(Flashback)

Historia, Mikasa, and Eren were walking toward the cell where Annie was located. Armin was already there since he was talking to her.

"You guys are here..." Armin said.

"It's time for us to free Annie from the crystal prison." Eren touched the crystal, and suddenly, Annie lay drenched and limp, surrounded by the broken crystal fragments. She started to cough out liquid. "Annie, it's been a while."

She noticed the four of them and said, "Oh... it's you guys. What do you want?"

Mikasa was about to take action before Historia stopped her. She said, "We're here to talk. That's all. You have been staying in that crystal for over a year, did you know? A year can happen a lot."

Eren said, "We know everything about Marley, and we also knew about your warrior comrades. First of all, I want to ask you about the damage you caused to my teammates or the people in Stohess?"

Annie stared at them with a cold tone and said, "We were praised for killing people. We were taught that once we were beyond our borders, we could kill combatants and civilians alike. We were atoning for our deeds as Eldians and on a mission to save the world. So anything was justified."

Armin said, "Annie, you wanted to stop that, right? Are those people necessary sacrifices for you?"

"No... I don't care one bit about that saving the world stuff..." Annie lowers her head. "I was abandoned by my parents not long after I was born. They say my blood test showed my mother had been having an affair with an Eldian or something. So I was taken into the Internment Zone and lived alone for a few days. And not long after, the man who abandoned me came back to me and he decided to train me into a Marleyan warrior so that he could make his own life better. For as long as I can remember, he was always beating the martial arts techniques of his motherland into me. The only value I had to him was in whether or not I could become a Warrior."

The four of them frown, and Annie continued. "Time passed, and I grew strong, just like he wanted. So I paid him back for all the pain he'd shown me until that point. I made it so that he'd never be able to walk straight again, but...he was happy. "Now you can kill your enemies, even unarmed," he said. And so, it all stopped mattering to me. Who people were, and where they came from. Whether they lived or died. I couldn't find any value in life... including my own. Yes, until then, that is... it was... the morning when we were to head off to the island for the plan to retake the Founder... the man dropped to his knees and apologized to me. He told me... that everything he taught me had been wrong, and that he shouldn't have abandoned me in the first place. He cried and pleaded. He wanted me to come back. My status as a Warrior...our title as Honorary Marleyans... he said that none of that mattered so long as I returned... that man was my father. He saw me as his own daughter."

"I see..." Historia frowned. Remembering about what her father did but only that he never cared about her but her blood.

"I have a father waiting for me. And others have people just as important to them too. I used to not care about anything, but it's different now. I think I've committed irredeemable sins. If it meant returning to my father, I'd do it all over again." Annie sighed.

Eren said, "Retake the Founder, was that the reason why you wanted to kidnap me back then? Because I am the Founding Titan? No, it is not just you, Reiner and Bertolt tried to do the same thing. Heck, even the Beast Titan and the Cart Titan were also here..."

Annie widened her eyes and Armin said, "And Annie... I... I ate Bertolt, and now I am the Colossal Titan now."

Annie looked at Armin since she didn't expect Armin to be a Titan Shifter like her. Eren decided to do the plan and said, "The Cart, the Armored, and the Beast all returned to Marley, abandoned both you and Bertolt on the island. Because of that, Marley was having a war with the Mid-East Nations."

"So I was abandoned by them... seriously..." Annie frowned with anger. 

"That's why we're here for a proposal, what do you say you work for us instead of work with Marley?" Eren said.

Annie glared at Eren and asked, "Why do you even think that I would want to join you? Do you really think that I will work for you just because you ask me politely?"

"My father was an Eldian from Liberio, just like you." Eren said, causing her to flinch a little. "My father was a member of the Eldia Restorationists, his goal was to retake the Founding Titan and restore the Eldia Empire. He knew the ancestor's sins, but he also knew that we were living in the present and the ancestors who shed blood on others weren't existing in the world now. However, my father was betrayed by his own son, my brother, Zeke Yeager. And thus he was sent here to Paradis Island. As all hope seems lost for him, he met the shifter that has the Attack Titan, who was in his last year, and he was saved. He snuck into the walls just like you three, or four because you used to have another comrade, I think his name is Marcel, right?"

Annie was also surprised to learn how many things they knew. "My father managed to get to the Founding Titan first, and it was also the day when you guys decided to destroy Wall Maria and caused my mother to be eaten by Titans. And it was also that night my father decided to give me both the Attack and Founding Titan. And a year ago, I managed to break the vow of renouncing war in the Founding Titan's body, so you know what it means right? If I want to, I can just unleash the Colossal Titans in the wall and trample outside of Paradis."

