One Piece Star Joe Manganiello Teases Crocodile's Dark Origin

The live-action Crocodile talks about his pirate's dark history before One Piece Season 2.

By Evan Valentine

Of the many revelations that arose during Netflix's recent Geeked Week Event, the live-action One Piece definitely had some of the biggest. On top of confirming that Lera Above would take on the role of Ms. All Sunday, aka future Straw Hat Nico Robin, Joe Manganiello was confirmed to be playing the part of Crocodile. The Warlord of the Sea is the "big bad" of the Alabasta Arc and Manganiello has already stated his admiration for the shonen series he will join. In a new interview, the future Crodocile explores the villain's past before he arrives in Netflix's One Piece Season Two.

To give those fans who didn't follow the source material, One Piece's Crocodile is one of the biggest villains of the shonen series. Thanks to having Devil Fruit abilities that allow him to transform into sand, take control of sand, and even sap the moisture from anything he touches, the antagonist has earned his place as a big bad of the Grand Line. Rather than trying to find the One Piece like Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, Crocodile wants to rule the land of Alabasta with an iron fist and has put together the organization known as Baroqueworks to do so. 

joe-manganiello-crocodile-one-piece-live-action-netflix.jpg
(Photo:

Joe Manganiello and One Piece's Crocodile

- Warner Bros. Discovery / Shueisha)

Crocodile's Dark Origin

In a recent statement, Joe Manganiello dissected his character and stated that Crocodile's past with Whitebeard helps forge the anime character's villainous future, "But what I found, he is the flip side of the coin from Luffy, potentially. He represents this dark potential future for Luffy if he's affected or allows the trauma of defeat to infect him the way it was for me, and I think that there's a part of Crocodile that wants everyone to suffer the way that he did after Whitebeard, or with the disappointment of not becoming the King of the Pirates and letting that go. And of course, not trusting your friends."

Explaining Crocodile's Past

Earlier in his life, the Warlord of the Sea bore witness to the execution of Gol D. Roger. Much like Luffy, Crocodile dreamed of one day becoming the king of the pirates, however, this dream was eradicated when he challenged Whitebeard to a fight and was completely destroyed. Following this confrontation, Crocodile went about creating his own personal army in Baroqueworks, a collection of bounty hunters and criminals that would help in doing his dirty work.

Crocodile might be a villain but he is able to hide his status thanks to fighting against threats to Alabasta, the desert land that he is hoping to call his own. While the Straw Hats deal with Baroqueworks outside of the island, the Warlord's eyes are only set on this major prize. In terms of Joe Manganiello, many anime fans agree that he was an amazing actor to take on this role thanks to both his love of the franchise and his ability to portray a solid villain. 

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Crocodile's Cross Guild

In both the manga and the anime adaptation, Crocodile has built a new organization and is once again dead set on finding the One Piece. The Cross Guild is headed by the likes of Crocodile, Mihawk, and Buggy, though the pirate clown is hardly an equal to his two cohorts. During Geeked Week, One Piece showrunner Matt Owens even referenced the Cross Guild when actors Joe Manganiello and Jeff Ward shared the stage.

Want to stay up to date on all things Crocodile? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for everything One Piece and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

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