The Heart and Soul of Monkey D. Luffy: One Piece (Luffy x OC)

Chapter 4: Scars

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THE MARINEFORD WAR ARC**

Late that following morning, Aria decided to take a walk around the Thousand Sunny. It was a beautiful, clear morning, the sea breeze light and refreshing. As she walked, she noticed Franky sitting on some crates, tinkering with some tools.

"Hey, Franky!" Aria said with a wave.

Franky looked up from his tinkering as she approached, his smile widening at her friendly greeting. "Hey there, Aria." He replied in his usual enthusiastic way. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just saw you over here by yourself. Whatcha working on?" she asked curiously.

Franky held up the tools he was holding in his hand. "Just tinkering with some things, trying to come up with some new upgrades for the ship." He said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Always gotta keep things running top-notch, ya know?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah. Luffy told me you built this ship."

Franky's face lit up even more. "Yeah, I sure did. I designed and built the Thousand Sunny myself, from scratch." He said, unable to hide his pride. "It's my masterpiece, my greatest creation." He chuckled and ran his hand over the railing next to him. "This ship is one of a kind. Fast, sturdy, and equipped with all the latest technology. She's a beauty, ain't she?"

Aria smiled. "She really is." she said, her eyes looking around at the ship in awe.

Franky beamed at her praise. "Glad you think so. I put a lot of time and effort into her." He motioned for her to sit down next to him, patting the crate beside him. "Have a seat. You seem like you've got something on your mind."

Aria took a seat beside Franky, his large frame towering over her. "It's nothing, really. I'm just excited about the island we're supposed to visit soon. Luffy thinks we'll probably run into some trouble while we're there." she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Franky chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like Luffy alright. Always looking for a chance to stir up some excitement." He leaned back against the crates, resting his arms behind his head. "But don't worry, we can handle whatever comes our way. We've been through plenty of tough situations together."

"Yeah, it sounds like you guys have been through a lot as a crew." Aria said.

Franky nodded, his expression growing somewhat solemn. "Yeah, we have. We've been through a lot of tough battles, faced some dangerous enemies, and lost some good friends along the way."

Aria nodded, sensing the shift in Franky's tone. She had heard some stories from some of their crew mates in the few weeks she'd been sailing with them. "It sounds like Luffy's fought some pretty intense enemies too." Aria commented.

Franky let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, you could say that. Luffy's fought some of the strongest and most dangerous people out there. He's taken on some truly ruthless and powerful opponents."

"Is that... how he got that scar on his chest?" Aria asked, curious but hesitantly.

Franky nodded. "Yeah, that's right." He said, his tone becoming more serious. "Luffy got that scar during a really tough battle. It was a life-or-death situation. I won't go into the details, it's not my place to do so. But that scar is a constant reminder of the dangers we face."

Aria nodded as she looked down. She noticed Luffy's scars early on when they first met and had been curious how he got them, but she had never brought herself to ask him about it.

Franky noticed the way Aria seemed to be lost in her thoughts. "Hey," he said, trying to lighten the mood, "Don't worry too much about it. Luffy's tough as nails. He's always recovered from his fights stronger than before."