Recalling this matter, Kaido also felt a bit awkward; he really had forgotten. Seeing Kaido's somewhat embarrassed expression, King knew exactly what was going on.
"Big Brother, this happened several years ago; it's normal for you to forget," King said.
"Ahem, how are those two of the Nine Red Scabbards doing now? Have they surrendered?" Kaido asked, quickly changing the subject.
He was still thinking about having those powerful samurai join his ranks to fight for him.
"No, they're all tough nuts to crack; not a single one is willing to surrender. If you hadn't given the word to keep them alive, Big Brother, they would have been killed long ago," King shook his head.
Hearing this answer, Kaido's face darkened. He had given them a chance, yet they were so ungrateful. So many years had passed; was that dead master of theirs, Kozuki Oden, really that good?
"Forget it. If they won't surrender, then it doesn't matter. I don't have that much time left to wait for them to change their minds," Kaido muttered.
He had already given them many chances. Since they were so unappreciative, they couldn't blame him for being ruthless now.
"It's good that you've come around, Big Brother. It just so happens we're executing a plan recently, and we'll need those two as bait," King nodded with satisfaction upon seeing Kaido change his mind.
"What plan?" Kaido raised an eyebrow.
Subsequently, King explained the details of the plan one by one. After hearing the entire strategy, the expression on Kaido's face became very strange.
"You're saying this was proposed by that stinky brat, Yamato?"
Has the sun started rising from the west? That little brat has actually started playing mind games, and on such a large scale right from the start.
"That's right, it was the Young Master's idea. We just refined the details a bit. Big Brother, don't underestimate the Young Master; their intelligence is actually quite high," King smiled.
"Humph, they're my offspring after all. That intelligence should have been used for the Beasts Pirates long ago," Kaido snorted, sounding somewhat proud.
Seeing that Yamato was now willing to act for the sake of the Beasts Pirates, he, as a father, felt somewhat gratified. King's mouth twitched; that was certainly not how Kaido had been speaking before.
"Since there's a plan, then proceed according to it. Just don't forget to report back. Also, if you find those two bastards Straw Hat and Law, tell me immediately. I want them to know what it means to bring trouble upon oneself!"
At the thought of his Artificial Devil Fruit trade being ruined, Kaido's anger flared up. Otherwise, his Beasts Pirates could have increased their number of Gifted users even more.
"Alright, if they are found, I will inform you immediately, Big Brother," King nodded.
It was clear that Kaido was still very unhappy about Straw Hat and Law teaming up to take down Doflamingo. Although it might not be the best thing to say, King actually felt that this outcome wasn't entirely bad. After all, the Beasts Pirates were growing larger, making them more difficult to manage. To continue increasing the number of Artificial Devil Fruit users, the base population of the crew would have to be expanded. Then it would become increasingly difficult to manage, and problems would arise sooner or later. King certainly didn't want to see that happen. So, he now felt that Yamato was right; it was time for the Beasts Pirates to make some changes. However, King didn't dare say these things to Kaido, because Kaido hated it most when his subordinates didn't listen to him.
Elsewhere, in the Flower Capital, Kanjuro, who had been exposed as the mole, appeared. With his head and face covered in cloth, he walked toward the Shogun's castle, his expression somewhat gloomy.
"Who on earth leaked the fact that I'm an undercover agent?"
He couldn't understand it; his infiltration under Kozuki Oden had been planned many years ago. Aside from the few remaining members of the Kurozumi Family, no outsider should have known about this. Now, only Orochi and he remained of the Kurozumi Family, and it was absolutely impossible for Orochi to have done such a thing. After thinking it over from every angle, Kanjuro still couldn't figure out who did it.
"My position is very dangerous now. If I return to them, with those guys' naivety, they would certainly choose to continue believing me. However, others might not," Kanjuro's eyes flickered.
