Towering Memories and Treasured Dreams (Updated Version)

Floor 47: The Archeologist's Pain

Franky walked with his head held high and his chest puffed out as they continued up the next flight of stairs; the air growing colder and colder with every step and more than a few of them were shivering at this point.

"Damn it," Usopp hissed out as he rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm himself again. "What is with this air? Why's it so cold?"

"I'm doing alright," Chopper chirped up happily.

"Well, good for you," Sanji muttered grumpily, watching how his own breath, which ticked him off since it reminded him that he hasn't had a good smoke for a while.

"Yohohoho, so am I!" Brook added with a slight skip to his step. "But it's strange. I know this cold seems familiar, but I'm having a hard time trying to remember where I last felt cold like this...? Not that I can anymore on account of being dead!"

"What's that supposed to mean, bro?" Franky asked, a little lost. Cold was cold, wasn't it? How could one remember a specific kind of cold?

"Yohohoho, I don't know," Brook answered back with a little spin and Franky rolled his eyes, half exasperated and half with fondness as they continued onwards.

They walked on until they came, at last, to the next door. Like the last time, they all froze and stared at it, wondering who the lucky 'winner' will be next. Brook and Franky were both out, but that still left the rest of them and dread seemed to hang over them like a dark cloud.

Luffy, tired of waiting, was the first to try but like the last two times—the door remained firmly shut.

"Well, that leaves only six of us," Sanji muttered through gritted teeth before he also stepped forward and, with a deep breath, tried his luck at it. He couldn't hide the sigh of relief that shot past his lips when the handle didn't even turn. He knew that he was going to have to confront his past soon... but he wasn't sure if he was quite ready for it yet. He still had time though... and hopefully enough of it to figure out a way out of this living hell. The last thing he wanted his crew to know was about his... previous family.

"Well, might as well get it over with," Zoro offered next and pulled at the handle with steely resolve but it remained stuck before he glanced back at the others and stated, "Only four left to try."

Both Nami and Chopper were staring in horror at the door, fear clearly in their faces at the possibility of what was waiting for them while Usopp seemed to be trying to work himself up to try it next.

"It's ok... you can do this... it's not so bad... I mean, my childhood wasn't that bad... was it?" he muttered, trying to think back if there was anything that he didn't want his friends to know.

Robin, however, seemed to sense that what was behind this door... was waiting for her this time. While Usopp was still trying to psyche himself up, she silently moved to the front of the group.

"R-Robin?" Nami asked nervously as the older woman, whom she saw as dearly as her big sister, placed her hand on the handle. They all stood there in silence as they watched, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop as they waited.

Robin took a deep breath... and she turned the handle. The second that they all heard the small 'clicking' sound, they all began to stare at her as she remained still as a statue.

They all knew that Robin never liked to talk about her past, though they knew the general idea of what happened, it was still the source of painful memories for her and none of them liked to poke at it out of respect.

Robin frowned, knowing what was surely waiting for her. Before she pushed open the door, she turned back to her friends and said in a firm voice, betraying no hint of fear, "It's alright. I knew that a day would come when I would have to face my own demons. Though, truth be told, I wasn't expecting it to be like this."