Crocodile is the overwhelming antagonist of the Alabasta Saga and is one of the villains who came the closest to defeating Luffy and the Straw Hats. Everyone thought Crocodile’s appearance would end after the Alabasta Saga, but Eiichiro Oda brought him back in the Impel Down Arc of One Piece.
The former Shichibukai was also intimidated by Ivankov, due to a big secret between the two that One Piece fans are yet to know. Many theories explain that the secret is Ivankov helping Crocodile change his gender after giving birth to Luffy. But the truth might be something completely different.
How did Crocodile Become Qualified to be a Shichibukai?
Volume 78 of SBS held a question and answer session where Eiichiro Oda answered the queries of One Piece fans. In one of the panels, Oda commented:
Similar to Luffy, back when he was young, Crocodile’s name spread across the seas with incredible momentum, but soon after he was admitted into the Shichibukai in his mid-20s, he tried to fight Whitebeard and was completely and utterly crushed by him.
According to Oda, Crocodile was 30 when he was being featured in the papers as a hero who hunted down pirates. Crocodile must have been 22 when Roger was killed and 25 when he became a Shichibukai. Before he became a Shichibukai, his bounty was 81 million bellies, which is a far cry from Luffy’s 3 billion bellies. Even back when Luffy fought Crocodile in the Alabasta Saga, he had a 100 million bellies bounty.
Thus, Crocodile’s bounty was far too little to make him a considerable threat. He must have acquired his bounty in the three years between 22-25. Yet, he still managed to become a Shichibukai. A bounty is not only based on the crimes committed by someone, but also because of their strength. So how did Crocodile become a Shichibukai with such a low bounty on his head? What made the tables turn in his favor?
Crocodile’s Embarrassing Secret in One Piece
During the Impel Down arc, Ivankov talks to Luffy about Crocodile and says that just a while ago, Crocodile could still be called a rookie. Ivankov even seemed confident that the former Shichibukai could never betray them because he knew one of Crocodile’s biggest secrets. Ivankov gently threatened the villain by saying that if he cooperated, then Ivankov’s mouth would be kept shut.
This panel has given rise to the Croco-Mom theory of One Piece that states Crocodile had Luffy with Monkey D. Dragon but later changed her gender with Ivankov’s help. However, another fan theory states that Crocodile’s secret had nothing to do with Luffy and is rather indebted to Ivankov due to a past favor he had pulled.
It is possible that Crocodile wanted to become a Shichibukai to lure pirates into working under him. He even created the Baroque Works by accumulating some powerful lackeys. However, his bounty was never enough to actually become a Shichibukai, and his strength was not as impressive as other pirates. So, in order to acquire the position, Crocodile must have exchanged something with the World Government.
The person Crocodile exchanged to gain his title was Ivankov. The queer pirate had wanted to get inside Impel Down in order to gather intelligence. During Luffy’s escapade, it was shown that Ivakov had created a small heaven with his nakama, even in the hellhole of a prison.
So, Crocodile made a deal with Ivankov and pretended to hand him over to the World Government in exchange for the title of a Shichibukai. This is the embarrassing secret between Ivankov and Crocodile, which the latter would hate to reveal to the world as his pride and reputation are at stake.
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