Yes—the real trouble lay not with Marley itself, but with the recruits.
Yelena's original plan had been clear, let her own people seize the power of the Titans. But there was a problem. The Anti-Marleyan Volunteer Army was composed mostly of people from nations Marley had destroyed.
Few Eldians were among their ranks. And those few Eldians that did exist—well, they lacked the physical aptitude, the grueling years of warrior training that made Titan powers effective. Forcing Titan abilities into unprepared bodies was no different from wasting them.
After careful thought, Zeke understood the truth. If he was to advance his plan, he had no choice but to start with the current Titan warriors—the children Marley had raised.
But conquering their loyalty could not be done in a day.
The Eldians of today had been brainwashed too thoroughly by Marleyan propaganda. That truth was laid bare in the scene he had just witnessed: when the Marleyan officer prepared to execute Eldian prisoners, the recruits hadn't protested. Their eyes had been wide with silent obedience. If given the chance, Zeke suspected they might have even spat at the prisoners or helped hold them down for injection.
Until his family was secured—until he had leverage—he could not risk revealing his true intentions. He had to play the long game.
So Zeke chose his words carefully. "Tell me, Reiner. What if, one day, those prisoners were your family? What would you do then?"
"There's no way my family would be here!" Reiner shot back instantly. "My family and I are absolutely loyal to the Empire!"
"This isn't about loyalty." Zeke's voice was low, deliberate. "Reiner, you still don't understand why the Marleyan officers chose to execute Eldian prisoners in front of us. Why do you think they staged such a display?"
"Why?" Reiner's brow furrowed, confusion overtaking his anger.
Annie's cold voice cut in. "It was a warning. They were reminding us what happens if we rebel. If we step out of line, our families will suffer the same fate."
Zeke turned to her, his expression shifting with faint admiration. Among these recruits, Anniewas the one who most resembled a true warrior.
He had studied their profiles before departure, every scrap of information Yelena had gathered. AnnieLeonhart: an Eldian half-blood, abandoned at birth, adopted by an Eldian man who saw her only as a tool. He wanted the privileges of being an honorary Marleyan, so he subjected her to brutal, inhumane training. To him, Annie was not a child, but a weapon.
That "training" had often crossed into beatings. Her adoptive father had become the person Annie hated most in the world. But with time, Annie grew stronger. Strong enough to fight back.
The day she finally overpowered him, she didn't stop. She beat him mercilessly, returning years of pain in one savage moment. When she was done, the man limped on a ruined leg, forever marked by her rebellion.
This was why Zeke favored her. Of the four recruits, Annie's family ties were the weakest. She neither loved nor respected her adoptive father. She had no loyalty to Marley's idea of family honor. To Zeke, she seemed the easiest to sway.
He gave her an approving look. "Yes. Exactly. They staged this performance for our eyes."
"Annie, don't talk nonsense!" Reiner's voice rang with outrage. His fists trembled. "We were chosen as Titan warriors because of our loyalty. The state has no reason to doubt us! How could they waste time with such theatrics? Warrior Captain, please, don't slander our country!"
Zeke tilted his head, unruffled. "You don't need to take my word for it, Reiner. Ask them yourself. Ask the prisoners what crime they committed to end up here."
The recruits turned toward the death-row inmates.
For the condemned, the sudden shift felt surreal.
Only moments ago, their lives had been weighed and nearly discarded. Now, inexplicably, they were part of a demonstration. A warning. Their existence had been reduced to a message for this group of children.
They stared in disbelief. Was this all their lives amounted to—a performance, staged by Marley, to terrify its own soldiers?
From the forest beyond, they could hear the mindless Titans moving, shuffling away after feeding on their companions. A pang of sorrow struck the prisoners' hearts. Even those wretched creatures, used and discarded, seemed to share their fate.
And now, they realized, so did they….