Cutty Flam, also known as“Iron Man” Franky,is the talentedshipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates, and one of the most entertaining characters inOne Piece. This self-made cyborg is beloved by many, because of his hilarious antics, tough personality and impressive inventions. So it is no surprise that he managed to build so many close friendships despite his rather tragic life.
Franky is one of those characters that make others want to hang out with him, since his raw charisma is magnetic. This has led to some of the weirdest yet endearing relationships audiences have seen in this series. But the question is: who are Franky’s closest friends?
9Roronoa Zoro
Brothers in Arms
Franky obviously gets along well with every member of the Straw Hat Crew, but he’s not exactly good friends with all of them. That being said, Franky has shown recently how close he truly is with the crew’s swordsman,Roronoa Zoro. While Zoro is indifferent to the cyborg’s silly antics, their friendship is more about their shared toughness.
This was mostly seen recently during the Wano arc, where Franky and Zoro have shown huge respect for each other. One example was when Franky managed to catch the swordsman after he wasattacked by King, only to let him fight alone as per his request. Later, Franky saves Zoro from falling off of Onigashima.
8Brook
The Weirdos of the Crew
Brookand Franky are the Straw Hat Crew’s resident weirdos. One is a huge cyborg and the other is a singing skeleton, and they both relish in their weirdness. Since Brook is the ship’s musician and Franky enjoys singing and dancing, they can often be seeing partying together.
But their relationship goes even farther than that. Franky has built a memorial grave to honor Brook’s previous crew, the Rumbar Pirates. In return, Brook has shown to be a loyal partner in crime. He even assisted Franky when fighting the Emperor Big Mom during the Wano arc.
7Señor Pink
Sworn Brothers
Franky has shown many times that he’s good at turning enemies into friends with his charisma.Señor Pinkof the Donquixote Pirates is one of the most memorable examples. What began as a silly battle of coolness during the Dressrosa arc, ended up as one ofOne Piece’s most emotional friendships.
When Franky defeated Señor Pink, he couldn’t help but feel respect for him. He told him that, if they ever meet again,they should talk about his wife Russianover a drink. Ever since that emotional battle, Franky has referred to Señor Pink as his “sworn brother.” They’re so hard-boiled.
6The Franky Family
Franky’s Protégées
The audience’s first reaction might be to see this entire group of bounty hunters and ship dismantlers from Water 7 as a bunch of criminals. However, they later find out that they are actually nice people. They’re not just Franky’s minions; they’re his actual brothers and sisters.
Zambai,Kiwi,Mozu, and even the King BullsSodom and Gomorrah,were all outcasts who were brought under Franky’s wings, so their respect and love towards him is completely genuine. That’s why they even had to trick him intojoining the Straw Hat Pirates, knowing that it was the only way he could fulfill his dream of traveling the world on one of his ships.
5Tony Tony Chopper
Adoptive Son
The Straw Hat Pirates have a family dynamic among themselves. Series creator Eiichiro Oda has stated that in this family, Franky fulfills the role of the father, andTony Tony Chopperthe youngest sibling. From the beginning, Chopper has been impressed with Franky’s cyborg body and incredible inventions with the wonder of a small child.
But their bond goes beyond that initial dynamic. Viewers saw it when they fought together in Thriller Bark, or when Chopper was given full permission to drive the Brachio Tank V. Not to mention that Franky often allows Chopper to sit on his shoulders or his head in an adorable manner.
4Monkey D. Luffy
The Captain of the Thousand Sunny
Just like every other member of their crew, Franky is extremely proud of their captain and thankful that he’s helping him achieve his dream. But their friendship is even more than that. Like Chopper and Usopp,Luffyis always amazed by hisshipwright’s modifications and inventions.
Luffy also sees Franky as a father figure, not too different from Ace or Sabo, to the point that he even offered him the possibility of eating theMera Mera no Miin Dressrosa. Thanks to his power and ingenuity, Franky has saved both Luffy and the entire crew several times, even as recently as the Egghead Arc.
3Usopp
First Straw Hat Friend
As mentioned before, Franky is an expert at turning enemies into allies, andUsoppwas his first “victim.” Once they settled their differences, they quickly developed a bond because the shipwright could empathize over the loss of the Going Merry, even telling Usopp what aKlabautermannwas.
After the events of Enies Lobby, Usopp grew to have one of the closest friendships with Franky, mainly because they both share a passion for technology, weapons and carpentry. And yes, like Luffy and Chopper, Usopp is also amazed with Franky’s inventions. While Franky currently holds a small grudge towards the sniper because of his higher bounty, this is not enough to destroy their solid friendship.
2Nico Robin
Closest Friend
When they were both caught by CP9 in Enies Lobby, andNico Robinwas ready to give up, Franky kept her spirits up by reminding herthat existing isn’t a crime, and protected her from the marines. Ever since, they became closer and closer. If Franky is the father of the Straw Hats crew, Robin is the mother.
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They fought together against the zombies in Thriller Bark, he slept on her lap in Punk Hazard and Franky even invited Robin to ride his bike in Onigashima, which she accepted before Brook took her seat. Regardless of how one may interpret their relationship, there’s no question that Franky and Robin have a level of camaraderie, comfort, and closeness that is rarely seen among the Straw Hat Crew.
1Iceburg
Shipwright Brother
They both grew up togetherunder the care of their shipwright mentor, Tom.Iceburgis even responsible for the nickname “Franky,” which sounds way better than “Cutty Flam.” Despite their constant banter, Iceburg and Franky were very close and learned everything they know about shipbuilding together.
When Iceburg learned that Franky survived after being hit by the Sea Train, he was moved to tears and helped him hide from the World Government under a new identity. He even gave cyborg the blueprints forPluton, showing how much they trusted each other. Franky wouldn’t be who he is now, if it wasn’t for Iceburg’s friendship.
After the events of the Enies Lobby arc, Iceburg took the responsibility of being the protector and head shipwright of Water 7 so that Franky could follow his dreams with the Straw Hat Pirates. Franky and Iceburg aren’t just friends, they’re true brothers.
