"That's Marley's fleet—probably their Second Fleet. I heard their First Fleet was completely wiped out by the Middle Easterners' navy in Yak Bay." The captain of the massive vessel, a bearded middle-aged man from Hizuru, pointed at the fleet sailing ahead and spoke.
"Marley's fleet? Captain Inoue, you seem to know Marley's navy quite well? How's the war between Marley and the Middle East going?" Yago leaned over to the captain, looking very curious.
Captain Inoue was a talkative man. Seeing Yago's interest, he smiled and replied,
"I'm not too clear on the land war, but as far as naval battles go, I can only say that the Marleyans are definitely no match for those ironclad monsters from the Middle East. Besides, Marley's navy has always been a joke."
Captain Inoue loosened his collar and continued,
"A few years ago, an uprising broke out in Marley's colonies in the Far East. Those rebels only organized a few dozen outdated steam ironclads, yet they directly surrounded Marley's Third Fleet and almost annihilated it.
"I heard it was a small Marleyan lieutenant who took the lead, barely breaking out of the encirclement with a dozen or so heavily damaged ships. After that, Marley's Third Fleet was disbanded outright. From then on, Marley's navy became a laughingstock in the eyes of other nations. In the end, though, the rebels were still crushed by several of Marley's Titan warriors. According to a friend of mine, Marley's land battles against the Middle East aren't going smoothly either."
Captain Inoue spoke with a sigh, while Yago picked up quite a bit of information from the exchange.
But just as Yago was thinking, Captain Inoue suddenly cried out, "What is that thing?!"
Yago followed the direction of Captain Inoue's pointing finger and saw that on the sea surface along the flank of Marley's fleet, a massive white shadow suddenly emerged.
The enormous white shadow also caught the attention of the other crew members aboard the giant vessel. Even Hange and Moblit leaned over the railing, blinking as they stared intently.
The white shadow advanced alongside Marley's fleet, drawing closer and closer to Hizuru's ship. Just as it neared, the white shadow suddenly accelerated and surged ahead of Marley's fleet.
A white head broke through the surface of the sea. Brilliantly pale, with narrow eyes stretched long like slits, glowing with crimson light. Each cheek bore three thin, elongated slits, like the gills of a fish. Most striking of all was the tall crest on its head, rising high like a shark's dorsal fin.
That was unmistakably a Titan's head! The white mass in the sea was a Titan?!
Everyone aboard the Hizuru vessel was stunned. Hange and Moblit were also dumbfounded—Titans could swim?
A chill ran down Yago's back. Vaguely, he felt a suffocating pressure. That sea Titan was a problem! It seemed to be connected to him somehow, and Yago grew ever more certain of a particular suspicion.
The Hizuru vessel received an uncoded radio message from Marley's fleet, asking about the identity and purpose of the Hizuru ship.
Sweat beading on his forehead, Captain Inoue quickly ordered a reply, stating that his ship was a normal cargo vessel returning home.
Fortunately, Marley's only enemy at the moment was the Middle Easterners, and Marley's high command had gradually realized the inadequacy of their own military strength. As a result, Marley had no intention of starting another war with other nations.
The reply they received instructed them to temporarily alter their course and resume their original route after Marley's fleet passed. Captain Inoue agreed—facing dozens of naval guns and that bizarre Titan in the sea, a plain cargo ship would do well to yield.
As the giant vessel altered course, Marley's fleet increased speed.
On the vanguard ship at the front of the Second Fleet, a Marleyan sailor raised a large metal loudspeaker and shouted toward the white Titan head on the sea surface ahead:
"Sea-Diving Titan! Continue following the fleet! Return to the flank for escort!"
The Titan known as the Sea-Diving Titan turned its head and glanced once more at the vessel that was receding into the distance. There was confusion in its red eyes. That ship carried a sensation that felt familiar and made its heart tremble. But quickly, the Sea-Diving Titan recovered—there was no need to think. Becoming a Titan was for the sake of family, nothing more.
Its head submerged beneath the sea once again, turning back into a great white shadow beneath the waves as it drifted to the fleet's flank.
Yago gripped the railing tightly with both hands. The steel railing actually deformed slightly under his grip.
As the Sea-Diving Titan looked toward the vessel, Yago was also staring at that now-blurred white head.
"This situation isn't just complicated anymore. Eren… I've got a much bigger headache now than you did back then," Yago sighed, his gaze conflicted.
...
In a forest near Marley's capital stood a small cluster of luxurious yet understated villas. Though not eye-catching, only Marley's absolute top echelon knew the status of their owners. The family here was the true core leadership of Marley.
The Tybur family—many Marleyans might have only heard of this family in stories, and many didn't even know of their existence at all. Yet the Tybur family were Marley's true rulers.
In a spacious and comfortable living room sat two very elderly figures. On the opposite sofa came the laughter of children at play. One girl and two boys were fighting over the desserts on the coffee table. Another, slightly older girl was holding a baby—her younger sister—off to the side, soothing her while calling out to the others to eat more slowly and not choke.
Watching the smiles on his children's faces, Willy Tybur, dressed in a suit, quietly left the living room and stepped onto the balcony. Beside him stood a maid, hands folded, silent and still.
Looking at the maid's calm, expressionless demeanor, Willy felt a faint pang of pain in his heart. She was his own younger sister. When they were young, she had been just as lively and cheerful as his children were now. But now…
Thinking of this, Willy let out a sigh. The power of the Tybur family had to be inherited. He was the only male of his generation in the Tybur family. For the continuation of the family, that power could only be inherited by his sister.
"Lara, I… sigh. Too many things have happened lately. It makes me feel like I'm standing on a drifting deck, unable to find solid ground."
Willy's sister, Lara Tybur, raised her head and looked at her brother, asking softly, "Brother, are you worried about that Ebson?"
Willy did not answer. His brow remained tightly furrowed. After a long while, he finally said, "We have always upheld the mission left by our ancestors. But now, beyond the Nine Titans, a new intelligent Titan has appeared. The balance will be broken, and the world will inevitably change. Yet Marley is growing weaker by the day…"
Lara lowered her head. She seemed to understand what her brother was worried about, and at the same time, she had already reached her own conclusion. When Marley was stable, there would be no need for any other Titan powers.
She had that confidence, because she was the inheritor of the Tybur family's power.
She was the War Hammer Titan.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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