He was confident he could handle Kin'emon and those friends, but as for Straw Hat and Law, it wouldn't work. Especially Law, who was meticulous; no matter how good his acting was, he wouldn't be able to fool a man like that. Therefore, Kanjuro was now considering whether or not to return to Kin'emon's side. If they had set a trap, it would be bad.
"Based on my understanding of Kin'emon, he will definitely investigate. I can even guess the reasons he'll use—nothing more than saying I would agree and wouldn't mind being wronged—but this time, that clearly won't work," Kanjuro frowned.
Pausing, he thought of something else, and his face became even uglier. "What's even more unimaginable is that another member of the Nine Red Scabbards is actually lurking around the Shogun. If this is proven true, it would be equivalent to directly proving that I am a spy."
This was why Kanjuro had come here; he wanted to see if that news was true or false. If it were false, he would still have room to act. If it were true, then he really was exposed. With a heavy heart, Kanjuro arrived at the place where notices were posted and took a stealthy look. That one glance sent his heart sinking to the bottom. There was a new wanted poster depicting a man identified as the underworld boss of the Flower Capital, Kyoshiro.
It was this Kyoshiro who had been found out to be one of the Nine Red Scabbards. He had been lurking by the Shogun's side for twenty years, and after being discovered, he fled to avoid punishment.
"Damn it, it's actually true!" Kanjuro gritted his teeth.
Without a doubt, the news here must have been transmitted by the companions of Straw Hat who had infiltrated the city. In other words, he, Kanjuro, had already been confirmed as a spy.
"Kyoshiro? Why don't I have any impression of this man? But this hairstyle... Could it be him, Denjiro!"
Kanjuro felt the face was more and more familiar the more he looked, and then he suddenly realized. His face was cold as ice.
"This guy is actually still alive and even dared to proactively lurk here. He's the one who ruined my grand plans! If it were not for Denjiro, I would still have room to continue my performance."
And now, two pieces of news regarding moles had come out. One was proven true, so how could the other possibly be false? It was obvious that the person who released the news did it on purpose.
"Since I can't go back, I can only go to the castle. Don't forget, I know a lot of information," a fierce light flared in Kanjuro's eyes.
Even if Kin'emon and the others evacuated and went to a new stronghold, it didn't matter. As long as people were sent to look, they would definitely be found.
"Moreover, there are several of Straw Hat's companions in this Flower Capital. I'll start with them! As for the others, we can take our time. Wano Country is only so big; they won't be able to hide for long."
Having made up his mind, Kanjuro left the crowd and walked toward the Shogun's castle. Inside the residence, Orochi sat there drinking wine. Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the shadows; it was Kanjuro.
"Your Highness, I have returned," Kanjuro walked directly in front of Orochi.
Seeing Kanjuro, Orochi showed a look of surprise and joy. "Kanjuro, you're back. It's good that you're okay. I was worried about how to notify you. I don't know who it was that actually knew about your business and leaked it."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. The problem now is that I've been exposed, and I can't continue acting anymore. However, I know a lot, and if used properly, it can deal them a heavy blow," Kanjuro said fiercely.
Upon hearing this, Orochi's gaze also became fierce. "More than that, Kanjuro, what I want to know now is whether the matter of the Nine Red Scabbards returning is true or false?"
"Your Highness, the matter is true. None of Oden's former vassals died. And Oden's son, Kozuki Momonosuke—in that fire back then, only that mother and daughter were burned to death," Kanjuro answered truthfully.
Hearing this answer, a storm surged in Orochi's heart, and a trace of terror couldn't help but flash in his eyes.
"What exactly is going on? Explain it clearly to me," Orochi growled, crushing the wine cup in his hand.
Subsequently, Kanjuro told Orochi about those events from twenty years ago.
"Kozuki Toki, that wretched woman, actually had the ability to send people twenty years into the future to kill me! Ah—damn Kozuki Clan, you lingering spirits!"
Orochi stood up and kicked away the wine pot by his feet, cursing in a rage.
