Few moments in One Piece carry the same emotional weight as the farewell to the Straw Hat Pirates’ first ship, the Going Merry. The small caravel wasn’t just a vessel—it was a crewmate, a symbol of their early adventures, and a reminder of how far they had come. Yet Eiichiro Oda made the painful decision to retire the Merry in one of the series’ most heartbreaking story arcs. Recently, Oda explained why the ship had to go, both for narrative reasons and for the Straw Hats’ future.
Why Oda Had To Let Go of the Merry
Oda originally planned for the Straw Hats to sail the Going Merry all the way to Laugh Tale. But as the story advanced, the scale of battles and enemies grew. Rival pirate crews were upgrading their ships, Marine vessels became more powerful, and legendary flagships like Whitebeard’s Moby Dick or Big Mom’s Queen Mama Chanter were beyond anything the Merry could endure.
“Initially, I had no intention of having the Straw Hats abandon Going Merry, but I decided it because the enemy ships were getting stronger.” — Eiichiro Oda
Even Marine warships, with their heavy cannon arrays and large boarding units, would have easily crushed a small caravel like the Merry. For the Straw Hats to keep pace with the Grand Line’s most dangerous powers, Oda knew they needed a new ship.
Would the Merry Have Survived the Seas Ahead?
The truth is, it’s unlikely. While the Merry had heart, it lacked size, speed, and durability. Ships like the Moby Dick could have destroyed it by sheer mass, and Marine squadrons would have overwhelmed it in combat. The further the crew traveled into the Grand Line, the more impossible it became for the Merry to carry them safely to their goal.
This made Oda’s decision narratively sound: the Straw Hats needed to “level up” their ship just as they themselves were growing stronger. The Merry’s loss was painful, but it mirrored the series’ progression from small-scale adventure to world-shaking battles.
The Damage That Sealed Its Fate
The Going Merry’s decline wasn’t sudden—it was foreshadowed long before Enies Lobby.
- Drum Island: Wapol bites into the Merry’s hull using his Devil Fruit powers.
- Jaya: Bellamy’s spring-powered attack nearly splits the ship in half.
- Skypiea: The ascent through the Knock-Up Stream and the crash landing afterward leave the ship barely holding together.
By the time the crew reached Water 7, the Merry was beyond repair. Its farewell and sea cremation after Enies Lobby gave the ship a dignified send-off rather than letting it fall in battle.
“Thank you for taking good care of me until now. I was… really happy.” — Going Merry
This farewell line transformed the moment from a plot necessity into one of the most emotional goodbyes in anime history.
The Emotional Farewell and Its Legacy
Oda almost didn’t include the Merry’s final words. He feared the idea of a ship talking might feel too unrealistic, even in the world of One Piece. Yet when he took the risk, the response was overwhelming—so much so that Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto personally wrote to Oda to say he was deeply moved.
The Merry’s farewell wasn’t just about losing a ship. It marked the Straw Hats’ growth, showing that their humble beginnings had to give way to something stronger if they were to survive the seas ahead. By pacing its decline, anchoring the farewell after Enies Lobby, and daring to give the ship a voice, Oda transformed the loss of a vessel into one of the greatest emotional crescendos in anime.
The Going Merry may not have reached Laugh Tale, but its legacy endures in the Thousand Sunny—and in the hearts of fans who still remember the little caravel that carried the Straw Hats through their first great adventures.
