Klabautermann in One Piece

Skypiea Arc

Usopp observed the Going Merry's Klabautermann on Skypiea mending the severely broken ship and heard him promise that the crew would sail farther for a time.

Water 7 Arc

Franky talked about the time when he kidnapped Usopp, who had temporarily left the Straw Hat Pirates. He named the ship as the Klabautermann and said that it is a manifestation of a ship's soul that happens once it has been sufficiently loved and cared for by its owners. Usopp suddenly understood that the person who had talked to him at Skypiea had actually been Merry. The Klabautermann would not be able to enter Heaven if the ship sank while Usopp was still on board, which caused Usopp even more sorrow.

Enies Lobby Arc

Iceburg was persuaded to make the Going Merry seaworthy before the Aqua Laguna carried it away when he described how he came across the ship during Aqua Laguna and the Klabautermann pleaded with him to sail out to sea one final time. The Straw Hats were summoned to her at Enies Lobby and once again at the Going Merry's burial by the Klabautermann of the Going Merry.

Episode of Merry

A Klabautermann made a brief return appearance aboard the Thousand Sunny during the Episode of Merry. It was grinning while perched above the sails and observing the Straw Hats. Usopp caught a glimpse of it just before it vanished and shed a tear as he thought about the beloved old ship.

The Klabautermann is a cheerful and hardworking creature and is reputed to alert sailors when a ship is in peril. A ship becomes more capable of taking care of the sailors the more love and care it receives. Only a person who genuinely loves their ship may see Klabautermann in their human form.

A Klabautermann looks like a ghostly humanoid youngster dressed in a raincoat for sailors and some shoes, and it wields a miniature wooden hammer.

Klabautermann of the Going Merry was able to repair the Merry after Shura had badly burnt and injured her. The Merry was not only fully fixed the next morning, but she was also given back her original look from before she had been given many improvements to aid her while she rode up the Knock Up Stream. In addition, after creating a Klabautermann, the Merry was able to sail independently without anybody steering or manipulating her sails. Even in the worst storms, she managed to get all the way from Water 7 to Enies Lobby. A rope ladder was even dropped over her own side by her.

Merry also improved her interpersonal communication skills. She first seemed to be only audible to the Straw Hat Pirates and the crew that sailed aboard her. Later, though, at her burial pyre, even the shipwrights of Galley-La, who had never even seen the Merry before, appeared to be able to hear her. The Merry even appeared to be conscious of her irreparable injury.