"Your Highness, there's no need for this. Even after twenty years, they are still no match for us; otherwise, they wouldn't have allied with outside pirates," Kanjuro consoled him.
"Kanjuro, you said their companions are in the Flower Capital, right?" Orochi's tone was sinister.
"Yes, there are four of them, all using aliases, but they're still easy to identify. One is disguised as a ronin, one as a craftsman, one as a merchant, and one as a dancer. I can draw their portraits and have my subordinates look for them. They'll be very easy to find," Kanjuro said, beginning to draw right in front of Orochi.
Four portraits were produced, looking perfectly lifelike. If Kin'emon and the others saw them, they would surely be so surprised their jaws would drop, because they had no idea Kanjuro's drawing skills were so good. Needless to say, this was also Kanjuro acting in front of them, intentionally showing his drawing skills to be poor for years.
"Very good! With the portraits, we can find them. When the time comes, I'll hang them all on crosses and turn them into sieves with bullets!" Orochi laughed loudly.
"Your Highness, it's too early to be happy. Those people might have already received word and fled. If they've left the Flower Capital, it will be hard for our men to find them," Kanjuro said calmly.
Orochi calmed down upon hearing this. "True. But that doesn't matter; we can just rely on Kaido. When dealing with pirates, isn't it better to use other pirates?"
"Your Highness is right. It's more appropriate to let pirates handle pirates. We just need to give all the information about these people to the Beasts Pirates," Kanjuro agreed.
Furthermore, the main goal of the alliance between Kin'emon, Straw Hat, and Law was to defeat Kaido. In that case, it was better to let the Emperors deal with them.
"I'll leave the intelligence to you. I'll arrange for you to meet the higher-ups of the Beasts Pirates. You'll cooperate with them to eliminate those pirates and the Nine Red Scabbards!" Orochi said coldly.
"Alright," Kanjuro nodded without objection.
Since he had been exposed, Kin'emon and the others would surely react. He knew them well, so it would be best for him to coordinate with the Beasts Pirates' actions.
"By the way, there's one more thing. Didn't you say Oden's brat is still alive? If we could capture that kid, those people would surely be worried to death, wouldn't they? Hehe," Orochi chuckled sinisterly.
Kanjuro immediately understood Orochi's line of thought and laughed as well. "Of course, they're currently protecting that brat who only knows how to cry. A brat like that—to think they treat him as their leader. It's laughable. With such a coward around, the Kozuki Clan certainly has no bright future."
"Well said, but that's not enough. Only by eliminating that brat and completely severing the Kozuki bloodline will our Kurozumi Family achieve its most successful revenge," Orochi said with a crazed look.
The purpose of his existence was to take revenge on the Kozuki Clan and all of Wano Country.
"Your Highness, leave it to me. I will capture that brat," Kanjuro said.
"I'm confident in leaving it to you. However, since your identity has been exposed, you should still be careful," Orochi reminded him.
"I understand. I'll first coordinate with the Beasts Pirates' actions and then look for an opportunity," Kanjuro nodded and then left silently.
Meanwhile, several of the people who had infiltrated the Flower Capital—except for a certain swordsman with a terrible sense of direction—all received the news that their identities were exposed and they needed to evacuate immediately. The three of them looked out for each other and quickly left the Flower Capital under the cover of night, returning to the secret stronghold in Kuri.
"Only the three of us made it out. What about Zoro? I couldn't find him anywhere," said the long-nosed Usopp.
"It should be fine. Zoro has a severe lack of direction; he might have gone somewhere else long ago," Robin remarked calmly.
"Robin's right. Since he can't be found, he must have gotten lost and wandered off somewhere. He's surely not in any danger; he'll show up on his own eventually," Franky agreed.
Hearing their words, Usopp's mouth twitched. Although that was true, it felt a bit disrespectful toward Zoro. However, he also knew that Zoro was very strong, so there was likely no need to worry about him being in danger. On the contrary, it was the enemies who would be in real danger if they encountered him.