One of the most impactful villains of One Piece, Crocodile, has a big, mysterious secret that is only known to Emporio Ivankov, the founding member of the Revolutionary Army. Fans have tried for years to theorize and find out this secret, and some have even hypothetically established a connection between Luffy and Crocodile.
Many One Piece fans have theorized that Crocodile was actually the mother of Luffy, but with the help of Ivankov’s Devil Fruit abilities, he changed his gender. Thus, Ivankov used this secret to obtain Crocodile’s help in saving Ace, and they later parted ways. But there is no evidence or facts to support this insane theory.
However, there is another theory that not only gives a better explanation of Crocodile’s hidden secret but also explains the gold hook that he wears in place of his left hand. According to this theory, Crocodile was a slave who, just like the other founding members of the Revolutionary army, escaped from the clutches of the Celestial Dragon.
Crocodile’s Real Secret is Still Unknown
While Crocodile was the major antagonist during the Alabasta saga, he also played a pretty important role during the Impel Down arc and the Marineford arc. He not only helped Luffy and Ivankov escape level six of the prison; he even fought many strong enemies and helped Luffy free Ace from the hands of the Navy.
While he had a motive to help Luffy escape Impel Down, he also had multiple opportunities to easily betray Luffy and take revenge for his defeat during the Alabasta arc. But the only thing that tied his hand was a “precious weakness” that Ivankov knew about the former Warlord. Ivankov teased him of this weakness and forced him to compel with them until the end.
However, that secret has never been discussed since then, and even after so many years, it is still one of the biggest mysteries of the One Piece narrative introduced by Eiichiro Oda. Fans have tried to break it down, but his limited inclusion in the series since Marineford has restricted their knowledge about the character and his future or past endeavors.
One Piece Theory Gives the Perfect Explanation of Crocodile’s Secret
According to a theory by Reddit user u/zts105, Crocodile’s secret has nothing to do with his “connection” to Luffy in any way. The theory states that Crocodile was actually a slave to the Celestial Dragons, along with other characters like Emporio Ivankov and Bartholomew Kuma. He supposedly had the mark of the slaves on his left hand.
However, when he escaped, he decided to forget his past by slicing off his left hand and leaving his slavery days behind. Later on, he became one of the most famous pirates in the One Piece world, and if anyone had found out about his “weakness,” he would have lost his fame and reputation. Something similar was done by Boa Hancock, who was also a former Warlord of the sea and a slave.
While this theory holds a lot of credence, the only plothole is that even if Ivankov had told Luffy about Crocodile’s secret, it would not have had much impact, as Luffy never cared for these things and was only focused on saving his brother from the Navy at the time.
You can watch One Piece on Crunchyroll.
