Ship Name: Thousand Sunny

Ship Type: Sloop




Following the events of Enies Lobby, the Straw Hat Luffy Pirate Crew was left without a ship. Luckily they had just saved the life of the one of the world's greatest living shipwrights, Franky. As fate would have it, of the 200 million Belly Franky had earlier stolen from the crew, 194 million of it was spent on a precious and rare lumber, with the intention of building a 'Ship of Dreams'. To complete his ship, Franky intended to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Tom, by creating a ship capable of sailing around the world. What you see above is the result of his and the greatest shipwrights of Water Seven's efforts, The Thousand Sunny.

Conception

The Thousand Sunny is what came of a promise Franky made 8 years ago when his mentor Tom was taken away by the World Government for the 'crime' of building the Pirate King's ship. He was determined to build a ship that could travel to the ends of the earth and ride the waves with ease. Franky dubbed his goal a 'Ship of Dreams' and a year after returning to Water Seven having established his gang, he began raising funds for the construction of the ship through a number of seedy methods such as bounty hunting, ship dismantling, gambling and even theft. Although his plans met with ups and downs along the way as a result of some of his underlings poor choices with gambling and partying excessively, Franky's lucky ship sailed in (pun intended) when the Straw Hat Pirates came to Water Seven carrying with them 300 million Belly. After stealing 200 million from Usopp, the money Franky needed to buy a very special lumber for his ship was finally in his hands. Even after having given up on ship-building once before in his life, Franky found himself coming back to the designing that special ship time after time and with 200 million Belly, he was ready to make his 'Ship of Dreams' a reality.

Materials

Sunny's most striking feature is the lumber from which is was constructed. As Franky told the story, there was once an island at war that despite suffering massive bombings and fires, one giant tree stood at the center of the island unharmed. These remarkably resilient and rare trees are living treasures, Paragon Trees known as Adam Trees. Franky's underworld connections put him in touch with a black market dealer that was selling Adam Tree lumber for approximately 200 million Belly. Since nothing less than Adam Tree wood would be sufficient for his ship, Franky used his gang to accumulate funds specifically for the purpose of buying it. It is no coincidence that Franky's mentor Tom constructed the Pirate King Gold Roger's ship from the very same lumber and that Roger's ship, The Oro Jackson, is to this day, the only ship that sailed around the world unscathed.

Construction & Completion

Sunny was scheduled to be constructed in 5 days by Franky and Yokozuna. However, since Iceburg and the remaining dock chiefs pitched in, construction was completed in only 3 days. The ship, which is twice the size of The Going Merry, is a two-masted vessel based on the real world brigantine sloop. The name may be shortened to brig sloop, a term which denotes not only the presence of a fore and aft mast, but also describes the square-shaped sails. As far as we have seen, the ship appears to have at least 15 cannons on board. They are not all on the same level which technically disqualifies it from being a sloop-of-war despite being smaller than a frigate. However, given the loose rating system of ships, it may be possible to consider the ship a 'specialized' sloop-of-war. The ship also boasts a fore-and-aft sail behind the main mast known as a gaff sail or spanker. In an interesting bit of trivia for One Piece fans, the vertical edge of this particular sail attached to the mast is known as a luff, a term which bears striking resemblance to the name of the main character. However, author Eiichiro Oda claimed in an interview during the 10th anniversary year of One Piece, that this was merely a coincidence. The general theme of the ship comes from the figurehead, a lion's head. The so-called 'king of the beasts' represents not only the spirit of the ship, but also those riding on it destined for greatness. Despite being constructed, the ship is not considered 'complete' by its designer. The 'Ship of Dreams' can only be complete when until it has sailed 'beyond the sea' giving off a light greater than any other ship. Franky also notes that the brave spirit of The Going Merry lives on within The Thousand Sunny.

Naming

This time, since it was made from scratch specifically for the Straw Hat Pirates, the naming of the ship was left up to the Captain, Luffy. The naming was decided amidst Marine cannon fire upon a suggestion from Franky that in order for a ship to have a good launch, it needed a name. The final name, The Thousand Sunny, was actually the idea of Iceburg who mistook (perhaps jokingly) Franky's design of the ship's figurehead for a sun instead of a lion. He described the ship as a vessel capable of crossing a thousand seas which would shine as brightly as the sun, hence, The Thousand Sunny. Tileston of Galley-La Company also humorously mistook the figurehead for a sunflower design. Some of the characters' ideas for the ship's name are as follows:

