---
Franky was tinkering with one of the Sunny's new upgrades when he noticed a fresh stack of bounty posters lying on the workbench. Robin must have left them there after the crew's last meeting. His mechanical hand picked up the top poster, and his eyes widened when he saw the name The Requiem printed boldly beneath the pirate flag.
"What the—?" Franky muttered as he scanned the details. His gaze locked onto one particular poster, the image of a girl in sleek, futuristic armor with a scorpion-like tail catching his eye. The name read: Lia, "The Tinkerer" – 80,000,000 berries.
"SUPERRR!" Franky exclaimed, dropping his tools and rushing onto the deck with the poster in hand. He didn't care if anyone was in the middle of something—this was too exciting to keep to himself.
"Yo, guys!" Franky shouted. "You've gotta see this!"
Luffy was lounging on the figurehead, lazily chewing on a piece of meat, while Usopp and Chopper were engaged in a game of cards. At Franky's loud declaration, their heads snapped up, curiosity shining in their eyes.
"What's up, Franky?" Luffy asked, leaping down with his usual enthusiasm.
"This!" Franky said, holding up the poster like it was a treasure map. "Look at this armor! The scorpion tail, the sleek design—this is some next-level engineering! They call her 'The Tinkerer,' and I can see why!"
Usopp leaned in, his eyes going wide. "Whoa! That's awesome! Did she build that herself?"
Chopper, his tiny hooves gripping the poster, stared in awe. "It looks like something out of a storybook! Do you think it can shoot lasers?"
Luffy's grin stretched from ear to ear as he took the poster, staring at it intently. "That's so cool! A robot suit! I want one!"
Franky placed his hands on his hips, puffing up his chest. "Whoever built this has some serious skills. I've never seen anything like it! I need to meet her and talk shop. She might even be super enough to keep up with me!"
Robin, seated nearby with a book in hand, chuckled softly. "So, The Requiem has caught your attention. They've been making waves across the Grand Line."
"Yeah, they're like the newest big thing, right?" Usopp said, flipping through the rest of the posters. "Look at these bounties. They're almost on our level already!"
"Do you think they're strong?" Chopper asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Of course they're strong!" Luffy declared, his fists clenched in excitement. "Anyone with armor like that has to be awesome!"
Franky pointed to the poster again. "This Lia girl—she's the one responsible for all the tech in their crew. If her exoskeleton is this advanced, who knows what else she's built?"
Usopp's imagination ran wild as he leaned over the poster. "Maybe she's got a giant robot or a secret lab on her ship! Oh! What if her crew has an entire fleet of robot suits?"
"Robots fighting pirates!" Chopper exclaimed, his hooves waving in excitement. "That would be the coolest thing ever!"
Franky's eyes glimmered. "I bet her ship has some insane modifications, too. I'll wager it's almost as super as the Sunny!"
Luffy's grin widened as he stared at Lia's picture on the poster. "I wanna meet them! They sound fun!"
Usopp looked skeptical for a moment. "Wait a second—what if they're dangerous? They're called The Requiem. That sounds... you know, ominous."
Robin smiled knowingly. "They're certainly not ordinary pirates. Their actions seem deliberate, almost purposeful. They've been taking out other pirate crews and rescuing hostages. It's an unusual approach."
"Pirates who help people?" Chopper tilted his head. "That's... nice?"
"Sounds like my kind of people!" Luffy said, punching the air. "We've gotta find them!"
Franky crossed his arms, nodding firmly. "If we do, I'm going straight to this Lia to talk about her tech. I mean, look at this! The craftsmanship, the innovation—it's beautiful!"
---
As the crew passed the poster around, their excitement grew. Even Zoro glanced at it with mild interest before shrugging. "If they're strong, I guess they're worth meeting."
Sanji, however, was less impressed. "Armor or not, if they're pirates, they're competition. We'll probably end up fighting them."
"Maybe," Robin said, her tone calm. "But perhaps not. They don't seem to seek conflict unnecessarily."
"Doesn't matter!" Luffy declared. "If we meet them, we'll fight them or befriend them—or both!"
Franky grinned as he imagined the possibilities. "And I'll trade notes on engineering! This is the kind of challenge I've been waiting for."
---
That night, as the Thousand Sunny sailed on, Franky continued to study the poster. The design of Lia's exoskeleton fascinated him, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for her ingenuity. It wasn't every day he encountered someone who shared his passion for innovation.
He glanced out at the horizon, his excitement undimmed. "Whoever you are, Lia, I'm looking forward to the day we cross paths. Let's see what kind of super genius you really are."
And as the Grand Line stretched endlessly ahead, the thought of meeting The Requiem added an extra spark of anticipation to their journey.