Going Merry
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of One Piece characters#Straw Hat Pirates. (Discuss) |
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Straw Hat Pirates. (Discuss) |
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| Name: | Going Merry |
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| Captained by: | Monkey D. Luffy |
| Armament: | 4 cannons |
| Ship type: | Caravel |
The Going Merry (ゴーイングメリー号 Gōingu Merī-gō?), known in the edited for TV English dub of the anime[1] and English version of the manga as Merry Go [2], 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 Kaya. She had a jib and a central steering rudder. The ship's armament consisted of four cannons, one in the bow pointing forward, two near the stern mounted port and starboard, and one that was occasionally seen on deck at the stern. However they were rarely used, the Straw Hat Pirates usually preferring to flee 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. Luffy had Usopp paint their jolly roger on the flag and main mast. The first attack on the Going Merry was by Zoro's former bounty hunting partner Johnny. After the Arlong arc, the Going Merry gained three mikan trees from Belle-Mère's farm, mementos for Nami of her home.
[edit] From Reverse Mountain 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;
- Shojo of the Saruyama Alliance's Havoc Sonar attack damaging the already poorly done repairs.
- Parts of the ship were chopped off by Bellamy's crew in Jaya Island, yet she was later newly repaired;
- Her railing was smashed by Luffy while attempting to fix the ship. He also accidentally destroyed another part of the ship.
- 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 hope of repair, due to a broken keel. 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, as the Going Merry had been her present to them. When Usopp refused Luffy's order 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. Usopp lost the duel and 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 showed him concretely that the ship could not be salvaged. One further revelation was in store: 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, however, did: the figure with a hammer, raincoat, and smile was none other than a Klabautermann, the very soul of the Going Merry himself. Though Usopp was still unwilling to part with her, in the end, he had no choice, as Kaku, an agent of CP9 seeking out Franky, sent the ship back out into open waters, which were already showing the effects of the "Aqua Laguna" tidal storm.
[edit] Last Voyage
The Going Merry made a surprise appearance at the end of the battle at Enies Lobby, emerging from the depths just in time to save a poor suffering Luffy from being killed by cannon fire. Though no better off than before in terms of repairs, she seemed to be able to "speak" to the Straw Hat crew. Together with his crew, she escaped the pursuing Navy fleet. 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 Seven, met the crew halfway and told them how the ship traveled on her own toward Enies Lobby to help the crew one last time.
Realizing that the ship was finally at its last, the crew gave the Going Merry a viking funeral by burning her while she sank into the sea. While burning, she comforted the grieving Straw Hats by telling them that she was happy to have traveled with them and thanked them for taking care of her during their time together.
[edit] Parts of the Going Merry
[edit] Conference Room, Helm, Galley
This area under the orange trees contains the steering wheel, provisions and the galley. It also serves as a conference room. The whipstaff is in the soil and is decorated with the same figurehead, as the prow.
[edit] Cannon Deck and Reservoir
In this area are two of the four cannons of the Going Merry. Supplies and various Gerümpel are also stored here.
[edit] Head
The head is in the stern. It contains a toilet, a bathtub, and a water pump(there are two of them but the other one is broke by luffy), which filters and desalinates the sea water.
[edit] Female Cabin
The female cabin towards the stern and beside the male cabin. Both cabins are both connected by a door. Here Nami draws her sea charts and stores her gold. Robin can also be found here now and then catching up on some reading. The cabin is quite cozy and organized. It is furnished with a bar, desk, sofa, wardrobe, bookshelf, and hammocks.
[edit] Male Cabin
The male cabin is towards the bow in the lower part of the ship. In contrast to the female cabin, it is quite large and untidy. It is furnished with hammocks, a wardrobe, table, and laundry basket. The main mast runs directly by this cabin. This room is normally crowded due to the fact it is shared by Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, and Sanji.
[edit] Anchor Area
The anchor area is in the bow. Life preservers and oars to propel the ship if there is no wind are also kept here. The bow cannon and magazine is also in this area.
[edit] Nami's Mikan Grove
The mikan trees are cared for by Nami. Sanji makes sure that no one steals the fruit, which are very tasty.
[edit] The Figurehead
Despite having eaten a Devil Fruit, which disables him in swimming, Luffy prefers to sit on the ship's figurehead.
[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 with the money he stole from the Strawhats. Her name is Thousand Sunny, but Iceburg dubbed her "King of Beasts" in reference to her 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.
It is stated by Franky that the Thousand Sunny houses the Going Merry's soul. Also, Gate 2 of Franky's Soldier Dock System on the Thousand Sunny houses a miniature landing vessel that resembles 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.[citation needed]
- The Going Merry appears on the cover page of One Piece Chapter 358, as a real Straw Hat, a feature only reserved for actual Straw Hats, and princess Nefertari Vivi.
[edit] References
- ^ In episode 109 (148) of FUNimation's dub it was referred to as Going Merry, but from then on it is referred to as Merry Go.
- ^ While the Straw Hat Pirates often refer to the ship as Merī-gō for short in the Japanese version, the -gō suffix is lexically distinct from the name proper, and used to denote that the name is in fact that of a ship (similar to setting the name off with italics and the definite article in English). Another example of this phenomenon in the series can be seen in the Bliking (ブリキング号 Burikingu-gō?), Wapol's ship.
[edit] External links
- Inside Going Merry - The anatomy and explanation from SBS vol. 11.
- Tokyo Water Cruise's Going Merry Homepage
- One Piece Encyclopedia - The Going Merry
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