Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. Everything belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
Title: A Hundred Whispers of the Wind
Summary: A hundred drabbles about pirates, crews, adventures and stories untold.
Rating: K+ (each chapter may have a different rating)
Characters: Luffy and Going Merry, with mentions of Usopp, Franky, Robin and Iceburg
Chapter Title: Sail Away
Chapter Summary: It was about a boy and a ship on their journey.
Warnings: none (each chapter may have varying warnings)
Author's Notes: I was not the only one who got emotional and cried over a ship for the first time in my life during Going Merry's funeral. Leave it to Oda to breath such life into an inanimate object and make us believe it was alive.

Luffy waited until the others had gone down to explore their new ship before leaping to the top of the mast head. He bent down with a wide grin, his next words for the ears only of Going Merry.

" We're going to go to the ends of the world together," he firmly told the ship with all the confidence that a man could offer.

Merry believed this boy. His voice held no lie. If her new captain had told her to fly over the moon and touch the stars, she would find a way.

And she did. They did together, to be honest. Luffy believed that she could do it and she knew she could do it. Luffy commanded her to sail into the dangerous waters with absolute confidence that she would come out unharmed. He beckoned her to the skies to seek the unknown and adventure and with his help, she was given wings to fly to where no ship had dared to soar.

But all good things must come to an end. Merry could feel her body cracking, moaning and shuddering with every bobbing wave as she carried them from one island to the next. She mustn't frighten Luffy for she knew this news would break the boy's heart. She remained silent and he remained oblivious.

He and the others found out in the end. They asked her how and why and what to do. She didn't have an answer and Merry helplessly wept as she watched Luffy fought with Usopp and their consuming anger and anguish lashed deeply at her.

As Luffy made the agonizing decision to leave her at Water 7, Merry knew it was for the best. It would have killed her if she brought her beloved crew to their watery deaths. She mournfully watched as they gathered their things and silently departed during the night, with the quietest and softest of farewells. Luffy was the last one to leave and he gave her one final pat on the head. " I'm sorry," was all the boy could say before his sorrow overwhelmed him and he then left to catch the shadows of his crew.

Burdened with loneliness that not even the loyal Usopp could fix, Merry made no effort to fight back as a strange robotic man kidnapped her. But soon, fear developed in her chest as she listened to dark agents taking Usopp and her kidnapper and talked about abducting Robin too.

By sheer determination, even as one of the agents cruelly tossed her into the raging seas to be crushed, Merry survived and made it to shore, where a man was walking by. He heard her begging him to let her set out and he patched up, little by little, not enough to heal the damage done but just enough for her to sail.

She hurried across the sea, even as her body strained against the rough waters and battering winds. Merry made it to where her friends were trapped, just in time, calling out to Luffy and her crew. I'll catch you! she cried out, not even sure if they would hear her voice.

By a miracle, they responded. Usopp first, screaming that they must jump. The rest followed, echoing his words like a mantra. To the ocean! To the ocean!

And then, they all fell into her warm arms for her to take them home.