Pieck, who had been entangled for a while, was gradually losing her patience. The Marleyan officer named Hauge refused to let her go and kept pressing the issue relentlessly.
Pieck's patience quickly wore thin, and her expression slowly turned cold. She was already in a bad mood. If this guy insisted on making things difficult for her, she wouldn't mind taking action. She believed Commander Magath would stand on her side.
"Don't hold me back! Today I'm going to teach this damned Eldian a lesson so she learns what respect means!" Hauge shoved his companion aside and raised his fist the size of a sandbag, ready to smash it down.
Pieck silently closed her eyes. She would take the punch first—then she'd have a perfect reason to retaliate.
But the pain she expected never came. Instead, she felt the grip on her arm loosen, followed by Hauge letting out a scream that sounded like a pig being slaughtered.
She opened her eyes in confusion and saw that Hauge's arm—thicker than her thigh—had been seized by a slender hand. When her gaze moved to the face of the hand's owner, Pieck's breath caught.
The man was Yago.
With effortless ease, Yago held Hauge in place with just one hand. He applied only a slight amount of force, yet Hauge felt as if his arm were being clamped by a steel vise.
"Ahhh. It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts! Let go! Let go now!" Hauge shouted while stammering.
Seeing this, Yago increased the strength in his hand slightly. Hauge's face instantly turned the color of red, and his legs went weak as he nearly collapsed. Fortunately, his companion reacted quickly and caught him.
"We're all comrades-in-arms. There's no need to go so hard! Hauge just acted on impulse. He didn't mean to provoke someone from the Warrior unit. Please don't do this!" Hauge's companion pleaded on his behalf.
He didn't know who Yago was, but since he was standing up for an Eldian, he assumed he must be from the Warrior unit. Besides, the colonel's insignia on Yago's shoulder outranked them. Naturally, he had no desire to provoke him.
Some of the surrounding Marleyan officers who had been silently watching the spectacle also began to chime in with words of persuasion. When Hauge had been bullying Pieck, an Eldian, none of them had said a word—they had simply treated it as entertainment. But now that "their own people" were fighting, they suddenly began speaking up.
Yago found it amusing. He released his grip.
Hauge immediately collapsed onto the ground with a thud. Before he could say anything, his companion helped him up, and the two staggered away.
The onlookers quickly dispersed as well.
Watching the crowd scatter, Yago glanced back slightly at Pieck and then turned to leave.
But suddenly, an unfriendly voice rang out behind him.
"Stop! Yago Norman, why are you here? What's your purpose?"
Yago acted as if he hadn't heard and continued walking.
However, he soon stopped.
Pieck had stepped in front of him, blocking his path, staring at him intently.
"Are you calling me, Warrior?" Yago asked coldly.
Pieck looked at the confused expression on Yago's face and sneered.
"Yago-san, there's no need to pretend. We've met more than once on Paradis Island. I trust my memory very much."
Yago's face hardened, and he replied coldly, "Warrior, I don't know what you're talking about. I have no idea who this 'Yago-san' you're referring to is. Also, what does this person have to do with you? And why did I hear you mention the island of devils just now?"
Pieck was slightly stunned.
Even now he was still stubbornly denying it?
His acting was impressive. Yago's firm attitude made her hesitate a little. Observing more closely, she suddenly noticed that the "Yago" in front of her seemed to have subtle differences from the one on the island.
Did the one on the island have a scar on his face?
The more she thought about it, the more uncertain she became. The tough stance she had just adopted softened immediately.
But she still suspected Yago. She refused to believe that two people in the world could look that similar—especially when one was an Eldian and the other a high-ranking Marleyan officer.
Still, continuing the stalemate wasn't a solution.
Pieck thought for a moment and decided to take a risk and test the man in front of her.
Her expression suddenly relaxed, even forming a calm and casual smile.
Then she said:
"Yago-san, stop pretending. I don't know why you're here, but what I want to say is—I want to cooperate with you. This war has made me completely see the ugly face of the Marleyans. We Eldians living outside the island have suffered endless oppression under Marley's rule. Because of that, I've decided to defect to Paradis Island. Yago-san, please believe in my sincerity."
Pieck spoke half-truths and half-lies.
Why half-true?
Because she really had considered defecting to Paradis Island—but only if Paradis gained the upper hand and her family and friends would not be harmed.
If the officer before her truly was Yago, the defection of a Marleyan Warrior would surely make him hesitate for at least a moment, even if he didn't believe her.
Pieck's observational skills were sharp. The moment Yago showed even a trace of hesitation, she would notice the flaw.
However, to her astonishment, after hearing her words, Yago didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Instead, he immediately drew his pistol and pressed it against Pieck's forehead.
Then he shouted harshly:
"Eldian? Bastard! What the hell are you talking about? Are you a traitor? As a Warrior of Marley, you dare betray Marley? Who exactly is this Yago? Is he an Eldian spy? What was your purpose in infiltrating the Warrior unit?!"
Yago's sudden reversal caught Pieck completely off guard.
Before she could react, her hands were restrained by him.
Then her lips suddenly touched something cold.
A thick, icy gun barrel had been shoved straight into her mouth.
"Don't even think about transforming into a Titan. Your identity has been exposed, traitor," Yago said coldly, his finger resting on the trigger.
Feeling the genuine killing intent coming from him, Pieck panicked.
She immediately began making frantic muffled noises, desperately signaling that she had something to say.
Seeing this, Yago slightly moved the pistol away.
Pieck spoke indistinctly:
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! Sir, please listen to my explanation!"
...
After a long while, Yago put away his pistol and asked coldly:
"So you mistook me for a Titan warrior from the Devil Island? You were testing me?"
Pieck quickly nodded.
"Sir, because I once infiltrated Paradis Island with Warrior Captain Zeke, that's why I made the mistake. The test just now was unavoidable. I am absolutely loyal to Marley!"
Yago snorted.
"Whether what you said is true or false has nothing to do with me. But everything you said just now—I will report it to the higher authorities. You'd better take care of yourself."
After saying that, Yago turned and left.
At that moment, Bagge—his big belly protruding—also came over.
"Loya! Why didn't you call me when you left?!"
Watching Bagge sling an arm around Yago's shoulders as the two walked away together, Pieck's expression flickered uncertainly.