Without a doubt, the person closest to Rayfa was his mischievous older brother, Corazon.
However, at this point in time, Corazon was still only a teenager. Compared to the man he would later become, when he infiltrated the Donquixote Family in Dressrosa, his strength was nowhere near that level.
Back then, although Corazon held only the rank of Marine Major, his combat ability was enough to easily defeat officers at the Colonel level. That meant his true strength had already reached a general tier.
If it had been Corazon from those later years, hunting a few Sea Kings for Rayfa would have been effortless. But now, even if Rayfa made such a request, Corazon would probably risk his life to try.
Rayfa was not reckless enough to allow that.
So Corazon was ruled out as well.
After excluding both his adoptive father Sengoku and Corazon, the first figure that surfaced in Rayfa's mind was a woman with a bright, sweet smile.
"Oh? Little Rayfa? What are you doing here?" A young woman with thick black hair and impossibly long legs looked at him with delight. "Come here. Let big sister give you a squeeze."
"Hello, Sister Gion," Rayfa greeted her with a strained expression.
The long-legged woman completely ignored his discomfort. She strode over, bent down, and grabbed his cheeks with both hands, kneading them enthusiastically.
As she played with Rayfa's face, her eyes sparkled with excitement, like a child finally getting hold of her favorite toy.
In the end, Rayfa had no chance of escaping those so-called evil hands.
After all, he had come specifically to ask this woman for help. With his limited strength, even if he wanted to resist, it would have been impossible.
Because beneath her sweet appearance, this long-legged young woman possessed terrifying strength.
Momousagi Gion, a Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters, was a top-tier swordswoman who wielded the famed blade Konpira. Although her current rank was only Rear Admiral, her true strength rivaled that of a Vice Admiral.
The main reason she had not been promoted further was her age. At only nineteen, she was still considered too young, which made her an easy target for criticism. Otherwise, she might have become the youngest Vice Admiral in Marine history.
Even Kuzan, the recently famous "monster," was not as young as she was.
According to Rayfa's memories, after Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji were promoted to Admirals, Gion had already become a Vice Admiral and was listed as a candidate for Admiral.
Any Vice Admiral considered an Admiral candidate was a true elite, possessing strength that nearly matched an Admiral and far surpassed ordinary Vice Admirals. That alone was proof of how terrifying Gion's power was.
Her failure to become an Admiral later had nothing to do with her strength.
Of course, the young Rayfa had no real understanding of any of this.
Having grown up at Marine Headquarters in Marineford, he knew almost nothing about the outside world. He did not even know how powerful his adoptive father Sengoku truly was. He only knew that Sengoku was the highest-ranking Marine below the Fleet Admiral.
In young Rayfa's eyes, the overwhelmingly strong Gion was simply a strange older sister who loved pinching his cheeks, a habit that caused him endless suffering.
Unlike Kuzan and others who joined the Marines later, Gion had grown up in Marineford as well. Like Rayfa, she was a Marine brat. One could say Rayfa had grown up under her watch.
Teasing the little Rayfa was one of her greatest daily pleasures.
"Little Rayfa, why do you have time to come play with your big sister today?" Gion laughed. "Did you miss me? If you missed me, you should have said so. I would have come to play with you."
As she spoke, the tall and powerful woman pinched Rayfa's cheeks again, then lifted him up and sat down on the sofa, placing him on her lap and continuing her assault on his face.
Rayfa froze on the spot.
If he were still his original self, he would probably only feel embarrassed. But now, he carried the soul of an adult. And this incredibly strong woman, Gion, had a striking figure, especially those astonishing long legs that could make anyone's heart race.
Sitting on her lap like this left Rayfa completely flustered.
Meanwhile, Gion herself had no such thoughts at all. To her, Rayfa was simply a younger brother she had watched grow up.
Rayfa silently recited, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form," before speaking. "Actually, Sister Gion, I came to ask you for a favor."
"A favor?" Gion giggled. "Look at you, learning how to ask for help already. You really are growing up."
"Go on. What do you need? As long as I can help, just say the word."
"I want you to help me hunt a few Sea Kings," Rayfa said seriously.
He then repeated the same explanation he had given Corazon.
"That's all?" Gion looked disappointed. "I thought someone had bullied you and you wanted me to get revenge for you."
A dark line appeared on Rayfa's forehead.
Was he really that easy to bully in everyone's eyes?
"Well, I guess it makes sense," Rayfa sighed inwardly. "The old me was too honest. Even when bullied, I never dared to complain. No wonder I kept getting picked on, even as the adopted son of an Admiral."
Gion waved her hand. "Alright, stop looking so miserable. Your big sister will help you."
"Really?" Rayfa was stunned by how quickly she agreed.
"When have I ever gone back on my word?" Gion said proudly, puffing out her cheeks.
"Thank you, Sister Gion!" Overcome with excitement, Rayfa threw all sense of dignity aside and flashed her an innocent, adorable smile.
That smile completely shattered Gion's self-control. Her hands immediately returned to his cheeks, kneading them with renewed enthusiasm, her face filled with joy.
At this moment, Rayfa could only endure the humiliation. Ignoring the fact that his face was being mercilessly squeezed, he continued, "Sister Gion, can we keep this from Father Sengoku?"
"Haha, are you afraid of getting scolded by an Admiral?" Gion laughed. "Sengoku, right?"
"Yes," Rayfa admitted.
"Don't worry," Gion said cheerfully as she continued pinching his cheeks. "We'll treat this as our little secret."
"But I do have one condition."
"After this is over, you have to let me pinch your cheeks for half an hour, no complaints. That will be my payment. How about it?"
Rayfa clenched his teeth.
"Deal!"