Chapter 100: The Nine Titans (Part 4)

"Trost District, in Erwin's room. After returning from Pixis and intending to rest, Erwin was puzzled when Levi urgently summoned him. He did not expect to hear such crucial information from Levi.

"The true royal family is the Reiss clan, and this is the Titan transformation serum," Levi explained, placing the syringe on the table beside Erwin.

Kenny Ackerman had given Levi the serum, initially intended for himself to seize the power of a Titan. After revealing his connection to Levi, Kenny had succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

"Let's get Hange," Erwin decided after a moment of contemplation, preparing to leave with Levi. But just as they were about to go, Hange arrived.

"Erwin, he's gone," Hange said, handing over a note from Daniel.

"It seems the Central Military Police encountered him," Erwin commented, passing the note to Levi.

"What do we do now?" Levi asked after reading the note, handing it back to Erwin.

"Fortunately, you found out about the true royal family. Otherwise, we'd have been in deep trouble when we made our move."

"The true royal family? What does that mean?" Hange asked, bewildered by Erwin's statement.

"The current king is merely a puppet," Erwin explained, sharing the information Levi had provided about the Reiss family.

"Damn those bastards," Hange cursed upon hearing Erwin's explanation. The people within the walls had been struggling to survive, all while those who knew the truth watched their sacrifices.

"Erwin, the royal family possesses the Founding Titan's power. They won't be easy to overthrow. Even if we succeed, what about Marley? Don't forget, to the rest of the world, we're the devils," Hange warned, referring to the complexities revealed by Kenny and Daniel.

"We'll take it one step at a time. But regardless, I don't want to die aimlessly within these walls. If it comes to that, I want to see the outside world before I go," Erwin declared after a long pause.

"Before dealing with the royal family, we need to locate the hidden Titans within the walls."

"Those bastards..."

"Quite the encounter," Daniel mused as he stood on the walls of Shiganshina District. He had just finished eating and was about to leave when a thunderous roar echoed in the distance. He saw a large, furry Titan charging toward him, fighting off other Titans along the way.

Intelligent Titans naturally attracted Pure Titans. Pure Titans would instinctively attack an Intelligent Titan within their hunting range, much like how other Titans would converge on Eren's Attack Titan. This seemed to be an ingrained instinct.

Only the Founding Titan could control all Titans, while others could only command Titans they had created through their spinal fluid, with Zeke's Beast Titan being the most adept at this control.

The Beast Titan, with its immense power, easily crushed the Pure Titans in its path and quickly reached the wall, beginning to climb.

"I wonder what would happen if Zeke and his team breached the walls, exposing the Titans inside to sunlight," Daniel thought, hearing the commotion below. Seeing Zeke here was fortunate; it saved Daniel the trouble of finding him.

Of the Nine Titans, the Female Titan and the Beast Titan held the most awkward positions due to their relative weakness. This had been true during the Eldian Empire and continued under Marley's rule.

While other Titans possessed unique abilities, these two did not. Consequently, their status was inferior to Titans like the Armored Titan, the Colossal Titan, and the Jaw Titan. Marley had marginalized the previous generation of the Beast Titan, fearing the loss of the Titan's power to the Eldians on Paradis Island. 

Zeke and Annie's prowess had elevated the status of the Beast and Female Titans. It showed that any power's effectiveness depended on the wielder.

Reiner's Armored Titan had not lived up to its legendary reputation, often serving as a target in battle. Technological advancements meant the once formidable Armored Titan was now vulnerable to concentrated firepower.

In internal conflicts, Reiner's Armored Titan also faltered against Annie's Female Titan, highlighting the importance of combat skill. Even Eren, after some basic training from Annie, managed to overpower Reiner's Armored Titan.

Against Zeke's Beast Titan, Reiner's defeat was even more humiliating. Zeke's exceptional throwing skills, honed through childhood baseball practice, rendered him the most formidable in using the Titan's power, illustrating how mastery could redefine a Titan's capabilities.

"Didn't expect anyone to be here," Zeke remarked, surprised to see Daniel on the wall without a hint of fear.

