Short update. I've decided that I'm gonna alter the direction of this story somewhat and actually focus more on the relationship between Robin and Altros, so yeah, i guess it's turning into what alot of the fanfics on here seem to be, at least the ones I read anyway =P

Please, read and review. Any criticism is good criticism.

The next week passed by peacefully, no one making any mention of the small scare they'd had on the previous island. Throughout the days Altros slowly found himself joining the others in their normal activities. He trained some with Zoro, though not nearly as much as the swordsman was capable of, help Chopper make medicine, joined Usopp and Franky in making some upgrades to the ship, and even helped Sanji cook a few meals and to his surprise show the cook how to make snacks that most of the crew had never heard of and none had ever tried, called cookies. Luffy of course ate most of them.

As the air grew colder throughout the day, the crew found themselves retreating inside to warm up. It wasn't long before they started to see snow falling out the windows, much to Luffy's disappointment, until he realized he could make a snowman, at which point he rushed outside laughing. While Luffy went outside along with Usopp and Chopper, the others stayed indoors, spread throughout the ship. Zoro of course was in the birds nest training, Sanji was in the kitchen making snacks for Nami and Robin, and everyone else was sitting in the lounge paying very close attention to the game of chess that was being played there.

The opposing players stared at each other, trying to gauge the others thoughts as they planned out their own moves. Every so often the quiet tap of a piece being set down to the side as it was knocked out by an opposing piece would interrupt the quiet, but other than that it was silent. That is, until a shout of surprise echoed throughout the ship.

"I don't believe it!" Nami said as she leaned over the game board trying to find some sort of mistake.

"What's so hard to believe?" Robin asked.

Nami blinked and looked up at the older woman, "Robin….you lost. You NEVER lose!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Altros said as he leaned back in his chair, looking quite pleased with himself.

Nami's gaze fell on the man and she scowled, eliciting a grin from Altros and Franky who looked at each other and bumped fists. Nami stood up and started stalking toward the door, muttering under her breath darkly. The door slammed shut behind her as she left, at which point Franky broke down into fits of laughter.

"Do you think she'll actually pay up?" Altros asked in reference to the bet he'd made with the navigator.

Franky struggled to talk through his laughter, "Not-not a chance! Ahahahaha…."

Altros smiled contentedly, quite ok with that fact. He turned and looked at the woman sitting across from him, "Good game, Robin. Care to have another go at it?"

"Of course," Robin nodded, a look in her eyes that hinted at devious intent that made Altros more than a little nervous. He'd gotten the feeling she'd been going easy on him. He'd find out soon enough if that was the case as they started setting the board up again for a rematch.

Altros leaned back and stretched his arms, yawning. It was late at night and everyone had gathered in the lounge to hang out and chat a bit before bed. Nami had done a complete turnaround when she heard that after that first game, Robin had won all six others, taking it as evidence that she didn't have to pay up. Altros didn't mind though, he'd just wanted to have some fun.

"Ahhh! I'm tired!" Luffy exclaimed, falling backwards to the floor and then moving slightly to make himself comfortable. As he laid there staring up at the ceiling, his body started shaking and then he grabbed his arms, "It's cold!"

Simultaneously almost everyone shouted at him, "You were outside all day!" They couldn't believe that he was only now realizing it had gotten cold.

Altros chuckled at the antics, glad that a day on the Sunny was never boring. His smile turned into a look of surprise though as the ship came to a sudden stop amid a crashing sound, throwing everyone out of their seats.

"What was that?" Usopp asked in a panic.

They rushed out to the deck and skidded to a stop. It was pitch black until Nami grabbed a lantern and wandered further out.

"It looks like…"

"Ice."

"Hey, you guys!" Choppers voice called from the back of the ship.

They moved to where Chopper was and saw out through a large opening. Out beyond it, it they could see the sea and some land.

"Looks like an island," Sanji said, stating the obvious.

"Then what's this?" Franky asked, gesturing to the ice around them.

"Could be a small glacier," Altros offered.

"What do we do now?" Zoro asked, scratching his head.

"It's too dark to try and figure out how much damage there is, and we aren't going anywhere, so I say leave it until the morning," Nami said.

"Works for me."

"Me too."

"Yep."

"Sounds good, to me."

One by one the Strawhat's filed back inside, deciding it was time to go to bed. Altros raised an eyebrow at them as they disappeared inside. They'd just crashed and likely had a damaged ship, and they weren't panicking about it, rather they seemed almost indifferent to the situation. He was still being met with surprises from them all. Was there anything about this crew that was normal? He got the feeling that that was probably an unnecessary question. Shaking his head lightly, Altros smiled and followed after the others.

As he walked he felt someone grab his wrist and stop him. He turned around as the hand let go and saw….nothing. He blinked a few times until he saw the door to the lounge swing open and a thin hand appeared from inside, hooking one finger and beckoning him to enter the room. He raised an eyebrow as a slight smile played across his face and then went to the lounge. He stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms over his chest.

"One more game?" Robin asked, sitting at the table with the chess board set up and ready.

What could possibly happen? You'll find out with the next update. No, it won't be lemon, I suck at writing that stuff. The ideas I've got bouncing around my head don't call for anything like that either, at least not for quite a while. I'm hoping to draw it out so you can see the relationship develop. I'm rambling now, aren't I?...yeah...R&R!