Plans To Construct One Piece “Going Merry” Replica

I think prefecture authorities are all trying to cash in on the anime/manga craze and now Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly has been discussing plans to erect a replica of the pirate ship “Going Merry” at Karashima Park in the prefectural capital of Kumamoto City. For those still clueless, “Going Merry” is Luffy’s first pirate ship from highly popular the anime/manga franchise One Piece.

And the reason behind this push: Kumamoto City is the birthplace of One Piece’s creator, Eiichiro Oda.

Assembly Member Seiichi Nishi asserted that the plan will stimulate the local economy. Kumamoto Governor Ikuo Kabashima expressed his approval of the plan and his willingness to explore ways that the prefectural government can support the civic group’s “dream.”

Source: ANN

With the recent record-breaking sales of the latest volumes of One Piece, its little wonder why anyone would miss cashing in on this huge piece of pie.

But back to topic, as a big fan of One Piece, Going Merry has also held a special place in my heart and I would be really cool to be able to board the Going Merry. I still remember how sad I felt when I watched the episode where the crew watched Going Merry burn down.