"Hi, Zeke," Daniel called out, looking up at the Beast Titan perched on the wall.

While Zeke was formidable, Levi had bested him in combat, exploiting his human agility and skill to outmaneuver and nearly kill Zeke.

"You know me? Interesting. We haven't met, have we?" Zeke scratched his ear thoughtfully.

"No, but I know you. Talking to you like this is dull. Let's switch to a more comfortable form. Room, Slaughterhouse."

Daniel had already extended his Op-Op Fruit's domain over the Beast Titan as it climbed the wall. Holding his knife, he swiftly bisected the Titan's enormous body, sending limbs tumbling down the wall. He only needed the torso, not even the head.

"Come out," Daniel commanded, pulling Zeke from the Titan's body. Zeke, stunned by the strange power, remained speechless as Daniel collected his blood and spinal fluid.

"Who are you?" Zeke finally managed to ask.

"A passerby," Daniel replied nonchalantly, storing the collected samples.

Zeke's plan to sterilize all Eldians stemmed from his indoctrination by Marley, believing the Eldians to be inherently evil and deserving of eradication.

In Daniel's view, such a plan was unthinkable. If he were in Zeke's place, his first priority would be to destroy Marley and any other threat to the Eldians.

In essence, Daniel shared the later perspective adopted by Eren.

"Alright, time to go," Daniel said, injecting Zeke with a muscle relaxant. He strapped Zeke to his hoverboard and took off, preventing him from transforming again.

Daniel needed Zeke to locate the other Titans in Marley. Given the high stakes, Marley would be vigilant in protecting its Titan assets from assassination or capture.

Marley was currently embroiled in a fierce conflict with the Mid-East Allied Forces, and losing their Titans would spell disaster.

"Who are you really?" Zeke asked, weak but curious about Daniel's identity and technology, unlike anything the world had seen.

"I told you, just a passerby," Daniel replied. While he claimed not to involve himself in the conflict between Marley and the people within the walls, his actions had significant impacts. His disclosure of the truth to Erwin and now taking Zeke were indirect ways of aiding the Eldians.

"Surrender the harbor or face annihilation," read the bold message on the Marleyan naval banners.

Reaching the shoreline, Daniel saw three Marleyan warships and the towering walls from which Eldians were cast into Titan forms, a grim practice ongoing for over a century.

"How do I get to Marley?" Daniel pondered, then turned to Zeke. "When do these ships set sail?"

"Who are you?" Zeke repeated, fixated on uncovering Daniel's identity.

"Annoying. I didn't want to do this," Daniel sighed, using the Imperius Curse to control Zeke.

"Now for the rest," Daniel muttered, swiftly taking control of the ships' crews and ordering them to set sail for Marley. Without a map, this was his best option.

"I wonder if combining the blood of all Nine Titans will yield any results," Daniel mused. The Nine Titans were fragments of the original Founding Titan, suggesting they could theoretically be reunited.

"No wonder Zeke is here. Marley must be desperate," Daniel realized. The prolonged silence from Annie and her team had caused Marley concern. Losing their Titans to the Eldians would be catastrophic.

Marley's struggles against the Mid-East Allied Forces further motivated them to accelerate their plans. If necessary, they would recall Zeke and the others to bolster their front lines.

While Paradis Island had experienced relative peace for over a century, the mainland had seen constant conflict. Marley and the Mid-East Allied Forces had waged war, with Marley initially gaining territory through Titan power. However, technological advancements had evened the playing field, and Marley was now at a disadvantage.

Zeke's prowess as the Beast Titan had temporarily given Marley a respite, allowing them to hold off the Mid-East's superior air forces.

Marley's strategy was to leverage their Titans to buy time, then launch a full-scale assault on Paradis Island once their internal and external threats were managed.

"If Marley loses their Titans now, they might lose the war," Daniel noted. Marley's fate hung in the balance of their ongoing conflict with the Mid-East Allied Forces.

"Take me to the other Titans," Daniel ordered, destroying the three warships as they neared Marley's coast and directing Zeke to lead him to the remaining Titans.

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