Chapter 2: Scent

{Aboard the Thousand Sunny}

The seas were calm as the Straw Hat crew began to settle into their new ship. The Thousand Sunny was much larger than the Going Merry, and thus, there was much more to explore. Franky was pleased to watch the others run around the place to investigate their new home like little children at Christmas. They had only been on the ship for two days, and it appeared that as they explored, they fell even more in love with the ship. It was a proud moment for him, and he knew that his care in crafting rooms designated especially for each person in the crew, had paid off.

However, when he saw Luffy sitting on the grassy area of the Sunny's deck, he had to approach him in curiosity. The petite seventeen year old had been just as thrilled as the rest, and had thanked Franky time and time again for creating such an amazing ship for them to sail on. Naturally, he had been glad to hear the approval of his new Captain, but wondered why he was quiet while everyone else wasn't. So, he moved to approach the boy, who was watching the waves go by as they sailed and Nami ensured they were on the right course. But, he admittedly, hadn't expected what occurred next.

"Hey Franky, is something wrong?" the cyborg froze where he stood, noticing that the boy hadn't even glanced in his direction once and Franky knew his footsteps were nowhere near loud enough for Luffy to pick up on his approach.

"Erm… uh… no! I was just wondering if you'd seen the Captain's room?" the black-haired boy titled his head back to look at him, showing off how his body stretched at odd angles that Franky, admittedly still wasn't adapted too.

"I did. It's a really nice room," he responded with a brilliant smile and Franky returned it with his own as his Captain returned to watching the ocean.

"Well, I'm sure you'll sleep well there. I made sure to make it a decent size and everything so -" Luffy seemed to stiffen and Franky rose an eyebrow.

"We should use it as a guest room. If we have friends come aboard, they'll need extra space to sleep, right?" those dark gray eyes turned to look at him and Franky couldn't help but get a strange feeling from the boy.

"Eh?! But, it's a room for you!" Luffy glanced down at the statement as he stood, fixing his hat atop his head as he turned his attention fully to Franky.

"I know that… it's just… um… I actually can't sleep alone…" the blue-haired cyborg stared down at the boy. The admittance of something that seemed oddly private caused Franky's eyes widen. It was strange to see someone who had wreaked havoc upon Enies Lobby and faced Aqua Lagoona to save a friend as a child, but here it was. Franky was reminded almost harshly that his Captain was just a child albeit, a monstrous, and admittedly terrifying force of nature, but still only seventeen years old. The boy had a faint blush on his tanned features, and couldn't help the nervousness on his expression as he tugged at the brim of his hat to hide part of his face.

"You can't? How come?" Luffy laughed slightly.

"I don't like being alone. That's all, really," he admitted. Franky only stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to do as he watched the boy with a critical gaze. It amazed him how soon Luffy was willing to show a touch of weakness to someone so new in his life, and it made Franky wonder what the boy before him had gone through to make him behave in such a manner.

"Eh, it's fine. I don't see anything wrong with it personally. I was just curious," he assured, reaching out to put his hand on the boy's head. Luffy smiled at him, and Franky let him be.

However, he couldn't help but wonder about how the young Captain had noticed him before he'd even made his presence known. Sighing, the newest Straw Hat put the thought aside, thinking it to be a fluke. He had a few projects he wanted to map out so to make their tasks easier when traveling to islands and the like; which needed his utmost attention. However, as he sat on the deck, thumbing through his notes and blueprints, he noticed the actions of the others and couldn't help but watch in humor as Usopp attempted to replicate Luffy's handstand and back-flips. Franky couldn't restrain his laugh much like the others at the notion that the seventeen year old Captain was naturally going to be a pro at acrobatics due to his rubber body; however, that didn't stop Usopp from trying to do the same and end up in a crumpled heap on the ground with Luffy laughing and Chopper doing the same.

It interested him, the power of a Devil Fruit in action, when he had never laid eyes upon one before. Luffy teased Usopp when he stretched back and grabbed the back of his ankles, and the sniper refused to even attempt it. He watched, noticing how Luffy would bend in angles that he had seen circus performers do in his youth, and how Chopper would ask him questions while Usopp made verbal notions of how weird and somewhat creepy it was. Eventually, Luffy moved into a handstand, coming to sit down in front of Chopper who was performing some sort of physical examination on the boy.

"Weird way to do an exam on someone, but I guess if their body is made of rubber it would be logical to make sure he's able to flex like usual…" then it happened again.

"Oh! Nami! How's it going?!" Nami perked up, having just exited the map room and peered into the kitchen before looking to her Captain who wasn't even glancing in her direction.

"It's going fine. I just finished mapping out Water Seven and Enies Lobby. I was going to see if Sanji could make us something to snack on before dinner, but I noticed he's not in the kitchen," she mentioned, leaning over the railing.

