History

The Going Merry was conceptualized by Merry several years before the start of the storyline.

East Blue Voyage


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.

After the events in Syrup Village, the Going Merry was given by Kaya as a gift for saving her from Kuro, her caretaker.[4] The ship was originally designed by Merry for Kaya as a luxury vessel. This marked an important event for the Straw Hats as they had acquired for the first time a proper pirate ship. After a touching moment in which Usopp joined the crew, the Going Merry then set off for the future voyages that lay ahead.

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.