Going Merry
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The Going Merry, known in the English adaptations as the Merry Go (ゴーイングメリー号 Gōingu Merī-gō, the extra gō being a suffix used to denote that the name is that of a ship, another example would be Bliking-gō, Wapol's ship from the Drum Island Arc), was a fictional caravel used by the Straw Hat Pirates in the anime and manga One Piece.
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[edit] History of the Going Merry
[edit] East Blue Route
The Going Merry was designed by Merry, a close servant of Miss Kaya. It had a jib and a central steer rudder. The ship's armament consisted of four (4) cannons, one in the bow pointing forward, 2 near the stern pointing to either side, and one that was occasionally seen on deck at the stern - although they where rarely used, the Straw Hat Pirates usually preferring to run away or engage in hand to hand combat. She was given to Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Usopp, and Nami for their efforts against Captain Kuro and his Black Cat Pirates, who were plotting to invade Syrup Village (where they were resting) and kill Kaya. After the Arlong arc, the Going Merry gained three tangerine trees from Belle-Mère's farm, these are a memento of Nami of her home.
[edit] From Cactus Island To Skypiea
The Going Merry had a remarkable propensity to withstand severe damage over her lifetime. The sheep's-head prow was broken off and reattached after the ship collided with the whale Laboon; Luffy broke the mast and jabbed it into Laboon while fighting it; Wapol of Drum Island ate some of the railing; Off the coast of Alabasta, she was bombarded by iron spears during the confrontation with Hina when the Straw Hats were to leave Alabasta; parts of the ship were chopped of by Bellamy's crew in Jaya Island, yet she was later newly repaired; She was badly damaged during the crew's time in Skypiea, where the newly-installed wings were ripped off, the mast was burned, and other parts sustained a beating; she survived the 10,000 meter fall on her return-trip from Skypiea, back to the Blue Sea.
[edit] Water Seven Events
After their arrival at Water Seven, Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, made the decision to switch to another ship after learning that the Going Merry had been damaged beyond all hopes of repair; although the fulfillment of this choice had been put off due to the embroilment of both the Straw-Hats and the Galley-La Company in a conflict with the mysterious World Government organization known as "CP9". This brought Luffy into a confrontation with Usopp (who was close to Kaya, and by extension, the Going Merry, which was her present to them). When Usopp refused Luffy's pleas to go along with his wishes, the two got into an argument and Usopp subsequently decided to leave the crew, betting the ship on a duel with Luffy. Although Usopp fought admirably and showed great understanding of his opponent, Luffy eventually overpowered him and he was left, beaten and broken, on the now-empty Going Merry.
Usopp initially attempted to fix the ship himself, but was eventually taken in by Franky the ship dismantler (who had previously beaten him to a pulp at the Franky House), who showed him concretely that the ship could not be salvaged. One further revelation was in store however; back in Skypiea, the ship was already unseaworthy, yet, a mysterious shipwright managed to get her in working order again. Usopp caught a glimpse of him, but did not know who it was. Franky, on the other hand, did: the figure with a hammer, raincoat, and smile was none other than a Klabautermann, the very soul of the Going Merry herself. Though Usopp was still unwilling to part with her, in the end, he didn't have a choice; Kaku of the agents of CP9, seeking out Franky (now revealed as the holder of the plans to the superweapon Pluton), sent the ship back out into open waters, which were already showing the effects of the "Aqua Laguna" tidal storm.
[edit] Last Sail
The Going Merry showed up at the end of the battle at Enies Lobby, just in time to save a battered Luffy from being killed by cannon fire. However, she appeared to be no better off than before. It also seemed to be able to "talk" to the Strawhats. Going Merry and the Strawhat Crew escape, leaving the obliterated Enies Lobby behind. However once clear of the Buster Call ships, the Going Merry began to split in two, finally at her limit. Iceburg, the head of shipwrights from Water 7, met the crew halfway, and tells them that he helped the ship back out to sea, where it traveled on its own toward Enies Lobby, to help its crew one last time.
Realizing this, the Straw Hats gave the Going Merry a viking funeral by burning her while she sank into the sea. While she continued to burn, she comforted the grieving Straw Hats that she was happy to have traveled with them, and thanked them for taking care of her during their time together.
[edit] Successor ship
While recovering at Water 7, Franky, Iceburg, and the Galley-La shipwrights made the Strawhat Crew a new ship using the Adam Tree wood that Franky bought. Its official name is not yet known, but Iceburg dubbed it "King of Beasts" in reference to its figurehead. This new ship is a brigantine-rigged sloop-of-war (brig sloop), and, as stated by Zoro, is about twice the size of the Going Merry.
[edit] Real-life counterpart
In recent years, a replica of the Going Merry (which may not be fully functional) was created, and has been present at a number of exhibitions sponsored by Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV, in Odaiba, Tokyo. The 2005 incarnation of this live-action replica is designed to show the beating the ship has taken up through the Water Seven arc.
[edit] Trivia
- In a recent Japanese Fan Poll, the Going Merry is ranked the 50th most popular character in One Piece.
- Going Merry appears on the cover page of One Piece Chapter 358, as a real Straw Hats, a feature only reserved to "real person" Straw Hats and princess Nefertari Vivi.
[edit] External links
- Inside Going Merry - The anatomy and explanation from SBS vol. 11.
- Tokyo Water Cruise's Going Merry Homepage
