One Piece: Why Crocodile Remains One of the Series’ Best Villains

Crocodile has remained one of the best villains in One Piece since he was introduced in the Little Garden Arc. Here’s why

HIGHLIGHTS

 The Alabasta arc expanded the world of One Piece, introducing the ruthless villain Sir Crocodile and his intricate plans.
 Crocodile’s genius plan to steal the ancient superweapon Pluton and create a utopia was only thwarted by the Straw Hats.
 With a Logia type Devil Fruit granting control over sand, Crocodile proved to be a formidable enemy with unique and terrifying abilities.

The Alabasta arc of One Piece was one of the first arcs that really expanded on the world and overall lore of the series. It was also one of the series’ longer arcs, as it required a lot of build-up and world-building to showcase how dire the situation was for the heroes, and why they could not let the land of Alabasta fall into the clutches of the mysterious Baroque Works organization.

Everything that happened in this arc was very important for the rest of the series going forward, and it was all set into motion by Sir Crocodile, an incredibly intelligent and ruthless villain who was the Straw Hats’ most powerful enemy up until that point in the story. Though this arc was seen almost 1000 chapters ago at this point, Crocodile has lived on as one of the best villains in the history of One Piece, so let’s see why this is the case.

These characters surpass the admirals in rank in One Piece.

Sir Crocodile And Baroque Works

First Appearance
One Piece, Episode 76, “Critical Counterattack! Usopp’s Quick Wit and Kaenboshi!”

Debut Date
August 19, 2001

Story Arc
Alabasta Arc

‘Desert King’ Sir Crocodile was seen a little later in the Alabasta Saga, where first, he was merely shown as the silhouette of a very tall and broad man. Referred to only as Mr. 0, he ran the elusive organization called Baroque Works and readers could tell even from his brief initial appearances that he was being built up as quite the menacing foe.

As Mr. 0, he ran Baroque Works with Nico Robin, who went by the alias of Miss All-Sunday at that time. This organization had the objective of destabilizing the region of Alabasta by overthrowing the monarchy and ruling government in order to prop up Crocodile himself as the new de facto ruler. At that time, Crocodile was one of the Shichibukai, or 7 Warlords of the Sea and had made himself quite a hero in the eyes of the people of Alabasta by defeating many pirates and invaders that came to their land.

What good are your happy ideals if you can’t do anything to make them a reality?

However, unbeknownst to them, it was actually Crocodile himself who had arranged the invasions in the first place! It was an expert ploy to garner the trust of the civilian populace so they would help him in his ascension to power. The way that he did this along with how he had structured Baroque Works itself is why, to this day, many fans think of Crocodile as one of the smartest villains ever introduced in the franchise.

Crocodile’s plan was fool-proof and almost succeeded if it were not for the involvement of the Straw Hats. The organization employed various criminals and bounty hunters and had been operating in the shadows in Alabasta for many years. His intelligence and level of planning are exceptional, as he barely ever had any interaction with his employees at Baroque Works and only told Nico Robin about what to do next, orders that she would eventually relay to the rest of the organization. Everything that made the organization so formidable and infamous was born from the mind of Crocodile.

Operation Utopia

After Crocodile defeats the elite temple guards and captures King Cobra, he reveals his true plan and the real reason he destabilized Alabasta in the first place. This plan was to steal the Pluton, an ancient superweapon housed somewhere in the kingdom that had the power to destroy entire islands with just a single usage. Crocodile stated that he did not capture Alabasta just for the fun of it and that this land was chosen for a very specific reason.

Due to its access to Pluton, the true plan of Baroque Works was to have this destructive weapon under their control and in doing so, create a utopia for themselves that could rival the World Government in power. This plan almost came to fruition due to Crocodile’s meticulous planning but was only thwarted because of the intervention of the Straw Hats and the betrayal of Nico Robin.

Logia type Devil Fruits let the users control and manipulate natural elements, often being touted as some of the strongest fruits of them all.

Crocodile’s Strength And Abilities

Crocodile’s most valuable asset was his mind, which is what allowed him to not only control Alabasta, but was also a contributing factor in him becoming one of the Shichibukai. However, he was no slouch in combat either, as he was strong enough to easily defeat some of the most powerful guardians of Alabasta as well as defeating Luffy twice in their 3 fights. Not only does he remain one of the very few enemies in One Piece who has actually defeated Luffy, he did it more than once.

Some fans believe that Luffy’s eventual victory over him was kind of contrived and didn’t make much sense. However, no one denies how strong Crocodile is, as he ate the extremely powerful Suna Suna no Mi, a Logia type Devil Fruit that gave him full control over sand. As is typical with all Logia types, the user can turn their bodies into the natural element given to them by the Devil Fruit.

Depending on how you use and train the ability of the Devil Fruit… It can become a strong weapon in battle.

The Suna Suna no Mi let Crocodile turn himself into sand, which made him immune to all kinds of physical damage that weren’t reinforced with water. This, mixed with his mastery over his fruit, gave him the power to perform unique and terrifying moves that let him split the ground open with his Desert Spada attack or even completely drain something of its moisture.

If Crocodile ever faces someone in a desert or anywhere with an abundance of sand, his Devil Fruit makes him pretty much invincible, as he can manipulate all of that sand to an unparalleled degree, creating gigantic sandstorms, quicksand, and even constructs out of it. These powers, in tandem with his poisonous hook and high intelligence, make him an iconic and terrifying enemy in One Piece.