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Ship Design and Appearance
Edit
In volume 11 of the manga, Oda presented various schematics and explanations of each part of the ship. These included everything from Merry's figurehead to its kitchen.[1]
Meeting Room, Lounge, and HelmEdit
The device for steering the ship is also located here. However, unlike regular ships that commonly have a steering wheel, the Going Merry doesn't have one. Instead it uses a "steering pole" with a sheep's head like the one used for the ship's figurehead. By tilting the pole left or right, the rudder at the stern will move in that direction.
Men's RoomEdit
Storage Room and Cannon Deck(aft)Edit
The bathroom and the women's quarters can be accessed from here. Some towels can be found next to the bathroom's entrance for when one finishes taking a bath. The hatch going down to the women's quarters has a latch to keep out prying eyes.
The steering shaft that is used to steer the ship can also be seen located above this room.
Women's RoomEdit
After the Arlong arc, a bar was added here by a carpenter from Cocoyashi, Teru-san, from which people can drink.
Cannon Deck(fore) and Anchor RoomEdit
The cannon found here was used notably to fire at Laboon after the Going Merry rammed into him and broke its figurehead.
BathroomEdit
A shower, a bathtub, a sink, and a toilet can be found here. When Robin was frozen by Aokiji, the bathtub was used by Chopper and Usopp to thaw her out.[2] The water used here is drawn up by a special machine located underneath the stairs on the top deck. There used to be two of these machines but Luffy broke one.
Care must be taken here after taking showers and such here. After cleaning themselves, the crew must make sure to thoroughly clean the place up with a rubber wiper found here in order to prevent the ship from being weakened by moisture.
Luffy's Favorite SeatEdit
Throughout the series, the figurehead would sometimes show signs of expressions like a regular person. These have ranged from the comical to the sad.[3]
Nami's Mikan TreesEdit
Aside from Nami taking care of them, Sanji also protects these three trees from those who might otherwise harm them or steal the fruit (e.g. Luffy).
After Luffy and Usopp's battle in Water 7, these trees were moved to the hotel room where the Straw Hats were. They were luckily found by the Galley-La shipwrights and moved to a safer location before the Aqua Laguna hit.
They, along with the rest of the Straw Hats' belongings, now reside on the Thousand Sunny.
HistoryEdit
The Going Merry was conceptualized by Merry several years before the start of the storyline. East Blue VoyageEdit
The Going Merry began its voyage in East Blue. Where it carried the first five Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji, to the various locations in East Blue. It was never said how old the ship was before the Straw Hat Pirates began to use it as their transport. 
At first, the voyage was very easygoing. Many trivial tasks at the beginning, like the design of the jolly roger and placement of items were the all crew's biggest worries. It was not until they met Johnny and Yosaku on board the Going Merry that a more serious issue occurred. Having accidentally shot their boat while testing the ship's cannons, the two bounty hunters showed to the crew first hand the consequences of scurvy with the state that Yosaku was then in. This made the entire crew realize that they needed a cook in order to protect themselves from the disease as well as starvation due to the way Luffy and sometimes Zoro ate. Luckily the crew was informed by the bounty hunters that the ocean going restaurant, Baratie, was nearby. This vessel would be the perfect place to aquire a cook. The crew set off on their journey to stock up on food and gain a chef. During a raid by Don Krieg, which was further complicated by the appearance of Mihawk, Nami stole the Going Merry and headed back to Arlong and his crew, bringing the ship and the crew's treasures with her.
After the battle with Arlong, the Going Merry was later reclaimed and given three mikan trees, which were planted on top of the ship's cabin, where they remained. The Merry then continued on its voyage towards the Grand Line. While sailing towards their destination, the crew made a stop at the last island in East Blue before entering the Grand Line, Loguetown, in order to stock up on supplies for the journey ahead. This stop had something important for everyone. After docking the ship on a shore far from town in order to avoid drawing the attention of the Marines stationed there, the crew went into town to complete their tasks. This trip, which was already then made complicated by the reappearance of Buggy the Clown and the pursuit of Smoker's Marines, was abruptly ended with the appearance of a massive storm. This storm stopped the Going Merry from being burnt by Mohji and the Marines, as matches could not be lit, and the Marine's gunpowder supply was wet.[5]
After escaping from Loguetown, the crew then held a small ceremony on board the Going Merry before entering the Grand Line while the storm raged on, symbolized by placing their feet above a barrel. The entire crew vowed to accomplish all of their dreams. With that done, The Going Merry was then navigated towards Reverse Mountain, the entrance of the Grand Line.
