Over the course of 28 years and 100 volumes of manga, Eiichiro Oda has crafted an incredibly engaging narrative that took the world by storm. Now more than ever, One Piece is one of the most incredibly successful manga of all time, and that is thanks to Oda’s knack for worldbuilding and story structure. While the pacing and narrative arcs in this impressively long manga have varied through the many islands the Straw Hat pirates have visited, there has been some consistency in the amount of action Oda puts on display with each big arc— this is a shonen manga after all.
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With that being said, it’s less about the anticipation of a fight happening (because, let’s face it, a fight will always happen), but more so about which characters are going up against each other and why. Perhaps one of the most notable and iconic examples is the Alabasta Saga, in which each Straw Hat at the time was paired with a unique matchup that either played to their character strengths or quirks, leading to an exciting and cathartic couple of chapters. Now, the latest Elbaf Arc of One Piece has the chance to continue that trend with one of the newest villains, Gunko, facing off against everyone’s favorite cyborg, Franky. Beyond their clear matching tendency not to wear much in the way of trousers, there’s a surprising antithetical matchup that’d be fascinating to see in a clash between them.
Franky’s Demeanor is the Perfect Antithesis to Gunko
Franky has long been overdue for a drawn-out and fun yet intense battle. While the Raid on Ongshima in the Wano Country Arc gave Franky some entertaining moments here and there with the other Straw Hats, there wasn’t any real challenge for him to take on. With the Elbaf Arc, the story is seemingly kicking into high gear with the arrival of the God’s Knights as well as Luffy’s new rocky relationship with Loki, an outcast and feared member of the race of giants on the Island. While the primary danger seems to be Shamrock, Gunko is another Holy Knight on Elbaf whose eccentricities would make her the perfect matchup for Franky.
Despite being portrayed as having a brutal and borderline sadistic nature, Chapter 1140 showcased a more unexpected side of Gunko, in which she was embarrassed to see Saint Shepherd Sommers in his underwear. At this point, anyone familiar with the Straw Hats (and Franky in particular) might see where we’re going with this. How would a prudish and sadistic Holy Knight fare against a cyborg and self-proclaimed “pervert” who only ever wears underwear? The answer is undoubtedly a hilarious one, mainly thanks to Franky’s unabashed nature.
Besides the impressive stakes in the story that Oda has managed to set for past battles in One Piece, the author has also been known to inject much-needed levity through personality clashes or even villains and heroes who are very much alike. With a Franky versus Gunko fight, Oda could give the Straw Hats’ shipwright a real challenge while also highlighting what makes Franky such a fun member of the Straw Hats to read about. Moreover, Gunko’s Arrow-Arrow devil fruit power could prove problematic for Franky to handle, primarily as she has already used it to take on several Straw Hats at once in Chapter 1146.
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Fights in One Piece Can Be the Perfect Mixture of Humor and Drama
Another battle that can serve as a reference for the comedic and emotional potential of Franky vs. Gunko is the Dressrosa arc in One Piece. In it, Franky is given the task of destroying a SMILE factory to destabilize Donquixote Doflamingo’s operations further. However, in his way is one of the Donquixote Pirates Army Officers, Senor Pink. The hard-boiled character had the powers of the Swim Swim fruit and was also dressed like a baby. Complete with a diaper and baby bonnet, Senor Pink gave Franky a run for his money in terms of his outlandish demeanor and battle-hardened spirit.
In Franky’s battle with Senor Pink, readers are reminded of Franky’s unrelenting resolve, echoing his initial recruitment at the end of the Enies Lobby arc. Moreover, Senor Pink’s dichotomy of looking absolutely ridiculous while also having one of the most tragic backstories in One Piece further cements Oda’s writing genius. While Gunko doesn’t seem as sympathetic as Senor Pink turned out to be, her going up against Franky could lean into the sillier aspects of her character, such as her second-hand embarrassment at Franky’s pride in not wearing pants.
The only thing that could potentially stop this fight from coming to fruition is how significant a threat the Holy Knights have been set up to be in the story. One Piece Chapter 1147 showcased Gunko subduing Jimbei, Nami, Usopp, and Brook. As it stands, it’s still too early in this arc to gauge the power of each individual Holy Knight, making it entirely possible that Franky would instead be paired up in a fight just as he previously did in the Egghead Island arc against the S-clones of former Warlords.
A Franky Versus Gunko Fight Would be Evocative of What Makes One Piece Great
The Elbaf Arc is shaping up to be an exciting arc in what Oda has previously proclaimed to be the final saga of One Piece. The Island of Giants has been teased since the earliest arcs of the series, published over 20 years ago. Now that readers are finally here, the arc is shaping up to have some of the highest stakes yet, with plenty of action on the horizon featuring some truly powerful characters. No matter how the matchups end up, Oda will be sure to deliver more exciting revelations regarding the intentions of characters like The Holy Knights, Loki, and how the Giants play into the inevitable final conflict, and even the One Piece itself.
Overall, Franky fighting Gunko in One Piece’s Elbaf Arc feels like the perfect combination of what everyone loves about the series. With so many characters to balance at once, it’s surprising that Oda still finds ways to give the various Straw Hats small ways to shine, and Gunko at least having a brief moment with Franky could make for the kind of levity that One Piece prides itself upon. However, Franky hasn’t been able to show many impressive feats in recent memory besides his one-off attacks against characters like Kizaru and Saint Saturn in Egghead. This fight could be the combination of humor and stakes that the Elbaf Arc needs. Keep in mind, also, that fellow Straw Hat Brook’s surprising connection to Gunko, herself being a fan of the Soul King and seen enjoying his recordings, has a strong likelihood to line up a very different, yet equally entertaining clash.
