All original plot, characters, and settings are Eiichiro Oda's. I did not receive any revenue for writing this fan fiction. *Warning, you may need a Kleenex/handkerchief handy for this chapter!

My nakama are finally back! I need to hold on a little longer and carry them to safety!

Magina didn't think that if she replied to the little ship that Merry would be able to hear her. She was concentrating her last bit of life into protecting them all. Magina couldn't keep her tears in check. Why could she only hear Merry clearly now, at the end of the caravel's journey? If she were able to hear the vessel before now, could she have helped prolong Merry's sailing days? She was a siren; everything had a song. Why hadn't she attempted to hear Merry before? Now, it was too late. Guilt ripped through her like harpoons.

Zoro's expression was slightly incredulous while his song was worried. She wiped her eyes and nose. There were going to be more tears coming. Hearing Merry's pain while she kept sailing forward was breaking Magina's heart.

"Sacrifices? What are you talking about, Magina?"

Her expression was frozen. She couldn't smile even if she wanted to.

"You'll see. It's going to happen soon."

Zoro shrugged, leading the way to the main deck. He stood by Sanji and Usopp. She stayed in the doorway, just watching and listening to the last few carefree moments with the crew and the ship.

"Usopp? Usopp, where are you?" Luffy called as he rode on Chopper's shoulders.

"Usopp, come out! Where did you go?" Chopper asked.

"Oi, they're calling for you," Sanji murmured to the marksman.

"Isn't it pointless to hide now?" Zoro added before sitting on a railing.

"It's hard to come out. It was okay earlier, but the atmosphere doesn't really call for me to reveal myself," Usopp answered.

Franky and Robin were at the stern of the ship talking.

"I saw this ship's condition before this started. Seeing it here, how we were able to escape, it's truly incredible."

Magina heard the smile in Robin's voice.

"Merry is the best ship I've ever been on. I'm so glad that she came to rescue us."

Nami came back on deck, "It's strange. I've checked the whole ship and there was no one on board."

From the railing, Zoro spoke, "Maybe I imagined it, but right before we jumped, I heard a voice calling us."

"You really heard something like that?" Kokoro-san asked.

Luffy jumped in. "Everybody heard it. That was Merry's voice. I'm sure of it. Say something, Merry!"

Zoro scoffed. "You idiot. There's no way a ship can talk."

But Zoro was wrong. It was Merry and Magina could hear the ship. Her voice grew quieter with every minute that passed. Still, she wasn't giving up.

Just a little farther… until they're safe.

Magina gently placed a hand on the doorframe. Why was it only in times when a nakama needed her that her abilities were completely useless?

Soon… just a little more…

"Oh, I think I see a ship coming!"

Both Luffy and Chopper shouted, pointing and waving at the approaching galleon.

"Hey, it's Ice-Ossan!" Luffy cheered.

Magina caught some of the conversation but she was paying more attention to Merry. The brave little ship seemed to sigh in relief.

I'm glad everyone's safe. I'm sorry. I can't go any further.

There was no time to warn the rest of her nakama. Merely seconds after hearing Merry's feelings, the hull split. Luffy and Chopper were thrown backwards.

"Merry! Why did this happen so suddenly?" Luffy sat up.

Sanji picked himself off the deck. "This isn't all that sudden, is it? We were told that she didn't have a long sailing life left. Did you forget or something?"

"But she saved us just now!" Luffy protested.

He turned to face Iceburg-san's ship. "Please, Ice-Ossan! Fix Merry!"

Only silence answered him back.

"You guys are all shipwrights! Can't you do anything to save her? Merry is our nakama and she's sailed with us since the beginning! She even rescued us just now! Please, do something!" Luffy begged again.

Iceburg-san stepped forward. "Then, you should let her sleep already. I've never seen a more amazing ship. She pushed past her limits and kept sailing as long as she could. It's nothing short of a miracle. This ship has truly lived a remarkable and honorable life."

There was a long silence after the mayor spoke. Finally, Luffy nodded silently.

"Got it. We'll say goodbye to Merry here."

There was a hushed exodus from the ship. Forgotten items were stowed on the galleon. She was one of the last to leave.

Magina, I love your voice. Could you sing my song when I say goodbye?

She pressed her forehead to the doorframe of the galley. Merry's last request was going to be difficult but she could hardly deny the dying nakama.

