Summary
- The introduction of three new Seraphim models could potentially reveal Crocodile's gender at birth.
- The lack of evidence in One Piece's narrative has led to fan theories speculating about Crocodile's past.
- The upcoming role of S-Croc, the Seraph modeled after Crocodile, in the battle with Admiral Kizaru and the World Government may provide answers fans have been waiting for.
Since the conclusion of the Raid on Onigashima, the adventures of One Piece's protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, have reached a fever pitch, signaling the beginning of the series' long-awaited final saga. As a fully-fledged Emperor of the Sea, the Straw Hat Pirate and his crew are more notorious than ever before, which has earned them the ire of several powerful factions — at least one of which followed the crew to their most recent stop, Egghead Island. Shortly after Luffy and his allies meet Dr. Vegapunk, the World Government initiates an assault on the island, introducing three new Seraphim-model Pacifistas in the process.
As with the previous units, these three Seraphim resemble childlike versions of former Warlords: in this case, Gecko Moria, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Crocodile. While all of these Seraphim will likely bring new elements to the story, there's something particularly intriguing about the one that resembles Crocodile. After many years, this new Seraph could finally confirm whether the former leader of Baroque Works was originally a woman — a theory that has become surprisingly popular since Crocodile's encounter with Ivankov in the Impel Down Arc. Since the Seraphim are modeled after younger versions of the Warlords, their appearances should provide an idea about what each Warlord looked like as a child. If this is true, it could reveal Crocodile's deepest secret once and for all.
Updated on September 15, 2023 by Kennedy King: As the Egghead Island Arc races toward its climax, the Seraphim's true powers still remain a bit of a mystery. They're likely to play a major role in the series' final saga, and if fans are lucky, they could even shed some light on Crocodile's backstory. Accordingly, this article has been updated with new information that should help answer the question: was Crocodile really a woman?
Was Crocodile a Woman?
The root of most theories involving Crocodile's gender stems from a single conversation that occurs during the climax of One Piece's Impel Down Arc. When Crocodile first appears in the arc, Monkey D. Luffy is hesitant to accept the imprisoned Warlord's offer to help his group escape. However, Emperor Ivankov — the leader of Kamabakka Kingdom and commander of the Revolutionary Army — states that he has the leverage needed to make this agreement work. He knew a deep, dark secret about Crocodile that the former Warlord of the Sea wouldn't want revealed. While this secret hasn't been mentioned since the Impel Down Arc, Ivankov's ability to change people's gender led many to speculate that the Revolutionary Army commander once helped Crocodile transform into a man.
One Piece's narrative hasn't given much evidence to support the idea that Ivankov changed Crocodile's gender, but to be fair, the series hasn't featured either character much post-timeskip. This lack of information has driven One Piece fans to come up with explanations of their own, with some even using the idea to hypothesize that Crocodile is Monkey D. Luffy's long-lost mother. That being said, there are a few things that suggest these theories could be somewhat legitimate.
For one, when Crocodile is shown during Gol D. Roger's execution, his face is very notably hidden in the frame. This is true for both the anime and the manga, suggesting that Crocodile's face is potentially hidden for a reason. In addition to this, One Piece's author, Eiichiro Oda, once drew the Warlord as a woman in response to fan mail, and its appearance looked shockingly similar to two characters: a young Crocodile and the Seraph modeled on his DNA.
Will Crocodile's Seraphim Prove He Used to Be a Woman?
If the Crocodile Seraph (likely designated as S-Croc, given the naming structure of the other Seraphim) is a clone of the original, then they should resemble the Warlord during his childhood. This younger Crocodile's design is very androgynous, and they're curiously bisected by the panel's framing, suggesting a duality that isn't present in either of the other Seraphim's introductory panels. At this point, a confrontation with either, Crocodile, Ivankov, or the Crocodile-inspired Seraph would be necessary to provide an answer to the Warlord of the Sea's mysterious past. Based on S-Snake's affinity for Monkey D. Luffy, it's obvious that Seraphim retain some element of their personality, so perhaps S-Croc will shed some light on the issue themselves.
Whatever the tip-off is, hopefully Eiichiro Oda can provide a concrete answer to the age-old questions surrounding the former leader of Baroque Works. As Cross Guild's infamy grows larger, Crocodile is sure to factor into One Piece's final saga — the same can be said of the Revolutionary Army's Emperor Ivankov, setting up what seems like an unavoidable reunion between the two characters. The introduction of Crocodile's Seraph has signaled that the beloved villain is still significant to One Piece's narrative, regardless of whether Ivankov actually changed his gender long before the series.
The most recent chapters of One Piece's Egghead Island Arc have made it clear that the Straw Hat Pirates are going to engage in an all-out battle with Admiral Kizaru and the World Government; however, the role that the Seraphim will play is still completely up in the air. S-Snake's display of independent thought has brought their allegiance into question, which could potentially foreshadow similar actions by other Seraphim like S-Croc.
If S-Croc does end up playing a role in the conclusion of the Egghead Island Arc, then the character could finally shed some light on Crocodile's mysterious backstory. Since the Seraphim have been shown to display similar characteristics to their corresponding Warlords of the Sea, it's not unreasonable to think that the specialized Pacifista could be the medium that reveals the former leader of Baroque Works' enigmatic past. This, as well as the increased activity of Crocodile and the Cross Guild in the New World, all but guarantee that One Piece will finally answer whether the antagonist of the Alabasta Saga was born a woman or not.