Annie seemed to be a little terrified at what Eren was saying, then she asked, "And why didn't you just take my powers away and leave me killed?"

"That's because I think that we could both help each other and maybe finally stand on the same side of the conflict." Eren asked. "What if I told you that we could bring your father here and finally reunite you two?"

"It's impossible." Annie said with slight anger. "You can't do that, but I see that you must be really desperate to get my help to lie like this."

"I am a lot of things." Eren said. "Didn't we all spend our time together in these three years? Do you really think that I am a liar?"

"And how are you going to do that?" Annie asked.

"We have captured a lot of Marley soldiers and we were forcing them to help us build the ships so we could go to the Marley Mainland and bring your father here. We can give you a full amnesty and you will be able to live here with him for as long as you want. The only condition is that you're going to be on our side. We will not use you and throw you away as Marley did, so just join us. We will definitely want another Titan shifter with us. Especially a good friend of ours." Historia said.

"Nice talk." Annie smirked at them. "But it's still impossible. As long as I want huh? Don't kid with me, both of us know that we have seven years left to live. It doesn't matter what we want. After 7 years both you and I will be dead and we just can't change that."

"Are you sure about that?" Eren asked. "None of us are going to die from the curse. Annie, you were the last descendent of the royal family of the Female Titan, the curse won't affect you."

This caused Annie to be shocked, Eren said, "Just like my family was the royal family of the Attack Titan, and Armin's the royal family of the Colossal Titan. We won't die after 13 years. Only those who get the right titan will live after 13 years."

"So join us. You have my word that everything I said will happen if you help us. We will bring your father here, you will be forgiven for all the things you've done here and will have the full right to live on the island as a free citizen." Historia says.

"We once were friends Annie, and as much as you don't want to admit it, deep down you know that you trust us." Mikasa said.

"So now is the time to make the decision. Are you in?" Eren asked, reaching his open hand to her. Annie was still confused, and she asked, "So what would you even want me to do if I said yes?" 

"You will be joining the Survey Corps just like most of us." Eren replies, "We will help you with everything."

"Fine, I'm in."  Annie said, much to their delight.

(Flashback Ends)

Many bottles and syringes were placed on a table. "This is all of the Titan serum we stole from Marley." Yelena explained. "But you'll have trouble reproducing it " Yelena and the other Marleyans stood together, they looked nervous apart from her.

"No, we should manage fine with this much." Pixis answered, he was standing in front of her. "I only wish we could properly thank you. We owe you so much already. We were ignorant, but you gave us hope. For us, to suspect you, we're truly no better than devils."

"For three years, we've done nothing but show we're friends of the Eldians." Garrison soldiers were pointing guns at them. "It's unfortunate. The guns we brought were meant to give Eldians freedom."

"I know it's selfish to ask, but can you overlook our cautiousness for a while?" Pixis asked her. "We have to keep Zeke on a tight leash."

"It's fine Commander Pixis. We'll dine at the same table again soon." Yelena said. 

Yelena and Oyankopon were the only two in the room who knew that Zeke wasn't the Beast Titan, but they weren't worried because they trust the Scouts to do something.

Zeke and Levi were in front of the Forest of Giant trees. Levi sat on his horse, while Zeke stood beside him. A house was in front of them. "That is my hotel?" Zeke asked in disbelief, his jaw dropped.

"You got a problem with it?" Levi asked him. "It's a forest of giant trees. I can't think of a better place for you."

Zeke closed his mouth before answering. "Might be lots of fun with ODM gear." He turned to look at Levi. "Hey, captain Levi. Think I could show Gabi and Falco this natured wonder?"

Levi looked down at him. "Tsk. Whether they see the sights or not depends on you."

The scene changed to bars, where the evening sun shone through. Falco sat on a bed and looked up at the bars. Gabi sat on the other bed in the prison cell. She glared in front of her and mumbled to herself. "Eren... Yeager!"

At the same time, Mikasa was with Armin and Annie at the Scouts' place. Annie said, "I still think this is bullshit. He was not alone and yet they prioritized holding him captive."

"But what could we do?" Armin asked. "We've already killed a lot of people, even though we spared the innocents and children. Unless that port was destroyed, Marley would've retaliated and attacked the island. We killed any hope for peace, but we had no choice."

Mikasa muttered while holding the scarf. "Fight or die. Win... and live."

Wet hair was put in a tight bun. Eren stared at himself in the mirror in the prison cell. "The only way to win is to fight." he said to himself. "Fight. Fight."