"Of course, my friend. Rest well."

Magina squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Luffy waited to leave until she was in the long boat. His look was serious but already his song was crying. She blinked rapidly, struggling to gain control over her own feelings. Emotions would clog her throat and not allow her to sing clearly.

"Luffy, could you wait a few minutes before you start? There was a request and I have to get in position," Magina's voice cracked.

Luffy nodded curtly. "Can you give me a signal then, Magina?"

"When I start singing, I'll be ready," she replied.

"Okay, Magina. Don't wait too long. It's…" Luffy's words petered out.

Magina's heart sank. "I understand, Captain. I'll get ready as soon as I can."

They rowed to Iceburg-san's ship. A warm, strong hand helped her onboard. She silently nodded to Zoro in gratitude. She headed toward the mast. The height of the crow's nest would help her project more. Magina shivered once. The temperature steadily dropped lower. A blanket was thrown over her shoulders. She turned to see Zoro. He looked up to the crow's nest and then at her.

"Did you want me with you?"

Magina swallowed as Luffy requested a torch. She shook her head.

"This is something that I have to do myself."

Zoro observed her. His eyes seemed to bore into her heart. Eventually, he just nodded and gestured to the rungs leading upwards.

She swallowed again before beginning the long climb up to the solitary lookout. She waited a few seconds to slow her breathing and to focus her concentration.

She had to concentrate on Merry, just Merry. She couldn't be thinking about how hard Chopper was taking the upcoming funeral. Or how brave Usopp was being as he was about to say goodbye to a part of his very soul. Or how nostalgic Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy felt. Or even how melencholic Nami and Robin sounded.

This was one time that Magina didn't want to hear her other nakama. If she listened to their songs, she would be overwhelmed by their emotions. She took a calming breath and tugged the blanket around her tightly. Once she began singing Merry's song, she found that she had little time to think of anyone else. She couldn't do much for the ship except grant her dying request. Magina was going to fulfill that request, no matter what!

…

Magina's hand was frozen as he helped her onto the mayor's ship. Zoro frowned. She was behaving strangely. She didn't even look at the others. He motioned to a sailor.

"Blanket, now!"

The man nodded quickly and ran to grab the covering. The sailor returned and tossed the blanket in his direction. Zoro easily caught it and held up a hand in gratitude. She moved like she was in shock. He walked over to the siren before she started climbing to the crow's nest. Zoro tossed the blanket around her shoulders.

Magina stopped her climb abruptly and turned towards him. He was staring up to the lookout. The crow's nest might be too much for her. Would she need help?

"Did you want me with you?"

Zoro turned his gaze in enough time to see her reaction. She was shaking like a leaf! Would she really be able to climb that distance by herself? He stared her down, trying to gauge her current strength. If her answer was to go alone, Zoro couldn't do much but let her do what she wanted. He waited patiently for her answer.

"No, this is something I have to do myself."

Even with the blanket, her shaking didn't ease. Zoro recognized that tone of voice. She was certainly one of the stubbornest people that he had ever met. Even if being all alone in the crow's nest was a bad decision, she was going to do it anyway. He was stubborn too. She could do what she needed to do but after this was all done, he was going to fetch her. Zoro nodded and allowed her to go up the ladder alone.

The crew was waiting for him. Luffy took a torch from one of Iceburg's sailors and climbed into a small lifeboat. Somberly, Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats boarded a longboat. Luffy headed directly to Going Merry. Their longboat was only a few feet behind Luffy. Saying goodbye from this vantage point wouldn't be difficult.

What about Magina? What did she need to do up in the crow's nest? Was she going to regret not saying goodbye to Merry with everyone else? 'I have to do this myself.' She was determined to do her task alone.

"Zoro, is Magina all right?" Robin asked seriously.

He paused for a moment. "She has a job to do," he answered gruffly.

Not even a minute later, Zoro could hear uncontrollable sobbing coming from the crow's nest. He turned his head to stare up at the lookout point. Only a few seconds followed before her clear voice floated down from the crow's nest. The rest of the crew was surprised. Zoro growled before turning back towards the business of bidding the caravel farewell.

"Merry, we will send you off here. The bottom of the sea is dark and lonely we know but…" Luffy began.

Magina's voice sang a happy melody that was at odds with the serious moment and the weeping he heard.

"I think it's probably better that Usopp isn't here after all. There's no way he would be able to stand this," Luffy continued as he set Merry on fire.

