The Cart Titan lay on the ground while the soldiers loaded it with transport equipment, attaching a cart-like structure onto its back.
Zeke sat inside that structure and grabbed the inner railing.
"Let's go, Pieck. We need to get as far away as possible," Zeke said with a serious expression.
"Yes." A voice completely different from Pieck's personality came from the Cart Titan's throat.
Pieck ran toward the sandy wasteland at great speed.
The rest of the Marleyan soldiers remained where they were.
They had come to the island solely to provide support for Zeke and Pieck. Because too many Pure Titans had been deployed on Paradis Island, Marley's forces could not land there.
The firearms used by Marley posed little threat to Titans, and because Marley and Paradis Island were too far apart, it was impossible to transport a large number of troops and weapons there.
After all, an operation of such magnitude would attract the attention of hostile countries, and other nations could take advantage of the situation to launch an attack.
As a result, the Marleyan soldiers did not dare to wander too far. They were isolated and defenseless, and if they left the harbor and encountered Titans on the island, they would practically have no chance of surviving.
Soon, the figure of the Cart Titan disappeared into the yellow sands.
The soldiers waited there. Unlike previous transport ships that only carried Eldian prisoners, this time Marley deployed several ships and prepared enough food and ammunition for the soldiers to have supplies for more than half a year.
The fact that the four warriors had been missing for five years worried the government leaders.
They were preparing for a prolonged war and were determined to return the power of the Titans to Marley in order to deal with the rapidly changing global situation.
While the Marleyan soldiers silently stood guard, something suddenly blossomed in the sky.
Everyone looked up. First, they heard a sharp sound before seeing the signal flare explode.
The signal flare had come from an unknown location, and its meaning was unclear.
The soldiers grew nervous, tightly gripping their weapons. Everyone aboard the ship was highly alert.
The artillerymen took their positions, and in the watchtower, someone used binoculars to observe in all directions.
Time passed, and everything remained calm.
The sailors in the watchtower blew the alarm whistle, whose shrill sound shattered the silence.
A soldier who saw everything trembled, clenched his teeth, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He looked extremely anxious, and his movements were exaggerated.
"Southwest..."
"There are enemies..." The soldiers deciphered his signal and, although somewhat surprised, continued looking toward the southwest.
That was the direction of the sea.
They immediately understood why the sailor had that expression, and soon everyone wore the same expression amid the trembling of the sea and earth.
"It's an armored battleship!"
"The armored battleship is coming from the southwest sea!"
"Not just one ship, but an entire fleet of armored warships!"
"The steel ship right in front is taller than their largest armored battleship!"
One had to look upward to see the majestic bow of the ship.
Its size was almost the same as the Queen, Marley's largest strategic armored battleship; it was a mountain-shaped colossus!
Dozens of smaller armored warships escorted the gigantic vessel.
The so-called small armored ships were insignificant compared to that colossus; those armored warships were on a completely different level from any of the warships the Marleyans had docked at the harbor!
At a glance, it was obvious that this was a powerful navy.
It might even have been stronger than Marley's navy.
Commander Theo Magath, who had sailed for many years, suddenly suffered an asthma attack upon witnessing this scene, coughing violently and spitting up blood clots.
As an experienced commander, Theo could calculate a ship's speed simply by observing the changes in his field of vision.
It was over; his experience led him to that conclusion.
Those armored warships were nearly twice as fast as their ships.
There was no escape, and absolutely no possibility of winning in a direct confrontation.
Which country's navy was it?
When had they begun following them?
Had some country started a war against Marley?
Had they received news that Marley could no longer use "the warriors"?
…
Countless thoughts raced through the minds of the Marleyan soldiers.
They stared blankly at the steel walls and iron fortresses before them, the cold armor surrounding them, blocking them inside the harbor and nearly covering the sky.
The other side raised the internationally recognized flag of persuasion and the promise not to kill those who surrendered.
Their morale collapsed like a bursting water balloon; they did not even have the courage to fire, nor did they dare resist at all.
Everyone stood there frozen and expressionless.
…
At the rear of the Cart Titan, Zeke used a telescope to observe his surroundings, which were filled with yellow sand and desert.
Paradis Island was a very large island with diverse terrain.
Deserts were not suitable for human life. A hundred years ago, the people of Marley built a harbor here partly because they feared the King of the Walls.
They feared that the King of the Walls might emerge from within the walls, so they deployed Titans to surround them. And because they feared the King of the Walls might discover it, they chose a deserted place to build a harbor.
The Cart Titan continued crossing the desert and soon arrived at the oasis.
Zeke planned to conduct long-range reconnaissance, at least until he could see the wall.
There was no need to worry about the people at the harbor; they were only there to provide support.
Ever since the plan to seize the Founding Titan began, Theo Magath's team had been coming to the island every month, so he should know the harbor well and would not be in danger.
They did not see a single Pure Titan until they reached the oasis.
"Wait! Pieck, stop for a second!" Zeke suddenly shouted for Pieck to stop.
"What is it, Mr. Zeke?" Pieck asked as she stopped.
"Could you go over to that slope over there?" Zeke pointed toward a hillside with a tree nearby.
Pieck turned around and climbed to a higher place.
Zeke looked into the distance through his binoculars and gasped.
"Is that the first wall?" Zeke asked uncertainly.
What a strange sight! It was the first time he had seen the wall, but it truly looked strange in the condition it was in.
Did Bertolt do that?
Even if those four soldiers had received orders to destroy the wall, they should not have damaged it to this extent.
It was important to know that, according to the records, the wall was formed by Colossal Titans. Even if Bertolt could transform into a Colossal Titan, how could he have destroyed the wall until it was riddled with holes?
Had he spent those five years smashing walls every day?
Even so, the cut surfaces were too clean and showed no signs of damage.
Could the sight before him even be called walls anymore, those hollowed-out structures with gaps here and there?
Just as Zeke was completely bewildered, a massive noise suddenly came from behind him and Pieck, high up in the sky behind them.