Annie never imagined that her desperate attempt to suppress the port and protect the ships would turn out to be a joke, and that there was no way left in the world to save her hometown, Rebellio.
Beside her, Reiner and Pieck looked troubled upon hearing the news. Annie had joined the Survey Corps primarily to return to her homeland and protect her father.
Since the situation had reached an irreversible point, she decided to withdraw. She no longer had a reason to fight. Even if Rebellio and Marle could be stopped immediately, their fate of destruction was sealed. Magath understood this all too well.
Yet, he gambled with his life, urging everyone to escape first. He did this not for Rebellio and Marle, but in the hope that everyone could save as many people as possible, even strangers they didn't know.
But now, Annie was worn out. She no longer wanted to fight, no longer wanted to kill each other, neither her comrades nor Eren.
Perhaps to clear her mind, Annie went to the deck and sat quietly. Armin, ever the devoted follower, soon joined her.
Suddenly, Armin seemed to sense something, as if he heard something, yet as if nothing had happened.
Annie invited Armin to sit beside her. She thanked him for talking to her during her four years of sleep. Without Armin and Hitch, Annie might have truly gone mad from loneliness.
Then, Annie questioned why Armin was talking to a stone that couldn't respond. Surely, there were more cheerful and pleasant girls around.
Hearing this, Armin bashfully admitted it was because he wanted to see Annie. Annie's face flushed with embarrassment at Armin's words, and the air grew briefly awkward. It was Annie who spoke first, pointing out that while many people were being trampled by Titans, what exactly were the two of them doing?
Annie then continued to bestow upon Armin the "good guy award" to deflect his attention, stating that because Armin was a good person, he was willing to show compassion even to an enemy like herself.
With that, Annie prepared to leave. However, Armin reached out and gently took her hand. Armin softly continued, saying he didn't like being called a good person, nor did he like receiving "friend zone" gestures.
He had killed many people and now betrayed the island he grew up on. He was already a monster. Yet, in his mind, he always thought about fulfilling his promise to Eren to travel to an unknown world someday.
However, it now seemed that the unknown world was not as beautiful as he had once imagined.
But even so, Armin still chose to believe that beyond the walls lay a beauty they had never discovered, and that their diverging paths would eventually converge again.
As night fell, the Survey Corps finally reached the port city. Working together, they pulled the airship into a warehouse by the shore for preparation.
Meanwhile, Falco had awakened from his coma. He was surprised to find that by the time he woke up, almost everyone was dead.
Falco frantically questioned Pieck about their next course of action. However, Pieck was already overwhelmed and had no idea where to start.
Annie sat alone and dejectedly outside the warehouse. Mikasa thoughtfully found Annie a new vertical maneuvering equipment, as Annie might not be accustomed to the new gear. Mikasa suggested Annie practice with Reiner nearby.
However, Annie replied that she had already quit. While she was sorry, she didn't even want to board the airship. She didn't quite understand this whole "saving the world" business.
With a flushed face, Annie stole glances at Armin. She said she only wished to spend the remaining time peacefully.
Seeing Annie's reaction, Mikasa was momentarily speechless.
Mikasa then asked with a hint of gossip, "Since when did this start?"
However, Mikasa soon guessed. She told Annie that she didn't need to accumulate more painful memories.
Armin would be boarding the airship with everyone else to find Eren. Annie was well aware of this, but she didn't know what to do.
Annie then shifted the conversation, asking Mikasa what she planned to do. Was she really going to kill Eren to save humanity?
Mikasa responded that she would not kill Eren. She would bring back Eren, who had gone far away.
Looking at Mikasa, Annie couldn't help but ask if she wasn't wearing her scarf anymore.
Mikasa calmly replied that she had it with her, just not wearing it at the moment.
Meanwhile, Levi awoke in the ship's cabin. Armin quickly urged the Captain not to overexert himself. Levi retorted that if he continued to lie there, they would all forget his existence.
Levi then demanded to find the bastardisocyanate to find out Eren's direction of travel. Pieck immediately agreed to go along, as she had nothing else to do now.
This time, Yelena actually answered Levi honestly. To their surprise, Yelena was so forthcoming and confessed everything. Yelena's sole objective was to make everyone acknowledge that Zeke was right.
Although Zeke had lost, for 2,000 years, only the euthanasia plan could definitively resolve the Eldian problem. Witnessing the tragic state of the world, everyone was rendered speechless.
Hange admitted that what Yelena said was indeed the truth, and that she herself bore some responsibility. She had failed to provide Eren with any solutions, nor had she shown him any hope or future.