@shinpanman:
Right, I suppose he is kind of the epitome of what is believed to be negative in One Piece: he thinks comrades are worthless and trusts no one, and he is completely pragmatic rather than romantic, relying only on his intellect and power. That makes sense, but I feel like all the other villains in One Piece had a bit more to them, y'know? Like, Arlong was evil, but he was also a racist bastard, Enel was evil, but he was also a delusional egomaniac, Spandam was evil, but he was also an weak, incompetent coward, Moria was evil, but he was also a lazy- I think you see where I'm going with this. I can't really think of any way to describe Crocodile other than, well…evil. And I guess that's the charm of his character...?
Sort of. Crocodile is evil, and he's all business, and does it with style. He was sensibly evil. Evil with a diabolically good head on its malicious shoulders. Why fight dying men when they're already dying? Why rely on others that can fail you. No theatrics, no showboating, just get the job done. This is also reflected in his named attacks; all are devastating and serve a singular purpose. Unlike Luffy, who has 20 different forms of a basic forward strike, Crocodile had one move for the one purpose he needed it for, and those moves were all he needed. One projectile with devastating power. One solid weapon attack. One explosive. One natural disaster above ground. One natural disaster below ground. Kill everything on the ground.
Adding to the "evil and" thing y'got going on, I'll point out that his personality would then add on to his evil, which is why he lekely appears singularly evil. It's not enough that he beats the hero down. We then get his "strength is everything" mantra, as he berates the heroes, making their defeat hurt more. His personality quirks actually then double back to his evil status and add on to it. By being himself, he is being evil. It's the "zen" of villainy.
Essentially, unlike any other villain, he is the purest evil, and that's what sets him apart. How many people noticed he's virtually the only One Piece villain without anything silly, lighthearted, etc. about his design at all. Kuro had his odd jacket and cat motif, Arlong dressed like a Jimmy Buffet fan, Enel had the earlobes, and crazy facial features, Lucci had the pigeon deal, etc. Every OP villain has had something "crazy" about their design. He alone has not. His face is normal, his manner of dress has no upbeat quirks, he doesn't facefault, he's just straight-up badass. Even the closest One Piece-y thing to his design–his hook--has been shown to be a leathal weapon. Even his eyes are permanently locked with a look of "I just don't care about anything". Hell, even his laugh is completely soulless and devoid of joy in the anime. He's aesthetically and stylistically built around the dark side. Not in an obviously evil Skeletor sense, but in a "don't fuck with this guy" Joker from The Dark Knight sense. There is nothing redeemable or light-hearted about this man at all. Not his appearance, not his personality, not his dialogue, nothing. And that's what sets him apart.
If Gold Roger is the icon of all that is the dreams and romance in the hearts of men in the One Piece world, Sir Crocodile is the icon of all that is evil and wrong in the hearts of men in the One Piece world. The only difference is that he's currently in the storyline. He's practically the Anti-Roger.
@shinpanman:
think I'm getting a little too into this anyway.
What's wrong with that? It's fun, ain't it? :D