Black stuffed the letter into the trembling pirate's hand:
"Give this to Kaido."
Without hesitation, he threw the small pirate from the upper floor. Luckily, no Supreme Staircase stood below. The pirate landed unscathed, wide-eyed and terrified, and sprinted toward Onigashima.
"Governor-General! Governor-General! It's bad! I was discovered by those World Government people!"
Bang!
Kaido, drinking sake, nearly dropped his flask at the shout. Grabbing his spiked kanabo, he sent the pirate flying:
"Bastard! What now?!"
"Kai… Governor-General Kaido, those World Government people captured me and told me to give you this," the pirate stammered, handing over Black's letter.
Kaido squinted through the haze of drunkenness and examined the letter.
It was written in Kurozumi Kanjuro's handwriting and tone, lavishly flattering Kaido while claiming several members of the Nine Red Scabbards were ready to abandon the Kozuki family and join the Beasts Pirates. Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu's names were highlighted. The letter claimed that these figures, feeling marginalized in daily life, had long nurtured resentment.
"You're saying a Celestial Dragon gave this to me?" Kaido's gaze hardened on the pirate.
"Ye… yes, Governor-General Kaido. He personally put it in my hand," the pirate stammered.
Kaido paused, then laughed heartily:
"Wororororo… *hic*! Interesting! Very interesting! I'd like to meet this kid."
He tossed the letter back to the pirate:
"Don't say you came back. Take this letter, wander the streets of Flower Capital, and while you're at it, provoke those fools who follow Kozuki Oden."
The small pirate scurried off, leaving Kaido to return to his cave, drinking as if nothing had happened. Though reckless outwardly, Kaido understood Black's scheme perfectly and allowed it to unfold.
Black's impression of the Nine Red Scabbards had never been favorable. He planned to weaken Oden's forces from within, hoping fewer people would besiege Kaido in twenty years. How could a relay battle or siege ever reveal the sun god's true strength? A one-on-one fight was far more revealing.
So Black forged a secret letter from Kanjuro. By including Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu non-humans already distanced from the others he ensured the seeds of internal discord would spread. The "nine false, one true" element made the letter even more convincing. When Kanjuro revealed his true nature, even trusted allies would hesitate.
Among Wano's people, aside from the Kozuki family, Black particularly disliked Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. They acted as if being retainers was their ultimate purpose, yet ran back to the Mink Tribe to assert their dominance while still pledging loyalty to the Kozuki family. Such behavior confused him.
Why declare oneself a vassal if one's loyalty remains divided? In ancient terms, being a subject was considered lower than being a son. If the emperor's inclinations were his own, ministers were irrelevant but Inuarashi and Nekomamushi disregarded this principle. They were the true rulers of the Mink Tribe, and yet they pledged themselves to another master.
Black listed these non-human names on the letter decisively.
Meanwhile, in Flower Capital, the small pirate carried out Kaido's orders. The Nine Red Scabbards, who rarely left their homes due to constant surveillance, were ill-prepared for interference. Kiku, buying daily supplies, became the first target. The pirate approached her, kicked over a rice basket, and scattered grains before her wooden clogs.
"Yo! Isn't this the Kozuki family's stray dog?" he mocked.
Kiku ignored him, but the pirate, desperate to fulfill Kaido's task, grabbed a stick and smashed a rouge box from a nearby stall over her head.
"Want to dance and beg for mercy too, beauty?" he jeered, twisting his limbs into absurd postures and performing a split before collapsing in laughter.
Kiku's eyes blazed with fury. Mocking her was one thing; mocking Oden was another. She drew her sword instantly:
"Take back what you just said!"
Bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!
The small pirate was swiftly incapacitated, swirly eyes and unconscious.
Kiku noticed a letter tucked into his open collar. She picked it up, her expression freezing. Without a thought for groceries, she ran toward the Nine Red Scabbards' temporary residence.
She kicked open the door and approached Kanjuro, sword drawn.
Kanjuro's eyes widened, panic surging:
"Could it be… my perfect disguise has been exposed?"