Luffy: "The Bear!! Polar Bear!! Lion", "The Tiger!! Wolf!! Lion", "Squid!! Octopus!! Chimpanzee", "The Dumpling Gorilla Lion" (decided by playing shiritori with himself)

Zoro: "Boss Lionel"

Robin: "The Darkness"

Sanji: "Monsieur Sunflower"

Franky: New Battle Franky - "The Lion Gang Champion"









Prow

When faced with redesigning the crew's ship, Oda had one major problem facing him, what to do about Luffy's favorite seat. Luffy would often be seen resting on or hanging from the prow's figurehead and since this was not only a source of humor for readers, but also a special place for the main character of his series, Oda did what he usually does and doesn't fix what isn't broken. Staying with the animal theme and only changing the basic shape just enough to make it appear more like a lion, the features strongly resemble Merry's ram-shaped figuredhead. This design is yet another case for Luffy's whimsical dreams all turning into reality as his desire for a lion-shaped structure in the front of the ship first appeared in Chapter 302 where Luffy imagined purchasing a giant bronze statue of a lion to place in the prow. Interestingly enough he was ridiculed by Usopp who said they should invest in more cannons and ultimately both the cannon and lion ideas were incorporated into Sunny's figurehead.

Sunny's mane is capable of rotating in a full circle and while pointed up, the ship is considered to be in Chicken Voyage mode perhaps referring to the upside down mane resembling a rooster's comb. It would seem the mane will rotate when the ship is engaged in battle but this is merely a hypothesis since as of this writing no such event has ocurred. Unlike Merry, the figurehead's mouth can actually open, revealing it's Roar Cannon (lit. Gao Hou). Whether this cannon has any special firepower or is a typical cannon remains to be seen.

Anchor

Sunny's lion theme continues even into its anchor which is cleverly disguised as a lion's paw. Whether both paws function as anchors or not is not clear at this point in the comic but since the left paw has been detailed as such, until further clarification, I will only consider the left paw as a functioning anchor. The paw descends on a rope. Upon entering the water, two retractable hooks emerge from slots in the paw and sturdily anchor the ship. Although it might be tempting to liken this function to the Sexy Foxy's jettisoning paws, there does not appear to be any evidence that this anchor can be short forth with force.

Wheel

After dealing with an interior whipstaff the crew can now use the more modern exterior wheel like a real pirate crew. Attached to the helm is a dial for selecting the channels of the Soldier Dock System. The possible combinations are (from left to right): 0-0 Paddle Wheel & Paddle Wheel, 1-3 The White Trojan 1 & The Shark Submerge 3, 2-4 The Mini Merry 2 & ?, 3-1 The Shark Submerge 3 & The White Trojan 1, 4-2 ? & The Mini Merry 2. Upon the channel selection, pulling the lever next to the wheel will roll up the shutters on either side of Sunny, revealing the vehicles or contraptions. A bench rests in front of the wheel for those who might use it while at the helm.







Women's Quarters

On the second floor at the fore of the ship is the women's bedroom. With only one entrance on the right side it's perhaps all for the better that Nami and Robin have to climb the stairs each night before they turn in just to save themselves the misery that would no doubt come from residing BENEATH the boys. The far wall being rounded, the room appears similar to a half-circle when viewed from above. It comes furnished with fancy outfittings that strongly resemble the luxuries Nami and Robin enjoyed in their room on Merry.

Bookshelves rest above their headboards inbetween a pair of bookending lamps. Nami's treasure chest remains in place and its position suggests she sleeps on the far bed. At the foot of the beds along the far wall one may find a mirrored dresser and along that a set of closests. Two fluffy sofas round out the center of the room. At the center of the wall along the entrance is a mirror and sink neighbored by a cabinet with a wine and tea set. Hot water must be brought to the room from the kitchen though.

Notes: Take note of the cannons sandwiched between the outer wall of the ship and the walls of the room on the port and starboard sides.

Men's Quarters

Contained chaos.

But far more spacious and well furnished than their previous room, this is an adventurous soul's dream room and we shouldn't expect anything less from Franky's Ship of Dreams. With two entrances located right off the grassy deck, the layout is the reverse of the women's quarters with respect to furniture. Six wooddden 'bunk hammocks' hang from the ceiling on the starboard side and behind them are six lockers for their personal belongings. To the left of the lockers is a ladder that leads down to the lumber and weapons store room. Further left along the semi-circle far wall are 5 proudly displayed bounty posters. For reasons unknown Sanji has declined to post his...wonder why?

