The newest to a long line of Battle Frankies, the 'Iron Pirate' General Franky, also known as BF-38 is the most destructive weapon in the power-packed arsenal of the cyborg shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates in Eiichiro Oda's long-running manga series One Piece. First introduced during the Fishman Island Arc, this giant mech suit piloted by Franky himself, is formed by a merger between two of his earlier inventions — the Kurosai FR-U IV and the Brachio Tank V, in a process known as 'docking.' Despite long-running gags surrounding its deployment, this is nothing short of a cola-powered weapon of mass destruction, boasting more than enough firepower to tackle even the strongest of foes.
Most male members of the Straw Hat crew as well as other pirates and side characters are often left awestruck each time Franky employs this final most powerful form of his in combat. The only exceptions to this are Zoro, Sanji, Law, and the female members of the crew, who are usually either indifferent or mildly annoyed by its entry into the fray. A one-man army in its own right, this single pilot vehicle/robot is operated by Franky while flying solo, and has seldom faltered against the many powerful opponents he has confronted over the course of the second half of One Piece.
The Culmination Of The Battle Frankies
Having spent the majority of his formative years building battleships and other armaments, Franky's most prized creations were the line of battleships he dubbed the 'Battle Frankies.' Each given a call number from 1 to 35, the Battle Frankies were relatively small when compared to most pirate ships or sailing vessels seen in the world of One Piece. Despite this, the ships themselves inordinately armed to the teeth with an exorbitant array of weaponry, on a scale that few other vessels could even hope to match. Initially built to fight the massive Sea Kings that roam the oceans, Franky's adolescent experiments with the Battle Frankies would prove successful in the long run with the creation of the BF3-5.
Sadly, these endeavors proved to be costly to Franky and those closest to him with the arrival of CP5 and Spandam on Water 7. After stealing the BF-35 and using it to sink a Judicial Ship travelling towards the city, Spandam was able to frame the fishman Tom, who was also Franky's mentor at the time for the crime, all but condemning him to death. Following the destruction of this craft, Franky was struck by the Sea Train built by Tom, named the Puffing Tom, which linked Water 7 to Enies Lobby as well as a number of other settlements in its vicinity. To compensate for the severe damage dealt to his body, Franky began a series of augmentations that turned him into a full cyborg — apart from his back, the only place could not reach — resulting in the creation of the BF-36. Finally, after the timeskip, the Straw Hats' shipwright enhanced his body even further, with gargantuan arms and a host of other armaments to create the BF-37, which was titled 'Armored Me.'
The work of Dr. Vegapunk was a pivotal factor in the development of this upgrade to his cyborg body and would prove even more essential to his final form, the BF-38. During his time spent on Karakuri Island, Franky would encounter a host of blueprints left behind by the scientist It is this long line of inventions that led to the creation of the BF-38, which is the most powerful weapon in Franky's already overloaded arsenal by some distance. Although the last few iterations of the Battle Frankies have not been battleships, the heritage and influenced embedded into their designs cement their place in the canon of Franky's work.
Appearance And Design
Modeled after the likeness of its creator, the BF-38 General Franky is made of Wapometal, a shape-memory mineral unintentionally created by Wapol, the former ruler of the Drum Kingdom, as he was turning garbage into toys with the power of his Baku Baku no Mi. The head, legs, and torso of the mech suit are composed of the Brachio Tank V, with the Kurosai FR-U IV bringing up the arms, which collectively render an exaggerated version of Franky's own physique with his latest cyborg form — exemplified by the spherical shoulder pads, and oversized fists. A modified version of the Straw Hat insignia is emblazoned across its chest in black and gold, while the rest of the suit is colored yellow, red, white, and blue with metallic gray accents — a nod to Franky's own color scheme. Finally, the designation BF-38 has been imprinted on the suit's left collar.
Towering over much of the crew, much like the cyborg himself, the General Franky is boasts a considerably large stature, comparable to Chopper's Monster Point, but perhaps a tad bit smaller than it. In fact, the suit is said to stand at a height of 13 meters, which is nearing the heights reached by the giants of Elbaf, but still not entirely on par with them. However, this is still quite impressive when compared to most other characters in the world of One Piece be it humans, or those of other races. This menacing size is augmented by the ornamental drill on its head, alongside a sword mounted on its back between the caterpillar treads of the Brachio Tank V.
Super Explosive Firepower
Although its first appearance on screen amounted to little more than a sprinkling of gags where Franky's own body was the primary source of artillery, the General Franky more than proves its worth during fights against Baby 5 and Buffalo during the climax of the Dressrossa Arc. From a ridiculously destructive variant of his famous Weapons Left barrage of machine gun fire to a miniaturized version of the Thousand Sunny's own Gaon Cannon, each feature of the General Franky elevates the cyborg's own firepower beyond levels that cannot be fathomed. The name of each of the suit's attacks is preceded by a 'General' prefix, with most being variants of Franky's own combat style. From all the immensely strong adversaries it has been pitted against, only the Beast Pirates Tobi Roppo Sasaki was able to match it in a fight and deal significant damage to the suit, despite eventually succumbing to its overwhelming might and losing to Franky at the time of the siege on Onigashima in the Wano Country Arc.
While weapons installed in the mech suit, are in effect, a major upgrade to the ones in Franky's own body, but perhaps the most important benefit of the suit comes in the form of its defensive capabilities. The suit was able to withstand point-blank missile fire, barrages of bullets, and even most of Baby 5's most potent attacks, which were said to be strong enough to damage a Pacifista. Finally, the Franky might also be airtight or fitted with an air filtration system, as it was able to withstand Caesar Clown's poison gas during the Punk Hazard Arc. With all these factors in mind, the General Franky more than lives up to the immense genius of its maker, as a truly terrifying weapon that can take on some of the most fearsome pirates on the seas in the world of One Piece. Now, as the Straw Hats set sail with Dr. Vegapunk from Egghead Island, there is virtually limit to the fearsome upgrades looming on the horizon for the General Franky.