Zoro glanced over at the masked marksman standing next to him.

"Do you think so too, Sogeking?"

Usopp's voice was husky with withheld emotion but his answer was strong.

"Usopp-kun…will be fine. There are many times in a man's life when separation occurs. There is no need for tears. I know that he is fully ready for this farewell."

There was a somber silence that was only interrupted by Magina's singing and the crackling of burning timber. Luffy finally spoke again.

"Thank you, Merry, for carrying us this far."

The sky darkened and the air chilled. Zoro was glad that he forced a blanket on Magina before she climbed that crow's nest. Something white fell and Nami reached for it.

"I can't believe it's snowing…"

Zoro crossed his arms. The past was never his focus but during this occasion it was hard to keep to that stance. Their adventures on the caravel truly started at the wild ride at Reverse Mountain when their small crew affirmed their dreams before entering the Grand Line. He could always sleep anywhere on Merry. Would he be able to sleep with such ease on another ship?

Chopper tried to quiet his sobs, but the young doctor couldn't control himself. Then, he heard it again. A voice, a voice that reminded him of the song the siren was singing. He turned his head sharply to look at the siren on the other ship. Zoro grit his teeth. No wonder she was acting strangely!

I'm sorry, everyone.

"Eh? Merry?" Luffy asked in shock.

The ship continued.

I wanted to carry you a little longer and continue this grand adventure together. I'm sorry, but I…

"Merry! You have nothing to apologize for. We should be the ones to say that we're sorry to you! I'm not good at steering so I crashed you into a bunch of stuff! Zoro and Sanji are idiots so they broke a lot of things, too! And Usopp, he tried his best to fix you all by himself, but he wasn't good at it! We're all very sorry!"

I asked for Magina's help. I wanted you to understand. I was happy to be your ship. So, thank you. Thank you for taking care of me. I was really happy.

Zoro couldn't take his eyes off the last moments of the Going Merry. Anything less would be disrespectful to the ship's memory. Luffy was in a lifeboat closer to the burning ship. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his Captain bow his head. He was no siren, so he didn't know the emotions Luffy shouted with, but he knew that his Captain felt responsible for the demise of the caravel.

"MERRY!"

They stayed out on the boats, the snow swirling around them until the remains of the burning ship sunk beneath the ocean depths. Zoro turned his head towards the crow's nest. He could no longer hear singing. He waited impatiently for the others to decide to return to Iceburg's galleon. He barely waited to jump out of the boat.

"Love Cook, look after them!"

Sanji might have yelled something but he was already climbing the ladder up to the lookout. He swung his legs over the edge. Magina stared out at the sea, frozen in place.

"She wanted me to sing her melody. She wanted everyone to know how h-happy she was. Her feelings…did everyone understand her s-song?"

Zoro took Magina's ice cold hands and pulled her into an embrace. This woman. Of course, she would take on such a difficult task all by herself.

"We got the picture, Magina. It was clear. I'm sure that even our idiot captain understood."

A shuddering sob wracked her frame. Zoro held her while she released her grief. Eventually, Magina pulled away. He let her step back and looked her over. She was pale in the face and her shaking hadn't stopped.

"You ready to leave this place, siren? Let's go down and get something warm to drink," he suggested.

Magina smiled sadly but nodded.

"They can look at your wounds too," she answered.

"And what about your wounds?" he argued.

Magina threw him an aggravated look before following him down the ladder.

"I'm fine! You fought a CP9 assassin! And don't think that I didn't know that you and Sogeking were both shielding me on the bridge! I could've handled it on my own!" Magina stuck her chin up in the air stubbornly.

"Sure," Zoro replied sarcastically, "just like how you handled it in Water 7?"

Zoro smiled secretly when she took in a deep breath to argue in earnest. Slowly, just like this, they would all return to normal.

So, first off, sorry that this didn't get posted until the day after. Today (I haven't gone to bed yet) was a beast and I ran out of time. There are no special notes about this chapter, except now we're finally officially done with Enies Lobby. I always wanted to write Merry's funeral but when I finally got to the writing of this chapter, it was a lot harder than I expected. This has always been a section that's very emotional for me. Goodbyes are the worst. I hope things are going alright with everybody and that this chapter wasn't too hard on you! There are happier chapters ahead, I promise! See you in Chapter 31!