Grand Line VoyageEdit
The Going Merry continued its voyages with the Straw Hats in the Grand Line. Taking them from island to island, it had to endure the various obstacles that the Grand Line presented such as the unpredictable weather conditions. In the Shadow of Baroque WorksEdit
After the Going Merry traversed Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line, the ship immediately encountered an Island Whale named Laboon. After crashing into the whale's side and knocking the figurehead off, an infuriated Luffy punched the whale in the eye. The whale, angered by this attack, swallowed the entire ship and most of the crew. Luffy, however, was not swallowed along with the rest of the crew and the ship, but instead found a trap door on the whale's side and went in. While inside the whale, the crew met Crocus, as well as Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. After they got out of the whale, Luffy broke the mast off the Going Merry and attacked the whale with it. Both the whale and Luffy fought until Luffy called off the fight, announcing that it was a draw. Luffy then told the whale that he would return to Reverse Mountain to finish the fight and that the whale was not allowed to hit his head against the mountain anymore. Nami learned about Log Poses from Crocus, and the crew then escorted Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday back to their home island, Whiskey Peak, unbeknownst to them that the two were really planning something. After several events on the island where the crew learned about the secret organization, Baroque Works, its doings, and the true identity of Miss Wednesday, the Going Merry was then steered away from Whiskey Peak with two extra passengers, Vivi, who disguised herself as Miss Wednesday, and Carue, Vivi's pet spot billed duck. The Going Merry then sailed in the direction of Little Garden via the Log Pose where the crew experienced more Baroque Works related endeavors.
After defeating Wapol and his men (during which Wapol had bitten a piece of the ship's side), whose ship they encountered earlier before coming to Drum, the Going Merry acquired a new member to its list of occupants, the reindeer doctor, Chopper. With that, the crew continued on its journey to Alabasta. While journeying to Alabasta, the ship accidentally took on board another passenger due to Luffy and Usopp's fishing techniques and some steam created by an underwater volcano. This person, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, entertained the crew until his ship and crew came to the Going Merry to fetch him back. Upon learning the identity and powers of this person, the crew and their companions decided to protect themselves using an X mark placed on each of their right forearms and some bandages covering it. With this they swore aboard the Going Merry as being nakama.
After reaching Alabasta and docking in Nanohana, the Going Merry briefly took onboard another passenger, Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace. After a short meeting with Ace about Blackbeard, the Going Merry was steered to the south western shores of Alabasta, across the great river, where it remained for some time. After Crocodile was defeated, it was learned that Mr. 2 had taken the ship. Learning about this the crew sped across the vast desert to retrieve their ship. Upon reaching the ship, it was learned that Mr. 2 had taken the ship not as an enemy but as a friend. He had taken the ship in order to safeguard it from the various Marines that were then searching around the island for the Straw Hats. With the crew back on the Going Merry and the Straw Hats' business with Baroque Works finished, it was time to leave Alabasta.
Leaving Alabasta was a real obstacle for the Going Merry. Being pursued by the various Marine ships under Captain Hina, the Going Merry suffered heavily from battle damage. The metal poles that were shot from the Marine ships pierced the ship's side thus creating large holes in the Going Merry's frame. Fortunately, however, the reformed Mr. 2, along with his crew, were able draw away the Marines then by pretending to be the Straw Hats thus saving the Going Merry from further damage. After all that, the Going Merry was steered to the north eastern part of the Alabasta. Here the Straw Hats were to meet up with Vivi in case she wanted to join up with the crew. Vivi was at the meeting place; however, she declined the offer for the sake of her country. The crew wanted to respond to Vivi from aboard the Going Merry; however, they couldn't due to a nearby Marine ship. Not wanting to get Vivi in trouble, the crew instead responded by showing off their X marks to Vivi. With that sign of friendship, the Going Merry and its crew sailed away from Alabasta.
The escapades with Baroque Works had left the crew of the Going Merry very tired and lonely due to the fact that Vivi wasn't coming along. However, one last surprise came along from all this: the former vice president of Baroque Works, Miss All Sunday, had stowed away aboard the Going Merry. Having met her before leaving Whiskey Peak and identifying her as a past enemy, the crew didn't know what to do. The woman, whose real name was Nico Robin, surprisingly asked to join the crew due to actions done by Luffy. This, Luffy accepted and the Going Merry gained another occupant from this series of events involving Baroque Works.
