Most One Piece fans remember the iconic first ship of the Straw Hat Pirates, the Going Merry. However, not all remember the man behind its creation, Kaya’s butler Merry.
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While not an overall prominent character, Merry was an important ally of our heroes during the Syrup Village arc. If not for him, the Straw Hats may have never been able to sail through the East Blue. Since Merry is a somewhat obscure character, many fans are unaware if he is still alive at the moment.
Beware of spoilers below for One Piece and Netflix’s One Piece.
Merry’s Status in One Piece
Despite having been stabbed with a sword during the Syrup Village Arc, Merry is currently alive in both the manga and anime. Merry is still working as Kaya’s most trusted butler, keeping her company and informing her about the Straw Hats’ bounties. After he was injured by Kuro, many fans believed that Merry would die, although it was later revealed that he survived.
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On the other hand, Merry had a significantly more gruesome fate in the Netflix Adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga. Due to the series’ more realistic take, Merry’s injuries caused him to pass away almost instantaneously. Sadly, Netflix’s version of Merry was not there to see the Straw Hats leave with the beloved ship that he gifted them.
What Other Changes Occurred to Merry?
In the Netflix adaptation of One Piece, Merry was not a butler working for Kaya, he was instead the one who oversaw the finances of Kaya’s family. As such, his interactions with Usopp’s love interest were significantly less. Nonetheless, his loyalty to Kaya was not altered, being the only one of the girl’s servants to stay by her side during Kuro’s attack.
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Another big change between the manga and live-action depictions of the character is his involvement in creating the Going Merry. In the manga, Merry was the original designer, named the sip himself. On Netflix’s One Piece, Merry’s workers were the ones who created the ship, with Luffy naming it in his honor after the crew found his body.
What Happened to the Going Merry?
Luffy and his crew went on many adventures aboard Merry’s gift. Their gift was not only a ship for them, it was another member of the crew. Woefully, after being involved in various battles, the ship was deemed beyond repair.
Usopp, who had a deep bond to the vessel due to its creator, refused to believe this and became violent when Luffy brought up the idea of obtaining a new ship. In the end, the Straw Hats had to say goodbye to the Going Merry, but they never forgot their first ship nor the man who gifted it to them.
