"Is there someone closer to God Gan Fall that we could ask about his circumstances? It breaks my heart to know that people are suffering and we would love to get to the bottom of his paranoia, to see if perhaps there is a way for us to help." Cherry asked.
Conis and Pagaya looked at one another.
"McKinley is probably your best chance for that, but he is quite a loyal man. He reports directly to God Gan Fall. He has done his best to protect Skypeia from God's paranoia, so I do not think he will take any chances on strangers. Sorry about that. You should give up on meddling in Skypeia's affairs and focus on returning home." Pagaya explained.
Cherry asked where they could find McKinley and after some prying she managed to get a straight answer out of him.
"Can you tell me about these dials?" Serene blurted out a question she could no longer hold in. Cherry reluctantly allowed it as they were in pleasant company and they could not blow their cover story yet.
Pagaya and Conis were delighted for the change of subject, however, and happily explained the many uses of dials. Cherry hadn't paid much mind to them until this, seeing they were somewhat convenient.
After they had a pleasant meal, Cherry and company were ready to head out.
"Thank you for the information and your hospitality. You have been very helpful and generous towards us during our time of need." Cherry stood and gave a polite bow.
"No, no! It's our pleasure really! Sorry about that." Pagaya insisted.
"You need not worry about it. Just hearing your stories of the blue sea made it worth every moment." Conis smiled.
The group left the quaint home of the father and daughter, then made their way into town. They had found out they were not the only visitors to Skypeia from the blue sea, so they would only stand out a bit because of Cabernet.
Robin insisted on going shopping as she was still stuck wearing some of Nami's clothes. She managed to find a little boutique that sold "blue sea styles" and dressed up in something that was more up her alley.
Serene also needed some "proper" clothes, so Cherry found some appropriate maid outfits for her to wear.
They reached the part of the town near McKinley's home and Cherry could sense the presence of someone inside. She went to the door and knocked directly.
A man wearing a white beret answered the door. He had a braided ponytail, a scar beneath his left eye, his left hand was in a cast, and his right hand held a bottle.
"Who is it?" He asked. His words slurred slightly and his breath smelled of alcohol.
"We're new to Skypeia and hoped you could answer some of our questions." Cherry stated.
"Go away." He shut the door in their faces.
Cherry knocked once again and the man answered the door with a frustrated look on his face.
"Why are you bothering me, go ask someone else." He insisted and tried to shut the door.
Cherry caught the door with her hand. The man struggled to close the door, but no matter how hard he tried, the door would not move. Cherry gave him a friendly smile which didn't look friendly at all.
Seeing that he was at a disadvantage, he decided to play along for now. At the first sign of trouble, he would blow his whistle and attempt to flee.
"Thank you for entertaining us, fine sir." Cherry said, stepping inside the house.
"What sort of questions do you want to ask of me? You could have asked anyone else in town and gotten your answers." The man was confused.
"I don't think they can answer the questions that we have. Firstly, are you the one called McKinley?" Cherry asked.
McKinley got a bad foreboding feeling from that question. "Yes, what of it?"
"Excellent." Cherry ignored his follow up question. "Tell me, when did God Gan Fall start going mad?"
McKinley immediately went to blow his whistle and escape. However he found himself grasped with many arms and was unable to move an inch.
"Cherry, you're not very good at questioning people..." Robin reprimanded.
"I am so! There's just no point in dancing around the issue, so I cut straight to the heart of it! Also you didn't have to restrain him, I had it under control!" Cherry pouted.
McKinley stopped struggling in the arms' grasp when he realized it was useless.
"Are you ready to cooperate?" Cherry asked. Mckinley made no indication of an answer. Cherry motioned for Robin to release his mouth.
He instantly tried to scream, but his mouth was smothered too quickly to get a peep out.
"Robin's a smart one, McKinley. You won't be able to pull any tricks while she's here, understand?" Cherry asked. McKinley was motionless for a moment, then nodded as best as he could.
After his mouth was released again, McKinley spoke. "I won't answer any of your questions. I shall not betray my lord."
"I'm not asking you to betray him. I just want to know how all of this started. I want to help Skypeia and hopefully help your master as well." Cherry spoke honestly.
McKinley studied her face, looking for any sign of trickery. Although she looked like a villain if he'd ever seen one, he could not help but feel she was being honest with him.
He sighed. "God Gan Fall's madness started around 7 years ago, about a year before the war started. He had left for an impromptu diplomatic visit to Birka and when he returned, his behavior had become strange and erratic."
"It was a sudden change?" Cherry asked, he nodded.
"You do not know the purpose of the visit, aside from general 'diplomacy'?" She asked.
"No, no one knows as far as I am aware." He answered.
Cherry thought for a moment. "Did he bring anything with him and not return with it? Did he bring anything back with it that he did not possess beforehand?"
"He brought some delicacies for Birka's God as a gift, but..." Something seemed to come to his mind.
"There was something he brought back with him. He had refused to part with it. A box made from cloud iron. I do not know what was inside nor what became of it." McKinley said.
'Interesting, a clue perhaps? This is starting to shape up into a real mystery, how exciting! I hope it doesn't turn out he's just gone senile.' Cherry thought.
"Where does God Gan Fall reside?" Cherry asked.
McKinley was becoming uncomfortable again, but the answer to this question wasn't a secret anyway. "God's shrine is inside Upper Yard, the largest island made of vearth in the sky. It's connected to Skypeia via milky road bridge."
Cherry knew the island he was talking about. It was hard to miss with its gigantic trees. That, and it wasn't made of clouds.
"Do you know what the reasoning, if there is any, that God Gan Fall went to war with Birka for?" Cherry inquired.
"He claims that a man called Enel is a devil of some sort that will destroy both Birka and Skypeia. He is Birka's strongest warrior, so when God Gan Fall asked Birka's God to hand him over, he refused. Since then, Birka's God passed away from old age and an official successor has not been chosen yet because of the war." McKinley answered, though he seemed doubtful.
"Why does he believe this Enel to be a devil?" Cherry asked.
McKinley hesitated. "God Gan Fall has said he saw it in his dreams, like a vision of the future. He records his dreams in a journal, as I understand it."
'Precognition? That's a rare talent, if he isn't just crazy. I guess I need to get my hands on this dream journal. That ought to answer some questions.' Cherry decided.
She smiled. 'A heist it is then.'