Where's the Left Arm?

"I'll ask you plainly. What are you? A man? Or a Titan?"

- Captain Kitz Weilman questions Eren

Where's the Left Arm? (左腕の行方) is the 1st chapter of the 3rd volume and the 10th chapter overall of the Attack on Titan manga, written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama.

Overview
Inside the stomach of a Titan, Eren laments his defeat but does not give up. Somehow, a giant left arm appears out of the Titan, and another Titan emerges from it. Eren, in his Titan form, begins consciously killing other Titans. When Eren is back in his human form, he wakes up to a group of Garrison soldiers surrounding him, Mikasa and Armin. Kitz Weilman interrogates Eren, asking him if he is human or a Titan. Eren hesitates and answers that he is human, but Weilman signals the cannons to open fire. Mikasa plans on fleeing by climbing up the Wall while Armin tries a way to reason with the soldiers. They are stopped by cannon fire, and after remembering when his father told him about his power, Eren instinctively uses it to protect his friends. Eren activates his power and deflects the cannonball using an incomplete form of his Titan as a shield.

Summary
A Titan, with Eren in its mouth, bites down and severs his left arm and then eats him. Now in the Titan's stomach, Eren is surrounded by the bodies of the dead and dying. In disbelief, he remembers all of his training and how he has changed these past five years. He saw a dying man in a daze calling "ma..ma... hot... so.. hot." before sinking in the stomach acid. Thinking about everything the Titans have cost him, Eren again swears that he will erase them from this world.

Suddenly, a left arm appears and forces its way out of the Titan's throat, exiting its mouth. The Titan collapses and Eren, in Titan form, bursts out of its abdomen. As he leaves the corpse, he encounters his first Titan. Strangely, it reacts to it as it would to a human, going in for an attack. With almost no effort, Eren punches a hole through its head, straight through its weak spot. Seeing his new-found power, he wants to kill more Titans.

Apparently dreaming, Eren wakes up saying that he wants to "kill you all." Noticing the situation, he sees that soldiers led by Kitz Weilman have him backed into a corner, while Mikasa and Armin try to defend him. A couple of soldiers overheard his statement and mistakenly believe he is referring to them. Looking at his left arm, he starts to realize that what he saw was not just a dream. Weilman reveals the gravity of the situation. They are going to execute him and because they came to his defense, his friends will be as well. He then questions Eren if he is a human or a Titan. Not understanding, Eren asks what he means. Losing patience, Weilman states that there were numerous witnesses that saw him coming out of the Titan, which in effect, makes him the enemy. Not wanting to risk any more soldiers, an officer near him, Rico Brzenska, suggests that they kill him while he is still in human form.

Mikasa informs the surrounding soldiers that if they try to get close to them, she will demonstrate how good she is at what she does. Ian Dietrich tells Weilman that Mikasa is one of their best and it would be a great loss if she was killed. While Armin suggests fleeing, Eren tries to remember what has happened. When Weilman asks again what he is, Eren knows that his answer will greatly affect him, and his friends as well. Telling them he is a human, Weilman orders the soldiers to fire their cannons. Eren quickly tells his friends to leave him as Mikasa looks for a way up the Wall and Armin tries to plead their case to the soldiers and change their minds.

Just then, Eren remembers a time with his father. His father hands him a key and tells him the importance of keeping it with him. He explains that the injection he is about to give him will cause memory loss. He also reminds him of the basement, saying that although it will be a harsh journey, the "power" would be useful and he would find answers there. He tells Eren that their memories would teach him how to use the power. Time seems to slow down as one last phrase rings through his head, "If you want to save Mikasa...Armin...and everyone else...you'll have to control this power!." As the cannon fires, Eren bites down on his hand. An explosion happens around Eren and his friends. When the smoke clears, the onlookers are shocked to see the partially transformed torso of a Titan with Mikasa and Armin safe inside.

Trivia

 * The dying man that Eren saw within the Titan's stomach was changed to a girl in the anime. This was probably done to make the scene more emotional.

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