Not enough spine-al fluid...
"So, this is Marley...?" Michael remarks as he flies high above the sprawling city that wouldn't look out of place in the 1950's. The streets were bustling and happy, men going to work, women walking through shopping streets with their children in hand, friendly policemen keeping the peace while greeting passerbys... From his Eagle-eyed view, it looked like an idyllic civilisation...
But, when taking a closer look, you could see people wearing armbands not too dissimilar to what Jews did during the reign of the Nazis in World War 2. Some seemed to be doing well for themselves, but others were tucked away in slums, starving but still unwilling to beg for money or food due to the consequences such an action would draw.
"W-what are you planning...?" Zeke asks while still hanging limply from the collar Michael was holding. His surprise at Michael's clearly magical ability to summon white wings of fire was trumped by his existential worry for Marley and its citizens.
"Zeke, what do you see when you look down at them like this?" Michael asks, ignoring his question.
...
"I... I see innocents, ruled by cowardly men in power who fear the power of my race... People who are ignorant of the truth of their lives, of their country..."
"Why haven't you done anything about it then? With the Beast Titan you could remove the threat to the Eldians without any trouble at all." Michael queries.
"T-that's not true... There are other Shifters who would oppose me..." he shakes his head, "Removing the Head would only cause it to sprout a dozen more too! They hate us already! If I were to kill their leadership so blatantly? I can't imagine the fate that would await us if I chose that path..."
Michael glances at him, "So, you're just a coward then... Why not just devour the other Titan Shifters and take their power for yourself. I'm sure you've thought about it, you could have planned and made it a reality."
"Stop! Why are you asking me this!? What is your goal? To have me destroy the leadership of Marley? To lead a rebellion!? Tell me!"
Michael shrugs his shoulders, wings still flapping behind him despite their effectiveness not being tide to their movement, "Just curious. Since you don't want to do anything, it's only right I take action, right?"
...
"Hey, Zeke... I seem to recall an ability of yours, using your spinal fluid to transform Eldians into pure titans... Am I right?" he asks, quickly causing Zeke's eyes to widen in terror.
"J-Just what are you planning!? I-I want play a part in your schemes! I refuse!" Zeke exclaims, trying to dislodge himself from Michael's grip. He even tries to bite his hand to summon his titan, only to pause at his inability to do so...
"What? Surprised you can't shift?" Michael grins, "Ymir can't reach you while you're in my grasp, you know."
...
With Zeke going silently and hanging lifelessly in response to his inability to do anything at all, Michael just sighs and raises him in front of him, "You want to know my plans? Fine. I'm in need of more titans to kill, and since I've almost sucked Paradise Island dry of them, your fellow Eldians in Marley will have to do... It helps that I'm also destroying what is essentially the Nazi Germany of this world too."
"W-what... You're mad... You would commit genocide just to hunt more titans!?"
Michael picks some earwax before flicking it away, "I mean, technically I would be saving everything in Paradise Island, so that would make me a hero of a sort." he shrugs noncommittally, "I truthfully couldn't give a toss about this world, Marley especially, so I'll use this place a sandbox for my ascension..." he states much to Zeke's shock and despair, "Now, let's find somewhere to extract that spinal fluid... The amount we're going to need to poison an entire country's water supply is probably going to be ridiculous... But, you've got your Titan healing, and I've got recovery spells and an infinite amount of mana to use them."
With a sonic boom, Michael zips into a nearby forest and holds Zeke to the ground via Telekinesis, "Don't worry Zeke, I'll try get this done as quickly as possible... This is going to be more annoying for me than it is painful for you..."
"W-wait! No! We can think of another way! Ple-AARRGGHH!!" Zeke screams as Michael jabs a metal straw directly into his spine, the fluid immediately starting to leak out like some sort of sap drip. Liberal use of healing spells allows it to flow freely, directly onto Michael's book and into its inventory.
---------------------------------------------
Commander Dot Pixis takes a deep gulp of his canteen as he eyes the people sitting before him... All of them were Trainees greener than a farmer's thumb, yet had fought against scarier odds than most of the military combined...
Trainees Eren Jaeger, Sasha Blouse, Connie Springer, Jean Kirstein, Armin Arlert, all nervously watched him, waiting for his response to the rather ridiculous report he'd been handed not half an hour ago...
"To clarify, all of you can testify to the validity of the report? Each of you lends your word and credibility to the facts presented in it?" Pixis idly questions.
"Yes, Commander!" all of them exclaim simultaneously.
"And all of you testify to the fact that Trainees Reiner Braun, Annie Leonhart, Bertholdt Hoover, were all seen exiting the name of the three titans that attacked Trost today, correct?"
"Yes, Commander!"
...
Pixis slowly nods and focuses on Jean and Eren, "And you two can testify towards Mikasa Ackerman being the one responsible for their deaths... Correct?"
Eren and Jean pause, looking at one another with indecision. They'd both written that fact down in their reports when the paper was thrust in their faces, their adrenaline draining only after the fact... But now they could see the trouble they'd potentially put Mikasa in...
"Well? Speak up, Trainees!"