Flashback to a few days ago.
After defeating Vice Admiral Onigumo (known in the Navy as "Ghost Spider"), Yuno didn't immediately leave the island. Instead, he retreated to a secluded location deep within the forest.
Enduring the throbbing pain, Yuno decided to unlock a new skill—Kaido.
In the Bleach universe, Kaidō (回道) is one of the four primary Shinigami combat disciplines, yet unlike Hadō (destructive spells) or Bakudō (binding spells), it is rarely mentioned or practiced outside of the 4th Division of the Gotei 13. It focuses entirely on healing and physical restoration rather than offense.
In the original manga, Kaidō has no flashy incantations, no numbered spell ranks, and no named "signature move" like Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi. It is so underappreciated that even within Soul Society, many divisions dismiss it as "support work" best left to medics.
On the Bleach "dashboard" of Yuno's system, only two or three Kaidō techniques were even listed. One of them was:
[Kaido: Withered Trees Reborn] — cost: 500 achievement points.
Its description was plain: a healing technique that repairs physical damage using the user's own reiryoku and stamina.
Unfortunately, Yuno's body was near its limit. Even if he unlocked it, he didn't have the strength to perform it immediately.
After resting for half a day, he finally had enough energy. A faint pale-green glow—similar to Orihime's Sōten Kisshun but less refined—spread from his hands, knitting torn flesh and repairing internal injuries.
Kaido could be used on others, too, but Yuno focused on healing himself first. Combined with the One Piece world's already absurd recovery rates, he was fully restored within a single day.
Since his "two bodies" (Navy Yuno and Pirate Yuno) shared spirit and energy but not injuries, there was no risk of healing in one body causing harm to the other. Navy Yuno simply continued training.
…
When Yuno picked up the newspaper, he was less shocked by the fact he was wanted than by the number—nearly 200 million berries right from the start.
Generous, weren't they?
Then again, he had crushed both a Shichibukai and a Vice Admiral in his debut. Anyone would consider him a serious threat. If this weren't his first bounty, the price on his head might have been doubled.
Tossing the newspaper aside, Yuno returned to his hideout—a cave carved into the cliffs of Swallow Island. Inside were his supplies and, most notably, the Devil Fruit he had stolen from the Shipping King Umit.
With his injuries gone, it was time to leave the North Blue for the Grand Line.
The North Blue was too small for him—too few worthy opponents, too few achievement points. Even killing Simon Sandy, a pirate worth over 40 million berries, had only netted him 150 points.
Besides, Doflamingo's crew was likely in the first half of the Grand Line right now. Their deal was still incomplete, and the ransom remained unpaid. Cooperation was cooperation, ransom was ransom—never mix the two.
"Either they come to me… or I come to them," Yuno smirked, eyes flicking toward the Devil Fruit. With such leverage, the Donquixote Family would have no choice but to appear.
After finalizing his plan, Yuno set sail—alone, in a small boat. For him, that was more than enough. Neither wind nor waves would trouble him now.
Only one thing annoyed him: limited storage. With nowhere to properly keep the Devil Fruit, he stuffed it in a random box and left it in the corner of the boat.
Then, planting a foot firmly on the deck, he gathered strength. The sea seemed to dent beneath him before releasing like a compressed spring, launching the vessel forward at high speed.
[Shunko], a derivative of Shunpo (Flash Step) from Bleach, had its naval applications after all…
...
Ten days later, Yuno finally arrived at the entrance to the Grand Line.
The towering Red Line stretched across the horizon, an unbroken wall of stone that had stood for countless ages, majestic and imposing, as if guarding the seas beyond.
A countercurrent on the water caught Yuno's attention.
"Upside-Down Mountain…"
He whispered the name, then chuckled to himself.
Steering his boat into the current, Yuno rode it up the mountain's inverted waterways and crossed over into the Grand Line.
At the Twin Gorges of Upside-Down Mountain, Yuno felt a presence—perhaps the ship's doctor who had once sailed with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Crocus? Or… Ikaros? He couldn't quite remember. Either way, Yuno ignored it, making no attempt to approach, and simply sailed on.
From within the lighthouse, Crocus frowned as he caught sight of Yuno's boat.
"That mask… hiss… is that the Quincy who defeated Donquixote Doflamingo? Has he entered the Grand Line as well?"
Adjusting his glasses, Crocus picked up a nearby bounty poster bearing Yuno's image. His eyes glinted.
"Heh… I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of waves this rising star will cause once he reaches the New World."
…
Several days later.
Kawana Island, Grand Line.
This island marked the start of one of the magnetic routes.
Most rookie crews used it as their first stop, which meant the place was a boiling pot of chaos.
Vendettas, robberies, brawls, even worse crimes—nothing was off-limits. Pirates ruled here, and the only law was strength.
Innocent adventurers like Monkey D. Luffy in the original story were rare. The rest were vicious to the core.
Yuno landed with a clear objective: attend an auction.
If memory served, the Donquixote Family—Doflamingo's underground empire—ran numerous black market auctions in the Grand Line. Yuno intended to try his luck.
If there wasn't one here, he could simply auction off his devil fruit himself.
With his current notoriety, a little publicity would be enough to make the news spread like wildfire. And if the Donquixote Family heard about it… they'd likely come knocking on his door soon enough.
He strolled into the bustling streets without the slightest attempt at disguise.
Almost everyone who saw him froze for a moment, then their expressions shifted sharply.
"That mask… that's the Quincy who defeated a Warlord of the Sea!"
"Hiss… seriously? Stay away from him! This guy's dangerous. He even killed a Vice Admiral! Is he not afraid of Navy retaliation?"
The black-and-white mask had become his trademark, instantly recalling to mind the mysterious Quincy whose name was spreading across the seas.
But one bounty hunter's eyes gleamed with skepticism.
"Hah, who knows if the rumors are even true? The Navy loves to exaggerate. Maybe it's all a misunderstanding…"
He found it hard to believe someone could receive a first bounty approaching 200 million berries. Surely the Navy had made some kind of mistake.
Another man sneered. "Why don't you go find out for yourself?"
"Humph. You think I don't dare?" The bounty hunter, stung by the mockery, stepped forward with a cold snort.
His name was Vic—one of the more formidable bounty hunters in the region. He had once taken down a pirate worth 50 million berries, earning a reputation as one of the best in the area.
"Heh… this should be interesting."
"Vic may be an idiot, but he's no pushover. That Quincy might need to put in some effort to beat him."
"True. He's got the brains of a brick, but the strength of a bull."
Murmurs and excited whispers spread through the crowd as Vic approached Yuno.
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