*spoiler alert* Why not? The crew treats her as if she is and she even seems to be able to sail herself at the end before her tearjerking death

dude, that viking funeral they held for the going merry made me cry for HOURS. i dont cry much for ANYTHING, but that? i was crying like a baby...

Merry's Death is the first and only time I have ever cried over a ship.

Missed that Race tidbit on my first read.

Well played

I don't know if she should be a klabautermann just yet, didn't the manga explain that it's something that happens to well loved ships, kinda like some yokai? Anyway it would make more sense to me if it was a ship that became a character, but that's just my two cents.