The year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
Several years earlier, Sakazuki had taken office as the new Fleet Admiral.
The strategic center had shifted.
The Navy's former G-1 branch in the New World had switched locations with Marine Headquarters at Marineford.
A worldwide recruitment drive had followed, with several additional Marine Admirals appointed in an unprecedented move.
The iron-fisted, ruthless policies and propaganda had terrified not only pirates, but even ordinary people around the world.
The pirates were vicious, and the Navy was ruthless. In that deeply oppressive atmosphere,
conflict between the two sides had intensified. The Marine Admirals alone had fought several major battles against the Four Emperors.
The shadow of war hung over the entire world...
The eve of total war.
The New World, Marine Headquarters.
Sakazuki stood outside the Fleet Admiral's Office, looking down over the entire island.
The whole headquarters was brightly lit, with countless soldiers bustling about below.
Everything was being prepared for tomorrow's worldwide broadcast, one that would determine the world's future.
It would be... a conversation between the current Fleet Admiral and the pirate Four Emperors...
Tap, tap, tap...
The crisp sound of leather shoes approached.
Carol, his adjutant, came up from behind.
"Fleet Admiral."
Sakazuki gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment.
"Has everything been passed along?"
Carol replied,
"Yes, all the instructions have been passed along."
"I imagine every Navy soldier will be too excited to sleep tonight."
Sakazuki smiled without a word.
Carol came over and gazed somewhat absently at the soldiers bustling below, sighing.
"It's hard to believe."
"But... the scourge of piracy really is going to end with this generation."
"It feels almost unreal, like a dream."
"We actually made it this far..."
Sakazuki chuckled.
"This is only the first step. There will be a second, and