Often in One Piece, there are characters that disappear from the story for a while only to be reintroduced in the later arcs. Oda has used his cast of characters exquisitely, and he has managed to get the best out of them. Oda's talent should not be underestimated especially considering the huge number of characters in the story.

Crocodile manages to remember every single one of them and makes sure that they play their role in the story. Among the many characters created by Eiichiro Oda, Crocodile is among the few standouts. Crocodile has not been involved in any of the major arcs for a long time now, and it makes one think, does he have anything left to give to One Piece?

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The Nemesis of Alabasta

Crocodile defeats Luffy

Crocodile is the main antagonist of the Alabasta arc. He planned to take over the Kingdom of Alabasta in order to find the poneglyph, which was hidden somewhere in the kingdom. He wanted to use Nico Robin to decipher the poneglyph and gain information about Pluton, which is one of the Ancient Weapons. Crocodile never stated why he wanted to get his hands on Pluton, but it is reasonable to assume that he believed with the power of an Ancient Weapon, he could compete against the big names.

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Crocodile's plan was almost impeccable, and it had almost no flaws, and it is fair to say that he would have succeeded if it weren't for Luffy's intervention. Crocodile managed to defeat Luffy, not once but twice and both times, Luffy was left in a torrid condition. However, Luffy had other people who helped him, and it allowed him to defeat Crocodile in their third encounter.

His Last Appearance

Crocodile at Marineford

After his defeat at the hands of Luffy, Crocodile was captured by the Marines, and he was stripped of all his power. He was taken to Impel Down, where he would be imprisoned on Level 6. Like the rest of the prisoners, Crocodile had no hope of breaking out, but thankfully Luffy decided to invade Impel Down to free Ace in an attempt to stop his execution. Luffy was not pleased to see Crocodile. The former Shichibukai offered to help Luffy as he believed that he would get a chance to kill Whitebeard at Marineford.

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Luffy said that he wanted nothing to do with him, however, after being convinced by the others, Luffy broke him free as well, and together the entire group escaped from Impel Down. At Marineford, Crocodile was heavily involved in the war. After failing to attack Whitebeard, Crocodile fought against the Marines and the other pirates. Crocodile repaid Luffy by stopping Ace's execution, stopping Mihawk from attacking, and slicing Akainu in half. Crocodile also had a brief tussle with Doflamingo, who wanted the leader of Baroque Works to join him, however, Crocodile turned him down. Sadly, the pirates could not prevent Ace's death, and they would have been many more casualties if Shanks had not intervened.

After the war came to an end, Crocodile fled from Marineford along with Mr. 1. Three weeks after the war, Crocodile was seen on an unnamed island with Mr. 1, and together they were planning on going to the New World. He had another small cameo during the Levely arc, where he was seen reading a newspaper, which had news about Luffy. Suffice to say, when Crocodile does make an appearance, he will be much stronger than before considering he's in the New World now.

Involvement In The Future

Crocodile reading a newspaper

While Crocodile's appearances have been limited after the Marineford arc, he remains a part of one of those characters, who still have some secrets. It was seen in the Impel Down arc that Ivankov apparently knows a big secret about Crocodile, which he doesn't want to get out.

According to many theories, Crocodile's biggest secret is that he used to be a woman, and after seeking help from Ivankov became a man. This remains a theory for now, but there's no doubt that Oda will reveal the big secret, so Crocodile will definitely make an appearance again. A few other theories point towards Crocodile becoming a member of the Revolutionary Army, which makes sense considering that he harbors a great deal of hatred towards the World Government.

At Marineford, he openly stated that he would rather help the pirates instead of letting the Marines emerge victorious. Crocodile is an extremely intelligent individual, which would make him a highly valued member of the Revolutionary Army. Finally, there's also the possibility of Crocodile being involved in possibly an all-out war between the World Government and the pirates. With his intentions already being clear, Crocodile will definitely be on the side of the pirates. It is important to remember that Crocodile was one of the main characters in One Piece: Stampede, which is another possible hint towards his future involvement. So, there is a big possibility that Crocodile will end be joining the main story once again.

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