Two years later, in the year 850, Paradis Island.
Significant advances had been made in the research of internal combustion engines throughout the world.
The power provided by internal combustion engines far surpassed that of steam engines, meaning that armored trains which could not be powered by steam engines could now be driven by internal combustion engines.
Armored trains equipped with turrets, tanks, battleships, airplanes…
The arms race between nations continued, and various concepts of weaponry were being proposed.
The Middle Eastern countries that had long watched Marley with greedy eyes were beginning to grow restless and were secretly considering the possibility of forming an alliance.
Various minor skirmishes along the border had caused the Marleyan government to feel threatened.
The government decided that Captain Zeke would secretly guide the Cart Titan and several Marleyan soldiers to Paradis Island in order to assist the four successors of the Armored Titan, the Colossal Titan, the Jaw Titan, and the Female Titan—whose inheritors were Reiner, Bertholdt, Marcel, and Annie—in seizing the power of the Founding Titan.
Zeke received an execution order: even if they could not steal the power of the Founding Titan, in the worst-case scenario, they had to return the power of the existing Titans to Marley.
…
On the Marleyan ship, a blond man with a thick beard stood on the deck, leaning against the railing while staring at the horizon.
Zeke Yeager, the successor of the Beast Titan, wore a red armband on his shoulder.
That was the distinguishing mark of Honorary Marleyans, who existed within the hierarchy governing the Eldian-controlled zones of Marley.
The highest rank belonged to Honorary Marleyans, such as Zeke.
If any member of a family inherited the power of an intelligent Titan, every member of that family could become Honorary Marleyans.
Not only would they receive the same treatment as ordinary Marleyans, but even when leaving the restricted zones, they would not be harassed by Marleyan police. In fact, their families would receive various government subsidies and benefits.
Next in rank were the Warrior Candidates, Eldians who wore yellow armbands, signifying that they had the potential to inherit the power of a certain intelligent Titan.
The rest of the Eldians wore gray armbands.
These were the most common Eldians, constantly at risk of being turned into "Titan weapons," stripped of their human rights and forced to live in constant fear within the controlled zones: human beings, yet domesticated "livestock."
As the years passed, Zeke had come to fully understand Marley's view of the Eldians.
Yes, that's right…
The overwhelming majority of Marleyans considered Eldians to be on the same level as "livestock," or even lower.
Even a man of his status, an Honorary Marleyan, could feel the scrutinizing stares of everyone around him whenever he walked through the streets.
Zeke believed that if Marley were ever faced with a national crisis of annihilation, the Marleyan government would undoubtedly deploy every Eldian as "Titan weapons" onto the battlefield.
That discrimination was deeply rooted. Although Marley relied on the power of the Titans to maintain its position as the world's hegemon and constantly invaded other countries, they still despised the Eldians who brought them those benefits.
However, it was not as though Zeke could not understand the Marleyans' way of thinking.
After all, the Eldians, the people of Ymir, were the only race in the world capable of transforming into Titans.
Other races experienced no changes even after being injected with Titan spinal fluid.
If too much Titan fluid was injected, they could even die from poisoning.
Only Eldians could transform into Titans.
Human beings were contradictory creatures; once their numbers exceeded one, conflict would arise.
Not to mention people of the same race—even brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, would have countless conflicts. Let alone the Eldians, who were "outsiders" capable of turning into Titans.
…
Zeke faced the sea breeze and stared toward the horizon, watching as the island gradually came into view.
Although it was known as Paradis Island, it should not really have been called an island. Its size was excessively large. It would have been more appropriate to call it a continent.
During the voyage, Zeke remembered something: his father and mother, who had been exiled to that island.
Ironically, he himself had been the true culprit.
He had reported his parents to Marley, earning himself the opportunity to become a Warrior Candidate.
He had not betrayed his parents intentionally; he had been forced into it.
His parents had been diehard fanatics of the "Restorationist Movement." From the day he was born, Zeke had been used as a tool by them. Every memory of his childhood had been spent under their "education."
"Zeke, the history taught to us by the Marleyans is wrong. Our ancestors were not evil people…"
"Zeke, why did you fail the test?! Royal blood flows through your veins! You must become a warrior! You must fight for us Eldians!"
"Zeke… Zeke… Zeke…"
He spent every day under immense pressure until he met Tom Ksaver and realized just how terrible his parents' behavior truly was.
The moment the Marleyans discovered anything about Zeke's Restorationist faction, his entire family—including his grandparents, the only people who truly loved him—would be injected with spinal fluid, transformed into Pure Titans, and thrown into Paradis.
Following Tom Ksaver's advice, he voluntarily reported his parents, thereby saving himself and his grandparents.
Because of this, he was rewarded by the Marleyans, became a Warrior Candidate, and inherited the Beast Titan.
Before officially becoming a Warrior, he discussed with Tom Ksaver, the previous inheritor of the Beast Titan, a way to save the Eldians:
"By using the power of the Founding Titan, all Eldians could be rendered sterile."
There was an insurmountable abyss between Eldians and the other races.
At their core, they were fundamentally different forms of life.
He and Tom Ksaver believed that Eldians and the rest of humanity could not coexist within the same world.
Throughout history, there had only ever been two types of relationships between Eldians and other races.
Oppressors and oppressed.
Therefore, there was only one painless way to make the Eldians disappear from this world: sterilization.
It might sound absurd, but within a few years, there would no longer be any oppressed Eldians left in the world.
Yes, in that way, the Eldians could be freed from this world without suffering.
If one is never born, one will never suffer.
Those unborn children would never have to endure discrimination from others, never have to live in fear, and never have to one day say, "I wish I had never been born into this world."
The people of the world would no longer feel threatened by "Titans"…
What a perfect plan! Zeke named it the "Euthanasia Plan."
Everything he did was for the sake of carrying out the Euthanasia Plan.
He was not loyal to the Marleyan government; he was only loyal to the Eldians he wished to save.
However… as he gazed upon that island, he still felt a certain emotion stirring within him.
Back then, in order to save his mother's life, he had clearly revealed her royal status when he reported her.
The royal family was extremely important to the Marleyan government. Logically, his mother should not have been exiled, but for some reason, she had still been injected with Titan fluid.
Even after inheriting the Beast Titan, nobody knew his true royal identity.
There had to be a reason for that, but he had never been able to uncover it.
At that moment, he could only think that two of the giants wandering that island were probably his parents in disguise.
After all these years, he wondered if he would still be able to recognize those two people.