"He's in the aquarium room." Luffy pointed in the direction of it and Franky gave the straw-hat wearing teenager a bewildered look as Nami thanked him. It was in that moment, that the cyborg knew something was wrong.

How was it that Luffy knew it was Nami? Did he see her out of the corner of his eyes? Franky shook his head, going back to his blueprints, and deciding he didn't want to think about it to hard. His third day of being aboard the ship with his new crewmates and Captain was peaceful, if not a touch strange as he started tinkering with a few items here and there, making small prototypes only for Luffy to shock him again when he called out to Usopp who jumped when the black-haired boy jokingly stretched over the banister of the rear deck, a broad grin on his face as he noticed that the long-nosed sniper seemed officially creeped out again as he asked Luffy to stop doing whatever it was. The Captain responded by weaving his fingers into a net-like shape and looping it around Usopp who screamed in surprise as he was catapulted towards the top of the rear deck and landed with little trouble. Luffy laughed as the sniper argued that he could have gotten there alone, but relented at the smile upon his Captain's face.

What sort of witchcraft did Luffy use to have such power over his crew?

It dumbfounded him as he watched the crew throughout the day. Luffy at every turn, managed to guess who his crewmate was before even glancing at them, which should have spooked any sane person, but save for himself - and occasionally Usopp - they didn't seem to really mind. Zoro was the one who laughed, ruffling Luffy's messy black hair before carrying on his way while Sanji shouted something about the boy being a blood hound. It was roughly at dinner time, when he noticed how odd this little talent of his Captain's was.

Sanji had stepped out of the kitchen-dining area to call for someone to get the others; however, Luffy volunteered to collect everyone, and Franky was called over first and foremost while he watched from the door of the kitchen as the seventeen year old zipped around the ship, going to each room and finding the others like it was nothing. It was almost psychic how easily he found the group. Perhaps he just knew his crew well enough to understand where each of them would be - but Zoro once more was the one that stumped him. The swordsman had been in the crows-nest, and Luffy had shot up there, opened the hatch and called for the green-haired man before leaping back down and onto the grassy deck as if it was nothing. It was confusing as he stood there, and Sanji merely chuckled as he patted his shoulder and they started to file into the dining area where the cook had set out a spread of food for everyone.

Franky too his spot, settled next to Robin who greeted him, asking how he was adapting. He responded as he usually would, that it was going great, and how much he loved being amongst this group of insane rascals. Yet, he couldn't help but internally question the oddities he'd witnessed all day long. His dark eyes flickered towards Luffy who was laughing and talking with Chopper and the others as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Though, he supposed the Captain being able to track his crew down like it was nothing was common when said leader of this motley crew happened to have the powers of a rubber band, their doctor was a blue-nosed talking reindeer, their archeologist could sprout additional body parts, their navigator could sense the weather like she was apart of it, the cook could light his leg on fire without getting burned, the sniper was a bold faced liar and a great inventor, the first mate could use three swords, and their shipwright was a cyborg. So, Franky supposed that strange talent of Luffy's was possibly the most normal thing on this ship.

But, it still bothered him.

As they ate and chatted, he noticed how Luffy seemed in tune with his crew, as if nothing was out of the ordinary at all. But, that changed when the seventeen year old decided to rope Chopper and Usopp into a game of blind-folded tag after dinner. The others decided to join in, as a good way to work off some of their meal, and naturally, Franky didn't hesitate to do the same. After cleaning up in the kitchen, everyone drew straws, and the shortest one was Luffy, who was blindfolded, and spun around three times before being told to remain still as everyone spread out as far as possible. As they waited for the start signal, Nami explained the rules to Franky.

"There are only a few rules - no weapons, no hiding inside barrels, chests, or cabinets, everyone has to stay on the outer deck, but can avoid the pursuer - which in this case is Luffy - and our last job is to make sure that the blindfolded person doesn't go overboard. In doing that, we can either pull them back and they give us a head start on escaping, or we can call them over to us. But, everything else goes," she stated.

"Okay, sounds like fun." Franky was prepared to do his best to win; however, Zoro couldn't help but laugh.

"Good luck avoiding Luffy," was all he said as Robin gave the start signal with a whistle and everyone scattered around the deck, Nami occasionally checking the wind to make sure they were still on the right route before returning her focus to the game.

Franky watched, noticing how everyone was on edge as he seemed to almost track them, his frame tense before a single hand shot out and snatched Chopper up, bringing him to the central mast where the tiny doctor squealed in laughter and gave a frustrated yell of defeat while the others backed up further. The urge to move further out came to the group as they started to disband into a greater distance, only for Usopp to be captured next when he ducked behind a barrel and Luffy came right up to him, and moved the barrel with a laugh. Two down, five left. Franky kept himself moving whenever Luffy seemed to look in the opposite direction, but it didn't take long for Nami and Sanji to be captured. Leaving only himself, Zoro, and Robin.

