Summary:
Franky tries to get Usopp to listen to reasons about the state of Going Merry. Even though Usopp understands the truth, he recounts some strange experiences that happened to the ship recently that give him pause in his confession. Meanwhile, the leaders of the Galley-La Company seem to be on the move. Is the Franky Family their next target?
Back at Dock Six of Water 7, Usopp continues to repair the Going Merry. Franky directly asks Usopp what his plans are once Merry is fixed. He would like to eventually sail the Merry back to East Blue. Franky quickly tells him it’s not happening. He examined Merry as he had him lifted to the sixth dock and confirmed Kaku’s diagnosis of a broken keel. Franky suggests that dismantling Merry was pretty much the only sensible course of action. Usopp told him not to and raised his sling against him. Franky said that if Usopp’s plan was to go to hell with Merry, he would gladly let Usopp finish it. But the ship had one purpose: to transport people from one shore to the other. In his judgment, Merry would not make it to the other shore. Therefore it was no longer a ship. He grabbed a piece of Merry’s torso and tore it off. Usopp responded by firing Kaen Boshi at Franky, knocking him back.
Determined to force him to listen to reason, Franky grabs Usopp and throws him down into the workspace, telling him to see the damage for himself. Lying at the bottom of the water, Usopp sees the previous patches applied to the Going Merry’s keel, as well as the additional damage both Franky and Kaku had warned him about. Still, he climbs out of the water, pulls the piece of hull that Franky broke off Merry back into place, and patches it back up. Franky tells Usopp again that Merry cannot survive another voyage, least of all with an amateur boatman like him. Usopp tells Franky to shut up…then falls to his knees crying and confesses that he knew all along that Merry was no longer seaworthy.
He recounts a Skype experience, something he initially thought was a dream. He heard what sounded like a wooden mallet pounding on Merry. Even though no one was supposed to be there, he could have sworn he saw someone pounding on the ship. The next morning the Straw Hats discovered that the ship had been inexplicably, albeit haphazardly, repaired. Not only that, but it was restored to its original design, missing all of its previous modifications, including those made for the flight to Skypiea. He remembers hearing a mysterious voice saying that the ship would carry them for a while longer, as if the ship itself was speaking to him. When he heard Galley-La’s assessment, he remembered those words, as if the ship itself was trying to calm him down.
Usopp then told Franky that he probably thought he was crazy. However, Franky not only trusts Usopp, he knows exactly what phenomenon Usopp was talking about. Usopp found Merry Klabautermann: a strange spirit manifesting on ships that their crews take great care of. According to legend, these spirits help sailors in times of need. Although Franky had heard the legend many times before, this was the first time he had heard anyone mention seeing it.
Franky asks Usopp why he fought Luffy for Merry and left the Straw Hat Pirates when he knew the ship was doomed. Usopp manages to say that it’s not that simple before the bell rang. Mozu and Kiwi go to answer the door while Franky and Usopp continue to argue about how best to handle the situation; Franky insists on taking care of Merry in a more respectful way, but Usopp still isn’t ready to let go, even though it’s hopeless. This prompts Usopp’s feelings that Merry would be disposed of as useless waste.
Suddenly, Mozu and Kiwi are knocked unconscious by the person at the door: Kalifa. She is joined by Kaku, Blueno and Rob Lucci. The episode ends with Franky charging them and identifying them as Galley-La.