In front of the bounty posters is a lowered table. By sitting on the low sofa, ones legs actually rest below the level of the floor around the table. During cold weather a heater has been installed in the table to keep everyone around the table warm. A laundry set seem to be present in the back of the room. It's complimented by an untouched pile of dirty clothes in front of the lockers.

A sink with a mirror and the men's toothbrushes are along the wall of the entrances. Adjacent to it is a bell for waking everyone up.

Notes: Take note of the cannons sandwiched between the outer wall of the ship and the walls of the room on the port and starboard sides.







Located at the back of the ship in the spherical structure is the library/surveying room situated just below the spa above. This is one of the stranger choices made by Oda with respect to functionality in the ship since it means that to take a shower or bath, the crew must enter the library, then climb up a ladder which is a bit awkward if another crew member happens to be doing work in the library. At any rate let's take a closer look.

Library/Surveying Room

Nami's paradise onboard is the ship's library which also serves as her own personal surveying room. A circular bench runs around the circumfrence of the room excluding the door from the upper deck entrance. The ladder running from the first floor deck entrance comes up through the floor and continues straight up to the spa above. Above the bench are a series of bookshelves that also run around the room which contain books belonging to all of the crew members, except Luffy whom it would seem doesn't actually own any. The ship's log is also located here in Nami's personal work desk.

Large Spa

Although technically a 'bath room' this is so much more as it's a large size shower and hot tub for scrubbing clean after a hard day. The basic design is almost identical to a typical Japanese bath where the occupant rinses off under the shower and then enters the tub to let the day's aches and pains soak away. It contains three stools, three rinsing faucets and one showerhead which indicates it can accomodate three crew members at once. Just outside the room is a prep room with a window that gives a view of the entire deck. A shower and sink are here for pre or post freshening up and another bathroom is also connected to the room. A hamper has been placed here but we have yet to see how the crew goes about washing their clothes. Considering the amount of use the bath must get, it's somewhat difficult to access as one must first enter the library, then climb up a ladder to get to it. Somehow the combination of soaking wet male testosterone traipsing through a room with Nami's valuable texts doesn't seem like a good idea.

Lookout & Gym

The lookout room atop the fore mast, which was formerly just a simple crow's nest atop Merry, is now an enclosed room big enough to walk around in. Not only that, but it also serves as the crew's gym. A telescope and binoculars are always at ready for surveying the horizon and a microphone for the ship's bullhorn is nearby for any announcements. While on his or her down time, a crew member (and who are we kidding, probably Zoro 99% of the time) may train with the weight equipment available here. Steel bars and dumbells are at the ready and a steel carpet resting over a cushion support the floor in case Zoro drops his unbelievably heavy weights. A locker and towel rack round out the gym part of the room. A bench also covers the circumference of the room as seen in several other rooms onboard. This room may be accessed from outside by a rope ladder leading up through the floor connected to the top of the fore mast.

Usopp Factory Headquarters

Located below deck on the starboard side to the aft is Usopp's Factory Headquarters. The contents of the room are simple and basically identical to his setup on Merry, a raised platform, a box of junk and a box of tools. These are the only things Usopp needs to work wonders. He can make gadgets for himself or for the crew here.

Franky's Weapons Development Room

Situated next to Usopp's Factory HQ is the Franky's invention room. In stark contrast to Usopp's carefree experimental workshop, this a room that suits someone as good with tools as Franky. With a drafting desk, carpentry tools, an oven and scrap metal parts of all kinds, Franky can throw together any kind of weapon for himself or possibly other crew members with the only limit being his imagination. Note the metal floors and walls that protect the ship from any kind of mishhaps or 'misfires' that might occur.







The lookout comes fitted with a bullhorn that can broadcast announcements to the crew. One may reach the lookout room itself resting atop the fore mast by climbing up the sail rigging and entering via a rope ladder. Down below we find giant lanterns attached to both sides of the surveying room while above the kitchen lies Robin's flowerbed, the kitchen's chimney and Nami's mikan trees with the main mast at the center.

Looking toward the 2nd floor deck entrance to the surveying room we find the aft-most of the fish tank lids. These may be completely sealed to prevent rain water from entering the tank, a disaster that could destroy the balance of the saltwater environment.

Finally we see the Gaff Sail on the main mast with its independently moving top and bottom that make Sunny's square-rigging possible.

Name of FunctionTranslation Used In Response ToLocation in MangaSpecial Notes
Ku~ do Ba~suto
Coup de Burst
Garp
Vol.45 pg178.
Using a full three barrels of cola, Sunny blasts off into the air and lands about about 1 kilometer from the launch site. The Adam Tree's wood protects against any damage to the ship.





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