Don't Get in His Way

Franky

"I'm bored." Luffy whined, lying on the deck.

Franky sighed, not bothering to look up from his newspaper. "Of course, you are."

"I want to go look around!" Luffy pouted as he rolled around the floor.

"Nami told us to watch the ship, Luffy. Besides, the island probably is boring." Franky stated, glancing at the island they docked to.

"But there's a village, Franky! I want to go there!" Luffy sat up and pointed to it, looking at his friend with a pout. True to his word, there was a village just a few miles away. Nami and the rest of the crew had gone there to stock up on their supplies.

"The village probably is boring too." Franky stated matter-of-factly.

Luffy shook his head, "You don't know that! Maybe, it's cool and awesome!" The captain had a thoughtful look on his face and drool came out of his mouth. "Maybe, there's a meat store!"

"If you go there, Nami will be SUPER mad." The cyborg reminded, flipping his newspaper to the next page. "She instructed us both to keep the ship safe and wait for the others to come back. They said they're going to be back after around three hours, remember?"

Luffy groaned dramatically and lied back down on the deck. "But, that's too long! You can't expect me to just sit here and stay still for three hours! I'll die of boredom."

"You won't die of boredom, Luffy. That's just ridiculous."

"Still! I want to go!"

"What if something happens to the ship when you go?" Franky asked, as he was about to flip another page.

The captain didn't even think twice before saying, "Then I'll leave that to you, Franky. You are the shipwright, after all!" Luffy glanced at Franky and gave him a grin. "I can trust you!"

Franky's breath hitched. His jaw dropped in the slightest and the cyborg almost dropped the newspaper to the ground. Luffy didn't see it but behind Franky's sunglasses, the cyborg's eyes expanded and his eyebrows raised a notch.

Luffy. Franky thought with his lips trembling. Finally, after two long years, I can finally hear you say that again.

It took everything in him not to cry right there and then.

"Franky, what's wrong?" The cyborg was snapped from his thoughts when he heard Luffy's voice calling out to him. Franky turned around to see Luffy staring at him.

Franky's eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the almost worried frown on his captain's face, so he quickly blinked the tears away and continued reading the newspaper like normal. "Nothing. But like I said, Nami would be mad if she sees you in the village."

With his friend acting like himself again, Luffy smiled in relief for a brief second before he went back to his whining. "Ugh, I know! But, still-"

"That's why, don't get caught."

"I want to-Huh?" Luffy halted as he took in what his friend had just said. Franky put the newspaper down and turned around to give his captain a sincere smile. "Just go, and don't let anyone see you."

Luffy stared at him for a few seconds, before his smile turned into a wide grin and Luffy's eyes lighted up like a little kid in a candy store (in Luffy's case, a meat store). "Really?"

Franky nodded and waved his hand to 'shoo' his captain. "Yeah, go ahead."

Luffy quickly sat up, not needing to be told again. "Thanks, Franky!" The captain said as he jumped off the deck and ran towards the village.