WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter #1019, "Heliceratops," by Eiichiro Oda, available in English via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
After being left out of any major action for so long, Chapter #1019 of One Piece finally gives Franky the spotlight he deserves. With his captain incapacitated and his crewmates spread out across the island, Franky is left alone in his fight against Sasaki and his underlings. But the shipwright doesn't let this get to him, earning his solo victory in the end.
With Sasaki's followers turning against him, he's left on his own to face the Straw Hat. So, he changes into his hybrid form, revealing that he can use the fin on his neck to fly. Not only that, but he can also use it to greatly increase the speed at which he can attack. Furthermore, when Sasaki speeds up, the power of his attacks increases, too. Combined with his Screw Sword, he's able to launch whirlwind-like attacks, which he promptly does at his traitorous crew in the chapter. Franky's sword is broken and his mech is damaged, but he continues on fighting regardless. Despite everything, Franky is able to use the dinosaur's powers against him, launching a Franky Radical Beam to finish him off.
It's rare for Franky to get an entire chapter of One Piece dedicated for him alone, let alone in such a major way. And not only is he victorious in his fight but it's also hinted that he might be able to get a major upgrade in the future thanks to Queen. During Chapter #1019, Sanji sees that Queen is able to fire laser beams over and over again, noting that Franky would probably "love to get his hands on that technology." While this could be just a throwaway line, the potential for Franky to do some scrap hunting once the battle is over is there. Oda could be hinting that Franky will be firing successive lasers in the future as Queen does against Sanji in the chapter.
It's been years since Franky was used in this way, and it's great that each Straw Hat, in general, is getting a dedicated chapter for their fights and roles in the Onigashima Raid. If they don't get a whole chapter, they at least get large windows through which we see what is happening and where they stand. While the Kaido fight is important -- since he is their enemies' leader -- showing all of the smaller components of the Wano battle is equally important. Hopefully, we get to see more of Franky being used in this way more often in One Piece's future.
