't I get to meet Eren first?" Zeke asks as he closes the curtain on the carriage.

"Just be happy you're even seeing me. Well, I already beat your face in until it was barely recognisable on Marley, but that doesn't forgive betraying me when I was five. And why are you in such a rush? We've got the finest hotel waiting for you. Only the best for my big brother" Evelyn says smugly.

"Something about the tone in your voice and the look on your face is making me think that you're lying" Zeke says as he looks at her.

"No shit" Levi says.

"Hey Levi, can you please stop glaring at me? I'm your brother in law after all" Zeke says as he looks at Levi.

They soon arrive at the hotel as they get out.

"This is my hotel?" Zeke asks as he looks up at trees in front of him.

"Have you got a problem with it?" Evelyn asks as she looks at Zeke, "it's a forest of giant trees. I can't think of a better place for you".

"Might be lots of fun with ODM gear" Zeke says as he looks at Levi, "hey Levi. Do you think I could show Gabi and Falco this natural wonder?".

"Whether they see the sights or not depends on you" Levi says as he looks at Zeke.

"Eren would have done it alone" Armin continues his story, "whether we helped him or not, the worst would have happened anyways. In any case, we killed a lot of people. The navy, army and civilians got dragged into it. And just like that, all were lost. But unless that port was destroyed, Marley would have retaliated and attacked the island. We killed any hope for peace, but we had no choice. Just like you guys that day. Hey, Annie... say something, please" Armin says as he looks up at Annie in her crystallised form.

"The only way to win is to fight" Eren says as he looks at his reflection in the mirror, "fight. Fight!".