6 Appearance matters

After a moment of careful deliberation Pontus looked down at me, his all knowing eyes piercing through to the deepest parts of my soul. A small smile graced his ancient face as his seaweed like hair fluttered in the currents behind him, accentuating the strange crown adoring his head and making his figure all the more majestic.

"The first gift I have chosen to bestow you is one you are quite familiar with. Jack Sparrows compass from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. It may not point North, but what it does point to is that which you want most in the world. If I'm not mistaken you were originally going to use your first request on this were you not?" Pontus questioned as he smiled down at me, quite obviously pleased with his choice. And honestly, so am I.

"That's right. It was a toss up, but in the end I thought Sinbad's ability would be more useful in everyday life compared to something only good for a very specific purpose. But it was still a hard choice. I really don't know what to say… except… Thank you… again. I promise you, I will not to let this life go to waste." I stated confidently, as a profound warmth spread through my heart.

"It is my pleasure." As Pontus words travelled through the water I watched him snap his fingers once more. This time an object seemingly floated up from within the depths of the ocean, coming to a stop right before my eyes.

It's a rather compact device with a domed cover made from pure lapis lazuli. Flipping it open you can see the inside lid is detailed with an intricate map of the constellations. The central shadow vane allows the compass to work as a sundial, and the compass disk itself was seemingly carved from a walrus's tusk. Just as I reached out to grab hold of it with my ghostly blue hand, the magical object vanished before my eyes. Turning into a cloud of bubbles and floating away as quickly as they came.

"Worry not. You will receive this item after you arrive in your new world. Now… onto your second gift." Pontus said with a tender smile hidden behind his sea-weed coloured beard.

"Every legendary sailor needs a companion to keep them company. Barbossa had the Jack the Monkey, Captain Hook had his parrot, even Sinbad owned a dog at one point in his career. So in that line of thought I will bestow you a companion of your own." The God added while drawing out the suspense.

'He's clearly enjoying this.' I thought to myself while curiosity burned in my chest.

"I believe you are familiar with Morph from the Disney movie Treasure Planet. Those strange little creatures are sentient blobs of living space goo, the equivalent to an alien parrot. That species is quite fascinating. They are nearly indestructible and capable of taking any shape or form they please. Though they never get bigger than half a meter. Having a tiny friend like that will make even the most boring and lonely days pass easier.

I'll even bond the little one to you so it stays by your side no matter what. As long as you don't mistreat it that is. Though like the compass you'll only be able to receive this gift once you've arrived in your new world." When Pontus finished speaking I was left stunned for words. Once again he had seen right through me.

My greatest fear in life was and is being left alone. Something I only realized after my mom died. Sailing the word just wasn't the same when I was by myself. Maybe others could have done it, but it made me feel more alone than ever. What Pontus is saying is that I'll never spend a day alone again. Even if those days will be spent with a shapeshifting alien ball of sentient goo. It's better than being by myself in a foreign world without anyone I know or love. I smiled hopefully, looking up at Pontus with wonder approaching reverence reflected in my ethereal blue eyes.

"Now Caspian, seeing as you are familiar with the One Pice world, I will allow you to chose where you would like to start your journey. However as I am a god of the sea I cannot send you back in time too far. 12 years at the most. If you wish to travel to a specific island during a specific point between the current timeline and 12 years ago I can easily oblige." Pontus said informing me of yet another benefit to this whole ordeal that i did not expect.

"That's not an easy question to answer…where would I like to start?" How about Dawn Island? Yeah, that should work. Dawn Island the day Luffy gets his Straw Hat. You said 12 years, so I'll go as far back as I can." I remarked confidently.

There are probably better places to start depending on what it is I plan to do. But Dawn island is unique in that it offers me plenty of options when it comes to joining all the major players.

It's possible to meet Red Haired Shanks, one of the future four emperors of the sea, and with a little planning and luck joining his crew wouldn't be in the realm of impossibility. Sailing with him would pretty much guarantee my safety until I'm strong enough to go out on my own. With their help learning Haki would be a breeze too.

There is also the Marine Hero, Garp the Fist, who makes occasional trips to the island. Meaning joining the marines and being trained by someone like him becomes an option as well. Which would be a good way to learn the six powers (rokushiki) and stay up to date on the knowledge going on in the world.

Then there is the Revolutionary Army. Their commander in chief, Monkey D. Dragon, Garp's son and Luffy's father, also makes a visit to the island and recruits a large number of people from the Grey Terminal. Which would be the perfect way to join their cause and train under their banner. I could act as a spy for them once I'm strong enough and just live out my life peacefully on some remote island while giving them occasional pieces of important information whenever I feel like it.

These are all just some of the many paths I can take. I don't need to follow any of them. I can chart my own course, but it's good to know they are there. Just as the fabled quote by Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in the wood, and I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference."

"That works out nicely. Before I send you off, would you like to also change your appearance at all? I can make you younger or older if you so choose." Pontus stated breaking me from my thoughts.

I focused on the question for a time, allowing myself to carfully ponder each and every option at my disposal. This is going to dictate how I look for the rest of my life after all. Might as well take it seriously. Eventually I came to a choice I felt I was satisfied with.

"Can you make me around 12 years old when I arrive in that world? That's when I lost feeling in my legs, so it's as good a time as any to go back to when staring over. And if possible I'd like to look similar to Sinbad from Magi. I've always loved his purple hair and golden eyes. That design is without a doubt one of my favourites from any series."

Just as I was about to tell Pontus that I was satisfied with the rest of my looks a certain memory flashed through my mind, causing my mood to sour and making me to stop to think things through once more. I couldn't help thinking about the question once it appeared In my mind.

Is there anything else I want to change about myself? Am I really satisfied with the way I look? A long sigh left my ghostly lips as I looked up at the primordial god floating before me.

"I spent most of my life in a wheel chair being looked down on… both literally and figuratively, so I want

to be tall in this life." I said rather softly, "not too tall though. I know people in this world can be truly massive. Being a bit over 7 feet would be enough for me. Oh, but can you make it so I don't hit my growth spurt until I'm older? I'd rather not look like a super tall, muscular child."

"That is simple enough. But with you being this young, this means you will grow into your powers as you age. In other words; once you are fully developed, even if you don't train a day in your life, you will rival the strength of Namor with the full power of the Son of Poseidon." Pontus replied, his sage likes eyes glowing with an iridescent light.