How do you think crocodile lost his hand and got his scar? I would love to see your depiction of it :)
ohh good question... i feel like it can go so many ways... wall of text w/pics/doodles incoming 🐊 (+ an unsurprising cameo 🦩)
for the hand:
the idea that he still has it under the hook and is a #fraud is hilarious but anyway
it's something of a vulnerability hidden beneath layers of weapons. but he turned it into an asset for his strategizing. and aura 🪝
actually, i read a fic once where he had to chop it off himself to escape a restraint which is pretty metal
i still think the theory that he might have been a swordsman before is cool! THUS I PROPOSE: losing the hand in the effort to steal his devil fruit. i mean, literally having to cut off your past self to seize a new kind of strength, one crocodile might feel is superior and more natural to him ⏳
for the scar:
it's not really something he tries to hide...
now i'm about to go for a huge fucking stretch but stay with me now
we know he used to dream of being pirate king
look at him. what a cutie
somewhere along the way he suffered an overwhelming defeat where he realizes, what good is ambition without the power to back it up? (hence going after pluton later)
left alone and bleeding from a slash across his face, his crew is all dead, or betrayed him even, because he's STILL TOO WEAK. the face represents identity, right?
you know, there's someone who has similar views about power and justice
who can stitch him back together. literally weaving himself into crocodile's wounds.
YES. THAT GUY. why would he do that? because i'm delusional 🤷 ! that's it
and i just like the idea that crocodile was someone who fascinated doflamingo. cuz of his cruelty, cuz he's hot, but also cuz of that hunger they both have. doflamingo wants to see the world burn and crocodile wants to build a utopia but they both would crush the people in power if they could for a laugh. maybe croc's one of the few people dof believes in.
"join me and we can destroy everything together" "fuck off"
"wdym crocodile lost" his goat is washed 🥀
maybe after that they did sail together for a period of time that crocodile refuses to acknowledge but the evidence is literally written across his face every time he looks in the mirror. he won't talk about it but he won't cover it up either, because that would imply he's bothered by it and he would rather people (and doffy) think he just didn't care anymore
it's not too long before he splits off as a lone wolf anyway, not unlike mihawk. yada yada crushes small fry pirate crews because how dare they think they're something, becomes a warlord, starts baroque works, etc.
THANK YOU so much for the ask! this was a ton of fun to talk about! if anyone else has any thoughts to share i'd love to hear :3