59 Negotiations
Wyper started to come out of his unconscious state.
The first thing he noticed was that he was tightly bound to what felt like a chair. His right leg ached dully, but since he could move it (somewhat, as it was also bound), it did not seem to be as injured as the previous pain he experienced would have suggested.
He opened his eyes groggily and cast his gaze around his surroundings.
In front of him was a table fashioned with a cut out portion of one of the oversized trees' trunks.
To his left sat the blond man with drums imbedded into his back, bound to his own chair which was similarly carved from a tree. He was called Enel by Gan Fall before, if he recalled correctly.
Across from him sat the bound figure of Gan Fall, who was currently squirming in a futile attempt to escape his bindings.
To his right sat the woman who had knocked him out, sitting without any bindings and looking right at him.
"Good, now that we're all awake and well rested, we can begin." She said.
"Begin what?" Wyper asked, hostility clear in his tone.
"Negotiations to end your respective conflicts and resolve your disagreements." The woman stated, unfazed by his rudeness.
"First, we'll start with introductions. My name is Harpin D. Cherry and I'll be acting as your mediator. Nice to meet you." Cherry said. Gan Fall ceased his pointless struggling when he heard her say the middle initial D., having recalled something from a not-so distant past.
Cherry looked at Wyper and smiled silently at him. Seeing he was at her mercy, he decided to play along for now. Perhaps he would be able to achieve his aims through this farce, though he doubted it.
"I am Wyper, leader of the Shandian Warriors." He stated curtly.
Cherry looked to Enel next for his introduction. Then to Gan Fall last, much to his chagrin.
"Excellent, now that introductions are out of the way, we'll address grievances. First we'll start with sir Wyper." Cherry gestured towards Wyper with a hand.
"My ancesters had their land stolen from them centuries ago by Skypeia and its God. Many have sacrificed their lives in the conflict. I demand that the land be returned to my people and that all Skypeians be removed at once, at the bare minimum." Spoke Wyper, glaring at Gan Fall.
"My people cannot-!" Gan Fall began to complain, but was cut off when a bullet with all the power of a cannon ball flashed passed his face, cutting a bloody line across his cheek.
"You WILL wait your turn before speaking, Gan Fall. I'll remind you that you're trapped in human form by the sea stone I've affixed to your body." Cherry threatened, a cold light in her eyes.
All three men felt a cold sweat on their backs. They were all experienced warriors, two of whom were trained in Mantra, but still they hadn't noticed when Cherry drew the pistol.
"Enel, it's your turn." Cherry stated bluntly.
"Birka-" Enel started.
Cherry interrupted him. "I didn't ask Birka. I asked you, Enel. What is YOUR purpose here? You led me to believe you would not leave Birka undefended, yet here you are with your best warriors. I already know that Gan Fall started his war against Birka because they would not surrender you to him, or at least Birka's God at the time would not."
Enel was uncomfortable underneath Cherry's chilling gaze, but remained silent.
"It's not in your best interest to stay quiet, Enel. I can end the war between Birka and Skypeia right now, just by handing you over to Gan Fall, isn't that right?" Cherry looked at Gan Fall, who started nodding enthusiastically.
Enel was lost in thought. The truth would only damn him and he was never a scheming type, preferring to deal with his problems head on with brute force, so lying would only make him more suspicious.
"I have nothing to say. Gan Fall is the one in the wrong for attacking my homeland over the life of one man. Moreover, I cannot be blamed for wanting to preserve my own life." Enel left it at that.
Cherry decided to move on for now. Perhaps he would speak up later.
"Alright Gan Fall. It's your turn." Cherry said, bracing herself for the inevitable rantings of the mad man.
And rant he did.
Gan Fall spoke at great lengths about his dreams and what they showed him of the supposed cruelty of Enel. In particular that he believed that he would acquire the "Treasure of Birka" left behind by the Thunder God, one of Birka's previous rulers who possessed the power to become and control lightning. He would then used that power to annihilate Birka and later plan to do the same to Skypeia.
Cherry wondered how the Thunder God managed to ensure his own devil fruit would end up in his tomb, considering he'd have to die before the power left him. 'Perhaps he piled up many of the type of fruit that it could transfer to nearby at the time of death?'
Cherry was able to glean some information from Enel during the rant as well. For instance, the part where he wanted Birka's Treasure seemed to be true, but the claim that he would destroy Birka made him incredulous.
"Well, that was... enlightening. However, even if we were to assume what you said would truly have come to pass, how can you justify the deaths that have occurred as a result of your actions?" Cherry asked him.
"They were all going to die anyway, if I had done nothing. I am blameless." Gan Fall insisted, though his expression betrayed his sense of guilt.
"Well, let's start the negotiation faze. Are you willing to hand over Upper Yard to the Shandians and remove all presence of Skypeians from the island, Gan Fall?" Cherry asked.
"I cannot do that." Gan Fall replied.
The negotiations in regards to the long war between the Shandians and Skypeians were difficult. Gan Fall was surprisingly not too demanding, he only wanted to ensure access to 'vearth' for his people to grow food.
Wyper's stubbornness was the biggest issue. He was insistent that only Shandians be able to set foot on Upper Yard.
He did relax somewhat when a little girl named Aisa showed up, apparently having "heard" all the Shandian Warriors get taken out.
"Wyper, you should understand that even if Gan Fall unconditionally agrees to withdraw, his successors may not be so willing and likely will restart the conflict.
I know that your ancestors were wronged, and that you are angry about that injustice. However, you need to make a compromise here to ensure the future of your people.
By sharing access to the land with the Skypeians, you greatly reduce the chances of greed taking hold of their hearts. Especially if your people mingle with theirs, building a strong friendship with them over time." Cherry tried to convince him using his people's future welfare.
Wyper knew he would not live forever and there would not necessarily be a warrior of his caliber in every generation to protect his people. He was skeptical of the idea of being "friends" with the Skypeians, but hadn't his own ancestor Kalgara formed an unlikely friendship with Noland, an outsider?
"Very well. If the land is returned to my people, then I think they will be willing to allow a portion to be used for farming by the Skypeians." Wyper said, with some difficulty. He was far more accustomed to fighting than this diplomacy stuff.
Gan Fall had calmed down significantly and become much less erratic since the start of the parley. It seemed the conflict with the Shandians was something that had weighed heavily upon him, but he had lacked the finesse to deal with it peacefully.
"Well, now with that settled, what are we going to do with you, Enel?" Cherry asked, all eyes turning to him.
"Although I would be perfectly happy to just hand you over to Gan Fall, that might result in Birka going on the offensive instead of Gan Fall. However, I think I may have a solution." Cherry said.
