Everyone watched Hashirama gradually disappear, exhaustion written across their faces.
The half-hour battle had given them a thorough understanding of the Twin Gods' strength.
Of the more than two hundred Adventurers who had started out, those still alive at the end of this floor were all comparable to the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A careful count put their number below fifty. And on the next floor, they would face the more vicious of the Twin Gods. Probably fewer than one in ten would survive.
Who knew how many would clear the final floor?
Shanks silently surveyed the others, mulling this over.
As Hashirama vanished completely, the white light restored everyone to full health.
Yet not a single person hurried to enter the next floor.
They all lowered their heads in thought.
"Haha, what's wrong, everyone? Are you scared?" Shanks broke the silence with a laugh as he looked at the quiet crowd.
"I simply never imagined the Twin Gods would be this strong. Since the ninetieth floor, have we killed even one of the tower guardians we've faced? People used to praise me as the strongest man on the sea, but I was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well," Whitebeard said with a sigh.
Whitebeard's words sent everyone deep into thought.
"Tell me, with so many powerful fighters in the Holy Church, why hadn't we heard so much as a whisper of them on the seas? If they hadn't revealed themselves, we'd never have known so many powerful people existed!" Disaster Jack voiced the question on everyone's mind.
It was something they all wanted to understand.
"Hmph! The Holy Church simply doesn't want to act as recklessly as pirates!" Ace replied indignantly. He had never wanted to question his teacher and the others too