Adventure in Sky IslandEdit
After the events with Baroque Works, the Going Merry and its crew shortly experienced an incredibly sight. A ship fell out of the sky. This ship, later identified to be the Saint Briss, apparently came from a sky island called Skypiea. This idea of this island seemed quite impossible. However, it appeared to be the next destination on the Log Pose. With this new sensation, Luffy decided to steer the Going Merry to Skypiea, but there was one slight problem. The Going Merry was not capable of going into sky. Unable to do anything, the ship was instead steered into the direction of Jaya where the crew hoped to find some answers. Around this time the Going merry started to show noticeable signs of damage, such as makeshift wooden repairs to the hull and scraps of steel holding the mast together, leading some members such as Zoro and Sanji to suggest they get a new ship, something Usopp vehemently denies due to its origins. 
After a brief encounter with a masked warrior and an seemingly errant knight, the Going Merry traveled across the White Sea towards Heaven's Gate. There, the Going Merry was transported to the White White Sea by the speedy shrimp. Once in the White White Sea, the Going Merry docked on the shores of Angel Island. Several events caused by the crew happened on Angel Island which ultimately led to the Going Merry to being carried off by a super-express speed shrimp deep into Upper Yard, the territory of Skypiea's God. This series of events caused the Straw Hats that were left on Angel Island, Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp, to head out into Upper Yard to reclaim their ship and rescue their friends. As for the remaining Straw Hats aboard the Going Merry, they couldn't do anything to the giant shrimp without falling victim to some pursuing sky sharks, so they allowed the shrimp to carry the ship until it placed them upon a sacrificial altar surrounded by watery clouds. There they decided to explore the rest of Upper Yard, leaving Chopper to guard the Going Merry.[7]
While waiting for the others, Chopper encountered one of the priests of Skypiea, Shura the Sky Rider. The priest, having no respect for the ship, lit the the ship's mast on fire. Desperately, Chopper broke the mast and threw it into the clouds in order to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the ship. This seemed like a dangerous situation for the Going Merry; however, before the priest could continue his attack on it, its then sole defender, the knight errant, Gan Fall, appeared to fight him off. The battle between these two, however, ended with Gan Fall being defeated and Chopper being thrown into the clouds surrounding the altar. Fortunately, the Going Merry wasn't further harassed by the priest as he was then called at that moment to be somewhere else. The Going Merry, then and there, would remain on the altar in its damaged state until the rest of the Straw Hats returned.[8]
After using a sky shark to drag the Going Merry off the altar, it was decided that the Going Merry would be steered to the southern part of Upper Yard. The crew had decided to split up into two teams and that there they would meet up again after getting the gold. However, things didn't go as planned when the Going Merry set off. Enel, the self proclaimed God of Skypiea, appeared on the ship and took out Sanji and Usopp. Later the ship was turned into a battleground for Nami and Gan Fall against Satori's triplet brothers, Hotori and Kotori. The battle was won by the former. After several events, the ship was left in the protection of Conis then later her fox, Su. Throughout the terror that Enel had brought about with his plan to destroy Skypiea, the ship swayed uneasily against the waves of clouds that were created. It stayed there on that spot for some time, even after the final battle between Enel and Luffy, until its crew returned to it with bags of gold they supposedly "stole" from Skypiea.
After all the excitement in Skypiea, the Going Merry was steered into the direction of Cloud End. There, the Going Merry and its crew left Skypiea with the aid of a balloon octopus and a horde of gold. It then safely returned to the Blue Sea down below to continue its voyage.[10]
Water 7 EventsEdit
After the ship returned to the Blue Sea and the events the crew experienced in Long Ring Long Land, the Going Merry and its crew had reached the fabled city of water, Water 7. This Venice-like city was renowned for its shipwrights and shipyards. So great were these, that not even pirates dared to attack them at risk of not having their ships repaired or worse. This city was a great opportunity for the Straw Hats in many ways. Ever since the damage caused by the marines during the Straw Hat's escape from Alabasta, the Going Merry had continued to sustain heavy damage caused by a number of events. Even though the crew, most notably Usopp, was able to patch up the Going Merry, the repairs done to the ship were below standard. Here, the Straw Hats could finally fully repair the ship properly. Even better, they also hoped to gain a new member for the crew from the abundance of shipwrights within the city. This they hoped would help maintain the ship fully. With these high hopes, they docked the Going Merry on a shore near the city. 