The three of them evaded capture the longest, but eventually Robin got captured - though, he suspected she relented because the petite seventeen year old had been dogging her for quite some time - and then, Franky was captured when he had been positive he was hidden to where Luffy wouldn't bump into him or capture him easily. But no, the Gum Gum Fruit user stretched his arms out, snatched his shoulders, and brought himself to Franky and grinned in an impish manner. Naturally, he had been dumbfounded when all that was left was Zoro, who dodged Luffy's attempts, but eventually was caught and dragged over to meet the others. With his blindfold removed,Luffy laughed, grinning broadly as he sat down and asked if anyone would like to go again, but with someone else as the pursuer. They declined, noting the time and then Franky was once more dumbfounded.

"Yea, good point, it smells like its gonna rain anyways," he pointed out. Nami had stood and looked around, sure enough, dark clouds seemed to be forming in the late evening sky.

"Glad you noticed. I thought the wind seemed odd, but I didn't think it wasn't much to worry about… guess we'll get everything tied down." and the crew went to work with that action of putting things away, tying down objects that could be tossed overboard, and ensuring that all breakable objects were secure.

But all of this still confused Franky.

How could Luffy notice that rain was coming, but not Nami? Someone who seemed to be so attuned to the weather, she might as well have been the one creating it? It defied any form of logic the cyborg had come to understand about the crew before him. However, when he gave Luffy a confused look, the black-haired boy merely grinned at him, eyes closed tight and the bridge of his nose wrinkled. It was deceptively innocent and cute, leaving Franky to shake his head in concern as Sanji moved to the kitchen in preparation to make snacks, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate so everyone could stay warm as the first pattering sounds of rain hit the adamswood of the Sunny.

Everyone moved into the kitchen - save for Luffy who was standing on the deck enjoying the rain with Chopper who laughed that it tickled and Nami made them promise to come in and get dried off once the rain picked up - which she naturally knew it would - but she only heard an agreement from their tiny doctor as Luffy laughed and Franky watched him and Chopper wondering why everything seemed so off today.

"You seem to be in deep thought," Robin surmised as she sat down at the table with the others. Franky glanced her way before looking towards his Captain and doctor again.

"I'm just trying to figure out some things." Zoro sighed.

"Bit late to be contemplating if you made the right choice if you ask me," he mentioned as Franky laughed, shaking his head as he kept his focus on the two on the deck.

"It's not that… it's just…" Sanji rolled his eyes as he put on a few kettles of hot water and started stirring the milk to make the hot chocolate.

"Let me guess, our ever child-like and exuberant Captain has got you stumped?" he inquired, seeing Franky's shoulders slump ever so slightly at the notion. Sanji received his answer then and there, and so did everyone else.

"Luffy's just Luffy… so what if he's weird?" Zoro's assessment did not settle well with Franky who watched the rubber boy slip across the grass, laughing as Chopper did the same, happily cheering as thunder crashed above them.

"He's not like other people, and I don't mean that because he's made of rubber," Franky admitted and Usopp nodded in agreement.

"Well, duh?! Luffy has this magnetism to him. If he looks you in the eye and asks you to do something for him, you can't help but say yes. I don't know what kind of witchcraft that is but it can be scary." Nami sighed.

"It's not witchcraft, Usopp. He just has a distinct personality that lures people in. Maybe it's his kindness or just his openness towards others or the fact that he doesn't need to know the full story to know when someone needs help… it's just part of what makes him who he is," she explained as Sanji handed off a series of cookies and other small pastries as he sat down cups and mugs and thick pitchers full of warm fluids.

"Is that why he can always tell whose approaching him before he even looks at us?" Franky's question caused everyone to pause, making him wonder if perhaps that was a question he shouldn't have been asking.

"Not exactly… it's a little bit complicated. Um… Luffy -" Nami was cut off as Franky stepped to the side to see a soaking wet Chopper being carried by Luffy who was grinning.

"The storm is getting bad. Chopper and I are gonna get dried off and we'll be right back," he said as he let towards the rooms and they heard it shut firmly.

"I figured they'd be getting to chilled eventually." Franky frowned as Nami shook her head, pouring herself and Robin a cup of tea.

Franky let the subject drop for the time being, coming to help himself too a cup of coffee - not his usual forte, but he did enjoy it - and eventually, they were joined by a cleaned up and dried off Luffy and an unusually fuzzy Chopper who was sitting in Luffy's lap, a fluffy blanket wrapped around the Captain's shoulders, which the doctor was using as a shelter as he nursed a cup of hot chocolate in his hooves and Luffy merely gave his usual mischievous laugh, and took to his own cup of coco that Sanji handed him. As they sat there, listening to the storm outside, the group turned their conversation to the next island they would be heading towards and when they should arrive. However, as they discussed this and other topics, Chopper started sneezing, and Franky watched as Luffy enveloped him in the blanket they shared, and a small smile came to his features that was far smaller than the ones he had become accustomed too.

