Late at night, Pieck followed the soldiers who had appeared outside her room, deeply lost in thought.
The dim yellow streetlights illuminated the surrounding streets and houses, and Titans could be seen scattered along the roadside, sheltered beneath special rain covers.
In terms of development, this place was even more advanced than the City of Cape, the capital of Marley.
At the very least, the City of Cabohad no streetlights, nor so many omnipresent "large machines" that provided security to its inhabitants and the country in the event of an invasion.
During her trip a month earlier, Pieck had realized something.
Paradise Island was very strong, probably stronger than any other country in the world.
They had developed a civilization on this isolated island using Titans, adding advanced technology that they had pushed very far thanks to the power of the Titans.
And what Pieck did not know was that only five years had passed, only five years since power had fallen into Gale's hands, and with his ambition and dreams, he had transformed a poor, weak, and vulnerable nation into one of the most powerful in the world.
However, Paradise Island was not without weaknesses; its greatest weakness was its population.
Despite possessing such a vast territory, the population of Paradise Island was only slightly over one million.
It was important to understand that Marley's regular army alone numbered one million men.
If the militia, navy, and easily deployable Eldians were included, Marley's available forces amounted to at least two million, double the population of Paradise Island.
A small nation like Paradise could not withstand the attrition of war.
Once the death toll surpassed a certain point, the island would lose order, its once cohesive system would naturally collapse, and ultimately, the nation would descend into disorganized chaos on the brink of annihilation.
Pieck had witnessed a similar scenario five years earlier; Isfar had been destroyed by the Marleyans in exactly that way.
However, Paradise possessed something Isfar did not have. Here existed the ultimate self-defense mechanism known as the "Rumbling."
While it could not effectively and swiftly attack distant enemies, it should be enough to protect the island and ensure its own survival.
Based on this evaluation, Pieck chose the side of Paradise Island.
Now there was only one thing she needed to know before following Gale's plans, and that was whether they had the power to bring her father safely to this island.
She followed the soldiers to the government hall, walked through a long corridor, and arrived at an office.
The person who received her was not Gale, but the commander of the navy.
"I am Erwin Smith. Please, have a seat, Miss Pieck." Erwin gestured for Pieck to sit down.
Pieck gave a slight nod in response to the order.
Erwin gave off a unique feeling, different from Gale's cold and brutal aura.
The man standing before her was someone who had truly fought on the battlefield; it was obvious from his expression.
After Pieck entered, Erwin did not even look at her, focusing solely on the documents in his hands.
It was Pieck's résumé, and Erwin asked questions based on the information in the document.
"In your résumé, you wrote that you fight so Marley will treat your gravely ill father. Do you have any other family besides your father?"
"No." Pieck slightly shook her head and answered seriously, "All of my father's relatives died on the battlefield. My mother also died from illness when I was very young. My father is my only family…"
"Hmm, I see. You also described your wartime experience. Can you tell me when that was?" Erwin studied Pieck, a woman whom Gale had decided to kill, but whom he believed could be useful in seizing the power of the War Hammer Titan.
That was why, in order to convince Gale, Erwin had decided to learn more about Pieck before making a decision.
"It ended five years ago, in the Eastern Ocean region. At the time, several small countries led by Old Isfar fought against the local Marleyan garrison."
"Aside from honorary Marleyans, every Eldian male fit for military service in the controlled zone was recruited by Marley for the battlefield. My father was injured during that time."
Erwin did not respond and continued flipping through Pieck's résumé.
The cold white light illuminated his angular profile.
"Miss Pieck, are you certain this is your only request?" Erwin finally looked directly into Pieck's eyes.
"Yes…" Pieck nodded. The only person she cared about was her father.
"As long as you can guarantee that my father will be brought to Paradise Island for treatment, I will help you transport the War Hammer Titan back."
"In Marley, I can be of great assistance to you. I am the Cart Titan, and although I am a woman, I hold a certain amount of influence within the Eldian army in Marley."
"Even some young Marleyan soldiers are attracted to me because of my appearance. In the Eldian-controlled zones, I possess considerable authority."
"We can guarantee it without question." Erwin stared directly into Pieck's eyes.
"Verbal agreements are unnecessary." Pieck showed no fear as she said, "What I want to hear is a concrete plan and action. How will you transport my father safely to this island without starting a war against Marley?"
"The Marleyans imprisoned here already suspect me. If you let me return to Marley, their suspicions will only deepen."
After saying that, Pieck whispered, "Marley will threaten me using my father. They will hide him. How can you guarantee that while I help you seize the War Hammer Titan, my father will safely arrive on Paradise Island?"
"Miss Pieck, have you ever heard of the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear?" Erwin asked calmly.
"Omni-Directional Mobility Gear? What is that?" Pieck frowned.
"Follow me, please." Erwin stood up, signaling for Pieck to follow him.
Pieck was confused. Omni-Directional Mobility Gear…
'That strange name. 3D? Mobility? Is it some kind of weapon?'
During her previous visit, they had never seen any equipment or factory related to the "Omni-Directional Mobility Gear." What was it?
Erwin wanted her to see the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear; did that mean it could bring her father safely away?
Filled with questions, Pieck climbed into a four-wheeled carriage with Erwin. This was Gale's newest creation, the first model of a motor vehicle.
Pieck and Erwin sat in the back while the internal combustion engine hummed, the wheels turned, and they drove away.
"Mr. Erwin, what exactly is the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear?" Pieck asked after thinking for a moment.
"It was a mobile device invented when we still lived within the walls, used to kill the Titans outside…" Erwin said with a polite smile.
"Kill Titans?" Pieck froze in shock. "You use that thing to fight Titans? How do you kill Titans, with explosives or guns?"
"With a blade," Erwin calmly replied. "We discovered that cutting a Titan's nape with a blade kills it."
"Huh...?" Pieck was dumbfounded. "Are you joking? How do you fight Titans with a knife?"
She could not imagine how Titans could be killed with blades. A sliding attack to take down a Titan?
She had seen it countless times on the battlefield. Whenever the Marleyan army used its "Titan weapons," if the enemy had not prepared their lines in advance, it was practically a one-sided massacre.
Once a Titan charged into an unprepared crowd, it was like a wolf leaping into a flock of sheep.
Without firearms or explosives, how could humanity possibly defeat Titans?
"You'll see," Erwin said, unsurprised by Pieck's reaction.
People like Pieck, who survived outside Paradise Island, could not imagine the brutal life-and-death trials required to defeat giants using only a human body.
The problem Pieck raised was not truly a problem.
Paradise Island housed the world's most elite special forces; it was a battlefield unlike anything any soldier had ever experienced.
And those were the special forces trained with omni-directional mobility gear, specialized in urban human-to-human combat.