300,000,000, Luffy, Nami, and Usopp proceeded to Dock One where they met Kaku,[11] and then later President Iceburg of the Galley-La Company and two other foremen working there. Seeing as they were customers then, Kaku decided to check out their ship. Unfortunately upon returning, the shipwright brought bad news. The Going Merry was now irreparable. This, as Kaku as explained, was because the keel (which is like a ship's backbone) was broken. This was the most critical part of the Going Merry and it being broken meant the ship could never be fixed again. This meant the ship would practically sink on the way to the next island. Luffy, not wanting to accept this, insisted that the shipwrights repair the ship regardless of the cost. It was then, however, that Luffy and Nami realized that Usopp was missing, along with two-thirds of their money intended to repair the ship. This was done by the Franky Family, a gang of bounty hunters that earlier had attempted to raid the Going Merry with Zoro on it.[12]
After discovering that Usopp had been taken and beaten up by the Franky Family for the money, Luffy, along with Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper, decided to raid the gang's hideout to reclaim the money, as well avenge their fallen comrade. However, when they trashed the place, they discovered that the money that could have been used to repair the ship, had been taken far away from Water 7. With this turn of events and the facts given by the Galley-La company, Luffy made the hard decision to instead buy a new ship. This decision, however, didn't go over well with Usopp. Having repaired the ship so many times, Usopp had come to treasure the ship to a point where he considered it as part of the crew. This he couldn't accept as it seemed to him like the crew was abandoning one of their own. This disagreement with Luffy's decision eventually led to Usopp leaving the crew and a battle between him and Luffy for ownership of the Going Merry. This battle in the night was an intense one for both combatants. This was because Usopp had known Luffy more than the latter's previous opponents, and was able to come up with some strategies to battle Luffy for the ship. However, despite all the effort Usopp put into it, Luffy beats him. Even though he was the victor, Luffy let Usopp keep the ship as an act of pity. The next morning, Luffy and the rest of the crew take their belongings off the ship, leaving Usopp alone with the Going Merry.
After a brief struggle wherein the agents took down Franky in order to get the blueprints of the ancient weapon, Pluton, the Going Merry was put in a dire situation. One of the agents, Kaku, explained that even though he was undercover, his evaluation of the ship's damage was not false. As one last act of him being a shipwright, Kaku casts off the Going Merry out into the sea where the fury of the Aqua Laguna was currently besieging Water 7. With a mighty fall from the hideout, the Going Merry plunged into the raging sea. Its fate then would be unknown until much later.
Escape from Enies Lobby/FuneralEdit
The battle was very intense due to the fact that most of the Marines weren't the run of the mill kind plus there was also the impending danger of the Buster Call cannons. Just when it all seemed hopeless, the Going Merry suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Without hesitation, the Straw Hats and their allies boarded the ship and made a desperate escape. With a little thrust from Franky's Coup de Vent and a little gate closing thanks to Sanji, the Going Merry and its crew escaped from Enies Lobby leaving the Buster Call ships to deal with the whirlpools. With this, the battle in Enies Lobby was won.
Having escaped Enies Lobby on the Going Merry, everything seemed all right in the world to the Straw Hats. Unfortunately, the joy was short lived. The Going Merry suddenly broke apart in the middle of the ocean. Fortunately, a Galley-La ship carrying Iceburg and other workers appeared to rescue the passengers on board the Going Merry in time. Upon reuniting with the president since they left Water 7, Iceburg revealed the Going Merry's sudden appearance at Enies Lobby. After they had left Water 7 for Enies Lobby, Iceburg found the ship beached on one of Water 7's shores. The ship then apparently asked Iceburg to fix it up. After Iceburg complied and fixed it up, the ship suddenly set off by itself into the raging seas, braving the storm that was then going on. This he told the Straw Hats. He also told them that the ship was now in a state completely beyond repair and needed to finally rest in peace.
The Going Merry was a ship that became as alive as any other member in the Straw Hat Pirates. As it was burned to a crisp, it said "I'm sorry, I wish I could have taken you guys a little further".
But Luffy forgave Merry, and told Merry, if anybody was to be sorry, it was them for the way they treated the ship. When it died, a valuable member was forever lost.
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