"You smell like the rain, you usually smell like snow and medicine," Luffy mentioned this as Chopper nuzzled into the blanket, happy to be held onto in his friend's warm embrace.

"Smell?" Franky spoke the thought aloud and those charcoal gray eyes locked onto him.

"Yea, everyone here has a special scent, just like my big brother, Ace. He smells like fire of course, but I know what everyone smells like," he said happily as the cyborg's eyes widened.

"Whoa, wait, is that how you always know whose coming up to you?!" an impish laugh greeted him as the black-haired boy nodded.

"Yup! Nami smells like ink and her tangerines, Robin smells like her books and flowers, Chopper smells like snow and medicine, Zoro has the scent of leather and metal, like his swords! Usopp smells like earth, like his stars! And Sanji smells like cigarettes and spices - which kind of burn my nose, but at least I know it's him!" Luffy explained jovially as the others watched him, seeming unphased by this, but Franky was a little bit surprised.

"So, that's what everyone smells like to you?" another nod came from the boy Captain, and Luffy only glanced back to him briefly tilting his head further back than a normal human could without injury to look at Franky.

"Uhuh, I've always been able to since I was a little kid. It helps me remember people… even after they go away. I'm bad with names and faces, so until I get used to someone I commit their scent to memory. It's also how I know I'm not alone," Luffy explained as the cyborg stared at the boy.

I don't like being alone. That's all, really.

Suddenly, the blue-haired shipwright felt whatever sense of uneasiness he had bubbling up from the day vanish entirely. Luffy was unusual, but he used it as an advantage and though hearing that he committed everyone scent to memory was a little strange, Franky couldn't help but find it oddly endearing. It was just the boy's way of ensuring he knew those who were important to him, and the idea made the man smile as he finally came to sit down with the others who smiled as Luffy turned his attention to him as he settled beside the Captain who leaned over, briefly, seeming to sniff at him, almost like a dog would before Luffy chuckled to himself and Chopper snuggled back into his comfortable position.

"I got it," he said happily.

"Got what?" charcoal gray met dark brown and Franky received a brilliant grin from the boy.

"Your scent. It took me a little while to remember it perfectly, but now I got it." Franky smiled, pouring himself another cup of coffee as the boy returned to his own cup of hot chocolate.

"So, what do I smell like to you?" Luffy hummed in thought, swallowing his drink before glancing his way.

"Cola and oil. It's unique to you… nobody smells the exact same as someone else, not ever. Shanks smelled like sake all the time, Makino smelled like the soap she used to clean dishes at her bar, and Dadan always smelled like cigars, and well… Gramps always smells like gunpowder," he mentioned, the others becoming curious at the mention of unfamiliar names.

"Who are Dadan and Makino?" Luffy frowned, thinking for a moment.

"Oh, I'll tell you some other time," he said cheekily.

"Keeping secrets are we Captain?" Zoro's statement had the straw-hat wearing teenager grinning.

"Maybe…" Sanji groaned.

"I hate it when you do that!" he retorted as Luffy gave him the biggest snarky smile he could muster.

"To bad, Captain's orders… I'll tell you later." Franky laughed at that, not able to restrain himself from ruffling the boy's messy black hair as Luffy kept his grin.

It was later that evening that everyone was heading to bed and Sanji took first watch. The boy's room was quiet as Franky watched Luffy climb up into a top bunk and sigh happily as he sunk into the mattress and blankets, his hat hanging on a hook on the top side of the bunk while he closed his eyes and the cyborg noticed how everyone else seemed to relax more once he did, how Zoro didn't climb into bed until he was sure that Luffy was there, and would wait for the others to do so before he settled into get some rest. The lights turned off, and a few swift goodnights were called as Franky listened to steady breathing and snoring that started. It was genuinely true that the Straw Hat Pirates were odd, and their Captain was possibly the most unusual and somewhat scary out of the bunch, but they were remarkable and trust worthy people who Franky was thankful to have thrown his lot in with. After all, he was the shipwright of the crew to the future King of the Pirates. Who could ask for a better adventure?

{.…..}

Author's Note: I intend to keep most of these little one-shot chapters at approximately the same length, though they may sometimes run a bit longer than normal. This one was very focused on Franky's perspective, but I wanted to do that and add in a little thing that maybe Luffy memorized everyone's scent and that's how he always seems to know it's them even if he isn't looking at them even before Observation Haki came into the mix. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.