Franky

Lore & Background

Abandoned by his parents at age ten, Cutty Flam changed his name to Franky and was taken in as an apprentice by shipwright Tom, who built Pirate King Gold Roger's ship, the Oro Jackson, and also secretly held the plans for a devastating ancient weapon. Franky's recklessness eventually provided an opportunity for World Government agents seeking these plans. Attempting to rescue his master, Franky suffered severe injuries and only survived by rebuilding parts of his body using pieces of scrap metal, turning himself into a cola-powered cyborg with strength. After gaining notoriety as "Cyborg" Franky, and to fulfill his dream of sailing a ship he built around the world, he constructed the Thousand Sunny, a brigantine-rigged sloop-of-war, for the Straw Hat Crew and joined them.

In Their Own Story

Franky was born in the South Blue as "Cutty Flam" to the pirate Queen and an unnamed mother. When he reached the age of ten, his parents abandoned him by throwing him overboard of their ship into the ocean. He was then rescued by Tom, the main shipwright of Water 7 and creator of the Oro Jackson ship. Shortly after, the latter took Franky as his apprentice due to observing his handy craft skills. After Franky proclaimed that one day he would build his dream ship, Tom encouraged him by stating that if he does it, he would definitely surpass him. After Tom was sentenced to death by Spandam and the CP-5 agents who were after the blueprints of ancient weapon Pluton, Franky was handed the blueprints and succeeded in keeping them from being stolen by the World Government even after he was run down by Water 7's train he built alongside Tom's shipwright crew. Severely injured, Franky was on the verge of death, but hardly survived. This was the moment when he started "fixing" himself by adding his infamous cyborg body parts. Later on, Iceburg suggested he leave Water 7 with the blueprints so they would never be found. Franky refused and remained on the island as he created his own villainous crew, "The Franky Family." After four years, he encountered the Straw Hats who were visiting Water 7. After short confrontations against his future crew, Franky joined them in the battle against The Marines and CP-9 agents from the Enies Lobby, having taken the chance for retaliation against Spandam. With help from Galley-La, Franky constructed the Thousand Sunny, a brigantine-rigged sloop-of-war. Franky then accepted Luffy's offer to join the Straw Hats, leaving Water 7 in the hands of Iceburg and Galley-La Company members. He received his first bounty with a total of 44,000,000.

Reader's Guide

Franky is the eighth member of the Straw Hat Pirates and the seventh to join, serving as their shipwright. He is a human with cyborg enhancements. His front side is heavily resistant to various kinds of attacks while his back, which is harder for him to defend, remains susceptible. He boasts an array of weapons integrated into his body such as rocket launchers, extendable arms, or the ability to exhale flames and the capacity to unleash strong gusts of wind from various parts of his body. His abdomen features a refrigerated compartment that can store up to three cola bottles for sustenance and empowerment. Franky's demeanor can be influenced by the type of beverage stocked in his fridge. By consuming quantities of cola at once he can unleash bursts of air from his arms employing this technique in maneuvers like the impactful "Coup de Vent." Thanks to the bionic modifications he has done to his body over time, Franky possesses incredible superhuman strength. His years as a shipwright, as well as a pre-pirate bounty hunter, seem to have contributed greatly to his formidable physical strength. Despite the lack of cola, he shows enough strength to overpower fully-grown rampaging animals, stopping them in their tracks, before dragging them around like a rag doll, smashing them to the ground with great force. In addition to his strength, Franky also displays great skill at anything he puts his hand to, in or out of combat. He is a master craftsman, formerly working as a first-rate shipwright and carpenter under Tom. Franky often uses the "Radical Beam," a laser type of attack similar with what various villainous characters such as Kaido and Seraphims use. He has mastered the skill during the timeskip while he worked in Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory and used it in several of his direct duels against main villains such as CP-9 agents and even ex-yonko Big Mom.

Did You Know?

• Franky's original design shared a lot in common with the character of Popeye the Sailor—both have large tattooed forearms and gain energy boosts after consuming specific foods and drinks.
• Franky is one of the six Straw Hats who doesn't possess any devil fruit powers, along with Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Jimbei.
• Eiichiro Oda once responded to a fan that if One Piece were set in the real world, Franky would be American.
• Franky's catchphrase is "Super!" (スーパー, Sūpā), which he often accompanies with a distinctive pose where he leans to one side, bends one knee, throws his head back, and locks his wrists together to form a star shape.
• In December 2024, it was announced that Kazuki Yao would be retiring from the role of Franky in the anime, and he was replaced by Subaru Kimura the following year after the anime's six-month hiatus.