Sinners

"I doubt I'll ever forgive myself for what I did... even if I manage to save the rest of humanity. So... Well... Let's at least save the rest of humanity..."

- Reiner Braun tries to explain how he feels to Connie Springer

Sinners (罪人達) is the 3rd chapter of the 33rd volume and the 133rd chapter overall of the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama.

Overview
The flying boat heads for Fort Salta and Armin Arlert holds a meeting to plan their confrontation with Eren Yeager. He only wants to kill him as a last resort if dialogue fails. However, Eren pulls all the Eldians on the flying boat into the Paths to inform them that his mind is set, and the only way to stop the Rumbling will be to stop him from breathing.

On the ship heading towards Hizuru, Falco Grice sees a memory from Zeke Yeager, which he attributes to the fact he first became a Titan through the use of Zeke's spinal fluid. He believes he can use knowledge from this memory to make his Jaw Titan fly. Elsewhere, near Fort Salta, the Eldian refugees from Liberio are hoping to steal an airship to escape the Rumbling, but before they arrive, the airships begin lifting out of the fort to attack the approaching Titans.

Summary
The flying boat ride is uneasy for its passengers as Onyankopon flies it towards Fort Salta. They were only able to fuel it halfway before leaving, but he promises Armin Arlert that he will get them there no matter what and asks Armin to promise to stop the Rumbling. Armin agrees and tells Onyankopon that he is counting on him.

In the passenger hold, Armin holds a meeting with Levi Ackerman, Pieck Finger, Reiner Braun, Mikasa Ackerman, Jean Kirstein, and Connie Springer. He sketches an approximation of Eren Yeager's Founding Titan based on Levi and Pieck's description of it, but both of them point out that they cannot be certain whether or not Eren is located in its nape due to his possession of the War Hammer Titan's power.

Pieck says even if they do not know where he is, they have the option to blow away the entire Founding Titan if Armin uses his Colossus Titan the same way he did during the raid on Liberio, when he completely destroyed the port and left nothing behind. Though unhappy about the memory, Armin agrees that it would be the most effective way to kill Eren, but he wants to save that as a last resort if they fail to have a conversation with him.

Levi is fine with that, and, as an alternative, he suggests that they kill Zeke Yeager, since the connection with Zeke is what allows Eren to control the Founding Titan. Though he does not know where Zeke is, Levi is willing to find him inside Eren's Titan if the group will help him.

Jean agrees to do whatever it takes, pointing out that they have had to kill many of their former comrades to get this far, and they cannot allow those lives to go to waste. This causes Connie to remember killing Samuel and Daz while they called him a traitor and said they were saving the world. He tells Reiner that it must have been awful for him, Bertolt Hoover, and Annie Leonhart.

Reiner doubts he could ever forgive himself, no matter what he does, but puts his hand on Connie's shoulder to comfort him and suggests that they should at least save humanity. At first Connie is stricken, but agrees that they should still do this.

Jean regrets blaming Reiner for the things he did, when he eventually became a murderer himself to save people. Reiner says that Eren told him the same thing the night of the raid on Liberio. He feels that he understands some of Eren's thinking and that Eren might want them to stop him. This prompts Armin to bring up the fact that Eren has yet to restrict their ability to act, even though he has the power to control every Eldian.

They begin to discuss why that might be when suddenly the seven of them are summoned into the Paths.

Armin tries shouting into the emptiness to communicate with Eren, suggesting that he has already done enough damage to keep Paradis Island safe for centuries and it should be possible to stand down. His friends join him in trying to shoulder the blame and make things better between them and Eren.

Eren's disembodied voice informs them that the Rumbling will not stop and he will not leave Paradis's fate to chance. Levi spots a figure in the center of the Paths and Eren's friends begin running towards it, only to be surprised to see it is a childhood version of him.

Armin asks why Eren is still letting them use their powers, and if they can finally take the time to talk now that they are in the Paths, but Eren shuts down any possibility of diplomacy. He is choosing to take freedom away from the world to keep his own, but will not take any from them, so they are free to do what they want, even if it is opposing him. However, as long as they have different unbreakable convictions, they will be obligated to fight.

Now close enough, his friends are able to see the younger Eren standing alongside Ymir Fritz, with the same shadowed look in his eyes. He reveals that he only called them here to let them know that there is no need for them speak. If they want to stop the Rumbling, they will have to kill him.

Back on the plane, Onyankopon sees everyone rouse themselves from their trip to the Paths. Since negotiations are out, Levi turns to his new commander and asks Armin what they should do now.

On the ship, Kiyomi Azumabito tells Annie that they will be traveling to Hizuru, though she doubts her homeland is in any condition to operate as a country. Kiyomi is burdened by the fact that she was the one who enabled Eren and Zeke to meet, so Annie asks her what she would have done differently. Rather than rewrite the past, Kiyomi accepts that it happened and cannot be changed, but she wonders why it is not possible to notice something as simple as respect for others until it is lost.

Annie remembers her father asking her to come home, Pieck being a friend to her while they were training to be Warriors, pranks with the 104th while they were in the Training Corps, and finally her bond with Armin. She says it is too late, as Gabi Braun and Falco Grice come up alongside her.

Falco explains that he saw a memory belonging to Zeke Yeager. Much like how the Female Titan can obtain abilities from other Titans by taking in parts of their bodies, they believe the same has happened to Falco due to the fact it was Zeke's spinal fluid that first transformed him into a Titan. This explains the bestial appearance of his Jaw Titan compared to previous inheritors.

The clearest memory Falco saw is one of flying above the clouds. He believes that it is something he can do, and that at one point, there was a Beast Titan with wings. He and Gabi came over to tell Annie that they are leaving.

Annie is vehemently against it, afraid that they will sink the ship and concerned about the fact that Falco has never been in control of his Titan, but Kiyomi tells her that she does not mind if the ship sinks if the alternative is living with more regrets.

Elsewhere, on a train bound for Fort Salta, Mr. Leonhart is armed with a rifle as he watches a skeptical Marleyan engineer and reminds him who to thank for not being flattened by the Rumbling. Though the engineer does not have much hope of them stealing an airship, helping them is the only chance he has to save his family, who are on the train with the Eldian refugees.

In the cargo cars of the train, others stand watch over the engineer's family and many more are crowded, sitting on the floor. Falco's parents try to reassure Gabi's that the two kids are likely with Reiner and Colt Grice, but Gabi's parents are horrified by the thought of her being on an island of devils. They wish the kids had never become Warriors so they could be with them at the end. Karina Braun overhears them and looks down.

Nearby, a young man suggests Mr. Finger throw away his armband, but he is reluctant to do so since his daughter sacrificed everything to earn it for him.

Outside the train, the airships begin lifting out of Fort Salta. Anxious, Mr. Leonhart tells the engineer to hurry. They only need one airship for all of them to escape.

Meanwhile, smoke is spotted from the train and its passengers realize that the Rumbling has finally caught up with them. The airships move to engage and the engineer becomes hopeful, realizing that the plan is to bomb the Wall Titans from on high where the ships themselves cannot be reached.