Franky, the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates, doesn’t get too much time to shine in One Piece. His moments in Water 7 and the Enies Lobby arcs were brilliant, his budding dynamic with Nico Robin stealing the hearts of fans and his extravagant ways were hilarious. He’s the person who made and keeps the Thousand Sunny together and gets overly emotional, despite his cyborg structure. In the Dressrosa Arc, he encountered one of the most tragic villains in One Piece, Senor Pink of the Donquixote Pirates. Franky’s voice actor, Kazuki Yao, even chooses it as his favorite fight in One Piece.
One Piece has a certain way of making the audience sympathize with the villains, even if most of them are still unforgivable for their actions. Senor Pink became one of the most prominent examples of a sympathetic villain whose consequences fired back at him and, despite being a cruel man, truly loved his wife and son, a side that is undeniably compelling to his character.
Senor Pink’s Story is What Makes One Piece Brilliant
The introduction of Senor Pink was rather comical with his baby attire very strange for a grown man and the way his admirers would linger around him was a bit annoying. However, the pirate was incredibly loyal to them all and even risked his life when Franky could’ve injured someone else. His backstory was slowly unveiled in the Dressrosa Arc. He remembers his family during his fight against Franky after being thoroughly beaten by the cyborg. However, he had gained the respect of the Straw Hat Pirate for the formidable fight. Franky’s voice actor, Kazuki Yao, reveals the same sentiment in an interview:
The battle with Senor Pink is just the best!
Senor Pink was revealed to have fallen in love with a woman named Russian but due to his career as a pirate, the man had to lie, saying he was a banker. The two got married and had a son named Gimlet. However, their son passed away and his devastated wife subsequently found out about his job. She runs away from him and gets into an accident, putting her in a vegetative state. This then explains Senor Pink’s attire; it’s the only thing that made her smile.
The Donquixote Pirate, of course, had lingering affection for his wife, as evidenced by his tears and attire. It’s his mistakes and guilt that make the entire backstory so tragic.
Is Senor Pink’s Story The Most Tragic in One Piece?
In short, no. When you compare him to the likes of Nico Robin or Trafalgar Law whose entire countries were wiped out, it doesn’t even hold a candle. However, what makes his story so compelling and tragic is that the villain is clearly haunted by his past mistakes and clings to the person he loves so much. It makes him a lot more complicated than a simple villain, especially impactful when he’s just a supporting one and not the main like Donquixote Doflamingo.
His fight with Franky also showcased how someone so comical to look at is nothing like his appearance. The fans wouldn’t have imagined someone dressed as a baby was so in love but so full of guilt. When we expected comic relief, we got someone who is deeply flawed. That’s what Senor Pink vs Franky so memorable and iconic.
One Piece is available on Crunchyroll.
